The Burien City Council at its Monday, May 12, 2025 meeting considered establishing a permanent ordinance for religious organizations to temporarily house the homeless.
With an existing interim zoning ordinance on temporary housing set to expire in June, the council is working to enact a permanent solution in compliance with state law.
In addition, they considered a ballot measure for a property tax levy lid lift.
Discussions commenced on the necessary steps and timelines for potentially placing a property tax increase before voters, a measure intended to address the limitations of the 1% annual cap on property tax increases.
Temporary Housing For The Homeless
The council heard a presentation on House Bill 1754 regarding religious organizations temporarily hosting the homeless on their property. Burien currently has an interim zoning ordinance that will expire in June, and the hope is to get a permanent ordinance passed before that happens.
According to state law, cities must allow religious organizations to host the homeless. Hosting includes outdoor encampments on church property, which can mean tent camping or residential vehicle parking. Outdoor encampments can be operated for 4 to 6 months per year. Organizations can also provide indoor overnight shelter. Lastly, they can build temporary small houses, with a maximum of 120 square feet per unit. All types of homeless shelters require the organization to host public informational meetings and issue neighborhood notice. In addition, restroom access must be provided.
Things Burien can regulate include issues around public health and safety, through cleanliness and sanitation requirements. In addition, code of conduct can be defined through a memorandum of understanding. Cities may require sex offender checks, but operators may choose what they want to do with that information. State law says nothing regarding active warrant checks. Cities can limit temporary housing to one per 1,000 foot radius. For the small houses, electricity and heat must be inspected and approved by the city and fire district, respectively.
Nothing was decided on this issue at Monday’s meeting, but it will be discussed again before the interim ordinance expires.
Ballot Considerations For Levy Lid Lift
The council heard a presentation on what would be involved in getting something on the ballot to raise the property tax levy. The state only allows cities to raise property tax by 1% each year, which does not keep pace with inflation. In order to raise property taxes beyond that 1% levy lid, it must be put to a vote and approved in a simple majority.
The council will hear another presentation on this next month. The filing deadline for the November ballot is Aug. 5, and the council would need to approve moving forward by the end of June in order to complete the required steps.
House Bill 1754 does not require cities to enact an ordinance. What it is saying is city may not prohibit the hosting of homeless by religious organizations. Someone is being misleading to the people. There is no compliance with state law required. The push by the city to get this enacted when they fought Oasis opening an encampment and have a pending litigation is fishy to me…what is the city getting in exchange for such a move? are they bowing to king county? why?