Bothell council was scheduled to weigh renewing the streets and sidewalks levy for 9 years

What the records say

In materials published ahead of the May 20, 2025 meeting, Bothell staff asked the City Council for direction on a single policy question: whether the council supports asking voters to renew the Safe Streets and Sidewalks property tax levy ¹. The version described in the record was a nine-year levy lid lift renewal at $0.50 per $1,000 of assessed value, estimated to generate an average of $10.3 million annually, or about $93 million over nine years ¹. The existing levy, approved by voters in November 2016 at the same $0.50 rate, expires December 31, 2025 ¹. A levy lid lift is a voter-approved property tax increase above the state's normal limit on how much a city's regular property tax collections can grow; assessed value is the dollar value the county assigns to a property for tax purposes ¹.

• Staff asked the council whether it supports seeking voter approval for a nine-year renewal of the Safe Streets and Sidewalks property tax levy at $0.50 per $1,000 of assessed value ¹.
• The item appeared on the May 20, 2025 agenda as AB #25-098, Safe Streets and Sidewalks Levy Renewal, as a study session with three attachments: a levy rate analysis, a transportation funding needs detail, and a 2017-2024 accomplishments report ¹.
• The recommended action was for staff to seek council direction on the policy question, not for the council to approve the levy itself ¹.
• If the council directed staff to proceed, the record laid out a June 10, 2025 council action date to meet the August 5 election filing deadline, with pro and con committee appointments planned for July 15 ¹.
• In 2024, the expiring levy generated roughly $5.7-$5.8 million; the agenda bill cites approximately $5.8 million at an adjusted rate of $0.335 per $1,000 AV, while the accomplishments report cites $5.7 million at $0.32 per $1,000 AV. The supplied records do not explain or reconcile the difference ¹.

Why it matters

The levy funds street maintenance, pavement preservation, and sidewalk and crosswalk work, and it expires at the end of 2025 ¹. The record projects $15 million in annual transportation needs against $4.8 million in existing annual resources from other sources, leaving a $10.3 million gap the proposed renewal is designed to fill ¹. At the proposed $0.50 rate, the record states a median property valued at $999,000 in 2025 would cost $41.60 a month, or $499 a year; the record also notes low-income seniors, disabled veterans, and others with disabilities may qualify for exemptions under RCW 84.36.381 ¹.

What changed / what's next

• The May 20, 2025 agenda added a study session asking whether the council supports pursuing a voter-approved renewal of the Safe Streets and Sidewalks levy, which expires December 31, 2025 ¹.
• The available records do not establish the meeting's outcome; the packet contains the agenda and staff materials only ¹.
• The record frames any renewal as requiring voter consideration in November 2025, contingent on council direction and subsequent action ¹.
• The levy rate analysis models three rate options ($0.40, $0.50, and $0.60 per $1,000 AV) totaling roughly $74 million, $93 million, and $111 million over nine years respectively; staff recommended the $0.50 option ¹.