Next Steps for City of Everett After Prop 1 Defeat

City of Everett Budget Deficit Expected to Grow Rapidly

Only about half the votes have been tallied in the primary, but early indication are Proposition 1 will be rejected.

To address Everett resident questions and concerns, the City of Everett released the following statement:

EVERETT, Wash. – On Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, Snohomish County Elections shared the initial
ballot counts for the August primary, showing Everett voters are not approving City of Everett Proposition 1, with 59.75% voting to reject.

“I’m sad to see Everett voters deciding against Proposition 1, a sustainable funding option, as this will impact our community in negative ways,” said Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin. “I respect the voice of the people and in the coming months, we will work together on the likely painful decisions necessary to cut $12.6 million from the 2025 budget.”

Without additional revenue, the City of Everett has a $12.6 million budget gap projected for 2025. In order to balance the budget, significant cuts will need to be identified. The
Administration will seek to incorporate as much community input into these decisions as possible.

At this point, specific cuts have not been decided on, but addressing the deficit will require cuts to all city departments.

Opportunities to share your priorities

The community is encouraged to provide input on what they believe the City should prioritize within the 2025 budget, as well as what cuts should be considered. A staff-led community outreach process will also be launched in the coming days.

Opportunities to provide input include:

Provide comments by email: communications@everettwa.gov
Mail your comments: City of Everett, C/O Communications, 2930 Wetmore Ave.,
Suite 10-A Everett, WA 98201

Provide comment at a City Council meeting in August: The council meets every Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. in the Everett City Council Chambers, located in the Everett Police Department North Precinct at 3002 Wetmore Ave.
– To sign up for in-person public comments, arrive at City Council Chambers before the meeting begins and complete the sign-up sheet.
– For virtual comment, sign up online by 6 p.m. on the day of the council meeting to receive a Zoom link and phone number.
– Provide written comments by emailing council@everettwa.gov

Community feedback will be considered as the Administration, Finance and departmental leadership makes key decisions to develop the Mayor’s Proposed 2025 budget, which will be presented to Council in October.

To learn more about the budget process, please visit everettwa.gov/budget.

Background on Everett’s budget challenges

The City of Everett decided to ask voters for a property tax increase to help address its ongoing budget deficit. For over 20 years, the City of Everett has faced a structural deficit, primarily caused by the 1% cap on property tax levy increases. Inflation, changing community needs and increased demand for services cause service costs to rise annually – by more than 1%. This creates a budget deficit. Everett’s deficit is projected to be $12.6 million for 2025.

Everett is not alone in these challenges; cities throughout the state have and are facing similar budget issues, leading to over 60 other Washington cities pursuing property tax levy increases
since 2011.