MUKILTEO—Mayor Joe Marine will be presenting his city’s first biennium budget to residents during a Special Meeting at Mukilteo City Hall at 6 p.m. on Monday, October 14. After his address, members of the public will have up to five minutes each to ask questions on the proposed 2025-26 biennium budget during the Public Hearing. A Council Work Session on the Mukilteo Waterfront and the city’s social media Policy will commence following the Public Hearing.
The proposed $38.75 million biennium Mukilteo budget prioritizes public safety, infrastructure preservation, and fiscal responsibility the mayor says.
“My top priority continues to be keeping our community safe and attractive to businesses and residents and making living in our community one of the best investments in the region,” says Mayor Marine.
In his budget message to residents, Mukilteo Mayor Marine will share that this has “been the most challenging” to prepare of his 11 budget proposals. Councilmembers will now be challenged to consider a general fund budget with “lower-than-anticipated” revenues coupled with a projected 14.3 percent increase in labor, goods and services (2024 vs 2026 expenditures) totaling $3.3 million. No new general fund budget items (called NBIs) are included in the 2025-26 cycle.
The mayor proposed using the ending general fund balance of $5.8 million (2024) to balance the biennium budget resulting in a 2026 ending general fund balance of $2.5 million—less than 2 months of operating expenditures. The city will retain $1 million in the reserve account.
The key contributor to the $3.3 million budget deficit the mayor explains is to fund Emergency Management Services (EMS).
“The current levy rate of approximately $0.26 per $1,000 of assessed property value is insufficient to cover the City’s Fire and EMS services,” Mayor Marine states. “As a result, we’ve had to use funds that would typically go toward other needs like personnel costs to subsidize these essential services.”
Residents of Mukilteo twice struck down proposed EMS Levy Renewals—August 2023 and August 2024—that would have fully funded EMS and Fire without using general fund monies.
The Mukilteo Fire Department in its most recent campaign in August of 2024 was asking voters to return the EMS levy to the previously voter-approved amount of $0.50 per $1,000. The lid lift would have provided an additional $1.6 million per year (or $180 from each household) to fund firefighters and Emergency Medical Technicians, advanced medical training, ambulances, and medical equipment and supplies.
No on Mukilteo Prop 1 proponents believed this EMS Levy proposal was “disingenuous, misleading, not evidence-based, and does not consider the best interests of our residents, renters, and seniors on fixed incomes.”
“We are not against funding public safety in Mukilteo,” Councilman Steve Schmalz wrote who co-authored the ballot statement against the EMS Levy. “We believe our City should work smarter when approaching public safety solutions and be accountable and transparent to the people they serve.”
Mayor Marine shared with the Lynnwood Times that all options are on the table, including a third ballot measure for EMS funding to not deplete the city’s ending fund balance. He also shared in his budget message that the newly established Long Range Financial Planning Committee will address this and other challenges to find a solution.
“I remain confident that, through continued fiscal responsibility, the insights from the Long-Range Financial Planning Committee, and the ongoing work on annexation, we will navigate these uncertain times,” Mayor Marine stated.
Key Mukilteo Budget Takeaways
To minimize the deficit, the mayor is proposing a 1 percent property tax increase of $120,000 over the two-year cycle and redirecting $1.6 million from ARPA projects to EMS funding for 2025 only. The ARPA funding projects that were approved earlier this year but are now on the chopping block are the South Mukilteo Park ($1.19 million) and entryway signage ($443,000).
Despite the projected fiscal challenges ahead for Mukilteans, the proposed 2025-26 budget will include the following items:
- Full funding of Police, Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department using APRA monies.
- Funds the Police Facility Wellness Center project.
- Funds 20 miles of CCTV stormwater pipe inspections.
- Repairs three stormwater outfalls.
- Allocates dollars towards replacement of speed cushions.
Capital improvements for 2025 are projected to total $3,085,743, a 19% decrease compared to 2024. However, no Capital improvements have been budgeted for 2026.
The remaining 2025-2026 Biennial Budget process timeline is below:
- October 14, 2024, 2025-2026 Mayor’s Budget Address
- October 21, 2024, continuation of Public Hearing Preliminary Budget (Department Presentations) and Property Tax Public Hearings (EMS Property Tax Levy and General Property Tax Levy)
- November 4, 2024, Close Preliminary Budget Public Hearing, Open and Continue Final Public Hearing
- November 18, 2024, Close Public Hearings and Adopt Property Tax Levies (EMS Property Tax Levy and General Property Tax Levy), Close Final Budget Public Hearing and Adopt 2025-2026 Biennial Budget
- December 2, 2024, Adopt 2024 Year-End Budget Amendment and Adopt 2025-2030 Capital Improvement Program (CIP) Public Hearing
Author: Mario Lotmore
