Normandy Park, Gold Bar might fall off the map

The mayor of San Bernardino, Calif. recently declared bankruptcy, and now two
Washington towns are facing similar decisions.

Before such a drastic measure is taken, both Normandy Park and Gold Bar are examining their
other options.

Normandy Park needs $1.2 million to adequately fund day-
to-day services like law enforcement. The city will be
asking residents to raise property taxes.

If Normandy Park residents don’t vote for the tax hike,
they will likely become a part of unincorporated King
County, and possibly join one of their neighboring cities,
Burien or Des Moines.

According to City Manager Doug Schulze, something has to
change, and those changes need to be significant.

“We’ve got 22 full time employees and that weighs heavy on
my mind every day,” Schulze told KING
5.

Over in Gold Bar, Mayor Joe Beavers is facing similar
budget troubles, and he and the city council will put a
pair of measures to vote to see if the city stays on the
map.

Beavers blames the town’s financial woes on the money it’s
forced to pay out in lawsuits that arise from public
records requests, according to the Everett Herald.

The first ballot proposition in Gold Bar includes a property tax
increase of about $1 per $1,000 of assessed value. It would be in effect for one year and generate an
estimated $113,000, Beavers told the Herald.

The second would start the process of disassembling the
city that sits on State Route 2 in the foothills of the Cascades.
If voters pass both propositions, the city will levy the
tax and stay in business. If they reject both, bankruptcy
is the only option.

Beavers and the city council will vote on the measures
Tuesday.

Since The Great Recession, 12 municipalities nation-wide have
declared bankruptcy.