[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6220896,"mediaKeyId","3615918-d03e3ab7790589ffae79ed62ac6b830c","parentId",3615918,"title","Donovan warns of $6 million 2026 budget gap; hiring freeze and revenue options discussed","audioSeconds",226,"startMs",1454000,"endMs",1680000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3615918-d03e3ab7790589ffae79ed62ac6b830c&start=1454&end=1680","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3615918-d03e3ab7790589ffae79ed62ac6b830c/thumbnail_1454000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6220896/Mount-Vernon-City/Skagit-County/Washington/Donovan-warns-of-6-million-2026-budget-gap-hiring-freeze-and-revenue-options-discussed","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6220896-8b52463243bcbeeb10c98cc622b8c3ec/orig.mp4?Expires=1771207463&Signature=ger9IBv2VbU9cEDpq4pTheUVxaBMnLVKl1Tq0V0ZBBh92MsVg-7kixZnks95A6lhCO18eXwnEW9yEExFOLBZyjbZTuRVHjzfDK08V6cFIjJd8AVeBrJKckUBXvi99Rsf-7-eMpLoBFQAewhvkAdHxlOqA8NEQ5DK6-DQt3KAG66FtufcDakoQS243ditUYQtYYl~YdW~bPTCjXpnY9mF2vR2KM8Xxxj4P1viLnXbvdn7nVG~PKeUOhZ7k56MD4vByoFmwGdSIufOgZ~mldKPe-9D~BhQvrT3By5un42zpTFkoB5naj0pL4NOYOPbwqVCYb~UZa2ssX6jzGybsjqycw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Mount Vernon City, WA","date","2025-05-30T19:39:56Z","article","Mayor Donovan said Mount Vernon faces a budget gap of about $6 million for the 2026 budget year, about 17% of the city’s operating budget, and described steps the city has taken and options under consideration to address the shortfall.

The mayor said rising labor and materials costs and inflation are outpacing the city’s revenues, and he described a hiring freeze already implemented as one immediate measure to reduce spending. He said the city is evaluating additional revenue options for parks, police and fire staffing and may ask residents — via the City Council — whether to approve new funding measures.

Mayor Donovan described the city’s levy rate decline as part of the revenue challenge: he said the levy rate was about $2.85 per $1,000 of assessed value in 2015 and is now “a dollar fifty something,” which he said reduces inflation-adjusted revenue to the city. He said staff had requested about $3 million in additional resources last year to reach service levels comparable to cities of Mount Vernon’s size but the city could not accommodate those increases.

The mayor said maintaining the current level of service into 2026 would leave a roughly $6 million gap and that the hiring freeze could “bridge about half of that gap” if sustained. He said City Council was meeting that night and that residents could be asked whether they want investments in parks or increased police and fire staffing.

Mayor Donovan framed the approach as early action to avoid deeper cuts later, saying “if we take some actions early that we can work through this.” He did not announce specific new tax measures or exact timing for ballot questions.

The mayor urged public engagement as the city explores options and said some smaller, targeted revenue steps are being considered alongside potential resident-approved measures.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","2025 State of the City","oneSentenceSummary","Mayor Donovan told attendees Mount Vernon faces an estimated $6 million budget gap for 2026 — roughly 17% of operating budget — and described steps including a hiring freeze, consideration of local funding measures, and seeking smaller revenue options to close the gap.","taxTitle","Mount Vernon City, Skagit County, Washington","taxId",5126,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6220901,"Donovan cites downtown investments, floodwall and code changes as path to more housing",248,1087000,1335000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3615918-d03e3ab7790589ffae79ed62ac6b830c&start=1087&end=1335","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3615918-d03e3ab7790589ffae79ed62ac6b830c/thumbnail_1087000.jpg","/articles/6220901/Mount-Vernon-City/Skagit-County/Washington/Donovan-cites-downtown-investments-floodwall-and-code-changes-as-path-to-more-housing","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6220901-05e343d5e00a2032ec0b26f7f6f87f58/orig.mp4?Expires=1771207463&Signature=epxGH14gV1JeVffgSlm3EcYkHHm2NZmHi9AIeWb4VEm61wf7KuygTbW9t0sTFNkbpJr-QqgKNKG-iLORdmNZLQ2zAatEXXOEjz7yje-hhsCQa47kLeb7yrGzP33WCFTbkXHVN6VnSTsQsKd4rJYxJCBmlFlAI~~nbkmkcdaUnoBR3MvemHFlOpzB~kTaNuedWgFr3ap-FAuyGXEOfxwZIt6dThtTJyvWwVcr5~GfMZY8~sd9eMePq4uaI5GnUld6WH4hVq5jNMCeJNUlfDBkIaLEo37OtDMqGrWkG8OIc3mTW0psarfS-A8mDSPLLf~r907YxMwxhsLlXxzOyIrvcg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Mayor Donovan said the city’s downtown master plan, completed in 2008, plus recent infrastructure investments and code updates are intended to catalyze private investment and increase housing availability in Mount Vernon’s downtown and commercial corridors.

