The Mukilteo City Council approved a resolution on May 5th asking residents to renew the levy for Emergency Medical Services (EMS) during the November 4, 2025 general election ballot.
Residents are encouraged to attend one of two open houses hosted by Fire Chief Glen Albright to ask questions and learn more:
- Wednesday, October 1 at 6 p.m. at Rosehill Community Center (304 Lincoln Ave.)
- Wednesday, October 15 at 6 p.m. at Mukilteo City Hall (11930 Cyrus Way)
EMS is the most widely-used emergency service by city residents and accounts for 78% of all emergency calls for the Mukilteo Fire Department. Call volumes have increased over the past several years, but the EMS levy rate has decreased in the same time period.
The city funds fire suppression through its general property tax, but EMS is funded by a separate levy.
“Our costs for everything–firefighters, equipment, medical supplies–have increased an average of five percent per year,” says Fire Chief Glen Albright. With the city limited to a one percent revenue increase per year, an EMS levy renewal is needed to retain the current level of emergency medical services.
Voters approved a $0.50 EMS Levy in 2010. Levy rates fall as property values increase to limit the fire department to roughly the same amount of revenue per year (plus 1%). The levy rate has fallen to $0.27 since that time. If approved, the ballot measure would return the EMS levy to $0.50 for emergency medical services.
Renewing the EMS levy at that rate would cost the owner of a $836,000 home (considered an average for Mukilteo) an additional $16 per month/$191 per year.
Please attend an upcoming open house, visit https://mukilteowa.gov/481, or contact Chief Albright at galbright@mukilteowa.gov or 425-263-8151.