How much will the Everett EMS levy raise my property taxes?

Approximately $80 per year for a home assessed at $500,000. Multiply your home's assessed value by $0.00014 to get your specific annual increase.

When is the August 4 EMS levy ballot due?

August 4, 2026. Washington is a mail-in voting state. Ballots arrive approximately 18 days before election day. Return by mail postmarked August 4 or at a drop box by 8 p.m. on August 4.

Everett Resident's Guide to the August 4 EMS Levy: What Initiative 747 Means for Your Property Tax Bill, Your Fire Department, and Your Vote

Q: Is the Everett EMS levy a new tax?

No — it is a restoration. The original EMS levy rate was voter-approved. Initiative 747's 1% cap caused the rate to drift down over 25 years. The lid lift restores it to the voter-approved level.

Q: What happens if Everett residents vote no on the EMS levy?

The rate stays at approximately $0.36 per $1,000 of assessed value and the gap between EMS levy revenue and costs continues to widen. The City would need to address the gap through general fund allocations, service reductions, or a future ballot measure.

The bottom line for Everett residents: The EMS levy lid lift on the August 4, 2026 primary ballot would raise your EMS property tax rate from approximately $0.36 to $0.50 per $1,000 of assessed value — about $80 per year, or $6.67 per month, for a $500,000 home. If it passes, it funds approximately 78 firefighter-paramedic positions at Everett Fire. If it fails, the levy rate stays where it is and the funding gap for EMS services widens further. The reason this is on the ballot is a 2001 state law called Initiative 747, which caps how much property tax revenue cities can collect per year at 1% growth.

You are going to get a Voters’ Pamphlet in mid-July. It will include a measure for the August 4, 2026 primary asking you to approve a levy lid lift for Emergency Medical Services. Here is everything you need to make that decision — including the part most explanations skip, which is why this keeps ending up on your ballot. For the full structural explanation of Initiative 747, see the complete Initiative 747 guide.

What You’re Actually Being Asked

You are being asked to restore the EMS property tax levy rate — not raise it above what was originally voter-approved, but restore it to that level. The rate has drifted down from the original voter-approved figure over the past 25 years because of a state law (Initiative 747, RCW 84.55.010) that limits how much cities can collect. The lid lift would bring the rate back from approximately $0.36 per $1,000 of assessed value to $0.50 per $1,000.

In dollars: for a home assessed at $500,000, the difference is about $70 per year. For a home at $750,000 (near the current Snohomish County median), it is about $105 per year. To calculate your exact increase: multiply your assessed value by $0.00014. Find your assessed value at snohomishcountywa.gov.

What the Money Funds

EMS levy funds go specifically to Everett Fire Department’s emergency medical services operations — the firefighter-paramedics who respond when you call 911 for a medical emergency. According to the City of Everett, the lid lift funds approximately 78 firefighter-paramedic positions. EMS calls make up the majority of Everett Fire’s call volume. Unlike fire suppression, which can be partially handled by mutual aid agreements, medical calls require local personnel on scene fast.

Why This Is on the Ballot: Initiative 747

Initiative 747, approved by Washington voters in 2001, limits how much property tax revenue any local government can collect from existing properties each year to 1% growth. EMS costs — paramedic wages, pension contributions, ambulance equipment, fuel — grow at 3% to 7% per year. The 1% limit does not keep up. Over 25 years, the gap has grown large enough that a lid lift is needed to restore the funding relationship voters originally approved. This is why you have also seen library levies and fire service questions — same mechanism, same law, different service. For the current Snohomish County fiscal context, see the Everett $14 Million Budget Deficit Guide.

If You Vote Yes

The EMS levy rate restores to $0.50 per $1,000 of assessed value. Approximately 78 firefighter-paramedic positions are funded at Everett Fire. Your annual property tax bill increases by the difference between $0.50 and your current EMS levy rate, multiplied by your assessed value divided by 1,000.

If You Vote No

The rate stays at approximately $0.36 per $1,000. The funding gap between EMS levy revenue and EMS costs continues to grow. The City would need to address that gap through general fund allocations, service reductions, or a future ballot measure.

Key Dates

Mid-July 2026: Voters’ Pamphlet mails to all Snohomish County households
August 4, 2026: Primary election ballot due (Washington is a mail-in state; ballots arrive approximately 18 days early)

Frequently Asked Questions for Everett Residents

How much will my property taxes go up if the EMS levy passes?

Approximately $80 per year for a home assessed at $500,000. Multiply your assessed value by $0.00014 to get your specific annual increase.

Is this a new tax or a restoration of an existing one?

A restoration. Voters approved the original EMS levy rate. Initiative 747’s 1% cap caused the rate to drift down over 25 years. The lid lift restores it to the voter-approved level.

What happens to EMS if the levy fails?

The rate stays at approximately $0.36 per $1,000 and the gap between EMS revenue and costs continues to widen. The City would need to address the gap through general fund allocations or a future ballot measure.

Why can’t the City Council just fund this without a vote?

Because Initiative 747 (RCW 84.55.010) requires voter approval to raise the levy rate above the 1%-cap-adjusted level. The Council does not have the authority to lift the lid on its own.

When does my ballot arrive?

Approximately 18 days before August 4. Washington is a mail-in state; ballots mail automatically to all registered voters at their registered address.