UP considered a property tax increase to fund public safety. Here’s what voters said
Residents of University Place on Tuesday were approving an increased property tax to fund public safety. The measure, which required a simple majority to pass, was ahead by 504 votes after the first tally of ballots.
Yes votes (3,583) accounted for 54% of Tuesday’s total, with no votes accounting for 46% (3,079).
The results will be certified May 5.
The measure would create a dedicated public safety fund and add another sergeant, a crime prevention, education and community outreach officer and seven commissioned patrol officers to University Place’s police force — including one dedicated to traffic patrol.
The city of University Place contracts with the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department for police services. The University Place Police Department currently has 12 patrol officers, a crime investigator, a school resource officer, a sergeant and a police chief.
What will this mean for your wallet?
The levy increases the University Place levy rate by about 35 cents per $1,000 of assessed value for collection in 2024, or $35 a year for every $100,000 in assessed value. Low-income seniors and low-income disabled homeowners could qualify for an exemption to the increase.
For a home assessed at $652,240, which is the average assessed home value as determined by the Pierce County Assessor-Treasurer, the levy would increase the property tax by about $19 a month or $228 a year, according to the voters pamphlet.
Tuesday’s proposed levy was a revised, less expensive version of an original public safety levy that appeared on last November’s ballot and failed by 99 votes. That levy would have added eight patrol officers (including two traffic patrol officers), another crime investigator and two crime prevention, education and community outreach officers to the University Place Police Department.
