Clyde Hill is at a crossroads. Costs for police, fire, and everyday city operations keep rising faster than state‑limited revenue can cover. A “YES” vote on Prop 1 gives our small city breathing room — time to keep essential services strong while finding smart efficiencies for the future. A “NO” vote would push Clyde Hill toward dissolution or annexation, meaning higher taxes and less local control.
Clyde Hill has always thrived on local decision‑making and small‑town accountability. Proposition 1 keeps that spirit alive — giving our community the tools to stay safe, independent, and fiscally sound while planning for the future. Learn what’s at stake, explore the facts, and join your neighbors in shaping Clyde Hill’s next chapter.Please vote YES to keep Clyde Hill safe, independent, and guided by its residents.
What is Prop 1
Prop 1 raises Clyde Hill's property tax levy by $225 per million dollars of assessed valuation. In 2028-2036, the levy amount would increase by at most 3% annually.From the King County Voter’s Pamphlet:Clyde Hill Resolution No. 725 asks voters to increase the City’s portion of property taxes to pay for police, fire, emergency medical services, 911 dispatch, land use, and zoning services. Clyde Hill has the third lowest levy rate in King County, receiving less than $0.05 of every $1.00 paid in property taxes.A resident-led Financial Sustainability Task Force concluded that the City cut expenses where it could and kept staffing lean compared to similar sized cities. It concluded that further reductions threaten basic services and legal requirements. Without additional revenues, Clyde Hill will not have the requisite funds to remain an independent city with local control of its police department and zoning issues, as well as the quality fire and emergency medical services residents have come to expect.If approved, Clyde Hill’s property tax levy rate would increase from $0.29548 per $1,000 of assessed valuation in 2026 to a levy rate not to exceed $0.50 per $1,000 of assessed valuation in 2027. This equates to about a $225 increase in the city’s portion of property taxes per $1,000,000 of assessed valuation. In 2028-2036, the total regular property levy amount would increase by a limit factor of 3% annually. The final levy in 2036 will become the base for establishing levy rates for following years.If this proposition is rejected, the City is projected to run out of operating funds by the end of 2030. It will be unable to sustain current service levels and may need to consider dissolution.
Why Prop 1 Matters
Keeps Clyde Hill independent. A yes vote preserves local decision‑making and our accredited police department.
Protects essential services. Funding stability means continued safety, street maintenance, and emergency response.
Buys time for efficiency. The City can pursue shared‑service options and cost‑saving measures without cutting services.
Prevents higher taxes later. Dissolution or annexation into a neighboring city would raise property‑tax rates beyond Clyde Hill’s current level.
Supports our community values. Residents built this city on accountability and small‑town character — Prop 1 helps keep it that way.
Please vote YES to keep Clyde Hill safe, independent, and guided by its residents.
Endorsements
Here are residents who endorse Prop 1. If we can add your name, please let us know.
A resident-led task force carefully reviewed expenses and concluded the gap can’t be closed by cuts alone. Prop 1 is the solution they recommended after reviewing the City’s finances and operations for more than a year and a half, noting that the alternatives would cost residents more.Have a question? Email us!
The bottom line
Cost: About $225 per year for every $1,000,000 of assessed value — and every dollar stays in Clyde Hill.
Protects: Local police, fire/EMS, and control over our own zoning.
If it fails: Reserves are projected to run out in 2030 — the likely result is dissolution or annexation, meaning significantly higher taxes and less local control.
About $225 per year for every $1,000,000 of assessed value. All of it stays in Clyde Hill — for police, fire/EMS, public works, stormwater, parks, and more.
Your overall bill may still go up or down depending on your home’s assessed value and changes in other taxes outside of Clyde Hill.
We hear you. Many residents who "always vote no on taxes" are voting YES on Prop 1 — to keep Clyde Hill a small, independent city with the services we have now.
The choice: pay a little more under Prop 1 to keep what we have, or pay a lot more for different services as part of another city.
A resident-led task force carefully reviewed expenses and concluded the gap can’t be closed by cuts alone. Most of the expense pressure is competitive salaries and state mandates like affordable housing — not discretionary spending.
Only about 4.4 cents of every property-tax dollar.
Clyde Hill property owners will pay about $31.9 million in property taxes in 2026. The City’s share is just $1.4 million — the rest goes to the state, county, and Bellevue Schools.
The likely outcome is dissolution or annexation — giving up local control over our government, services, and police.
The City’s projections show operating reserves running out in 2030. At that point the City would face fundamental changes to how services are provided, on top of major cuts. Prop 1 is about fixing this proactively before it becomes a crisis.
We pay significantly less than Medina, Bellevue, and Kirkland for the same home value — and we’d still pay less even after Prop 1 passes as reflected in the chart below.
Property taxes & fees for a $4M assessed value home — current vs. proposed (FSTF Final Report).
If Clyde Hill joined another city, the best information we have is that taxes would rise more than under Prop 1, matching other cities’ higher rates — and we’d lose control of our zoning, land use, and police department.
Yes — temporarily, until they run out.
Reserves are a one-time resource: once spent, they’re gone (and not all of them can be used for operations like police and fire). That’s why we’re voting now — to fix the structural problem before the reserves are gone.
This has been investigated in the past and will continue to be evaluated along with sharing other services with other Points Communities but it doesn’t solve the underlying problem.
The same way other small, residential cities have.
Clyde Hill relies heavily on property taxes and has very little commercial sales-tax revenue, unlike Bellevue or Kirkland or even Medina which has the Overlake Golf Club.
Washington law limits local property tax increases to 1% a year regardless of changes in home values.
Washington law requires that any local property tax increase of more than 1% be approved by the voters. Medina approved an increase in 2019; Clyde Hill has held off until now.
Below are links to key City presentations and Task Force reports to provide additional information. This material reflects the perspective of the Pro Committee. Residents are encouraged to review the linked City documents and other primary sources to independently verify information and make an informed decision.
