By Warren Cornwall
Herald Writer
The battle against exotic plants such as purple loosestrife, tansy ragwort and Eurasian milfoil may soon be fought through property taxes.
Snohomish County’s Noxious Weed Board wants to charge property owners about $1 per parcel every year to pay for their campaign against weeds that choke fields and waterways.
The board will take public comments about the tax tonight at 7 in the Ginni Stevens Hearing Room on the first floor of the county administration building at 3000 Rockefeller Ave.
The move is designed to bring more money and fiscal stability to the fight against unwanted plants, said Sonny Gohrman, coordinator of the county’s noxious weed program.
"It’s a buck," Gohrman said. "I think for what people would get in return for it, it’s a buck well spent."
After the hearing, the board is expected to put the final touches on its proposal and forward it to the county council, which would need to approve it.
The program currently has a $200,000 budget, with roughly $75,000 coming from the county’s general fund. The new tax would raise an estimated $240,000 a year, which would be expected to replace the general fund contribution, Gohrman said.
It could also relieve the ups and downs that come with annual county budget negotiations, he said.
The tax proposal comes at a time when there is strong public sentiment against property taxes, Gohrman acknowledged. But he said this plan would answer some common criticisms, because the money is targeted to a specific use.
He and a handful of part-time workers spend most of their time combating weed infestations along county roads, fighting spartina grass under a contract with the state, and alerting landowners to ways to rid their property of weeds.
The new money would pay for a second full-time employee to do work similar to what he does, and to hire more seasonal workers to help spot and control weeds, Gohrman said.
You can call Herald Writer Warren Cornwall at 425-339-3463 or send e-mail to cornwall@heraldnet.com.
What: Public hearing about Snohomish County’s Noxious Weed Control Board proposal to impose a roughly $1 per parcel property tax to pay for the weed-fighting program.
When: 7 tonight.
Where: Ginni Stevens Hearing Room, Snohomish County Administration Building, first floor, 3000 Rockefeller Ave., Everett.
For more information: Call 360-862-7523, or visit www.co.snohomish.wa.us/publicwk/roads/roadmaint/noxiousweeds.htm
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