The Burien City Council convened on Monday, April 21, 2025, to tackle several significant issues impacting the city’s future.
Dominating the discussion was a sobering presentation on Burien’s financial forecast, which predicts potential budget shortfalls beginning as early as 2027 if current trends continue.
Alongside fiscal concerns, the council deliberated on provisions for temporary encampments hosted by religious organizations, ultimately deciding to postpone a vote pending the outcome of related litigation.
Burien’s Grim Financial Forecast
The council heard a presentation on the city’s six-year financial forecast. Taking a conservative approach, without making any changes in spending or revenue, the city’s finances will be in trouble as soon as 2027. Starting that year, the fund balance will dip below the financial reserve. As soon as 2030, analysts predict a negative fund balance.
These predictions are based on ever increasing costs, along with a state cap on how much cities can increase property tax each year. Many cities are hoping Washington State legislators will agree to lift the 1% property tax levy lid, allowing them to increase revenue.
Currently, sales tax is the biggest revenue source for Burien’s governance. However, if there is a levy lid lift, the city could increase property tax to become the largest revenue source. Presenters stated that property tax is a more stable source of income than sales tax, which fluctuates with the changing economy. It was also pointed out that all this financial information is based on numbers that came in before the effects of international tariffs, which could reduce sales tax revenue even more.
Any hope the city had for getting financial assistance from the state or county has been diminished by those entities encountering even greater budget deficits of their own.
Coffee With The City Manager
The public is invited to join City Manager Adolfo Bailon this Wednesday, April 23 for a Coffee Chat. This is part of an ongoing series, where the public can gather to ask questions and learn about city governance. The theme of this month’s discussion is development, zoning codes, and building in Burien. In addition to City Manager Bailon, city development staff will be in attendance. The event will take place from 5 – 6:30 p.m. at the Burien Community Center.
Public Comment: Burien CARES Issues
One commenter asked the council to seriously consider how Burien CARES is implementing animal control services throughout the city. She said there have been three fatal or near-fatal incidents involving other pets being attacked by loose dogs in the last year. She said these loose dogs were known to animal control as frequent escapees, and yet were still allowed to menace the neighborhood.
The speaker said Boulevard Park in particular is underserved by CARES, as the animal control agency has no Spanish language services, and no way to help people who don’t speak English. In addition, Boulevard Park has no dog parks or neutering services. She added that Burien CARES should be required to do an annual report to the council on how they are equitably providing services to the whole city.
Temporary Encampment: Permanent Provisions Vote Paused
The council heard a presentation on updated permanent provisions to the temporary homeless encampment policy. These provisions are meant to ensure consistency and clarity for both religious organizations and the city. State House Bill 1754 requires cities to allow religious organizations to host the unhoused. This can include tent camps, small temporary homes like pallet shelters, indoor overnight shelter, or car camping.
After discussing provisions that can legally be applied to religious organizations in how these encampments are formed and managed, the staff recently changed their recommendations to no longer require 24-hour staffing of encampments. In addition, the city will not require institutions to perform active warrant or sex offender checks.
The council decided to table the vote on these provisions until there is an outcome from an ongoing lawsuit between Oasis Church and the city.
So, the city’s financial forecast is grim, yet they still seek out lawsuits to pay for, such as the recent one against the successful Minimum Wage Initiative and the one against the Oasis Church for housing people.
What about the one you were part of that cost the City money and resources? You only have a problem with those other ones filed and don’t recognize you also are part of the issues here.
Property Taxe raise? No thanks. I’m in Boulevard Park, bought in 2012, and have paid over $65,000 in taxes since. I have seen no improvement in services to this area. No bus route additions making public transit useless to me, it should not take me 1 hour and 45 minutes to get to SEA International Aiport while dragging my luggage a mile down a road with no sidewalks to get to work. We have septic systems that are only just now even being considered for sewer systems. No, raising property taxes while having been ignored for so long is not going to fly in this area.
This is the perfect opportunity for the city to examine their current spending, and find ways to cut back. When you can’t live within your means personally, the majority of people find ways to get by with less. Instead of turning to homeowners and small businesses every time, how about the city does an audit? It’s easy for those who don’t own a business or a home to falsely believe it should be balanced on the shoulders of those who do. Most people have no idea of the true costs of operating a business or owning a home. Audits are an opportunity to uncover excessive, redundant, extraneous outflows that don’t benefit the community.