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Mount Vernon council unanimously backs Resolution 10-86 supporting Proposition 1 levy lid lift
Summary
Council members voted unanimously to approve Resolution 10-86, endorsing Proposition 1, a proposed levy lid lift intended to add staff and funding for police, fire and parks; presenters described rising costs, staffing shortages and deferred park maintenance.
The Mount Vernon City Council unanimously approved Resolution 10-86 in support of Proposition 1, a proposed levy lid lift, after presentations from city public-safety and parks officials and a brief council discussion.
City officials told the council Proposition 1 would provide additional funding to hire staff for the Mount Vernon Police Department and Mount Vernon Fire Department and to address deferred maintenance and capital projects in city parks. A fire department representative said the levy would “help improve some of our response times, and we're gonna add staff, to the city for the fire department.”
The resolution matters because officials said rising costs and staffing shortages have strained public safety and parks services. The fire department representative told the council that since 2019 the Seattle–Tacoma–Bremerton consumer price index for all items had risen 27 percent, the cost of fire apparatus had risen “over a 100%,” calls for service for the Mount Vernon Fire Department had risen 18.3 percent and the department’s operating budget had fallen about 50 percent over the same period. The representative said the department had eight vacant positions and that without new revenue the city could not maintain current levels of training, public education or community event staffing.
A Mount Vernon Police Department representative said the department was in a staffing crisis, at times operating with as few as three officers on a shift, and described the levy as a way to add six full-time police officers—one per year for six years—intended to increase patrol presence and reduce crime through proactive policing. “This levy lid lift isn't about numbers. It's about people,” the police representative said, adding that the measure would provide officers with “the tools, training, and support they need.”
Jennifer Berner, Mount Vernon parks and recreation director, told the council the city's 2024 parks, recreation and open space (PROS) plan reflected broad community input showing a need to repair and make parks more accessible. She cited specific examples, including the Hillcrest Park entrance, which she said lacks a safe sidewalk, and a list of deferred-maintenance projects that city grants have addressed only in part. Berner said possible capital projects included an inclusive playground at Hillcrest Park and a skate park at Bakerview Park and that the proposed levy would offer a “reliable means to accomplish many of the needs expressed during the PROS plan process.”
Several council members expressed reluctant support for raising taxes but endorsed the resolution as necessary to maintain public safety and parks. Council member Curios moved to approve Resolution 10-86; Council member Beaton seconded. After brief final comments, the mayor called for the vote, and the motion passed by voice vote with council members signaling “aye.”
The transcript includes numbers and characterizations provided by presenters; where presenters described figures as approximate or phrased them conversationally, the article reports those figures as the presenters stated them. Specific levy rate, projected tax impact per household and ballot timing were not stated in the discussion and were not specified in the transcript.
Votes at a glance Resolution 10-86 (in support of Proposition 1, levy lid lift): motion to approve by Council member Curios; second by Council member Beaton; outcome: approved (voice vote, motion passed unanimously).
