Edmonds mayor recommends $19M levy lid lift for November

EDMONDS — Edmonds Mayor Mike Rosen recommended a $19.3 million property tax levy lid lift to the City Council on Tuesday.

The figure is more than three times higher than the $6 million levy lid lift assumed in the city’s 2025-26 budget. A $19 million levy lid lift would lead to a property tax increase of $84.68 per month for the median home value of $840,000, Rosen said. If it chooses to pursue a levy lid lift ballot measure, the City Council must decide on an amount by Aug. 5, the filing deadline for the November election.

At the City Council’s retreat in May, Rosen unveiled three potential scenarios for the future of the city amid its fiscal crisis. First, the city could continue with a $6 million levy, which wouldn’t result in an improvement in services, Rosen said. Second, the city could pursue a higher levy lid lift — the $19.3 million — that would improve city services and move Edmonds out of its fiscal emergency. Third, the council could choose not to pursue a levy, or voters could reject it in November. In this case, the city would have to find $8 million in cuts to services.

To come to the $19.3 million, Rosen used a combination of community input, comparisons to other cities and recommendations from city employees from various departments. The recommendations ranged from $11.7 million to $22.1 million.

https://www.heraldnet.com/news/edmonds-mayor-recommends-19m-levy-lid-lift-for-november/