A reminder, lest Seattle and King County taxpayers have too soon forgotten, we will get a big "wake up" call when our 1999 Valentine's Day property tax statements arrive from King County. This is when our property tax "chickens come home to roost" with a voracious appetite for more than just "chicken feed." Also, in addition to all school maintenance and operations levies, the county added on 19 new levies for collection in 1999.

Some levies that were voted for on Feb. 3, 1998 are as follows: the Seattle School District's "new three-year" $278 million maintenance and operations excess levy; Seattle School District's six-year $150 million school building repair excess levy; King County's three-year $120 million EMS levy. Also voted for on Nov. 3, 1998 was the Seattle Library's Proposition 1, which is a $348.4 million ($196.4 million plus interest of $152 million). Just these four additional excess levies alone will cost a total of $896.4 million more in property taxes. King County will begin collecting these excessive, confiscatory tax increases in 1999 and beyond for many years to come.

King County's total assessed property valuations have jumped up from their assessed valuations of $135.4 billion in 1998 to $150.4 billion for 1999. Total property taxes in King County will increase from $1.744 billion in 1998 to $1.947 billion in 1999.

Taxpayers must begin to speak up and not allow themselves to be propagandized and coerced into voting for any more of these insatiable demands by bureacrats for more property tax levies and bond borrowings that only beget demands for more of the same. With governments increasing taxes sky-high every year, taxpayers should sign and support tax initiatives to roll back and limit tax increases. The League of Washington Taxpayers, 425-746-2983, will have their 1999 initiatives available soon.

-FRED BUCKE,
Maple Leaf