Everett homeowners will pay about $80 more per year in property taxes after voters approved the city's Emergency Medical Services levy lid lift with nearly 75% support on Aug. 4.

The measure, City of Everett Proposition No. 1, received 74.88% yes votes in early returns reported at approximately 8:30 p.m., based on 11,426 ballots counted, according to the Everett Post.

The margin is wide enough that the outcome is not in doubt, though Snohomish County will certify final results on Aug. 18.

The levy restores Everett's EMS property tax rate to $0.50 per $1,000 of assessed value for 2027 and 2028. The rate had eroded from $0.50 to roughly $0.36 per $1,000 since voters last approved a similar lift in 2018, because state law caps annual property tax revenue growth at 1%.

For the average Everett home assessed at $571,000, the increase works out to about $81 per year. A $450,000 home will see roughly $63 more; a $700,000 home about $98 more, according to city estimates.

What the money funds

The restored levy supports approximately 78 positions within the Everett Fire Department, covering paramedic and EMT salaries, certifications, training, ambulances and medical equipment. In 2025, Everett Fire responded to more than 25,700 calls, up from 22,955 in 2018, and transported an average of 14 patients to the hospital each day. EMS calls account for about 82% of all dispatches.

Mayor Cassie Franklin, in a statement the night of Aug. 4 reported by the Daily Herald, said the vote invests in quality services Everett families need during a crisis and that she is grateful the community agrees.

Fire Chief Dave DeMarco made the case for the levy at the Everett City Council's April 22 meeting, when the council voted to place it on the ballot under Resolution No. 8296. "To remain stable and meet the growing emergency medical services needs of our community, the restoration of the levy is necessary," DeMarco told the council at that meeting.

History and what's next

The levy is not new. Everett voters created the permanent EMS levy in 2000 at $0.50 per $1,000, then approved similar lid lifts in 2010 and 2018 to restore that rate after it eroded under the state's 1% growth cap.

Qualifying seniors, veterans and individuals with disabilities may be exempt under Chapter 84.36 RCW.

No further City Council action is required. The measure is self-executing upon certification, and the restored rate takes effect for tax collection beginning in 2027. Snohomish County is expected to certify final election results on Aug. 18.