My Everett News

At the Wednesday, May 29, 2024 meeting, Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin and the City Council passed a resolution supporting City of Everett Proposition 1: Levy Lid Lift for Public Safety and Essential Public Services. This property tax measure will be on the ballot during the August 6, 2024 primary election and asks for a moderate property tax increase, less than $30 per month for the average homeowner, to fund public safety and essential services.

“Your property tax dollars fund many of the important and beloved services our residents want and need – and Proposition 1 will help ensure the City can continue providing these services,” said Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin. “I am proud to stand with our council members in support of this measure as a crucial next step towards long term financial stability, restoration of some past cuts and the expansion and launch of new services and programs in the future.”

“The State’s 1% cap on property tax increases has worked the way it was intended; it’s made government have to be as lean as possible. But to continue providing this level of services, we will need the community’s support,” said Council President Don Schwab. “Approving Proposition 1 means continued funding for our important public safety and quality of life services plus restoring library hours, adding staffing to the Office of Neighborhoods and finding a partner to re-open the Forest Park Pool.”

Without a property tax increase or other revenue solution, the City of Everett will need to make $12.6 million dollars of budget cuts for 2025.

About Proposition 1

Proposition 1 would increase Everett’s property levy rate to $2.19/ $1,000 of assessed value, which amounts to an overall increase of about $28 per month for a $500,000 home (based on assessed value). If passed, this measure would help fund public safety, park maintenance, libraries, the animal shelter, street maintenance, support for neighborhood associations, social services for those in need, the arts, community events; and more.

This also includes exploring the return of some pandemic era service cuts. A priority will be placed on public safety, including police and fire services, as well as options to re-open the Forest Park Pool through a public private partnership, add a full-time staff position to the Office of the Neighborhoods, and expand library hours.

Background on Everett’s budget challenges

The City of Everett is pursuing a property tax increase to help address its ongoing budget deficit. For over 20 years, the City of Everett has faced a structural deficit, primarily caused by the 1% cap on property tax increases. Inflation, changing community needs and increased demand for services cause service costs to rise annually – by more than 1% (typically 2-4%). This creates a budget deficit. Everett’s deficit is projected to be $12.6 million next year – and it could grow to over $35 million.

Everett is not alone in these challenges; cities throughout the state have and are facing similar budget issues, leading to over 60 other Washington cities pursuing property tax levy increases since 2011.

Over the years, many efforts have been made to close the budget gap. The City has made reductions year after year in order to minimize impacts to services including finding efficiencies, ensuring the most responsible use of all tax revenues, deferring investments in capital projects, workforce layoffs and elimination of vacant positions, encouraging early retirements, deferring payments to reserve funds, shuttering beloved services, eliminating recreational programs, and so much more. In addition, the City has found private partners to take on programs like the Carl Gipson Center and the Jetty Island Days program and has worked to become more efficient and streamline processes.

After streamlining, cutting, and finding efficiencies in every possible area of operations, further cuts to meet a balanced budget will be detrimental to our quality of life and will have broad impacts on city services, including impacts on economic development, public safety, park maintenance, libraries, the animal shelter, street maintenance, neighborhood groups, social services, the arts and events.

To bring in additional revenue, the City has pursued grants and other outside funding, increased or added fees or taxes and encouraged economic development.

Since January, the Finance team has provided briefings to the Council on the City’s financial position, the structural deficit and revenue options that could help address the issues. While regionalization of some services was discussed, the only option that could be implemented by 2025 would be a levy lid lift.

Next steps

Proposition 1 will appear on Everett residents’ August 6, 2024 ballot. 

If the property tax ballot measure if approved, it would go into effect on January 1, 2025 and would only increase the City of Everett’s portion of property tax.

Rejection of the levy would mean further cuts to quality of life and essential services provided or supported by the City of Everett. For 2025, the City would need to find $12.6 million in cuts to balance its budget.

Learn more

To learn more about City of Everett Proposition 1: Levy Lid Lift for Public Safety and Essential Public Services, please visit: everettwa.gov/prop1.

To register to vote, update your registration, learn how to vote or for other questions related to voting or elections, please visit the Snohomish County Elections and Voter Registration webpage: snoco.org/elections.

