OLYMPIA [ANNIKA HAUER]—Roughly 200 senior centers in Washington state could become permanently exempt from paying property taxes under a proposed bill, which passed its first committee Feb. 3.
In 2017, House Bill 1526 established that senior centers did not have to pay those taxes. That bill had an automatic termination, or “sunset clause,” set for 2028. Sen. Gildon, R-Puyallup, proposed this session with Senate Bill 5970 that the clause be removed and centers be exempt for good.
It’s nothing earth-shattering, Gildon said. The Joint Legislative Audit and Review committee, which reviews the effectiveness of tax exemptions, determined this year that the exemption should be extended. Gildon wants it made permanent.
Senior centers are often all-encompassing, providing food, athletic classes, tax help, and more.
Cathleen MacCaul, advocacy director at AARP Washington and daughter of an 88-year-old woman who attends Franke Tobey Jones senior center in Tacoma, testified in support Jan. 19.
“These senior centers really create a sense of family, and they create a sense of community and a place for people to gather and to share and what it means to age,” MacCaul said.
“For a while, my mom was not doing well,” she said. “I seriously considered taking off time from work in order to stay home to take care of her. But when you have senior centers, there’s a place for individuals to go.”
Exemption from property taxes doesn’t save a huge amount of money, MacCaul said, but for these centers, it’s still something.
“It’s worth bringing stability and the richness of our history and culture that gets to remain in our community,” MacCaul said, “and for people to have the opportunity to live with purpose and dignity. Nobody wants to see homeless older adults or older adults that are homebound and don’t have friends and family around.”
About 1.3 million (22% of adults) in Washington are caregivers for an older family member, and by 2030 there will be more people over 65 years old than under 18 in Washington.
“Oftentimes as people age, one of their partners or their spouse predeceases them, and they find themselves alone,” MacCaul said. “Oftentimes they’ve stopped driving, and the worst possible thing as you age is to be by yourself and isolated, and so senior centers have become integral to the aging of Washingtonians.”
No other proposed bills this session involve senior centers directly. SB 5970 passed unanimously in the Senate Ways & Means committee Feb. 3 and was referred to the Rules committee, passing the needed Feb. 9 deadline to stay alive.
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Author: Washington State Journal
