(The Center Square) – The Edmonds City Council is delaying a vote on a 0.1% sales tax increase for cultural access until after the Nov. 4 general election.
The proposed seven-year sales tax increase would be the second sales tax increase approved by the Edmonds City Council since it voted to increase the city’s sales tax rate for public safety by 0.1% – or 10 cents per $100 spent – on Aug. 19.
If the city council ultimately approves the cultural access sales tax proposal and voters pass a $14.5 million property tax levy lid lift in the upcoming general election, the average homeowner would pay $1,530 in property taxes as well as a 10.7% sales tax rate. That would make Edmonds the city with the highest sales tax rate in the state. In comparison, Seattle’s sales tax rate is 10.35%.
The decision to postpone a vote came as a result of concerns that the increase in taxes would be too burdensome. The city council voted 4-2 to delay the vote
The council will revisit a vote on the sales tax increase on Nov. 12.
In a memo, city staff claim that while the tax itself does not directly relieve the city’s $8 million general fund deficit, the arts and culture nonprofits within city limits bring in more than 420,000 visitors a year. A 2018 study on the economic impact of the arts in Edmonds found that the arts sector created 440 jobs and $52 million in economic impact to the city.
According to the city, the sales tax would generate approximately $1.3 million per year, with revenue to be distributed to nonprofit organizations for their programming, operations, capital investments and a state-required portion for school access and education for preK-12 students.
Cities like Tacoma and Olympia already run similar cultural access programs, and King County enacted its own in 2023 through councilmanic authority.
Prior to the Nov. 12 meeting, Edmonds voters will decide on the six-year $14.5 million tax levy lid lift that broadly dedicates revenue toward police, parks, planning, streets and sidewalks.
The levy rate would be $1.65 per $1,000 of a property’s assessed value – up from 72 cents in 2025.
If the ballot measure fails, city officials have said they would need to find $8 million in cuts to make up the difference. Identified possible cuts could be made to Parks and Recreation maintenance, cultural services, public works, and the elimination of the Human Services program, along with economic development, tourism, public information and intergovernmental relations programs.
