News

Click the links below to find news articles and letters to the editor regarding the ballot measure (Please note newer articles are at the bottom):

 

• Council Votes to place affordable housing sales tax measure on the February 11th Ballot (Anacortes American, November 6th, 2019) "Anacortes voters will decide on Feb. 11 whether to increase the local sales tax from 8.7% to 8.8%, with the increase set aside to fund affordable housing." 
   

• Letters to the Editor (Anacortes American, January 1, 2020)

  • "Vote Yes on Affordable Housing" - Megan Taylor
    "On Feb. 11, Anacortes voters have a momentous opportunity. Your “yes” vote on the Affordable
    Housing Sales Tax Measure will bring more funds for affordable housing to the Anacortes community. Voters are being asked to approve an increased local sales tax of one-tenth of 1%, which comes out to just one additional cent on a $10 purchase..."

  • "Housing Tax Will Make a Difference" - Maureen Mullen
    "The housing vacancy rate of all of Skagit County is .9%. There are years-long waiting lists for low income and/or affordable housing, including in Anacortes..."

  • "Town Needs Affordable Housing" - Susan Guterbock
    "In Anacortes, we have neighbors who sleep under tables in Washington Park, in their cars or on a
    friend’s couch to escape domestic violence. There are many reasons for homelessness."
     

• Median Home Price in Anacortes: $490,000 (Anacortes American, January 1, 2020) "There were 417 homes and condos sold from Jan. 1 to Nov. 30, 2019, just one fewer than the same period in 2018, according to the Northwest MLS, which tracks real estate data in 23 western and central Washington counties. The median sales price from Jan. 1 to Nov. 30 was $490,000, down slightly from $496,500 recorded in 2018."

 

• Letters to the Editor (Anacortes American, January 15, 2020)

  • "Prioritize Affordable Housing" - Marc Estvold
    "We are asking the voters of Anacortes to support an ordinance that authorizes the collection of the Affordable Housing Sales Tax. This is an exciting and important step toward providing more affordable housing for Anacortes residents..."

  • "Important to Support Housing" - Martha Schoenthal
    "I support the many different efforts in our community to increase the availability of housing..."

  • "Vote Yes on Housing Tax" - Bill French
    "I would like to encourage everybody to vote yes on the Affordable Housing Tax Measure on February 11th. As a member of the Authority Housing Board, I see firsthand the urgent need for affordable housing..."
     

• Anacortes Voters will decide on Affordable Housing Sales Tax on February 11th (Anacortes American, Richard Walker, January 15, 2020) "Anacortes voters will decide on Feb. 11 whether to approve a sales tax that would fund the construction of affordable housing. If approved, the 1/10th of 1% sales tax — combined with a share of state sales tax — would generate $653,934 a year for affordable housing. That’s estimated on retail sales in Anacortes of about $570.6 million from July 1, 2018 to June 30, 2019, city Finance Director Steve Hoglund said. Over 20 years, it adds up to $13 million for affordable housing..."
   

• Helping Our Friends and Neighbors (Jeff Hendricks Letter of Support, January 21, 2020) The Hendricks family strongly supports the February 11th “Yes4Housing” ballot measure that would allow the Anacortes Family Center and the Anacortes Housing Authority to construct severely needed affordable housing projects. A portion of this measure will allow expansion of the Anacortes Family Center by constructing a planned 4 story 20 apartment Affordable Permanent Housing Building with a main floor Childcare Center to be located on 26th off Commercial next to the current AFC facilities.
   

•  Encouraging Support for February's Housing Ballot Measure (Submitted Letter of Support, Anacortes American, Robin Nye, January 21, 2020) "I am writing to encourage voters to pass the February ballot measure to very slightly increase the sales tax by 1/10thof 1 percent—$.10 cents for every $100 spent— to support more affordable housing in Anacortes. As someone who has in the past worked several jobs to barely scrape the rent together, I understand the importance of affordable housing and that there is a very thin line between being sheltered and safe and not..."

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