This week City Manager Dave Rudat and his team put forward the 2021-2022 Budget Packet to the Sammamish City Council to consider during a special study session that will take place on Tuesday, October 13th.
In his memo to Council, Rudat described the FY 2021/22 biennial budget as a culmination of positive dialogue between City Council and staff around the City’s priorities. The budget reflects the priorities identified by the City Council from their retreat in January 2020; discussions throughout the year on transportation and park improvements; and preliminary forecasts from the Budget Study Sessions on Capital Projects and Revenue forecasts held in August 2020.
“The balanced budget plan contains funding for the core elements of the City Council’s priorities and is a blueprint for accountability and measuring results,” wrote Rudat. “The City has grown significantly, reaching a population of over 65,000, and it is reflected in the demand for services, park space, and traffic management.”
The budget recommends a property tax increase to help pay for the expanding services and budget needs of a growing population. For residents, the actual fiscal impact of the property tax increase is approximately $153 annually for a Sammamish property valued at $900,000.
The increase would produce approximately $2.4 million dollars annually to cover most of the increases in the City’s fire services and police contracts over the next few years. It will help the City achieve a more balanced operational budget of revenues and expenses by recognizing the full banked capacity that has not been utilized for the past 11 years. Currently, residents pay lower taxes than those living in unincorporated King County, despite the investment in infrastructure, parks, and facility upgrades in Sammamish.
Some key budget highlights include:
Capital budget highlights include these parks, transportation, and stormwater projects:
The City Manager’s memo and preliminary budget for Council can be accessed here.
The Sammamish City Council will hold two public hearings to consider the 2021/2022 proposed biennial budget and the 2021 property tax levy. The hearings will take place on November 10, 2020 and November 17, 2020 as part of the Council meetings beginning at 6:30 pm.
Contact: communications@sammamish.us
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