Dear Friend: 

I hope that this newsletter finds you well this Thanksgiving season. Even with the days getting darker and shorter, and the extreme weather we have been experiencing, there is a cornucopia-full of things to be grateful for this season. With the approval of COVID vaccines for children aged 5-11, the continued expansion of eligibility for the COVID vaccine will further help to put this pandemic behind us. The County also recently passed our 2022 Budget and I am proud that we were able to include funding for environmental stewardship and conservation, justice system reforms, restoring adequate staffing levels, and a recommitment to funding public arts. As we look ahead to the holiday season and closing out 2021, I have a renewed sense of hope that our best days are ahead.   

As always, our office is here as a resource to you. You can also find me online on Facebook and Twitter. My office is committed to being responsive and helpful. If you have any comments or questions, please don’t hesitate to email me at Megan.Dunn@snoco.org. You can also call my office at 425-388-3494.  

Be Well,  

Megan 

On November 9, the Council voted to approve the 2022 County Budget. As you may know, the county’s budget is primarily comprised of revenue collected from property and sales taxes, with a smaller percentage from other taxes, fees for services, and restricted funds from state or federal funding. State law allows the county to increase property taxes at a standard rate of 1% each year, however the county has not taken this increase over the past four consecutive years and has instead “banked” this allowance. These past four years of banked capacity, added to various other years that the county did not implement the 1% increase, brings our total banked capacity to 8.6%. This year’s budget proposed to implement the standard 1% increase, and use 1.5% of our banked capacity to meet the increased need for basic government services. The budget’s proposed 2.5% increase on the county’s portion of your property tax levy rate is then spread across all of the  households in Snohomish County. For an average homeowner, this means that their property tax bill will increase by a total of only $7.39 per year. 

I voted in favor of the 2022 county budget and adjustment in revenue structure because it will pave the way for Snohomish County to better meet the community’s needs while making critical long-term investments in our county. Our residents will see their return on investment through improved public safety and better staffing levels to provide basic county services.  

In this budget, I championed initiatives and forward-thinking programs including: 

• Justice System Reforms: Funding to analyze the possible implementation of various therapeutic courts with an emphasis on a veteran's treatment court tract and fully fund a body camera program for every deputy;  
• Equity and Social Justice: $3.6 million towards continued equity and social justice work and funding for a translation services pilot project; 
• Environmental Conservation: Approximately $36 million in investments in environmental stewardship including a new land conservation initiative to protect our forests and open space; 
• Human Services Needs: Additional Designated Crisis Responder positions to help people in need and an allocation of $10 million for creating long-term shelter and housing options in Everett, and North, South and East County; 
• Fiscal Responsibility: A directive that our courts system reports back that additional funding to their departments is meaningfully addressing the backlog in our court systems; and 
• Environmental Stewardship: A new CPACER program (which was highlighted in the March newsletter) to allow property owners financing for energy efficiency and resiliency at little cost to the county.  

Though the county’s share of your property tax bill is relatively small (see graphic below), I recognize what a burden the cumulative amount of taxes are on low-income and fixed-income households. The county has a number of tax exemption programs that may help with tax relief for people who qualify. Additionally, the state has a Tax Work Group that is asking for public input to inform decisions that will better balance our state tax structure to be less regressive on working families. Starting in 2023, eligible families in Washington State will also be able to access the Working Families Tax Credit Program. This program will provide payments ranging from $300-$1,200 to individuals and families who meet certain eligibility requirements.