What is Seattle Prop. 1? A look at the $1.55B transportation levy
SEATTLE - One of the items on this year's exceptionally long ballot for Seattle voters is Proposition 1 — but what is it, exactly?
Prop 1 is a property tax levy which aims to fund some 30% of the Seattle Department of Transportation budget. Currently, the city is operating on the $930 million ‘Levy to Move Seattle’ which voters approved back in November 2015.
This current levy is slated to expire this year.
Before 2015, the $365 million ‘Bridging the Gap’ levy was approved by Seattle voters in 2006.
Prop 1 would generate an impressive $1.55 billion over the next eight years, and is considered a rare consensus between progressive transportation leadership and more conservative business interests in the city. If passed, it will continue to fund 30% of SDOT's budget.
Proponents of Prop 1 argue it will fund street improvements, new sidewalks, bridge maintenance, city bus infrastructure, bicycle safety works, the Aurora Avenue reconstruction project, and other safety projects in crash-prone areas.
Meanwhile, opponents are highly critical of its cost — nearly doubling the tax on properties. For owners of an $804,000 median-value home, the levy would cost roughly $44 per month, up from the current $23 per month of a home of the same value. Critics argue the tax is wasteful, when Seattle already lags behind on road and bridge maintenance under their current transportation levy.
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