Tacoma council greenlights tax hike for emergency services. Here’s how much
The Tacoma City Council voted to increase by 2.6% a property tax that funds emergency medical services.
The council’s action at its Nov. 12 meeting is part of an annual action it takes to update the city’s property tax levies, as required by state law. Voters first approved a levy lid lift for emergency medical services in 2023. That vote also gave the council the authority to increase the rate every year by 6% until it reaches a cap of $0.50 per $1,000 of assessed value, according to the city.
The council sought to raise the levy rate by 6% for 2026, but will only collect an additional 2.6% in emergency medical service property taxes because the full 6% would have set a levy rate that exceeds the $0.50 limit.
The tax hike brings the revenue collected from the property tax for emergency medical services up to $22,984,528.98 in 2026 from $22,395,783.88 in 2025, an increase of about $600,000. The money will supplement the city’s emergency medical services budget, covering the cost of expenses like firefighter staffing and transportation.
The ballot measure in 2023 passed with 67.44% of the vote, but similar tax measures have failed in recent years. In 2024, voters rejected a measure that would have funded improvements for the Tacoma Fire Department. Voters in April 2025 rejected a tax hike that sought to raise money for street improvements and repairs.
The council at its Nov. 12 meeting also approved plans to maintain the city’s regular property tax at the amount it is at in 2025. Since Tacoma residents voted against renewing the city’s streets initiative in April, the existing streets initiative will expire by February 2026 – meaning Tacoma residents’ property taxes will go down.
City leaders have expressed concern about maintaining Tacoma’s transportation infrastructure after the failure of the streets levy in April. The increase to the emergency medical services levy also comes as the city contends with a structural budget deficit – when expenses exceed revenues in a way that can’t be addressed with a one-time infusion of cash. The city has warned of a $15 million budget shortfall for the 2027-2028 biennial budget, The News Tribune previously reported.
