It’s now up to Seattle voters to decide on a six-year $1.3 billion levy that funds early-learning programs for the city’s youth.
On Tuesday, the Seattle City Council unanimously approved the Families, Education, Preschool, and Promise, or FEPP, Levy, with a focus on funding childcare in the city to ease the financial burden on lower-income families. In total, the tax would fund early learning, childcare, and post-secondary preparation programs over six years, from 2026 to 2032.
The levy has an average tax rate of 61 cents per $1,000 of assessed value over the six-year period. If passed, it would cost the owner of a median assessed value Seattle home averaging $1.1 million about $656 a year, or almost 86% more than the $353 that the homeowner will pay toward the levy this year…