The Green River Valley is under threat of flooding by the diminished capacity of the Howard Hanson Dam. Lots of work still remains to put a permanent fix in place at the dam and shore up levees along both the Green and Cedar rivers. Now, it has come to light that a new threat to the Green and Cedar River Valleys has emerged – taxes.

State law limits property taxes at the local level to a rate of $5.90 per $1,000 of assessed valuation. Tax increases by King County, the King County Library District, fire districts, park districts and others, combined with lower property values and annexations have put the King County Flood Control District in jeopardy. No time in recent memory has this state law been in jeopardy of being violated in King County – until now. King County staff estimate that significant areas in unincorporated King County will exceed the $5.90 cap by the end of this year.

State law prescribes an order in which taxes are reduced to get below the $5.90 cap. Unfortunately, the King County Flood Control District is at the bottom of this list, making it first to be eliminated. If no corrective action is taken to reduce tax rates in unincorporated King County by the end of this year, the Flood Control District cannot levy taxes in 2011.

Only two options are available: 1) reduce King County’s own taxes to get below the $5.90 cap or 2) have the King County Flood Control District “buy-out” other districts levying taxes in those areas. Reducing taxes is easy in the abstract. King County levies taxes in unincorporated areas for Roads, it also levies taxes county-wide for human services, parks expansion, parks maintenance, for an automated fingerprint system and of course, for flood control. The problem of course is political will to reduce any of these other taxing districts.

“Buying-out” other districts means that the King County Flood Control District would pay local parks, hospital, or fire districts not to levy their tax. The problem with this strategy is that county-wide taxpayers, who pay into the Flood District, would be paying a tax cut for unincorporated residents.

The rate cap situation exists in the shadow of the King County Council placing a two-tenths of one percent sales tax on the November ballot to pay for the criminal justice system. If that tax increase passes and no other action is taken, the Flood Control District is still gone. I put forward a plan that was tax neutral to the average taxpayer, fully funds law enforcement, and would save the flood district. Unfortunately, that didn’t pass at the Council.

My plan would have saved partial funding for the flood district, while respecting the taxpayers by not asking them to pay more for criminal justice services. While the sale tax increase is on the ballot, the King County Council must find a way to save the King County Flood District and the economic engines of the Green and Cedar River valleys that it protects.

The Green River Valley is under threat of flooding by the diminished capacity of the Howard Hanson Dam. Lots of work still remains to put a permanent fix in place at the dam and shore up levees along both the Green and Cedar rivers. Now, it has come to light that a new threat to the Green and Cedar River Valleys has emerged – taxes.

State law limits property taxes at the local level to a rate of $5.90 per $1,000 of assessed valuation. Tax increases by King County, the King County Library District, fire districts, park districts and others, combined with lower property values and annexations have put the King County Flood Control District in jeopardy. No time in recent memory has this state law been in jeopardy of being violated in King County – until now. King County staff estimate that significant areas in unincorporated King County will exceed the $5.90 cap by the end of this year.

State law prescribes an order in which taxes are reduced to get below the $5.90 cap. Unfortunately, the King County Flood Control District is at the bottom of this list, making it first to be eliminated. If no corrective action is taken to reduce tax rates in unincorporated King County by the end of this year, the Flood Control District cannot levy taxes in 2011.

Only two options are available: 1) reduce King County’s own taxes to get below the $5.90 cap or 2) have the King County Flood Control District “buy-out” other districts levying taxes in those areas. Reducing taxes is easy in the abstract. King County levies taxes in unincorporated areas for Roads, it also levies taxes county-wide for human services, parks expansion, parks maintenance, for an automated fingerprint system and of course, for flood control. The problem of course is political will to reduce any of these other taxing districts.

“Buying-out” other districts means that the King County Flood Control District would pay local parks, hospital, or fire districts not to levy their tax. The problem with this strategy is that county-wide taxpayers, who pay into the Flood District, would be paying a tax cut for unincorporated residents.

The rate cap situation exists in the shadow of the King County Council placing a two-tenths of one percent sales tax on the November ballot to pay for the criminal justice system. If that tax increase passes and no other action is taken, the Flood Control District is still gone. I put forward a plan that was tax neutral to the average taxpayer, fully funds law enforcement, and would save the flood district. Unfortunately, that didn’t pass at the Council.

My plan would have saved partial funding for the flood district, while respecting the taxpayers by not asking them to pay more for criminal justice services. While the sale tax increase is on the ballot, the King County Council must find a way to save the King County Flood District and the economic engines of the Green and Cedar River valleys that it protects.

Reagan Dunn is a King County Councilmember representing southeast King County.