Puyallup District 3 Survey on Candidates & Tax Increases

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* 1. For your responses to count in this poll, please type your name and voting address so we can cross reference with the county's voter registration list for Puyallup's District 3. Your responses will be kept 100% private.

Puyallup City Council increased our property taxes by 6% in a procedural maneuver called “banking” from years when past councils did not raise taxes, resulting in an increase of our city portion of property taxes from $1.00 per $1,000 house value in 2024, to $1.08 per $1,000 in 2025. Council also increased taxes on our electricity and gas bills this year from 4.2% to 6%, and well as increased Xfinity/Comcast fees from 3.4% to 5%. Council also cut 7 staff positions including one from the senior center causing the end of Activity Center Rentals to the public, two library positions resulting in the end of external library projects like school collaborations, and four other positions including the elimination of the city’s Economic Development Manager. These cuts to staff unrelated to the police department, and the tax increases, were made to pay for the renovation and 30 year rental of an out-of-the-way building off 39th Ave SE as a police station. Adding up itemized costs on the city website, the project is projected to be $73.5 million for Puyallup taxpayers. In comparison, the 2023 bond measure to build a police station and jail on the land we still own in a more prominent location adjacent to the new fire station off 39th (but rejected by 52.51% of voters citywide, while District 3 voted in favor by 53.5%) would have cost approximately $44 million for the police station (specifically, a projected $35 million for the police station, plus a projected $9 million in shared groundbreaking costs with a jail if they had added that for another projected $31 million). District 3 candidate for city council Mark Crosby states on his August 14 Campaign Facebook page post that: "It was great to be at the ribbon-cutting for Puyallup’s new police station up on the hill today. Exciting to see this investment in public safety moving forward…" while District 3 candidate Lindsay Smolko has not published a position on the project prior to this survey. In addition, the city sent out a Request for Qualification (RFQ) proposal last month to renovate our current city jail at an unknown cost, despite maintaining throughout the 2021-23 campaigns that the old jail was not feasible to renovate. Neither candidate for District 3 have published whether they support going forward with downtown jail renovations, or if they prefer what Puyallup Voters for Integrity has recommended: close the expensive, old run-down jail, and instead, use our new Pierce County jail as all other cities have done to save millions per year.

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* 2. Do you agree with all, some, or none of the Puyallup City Council tax increases and staffing cuts for a rented police station, and more to come for jail renovations?

I agree with ALL of the Puyallup City Council tax increases and staffing cuts for rented police station, plus more to come for jail renovations.

I agree with SOME of the Puyallup City Council tax increases and staffing cuts for rented police station, plus more to come for jail renovations.

I agree with NONE of the Puyallup City Council tax increases and staffing cuts for rented police station, plus more to come for jail renovations.

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* 3. If you would like to have us include reasons for your opinion about the Puyallup City Council tax increases and staffing cuts when we post our next Tuesday survey update, please describe the things you agree with, and what you disagree with. All responses will remain anonymous.

Last year, the Puyallup City Council circumvented state restrictions on sales tax increases by voting to create a new Transportation Tax District without its own elected commissioners, and instead made city council the de-facto commissioners, then increased sales taxes from 10.1% to 10.2% in the City of Puyallup. As of October 14th, neither candidate for District 3 has published whether they support the actions city council has taken regarding the new Transportation Tax District.

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* 4. Do you agree with all, some, or none of Puyallup City Council's actions creating the new tax district without voter approval, and whether city council should control decisions of the tax district, and their vote to impose a .1% sales tax increase within city limits?

I agree with ALL of Puyallup City Council’s actions regarding the new transportation tax district.

I agree with SOME of Puyallup City Council’s actions regarding the new transportation tax district.

I agree with NONE of Puyallup City Council’s actions regarding the new transportation tax district.

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* 5. If you would like to have us include reasons for your opinion about Puyallup City Council's creation of the Transportation Tax District when we post our next Tuesday survey update, please describe what you agree with, and the aspects you disagree with. All responses will remain anonymous.

Puyallup City Council increased city utility fees, and changed the frequency of when we city residents have to pay, from every-other-month, to every month, with water rates raised 7.5% from 2024, sewer rates up 5.5%, and the stormwater rate up 16.5% according to footnote on our January and February utility bills. City Council also used $600,000 of our sewer and stormwater fees for a $5 million project to rebuild one block of 9th Ave SW into a “festival street” for the fair this year, just 4 years after we paid to rebuild the exact same block, wasting the $2 million spent from our general street fund at that time. As of October 14th, neither candidate for District 3 has published whether they support the actions city council has taken regarding the new Transportation Tax District.

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* 6. Do you agree with all, some, or none of the utility fee increases, expenditures, and bill frequency decisions Puyallup City Council made over the last 2 years?

I agree with ALL of Puyallup City Council's utility fee increases and billing frequency changes, as well as expenditures to redo the 100 block of 9th Ave SW twice.

I agree with SOME of Puyallup City Council's utility fee increases and billing frequency changes, as well as expenditures to redo the 100 block of 9th Ave SW twice.

I agree with NONE of Puyallup City Council's utility fee increases and billing frequency changes, as well as expenditures to redo the 100 block of 9th Ave SW twice.

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* 7. If you would like to have us include reasons for your opinion about Puyallup City Council's utility fee increases, billing frequency changes, and festival street expenditures when we post our next Tuesday survey update, please describe the aspects you agree with, and what you disagree with. All responses will remain anonymous.

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* 8. District 3 incumbent Julie Door is term limited, so this open seat for Puyallup City Council is a race between Lindsay Smolko, a STEM Teacher emphasizing on her website equity, inclusivity, and transparency in local government, competing with Mark Crosby who doesn't have a campaign website but says on Facebook and in the Voter's Pamphlet that he enjoys mutual support with a majority of sitting council members, and expressed excitement about the new police station ribbon cutting. Please let PV4I know if you can find published opinions from either candidate relating to the tax and fee increases, or select if you prefer Lindsay Smolko, Mark Crosby, or neither of the candidates running for Puyallup City Council representing District 3.

I prefer Lindsay Smolko for Puyallup City Council District 3.

I prefer Mark Crosby for Puyallup City Council District 3.

I prefer neither candidate for Puyallup City Council District 3.

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* 9. If you would like to have us anonymously include the reasons for your candidate preference in our next Tuesday survey update, please share:

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* 10. Please include your contact information if you would like to receive final survey results, and stay informed of future Puyallup Voters for Integrity projects: