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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1861 | 1 |
| 1876 | 5 |
| 1877 | 1 |
| 1878 | 1 |
| 1883 | 3 |
| 1885 | 5 |
| 1887 | 1 |
| 1888 | 1 |
| 1889 | 3 |
| 1890 | 1 |
| 1891 | 4 |
| 1892 | 11 |
| 1893 | 7 |
| 1894 | 6 |
| 1895 | 7 |
| 1899 | 1 |
| 1903 | 12 |
| 1904 | 4 |
| 1908 | 2 |
| 1909 | 2 |
| 1910 | 1 |
| 1914 | 1 |
| 1915 | 3 |
| 1916 | 3 |
| 1917 | 1 |
| 1923 | 1 |
88 stories matching fiscal
- The Governor's 1895 Warning: Washington Is Spending Itself Into Debt
A message to the legislature tallies a looming deficit, runaway appropriations and a public-land system under pressure — while urging lawmakers to lease harbor areas cheaply and defend taxpayers.
- City Hall's Fiscal Fantasy
A skeptical report on the retiring Walla Walla city council's claims of fiscal responsibility amidst rising taxes.
- The Hunt Administration’s Budget Fiasco
The Evening Statesman launches a blistering critique of the city's fiscal mismanagement and the mysterious, unaudited expenses of the water department.
- The Price of Efficiency: Seattle's First Charter Crisis
In 1891, the city government struggled to adapt its new charter, clashing over the hidden costs of 'efficiency,' the payment of workers in devalued scrip, and the professionalization of city services.
- The Rising Cost of City Progress
An editorial analysis questioning whether the tripling of street improvement spending under the current administration is delivering value to taxpayers.
- The General and the Missing Military Money
A Senate committee says Washington's adjutant general ran the militia like a personal fiefdom, blew through his appropriation and left the state with a military deficiency.
- Who Controls the Schoolhouse Purse?
Walla Walla taxpayers demand fiscal transparency as the school board ignores mandatory financial reporting.
- County Settles Multi-Acre Tax Dispute with Northern Pacific Railway
Grant County commissioners reach a compromise to refund thousands in tax payments to the railroad, marking a significant fiscal adjustment in 1916.
- The Price of a Growing City: 1885 Fiscal Realities
A rare glimpse into the municipal balance sheets of 1885 Seattle, revealing the heavy costs of litigation, infrastructure, and the high price of maintaining public order in a boomtown.
- The Price of a Growing City: Mayor Leary’s 1885 Fiscal Reckoning
Mayor John Leary delivers a scathing audit of Seattle’s municipal debt, high-interest scrip, and the struggle to maintain public services while balancing the budget of a booming town.
- The Path to the Ship Canal
A new law empowers King County to condemn land for the long-awaited government canal connecting Puget Sound to Lake Washington.
- The Colville Reservation Is Set to Be Broken Into Homesteads
A federal allotment plan would divide 1.3 million acres and assign parcels to about 2,452 Indians, opening the rest to settlement.
- The 1886 Municipal Election: A Fight Over 'Law and Order' vs. Business Interests
As Seattle gears up for a city election, a fierce political battle erupts over the enforcement of liquor laws, city debt, and the controversial administration of Mayor Leary.
- The Paper Trail That Went Up in Smoke
A King County tax assessor admitted that sworn property records were routinely burned, sparking a public outcry over local fiscal transparency.
- The City’s Debt Crisis of 1892
Facing a massive budget deficit, Seattle officials put a sweeping plan for fiscal reform and infrastructure bonds to a direct vote of the people.
- The City’s Debt Ceiling Crisis of 1892
Facing a massive backlog of unpaid warrants and legal judgments, Seattle's city council puts a multi-million dollar bond package to a city-wide vote to stave off municipal insolvency.
- The City That Couldn't Pay Its Bills: Seattle’s Fiscal Crisis and the Fight for Expansion
Mayor Moran and Councilman Dane plead with citizens to understand why street paving is stalled and sewer plans are shelved—not from laziness, but because state law caps the city's debt just as the population doubles.
- The Great Seattle Audit: When the Mayor Defended the Ledger
Facing down accusations of corruption and fiscal recklessness, Seattle’s outgoing mayor releases a meticulous—and defensive—account of his administration's massive infrastructure push.
- The Iron Road Closes the Gap
A comprehensive annual report details the massive effort required to link the Northern Pacific line across the rugged Rockies, signaling a new era for Pacific commerce.
- The City Hall Bond Brawl
Aberdeen city officials trade barbs over reckless boom spending and the city’s mounting debt crisis.
- The Water Department War: Seattle’s Ex-Superintendent Says the City Burned $15,000
W. E. Wilson takes his successor to task over pumping-station costs, missing pipe miles, and a board of public works appointment he calls the reward for fiscal failure.
- The Great Congressional Shutdown of 1876
A historic clash between the House and Senate left federal workers across the country—and the crew of a local Revenue Cutter—stranded without pay.
- The Great 1892 Debt Cleanup: How Seattle Tried to Bail Itself Out
Facing a mountain of unpaid municipal warrants and a legal crisis, Seattle's city council rushed a desperate bond measure to the ballot to keep the city's lights on and workers paid.
- The Price of Policing the 'Unfortunates'
A budget report reveals that Seattle’s municipal court revenue plummeted after a policy change regarding how the city policed its marginalized citizens.
- One Man Races the Chiefs to Washington to Open the Reservation
James Reuben of Lapwai passes through Spokane bound for the capital, determined to break his own powerful chiefs and see the Nez Perce reservation opened — and the first purchase money paid out to the poor families who need it.
Also about this, in other words
- The Battle for Budget Transparency
Voters are urged to support Referendum No. 9 to force public officials to publish expenditure estimates and hold open hearings.
- The School District Budget Crisis
A legal dispute over school district warrants reveals the fragile state of local education funding in 1894.
- The Wealth of the Nation Trapped in the Vaults
A century and a half ago, President Grover Cleveland grappled with a modern-sounding crisis: federal budget surpluses causing economic panic, skyrocketing costs for common goods, and the crushing weight of a tariff system on working families.
- The City’s Fiscal Turnaround
Seattle’s rapid debt reduction and infrastructure growth are hailed as a success story for low-tax policy.
- The Tax Trap: How a Federal Order Threatened Seattle’s Revenue
In 1876, a bureaucratic directive from Washington D.C. threatened to drain King County of its maritime tax base by forcing all vessels to 'hail' from Port Townsend, sparking fears of financial ruin for local developers.
- County Commissioners Hike Taxes Amidst Deficit Fears
Facing a projected deficit in the current expense fund, the county board approves a 16-mill levy to cover rising costs in administration and infrastructure.
- The Great Tax Tug-of-War at the Capitol
As the 1923 state legislature convenes, competing demands for state-funded projects and tax relief pit town against town, leaving lawmakers in a fiscal deadlock.
- Taxpayers' Union Declares War on County Spending
Prosser-based citizens group demands cuts to health and horticultural budgets, targeting local officials over alleged waste.