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45 stories matching taxabl
- The Push for Irrigation Money
Speculators and investors scramble to bring water to Yakima valley lands, betting on a future boom.
- Territorial Superintendent Critiques School Spending
A report to the Legislature highlights the tension between building a university and funding basic district schools in 1862.
- The Sheriff vs. The Railroad
When the Northern Pacific Railroad refused to pay taxes in 1882, the local sheriff didn't just file a complaint—he seized their locomotives.
- The Price of Education in 1903
Walla Walla's school district votes to levy a five-mill tax to cover rising costs for sites, buildings, and teacher salaries.
- The Great Land Grant Tax Dodging Scheme
Railroad companies are holding onto millions of acres of public land without filing for patents to avoid taxes, placing the burden of government costs on local settlers.
- The Rich Dodge the Tax Collector While the Rest of Us Pay
A labor paper seethes over a Supreme Court ruling that let corporations issue stock dividends tax-free — and demands the working class stop carrying the burden of government.
- The Queen City’s Wealth
Seattle's tax assessments reveal a period of explosive growth, positioning the town as the financial center of the Pacific Northwest.
- The Seattle Boom of 1882
An economic report reveals that property assessments in Seattle have jumped 150 percent in just three months, cementing the city's status as the wealthiest on the Pacific coast north of California.
- The Unintended Cost of Taxing Mortgages
A Spokane assessor's push to tax mortgages sparks a debate over whether the burden of public revenue falls unfairly on the borrower.
- The Case for Statehood and Scientific Farming
In an 1876 address to local farmers, W.M.T. McNeill argues that Washington Territory's path to prosperity lies in statehood, agricultural colleges, and the modernization of rural industry.
- Establishing Washington’s First Public School System
A legislative act outlining the structure, funding, and local oversight for common schools across the Washington Territory.
- Was the School Board's Building Spree Illegal?
A taxpayers' league claims the local school board has overstepped its constitutional authority by plunging the district into massive debt to fund new construction.
- The Governor’s Call for Tax Reform in 1877
Governor Elisha P. Ferry’s address to the Legislative Assembly highlights a chaotic, unfair tax landscape that echoes through modern municipal debate.
- The Price of Progress: Yakima County Bids for the State College
In a special session, county commissioners authorize $15,000 in warrants to help secure the site for the newly forming state agricultural college.
- The Price of Reckless Growth
When Lewis County hit its constitutional debt limit, local officials were left holding worthless warrants—a sharp reminder of the pitfalls of municipal overreach in 1891.
- The Great Seattle-Portland Population War
In 1882, Seattle editors launched a sharp, statistical campaign to prove their city was growing faster than its southern rival.
- The Fight for Statehood: A 1882 Pitch for Washington’s Future
Before Washington was a state, its Congressional delegate fought a 'hard fight' to convince Washington D.C. that the territory was ready to join the Union.
- A 28-Mile Dream Road Between Seattle and Tacoma
A landowner's 1895 letter urges the legislature to charter a direct highway from South Park through Des Moines to Tacoma, selling it as relief for the unemployed, a check on speculators and the making of the 'Twin Cities of Puget Sound.'
- The Great Tacoma Land Sell-Off
Pierce County commissioners auction 1,250 lots to plug budget holes, betting on future speculation.
- The Boomtown Blueprint: Spokane's Rapid Rise
A vivid 1889 account of how an empty wilderness became a bustling metropolis, and the speculative fever that drove early Seattle-era pioneers to transform Washington's landscape.
- 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 Progress in Whatcom County
Farmers bear the burden of new road construction, but the infrastructure boom promises a prosperous future for the region.
- The Political Battle for Power
A state senator warns that municipal utility expansion could shift tax burdens onto rural farmers.
- 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.
- Seattle's Schools on the Brink: The 1895 Debt Vote That Could Have Cut the School Year to Six Months
With floating warrants piling up and the tax base shrinking, School District No. 1 asked voters to ratify about $387,000 in debt and refinance it before the school term was cut from ten months to six.