Kenmore City Council was scheduled to consider adopting a Financial Sustainability Plan built on new taxes, fees, and cost cuts

What the records say

The Kenmore City Council's Nov. 25, 2024 regular meeting agenda included a consent-agenda item to adopt a Financial Sustainability Plan, with an agenda bill and the full plan attached on Nov. 19 ¹. The attached plan, prepared by the City Manager's Office based on a 2024 resident Task Force, responds to a forecast that General Fund and Street Fund expenditures exceed revenues and that reserves fall below the City's 20% goal by 2029 without action ¹. Its proposed strategies include converting street lights to LED (about $68,837 in annual savings), raising the first-tier photo enforcement fine from $100 to $110 and then $135 in 2029, converting two school-zone cameras to 24/7 enforcement, adding Inglemoor High School as a camera location, a possible fourth camera in 2026 and fifth in 2029 (an estimated $550,000 per year beginning 2029), a 2025 Metropolitan Park District ballot measure (estimated $1.3 million one-time repayment to the General Fund in 2027 plus $300,000 per year for parks operations), a 2026 public safety and human services levy lid lift (estimated $1.68 million per year beginning 2027), picnic shelter rental fees (about $17,000 per year starting 2025), a councilmanic 0.1% transportation sales tax increase (about $460,000 per year beginning 2029), and a voter-approved 0.1% public safety sales tax (about $460,000 per year beginning 2030) ¹. The plan states that if adopted and implemented, revenues would exceed expenditures from 2027 through 2030 and reserves would stay above the 20% goal ¹. The same meeting's business agenda carried the final 2025-2026 biennial budget ordinance (No. 24-0618) for a public hearing and adoption; the plan document says many Task Force recommendations were incorporated into the proposed budget ¹. The supplied records are pre-meeting materials and do not establish what the council actually did with either item ¹.

• The Nov. 25, 2024 agenda listed consent agenda item C: adopt the Financial Sustainability Plan, with the agenda bill and plan added Nov. 19 ¹.
• The attached plan projects that without action, General Fund and Street Fund expenditures exceed revenues and reserves fall below the City's 20% reserve goal by 2029 ¹.
• Proposed revenue strategies include a 2025 Metropolitan Park District ballot measure, a 2026 public safety and human services levy lid lift (estimated $1.68 million per year from 2027), a 0.1% transportation sales tax increase (about $460,000 per year from 2029), a 0.1% public safety sales tax (about $460,000 per year from 2030), expanded photo enforcement (estimated $550,000 per year from 2029), and picnic shelter rental fees (about $17,000 per year from 2025) ¹.
• Proposed expenditure strategies include converting street lights to LED (about $68,837 in annual savings) and continuing human services case worker and utility tax rebate programs beyond 2026 only if new funding, such as the levy lid lift, is approved ¹.
• The same meeting's agenda carried the final 2025-2026 biennial budget ordinance (No. 24-0618) for public hearing and adoption; the plan document states many Task Force recommendations were incorporated into the proposed budget ¹.
• The supplied records are pre-meeting materials and do not establish the meeting's outcome for either item ¹.

Why it matters

If adopted, the plan lays out how the City proposes to close a projected operating deficit — through measures that would directly reach residents, including possible new or higher property tax measures, sales tax increases, expanded speed cameras, and higher photo enforcement fines, alongside cost savings ¹. Several strategies would require future council votes or voter approval, so the adopted plan signals what ballot measures and fee changes residents could see in 2025-2030 ¹. Analysis: the plan and the biennial budget on the same agenda are explicitly linked in the plan document itself, which says many Task Force recommendations were incorporated into the proposed 2025-2026 budget; the records do not establish the outcome of either item ¹.

What changed / what's next

• The Financial Sustainability Plan adoption item, its agenda bill, and the full plan document were added to the Nov. 25, 2024 City Council agenda on Nov. 19 ¹.
• The records do not establish whether the council adopted the plan or the budget ordinance on Nov. 25 ¹.
• Most major revenue strategies require future council votes or voter approval — the MPD measure in 2025, the levy lid lift in 2026, the public safety sales tax in 2029 — so adoption of the plan would not itself enact those taxes ¹.
• The available records do not establish the meeting's outcome.