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Langley mayor, council weigh levy lid lift to close ~$200,000 shortfall; July 6 set to refine amount
Summary
Mayor Kennedy Horstman told the council the city faces a projected $200,000 operating-cushion shortfall and presented low/mid/high levy packages; Director Beach walked members through spreadsheet scenarios and council scheduled a July 6 follow-up to finalize a dollar amount and outreach plan.
Mayor Kennedy Horstman opened the special meeting by framing the central question: whether to place a levy lid lift on the ballot to address a persistent operating shortfall and a long backlog of unmet needs. Horstman said the city's general fund operations ran in deficit in 2021'2023 and "By the end of 20 26, we're still gonna be about $200,000 short," a shortfall staff said would leave the city below its minimum fund-balance target.
Director Beach walked the council through a spreadsheet of low, mid and high packages and worked an example showing how a targeted dollar ask translates into homeowner impacts. Beach said, "If we are looking at a lift of $408,660, that would mean an increase of the rate by point .84%...an annual increase of $645.81, which would mean that their annual property tax would include a city portion of $1,423.26." Council members debated using the lift to rebuild a minimum cushion versus the risk of permanently resetting the city's base revenue expectations.
Members discussed ballot timing and form: staff said new state rules change which election dates are available, but that the city could still propose either a permanent single-year lift or a temporary multiyear lift. Horstman and members agreed to reconvene on July 6 to refine priorities, test low/mid/high packages, and plan outreach materials, noting the city itself cannot use public-facility time to advocate for the measure.
Why it matters: council members said the levy could fund municipal software, critical staff positions, equipment replacement and core maintenance that they described as chronic operational "zombies" that repeatedly consume staff time and delay services. The meeting produced no final vote on a levy amount; the next session should produce a near-final recommendation to place on the November ballot or an alternate permitted date.
Provenance: topicintro SEG 190, topfinish SEG 216.
