2026 Levy Lid Lift Frequently Asked Questions

Skyline is a Public Hospital District.  Officially, we are Klickitat County Public Hospital District #2.  We are supported, in part, by property taxes paid by people that live in our taxing district. A Levy Lid Lift is the official action to request community support for increasing the tax rate that helps the hospital.

The District serves the area west of an imaginary line running from the Columbia River to the north county line, just east of Wahkiacus, including Bingen, White Salmon, Lyle, and Glenwood, and Trout Lake.

The current tax rate is $0.46 per $1,000 of home value.  If passed, the new rate will be $0.75 per $1,000 of home value.  The increase is $0.29 per $1,000 of home value.

For a home valued at $400,000, the total taxes owed would be $300, an increase of $104 annually or $8.67 per month.

Like most rural hospitals, Skyline’s margins are small.  As a publicly owned and governed health organization, we serve everyone in our community, regardless of their ability to pay.  In 2025, Skyline received approximately $1.4 million in tax revenue.  In that same year, Skyline provided approximately $1.8 million in free care.  The increase in tax revenue will be used to help Skyline maintain stable finances, to ensure funds are available to replace and upgrade medical equipment, and to continue to make improvements in and additions to the services offered at Skyline.  As the needs of our community change, Skyline needs to maintain our ability to change with them.

KLICKITAT COUNTY PUBLIC HOSPITAL DISTRICT NO. 2
KLICKITAT COUNTY, WASHINGTON
RESOLUTION NO. 2026-580

REGULAR LEVY LID LIFT

A RESOLUTION of the Commission of Klickitat County Public Hospital
District No. 2, Klickitat County, Washington (Skyline Health), relating to its
regular property tax levy; providing for the submission to the qualified electors of
the District at a special election to be held on April 28, 2026, of a proposition
authorizing the District to levy regular property taxes in excess of the limitations
imposed by chapter 84.55 RCW; setting forth the text of the ballot proposition;
directing proper District officials to take necessary actions; and providing for other
properly related matters.

BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COMMISSION OF KLICKITAT COUNTY PUBLIC
HOSPITAL DISTRICT NO. 2, KLICKITAT COUNTY, WASHINGTON, as follows:

Section I. Findings and Determinations. The Commission (the “Commission”) of
Klickitat County Public Hospital District No. 2, Klickitat County, Washington (Skyline Health) (the
“District”), hereby makes the following findings and determinations:
(a) Under the provisions of RCW 70.44.060, public hospital districts are
authorized to levy regular property taxes at a rate of up to 75 cents per $1,000 of assessed
value for purposes of operating and maintaining the hospital and health care facilities and
services of the public hospital district.
(b) In 2025, the District levied for collection in 2026 a regular property tax levy
at the rate of 46 cents per $1,000 of assessed value.
(c) Chapter 84.55 RCW provides that the levy for a taxing district in any year
shall be set so that the regular property taxes payable in the following year shall not
exceed the “limit factor” multiplied by the amount of regular property taxes lawfully
levied for such district in the highest of the three most recent years in which such taxes
were levied for such district, or the highest amount that could have been levied in any
year since 1985, plus an additional dollar amount calculated by multiplying the increase
in assessed value in that district resulting from (i) new construction, (ii) increases in
assessed value due to construction of wind turbine, solar, biomass, and geothermal
facilities, (iii) improvements to property, and (iv) any increase in the assessed value of
state-assessed property by the regular property tax levy rate of that district for the
preceding year.

(d) RCW 84.55.005 provides that, unless an increase greater than the limit is
approved by the voters of the district at an election provided by RCW 84.55.050, the
limit factor for taxing districts with a population of less than 10,000 in the calendar
year prior to the assessment year is 101 % and the limit factor for all other districts is
generally the lesser of 101 % or 100% plus inflation.
(e) Due to the limit factor, increasing property values within the District, and
other factors, the District’s current regular levy is below its statutory maximum of 75 cents.
(f) Under RCW 84.55.050(1), the District may submit to its voters, at a primary
or general election, for their approval or rejection, a proposition authorizing the District
to increase its regular property tax levy in an amount exceeding the limit factor.
(g) The Commission has determined that it is necessary and in the best interest of
the residents of the District to seek voter approval for a regular property tax levy to provide
additional operating and capital funds to support the delivery of hospital and other health
care services to the District’s residents and other persons served by the District.
(h) The Commission has determined that it is essential and necessary for the
public health, safety, and welfare of the District residents that the District levy a regular
property tax at a rate of [75) cents per $1000 of assessed value beginning in 2026.
This represents an incremental increase in its regular levy of approximately [ 29 ] cents
per $1000 of assessed value, over the current year’s levy rate.

Section 2. Calling of Election. The Commission finds that it is in the best interests of the
District to submit to the qualified voters of the District, at a special election on April 28, 2026, a
proposition authorizing the District to levy regular property taxes in 2026 for collection in 2027
by an amount greater than otherwise permitted under chapter 84.55 RCW and to use the dollar
amount of such levy in 2027 for the purpose of computing limitations for the District’s levies in
subsequent years. If this proposition is approved, the Commission will be authorized to adopt, in
accordance with its regular budget process, a regular property tax levy as described in Section 3.

