Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Burien staff brief council on budget pressures and $2.5 million expected from new criminal justice sales tax
Summary
Finance staff told the council at the Apr. 3 retreat that the recently approved criminal justice sales-and-use tax is expected to yield about $2.5 million annually starting July 1; staff emphasized wage pressures tied to CPI, rising public defender and policing costs, and recommended prioritizing core services while exploring revenue options including a levy or regional partnerships.
At the Burien City Council retreat April 3, finance staff presented a budget update framing the choices staff will bring to council this year as the city builds its 2027 budget.
Finance director Casey told the council there are no policy decisions today but that staff need directional guidance on priorities such as whether to prioritize preserving existing services or to fund new initiatives. On revenue assumptions, Casey said the criminal justice sales and use tax — if confirmed through administrative windows — should not apply until July 1 but is projected to provide roughly $2.5 million in a full year. “For a full year of the use tax, we’re looking at about 2 and a half million dollars,” Casey said.
Staff described cost pressures in multiple places: collective bargaining wage increases tied to CPI (roughly 3% in current contracts), rising public defender costs, and increased policing and detention costs. Casey said staff are modeling options including non-personnel reductions first (overhead, memberships, travel), strategic hiring freezes or reassignments, and a possible levy or other revenue tools as later options. Staff also noted some stabilization in wages via CPI indexing in existing contracts but emphasized that wages are only part of general fund costs.
On capital, staff noted that some debt will begin to roll off between 2026 and 2031 and that grant work has had success; parks and public works staff have identified grant opportunities and staff are investigating regional partnerships to increase competitiveness for some grants.
Council provided direction that staff should prepare budget scenarios consistent with council priorities, and staff committed to return with modeling and clearer guardrails for the FY2027 budget process.
