Why are Washington cities short on money?
Staff place Spokane's outlook beside its neighbours. The structural cause they name: property tax capped at 1% growth while sales tax swings.
“Tacoma: $40 million deficit. Vancouver: $43 million deficit. Even Spokane County just ticked theirs up to $30 million recently, from $25 million.”
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IMPLEMENTED WEREN'T ONE TIME SOLUTIONS. THEY WERE LONG TERM IMPACTS. SO THERE'S STILL WORK BUT AS WE'RE SEEING IN SEATTLE ,TACOMA, VANCOUVER AND EVEN JUST RIGHT ACROSS THE RIVER IN THE COUNTY, EVERYBODY'S HAVING THOSE ISSUES AND TO KIND OF A GREATER DEGREE THAN OUR OWN SEATTLE OBVIOUSLY WE PITY THEM BEING HALF $1 BILLION IN A DEFICIT AND LOOKING AT AT THEIR NEXT BUDGET TACOMA $40 MILLION DEFICIT VANCOUVER $43 MILLION DEFICIT AND EVEN SPOKANE COUNTY JUST TICKED THEIRS UP UP TO $30 MILLION RECENTLY FROM 25. SO IT IS A CHALLENGE BUT IT IS NOT A UNIQUE CHALLENGE THAT THAT IS FACED IN WASHINGTON STATE. A LOT OF THAT IS DRIVEN BY, YOU KNOW, OUR 1% PROPERTY TAX GROWTH COUPLED WITH THE SALES TAX VOLATILITY THAT WE'RE SEEING. AS JAKE MENTIONED, WE HAVE SEEN SOME YOU KNOW, SOME POSITIVE MOVEMENT WHICH IS IS ALSO KIND OF A HEAD SCRATCHER