Petition to Mayor Mike Rosen and Edmonds City Council Demanding Prerequisites for any November Tax Levy Lift

We, the undersigned residents of Edmonds, strongly urge the City to immediately suspend support for a November 2025 tax levy increase until it completes proper, independent, taxpayer-focused due diligence on the two largest budget items: fire/ems and police services and other unresolved revenue and budget items.

Why Fire & Police Should Be Re-Evaluated

• RFA Costs Balloon from $12.5M to $21M per year—an extra $45M over five years—with no service improvements.
  • Cost per 911 call jumps from $1,846 to $3,231.
  • Cost per resident rises from $280 to $488.
• Better Models Exist:
  • Use lean fire staffing, single-role paramedics, and private ambulance partnerships to maintain service at $12.5M/year.
  • Contracting with Esperance, Woodway, and Port of Edmonds, plus hospital transport fees, can provide incremental revenues of another $3.5M/year to reduce net costs.
  • County-contracted police, as in Shoreline, could save $6M+ annually while maintaining Edmonds police identity and service quality and response.

Immediate Actions We Demand as Pre-requisites before placing a tax levy lift on November ballot:

1. Conduct Independent Reviews
   • Appoint a Citizens’ Oversight Committee to guide two consultant studies:
     • A City-run fire/ems feasibility study of peer cities’ “best practices” to achieve ~$45M in 5-year savings vs. the RFA annexation tax of $21M per year.
     • A police services comparison study (evaluating Shoreline’s County contract and negotiating a Snohomish County Sheriff’s contract) to achieve 30–40% annual savings (~$35 million over 5 years) vs. the current City police budget of $19M/year.
2. Acknowledge and Apply South County Fire’s 2025 Contract Savings
   • The June 1 termination of the fire contract saves $7M annually—12% of the General Fund. This must be reflected in an amended 2026 budget before any tax levy vote.
3. Address Critical Audit and Financial Issues
   • Disclose reasons for the delayed State Audit and commit to correcting any findings.
   • Recover $8M+ in GEMT/hospital transport fees owed by the RFA.
   • Require performance benchmarks from the RFA—e.g., cost per 911 call, per capita, per firefighter, and proof of economies of scale.
4. Do proper due diligence on Scenario 3 Budget Planning
   • Current City budget models lack transparency and rely on “hidden” assumptions. Demand open comparison of realistic alternatives for new revenue ideas.
5. Implement Department-Wide Productivity Goals
   • Require every individual to set and report on annual cost-saving initiatives.
6. Reduce Overhead, Not Increase It
   • Reverse recent executive staff promotions and unnecessary hires while cutting non-essential services like PR.

Conclusion

The fire/ems and police services alone can save $15–17 million/year, offsetting most of the proposed $19M tax levy. These are the largest, most realistic, taxpayer-friendly reforms available. They can be supplemented by a multitude of new revenue opportunities.

Until the Council prioritizes expense control, does proper due diligence, enforces accountability, and discloses all material revenue and expense impacts, we cannot support any new tax increase.

We urge immediate, responsible action to address the 6 pre-requisites above to reduce unnecessary spending, introduce new revenues, and rebuild public trust.