During my time as Council Chair in 2022, I was proud to restart discussions to pursue a county biennial budget. The county’s budgeting process includes months of preparing an annual budget for approval. The county executive works closely with each department and independently elected departments to determine annual priorities and work plans that should be included in a budget. A draft budget comes before council with a series of presentations, inquiries, reports, analyses and determinations. After approval, the whole process starts again for the next year.  

Councilmember Nehring and I worked together to introduce an ordinance that council recently approved the switch to a biennial budget starting for 2025-2026. A work group will be formed to go through the details of this process switch before we start deliberations in fall of 2024. A biennial budget will take the same overall process, but work towards projections and work plans that stretch over two years. Using this approach to budgeting will increase our county efficiencies because the intensive staff resources will only be required every other year. There is still the flexibility to revisit the budget and adjust should another unforeseen event arise, like a global pandemic. Additionally, council will still have a mid-budget review to make sure spending and revenues are balanced. Other local jurisdictions use a biennial budget, from the large urban county of King County to the city of Marysville, and it’s proven to be more efficient.  

The Snohomish County Assessor’s Office annually updates the assessed values for real and personal property in Snohomish County per state law.   The levy amount determined by voters and the taxing districts and the assessed values are used to calculate levy rates for property tax collection purposes. Last year, voters in various districts across the county voted for 23 school levies or fire district levies that contributed to the calculation for their property tax totals. Property taxes collected this year across the county show an overall increase in 5.45% over last year, but individual households in places with new levies may see an increase of up to 30%, while other households may see a decrease. Your tax statement was mailed by the County Treasurer’s Office this month. 

For more information on how your property tax levies are calculated, please visit the Assessor’s website at: www.snohomishcountywa.gov/333/Levy. There are also property tax relief programs available and those can be found on the back side of your tax statement or by visiting https://snohomishcountywa.gov/5167/Assessor. 

The 2023 Washington State Legislative Session is at the halfway point, and I have been hard at work advocating for bills that will directly impact us here in Snohomish County. I am also a member of the Washington State Association of Counties’ Legislative Steering Committee and work with county leaders from across the state to advocate for our shared priorities. Though there have been almost 1,700 bills that were introduced this session, I’d like to highlight a few that I have been following closely: 

HB 1333 – Addressing Domestic Terrorism 

House Bill 1333 entitled “Establishing the domestic violence extremism commission” is a bill that had been requested by the Attorney General’s Office and sponsored by Representative Ramos to help address the recent rise of domestic terrorism events in our state. I have been working with a group of concerned residents who would like to see this matter addressed and recently went to Olympia to testify in favor of the bill. The commission would review violent domestic terrorism events and incidents of hate, and also look into the rampant spread of misinformation that leads to these acts. The bill was recently voted out of the Appropriations Committee and I will continue to follow its progress work on this important topic.

What spurred us to action was the fact that Washington State ranks 5th in the country for the most white supremacist propaganda incidents. The vast majority, over 82% of these incidents, were conducted by an organization that is highly active in Snohomish County vandalizing signs, public property, and distributing white supremacist propaganda. This bill would be a first step to combat misinformation and collect data on the incidents. From there, we can identify solutions, evaluate the data and evaluate legal tools and connect victims to solutions. State and county collaboration would help immensely in sharing information, to prevent, deter and confront domestic violent extremism. 

HB 1425 – Providing Incentives for Annexation 

HB 1425, sponsored by Representative Berg, would temporarily re-instate an annexation sales tax credit, which expired in 2015. Shifting areas within the county that are unincorporated into city limits helps provide better services to the people who live in these areas. As a county we’ve found that financial or economic circumstances are a factor in preventing annexation and we believe reinstating this sales tax credit could be a tipping point for some cities and towns. Some examples of services that put financial pressures on cities include: road maintenance, road improvements (ex. upgrading roads to city standards or installing sidewalks when none existed), and providing law enforcement within newly annexed areas. Response from law enforcement is the biggest concern I hear from unincorporated areas and the expectation of a city response from county deputies. As a County, we need to focus on regional services-operating the county jail, transportation and infrastructure, workforce and economic development, etc. This bill offers a way to balance responsibilities to bring our focus back to regional services while mitigating the financial impact to cities. 

As a member of NACo, the National Association of Counties, I attended the legislative conference in Washington DC to participate in workshops, expand my knowledge on topics facing our communities, engage in discussions with county leaders from across the nation, and also meet with our federal representatives at our nation’s capitol. I’m also a member of NACo’s Environment, Energy, and Land Use Committee and joined for an in-person meeting to hear updates from federal representatives and pass resolutions on federal policies.  

In addition to the conference, County Treasurer Brian Sullivan and I met with Senator Murray, Senator Cantwell, and staff from Representative DelBene’s office to discuss county priorities. Brian and I talked about efforts to restore Chinook Marsh, the US 2 trestle, the new Food and Farming Center at McCullum Park and advancements in sustainable aviation. It was an honor to spend time with our federal delegation in the halls of congress. 

