'Very modest' cut in property tax proposed

It's a rare event when a budget speech by the most prominent Democrat in Snohomish County makes one of the staunchest Republicans want to grab a pair of pom poms.

On Friday, Democratic County Executive Aaron Reardon pitched a 1 percent rollback in property taxes in 2008.

The tax cut would put $2.39 back in the wallet of the owner of a typical $300,000 home anywhere in Snohomish County.

"Our philosophy is we don't need to collect more than is necessary," said Reardon, who is running for re-election in November. "This is something we've looked at doing the last three years."

Reardon called the move "a very modest tax cut, one that offsets the increases made by other governments."

Republican County Councilman John Koster said he wanted to jump up and cheer.

"I've been trying this for five or six years," Koster said.

Reardon's announcement of a proposed property tax cut came near the end of his 27-minute budget speech, which outlined his spending priorities for 2008. If approved, the county would decline to collect about $675,000.

Democratic County Council chairman Dave Gossett is planning more study into Reardon's numbers.

"It's a great applause line, but I think what you have to do is be honest with the taxpayers about what the needs of county are," Gossett said. Reardon is considering taking tax measures to the voters in coming years, Gossett said, which could amount to hundreds of dollars in additional taxes.

To offer a decrease of a few dollars in 2008 only to ask for other tax increases in the future is "disingenuous," Gossett said.

Reardon dodged questions about potential voter-approved tax increases for farmers or public safety, saying he doesn't "engage in hypotheticals."

"Ask me after November 7," he said.

Since last year, officials have discussed asking voters to approve public safety programs and projects that could cost tens of millions of dollars in future years.

Reardon also announced Friday his proposals for hiring a graffiti cleanup team, a new drug court coordinator and prosecutors to focus on domestic violence and drunken driving.

He highlighted park and road projects coming in the next year, proposed putting more biofuels into the county public works fleet and pledged a plan to tackle homelessness.

The county won't necessarily be hurting from the proposed rollback in taxes. New businesses and homes continue to be added to the tax rolls. That means that despite the proposed rollback, overall county property tax collections still are expected to increase $1.1 million, rising from $65.7 million collected this year to $66.8 million next year.

Not all is flush with the county finances. As the housing boom continues to fade, so go projected real estate excise taxes and permit fees. The county expects to collect about $12 million less in 2008.

Officials anticipated the downturn, finance director Roger Neumaier said.

In his speech, Reardon talked about his commitment to making Snohomish County government smaller, less bureaucratic and more dynamic. He later was unable to point to an example of how the county government is smaller.

"It has grown overall," Reardon said. "We've responded to the growth in the economy, and in a more entrepreneurial and networked way."

This budget will reach a milestone as 3,035 full-time county positions are proposed, up 315 from 2,720 the year Reardon took office. The general-fund budget has risen from $165.5 million in 2004 to the proposed $212 million for 2008.

Even so, he said, county government is slimmer than it might have been.

"The goal is to make the system as fast, dynamic and flexible as the society we serve," Reardon said.

Reporter Jeff Switzer: 425-339-3452 or jswitzer@heraldnet.com.