EVERETT — Fewer park rangers. Fewer people. Likely fewer library hours. Fewer reserves.
City budget writers had to solve a $12.6 million to create a balanced budget. They’ve had to undertake this problem-solving work for years now: Everett still has a structural deficit for its day-to-day operations, where the cost of running the city is more than what it earns in tax revenue.
The City Council is going through the final stages of deciding Everett’s near-$950 million budget. Public hearings will be at the Nov. 13 and Nov. 20 council meetings. The final council vote will be Dec. 4.
Getting here came with tradeoffs the city would have preferred to not do otherwise.
Working against it are inflationary wage costs and, in some cases, unfunded mandates.
It had to tackle a $1.8 million increase in estimated jail fees, both because of an increased number of people going to jail and the fee per day to house Everett’s criminals increasing.
Everett also plans to add $800,000 or so to increase the number of contracted defense attorneys it uses for indigent defense for people who cannot afford a lawyer. The state Bar Association has proposed
reducing how many cases each indigent defense attorney can handle each year to ensure fair legal representation, but meanwhile, the volume of cases is generally increasing.
The city is cutting back staff work hours across the board and using furloughs to save money. For example, the economic development director and the city’s emergency management director will both see their hours reduced from 40 hours a week to 32. Work hours are also reduced for people in the communications department.
“Most all departments had to take a hit,” Franklin said last week, adding, “less work is going to get done.”
Council members were split on a plan to reduce the hours of the sole staff person in the council office.
It also removes one of its code enforcement officers, its administrative assistant in planning, and other employees.
Some of the park rangers and their supervisor left through the city’s voluntary separation buyout program.
Overall, the city’s cutting at least 31 positions, some already vacant.
The city’s library board will decide how to adjust the library system budget at its meeting Nov. 19. It is probable the plan will be cuts to library hours, executive director Lori Cummings said.
The proposed budget reinstates putting $3 million into the city’s primary account for maintaining city buildings, CIP 1, after skipping last year. It will continue suspending putting money into the city’s police and fire pension accounts.
The draft funding package for the future stadium suggests dipping into some of the city’s capital accounts, such as the one for parks, but not CIP 1.
The city will add a position funded to implement Everett’s drug task force recommendations. It is funded from the city’s share of the state opioid settlement. It will also add a federally grant-funded position to create programs about public mental health and behavioral health.
The whole 2025 budget document is available at www.everettwa.gov/budget . Select “most recent city budget” to reach the proposed budget.
In related news
The city’s plan to take a standard 1% property tax rate increase and to set the EMS levy will be voted on shortly. The public hearing and vote is Nov. 20.
