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Mount Vernon Preparing Two Budgets Ahead of Nov. 4 Levy Vote
Summary
Mount Vernon City finance staff are preparing two budget scenarios because the city has a permanent levy lid lift on the Nov. 4 ballot; passage would fund public safety, parks maintenance and community programs, while failure would leave a significant shortfall, Finance Director Doug Voleski said.
Mount Vernon City is preparing two versions of its 2025 budget because City Council placed a permanent levy lid lift on the Nov. 4 ballot, Finance Director Doug Voleski said.
Voleski said the city needs two budgets because the Nov. 4 vote will determine whether the levy money is available. "If the levy passes, we will have the money to hire more police and firefighters, replace safety equipment like cardiac defibrillators, an ambulance, and a fire engine, address the backlog of deferred maintenance and capital projects in our parks, like replacing old playgrounds, ball field improvements, repaving asphalt surfaces and trails, etcetera, and secure funding for community events and programs like the supervised playground program," he said.
Why it matters: the levy would fund basic public safety and capital work the city currently cannot cover in its baseline revenues. Voleski said the alternative — the levy not passing — would create "a significant budget shortfall." He told listeners that because voters decide the levy on Nov. 4 and the city must adopt a budget by the end of the year, staff are preparing budgets that show both outcomes. "Because voters are deciding on the levy November 4, and we have to have an adopted budget by the end of the year, your city staff are preparing a budget for each possibility," he said.
The finance director listed candidate uses for levy proceeds if voters approve the measure: hiring additional police officers and firefighters; replacing emergency medical and fire apparatus and life-saving equipment; addressing deferred maintenance and capital projects in parks, including replacing playgrounds, improving ball fields and repaving asphalt surfaces and trails; and funding community events and programs such as a supervised playground program. The transcript did not specify the levy rate, the total dollar amount requested, or the legal ballot title and ordinance language.
No formal action or vote occurred during this recorded explanation; the next formal decision point is the Nov. 4 election and the city's required year-end budget adoption. City staff will present budget proposals reflecting both scenarios so the council can adopt the legally required budget on schedule regardless of the election outcome.
