Tax increase would help fund police
AIRWAY HEIGHTS – City Council members grappled with a potential tax levy lid lift to bolster public safety initiatives during a meeting Monday, April 8. The proposal to create a new ordinance around a levy lid lift had its first reading, and was approved to be moved forward by unanimous vote to the next session.
City Manager Albert Tripp delved into the intricacies of financing options to enhance longterm public safety.
His proposal is a tax increase. There are three options for the tax increase: option one is $2.71 per $1,000 dollars of assessed value, option two is $2.56 per $1,000, and option three is $2.10 per $1,000. The current rate for Airway Heights is $1.40 per $1,000, compared with Cheney’s $1.79 and Spokane’s $2.43, making it one of the lowest in the county. If the levy lid lift is passed on August 6, the new tax would go into effect on January 1, 2025.
“The levy lid has constrained our ability to adequately fund essential public safety services,” Pacifica Law Group’s municipal finance attorney Dianna Gregory told the council.
The focal point of the discussion revolved around the tax levy lid, which restricts the annual increase in regular property taxes.
“This is the first time Airway Heights has ever needed to raise a levy lid lift,” Tripp said, discussing the possibility of multi-year increases.
The council mulled various scenarios, with Chairman Larry Bowman stressing, “If we don’t do something, we’re gonna have bigger failures in our city services. If it’s taking 30 minutes to go somewhere, it’s unacceptable.”
Bowman said such a tax increase could help address future challenges.
In other business, the council addressed the appointment of members to the tech advisory committee, emphasizing the importance of community involvement.
“We have to get the ordinance in by May 3,” said Larry Bowman, emphasizing the impeding deadline for filing a ballot measure for Aug. 6.
Clare is an Eastern Washington University graduate and a reporter at Free Press Publishing.
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