Homes Now to hold event in support of Prop 1 Tax Levy

(Tri-Area Times) ​The Homes Now Campaign is holding an event Tuesday, September 5th, from 5:00-7:00 p.m. at Finnriver Cidery in Chimacum. Event organizers are inviting you to come and share stories and visions for the affordable housing movement in Jefferson County and to pick up campaign signs in support of Prop 1, the Affordable Housing Levy to be on Jefferson County's November ballot.

If passed, the levy would create the Jefferson County Home Opportunity Fund.  According to their website, "This fund will give grants and loans to organizations that can build and preserve housing throughout Jefferson County, housing that will remain affordable to low- and very low-income households for forty years or more."

Information related to the Homes Now organization can be seen at www.homesnowjefferson.org. Created in response to the growing crisis in Jefferson County for affordable housing for low and very low income households, the Homes Now Organization is behind the effort for Prop 1.  Modeled after a similar solution in Bellingham, the campaign is hoping to garner enough county wide support in the next 10 weeks to have the levy pass voter approval.  

Details of Prop 1 include that it is a seven year property tax to be levied 2018-2024 and would be set at 36 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation in the 2018 tax year.  The levy would be expected to raise approximately $13 million dollars over the 7 year period.  More detailed explanations of the plan can be seen at: www.homesnowjefferson.org/The-Plan.

At the recent County Commissioners special session meeting held on July 24th at 6:00 p.m to decide if the levy should be placed on the ballot, the courtroom was packed and support of the levy was approximately 50% of all public comments made.

Opponents of the levy cite various reasons to Vote NO on Prop 1 this November including concerns that there are no clear plans of how this money will be used and by whom the funds would be administered, in addition to the issue of levying property owners with more of a tax burden. 

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