Raise your voice against new taxes
The Whatcom County Council is considering a series of property tax increases over the next few weeks for collection in 2026.
As we reported on November 5, some of the County Council members have proposed increasing property taxes in this “non-budget” year as the County passed a property tax increase last year when they passed their biennial 2025-26 county budget. Thanks to your engagement with short notice, the Council did not take a vote on any of the tax proposals (listed below) and instead delayed final discussion, public hearing, and a vote until a future meeting (likely December 2).
County revenues have continued to rise through higher property values and overall tax collections. Yet instead of finding ways to control costs, the County is poised to increase overall spending in the second half of the current two-year budget that the Council approved last December. Our community was promised by the County Executive that he was committed to stabilizing the County’s budget and looking for efficiencies and reductions in spending.
In addition to the County Road Fund tax increase, the County also plans to move monies from the Road Fund to the General Fund for traffic law enforcement in unincorporated areas. While this is permitted under state law, it reduces the amount available for much-needed road maintenance and infrastructure, especially in rural communities that rely most on those funds. This comes after raising taxes last year and using all banked capacity above the 1 percent limit allowed by state law.
Proposed Increases
Levy
Proposed Tax Increase
General Fund
+1% ($387,351)
County Road Fund
+1% ($246,923) + $1.15M diverted to County’s General Fund
Flood Control Zone District
+1% ($65,151)
Conservation Futures
+1% ($14,179)
Emergency Medical Services (EMS)
+19.9% ($2.7M)
Our community deserves better long-term planning and cost control measures to avoid sharp increases in the future.
What you can do to Raise Your Voice:
- Submit written comments to Council@co.whatcom.wa.us.
- Make your voice heard at the next Council meeting (probably December 2nd) when they plan to vote on these tax increases – WBA will keep you updated on the date, time