Shoreline council opens hearings on 2026 property tax levy and mid-biennial budget; staff flags rising police costs and one-time requests

Shoreline City Council on Monday opened public hearings on the proposed 2026 property-tax levy and a mid-biennial budget review, receiving a staff financial update that showed year-to-date general-fund revenues at roughly 64 percent of budget and flagged rising public-safety costs as a key long-term pressure.

City Administrative Services Director Joe Branstetter and Budget and Tax Manager Christie Hopkins presented the quarterly snapshot and levy assumptions during the hearing on Ordinance 1041. Hopkins told the council that the city is estimating property-tax revenue for 2026 at about $25.8 million to $25.9 million, driven by a CPI adjustment of 2.683 percent plus new-construction growth and refunds; she also said voters previously approved an excess parks levy of about $2.95 million for 2026.

The presentation laid out other revenue trends the city is watching. Hopkins said general-fund expenditures were about 60 percent of budget through the third quarter and that sales-tax receipts were about 5.3 percent below the prior year, with construction-related sales tax down roughly 19 percent. Development revenue was above budget, staff said, and a large real-estate excise-tax sale helped buoy capital receipts.

Why it matters: the hearings…