Should Port of Everett expand its boundaries? Voters to decide

EVERETT — Snohomish County voters will decide next year if the Port of Everett should enlarge its boundaries to include most of Snohomish County.

The Port of Everett Commission unanimously passed a resolution Tuesday to put the proposal on the August 2024 ballot. To pass, it needs a simple majority of 50%

The move follows a survey last month to gauge interest in expanding the port district’s boundaries beyond its current footprint.

The Port of Everett is now comprised of Everett, portions of Mukilteo, Marysville and unincorporated Snohomish County.

An expanded port could include the entire county, excluding the Port of Edmonds, the city of Edmonds and town of Woodway.

Port officials say enlarging the district would make port resources, such as matching port funds and state and federal funding sources, available to more communities.

It would also enlarge the port’s tax base. If voters approve the port’s growth, property owners within the new boundary would pay port taxes.

Property owners within the Everett port district pay about 19 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation. Residents with a home valued at $550,000 currently pay about $100 a year in taxes.

Port taxes are only used to fund environmental cleanup, public access and debt service. They cannot be used to cover operating costs, including salaries and benefits, port CEO Lisa Lefeber said.

The additional revenue would support business development, local job growth, transportation improvements and recreational and environmental projects, Lefeber said.

“At this time, only about 15 percent of the county population has access to port economic development resources,” Lefeber said in a statement Wednesday.

The port will now draft a measure for the commission’s review and then submit it to the Snohomish County Council for approval to put the issue to voters.

“The Port of Everett is one of the largest ports in the state that doesn’t serve the whole county,” Lefeber said. “This measure, if passed, would allow the Port to invest in key transportation, economic development and environmental projects outside the current District.”

The port operates three lines of business: the international shipping terminals, a 2,300-slip marina and 3,400 acres of real estate. Like a private venture, each of the business lines are required to be self-supporting.

The seaport handles between $21 and $30 billion in import and export cargo each year, making it the 5th largest export district on the West Coast.

Officials say the port supports 40,000 regional jobs along with the county’s two largest employers, The Boeing Company and Naval Station Everett.

“Ports are the pulse of our economy, and the Port of Everett is a global gateway to Snohomish County,” port commission president Glen Bachman said. “I welcome the opportunity to be able to do more for the Snohomish County community if the voters so choose.”

The port’s current boundaries have not changed since voters approved them in 1918.

During community outreach programs in 2018 and 2019, the port heard from community members, elected officials and tribal leaders interested in expanding the port’s boundaries. The issue of expansion became an item on the port’s 2020 Strategic Plan, which was adopted by the commission in December 2019.

The port has since conducted a legal assessment and economic value study on the topic. Feedback from a month-long community survey conducted in November, resulted in 1,514 responses, representing a cross section of county residents and business owners, the port said.

For more information or for a briefing about the proposal, email publicaffairs@portofeverett.com.

Janice Podsada: 425-339-3097; jpodsada@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @JanicePods.