The Lake Forest Park City Council voted unanimously on Nov. 20 to adopt a suite of ordinances and resolutions needed to meet county filing deadlines: a preliminary property tax levy and accompanying general-tax ordinance, surface-water and sewer rate actions, and a 2026 user-fee schedule.

Most urgent: Director Vaughn and staff told the council King County requires several filings by the end of November to populate property-tax statements and related assessments. Vaughn said the city's preliminary levy rate for 2026 is 0.66908 and that the city expects to receive about $3,500,000 in property tax revenue, with a 1% levy-limit increment equal to roughly $35,000.

Utility rates and fees: The council adopted Resolution 25-20-45 to set surface-water rates for 2026; staff noted the originally proposed surface-water increase was 15% (10% operating, 5% to support a stormwater coordinator). For sewer, King County adjusted its rate, requiring the city to pass through an additional 0.5% increase; Director Vaughn said that raises the monthly sewer charge from $62.36 to $62.66 (a $0.30 change). The council also adopted Resolution 25-20-47 adopting the 2026 user-fee schedule, which includes modest passport-fee and building-fee adjustments.

Tax-code revision: Council also expedited and adopted Ordinance 25-13-15 to amend local business-and-occupation (B&O) tax definitions in response to a recent state law change; councilors noted the State Legislature may further refine the law and local code could be revisited.

Why it matters: City staff emphasized several items must be adopted in November so King County can include them on property-tax rolls and assessment notices. Council members discussed the trade-offs of using unallocated general-fund balances versus formal contingency funds to cover mid-biennial adjustments, with staff cautioning about reserve policies and legal appropriation steps.

Quotes: “The preliminary levy rate for the city of Lake Forest Park is 0.66908,” Director Vaughn said during his presentation. On sewer rates, Vaughn explained the change is a county adjustment and “the only change being requested ... is simply to pass it through.”

Votes at a glance: Ordinance 25-13-13 (levy) — adopted unanimously; Ordinance 25-13-14 (general taxes) — adopted unanimously; Resolution 25-20-45 (surface water rates) — adopted unanimously; Resolution 25-20-46 (sewer rates) — adopted unanimously; Resolution 25-20-47 (user-fee schedule) — adopted unanimously; Ordinance 25-13-15 (B&O code updates) — adopted unanimously.

What’s next: Council will complete remaining mid-biennial budget decisions in December. Staff said some items (f and g in staff presentation) could be adopted later in December at the council’s discretion but the property-tax and some surface-water items had November filing deadlines.