Snoqualmie discusses levy‑lid lift, staff restorations as 2027–28 budget gap grows
July 29, 2026 | Snoqualmie, King County, Washington
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The council spent the roundtable portion of the July 27 meeting focused on the 2027–28 biennial budget and alternatives for a property tax levy‑lid lift to maintain city services.
Mayor (role) and finance staff told council that the $3.4 million nominal gap in next biennium is driven largely by the loss of the North Bend leasing contract and inflation (about $1.9 million) plus roughly $1.5 million to restore previously unfilled personnel positions; service contracts account for roughly $500,000. “One of the drivers was the loss of the North Bend leasing contract plus inflation,” the mayor said in explaining the composition of the gap. Finance staff also noted an offset of roughly $500,000 from inflationary increases in revenue in nominal dollars.
Councilmembers asked for clarity about whether projections assume additional fee revenue. Finance staff said the baseline forecast uses current 2026 fee levels and projects them forward only by inflation; it does not assume a larger fee study bump unless the council specifically adopts it. Councilmember Murphy pressed for reconciliation of several packet tables and historical spreadsheets that looked inconsistent; Finance Director (role) said the department has validated the numbers presented to council.
Members also debated staffing priorities tied to the budget ask. The city’s recommendation is a narrower set of position restorations than department requests; the legal department presented a larger “pipeline” of matters that would cost about $1.4 million to fully address, but the proposed 2027 request funds only a subset of those needs. “The green items are what we funded and asked you to fund for 2026 and similar for 2027,” the mayor said, describing the approach to prioritize near‑term needs.
What’s next: council will use the next two weeks of committee meetings and a public engagement session to refine priorities and settle a ballot question if it chooses to ask voters for additional levy authority.
Mayor (role) and finance staff told council that the $3.4 million nominal gap in next biennium is driven largely by the loss of the North Bend leasing contract and inflation (about $1.9 million) plus roughly $1.5 million to restore previously unfilled personnel positions; service contracts account for roughly $500,000. “One of the drivers was the loss of the North Bend leasing contract plus inflation,” the mayor said in explaining the composition of the gap. Finance staff also noted an offset of roughly $500,000 from inflationary increases in revenue in nominal dollars.
Councilmembers asked for clarity about whether projections assume additional fee revenue. Finance staff said the baseline forecast uses current 2026 fee levels and projects them forward only by inflation; it does not assume a larger fee study bump unless the council specifically adopts it. Councilmember Murphy pressed for reconciliation of several packet tables and historical spreadsheets that looked inconsistent; Finance Director (role) said the department has validated the numbers presented to council.
Members also debated staffing priorities tied to the budget ask. The city’s recommendation is a narrower set of position restorations than department requests; the legal department presented a larger “pipeline” of matters that would cost about $1.4 million to fully address, but the proposed 2027 request funds only a subset of those needs. “The green items are what we funded and asked you to fund for 2026 and similar for 2027,” the mayor said, describing the approach to prioritize near‑term needs.
What’s next: council will use the next two weeks of committee meetings and a public engagement session to refine priorities and settle a ballot question if it chooses to ask voters for additional levy authority.
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