Property tax lid, immediate relief for at-risk property owners cap special session

OLYMPIA – The state Senate passed two bills on property taxes in a special session called by Gov. Chris Gregoire. The first, House Bill 2416, will restore the 1 percent cap on property tax increases. Senate Democrats asserted that re-imposing the limit creates predictability and respects the will of the voters who passed Initiative 747 in 2001. The measure, sponsored by Rep. Chris Hurst, D-Enumclaw, passed 39-9.

The second measure, Senate Bill 6178, takes what Democrats say is the first step toward comprehensive property tax reform. The bill extends the state’s property tax deferral program for seniors and the disabled to anyone with an annual income of $57,000 or less. The legislation provides relief for families and individuals in financial crisis and in danger of losing their homes by allowing homeowners to defer up to 50 percent of their property taxes until the sale of their homes. It passed 27-21.

“Extending the deferral program now in place for seniors and disabled persons to low-and moderate-income people will offer much needed help for struggling families,” said Senate Majority Leader Lisa Brown, D-Spokane.

“It’s immediate action to provide help to those who really need it,” said Sen. Claudia Kauffman, D-Kent, the bill’s primary sponsor. “We should address the larger issues of property tax reform in the regular session, but in a single day we made a big difference in the lives of the more than 5,000 people who will benefit from this measure.”

The regular session of the Legislature convenes Jan. 14.

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