Snoqualmie Valley voters will have the opportunity to weigh in on two healthcare measures — one local and one regional — that will appear on their April 25 special election ballot.
Locally, the Snoqualmie Valley Hospital District is asking voters to approve a levy lid lift that would raise property taxes to expand the hospital and replace aging equipment.
The Snoqualmie Valley Hospital District stretches from Snoqualmie Pass to the southern Duvall city limit, including the majority of the Snoqualmie Valley and a section outside Issaquah.
If approved, the property tax rate for district homeowners would increase to 70 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value, up from 24.8 cents. For a $900,000 homeowner, the new tax would come out to a $630 annual tax.
“We’re now seeing a reduced tax revenue from our district,” Sherry Jennings, a hospital spokesperson, told the Valley Record earlier this year. “We’re trying to bring it to a level where we can actually meet the needs of our community.”
Hospital officials say the increased tax revenue would allow the district to better serve its increased population and outlying areas, support an emergency department expansion, provide additional support in the emergency department to meet increasing behavioral health needs, and replace aging and broken equipment.
If approved, the hospital district will also create a tax credit policy, which supporters say will help offset the cost of the levy.
Under the credit, district taxpayers would receive a 100% refund for hospital services up to the amount they paid in taxes. For example, a homeowner who pays $600 under the levy can apply that amount toward their balance on any in-district hospital services.
The hospital’s board of directors voted 4-1 to send the proposal to voters. David Speikers, the lone vote against, cited concerns about the financial burden being placed on homeowners amid an uncertain economy.
The hospital district last asked voters to approve a levy lid lift in 2008.
King County Crisis Centers Levy
Also on the ballot is the King County Crisis Center Levy, which is looking to raise $1.25 billion to support a three-pronged approach to addressing mental health and substance abuse challenges in the region.
The main component of the proposal is building five crisis care centers throughout King County. The centers would function as 24/7 walk-in or drop-off facilities for those experiencing a behavioral health crisis. Leo Flor, Director of King County’s Department of Community and Human Services, compared them to a hospital clinic.
If you have the flu, there’s a place you can walk into and get treatment, Flor said at a recent Snoqualmie Town Hall. But if you’re having a behavioral health crisis, he said, “there’s actually not a single place in our entire county that you can walk yourself into right now that’s not a hospital emergency room or jail.”
Additionally, the levy would look to preserve and restore a loss of residential treatment beds. Since 2019, the county has lost one-third of its beds designated to treat people with mental health needs.
The final prong would support workforce and retention in the behavioral health sector, including making it easier to access education and credential programs.
Ballots need to be dropped off or postmarked by 8 p.m. on election day, April 25.