The mayor described the library and community center project under the audience as the largest public-infrastructure investment in Skagit County history, with a $30 million floodwall completed earlier to remove downtown from FEMA’s 100-year floodplain and about 300 new parking spaces created overhead to support future riverfront development. He said those actions were intended to protect and enable waterfront investment.

Mayor Donovan said the city has begun opening its comprehensive plan (the 20-year comp plan that is normally updated about every 10 years) and will pursue code changes aimed at allowing more residential development in commercial corridors such as College Way, Riverside and Urban Avenue. He said that between 2021 and 2024 the city averaged about 59 final permitted dwelling units per year (roughly five units a month) but that in 2025, after initial code changes, the city had already recorded 75 final housing permits and was on pace for about 15 units a month.

The mayor framed these code and planning actions as steps to attract housing and hospitality investment — hotels, condos and restaurants — and to support a more vibrant downtown. He said the city will invite public input as it reopens the downtown subarea and comprehensive-plan updates.

Mayor Donovan said the downtown master plan began in 2008 and emphasized that successive administrations and councils have “held fast to that plan.” He described the floodwall as a $30,000,000 infrastructure project that lifted the downtown out of the FEMA hundred-year floodplain.

The mayor said more code changes will appear in the next 12 months and that residents will be invited to comment on zoning and housing proposals.","Mayor Donovan reviewed a decades-long downtown master plan, a $30 million floodwall, a new library/community center with 300 parking spaces, and early comprehensive-plan and code changes that correspond with a rise in housing permits in 2025.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6220906,"Mayor Donovan highlights Star Center treatment beds, county coordination and outreach team additions",280,850000,1130000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3615918-d03e3ab7790589ffae79ed62ac6b830c&start=850&end=1130","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3615918-d03e3ab7790589ffae79ed62ac6b830c/thumbnail_850000.jpg","/articles/6220906/Mount-Vernon-City/Skagit-County/Washington/Mayor-Donovan-highlights-Star-Center-treatment-beds-county-coordination-and-outreach-team-additions","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6220906-b2639a59085bd5a4b7cfe3c2b1c5ed78/orig.mp4?Expires=1771207463&Signature=X~Ly4MVUkpSn4VmVYetuTBBUjXOaQ6LFqSePwGL4DcGrAwUQgADWxaMtNEH9Ufx9QBpltxOyrfVJymRWfBg7y7u5GrTMQxL3rJaEHF9C1CdXX4-9sy8ey3hikD~Vm5s5d5TC26x1k7M9Y5cg~Pg2r2lkuqNDgJ2o3PGmvES~Vjla5X7EZqPMGGdfp6gJLES8rqEcjp4TexI10nK3jQi~KJoesTS0smGagBZPWEPOrsowQEg0XtxPOBzzAtMy3gAKm~RcXD3-HPcVDaXzghuh2-A9naGW4o1nKvkr82pfzvJanhnEfcdWZu8TIcOvUuQT5sCbaVioZYyh80ZoT5pUPw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Mayor Donovan said Mount Vernon is coordinating with Skagit County and regional partners to expand behavioral-health and substance-use treatment capacity, including a 64-bed Star Center, and has added medical staff to local outreach teams.

The mayor described Northstar — a coalition of mayors, county commissioners, public-health officials and other professionals — as a forum to pool resources and improve responses to people experiencing homelessness and substance-use crises.

Mayor Donovan said the Star Center will provide a total of 64 substance-use and behavioral-health treatment beds and that a facility like this can offer officers an alternative to transporting people in crisis to hospitals or jail. “A facility like this can mean that for our officers, we don't necessarily have to take someone in who is in crisis to the hospital or to the jail,” Mayor Donovan said.

He also said the city added a nurse practitioner to the integrated outreach services (iOS) team so team members can treat people in the field and reduce hospital transports. The mayor described the iOS model as social workers embedded with the police department to connect people to services and said the city led this approach in 2017 or 2018.

