Nearly $1,000 property tax hike on the April ballot for Edmonds residents
City of Edmonds leaders have placed Proposition 1 on the April 22nd Special Election ballot which, if approved, would annex the city into the South Snohomish County Regional Fire Authority (RFA).
The ordinance to put this on the ballot was proposed by Mayor Mike Rosen and approved on a 6-1 vote by the City Council. Councilmembers Chris Eck, Will Chen, Neil Tibbott, Vivian Olson, Susan Paine, and Jenna Nand all voted in favor. Councilmember Michelle Dotsch was the lone “no” vote.
Proposition 1 would add an entirely new property tax of nearly $1,000 per household for fire service which is currently provided to citizens by the City of Edmonds. This also leaves the door open for “double dipping,” whereby city leaders could utilize existing tax revenue which is spent on fire service and divert those funds to plugging the gap on the city’s budget deficit (general fund city spending) rather than refunding taxpayers who would no longer be receiving fire services from the city. This is exactly what just occurred in Lynnwood, where the Mayor and Council majority pushed through a 52% property tax increase in December on city residents shortly following their RFA annexation.
A ”yes” vote on this Proposition 1 would result in a substantial new property tax on Edmonds residents. A “no” vote on Proposition 1 would reject the proposed new property tax. To learn more about the consequences of Proposition 1, you can visit https://edmondscandobetter.org
Ballots for this election will be mailed on April 3rd and are due by April 22nd.
FUTURE 42 SUGGESTS THAT YOU VOTE “NO” ON EDMONDS PROPOSITION 1 BY RETURNING YOUR COMPLETED BALLOT BEFORE THE APRIL 22ND ELECTION!
City of Edmonds Proposition 1 will have significant consequences for city taxpayers. Your engagement can make a big difference on this critical issue.