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Lake Forest Park leaders review budget shortfall, survey results and possible levy options
Summary
City staff briefed council on a roughly $1.5 million annual shortfall, recent revenue changes and a community survey that ranked sidewalks and pedestrian safety highest among funding priorities. Council and staff discussed levy options, utility and solid-waste taxes, and outreach approaches to build support.
City of Lake Forest Park officials and staff at a March 1 retreat outlined the city’s continuing budget gap and reviewed a community survey that will shape possible revenue measures.
The city faces a multi‑year funding shortfall of roughly $1.5 million a year, presenters said. Council members and staff reviewed taxes and recent revenue moves taken in 2023–2025 — including utility tax changes and a newly implemented solid‑waste utility tax — and discussed using a temporary levy to address structural shortfalls while preserving some existing revenue tools.
Tom, a staff member presenting the survey results, said the city received 918 household responses. The top public priorities were sidewalks and pedestrian safety; other commonly cited needs included public safety, parks and grant writing for outside funding. The survey also showed residents are “twice as likely to agree” that an increase in property tax could positively affect community services if the proposal clearly described what the money would fund.
Council members and staff discussed levy design and public outreach strategies rather than taking policy action at the retreat. Options under discussion included a lower temporary levy that leaves recent utility taxes in place, or a larger levy coupled with a rollback or reduction of some utility rates — a tradeoff staff warned could be framed by voters as moving money between funds unless the city explains benefits and protections for lower‑income households.
Staff identified several next steps: scope public education and targeted outreach, produce revenue scenarios (including estimated annual levy yields at different rates tied to the city’s median home value), and pursue a community engagement plan focused on project‑level clarity (what a vote would pay for and how progress will be reported). The city also plans to revisit the unallocated fund balance and reserve policies in light of different options.
Council members asked staff to return in April with the revenue scenarios and an engagement timeline so the council could weigh whether to place a levy on a future ballot.