Mayor Donovan said Mount Vernon distributed about $2.5 million in recent months in state and federal funding to local agencies working on housing and shelter solutions; he described those as pass-through dollars to providers chosen to deliver services. He said the city coordinates with Burlington and other Skagit County cities to share case information and improve care continuity for people who move between jurisdictions.

The mayor emphasized that some people on the street are not there by choice and that treatment and shelter options are necessary alongside enforcement. He said the city will continue outreach and coordination with county partners as treatment capacity comes online.","Mayor Donovan described regional coordination with Skagit County and the Northstar group, the planned Star Center with 64 treatment beds, and the addition of a nurse practitioner to Mount Vernon’s iOS outreach team to provide in-field care.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6220911,"Mayor Donovan outlines bolstered policing, new outreach and traffic enforcement plans",696,385000,1081000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3615918-d03e3ab7790589ffae79ed62ac6b830c&start=385&end=1081","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3615918-d03e3ab7790589ffae79ed62ac6b830c/thumbnail_385000.jpg","/articles/6220911/Mount-Vernon-City/Skagit-County/Washington/Mayor-Donovan-outlines-bolstered-policing-new-outreach-and-traffic-enforcement-plans","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6220911-290fa71d80693a1cb8b416df1dd25d46/orig.mp4?Expires=1771207463&Signature=LQMoWfH~aJrWg4EnDUwQ8fw4aCQVflC4KSXeNZvzt7q2VrEKYcUIXNATNMzi-1omsF3Tkhtf4oBkULSmIF-MQ90UZ2zTtRwj-lWW1XaBEUjLC0yB9YtjBIs6tx0D6qLfGeR1aXO6Cl7jR0Z1S4DgKPXdyIBYvy22GL9zHIGLodO5jHx9bkso4Br5WWa3lqIh56-FqQB0EYdSEMDqSIjZFlyhBEJD2rSt29QL9zLISVQ5CLKIbV3K~7l6JJBllb9EvTqlzmsr6S8ZRMota-eNcMKQZX8t~GDA3i8NNy~r1RLNl7xl6~o~fzuJYjkiugvR2qvDR1TJzyoz4mYPo2pI~Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Mayor Donovan said Mount Vernon is increasing police and fire staffing, restoring traffic enforcement and expanding outreach after a year of understaffing and a concentrated public-safety emphasis in the North River commercial area.

The mayor told attendees that public safety is a top priority and that the city has recruited officers and added resources in response to resident concerns and recent crime activity.

Mayor Donovan said the city recruited and swore in six new police officers last year and has “a couple more in the pipeline” as it works to reverse a staffing level that matched 1996 budgeted positions. He said the city added 57 new public-safety cameras and focused an enforcement effort in the North River commercial area that produced about 70 proactive cases and 98 citations or arrests covering offenses from stolen property to drug-related arrests. “Public safety is a priority for me,” Mayor Donovan said.

The mayor described four people charged with controlled-substance homicide tied to overdoses, and said undercover drug buys and additional enforcement activity are planned to “hunt down drug dealers and higher level traffickers.” He said the city has begun to restore a dedicated traffic unit: one traffic officer was moved back into traffic control with another officer joining that unit in June and a third expected in the fall.

Mount Vernon also added a nurse practitioner to its integrated outreach services (iOS) team, Mayor Donovan said, allowing the team to treat people in the field and reduce hospital transports. He described the iOS model as social workers embedded with police “to help people get connected to the resources that they need.” The mayor said the city is not seeking to “arrest our way out” of homelessness but to couple enforcement with treatment and outreach.

The mayor credited coordination with county partners and public-health personnel in targeting crime and connecting people in crisis to services. He said the police and fire departments had been “woefully understaffed for a number of years” and emphasized adding personnel and resources as part of broader efforts to improve safety and support local businesses.

Looking ahead, Mayor Donovan said more undercover operations, increased traffic enforcement and continued staffing additions are expected, and that those steps are intended to improve residents’ and visitors’ sense of safety and help local businesses thrive.","Mayor Donovan described steps to increase police and fire staffing, add traffic enforcement, expand undercover drug enforcement and embed a nurse practitioner with outreach teams after a year of understaffing and concentrated crime activity in the North River commercial area.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Donovan warns of $6 million 2026 budget gap; hiring freeze and revenue options discussed

Donovan cites downtown investments, floodwall and code changes as path to more housing

Mayor Donovan highlights Star Center treatment beds, county coordination and outreach team additions

Mayor Donovan outlines bolstered policing, new outreach and traffic enforcement plans