EVERETT — The city of Mukilteo is set to host two open houses to inform residents about its upcoming EMS levy set for the November ballot.
The City Council voted in May to place the property tax levy lid lift on the general election ballot, which would raise the city’s emergency medical service levy rate from 27 cents per $1,000 of property value to 50 cents.
The first open house is scheduled for 6 p.m. Oct. 1 at the Rosehill Community Center in Mukilteo. A second is scheduled for 6 p.m. Oct. 15 in Mukilteo City Hall.
Voters in the city last approved a 50-cent levy rate for EMS services in 2010. As state law limits taxing districts to 1% increases to property tax revenue annually, the rate has since dropped to 27 cents. It would add about $16 per month or $191 per year to the average homeowner’s property tax bill, according to the city.
If approved, the levy is expected to raise about $1.7 million for emergency services. Council members have previously said the funding is intended to largely maintain existing staffing levels and provide equipment investments, as the city is set to transfer about $1.9 million from its general fund to pay for emergency medical services in 2026.
The Mukilteo firefighters union opposes the levy because it would not increase staffing during a time when the department has been struggling with understaffing for years, the department’s chief previously told The Daily Herald.
Union members support joining a regional fire authority instead. Council members who backed the levy said the revenue will be essential to keeping existing emergency services afloat.
In 2024, voters shot down a potential EMS levy by a margin of just over 200 votes.
Mukilteo’s fire and EMS levy rate is the lowest in Snohomish County. Even if the levy is approved in November, it will still be the lowest county-wide.
Will Geschke: 425-339-3443; william.geschke@heraldnet.com; X: @willgeschke.
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