Initiative isn't solely for veterans

In 1888, with Civil War veterans streaming into the state, the Legislature decreed every county must levy a property tax to fund services for honorably discharged soldiers.

On Nov. 8, King County voters will be asked to increase the levy to provide services for soldiers again returning from conflict, this time in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Originally conceived of as a veterans-only measure, Proposition 1 evolved in recent weeks to also include money for homeless shelters and home care for seniors.

To its supporters, the veterans and human services levy represents a good compromise between veterans advocates and social service groups that opposed the earlier proposal for singling out veterans from the rest of the needy population.

But with a truncated schedule — the pro-levy campaign was launched only 28 days before the election — it remains to be seen whether Prop. 1 will find support at the ballot, or become a victim of its own tortured history.

Prop. 1 would increase King County property taxes by 5 cents per $1,000 of assessed value. The average homeowner would pay about $15 annually based on a $300,000 home. The levy is expected to raise $13.3 million per year for six years. It would take a simple majority to pass.

Currently, the county Veterans' Program is funded by a property tax of less than a penny per $1,000 of assessed value. Its operating budget is $2.1 million.

The concept of increasing the veteran services levy began in the Regional Policy Committee, whose members include representatives of the Metropolitan King County Council, Seattle and suburban cities.

A committee report in May noted that "the federal government is not living up to its obligation to provide services and medical care for returning veterans."

To better fund employment services, post-trauma and domestic violence counseling, and financial assistance, the Regional Policy Committee proposed raising about $11 million annually for five years. The measure then went before the County Council.

Veterans such as Perry Stepherson can attest to the need.

Stepherson was a truck driver in Phoenix until he came to Seattle a few weeks ago. He had $200 in his pocket and wanted a job on an Alaska-bound fishing boat. But the jobs weren't there, the money ran out, and Stepherson, 39, found himself in a homeless shelter.

Since he served in the Navy from 1984 to 1988, Stepherson discovered he was eligible for help from the King County Veterans' Program.

He was set up with a caseworker and given a bed at the William Booth Center, a homeless shelter that offers cheap meals and a place for about 70 veterans to stash their stuff.

Stepherson said he was surprised the county would help him.

"I'm just completely blown away," he said. "In Phoenix, (veterans aid) is all federal."

But the effort to increase the property tax for veterans quickly ran into political turbulence at the County Council.

As chairman of the Regional Policy Committee, King County Councilman Bob Ferguson championed the veterans-only levy.

Ferguson faced a tough primary runoff with fellow Democrat Carolyn Edmonds, and the levy became campaign fodder.

At one point, Edmonds put out a flier that charged that Ferguson's plan "leaves behind seniors, children, the disabled and the homeless." Ferguson shot back that Edmonds "turned her back on veterans to score cheap political points."

And the veterans-only proposal divided others as well.

Robert Stephens, chairman of the African American Veterans Group of Washington State, testified against putting a measure on the ballot that would fund only veterans services.

As soldiers, "our purpose is to help someone, whether it's picking up a gun or building a bridge," Stephens said. "Here we are pulling money from the general population, and that should be shared."

Lloyd Burroughs, state commander for the National Association for Black Veterans, supported veterans-only funding.

"We are proponents for vets. As proponents, we try to effect an agenda that is vet-friendly," Burroughs said.

Less than two weeks before the September primary, Edmonds and three other council members co-sponsored a human services levy that would provide $21 million for programs aimed at low-income residents, including veterans. They wanted the measure to go before voters next year.

On Sept. 12, the King County Council reached a compromise. Prop. 1 combined veterans with human services funding and would be decided in November. If passed, two separate independent citizen boards would disperse the money.

Ferguson beat Edmonds by about 2,000 votes.

The King County Alliance for Human Services, which represents 470 agencies, donors and faith-based resources, opposed the veterans-only idea, but supports Prop. 1.

Still, it's a lukewarm endorsement.

Laura Wells, chairwoman of the group, said it takes months to educate people about human services funding, and a compromise just weeks before the election left little time for campaigning.

"Something that was veterans-only was not a wise thing, and we did not believe 2005 was the next best step," she said.

Levy spokeswoman Erika Nuerenberg, an aide to King County Councilwoman Julia Patterson, said the campaign hopes to raise about $25,000. There is no organized opposition.

"The biggest challenge for us is making sure enough people know what this is when they go to the polls," Nuerenberg said. "It's an education by stealth and speed campaign."

Alex Fryer: 206-464-8124 or afryer@seattletimes.com