September 19, 2024
Residents of Des Moines:
Much has been discussed about Proposition 1, including misleading information intended to confuse issues related to the city budget. My intent in writing this is to provide you with information that will help you be better informed on an issue impacting your community. At the end of the day, it is up to each member of our community to make an informed decision with their vote. However you decide to vote, we will provide you with the best service possible by maximizing the effectiveness and efficiency of the resources available to the Des Moines Police Department.
FACTS TO CONSIDER IN MAKING YOUR DECISION: The city receives a small percentage of your property taxes—just under 8% of your overall property tax bill. The vast majority of your property taxes are used to support other government interests outside the control of the Des Moines municipal government. Of the money we receive, state law caps increases at 1% annually, historically a rate much lower than inflation. As a result, property taxes fail to keep up with the costs of operating city government, including our ability to deliver public safety services. Without a levy or additional revenue source, we are forced to reduce service levels. The initial operational deficit estimated for our general fund in 2025 is a little over
$4,000,000.
THE LEVY WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR PROPERTY TAXES BY 57%: The median home value in Des Moines is
$577,000. A homeowner with such a home will see their property tax bill increase by $0.75 per day, or
$23 per month. A homeowner with a million-dollar home will see their taxes increase by $1.48 per day, or
$45 per month. For both these homeowners, the cost of this levy is less than the price of a cup of drip coffee per day.
DES MOINES POLICE DEPARTMENT IS STAFFED BELOW STATE AND FEDERAL AVERAGES: Your Des
Moines Police Department is not appropriately staffed to meet all your law enforcement service needs currently, and reductions will occur if additional revenue is not secured. The standard metric used for police staffing is “officers per 1,000 residents.” Using this metric, the State of Washington is the least staffed state in the nation, with cities in Washington averaging 1.29 officers per 1,000 residents. Des Moines staffs well below the state average, at 1.05 officers per 1,000 residents.
THIS IS A STRUCTURAL BUDGET ISSUE IMPACTING ALL WASHINGTON COMMUNITIES: Des Moines is not
unique in its need for additional revenues, given the state law limiting our ability to raise taxes in line with inflation. Cities around our region have had to rely on levy-based solutions as inflation has eroded their ability to meet their obligations. Some cities are blessed with other revenue sources, such as a large number of hotels, big-box retail, and car lots, all of which produce substantial tax streams that offset the limits on property taxes. Des Moines is largely a bedroom community with limited options for alternative revenue streams. While we would certainly benefit from various forms of economic development, those options will take years and will not solve our current issue.
THERE ARE FOUR CURRENT DMPD POSITIONS UNFUNDED IN 2025: The positions with your police department that are currently unfunded include our police co-responder, who operates under the Getting People Services (GPS) program. Our GPS responder, Monica Lara, is responsible for working with those in behavioral health crisis and connecting them to service options. This “right response” is a tool that increases the effectiveness of a police response to someone in crisis by providing a path forward that reduces the impact of their behaviors on the community and themselves. Also not budgeted for next year is our crime analyst, Patti Gosch. This specialist analyzes data to help officers maximize the effective use of their time. Without her work, we would rely on more random approaches to addressing crimes and crime trends in our community. Her focused work increases our effectiveness and efficiency, allowing patrol officers and detectives to pinpoint the most impactful strategies and locations for their efforts.
Finally, we have two (2) commissioned police officer positions budgeted in 2024 using Federal Relief Funds (ARPA) that are not funded for 2025. This will directly reduce the number of officers available to meet community needs, pushing us toward more reactive crime response strategies and away from proactive strategies that deter crimes before they occur.
I’ve also heard in multiple meetings that some residents are upset with decisions made by councils, both past and present, on budget matters and infrastructure projects. The general fund pays for government operations, and even if we stopped the infrastructure projects tomorrow, we would still face the same budget issue regarding how to fund our general fund responsibilities in the coming years. These arguments often become intermingled and imply that stopping the ferry or Marina steps projects will solve our budget issues. Simply put, they will not address the structural gap in our general fund.
I want to be clear, I am not telling people how to vote or using scare tactics to guide your decisions. On the contrary, I will do everything I can to find efficiencies that minimize the impact of our budget gap and delay the need to reduce services as long as possible. My hope in writing this is that you, the voter, are provided with factual information to weigh when making your decision.
As always, please contact me with any questions you have, and I will do my best to provide a timely answer. Be well, and thank you for allowing me the honor of serving as your police chief.
Chief Ted Boe