Section 3. Description of Ballot Proposition. The Commission seeks voter approval under
RCW 84.55.050(1) for a levy lid lift, as follows:

(a) Maximum Levy Rate Authorized for Levy in 2026 and Collection in 2027. The
proposition would authorize a maximum total regular levy rate of [75] cents per $1,000 of
assessed value for levy in 2026 and collection in 2027.
(b) Computing the Limitation for Subsequent Levies. The dollar amount of the
maximum levy levied in 2026 for collection in 2027 shall be used for the purpose of computing
the limitations on levies for subsequent levies as provided for in chapter 84.55 RCW.

Section 4. Ballot Proposition. Pursuant to RCW 29A.36.071, the Klickitat County
Prosecuting Attorney is requested to prepare the concise description of the aforesaid proposition in
the form of a ballot title in substantially the following form:

KLICKITAT COUNTY PUBLIC HOSPITAL DISTRICT NO. 2
KLICKITAT COUNTY, WASHINGTON (SKYLINE HEALTH)
PROPOSITION NO. 1
LEVY LID LIFT FOR HEALTH CARE SERVICES
The Commission of Klickitat County Public Hospital District No. 2, Klickitat County, Washington
(Skyline Health) adopted Resolution No. 580 concerning the district’s regular property tax levy. If
approved, this proposition would provide additional operating and capital funds for Skyline Health
to provide hospital and other healthcare services to its residents and other persons served by
Skyline Health. It authorizes a maximum regular property levy rate for collection in 2027 of [75]
cents per $1,000 of assessed value. The 2027 levy amount will be used for the purpose of
computing the limitations for levies in subsequent years. Should this proposition be:
APPROVED ………………………………. ✓
REJECTED ……………………………….. 0

Section 5. Filing with Auditor. The Chief Executive Officer and Superintendent of the
District, or her designee, is authorized and directed (a) to present a certified copy of this resolution to
the Elections Office of Klickitat County, Washington, on or before February 27, 2026, and (b) to
perform such other duties as are necessary or required by law to submit to the District’s voters at the
aforesaid election, for their approval or rejection, the proposition of whether or not the District should
increase the levy rate as herein provided.

Section 6. Notices. For purposes of receiving notice of the exact language of the ballot
title required by RCW 29A.36.080, the Commission hereby designates: (a) Matt Kollman, Chief
Executive Officer (509-637-2911, mattkollman@skylinehospital.org); and (b) Brad Berg, Foster
Garvey PC, special legal counsel (206-447-8970, brad.berg@foster.com) as the individuals to
whom such notice should be provided. The Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer
the District are each authorized individually to approve changes to the ballot title, if any, deemed
necessary by the Klickitat County Elections Office or the Klickitat County Prosecuting Attorney.

Section 7. General Authorization and Ratification of Prior Acts. This resolution may be
executed by the Commissioners being present and voting in favor of the resolution, or only the
Chair of the Board, and attested by the Secretary of the Board, in tangible medium, manual,
facsimile or electronic form under any security procedure or platform, and notwithstanding any
other District resolution, rule, policy or procedure, or in any other manner evidencing its adoption.
The Chief Executive Officer of the District, the Chair of the Board, the Secretary of the District, other proper
officers of the District and special counsel, Foster Garvey P.C., are severally authorized to take such
actions and to create, accept, execute, send, use and rely upon such documents, records and signatures
(including in tangible medium, manual, facsimile or electronic form, under any security procedure or platform, and
notwithstanding any other District resolution, rule or policy) as in their judgment may be necessary or
desirable to carry out the provisions of this resolution. All actions taken prior to the effective date of this
resolution in furtherance of the purposes described in this resolution and not inconsistent with the terms
of this resolution are ratified and confirmed in all respects.

Section 8. Severability. If any provision of this resolution shall be declared by any court
of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, then such provision shall be null and void and shall be
separable from the remaining provisions of this resolution and shall in no way affect the validity
of the other provisions of this resolution, or of the levy or collection of the taxes.

Section 9. Effective Date. This resolution shall become effective immediately upon its
adoption.

ADOPTED and APPROVED by the Commission of Klickitat County Public Hospital
District No. 2, Klickitat County, Washington, at an open public meeting thereof, this 24th day
of February 2026, the following Commissioners being present and voting.

Skyline Health Levy Lid Lift Q&A with CEO, Matt Kollman

• Monday, April 13, 2026 | 5:30pm-6:30pm
• Sprint/Baker Gallery Room at White Salmon Valley Community Library.

Virtual Skyline Health Levy Lid Lift Q&A with CEO, Matt Kollman

• Tuesday, April 14, 2026 | 5:30pm-6:30pm
• Join: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/25787219758325?p=tT3Sx1zPqu5cCbk8AJ
• Meeting ID: 257 872 197 583 25 | Passcode: Bg2Da3An

Virtual Skyline Health Levy Lid Lift Q&A with CEO, Matt Kollman

• Friday, April 17, 2026 | 5:30pm-6:30pm
• Join: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/267435438210703?p=cVuxGqaFRcvOpeWOtn
• Meeting ID: 267 435 438 210 703 | Passcode: ua3dT3Qi

Have a group who would like to hear from Matt about the Levy Lid Lift?

• Call 509.637.2972 to book before slots fill up.