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Buckley council adopts 2025 tax levies and 2025–26 biennial budget
Summary
The Buckley City Council approved ordinances adopting the 2025 property tax levy, the EMS tax levy, levy for voter-approved 2010 G.O. bonds and the 2025–26 biennial budget after brief discussion on property-tax impact; staff said certification rules limit annual increases.
The Buckley City Council voted to adopt a set of ordinances that establish the city’s 2025 property tax levy, the EMS tax levy, the levy amount for voter-approved 2010 general obligation bonds, and the 2025–26 biennial budget.
Director Hines attended to answer questions about the levies and budget. Council members discussed the property-tax calculation and noted that under Washington state law property-tax increases are limited to 1% annually. As an example provided by a council member, a home with a $500,000 assessed value would see an estimated increase of roughly $3.30 next year if assessed value does not change.
Council members described the move to a two-year (biennial) budget for Buckley as a new, “trailblazing” approach that will be revisited and rebalanced during the two-year window. Council members said the biennial structure allows for mid-course adjustments.
Each ordinance was put to a roll-call vote and recorded as carried in the meeting transcript. The minutes and roll-call entries in the transcript record affirmative votes but do not list full, enumerated vote-by-name tallies for all measures; the transcript text records a series of affirmative roll-call responses that indicate passage.
