SNOHOMISH -- The City Council fractured on taking a 1% property tax increase, and ultimately voted 4-3 to not increase property taxes.
Council President Tom Merrill and council members Judith Kuleta, Felix Neals and David Flynn voted to have no tax increase.
Merrill said he couldn’t support a tax increase right now because the general cost of living is increasing.
Others in the ‘no’ side were mindful that the council recently set prominent utility rate increases for water and sewer bills which start next year. The utility rate increases are what will partially fund the water and sewer infrastructure improvements.
The difference between a 1% property tax increase versus no property tax increase is that the 1% would have been worth about $13,500 in additional revenue for the city for 2025, and would have imposed an additional $3 increase on the average homeowner’s property tax bill in 2025.
