Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin during a 2019 budget rollout.
Photo by Michael Whitney.
EVERETT — Elected officials hoped voters would go for a city property tax levy increase to avoid another round of cuts.
More than half of Everett voters said no last week. Only 40% said yes as of Aug. 9’s results.
Everett’s $12.6 million budget deficit that was on paper for next year is now its reality.
And City Hall is now asking the same voters on what to do.
The city will be launching a two-month call for the public’s suggestions, including town halls.
Survey and community meetings -updated
Post-press-time, the city announced the following schedule of public budget meetings and a public survey:
Mayor Cassie Franklin will be presenting her budget in October.
Where cuts could come from are parks, libraries, police, fire, city planning, human services and City Hall administration.
“Addressing the deficit will require cuts to all city departments,” a city press release says.
What won’t be impacted are Everett Transit bus services, general public works or the golf courses. Transit and golf work from their own budgets and public works is paid for with utility funds.
The deficit also won’t directly impact the efforts for an improved stadium facility in Everett. A preliminary funding package idea would use city capital improvement money the city already has in hand.
The $12.6 million deficit is an all-inclusive, total deficit, with nothing held off the table. In past years, it’s deferred maintenance on city buildings and deferred adding money into the city pension funds to save upwards of $6 million.
“Mayor Franklin has been having conversations with Finance and departmental leadership, but decisions on exactly what specific cuts will be included in the Mayor’s Proposed budget haven’t been made yet,” city spokeswoman Simone Tarver said last week.
It’s preparing to start doing voluntary employee separation buyouts this fall to trim its workforce. Everett made a similar move at the onset of the 2020 economic collapse caused by COVID-19.
Last week, the City Council also voted to hire an independent budget adviser to analyze the budget on their behalf.
Everett has had a structural deficit, where the expense of running the city outpaces its tax revenues, for more than 10 years.
State law says governments cannot increase property taxes by more than 1% a year without a vote of the people. Franklin requested the property levy measure above the 1% to try to remedy this, and the City Council said yes in a 6-1 vote this spring.
The measure asked to increase the levy from $1.52 to $2.19 per $1,000 in assessed value, and cost a $500,000 homeowner $384 in additional property taxes to the city. If it had passed, it would have added $18 million to the budget in 2025 and bought the city a three-year safety net of funding without forcing to make cuts.
State law requires cities to set a balanced budget by Dec. 31 every year.
To give comments about the budget
• By email: communications@everettwa.gov
• By mail: City of Everett, c/o Communications, 2930 Wetmore Ave., Suite 10-A Everett, WA 98201
• Speak at a City Council meeting: The council meets every Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. in the Everett City Council Chambers, in the police station building, 3002 Wetmore Ave.
• To make a comment online, sign up online by 6 p.m. on the day of the council meeting to receive a Zoom link and phone number.
• To email everybody on the City Council: council@everettwa.gov