Mountain Loop Mine Property in Everett up for sale. Photo credit: Josh O’Neil

Mountain Loop Mine made the news after operating an aggregate yard across from Fairmount Elementary for 10 months without permits. They were shut down by Snohomish County Planning & Development in February through an emergency order. In April, a judge ordered them to cease all work.

On Wednesday morning, a for sale sign went up on the property, indicating the Everett Aggregate Yard is finally leaving.

The 1.38 acre property at 2615 Center Road is adjacent to Fairmount Elementary. Teachers and students reported coughing fits and nasal issues from the dust. Despite adding a noise wall, the noise was also a big distraction.

The for sale sign that went up Wednesday lists three agents from Collier, but the property hasn’t made it onto any commercial or home real estate listing sites yet. The property sold in 2019 for $700,000 and for $1.25 million in 2021.

Boeing Firefighters Still Locked Out on Memorial Day

Back on May 4th, Boeing locked out about 125 of its firefighters and emergency medical workers, disregarding IAFF Local I-66’s concerns regarding low pay and its impact on safety. Late Tuesday night the two parties reached a tentative deal.

The following joint statement between the Union workers and Boeing were shared:

“After new talks this week, Boeing and IAFF Local I-66 are pleased to share that we have come to a tentative agreement that would end the lockout and months of negotiations. This tentative agreement addresses the needs of our firefighters and the company, and the representatives of Boeing and the IAFF encourage the members of Local I-66 to vote yes. We look forward to working together productively.”

If the vote passes, firefighters can return to work as soon as Saturday morning.

Boeing had a lot of pressure on it during the 24 day lockout from legislators, other firefighters, and many local and national unions.

PUD’s Jameson Oakes works to dismantle the Camano Substation in early May. The PUD is rebuilding the Camano Substation to meet future load growth.

Snohomish County PUD crews will be busy this summer making electric system improvements and completing preventative maintenance projects.

The work helps ensure the PUD maintains high levels of reliability through storm season and meets growing demand due to increasing electrification of transportation, more homes being built with electric heat and population growth.

Jennings Park Substation: To increase capacity in Marysville, the PUD is constructing a new substation near Jennings Park and building a high-voltage line to serve it. This larger substation will replace the existing Central Marysville Substation, which will be demolished in 2025.

Camano Substation: After building a second transmission line to Camano Island, the PUD is rebuilding its Camano Substation near Terry’s Corner this summer. The new equipment will increase capacity at the substation to help meet anticipated growth. When the Camano Substation rebuild is complete, the new equipment will increase reliability on the island and will include features that are more environmentally friendly.

PUD substation wiremen work to wire equipment at the PUD’s new Jennings Park Substation in May.

Poplar Way Extension Bridge: The PUD will complete relocation of existing transmission and distribution facilities in the vicinity of Alderwood Mall Blvd and 33rd Ave. W., as well as 196th St SW and Poplar Way to help facilitate a new City of Lynnwood I-5 overpass project along this alignment.

Millwright Loop Distribution Project: The PUD will complete work to build out the distribution electrical system to support the Port of Everett’s Millwright Loop project on the waterfront.

Bunk Foss Pole Replacements: Crews will replace 19 transmission poles in Lake Stevens this summer that were damaged by woodpeckers. The work will require road closures along 103rd Ave. SE. Please check snopud.com for updates on the project progress and timing and location of road closures.

Targeted Tree Trimming: In an effort to protect infrastructure near wildfire-vulnerable areas, PUD tree trimming crews will be focusing efforts of tree, limb and brush removal this summer near primary conductors in the Darrington, Gold Bar and Index areas. This work will increase grid resiliency and reduce risk to our communities from the potential of wildfires.
In addition, the PUD plans to replace hundreds of aging poles, assess and treat thousands of poles and replace dozens of miles of aging underground cable. The PUD’s Vegetation Management team will have a dozen crews trimming trees across the utility’s service territory throughout the summer. The PUD trims trees on upwards of 450 circuit miles each year to aid in reliability.

In addition, the PUD plans to replace hundreds of aging poles, assess and treat thousands of poles and replace dozens of miles of aging underground cable. The PUD’s Vegetation Management team will have a dozen crews trimming trees across the utility’s service territory throughout the summer. The PUD trims trees on upwards of 450 circuit miles each year to aid in reliability.

