Signatures in for I-747, Eyman says

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OLYMPIA - Tim Eyman says he has collected enough signatures to get his latest property-tax initiative on the fall ballot.

Eyman said he has slightly more than the 197,734 signatures necessary to qualify his proposed Initiative 747, which would limit the amount state and local governments can raise property taxes without a public vote.

Supporters are rushing to collect an additional 40,000 signatures to ensure the proposal has enough to offset any invalidated or duplicated signatures, he said. The deadline for submitting petition signatures is July 6.

I-747 would require a public vote before state and local government officials could increase property-tax collections by more than 1 percent each year. The state limit is now 2 percent. For local governments, it's as much as 6 percent.

Opponents say the measure would particularly burden local governments.

"It is aimed at local governments: cities, counties, hospital districts and fire districts," said Christian Sinderman, spokesman for the No On I-747 campaign. "Unlike (Eyman's) past initiatives that have cut state government and dug into a surplus, local governments don't have that flexibility."

Supporters of I-747 have raised $300,000 so far, Eyman said.

Opponents have raised $100,000 - mostly from public-employee unions - and have been running radio ads to discourage voters from signing the petitions.

Eyman, known for the I-695 campaign that sought to abolish the state car-license tax, last year campaigned for another property-tax initiative - I-722 - that won approval from 56 percent of voters. That measure would have limited property-tax growth to 2 percent or the rate of inflation, whichever was lower.

But a Thurston County Superior Court judge struck it down, saying it would have cut taxes and created a new tax system - in violation of a statute saying initiatives can address one issue only. It's now before the state Supreme Court.

That issue has hobbled Eyman before. The court struck down I-695 because it addressed multiple subjects - requiring voter approval of all government tax and fee increases - but Gov. Gary Locke and the Legislature bowed to voters' wishes and repealed the car-license tax anyway.

The state Republican Party is backing Eyman on I-747.

And Sinderman said the campaign against the proposal will continue.

"We never started with the premise that we would be successful at keeping him off the ballot," he said. "Our goal was to hold him accountable and not give him a free pass to the November ballot.

"We've forced him to spend more money and ask for more money than he's ever been forced to."

Supporters are gathering signatures to get at least two other measures on the ballot this fall: I-775, which would create a health-care authority and let home-care workers bargain for wages; and I-773, which would increase the cigarette tax by 60 cents a pack to pay for health-related programs.