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Council asks staff to draft ordinance to keep local levy cap at 1% amid state bill debate
Summary
Councilman Henderson moved and Councilman LaVaca seconded a request for staff to draft an ordinance asserting the city’s preference to keep the local levy rate capped at 1% in response to discussion of Senate Bill 5798; the motion passed by voice vote at the April 9 meeting.
Councilman Henderson told the Sedro‑Woolley City Council on April 9 that he wanted the city to “go on record” to keep the local property tax levy cap at the current 1 percent while Senate Bill 5798 (and a companion house bill) is under consideration in the state legislature.
Henderson said he had discussed the issue with County Assessor Danny Hagen and noted timelines in the bill that would require the Department of Revenue to send information to assessors by Sept. 1 and for assessors to transmit tax data to jurisdictions by Oct. 1. Henderson moved that staff prepare an ordinance preserving the city’s 1 percent levy cap; Councilman LaVaca seconded the motion.
Council discussion included the limits of a current council’s ability to bind future councils. City staff member Nikki (speaking to legal/process limits) said the council cannot bind a future council by ordinance but can adopt a resolution to express the current council’s policy position and that any future council could change an ordinance by vote. Despite those caveats, the motion to ask staff to draft the ordinance carried by voice vote; the meeting record shows those in favor said “aye.”
Key details: motion to request staff draft an ordinance to keep the levy cap at 1%; mover: Councilman Henderson; second: Councilman LaVaca; outcome: carried by voice vote. Henderson also offered that County Assessor Danny Hagen is willing to brief the council after the legislative session on implications of the bill.
No ordinance text was drafted or adopted at the April 9 meeting; the council’s action was to request staff preparation of draft ordinance language for future consideration.