Crews repaving streets in Everett

Starting today, street resurfacing in Everett has started and will address several locations. The repaving work was awaiting Memorial Day to finish, so now crews have a green light to start the repaving projects that will conclude at the end of the summer.

Crews will grind down and remove older pavement, install new traffic signal detection devices, and repave & restripe the roadways. Work may happen during the day and/or at night depending on the project (denoted below in Red).

The order of work is expected to be:

• Pacific Avenue from Fulton Street to Pine Street (Night work)
• 41stStreet from Colby Avenue to Broadway overpass (Night work)
• Colby Avenue from 41st Street to 40th Street (Night work)
• 37^th Street from Broadway to McDougall Avenue (Day work)
• 37^th Street from Colby Avenue to Broadway (Day work)
• West Casino Road from Airport Road to 5^th Ave West (Day work)
• Alley between Nassau Street and Norton Avenue from Pacific Avenue to 32^nd Street (8am to 10pm M-F, 8am to 5pm weekends)

Pacific Ave Detour route (click to expand)

Signs and message boards will be posted advising motorists of detours, street closures and parking restrictions.

Flaggers will assist with the traffic flow and some work will occur as early as 6 am on weekdays and night work at some locations. Businesses and residences directly impacted by construction may be provided detailed information prior to construction. The work is weather dependent and may be performed in phases.

West Casino Road Work (click to expand)

The overlay project is an annual asset management project to repair and maintain street surfaces for safety and ride-ability and is necessary for the long-term health of the City’s transportation network. More information about the pavement overlay program, including a list and map of all impacted streets, is available at everettwa.gov/overlay.

More about pavement maintenance:

Road maintenance is an essential part of keeping residents and goods moving throughout our community. Regularly and proactively maintaining our roadways saves money, takes less time and reduces wear and damage to all modes of transportation: car, buses, bikes and more.

Overlay is a maintenance function. If the pavement isn’t maintained through regular overlay, it loses the substructure, what’s below the pavement surface. Once that happens, it would be necessary to dig all the way down to the subgrade and reconstruct the roadway. Reconstruction of the pavement is many times more expensive than an overlay.

Buffered bike lanes coming to West Casino Road:

As part of the overlay project, new wider bike lanes will be added to West Casino Road, and a buffer will be added to provide a safer and more comfortable experience for cyclists. These lanes will connect bicyclists to services on West Casino Road and Evergreen Way, residential neighborhoods, bus routes and the southwest Everett manufacturing and industrial center. More information about the improvements to the bike lanes on West Casino Road can be found at everettwa.gov/activewestcasino.

A Memorial Day Ceremony to honor the brave American men and women who died in war will be held this Monday, May 27 at 11 am at the Port of Everett’s Pacific Rim Plaza near Hotel Indigo.

The ceremony will include:

• Singing of the national anthem
• A reading of a Memorial Day proclamation by Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin
• Remarks by Port of Everett Commission President Tom Stiger
• A a keynote address by Capt. Stacy Wuthier of Naval Station Everett.

The ceremony is open to the public. You can attend at 1028 13th Street in Everett and heading to the Pacific Rim Plaza across from Hotel Indigo.

Cassie Franklin Expected to Run for Mayor of Everett in 2025

Though it hasn’t been officially announced, it appears that Cassie Franklin will be seeking re-election in 2025 to continue being the mayor of Everett, WA.

Typically official announcements don’t come until around November, one year before the election, but with the recent announcements of Scott Murphy’s candidacy and Dr. Janice Greene’s candidacy, that likely lit a fire under the Mayor to start the early stages of her campaign.

The first indication was Cassie Franklin’s instagram account. Her handle recently changed from “@cassiefranklin2021” to “@cassiefranklin2025.”

Also, on her website, she’s updated her endorsement sections to say 2025 instead of 2021.

A look at political donations through the Public Disclosure Commission shows Franklin has been taking donations for a 2025 campaign since 2023, and has already raised over $34,000.

Mayor Cassie Franklin took office on Jan. 1, 2018, becoming the first elected female mayor of the City of Everett, Washington. She was re-elected in 2001 with 73% of the vote. Prior to becoming Everett’s mayor, she served on the Everett City Council and was the CEO of Cocoon House.