County Vet Funding Hangs In The Balance

Later this year, King County voters will likely decide the fate of the one remaining significant source of county money for veteran-support programs and human services.

The Veterans and Human Services Levy, which King County voters passed by a wide margin in 2005, provides approximately $13.3 million in funding for facilities and programs for veterans and people living on a low income throughout the county.

When it first passed six years ago, the levy, which raises money from sales and property taxes, helped augment between $11 million and $20 million from the county’s general fund, but nearly all that money has since dried up. Now, the county kicks in only $900,000 for domestic violence support and a small amount for public health funding, as required by Washington state law, according to a spokesperson for County Council Member Bob Ferguson. Ferguson put together the original levy and is pushing for its renewal.

The levy renewal comes in a year when the state Legislature looks at making more drastic cuts to state health- and human-services funding, which will be detailed in a new budget proposal that is expected to come out Monday.

Thomas Drapac, a Navy veteran and commander of the Shoreline branch of the American Legion, said the levy funds important services for veterans—including himself—who struggle or have struggled with a number of issues, such homelessness, joblessness, drug addiction and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. He said he struggled with alcohol and homelessness before seeking help and treatment at the King County Veterans Office in Seattle.

“What the good people of King County need to know is your tax support is doing the right help, at the right time, for many in need,” Drapac said. “I am proof that it’s working. I’m that sailor who is now an active contributor in King County, volunteering with veterans organizations and community activities.”

Inflation

The levy, in its current form, allows only a 1 percent increase in funding per year, meaning inflation has outpaced the rate the county can increase funding. At current levels, the average King County property owner pays about $15 per year toward the levy.

One proposal would include a mechanism to tie the levy to the Consumer Price Index to help keep funding in pace with inflation.

At a Shoreline City Council study session last month, council members discussed how to approach the inflation issue, with some members suggesting that adding it would make passage more unlikely, because voters might view it as an unnecessary tax increase during already difficult financial times. However, leaving out a cost-of-living increase would mean facilities and support services would have to continue doing more with less as inflation continues to rise.

The Suburban Cities Association, which represents and advises 37 cities in King County, including Shoreline and Lake Forest Park, said it will not support the levy if it contains the Consumer Price Index increase.

Distribution issues

Shoreline and Lake Forest Park voters were among the strongest supporters of the original levy, with only Seattle voting in favor of the levy by a wider margin than Shoreline’s 62 percent, according to city data.

However, funding and facilities disproportionately go toward Seattle and south King County, an issue cited in a city staff report.

In 2009, only 4 percent of people served through the levy lived in northern King County, according to a county report. (Forty percent lived in Seattle; 45 percent lived in southern King County, and 11 percent lived on the eastside.) Historical data was not available; however, a spokesperson for Ferguson’s office said distribution is based on need.

Council Member Chris Eggen, a veteran who was involved in the campaign for the original levy, said he would like to see the distribution method reevaluated, as more veterans move to the north end of the county.

Earlier in its history, Shoreline was a bedroom community with a more affluent population, but, over time, more veterans and low-income households have moved into the area, meaning the need for veterans and human services funding has increased, Eggen said.

Eggen said he also has reservations about a plan to restructure the levy oversight board by including people who are service providers instead of unbiased appointees, which could make it difficult for new providers to get access to money from the levy.

“It’s sort of an incestuous relationship with people who are awarding grants,” Eggen said.

Through 2009, roughly 50,000 people received levy-funded services, according to county data.

Facilities in Shoreline that receive levy funding include Hopelink, Shoreline Senior Activity Center and Shoreline Children’s Center.

The Shoreline City Council sent the county its support for the levy. The levy renewal now must gain county support to be placed on this year’s ballot. The county will then have to decide in the coming weeks whether to put the issue on the summer primary ballot or wait until fall. November elections generally attract younger voters, who tend to be more open to tax increases.