Property-rights initiative qualifies for November vote

A property-rights initiative has qualified for the November ballot, elections officials said Thursday.

Initiative 933 would require state and local government agencies to either compensate private landowners for regulations that harm the value of private property, or waive the requirements. It is aimed at land-use rules adopted since 1996.

Some farmers say that without such a change, government rules would continue to unfairly remove valuable farms and ranches from production.

"We're looking forward to the voters telling government that they need to slow down and work with people instead of running over their rights," said Dan Wood, spokesman for the Washington Farm Bureau, which is backing the I-933 campaign.

Oregon voters passed a similar measure in 2004, but I-933 differs in part because it does not affect land-use and zoning regulations in effect before 1996, Wood said.

"Ours is very limited," he said. "Everybody's rights are protected equally."

Last month, sponsors submitted more than 317,000 voter signatures for I-933, exceeding the 225,000 valid signatures needed to qualify for the ballot, as well as the cushion that is required to cover duplicate or invalid signatures.

A check of about 9,700 randomly selected voter signatures showed an invalidation rate of about 17.1 percent, much less than the error rate threshold of 29 percent that the office had calculated, elections officials said.

Opponents of I-933 say the measure is an unnecessary gutting of important environmental rules.

"This initiative boils down to costing taxpayers billions of dollars and allowing irresponsible development in places that were previously protected," said Aisling Kerins, campaign manager for No on I-933.

Washington voters rejected a similar initiative, Referendum 48, in 1995.

Wood said there is a different environment now, and he predicted success.

"The problem has spread, and it has gotten more intense," he said. "I don't think enough people had been impacted back in 1995."

I-933 is the second measure to qualify for the ballot. Elections officials announced Wednesday that Initiative 920, a measure to repeal the state's estate tax, also secured a spot.

Secretary of State Sam Reed's office is still verifying signatures on a measure that would force a renewable energy standard for large utilities.

Tim Eyman's third run at $30 car tabs is in danger after failing an initial check of its petition signatures. Reed now is conducting a full count of the petitions, which could take until September to complete.

Earlier this week, Gov. Christine Gregoire vowed to help defeat the estate-tax and car-tab initiatives if they make the ballot, as well as the property-rights issue.

Gregoire said that she sympathizes with the concerns behind the property-rights measure and will work with the Legislature to find a solution, particularly for preserving farmland in Washington, but that the initiative "is poorly drafted, far too broad."