Kenmore council was scheduled to adopt a $1.05M excess property tax levy for Walkways and Waterways bond debt

What the records say

City agenda materials for the Nov. 24, 2025 meeting scheduled Proposed Ordinance No. 25-0637, an excess property tax levy, for adoption, presented by Finance & Administration Director Melinda Merrell; the presentation was added to the agenda on Nov. 21 ¹. The ordinance would levy $1,055,350 for fiscal year 2026 to pay debt service on the city's voter-approved unlimited tax general obligation bonds — the Walkways and Waterways bonds issued in 2016 and 2021 ¹. The agenda bill recommends a 2026 levy of $1,055,350, approximately $0.12 per $1,000 of assessed value, versus $1,054,550 levied in 2025 ¹. The bonds trace to a November 2016 vote authorizing up to $19.75 million for arterial walkways and waterfront access; $12,315,000 remains outstanding as of Dec. 31, 2025 ¹. The packet's minutes cover the Nov. 10 meeting only, so the records do not establish the Nov. 24 outcome.

• Proposed Ordinance No. 25-0637 would levy $1,055,350 in 2026 to pay debt service on the voter-approved Walkways and Waterways unlimited tax general obligation bonds, up slightly from $1,054,550 levied in 2025.
• The packet estimates the levy at approximately $0.12 per $1,000 of assessed value, about $112 on a $964,000 home, based on preliminary assessed value.
• The item was scheduled for adoption at the Nov. 24, 2025 meeting, presented by Finance & Administration Director Melinda Merrell, with the presentation added to the agenda on Nov. 21; the agenda bill cites Nov. 30 as the deadline to set and file property tax levies with King County.

Why it matters

The excess levy is a voter-approved tax on all taxable property in Kenmore, and the packet estimates its effect at about $112 on a $964,000 home in 2026 ¹. The agenda bill also notes Nov. 30, 2025 as the deadline for property tax levies to be set by ordinance and filed with King County, so the council's Nov. 24 action was the step needed to meet it ¹.

What changed / what's next

• The Nov. 24 agenda was updated on Nov. 21 to add a presentation on Proposed Ordinance No. 25-0637, the excess property tax levy for Walkways and Waterways bond debt service ¹.
• The supplied minutes cover the Nov. 10 meeting, where the excess levy ordinance had an introduction and public hearing with no speakers; the packet does not establish whether the council adopted Ordinance No. 25-0637 at the Nov. 24 meeting ¹.
• The available records do not establish the meeting's outcome.