By Theresa Hutchinson / Herald Forum
At its Sept. 9 public meeting, the Edmonds City Council voted to postpone until Nov. 12 a vote on the proposed “cultural” access sales tax. If this passes, it will be the second sales tax hike which the Edmonds City Council has considered in just a three-week period. At its Aug. 19 meeting, the council voted to increase the city’s sales tax rate for public safety.
If the cultural access sales tax increase is approved, the City of Edmonds will hold the title of having the highest sales tax rate of any city in Washington state. The city’s website says that this new tax will expand “access to science, heritage and arts programs.” While these programs may be important and appreciated by citizens, tough decisions must be made during a time of budget constraint and city deficit in order to create a sustainable budget. The city cannot provide for everything and some services will need to be reduced or eliminated so that core services can be prioritized without overburdening taxpayers.
These sales tax hikes are in addition to a recent property tax increase of approximately $929 per household on a home with assessed value of $928,600 due to the city’s annexation into the Regional Fire Authority earlier this year. Another $14.5 million property tax levy lid lift will be on the Nov. 4 ballot for voters to consider later this fall.
If voters approve Proposition 1 in November, our tax for both city and RFA in 2026 will total approximately 2.9 percent of assessed property value. This is approximately three times our current rate for these same services. This increase does not account for state or school property tax increases as well as a 10.7 percent sales tax rate, the highest in the state; higher than Seattle’s 10.35 percent rate.
The City of Edmonds’ budget deficit is a self-inflicted problem resulting from years of reckless overspending from city leaders. Rather than addressing the budget deficit through spending reductions, city leaders are now poised to implement all of these new taxes and fees in one year.
Vote no on Proposition 1 in November.
Theresa Campa Hutchison is a retired registered nurse and Edmonds resident.
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