Op-Ed: Mayor and Deputy Mayor speak on Shoreline Proposition 1

Keith McGlashan is the Mayor, City of Shoreline

Before you sit down and begin checking the boxes of yes/no offerings and then move on to the this person/that person offerings I would like to tell you a little bit about Shoreline Proposition 1.

We knew the day was coming that we would have to go out and ask the citizens for a levy lid lift way before I was on the council. I have been on the Shoreline City Council since January 2006 and there has not been an annual budget review where this was not discussed and that changes in policy and efficiencies were put into place to ward off the pending deficiencies for as long as possible.

The 2001 Eyman initiative (I-747) put every municipality on equal ground as other taxing jurisdictions. What it did was to say… municipalities could not raise property taxes more than 1% per year without approval of the voters. I-747 passed state wide but was not supported by the City of Shoreline tax payers. Since its passage in 2001 the City of Shoreline has been held to that 1% increase although inflation alone averaged about 3% to 4% per year. Therefore it is no surprise that we find ourselves at this crossroad.

When you look at your property tax statement you, like myself, are shocked at the amount of taxes we pay to live in Shoreline. But 90% of those taxes go to other entities like King County, the Port of Seattle, and EMS services. We have also been a very generous and supporting community with our school district and fire district. Only approximately 10% of the property taxes you pay go to the city of Shoreline to provide the services that create the quality of life we all enjoy in Shoreline.

So where do cuts take place if Prop 1 fails?

We have heard from the community and public safety is of utmost importance to them, so I am sure there is council support to do what we can to protect our police services. Where the council would agree to make cuts is anyone's guess, but a few items on the table could be… human services, sports programs, after school programs, city granting programs, the Shoreline pool, school resource officer(s), park maintenance or closures. I’m not sure where the council will make the deep cuts that will have to be made, but I am sure that the value of life we all care about in Shoreline will be greatly effected.

Prop 1 is to continue the current services that the City of Shoreline provides to its citizens. There are no employee pay increases and no new programs included. Even with the passage of Prop 1 there will still be challenges ahead of us in these recessionary times. Retail sales tax and real estate excise tax, among other sources of revenue, continue to lag behind previous levels, and there are other initiatives on the ballot (I-1100 and I-1105) that if passed, will effect our budget greatly.

I ask your support for keeping Shoreline a great place to live and to vote yes for Proposition 1.

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Will Hall is the Deputy Mayor, City of Shoreline

As someone who cares about Shoreline, your decision on Proposition 1 is important. If approved, the city can maintain our parks, police, and community services. If not, there will be major, permanent cuts in services that we need to keep Shoreline a great place to live. I'd like to share why I'm asking you to join me in voting "Yes" on Shoreline Proposition 1.

Our community formed the City of Shoreline 15 years ago to preserve our great schools and to get better services than we got from King County. We've done that. Crime is down. Flooding is down. Our parks are better. We have miles of new sidewalks and the Interurban Trail. We have a vibrant senior center and great programs for youth. The list goes on and on. Please vote Yes on Proposition 1 to protect these important improvements.

In the past ten years (since Tim Eyman's initiatives), the city's property tax levy increased 9% while inflation increased 27%. In real dollars, that means we are giving the city 18% less property tax than we did in 2000! The city has done an amazing job of cutting costs by over $2 million to make ends meet. The city cut employee health benefits, eliminated cost-of-living adjustments for two years, slashed travel budgets, reduced staff, and made dozens of other cuts in administrative expenses. And still, Shoreline is one of the best places to live in the region. That's an incredible value, and a tribute to the fiscally conservative work of city leadership.

As a result, the City of Shoreline is one of the most efficient cities in the state, with 25% fewer employees than comparable cities, employee salaries below comparable cities, and one of the lowest city property tax rates in the region. There simply is no more waste or excess to cut in the city budget without eliminating entire programs.

Without Proposition 1, the city will have to make $14 million in cuts to the services that make this a great, and safe, place to live. If we want to preserve what makes our city special, we need to vote "Yes" on Proposition 1.

I know the economy is in terrible shape right now. Many of my neighbors are unemployed, living on fixed income, or hurting financially. I've had my pay reduced two years in a row. My wife hasn't seen a raise in years. I don't like paying taxes any more than the next person. But I don't want to turn my back on people who depend on city services during these difficult times.

What do you like best about living in Shoreline? People tell me they want to live in a safe community with clean streets, free parks for kids to play, and city staff that work to protect our neighborhoods. For an average of $7.60 per household per month, we can preserve those things and still have a great city for a bargain price.

If you have questions, please let me know. You can also learn more from the city's website.  Thank you for caring about our community and this important choice.  

Please vote "Yes" on Shoreline Proposition 1.