Langley weighs first property-tax increase in more than 20 years
Langley leaders weighed a levy lid lift that could add $292 to $645 a year to an average home as the city faced a projected $200,000 budget gap.
Langley property owners could soon be asked to finance the city’s first property-tax increase in more than 20 years, a move officials said was being considered because the city was projected to finish the year about $200,000 short of its minimum general-fund operating balance. For the average Langley home assessed at $770,000, the three rates council members discussed Monday night, 0.38, 0.42 or 0.84 per $1,000 of assessed value, would mean roughly $292, $324 or $645 more a year.
City leaders said the proposal was not just about filling a one-year hole. They identified 11 unfunded needs, including about $60,000 in public-records litigation, routine maintenance for city facilities, emergency-preparedness costs, pay increases to help retain staff, a dedicated city administrator and a municipal software update. Langley’s current property-tax rate is just under $1.01 per $1,000, and officials said the tax discussion was tied to whether the city could keep services functioning without draining reserves.
The pressure did not arrive suddenly. In earlier budget talks, Kennedy Horstman and Chris Carlson said Langley had planned for deficits in four of the previous six years, had inaccurately projected revenue for three years and had spent more than it took in in multiple years. Carlson said the city spent about $142,682 more than revenue in 2018, about $183,000 more in 2022 and about $265,000 more in 2023. Horstman said the city had been relying on balances, not just current-year revenue, and that Langley needed either more revenue, lower service levels or both.
The city’s staffing structure has also added strain. The city administrator position has been vacant since January 2024, and Horstman has been carrying out those duties for a $12,000 salary. That gap matters because Langley is a mayor-council city, with the mayor serving as chief executive and administrative officer and five at-large council members setting policy, approving budgets and authorizing spending.
Oversight concerns are part of the picture as well. A Washington State Auditor’s Office report released April 2 covering Jan. 1, 2023, through Dec. 31, 2024, found inadequate internal controls to ensure intrafund transfers were removed from Langley’s financial statements, echoing a similar finding from the prior audit. The city’s Finance & Personnel Legislative Commission, created in 2022, still has one vacancy and is seeking applicants with municipal finance, human resources or administration experience. Council members planned to continue the levy discussion at a July 6 meeting, and any lid lift would go before voters for approval by simple majority.
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