Robert Mittendorf

The Bellingham Herald

WHATCOM COUNTY, Wash. — Whatcom County homeowners could be paying more in property taxes next year because the cost of providing Medic One ambulance service is rising faster than revenue.

One proposal to solve the crisis would cost the average homeowner $26 more next year, County Council members learned in a financial review halfway through the 2025-2026 spending cycle.

That step involves taking the 1% annual increase plus the “banked” taxing capacity not taken in previous years, Deputy Executive Kayla Schott-Bresler told councilmembers in a presentation Tuesday in the Committee of the Whole.

“The structural deficit for the current year is estimated at $2.9 million and without additional revenue may grow to as much as $5.9 million by 2028, fully

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