Unlike the city of Puyallup, which declined to take a stand on Initiative 1033, which would cap revenues for Washington state as well as all counties and cities within it, the Sumner City Council unanimously passed a resolution expressing their opposition to the piece of legislation at their last regular meeting.
Although the council is generally prohibited from using public facilities for the support of a campaign or an election, City Attorney Brett Vinson said there is a statute excepting certain circumstances.
“State law does allow council to take a position on an initiative or referendum after (having) a hearing ... in which both sides of an issue have an opportunity to speak,” Vinson said after the meeting.
“What we pride ourselves on in the city of Sumner is long-range planning,” said Supler, who made the presentation for the resolution. “(I-1033) would decrease our ability to put away money for later. When we have the good times, we can’t build up the money.”
If passed, Supler added, I-1033 would also limit the ability for the city to have reserve money for unanticipated events like floods.
Although he didn’t have a vote, Mayor Dave Enslow also expressed his distaste for the controversial statewide initiative.
“I’m not a real fan of I-1033,” Enslow declared at the end of the public hearing portion of the meeting. “The city’s been so respectful of money (and) we’ve been doing more with less. All this stuff has a price to it.”
The council members spoke out against the Eyman initiative early this month during a Sumner Downtown Association-sponsored candidate debate at Sumner City Hall. Councilmember Steve Allsop even called the initiative “typical Tim Eyman smoke and mirrors” and Councilmember Matt Richardson compared it to a family budget.
“If you have an income decrease, the budget has to follow,” he said. “1033 makes the city walk that line.”
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