EDITOR’S NOTE: This article has been updated with corrections submitted by Burien City Councilmember Linda Akey, who told The B-Town Blog on June 9, 2025 that – despite our saying it “might” – this Levy would *NOT* be used to create a new police department.

UPDATE June 9, 2025: The City of Burien announced on June 6, 2205 that it is moving forward with a proposal for a property tax levy lid lift aimed at increasing funding for public safety services, although full details have not yet been released.

In our previous coverage, we speculated that this levy “might” fund a new, independent police department, a (mistaken) assumption we made based on a statement by Mayor Kevin Schilling from last October. In a video interview recorded Oct. 10, 2024, Schilling said that money from a public safety levy would be “almost entirely” used to fund a local police force, so Burien would no longer need to contract with King County for police services:

“Next year we are also going to have on the ballot a public safety levy, which is going to be almost entirely around the argument of creating our own police force,” Schilling said in the video. “I think Burien voters are going to be okay from this situation. They’re going to say, ‘Yeah, I’ll pay one-tenth of a percent of increase to sales tax in order to have my own police department.’ I think that’s going to be something they’d say yes to.”

However, on June 9, Councilmember Akey sent us a text message that said The B-Town Blog wants “…to stoke misinformation to create clicks for yourself,” which we strongly refute. If indeed Schilling was referencing a different public safety levy in his October interview, that information was not shared with us.

Regardless, we apologize to our readers and the City for any confusion over this issue.

The draft ballot language for the levy tax – not yet made public – will be presented to the Burien City Council at its June 16 meeting, marking a major milestone in the city’s two-year process of research, planning and community engagement.

The city intends for the new tax initiative to appear on the Nov. 4, 2025 General Election ballot.

City officials say the proposal reflects input gathered from residents and stakeholders and is intended to address pressing safety concerns while maintaining essential services.

“The City has continued to make progress on creating a proposal that reflects community priorities,” officials said in a statement.

After the draft language is reviewed, the city will open applications for Burien residents interested in serving on the “Pro” and “Con” committees. These groups will be appointed by the City Council in July and will write official arguments for and against the measure in the King County voters’ pamphlet.

The levy lid lift, if approved by voters in the November election, would allow the city to collect additional property tax revenue beyond the current state-imposed cap.

Full details on the exact levy rate and anticipated revenue impacts have not yet been publicly released.

Next Steps

Next steps the city will take regarding the proposed public safety levy:

June 2025:
- Draft ballot language presented to the City Council for approval on June 16
- Pro and Con Committee application open to Burien residents
July 2025:
- The City Council appoints Pro and Con Committee members
August 2025:
- City submits the following to King County Elections:
  - Resolution for levy lid lift
  - Pro and Con Committee appointees
  - Explanatory statement
- Committees submit pro and con statements to King County Elections
- Committees submit rebuttal statements to King County Elections
October 2025:
- City deadline to publish Notice of November General Election
November 2025:
- Election day is November 4, 2025