Property taxes are going up—here’s what’s changing in Snohomish County

As we enter into tax season, the high cost of living and taxes have been a significant topic of discussion in our community and throughout the state. Local governments throughout Snohomish County adopted different strategies to address their planned expenditures in their final budgets for 2025. We can anticipate slight tax increases from time to time for essential services such as public safety, roads, and other core services. However, we also expect our local governments to prioritize financial responsibility, accountability, and transparency.

Special acknowledgment to the City of Marysville for not raising their property taxes at all for 13 straight years:

• The City of Arlington adopted its 2025-26 biennial budget on a 7-0 vote, increasing the city portion of property taxes by 2% (1% per year.)
• The City of Edmonds adopted its 2025-26 biennial budget on a 6-1 vote, increasing the city portion of property taxes by 2% (1% per year.) However, the City Council voted to place both a levy lid lift property tax increase as well as a Regional Fire Authority (RFA) annexation (which would create a new property tax burden) on an upcoming ballot for voter consideration.
• The City of Everett adopted its 2025 annual budget on a 7-0 vote, increasing the city portion of property taxes by 1%.
• The City of Lake Stevens adopted its 2025 annual budget, increasing the city portion of property taxes by 2.3%.
• The City of Lynnwood adopted its 2025-26 biennial budget on a 4-3 vote, utilizing full-banked capacity (which had been intended to provide tax relief for the increased property taxes associated with the decision to join a Regional Fire Authority) to increase the city portion of property taxes by 52%.
• The City of Marysville adopted its 2025-26 biennial budget on a 7-0 vote and did not raise property taxes at all, as they have done consistently for over a decade.
• Snohomish County adopted its 2025-2026 biennial budget on a 3-2 vote, utilizing partial banked capacity to increase the county portion of property taxes by 4% (2% per year.) A prior attempt to increase the county portion of property taxes by 8% was defeated on a 2-3 vote.
• The City of Mill Creek adopted its 2025-26 biennial budget on a 4-3 vote, increasing the city portion of property taxes by 2% (1% per year.) A prior attempt to increase the city portion of property taxes by 12% was defeated on a 3-4 vote.
• The City of Monroe adopted its 2025-26 biennial budget on a 7-0 vote, utilizing full-banked capacity to increase the city portion of property taxes by 4%.
• The City of Mountlake Terrace adopted its 2025-26 biennial budget on a 5-1 vote, increasing the city portion of property taxes by 2% (1% per year.)
• The City of Mukilteo adopted its 2025-26 biennial budget on a 5-2 vote, increasing the city portion of property taxes by 2% (1% per year.)
• The Port of Edmonds adopted its 2025 annual budget, increasing the port portion of property taxes by 1%.
• The Port of Everett adopted its 2025 annual budget, increasing the port portion of property taxes by 1%.

Our Future 42 Snohomish County team tracked several local government budget processes that started last summer. We do have local elected officials who work hard to find solutions to minimize the impact on our community members. Some were successful, some maintained the status quo, and some would benefit from hearing more community feedback to help restrain unnecessary spending in the future. More updates will follow as spending in each jurisdiction begins. While local awareness is a priority, we encourage you to also check out our “take action” page on the Future 42 website to stay informed on key issues that affect Snohomish County communities during this year’s state legislative session.

The Washington State Legislature is currently considering House Bill 1334, which would raise the annual property tax cap from 1% to 3% per year, potentially tripling future property tax increases. You can learn more and make your thoughts known on this bill here.

Future 42 recently released four local scorecards highlighting key votes taken by Councils in the following four jurisdictions: Snohomish County, the City of Everett, the City of Edmonds, and the City of Lynnwood. You can view those scorecards here.