By Aaron Allen, The Seattle Medium
The Black Legacy Homeowners Network (BHLN), a local organization that supports and empowers Black homeowners in the city of Seattle, recently held a meet and greet with King County Assessor John Wilson at the Royal Esquire Club. The event, the first in a series of monthly forums designed to help African Americans understand the value of homeownership, was an opportunity for attendees to ask questions and hear about the state of homeownership in King County.
Due to discriminatory housing practices such as gentrification, racially restrictive covenants, and redlining that have a long history in the Puget Sound region, organizations like BHLN are networking, sharing ideas, and resources to help homeowners leverage and keep properties in their family.
During the meeting, Wilson presented information on taxes, senior exemptions, resources to help people stay in their homes, and some of the initiatives that he has been involved with to support legacy homeowners in the area.
“I have urged Olympia to pass the most significant senior property tax relief in decades, and as a result, thousands of new applicants will be able to stay in their homes,” said Wilson. “Housing and homelessness are crucial issues. By identifying surplus public property and vacant private property, these can be used for innovative short and long-term housing solutions.”
Discussing topics like foreclosures, the calculation of property taxes, utility and repair resources, and other pertinent information, BHLN has already proven to be a valuable resource to the community.
“The overwhelming majority of guests at our monthly Black Legacy Homeowners Network meetings are legacy Black homeowners (Black families that have kept homes in Seattle for generations),” says Chukundi Salisbury, founder of Black Legacy Homeowners Network. “People learned a lot. We had people all the way from seniors just looking to learn more about their property taxes and senior tax exemptions, to people asking questions about ongoing projects they have and how those projects would be taxed.”
“For example, there was a gentleman inquiring about building an ADU (manufactured home), and his plan is to make it a condominium and sell it to his kids, so he had some really interesting questions about that,” Salisbury added.
The meetup covered an array of topics from statistics surrounding those responsible for or affected by property tax codes, to the differences in individual and corporate tax accountability. Wilson also touched on groundbreaking developments in tax transparency and ballot measures that will impact homeowners’ property taxes.
“He (Wilson) talked about the overwhelming amount of taxes that are paid by residents,” says Salisbury. “In Washington and King County, approximately 82 percent of taxes are paid by individuals, and approximately 17 percent are paid by corporations or businesses.”
Under Wilson’s leadership, the Assessor’s office developed a groundbreaking Taxpayer Transparency Tool, allowing you to see how upcoming ballot measures will impact your property taxes – whether you’re a homeowner or renter.
Salisbury says that he was happy with the event and the sentiment of the attendees, and he sees the upcoming events of the organization to be even better.
“This monthly meetup is a chance for Black legacy homeowners to come together in a space that is specifically designed for them,” says Salisbury. “A meetup that is unapologetically Black, unapologetically about keeping Black people in their homes, and every month we have a guest speaker combined with resources, education, and fellowship.”
