The City of Kirkland (“City”) is seeking a qualified consultant to conduct a study to review and evaluate potential changes to City tax policy in response to projected budget shortfalls. The City is interested in how new revenue options would impact the estimated tax burdens of the Kirkland community, including residents and businesses and those who work in the City.

The City of Kirkland’s financial forecast projects a General Fund deficit in future budget cycles that grows on an ongoing basis. This is in large part due to a structural imbalance between the cap on growth in the City’s largest single General Fund revenue source, property tax, and the growth in costs for salaries, benefits and other services. This is a common problem among Washington cities and something that has been resolved in prior budget cycles through cost savings, voter approved levies and one-time revenue sources. In discussion for the 2021-2022 budget cycle, City Council directed staff to assess available revenue options to help close this gap in a sustainable and equitable way.

Early analysis from City of Kirkland staff highlighted a limited number of revenue options available to the City. With these revenue options as a starting point, this request seeks to find a qualified consultant who can identify and assess available revenue options.

The estimated funding available for this work is $100,000 to $150,000 and the timeline anticipates initial results and analysis in May and final report delivery on July 15, 2022.

A copy of this Request for Proposal (RFP) may be obtained from City’s web site at http://www.kirklandwa.gov/. Click on the Business tab at the top of the page and then click on the Request for Proposals link found under “Doing Business with the City”.