Why does Everett keep putting EMS funding on the ballot? Because of a 2001 voter-approved law called Initiative 747, which caps how much property tax cities can collect from existing properties each year at 1%. Costs rise faster than 1% almost every year, so cities periodically ask voters to “lift the lid” and restore the rate. Everett’s EMS levy on the August 4, 2026 primary is the third such lid lift for emergency services since the original 2000 EMS levy passed. Voters’ Pamphlet statements are locked tonight (May 11) at 11:59 PM. The full pamphlet drops to Snohomish County mailboxes in mid-July.
How a 2001 Property Tax Cap Keeps Everett’s EMS on the Ballot — Initiative 747 Explained
If you live in Everett and you’ve been wondering why the City Council keeps sending things to the ballot — a library levy, a fire services question, and now this August’s EMS levy — there is one law that explains almost all of it. It’s called Initiative 747, voters approved it in 2001, and it has shaped how every city in Washington raises money ever since.
Here’s what this means for you, the resident, in plain language. Initiative 747 caps how much of your property tax bill the city can grow each year — to just 1% on existing properties. Costs for everything cities buy (firefighter wages, ambulance equipment, fuel, health insurance, pension contributions) typically grow 3-7% per year. That gap, multiplied across 24 years, is the reason Everett is sending the EMS lid lift to the August 4 ballot. If you vote yes in August, the city’s EMS property tax rate restores from about $0.36 per $1,000 of assessed value back up to $0.50 — roughly $80 per year for a typical Everett homeowner — and funds approximately 78 firefighter-paramedic positions at the Everett Fire Department. If you vote no, the rate stays where it is and the gap keeps widening.
That’s the immediate decision. But the structural story behind it is worth understanding, because the same lever keeps coming back. So let’s walk through it.
What Initiative 747 actually says
In November 2001, Washington voters approved I-747 by a wide margin. The text was simple: cities, counties, fire districts, library districts, and other taxing districts could no longer raise their property tax revenue from existing properties (called “the regular levy”) by more than 1% per year without going back to the voters. Before I-747, the cap had been the lesser of 6% or inflation — set by a 1971 law (I-72) and tightened by I-695 in 1999 and I-722 in 2000.
The 1% cap was struck down by the Washington Supreme Court in 2007 (Washington Citizens Action of Washington v. State), but the state legislature reinstated it the same year in a special session. It’s been the law of the land ever since. RCW 84.55.010 is where you’ll find it in the state code.
Two important nuances. First, the 1% cap is on revenue, not on individual bills — your property tax bill can go up by more than 1% if your home’s assessed value rises faster than your neighbors’. Second, new construction is exempt — when a developer builds a new apartment building or a new home, the tax revenue from that brand-new construction comes in on top of the 1% cap. That’s why fast-growing cities have an easier time absorbing the cap than slow-growth ones.
Why a 1% cap forces cities back to the ballot
Here’s the math problem. Imagine your fire department’s budget in 2001 was $10 million. In 2002 the city could raise that by 1% to $10.1 million. In 2003, another 1% to $10.2 million. After 24 years of 1% growth, the budget is roughly $12.7 million.
But the real cost of running a fire department over 24 years didn’t grow at 1%. Wages, health insurance, pension contributions, vehicles, equipment — most of those grew 3-5% per year, with some years (notably the 2021-2023 inflation surge) at 7-9%. After 24 years at even a modest 3% real cost growth, that same fire department actually needs about $20 million to do the same job. The gap between $12.7 million (what the cap allows) and $20 million (what it costs) is roughly $7.3 million per year.
That gap is what forces cities to do one of three things: cut services, find new revenue sources (utility taxes, sales tax increases, transportation benefit district fees), or go back to the voters and ask to “lift the lid” on the property tax. A levy lid lift is a vote that resets the rate back up to a higher number — often the rate the levy was originally at — and starts the 1% clock again from the new, higher base.
Everett’s EMS lid lift: what the August 4 ballot actually does
The EMS levy on Everett’s August 4 primary ballot is the third lid lift since the original 2000 EMS levy was approved. Voters first approved a dedicated EMS property tax rate of $0.50 per $1,000 of assessed value in 2000. Each subsequent year, the 1% cap and faster-growing assessed values together drove the effective rate down. By 2026, the rate had compressed to roughly $0.36 per $1,000.
The August 4 measure asks voters to restore the rate to $0.50 per $1,000. For a homeowner with a property assessed at $600,000, that’s the difference between paying about $216 per year for EMS today and about $300 per year after the lid lift — an increase of approximately $80 per year, or about $7 per month. The increase funds roughly 78 firefighter-paramedic positions at the Everett Fire Department, according to the city’s April 22 announcement, and continues the staffing that handles cardiac arrests, strokes, overdoses, and the medical calls that make up about 80% of fire department dispatch volume.
The Pro/Con committee for the Voters’ Pamphlet was appointed by the City Council on April 29. Pro and Con statements were due May 7. Rebuttals — where each side gets to respond to the other side’s argument — are due tonight, May 11, by 11:59 PM. After tonight, the pamphlet content is locked. The full Voters’ Pamphlet will be mailed by the Snohomish County Auditor to registered voters in mid-July.
The bigger picture — three Everett ballot questions, one shared cause
The EMS levy is the most immediate ballot question, but it’s not the only Everett civic decision driven by Initiative 747. The city is also weighing two other paths to close its projected $14 million general-fund gap in 2027.
