Edmonds reviews mid‑biennial budget and a proposed $14.5 million levy, staff warn sales tax is softer than expected

Edmonds City Council members and staff spent their Sept. 12 mid‑biennial budget retreat reviewing a staff‑draft budget amendment and a proposed $14.5 million levy lid lift that would be split among police, parks, streets/sidewalks, planning and facilities.

City consultant Mike Bailey framed the session as a required review of the city’s biennial budget and said the work performed at the retreat would feed a formal ordinance. “The result of your work will be a budget amendment,” Bailey said. “Won't Will be a new budget because you already have a budget. It's a 2 year budget.”

Why it matters: the council is being asked to set policy on how additional levy revenue would be allocated and to weigh those choices against current projections that show some non‑property revenues, notably sales tax, coming in below the levels used to adopt the current biennial budget.

Staff proposal and priorities

Todd (city staff member) and other department presenters described how staff would allocate the additional $14.5 million levy. Staff said the package assumes $6 million already included in the base and adds roughly $8.5 million in new levy revenue. Staff presented the allocation at a policy level; final line‑item decisions would come through the mayor’s mid‑biennial budget amendment and the legislative process that follows.

The staff allocation shown to council apportions the draft 14.5 million roughly as follows: - Police/public safety: ~43% (about $6.2 million of the $14.5M package), focused on patrol capacity, investigators, traffic enforcement, support staff and a dedicated emergency manager. Presenters said added officers and support would reduce mandatory overtime and increase the department’s ability to participate in regional task forces. - Parks and recreation: ~21% (about $3.0 million), targeted at restoring maintenance staffing, irrigation and…