Sammamish adopts 6% utility tax, adds $200 low-income rebate; measure takes effect Jan. 1, 2026

The Sammamish City Council voted 6–1 on March 18 to adopt an ordinance establishing a 6% utility tax and a 6% use tax on brokered natural gas, effective Jan. 1, 2026. The council also approved an amendment raising the annual low-income rebate in the ordinance from $100 to $200.

Finance Director Vicki Carlson told the council the city faces a structural imbalance in its general fund budget and that ongoing revenues will not cover ongoing expenditures without new revenue or further cuts: “Total budgeted use of existing fund balance in the general fund for this biennium is approximately $14,300,000 with approximately $6,400,000 being used to pay for ongoing expenditures.”

The council’s approval follows a multi-year review and recommendations from a citizen task force that proposed a three-phase approach — departmental reductions, a utility tax, and a voter-approved metropolitan park district — to achieve fiscal sustainability. Carlson said the city implemented the first phase through about $8.9 million in budget reductions and that the utility tax is the…