I recently attended the Twin Lake Landing II ribbon cutting which is a House Hope affordable housing development for 60 families. At the event I was inspired to hear more about how this housing facility will help so many people access safe and affordable housing in our area as half of the units are for households coming out of homelessness, and the other half are for households who earn less than 50% of the area median income. They have on-site supportive services and use passive solar, energy efficient heat pumps, rooftop solar and low flow plumbing along with other sustainable features. Here’s a great story from The Herald with more information.  

One of the most common frustrations that I hear from people in the community is regarding housing affordability and homelessness issues. I've worked hard to address this during my tenure on council and I'm proud to have supported the purchase of two hotels to remodel into transitional housing, and the implementation of a sustainable funds for affordable housing and behavioral health services. It's important that we work on moving ahead boldly towards solving this crisis and it’s disheartening to read other councilmembers spreading misinformation about the solutions proposed. We’ve made humane and fiscally responsible investments based on best practice by approving the purchase the of hotels and supporting the Housing First model. We choose to treat people with dignity and promote public safety by providing low barrier shelter. During these cold months it’s encouraging to see that work advancing. 

My aide, Paula, and I recently joined staff at the Imagine Children’s Museum for a tour and discussion. The museum was originally formed in 1991 and opened in their current location in downtown Everett in 2004. They recently completed a capital campaign to triple in size. The new section is three stories with expanded exhibits that highlight the Port of Everett, Boeing and aeronautics, evergreen forests, and Puget Sound. The museum is committed to ensuring access to their museum for all children regardless of any barriers they may be experiencing. I’d like to highlight one of these ongoing programs called Dream Big which provides free dedicated museum playtime and workshops for children and families who are affected by a close family member who is currently or recently has been incarcerated. For more information on this program, please visit: https://www.imaginecm.org/programs-camps-events/dreambig/.  

When my children were younger, we spent many hours at the museum and I have cherished memories of our time there, and I know that the expansion will bring memories and smiles for years to come. 

The Snohomish County Children’s Commission recently released their KIDS COUNT report for 2022 which helps to provide data on the health and development of children in the county. Data from various sources measured economic well-being, education, health, and family and community. Based on these units of measurement, Washington State ranked 14th in the nation for overall child well-being.  

The Children’s Commission is made up of 25 members who advise on issues of health, safety, and social services for young people in the community. The membership is made up by three representatives from each council district, including at least two youth members, and ten at-large members who can reside anywhere in the county. There are currently vacancies for members from Districts 3, 4, and 5, one youth representative, and seven at-large seats. If you’re interested in serving, please see their website for more information and links to the application: https://snohomishcountywa.gov/3825/Childrens-Commission.  

With the recent devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria, it’s a reminder of how important it is to be prepared for earthquakes in our region. Snohomish County’s Department of Emergency Management has worked diligently over the years to be prepared for “the big one” and other disasters that could strike our area. They put together this great interactive page to help provide information needed so that people can be informed. Another resource that DEM has put together is this webpage with information about “Population Islands” that could potentially occur after an earthquake due to impassable roads or collapsed bridges.  

Please take the time to be informed on what to expect, how to take cover during an earthquake, and be prepared for the aftermath of a catastrophic event of this magnitude. Washington State Department of Natural Resources has information on various earthquake scenarios in our region that are helpful to be familiar with, and the County’s Department of Emergency Management has lists and information of things you can have on hand for your household’s readiness. If you are an emergency preparedness professional, the Center for Regional Disaster Resilience is hosting a networking event on March 7th with Snohomish County’s Director of Emergency Management, Lucia Schmit, as one of the panelists. Here’s more information on that event.  

In the meantime, my heart goes out to those who were affected by the heartbreaking disaster in Turkey and Syria.  

In lighter news, vendor applications for Schack Art Center’s Fresh Paint and the City of Everett’s Sorticulture festivals are now open.  

Fresh Paint will be held on August 19 and 20th this summer, and is the Schack Art Center’s biggest summer arts festival with over 100 booths, live entertainment, interactive art, and more. More information on the festival and the application page can be found here: https://form.jotform.com/230156724039150.  

Additionally, Everett’s Sorticulture (“Sorta art, sorta horticulture”) will be this summer from June 9 to 11 in downtown Everett. This premiere garden art festival is one of Everett’s most popular summer events and a great chance to get some art for your yard, or run into Ciscoe Morris. Vendor applications are due March 1, so please apply today at: https://www.visiteverett.com/1401/Sorticulture-vendor-information. 

Thank you for taking the time to read my newsletter. It’s important to me to keep you updated on my work at the County and updates from my district. If you are in need of any assistance or if there is any county information that I can help to provide, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me at Megan.Dunn@snoco.org, or with my aide at Paula.Rhyne@snoco.org. You can call our office as well at 425-388-3494 to leave a message and we’ll return your call.  

Stay Well,