Sno-Isle Libraries to ask voters to restore levy in August
Published 1:30 am Wednesday, March 25, 2026
EVERETT — Voters in the Sno-Isle Libraries district will vote on a levy in August after the Board of Trustees adopted a resolution Monday.
The ballot measure will ask voters to restore the library levy rate to $0.47 per $1,000 of assessed property value, which voters approved in 2018. Currently, the levy rate is $0.30 per $1,000 of assessed value.
“The 2018 library levy is at the end of its life,” Board of Trustees President Jennifer DePrey said in a press release Tuesday. “Through careful stewardship, the Trustees have used public funds responsibly and extended the levy as long as possible. If we did not advance this ballot measure, our Library District would look very different.”
The library levy makes up 91% of the Sno-Isle Libraries budget, spokesperson Katie Leone said in the release. Under state law, the district can only raise property taxes by 1% per year without voter approval.
Currently, the levy allows the district to buy books and streaming services, offer early learning programs, provide public access to computers and Wi-Fi, and stay up-to-date with technology upgrades and building maintenance, according to the district’s levy webpage.
If voters reject the levy, the district see a projected $1.9 million deficit in its operating budget, according to the website. In 2028, the deficit would increase to $4.3 million. Sno-Isle Libraries would have to make cuts to these services, as well as staff and hours, the website says.
Sno-Isle Libraries serves all of Snohomish and Island counties except for Everett, which is served by the Everett Public Library.
In Snohomish County, the levy would increase property taxes by about $124 per year for a median home valued at $748,100. In Island County, the increase would be about $106 per year for a median home valued at $640,150.
Voters will see the measure on their Aug. 4 ballot. Ballots for the Aug. 4 election will be mailed out July 17.
Jenna Peterson: 425-339-3486; jenna.peterson@heraldnet.com; X: @jennarpetersonn.
