‘Walk a mile in my shoes’: Spike defends 1% property tax cap in WA

In 2007, the Washington legislature voted to reinstate a 1% annual cap on property tax increases for cities and counties, which Representative Ross Hunter viewed as “the single worst vote” he made in his career. Years later, Hunter is advocating for the passage of Proposition 1, which would allow cities and counties to go beyond the 1% cap on property taxes.

As a resident near Edmonds, KIRO host Spike O’Neill noted his frustration with potentially removing the 1% property tax cap on “The Jake and Spike Show” on KIRO Newsradio, further stating that the initiative was created with the thought of tax raises through other avenues.

“It sucks. I’m glad [Hunter] is doing so well, I’m glad he can afford another 5% of his home’s value coming out of his pocket, but respectfully, you should walk a mile in my shoes,” Spike said. “I think they voted to cap it at 1% knowing some foresight that other things are also going to be raised. You can’t come at them from every side. You can’t dip your hand in every pocket. They should keep the cap.”

“It seems like he’s not speaking for the average person. The average person is sick of property taxes,” KIRO host Jake Skorheim said. “I think [Hunter] is way off, which is why I’m glad he’s not in the office anymore.”

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

Listen to “The Jake and Spike Show” weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.