LYNDEN, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Voters in Lynden will decide on a new property tax increase this fall.
The Lynden City Council voted 5-1 with one councilmember absent on Monday, July 6, to send a levy lid lift to the November general election ballot.
If approved, it would increase the city’s property tax rate by 50 cents to roughly $1.54 per thousand dollars of assessed value starting in 2027. That would cost an extra $300 per year for the owner of a $600,000 home.
According to the resolution, a drop in revenue and rising inflation has forced the city to make several budget cuts, such as reducing 10% of its workforce and closing City Hall to the public on Fridays. It’s also had to hold off on hiring more police and firefighters amid a call volume that’s more than doubled.
If approved by a simple majority, the city said the additional funds would bolster those public safety services, restore staffing, reopen City Hall five days per week and offset lost funding for the senior center.
Mayor Scott Korthuis said it would raise an estimated $2 million per year.
