Puyallup District 2 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 2. Your responses will be kept 100% private.

Dennis King voted to increase city 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. He also proposed and voted to increase taxes on our electricity and gas bills from 4.2% to 6%, and well as increase Xfinity/Comcast fees from 3.4% to 5%. He also voted to 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 a building on South Hill for a new 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 land we still own (and rejected by 55.37% of District 2 voters, with 52.51% voting “no” citywide) 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). In addition, Dennis King approved of the city sending 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 it was not feasible to renovate.

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* 2. Do you agree with all, some, or none of Dennis King's tax increases and staffing cuts for a rented police station, and more to come for jail renovations?

I agree with ALL of Dennis King's tax increases and staffing cuts for rented police station, plus more to come for jail renovations.

I agree with SOME of Dennis King's tax increases and staffing cuts for rented police station, plus more to come for jail renovations.

I agree with NONE of Dennis King's 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 King's 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, Dennis King worked to circumvent 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.

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* 4. Do you agree with all, some, or none of Dennis King's actions creating the new tax district without voter approval, that city council should control decisions of the tax district, and that he voted to impose a .1% sales tax increase within city limits?

I agree with ALL of King’s actions regarding the new transportation tax district.

I agree with SOME of King’s actions regarding the new transportation tax district.

I agree with NONE of King’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 King's support 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.

Dennis King voted to increase city utility fees, and change 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. Dennis King also voted to use $600,000 in 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 that same block was completely rebuilt, wasting the $2 million spent from our general street fund at that time.

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* 6. Do you agree with all, some, or none of the utility fee increases, expenditures, and bill frequency decisions Dennis King made over the last 2 years while he took his turn as Deputy Mayor?

I agree with ALL of the utility fee increases, the billing frequency change, and the expenditures to redo the 100 block of 9th Ave SW twice.

I agree with SOME of the utility fee increases, billing frequency change, and expenditures to redo the 100 block of 9th Ave SW twice.

I agree with NONE of the utility fee increases, billing frequency change, and 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 King's utility fee increases, billing frequency change, and festival street expenditure 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. Heather Schiller, former chair of the Puyallup Planning Commission, is running to replace Dennis King as District 2 council representative. Her website says she’s a career insurance professional promising fiscal responsibility. Please select if you prefer King, Schiller, or neither of the candidates running for Puyallup City Council representing District 2.

I prefer Dennis King for Puyallup City Council District 2.

I prefer Heather Schiller for Puyallup City Council District 2.

I prefer neither candidate for Puyallup City Council District 2.

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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: