Constantine: King County’s 1% Property Tax Cap May Cut ‘Essential’ Services

County Executive Dow Constantine says he'll be forced to cut "essential services" unless he's allowed to break the cap on how much more he can tax King County properties. Constantine held his 2023 state of the county address in which he warned of potential cuts to services. The county's primary funding source is the property tax, but Constantine blames a 1% cap on property tax revenue for creating a gap in the general fund. Washington state voters passed the cap in 2001. Notably, the majority of King County votes were against the legislation. The amount of property taxes levied by counties against assessed property value can increase by only 1% per year, plus revenue from new construction. Since the cap was passed in 2001, the King County population has grown nearly 30%, and Constantine said consumer prices are up 70%.

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