Dear Editor,
I am a resident of the currently unincorporated segment of the Meadowdale area. My home is addressed as Edmonds (98026) and is served by the Perrinville post office. We bought our home believing that we were part of Edmonds city limits; we even pay Edmonds sales taxes on goods and services delivered to our homes.
We learned that our neighborhood is within Lynnwood’s Municipal Urban Growth Area, per the current county strategic plan, without any consultation. This in contradiction with the long-held Edmonds address. For many reasons, mostly stemming from our identity as Edmonds residents, there is a consensus amongst my neighborhood against annexation by Lynnwood.
Rather, my neighbors and I would strongly prefer to be annexed by Edmonds, as represented by an annexation petition signed by more than 60% of us.
While we know that it is a relatively cumbersome process to be released moved between MUGAs, we urge leaders from both cities, as well as the county, to support us in formally joining Edmonds. We would like to be able to vote and participate in city matters, as we are currently excluded from most boards and all city elections. We’re a very tight-knit neighborhood that plans collective events, is filled with kids and is proud to be part of the wider Edmonds community, even if not officially so. At least not yet. Please help us become formally part of Edmonds.
Zach Bloomfield
Aspiring Edmonds resident
My parents moved to Edmonds in 1959 and raised 4 kids. We lived the idyllic childhood surrounded by beauty, lots of kids and fun things to do, great schools, and the nicest people. But most of all…..a safe place to live.
A few things have changed in the community but Edmonds will always be the perfect place to live and our family’s cherished hometown.❤️
I just want to encourage you to persevere and do whatever you can to “formally become a part of the Edmonds Community.” You’re doing the right thing for yourself and your family. Don’t give up!!
Thanks for the encouragement!
Zach – it would be interesting to know what, if any, data you have on the impact on your property values if you are no longer seen as Edmonds. Or what value in property taxation annexation of your area would bring to Edmonds – or take from Lynnwood. As I have seen housing sold as being Edmonds property that is really in unincorporated Snohomish County, I have recognized the potential problem this presents.
Darrol provides a really good summary on effective tax changes post annexation with the assumption that appraised value remains unchanged (see below). Since we’re already 98026, I don’t imagine there would be a good justification for the appraisers to increase value once we’re annexed. The median price psf in 98026 is $427, while the median price psf in 98037 (closest Lynwood zip) is $396. Roughly speaking, we might expect a 7-8% value reduction by being annexed into 98037. Also per Darrol’s comment, the city of Edmonds general revenues would gain about $0.32/$1000 across all the to-be-annexed houses, plus the direct contribution to Edmonds police and EMS of around 0.64/$1000. So total new revenues to Edmonds would be about a dollar per thousand appraised value across all the houses in the neighborhood.
Hi Zach, here are some tax facts about a $700,000 home in your area (YA) and a $700,000 home in Edmonds (ED).
Total tax YA=$7.35/1000 or $5145 and ED=$6.80/1000 or $4760.
Common to both $5.85/1000 or about $4100.
The difference between location is payment to the local government and how fire service is paid for.
YA pays $.43/1000 or $756 and ED=$.32/1000 or $224.
Fire and EMS: YA pays $831 made up of $1.08/1000 plus what is call a Benefit Charge.
ED pay $448 or about $.64/1000.
If we look at a the tax rate for Snohomish County govt in an unincorporated area near you the Govt tax rate is $.48/1000 as compared to YA at $.43 and ED at $.32. Hope that helps.
Thanks for that Darrol. This confirms what we built as a “calculator” to compare effective property tax differences pre/post annex by both Lynnwood and Edmonds (the numbers being very similar for both cities, but in both cases being a net reduction in total tax if we assume that the appraised values are unchanged). The big unknown is the application of UIDs for extending the sewer system, and also maybe storm water charges because we’re in the Alderwood water district per Jean’s comment below. But there’s no way to really know these precise amounts at this point. But, saving somewhere around 500-800/year on property taxes might still cover any UIDs and special stormwater assessments. Not to mention saving on the looming need to replace septic tanks at some point in the future, and semi-annual septic tank pumping/maintenance for the aging systems we all have.
Hi Zach, We were annexed into Edmonds in the mid 90’s. Not all of my area, so we retained Olympic View water. So, Edmonds doesn’t like that and bills us differently for storm water than they bill the “other” city residents, we pay annually , 1st 1/2 billed in aug, 2nd 1/2 billed Feb of following year at that new increased rate so we may increase 7months before RATE IN EFF that bimonthly do not pay. plus they charge us a surcharge of now 10% (started at about 3%) on our water bill. Just 3,013 of us and they refuse to bill us the same as other residents , they ” like it fine the way it is” VERY unfair! I checked, Lynnwood does neither with annexed areas that do not have City water utility. Storm water billed bi-monthly same @ as “other” residents. No surcharge when I checked. Current County storm water annual $132.54; Edmonds last year $309.54 just storm water my residence. VERY PRICEY.