“Home and property owners in the city of Langley will only pay a few dollars more in property taxes this year. So few, in fact, that the difference between 2000 and 2001 property taxes probably wouldn’t even by a deli sandwich for most taxpayers. For this, Langley property owners have Tim Eyman to thank. And Mayor Lloyd Furman. And the Langley City Council.Ignoring advice from Washington Secretary of State Ralph Munro to ignore the recently-passed Initiative 722, the city council unanimously approved a 2 percent increase in Langley’s 2001 property tax rate last Wednesday. Initiative 722 limits property tax increases to 2 percent per year or the rate of inflation, whichever is smaller. It also requires taxing agencies to refund tax increases enacted in the weeks following the passage of Initiative 695 in 1999.Predicting a successful court challenge to the initiative later this year, Munro has been advising taxing agencies to raise property taxes within the previous 6 percent limit. A number of cities and counties have already done this. Mayor Furman, however, told the council to do the honorable thing Wednesday and pass a 2 percent increase as mandated by voters on Nov. 7.Some of us felt it wasn’t appropriate to thumb our nose at something the people voted on, whether it’s constitutional or not, Furman said, speaking for city staff.Furman said the $141,130 the city expects to collect in property taxes this year will be enough. He said the 2001 budget is balanced, even with the lower tax rate. When the tax bills start showing up in the mail next spring, property owners will note only a small jump. For a $200,000 house, the increase will be only $4.50. In total, the city will take in $6,000 less in property taxes than it would have if it had passed a 6 percent increase. Property taxes were increased by 6 percent in 2000.The city council expects to pass a final 2001 budget at its Dec. 6 council meeting. “