Rep. Wylie’s 05/09/2018 Update: End of Session Report, Property taxes and election year restrictions

Dear friends:

A paper newsletter recently went out to many households in the district. It is now posted here (or by clicking on the image below), in case you did not receive it or you want to take another look.

Property Taxes

I got some responses to that mailer, specifically asking why the property taxes went up so much. So I’d like to give you more information on what happened:

Last session, Democrats had to face either passing the Republican property tax or allowing the state government to shut down. While I opposed the property tax package, in the end we compromised to ensure the budget passed before the deadline, avoiding a government shutdown.

The original proposal by Senate Republicans was to increase property taxes by $1.80 per $1000 of assessed value. In our negotiations with the Senate Republicans, House Democrats reduced that $1.80 to 87 cents, which is what you’re seeing reflected on your bill. That’s less than half of what the Republicans wanted.

This session, one of our primary goals was to further reduce this property tax increase. We looked at different ways to accomplish this, and in the end decided to invest enough state resources in the supplemental operating budget to push that Republican property tax increase down to 50 cents per $1000 next year.

I remain committed to funding our responsibilities, K-12 education and other essential state services, and I will continue to fight for a tax structure that does not rest on the backs of the middle class, working families, and small businesses.

Election Year Restrictions

This is my last e-newsletter before election year restrictions kick in next week.

During an election year, there are certain restrictions on my communications to prevent the use of state resources for election purposes. Beginning May 14, 2018 and until the certification of the November election results, I will not send out newsletters and my caucus website will be frozen, meaning no new content can be added.

However, if you have questions, comments, concerns or ideas on legislative issues, please feel free to contact me via email or over the phone at (360) 786-7824, as I am able to respond to you directly.