Signatures for Initiative 1033 submitted to the Secretary of State office July 2, 2009

On Thursday, July 2, 2009,initiative sponsor Tim Eyman submitted Initiative 1033 (I-1033) with a reported 314,000 signatures to the Secretary of State's office. In order to qualify for the November general election ballot, the initiative must have at least 241,153 valid signatures. Given the volume of the signatures submitted, it is likely to be validated. 
 
The Secretary of State’s Office reports that it generally takes about three weeks to verify that sufficient signatures have been gathered.
 
If I-1033 passes in November, it would limit the growth rate of certain state, county and city revenue, not including new voter-approved revenue increases, to annual inflation and population growth. Revenue collected above the limit would be used to reduce property taxes. This limit would apply to city general revenues in 2010, with the limit set at 2009 revenues adjusted for inflation and population growth. Although the initiative states that new voter-approved revenues would be exempt for 2010, it also states that voter-approved revenue is defined as the increase in revenue approved by the city’s voters at an election after the effective date of this act. Since the November election is the last of 2009, any voter-approved tax increases passed in 2009 would likely be subject to the limitations of this initiative and not excluded from the revenue limitations.
 
AWC provides analysis for information purposes only. Cities may wish to consult legal advice for specific impacts on your city. To view the full initiative text click here. (2.9 MB)