City of Clyde Hill Proposition 1: property tax levy increase for public safety and land use

Official plain English statement

Clyde Hill Resolution No. 725 asks voters to increase the City's portion of property taxes to pay for police, fire, emergency medical services, 911 dispatch, land use, and zoning services. Clyde Hill has the third lowest levy rate in King County, receiving less than $0.05 of every $1.00 paid in property taxes. A resident-led Financial Sustainability Task Force concluded that the City cut expenses where it could and kept staffing lean compared to similar sized cities. It concluded that further reductions threaten basic services and legal requirements. Without additional revenues, Clyde Hill will not have the requisite funds to remain an independent city with local control of its police department and zoning issues, as well as the quality fire and emergency medical services residents have come to expect. If approved, Clyde Hill's property tax levy rate would increase from $0.29548 per $1,000 of assessed valuation in 2026 to a levy rate not to exceed $0.50 per $1,000 of assessed valuation in 2027. This equates to about a $225 increase in the city's portion of property taxes per $1,000,000 of assessed valuation. In 2028-2036, the total regular property levy amount would increase by a limit factor of 3% annually. The final levy in 2036 will become the base for establishing levy rates for following years. If this proposition is rejected, the City is projected to run out of operating funds by the end of 2030. It will be unable to sustain current service levels and may need to consider dissolution. For questions about this measure, contact: Heather Thomas-Murphy, City Administrator, (425) 453-7800, [email protected]