Queen Anne Taxpayers Fight for School Funding
Local residents mount a legal challenge against the county treasurer to ensure tax levies specifically intended for new schoolhouses are spent as promised.
A meeting of taxpayers of the Queen Anne district last evening decided to bring a friendly suit to determine whether the county treasurer is legally authorized to pay out for current expenses taxes specifically levied for new schoolhouses. A statement from Treasurer Mitten to the board of education regarding the finances of the district indicated he had no way of segregating the funds. It was pointed out that a sum was levied in 1893 for new schoolhouses, and that 80 percent of this amount, or $20,000, had been already received by the treasurer. Committees were appointed to raise funds for legal expenses, with George Donworth, C. F. Fishback, and H. R. Clise appointed as counsel to enforce the use of the funds for schools on Queen Anne.
“A meeting of taxpayers... decided to bring a friendly suit to determine whether the county treasurer is legally authorized to pay out... taxes specifically levied for new schoolhouses.”
Public school funding and the earmarking of tax levies remain central issues in Seattle governance. This dispute highlights the long-standing tension between city growth, property taxes, and the fiduciary responsibilities of local government.
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