CHOKEPOINTS

Do Bellevue residents have a reason to increase property taxes?

Oct 25, 2016, 8:30 AM | Updated: 9:04 am

Eastside, bellevue, ballot, bellevue homeless...

Bellevue. (KIRO Radio)

(KIRO Radio)

Bellevue’s growth has happened so quickly that the city has had little time or money to build infrastructure to keep up with it. That’s why it is asking voters for a property tax increase to pay for road improvements.

The city is asking its residents to increase their property taxes by 15 cents per $1,000 of assessed value. That would cost the average Bellevue homeowner about $96 a year. The average home price in Bellevue is $640,000.

KIRO Radio Voter’s Guide

Ron Kessack, assistant director of the Bellevue Transportation Department says most of this money would be directed toward the neighborhoods to add improvements that residents have requested.

“It is designed to work on a backlog of neighborhood projects,” he said. “These are projects that have been requested in the past that, although we may have some funding to address that type of project, we don’t have funding to address it in a timely manner.”

That includes sidewalks, crosswalks, bike lanes, and other improvements.

It’s a 20-year levy. Opponents say it is short on specifics and provides too much leeway for the city to divert funds to other projects. They also say these improvements should be paid for by developers.

Will this levy, if passed, actually make the neighborhoods in Bellevue safer?

KIRO Radio traffic reporters Candy Harper and Chris Sullivan discuss

Chokepoints

lane sweeping...

Chris Sullivan

Sullivan: Lane sweeping is all too common and needs to stop

This is called lane sweeping and let me be crystal clear -- what that driver did to me is 100% illegal for multiple reasons.

5 days ago

Photo: The Nisqually River Bridge will be cleaned this weekend as I-5 sees road work....

Nate Conners, KIRO Newsradio and Bill Kaczaraba, MyNorthwest

Weekend road work: The bridges working against traffic flow

The Nisqually River Bridge is set to get its annual cleaning this weekend.

11 days ago

520 tolling...

Chris Sullivan

Expanded SR 520 tolling going down to wire in Olympia

Do you want funding for 520 or do you want lower gas prices? That's what the campaign against the citizen's initiative is expected to be.

12 days ago

sound transit parking...

Chris Sullivan

Sound Transit parking changes on the way

Sound Transit can and will check to see if you're meeting those benchmarks for parking, and you could be denied if you fail to meet them.

14 days ago

Image: After an I-5 south vehicle crash on Sunday, March 3, 2024, a traffic sign the Washington Sta...

Steve Coogan

I-5 south vehicle crash that killed pedestrian snarled traffic near Marysville

One person was killed in an accident on Interstate 5 south involving a vehicle and a pedestrian, the Washington State Patrol reported Sunday.

15 days ago

South 216th Street Bridge...

Nate Connors

I-5 near SeaTac closing this weekend at South 216th Street Bridge

The South 216th Street Bridge in SeaTac has nearly completed the installation of its concrete girders -- a heavy beam to support the deck of a bridge.

17 days ago

Do Bellevue residents have a reason to increase property taxes?