The first is regionalizing fire services into a Regional Fire Authority (RFA). An RFA is a separate taxing district that runs fire and EMS for multiple cities, funded by its own property tax levy outside the city’s general fund. Voters would have to approve formation of an RFA on a future ballot. South King County cities have used this model for years.
The second is regionalizing library services by joining the Sno-Isle Library system. Sno-Isle is funded by a separate property tax levy in the cities and counties it serves. Joining Sno-Isle would shift Everett library operations off the city’s general fund — but it would also require voter approval of the new levy and a transfer of city library assets.
Either of these moves, or both, could close part of the 2027 gap. Both require voter approval. Both exist as options because Initiative 747’s 1% cap has compressed the general fund’s growth capacity over 24 years. The mayor’s office and the City Council have signaled that all three levers — EMS lid lift, RFA formation, and Sno-Isle regionalization — are on the table for the rest of 2026 and 2027.
Why some voters support I-747 and why others want it changed
The case for keeping I-747 in place, articulated by supporters like the Washington Policy Center and the late Tim Eyman (the initiative’s original sponsor), is that the 1% cap forces cities to prioritize spending and pushes them back to voters whenever they need more money. Supporters argue this is the right level of accountability — voters get to weigh in on every major revenue increase rather than seeing taxes rise automatically.
The case for changing I-747, articulated by associations like the Association of Washington Cities and the Washington State Association of Counties, is that the 1% cap is below almost any reasonable measure of inflation. Even in low-inflation years, a 1% cap forces real cuts. The result, critics argue, is a constant cycle of lid lift elections, layered local taxes (utility taxes, sales tax increases, fees), and growing reliance on regional special-purpose districts that voters often don’t even know exist.
Both views are represented in the Snohomish County Charter Review Commission’s current proposal slate. Proposal 13 (foundational government services budgeting), Proposal 14 (a budget stabilization fund with a 4-vote use threshold), and Proposal 21 (a 4-vote supermajority on the 5-member County Council to raise taxes) all touch the same structural question I-747 raises: how should local government handle the gap between a 1% cap and rising costs? The Charter Review Commission’s first public hearing on those proposals is Wednesday, May 13 in Arlington.
What to do next
If you live in Everett or anywhere in Snohomish County, here are the practical steps for the August 4 EMS levy and the wider structural conversation.
First, read the Voters’ Pamphlet when it arrives in mid-July. The Pro statement, Con statement, and rebuttals being locked tonight are the official arguments voters will see in their mailbox. The committee statements are available after locking at the Snohomish County Auditor’s elections page: snohomishcountywa.gov/190/Elections.
Second, check your voter registration before the August 4 primary at voter.votewa.gov. Ballots mail in mid-July, are due by 8:00 PM August 4, and you can return them by drop box anywhere in Snohomish County or by mail (postmarked by August 4).
Third, if you want to weigh in on the structural lever rather than the specific levy, the Snohomish County Charter Review Commission’s three public hearings are May 13 (Arlington), May 20 (Monroe), and May 27 (Mountlake Terrace) — all at 5:30 PM. Written comments can be submitted to the commission through May 29 via the commission’s page on the county website.
Fourth, for the Everett City Council’s own decisions on the 2027 budget — including any future ballot questions for an RFA or Sno-Isle regionalization — public comment is taken at every council meeting. Council meets the second and fourth Wednesday of each month at 6:30 PM in the council chambers at 3002 Wetmore Avenue. Comments can also be emailed any time to council@everettwa.gov.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Initiative 747 still law? Yes. The state Supreme Court struck down the original initiative in 2007 (Washington Citizens Action of Washington v. State), but the state legislature reinstated the 1% cap the same year in a special session. RCW 84.55.010 is the current statute.
Does I-747 apply to my individual property tax bill or to total city revenue? It applies to total revenue from existing properties — not to individual bills. Your specific bill can rise faster than 1% if your home’s assessed value increases faster than other homes in your tax district. New construction is exempt from the cap.
How much will the EMS levy lid lift cost a typical Everett homeowner? For a home assessed at $600,000, the increase is roughly $84 per year — about $7 per month — based on the rate restoring from $0.36 per $1,000 back to $0.50 per $1,000. The exact amount depends on your assessed value.
What does the EMS levy fund? Approximately 78 firefighter-paramedic positions at the Everett Fire Department, according to the city’s April 22 announcement. These positions handle the medical calls that make up about 80% of fire department dispatch volume — cardiac arrests, strokes, overdoses, falls, and other emergencies.
When is the EMS levy on the ballot? August 4, 2026, on the Washington State primary ballot. Ballots will mail to registered Snohomish County voters in mid-July.
What happens if the EMS levy fails? The current rate of approximately $0.36 per $1,000 stays in place. The Everett Fire Department would have to find approximately $7-8 million per year in operating savings or alternative funding to maintain current staffing — likely through some combination of position reductions, regionalization (RFA), or general fund reallocation.
What’s the difference between a lid lift and a new levy? A lid lift restores a previously-approved property tax to a higher rate the voters originally approved — it doesn’t create a new tax. A new levy would be a brand-new property tax district or measure that didn’t exist before. The EMS levy is a lid lift.
When does the Voters’ Pamphlet arrive? The Snohomish County Auditor typically mails the Voters’ Pamphlet to registered voters about three weeks before the election. For the August 4 primary, that means mid-July 2026.
🗳️ Exploring Everett Deep Coverage — Initiative 747 and the EMS Levy
