News Apr 28, 2015 at 4:15 pm

Vote "Approved" on Proposition 1 to Fund Needed Emergency Radios for First Responders

Stranger Election Control Board
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Comments

1
such a waste of money. why why why not wait till november?
Max Solomon on April 18, 2015 at 12:41 PM Report this
2
Already voted for it. Thanks, Stranger!
J.R. on April 18, 2015 at 1:03 PM Report this
3
A humble reporting request (o-ye-mighty Stranger Election Control Board), how much financial support will this Proposition (if approved) permit to continue to flow versus how much did this special single item mailed ballot cost? (against if it were just tacked on to a subsequent ballot) thankewverymuch
theophrastus on April 18, 2015 at 1:09 PM Report this
4
You just had to make it about the tunnel..... It's like Republicans and Obamacare...
Eckstein on April 18, 2015 at 1:28 PM Report this
5
theophrastus dear, It's probably one of those things where the money runs out on X date, and it can't be extended without citizen approval. One of the many, many, many stupid things about the initiative process.
Catalina Vel-DuRay on April 18, 2015 at 1:53 PM Report this
6

@3: We had the same question and got an answer before we endorsed. The special election will cost up to $2.4 million to conduct, according to King County Elections. If approved, Proposition 1 would raise around $240 million for the new emergency communications system. Not a bad return on investmentā€”if it passes.

Eli Sanders on April 18, 2015 at 2:02 PM Stranger Staff
7
@6: excellent reporting! thank you for digging deep on our behalves. i should've expected nothing less. (wow a quarter billion! that's some communications system)
theophrastus on April 18, 2015 at 2:12 PM Report this
8
I'll vote for it, of course.

But do we really have to vote for every stupid little thing like this? Radios? The city council couldn't pass this on their own? Isn't the whole point of representative democracy that we have representatives to deal with this kind of trivial day-to-day shit?

Next thing you know we'll have another proposition to fund painting stripes down the center of the streets. *Ugh*
Reverse Polarity on April 18, 2015 at 2:36 PM Report this
9
All property tax levies are made to sound like a do-or-die must have, when in fact our government can and find other revenue streams in its bureaucracy to pay for them.
raindrop on April 18, 2015 at 2:40 PM Report this
10
See more here.
http://your.kingcounty.gov/elections2/co…
raindrop on April 18, 2015 at 2:55 PM Report this
12
Sargon dear, until the normal property owners figure out that they - and every other normal person in this state - are patsies for the rich and that we need an income tax, nothing will change.

In the meantime, this will add about $21 to the tax bill for Chez Vel-DuRay. I'm in.
Catalina Vel-DuRay on April 18, 2015 at 7:45 PM Report this
13
What of the argument against which says the provision as written is at risk of becoming underfunded in case of another housing meltdown? Also this strikes me as fairly expensive for a radio system. How does this levy compare with other active levies in King County? I just tried to find documentation for how the county calculates the actual tax rate and failed. Could you report with just a little more context?
marekthegreat on April 18, 2015 at 9:19 PM Report this
14
@12: You're right. Each levy is less than the average of what most Seattleites pay for for coffee in a given week, but the total property tax bill amounts to the equivalent of one or two extra mortgage payments per year for an average household just to pay for property taxes.
raindrop on April 18, 2015 at 9:19 PM Report this
15
Forgot to add your advertisers to the list of election control board members
frozenfrog on April 19, 2015 at 1:08 AM Report this
16
@15 ZING
Eckstein on April 19, 2015 at 9:13 AM Report this
17
$240 million. For radios. No, sorry, they're to tide the system over until the next time.

Nope, government doesn't waste money!
Seattleblues on April 19, 2015 at 9:28 AM Report this
18
And my vote isn't no. It's hell no. Learn to live on your (already bloated and overpriced due to unions and political favors to some contractor installing radio systems) budget like everyone else, government at all levels.
Seattleblues on April 19, 2015 at 9:31 AM Report this
19
And when this bit of chicanery fails tbe initiative writers should have to pay honest taxpayers back for this insane special election as well.

However at 17 I was wrong. This is for better radios. We already have a communication system, but it's apparently not good enough for the local government, at least since someone else has to pay for a better one it isn't!
Seattleblues on April 19, 2015 at 9:37 AM Report this
20
The Stranger Election Control Board is the five people left who can't deal jobs elsewhere.
SlogTrash on April 19, 2015 at 11:33 AM Report this
21
Poor Seattleblahs. Money issues got you blue? There's programs that can help, you know.
Catalina Vel-DuRay on April 19, 2015 at 1:25 PM Report this
22
@17: Wow, $240 million over nine years. That's $15 a year per person! That's NOTHING in the scheme of things for an average homeowner.

@19: The current system dates from 1992. Do you expect the fire department to use computers from 1992? How about defibrillators from 1992? Or firefighting gear from 1992?
Maybe the people risking their lives to save others' shouldn't have to rely on obsolete equipment, huh? You big ingrate!

And what's it all for? Emergency communications equipment for first responders. (These ain't your dime store walkie-talkies.) Now you're the kind of guy who doesn't see the need for firefighters or fire extinguishers or whatever--your comments on insurance have said as much--because you're unlikely to get your money's worth in a given year. Well, if you want to trim spending, starting with emergency services means that you're gambling that you just won't need 'em, and that gamble leads to uncivilized shit like this.
venomlash on April 20, 2015 at 1:54 PM Report this
23
Essential services like this need to be part of general fund budget. Not up for referendum. Bad management. Bad tax policy. Unfortunately more and more essential services are being pushed on voters as referendum. Meanwhile what exactly is being covered under general funding becomes less clear.
Marcie on April 20, 2015 at 6:29 PM Report this
24
@23 - which general fund budget?
Bax on April 21, 2015 at 12:46 PM Report this
25
Will this measure result in first responder layoffs as implied in the "Rebuttal of statement in favor" in the voter pamphlet?
SeMon on April 22, 2015 at 4:40 PM Report this
26
Oh shit, I never thought the day would come where I agree with raindrop AND seattleblues...

But seriously, I'm voting no on this. Mainly because I resent the entire premise of it even being proposed. I'm not against emergency radios for first responders, mind you, I'm simply disgusted by the fact that the city/county/whoever are apparently so shitty at their jobs that they can't even be bothered to provide such basic necessities for emergency services operation. While I feel kind of crappy about stiffing the first responders here, I think voting no sends a better message, because if the measure fail, it will force them to go back and fight for the money that they should have gotten anyways through their regular budget channels.

And, let's be honest, emergency radios is on the ballot and not building maintenance or something simply because they know that it tugs on peoples conscience and is less likely to fail.

Well, fuck that.
Plan better, tell the politicians to stop fucking around, raise the money some other way, whatever you gotta do. Don't bother us with this bullshit, that's what we elect people to do.
Super Jesse on April 28, 2015 at 4:59 PM Report this
27
@22, Venomlash wrote, "The current system dates from 1992. Do you expect the fire department to use computers from 1992? How about defibrillators from 1992? Or firefighting gear from 1992?"

These aren't computers, defibrillators, or firefighting equipment. They're radios. Walkie-talkies.
Phil M on April 29, 2015 at 11:30 AM Report this
28
Will you have endorsements for primary elections before July 1st? Especially who will you endorse for the King County Assessor? Thanks!
Rishona on June 10, 2015 at 7:26 PM Report this

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