Council weighs a limited-term public-safety levy to shore up rising contract costs and preserve services

Deputy Mayor Fertani led council discussion on a proposed property-tax levy to stabilize the city—9s finances in light of rising public-safety and contracted costs.

Deputy Mayor Fertani opened the agenda item by explaining edits to an earlier proposal: the updated text narrowed the request to public safety by replacing a public-works ask with a mental-health mobile crisis response contract (the RACER fee). Fertani told the council the RACER fee had an annual cost “roughly to the tune of a $122,269.”

Councilmembers and staff discussed whether the levy should be framed as a narrowly targeted public-safety levy (specific line items that voters can see will be funded) or as a more general revenue measure. Councilmember Goldman urged clarity in messaging: “making it clear to the community, if the levy passes, this is what the city gets from it. If the levy doesn't pass, here's where we'll be with the status quo.” Several councilmembers said a shorter, limited-term levy (one councilmember suggested six years) that names discrete uses would be a clearer proposition for voters than an unlimited or broad general-fund request.

What would the levy cover?

Deputy Mayor Fertani and others described categories of rising cost the levy would address: 9-1-1 dispatch contract costs, jail costs, insurance increases, mental-health contract payments (RACER), and a portion of police staffing and equipment costs. Staff noted some of those costs are set by external providers and pools: as explained in discussion, 9-1-1 services were historically provided by Bothell under a favorable arrangement, and current contract options are limited; insurance pools and regional jail costs have also increased across jurisdictions.

Timing, scale and fiscal framing

Deputy Mayor Fertani said the city had budgeted the 2025–26 biennium without the levy and that the proposed measure would begin to produce revenue in 2026. Council members discussed scale: multiple councilmembers estimated the levy needed in the roughly $1.4–$1.6 million annual range (the deputy mayor—9s draft used a similar target) to cover the listed categories and slow drawdown of one-time reserves. Several councilmembers and the mayor urged that the measure explicitly state how levy proceeds would be used so voters could weigh tradeoffs.

Legal and procedural notes

City Attorney on-call Pratt said the city can present either a narrowly drawn public-safety levy or a general-fund revenue measure but must respect single-subject requirements for ballot measures. Pratt and staff explained that a measure identified and limited to public safety would have to be spent for public-safety purposes; if the council preferred a general-fund levy, proceeds would be fungible in the general fund but that form had failed for Lake Forest Park in prior votes.

Council guidance to staff

Councilmembers asked staff to return with tightened options before the next meetings: a limited-term (six-year) public-safety levy with discrete line items and clear explanatory language showing what services the levy would secure and what reductions would follow if voters rejected it. Several councilmembers urged focusing the levy on costs the city cannot control (contracted 9-1-1, jail, insurance, mental-health contracts) and describing police-staffing impacts in plain terms. City staff and the mayor said they would also continue to pursue other revenue options and efficiency measures.

Next steps

Council indicated they want draft ballot language, an explanatory statement that itemizes major spending categories, and a fiscal analysis of rate impacts before further action. The council planned to continue discussion at upcoming meetings this month, including a special meeting on June 16 and regular sessions scheduled the week of June 23–26.

Ending note

Councilmembers emphasized transparency and voter clarity: several said a time-limited, narrowly described question that enumerates what the levy will fund is likelier to gain support than a large, open-ended request.