This was the third and final reading of the ordinance along with a public hearing.
At the public hearing, no one testified.
Everett has increased property taxes by the one percent figure each year over the past several years. The city says that the property tax is one of the few reliable sources of revenue available to fund operations. Several City Council members, most notably Jeff Moore have pointed out this year and in years past that while the property tax is capped at one percent the cost of providing services is rising at a rate of three to four percent each year.
During a briefing two weeks ago Susy Haugen from the City of Everett used a diagram to show how the portion of Everett’s property tax fits into your property tax bill as a whole with Everett Schools taking the largest chunk followed by City of Everett, State Schools, Snohomish County, EMS, Port of Everett and the Regional Transit Authority (Sound Transit).
The City of Everett is in the middle of developing the budget for 2018. Last week Mayor Ray Stephanson delivered his budget address. You can see a video of that here. During this week’s budget presentation the City Council got a look at the various revenue and expense funds. When it was time for public comment, no one chose to speak.
There is one more public hearing on the 2018 budget next Wednesday night at 6:30 PM in the City Council chambers.
November 9, 2017
Everett Government