The Seattle Times Company is making in-kind contributions to Keeping Washington Family Business Alive, the business-backed group pushing for passage of Initiative 920. I-920 would repeal the state estate tax.

The in-kind donations are to pay for consulting time of Jill Mackie, a Times vice president and lobbyist. The committee reported Sept. 29 that Mackie had donated $400 in the form of 5 ½ hours of her time working on the campaign.

There will be additional in-kind donations on the next report due at midnight tonight, Mackie told me this afternoon, for a total of about $1,000.

Times Publisher Frank Blethen, who has lobbied to repeal the state and federal estate taxes, told me in August that he didn't plan to make any donations to I-920. He did say Mackie had been talking to the initiative campaign and the Times company "may be involved on the periphery."

Mackie said the company decided to report her time as a donation to be "above board" given that it was being done as part of her Times job, and not as a volunteer backing I-920.

Last month horsesass.org was first to report that other newspapers had made cash donations to the campaign. The Columbian gave $5,000 and Pioneer Newspapers, which owns the Skagit Valley Herald, Ellensburg Record and other small papers, gave $25,000.