Can any of my readers figure out what the phrase EMS Levy Lid Lift means? Well, if not, I will explain. EMS means “Emergency Medical Services”, meaning the 911 system which dispatches ambulances to reports of accidents and medical emergencies in Everett. In the state of Washington, EMS is part of the Fire Departments, and the techs there have to go through two types of training, fire-fighting and medical. It is very difficult to get a job there, and techs who work for private ambulance services have a tough process to go through if they want to be a well-paid government employee.

Levy Lid means the statutory maximum that the legislature tells branches of government that they can raise taxes in any year without a vote of the people. And Lift is pretty obvious, it means Increase. So, what Everett wants voters to approve in the Primary Election in August (note that instead of the general election ballot, they take it to the primary election which many voters skip, thus allowing them to get a measure passed with fewer votes), is an Increase in the Allowable Maximum Increase in Property Taxes that the City can Levy against all properties.

I left the flyer out, and Hubby went through every paragraph and annotated what the City is telling (and not telling) its citizens about the higher taxes they will be paying if the measure is approved. The flyer omits some VERY important context, and does some shady rhetorical things to mislead and less-than-inform the citizens who will be paying these increased property taxes. I remind my readers that the State Legislature has already piled on dozens of new and increased taxes for the state, and just passed a new Income Tax. Residents of all of Washington State are feeling increasingly oppressed by increases in every part of their lives, and many are having trouble paying their bills already (see my previous post on Everett Cost Increases). Below, I will cite every section of the “explanations” the city sent, and in italics include Hubby’s notes.

Section One, in bold letters at the top of the flyer: NOT A NEW TAX “Restore the EMS Levy Rate from approximately $0.36 back to the previously-voter-approved rate of $0.50 per $1,000 of assessed value. This is not a new tax, but a restoration of the levy rate approved by voters in 2018.” RushBabe’s Note: 2018 was before the huge increase in property values that started in that year, and during Covid when many people were moving into larger places and everyone was paying higher property taxes. Property values are much higher now than in 2018, and consequently taxes are higher than many can afford. Important note not included in this flyer- This Levy Lid Increase is a 38% jump in the tax!

Hubby’s Notes on Section One: 1. “Not a new tax” is pure rhetoric. It’s new revenue. Don’t tell me it’s not new taxation. (This is a work-around to State law). 2. This is a rate change. There’s no way to look at the stated rates and spending rate increases and determine the adequacy of the existing and proposed revenue.

Section Two, NEW COST BASED ON PROPERTY VALUE. The new cost is listed as $5-$8 per month. We pay total property taxes in two tranches, April for the first half, October for the second half. People who have mortgages and have the bank pay their taxes would look at that monthly figure and know that they will have to allow more money in their escrow account for the increased taxes. Washington state property values are higher than in other states. We who pay our own taxes twice a year must compute the new, higher rate and allow for it. Now, the table gives three home values, the LOWEST being $450,000. What does that tell you about Everett property valuation? The increase is stated as $63.00 a year; $81.00 for a $575,000 home, and $98.00 per year for a $700,000 home.

Hubby’s Notes on Paragraph Two: 1. What is the projected revenue for this item vs current? 2. And what are the current and projected budget needs? This issue has “stopgap” written all over it. i.e. it will soon come back to voters for more money.

Section Three: WHY IT MATTERS. 1. EMS calls make up about 82% of all Everett Fire responses. 2. Call volume has increased by 11% since 2018.

Hubby’s Notes on Section Three: Aren’t there more property owners than in 2108?

This is a big question! There ARE many more property owners now than in 2018. Hundreds of new apartments and condos have been built since then, especially in our own neighborhood! And the average value of those homes is $500,000 and higher! That is a huge increase in taxable residential property! All that new property should be more than enough to make up for the rate.

On the back of the flyer are FAQs. Here are Hubby’s remarks on some of them.

1. What is a two-year levy? The answer on the flyer is: A 2026 Washington State Law allows property tax levies to remain fixed for two years before being subject to the 1% annual growth limit. Under this measure, the levy rate would be fixed at $0.50 for 2027 and 2028, then become subject to the 1% limit in 2029. Hubby’s Note: COST TO TAXPAYER

2. What happens if the levy is not approved? The flyer says: If the levy is not approved, the department would evaluate service levels, staffing, and funding options to maintain current EMS services. Service reductions would be among the options considered. Hubby’s remarks: On the service levels, What options are there? Is this some kind of blackmail? On Funding options, Why hasn’t this already been done? Is the levy adequate? RushBabe’s Remarks: This is a very common way for governments to get their citizens to panic and vote for all sorts of public “services”. If I don’t vote for this increase, the ambulance might not be there for me if I call! EVERY government department’s Prime Directive is to Grow More, and they rarely take into consideration how they can operate more efficiently. Washington has passed a law phasing out internal-combustion engine vehicles, and they are stupidly adding electric buses to fleets. Those buses break down, cost much more than diesel buses, and have a much shorter service life. The entire government pays huge salaries to administrators, and this applies to the Fire and EMS departments. The proposed cuts are always to the meat and never the fat.

3. Why does the Levy rate decrease over time? The flyer says: Washington State law limits property tax REVENUE growth to 1% per year. As property values increase, the levy rate decreases–often called Levy Compression. Hubby’s remarks: You’re in effect saying that your spending is increasing greater than 1%, but haven’t said why.

At the bottom of the flyer, Hubby adds some additional comments.

City of Everett says: Please tell us how we can protect ourselves from our own stupidity! About the flyer itself: The advocate is the city itself, a non-neutral party. What are the property owners saying about this levy?

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Now, I have one more important comment on the subject of property tax revenue in Washington. I have recently learned about HOW the state governmental units calculate property tax revenue to confiscate from the public. The Budgetary Method of Property Tax Determination is what is used here. Below are the steps:

1. The Governmental Unit (city, county, town) decides how much money they NEED to collect to carry out ALL its functions. With no consultation with the Public who pays the taxes, the government determines how much it will need, to pay employees, maintain properties, buy goods and services, buy and maintain vehicles, buy provisions… You can see that this list is endless, and it’s very easy to just decide that whatever they get now is inadequate for its “needs”. These needs also include debt service on loans, and employee benefits often “bargained” for by Public Employee Unions.
2. Once they have the figure of how much they need, they look at the various kinds of property they must levy taxes against to bring in the revenue they say they need. Every town has residences (single-family, multi-family, condos), commercial strip malls, office buildings, etc., that will carry different rates of taxation. They decide on the rates.
3. Finally, they divide up the revenue they SAY they need, among all of the various taxable properties to determine the amounts for each. Please also note that the Governmental Units do all this themselves, behind closed doors. The Public has no window into how the State and City and County decide how much they will owe in taxes. In Washington State, there are numerous additional taxes in addition to the largest, public schools. Sound Transit, EMS Services, Ports, Parks, and others also levy property taxes, and the public has some say in that matter.

In Washington, there have been so many tax and fee increases, a large and getting larger number of businesses, big and small, have been leaving the state. When businesses leave, increasing amounts of property taxes fall on those who remain, both business and residents. Those taxes can go nowhere but up, never down.