OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Edmonds City Council Meeting - February 10, 2026

City Council & Boards — Tuesday, February 10, 2026
BodyEdmonds, Washington
SessionCity Council & Boards
DateTuesday, February 10, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:19:41

Transcript — Verbatim
0:45

Good evening and welcome to the February 10th version of the Edmund City Council.

0:51

Call this meeting to order, and would you all please join me in the flag salute?

1:01

And to the Republic for which it stands.

1:06

Invisible with liberty and justice for all.

1:11

Thank you.

1:12

Councilmember Chen, would you please do the land acknowledgement?

1:16

Thank you.

1:17

Twingle my mic.

1:20

We acknowledge the original inhabitants of this place, the Snohomis people and the successor, the Talelap tribes, who sings time immemorial, the Huntic Fish Gadda, and taken care of this lens.

1:36

We respect the sovereignty, the light to determination, and we honor the secret spiritual connection with the Lang and Water.

1:46

Thank you.

1:47

Thank you.

1:49

Just before you do the roll call, um, just wondering if the feed is going out given that we have a logo on our screens.

2:04

So uh which feed is that?

2:07

Would this be the Zoom feed or the broadcast feed?

2:16

Yeah, we're gonna zoom the live stream.

2:24

So we are working on the feed, but um we will continue.

2:28

Could you please give us a roll call?

2:31

Councilmember Eck.

2:32

Here Councilmember Chen.

2:35

Councilmember Barnett.

2:36

Here.

2:36

Council President Dodge.

2:38

Councilmember Olson.

2:42

Council Councilmember Payne.

2:45

Councilmember Nand.

2:46

And Mayor Rosen.

2:47

Sure.

2:48

All elected officials are present.

2:51

Thank you.

2:53

Our next item of business is approval of the agenda.

3:00

Second.

3:01

It's been moved and seconded to approve the agenda.

3:03

All in favor, please raise your hand and say aye.

3:05

All right.

3:06

Anybody opposed, please raise your hand and say nay.

3:09

The motion is passes unanimously.

3:12

Thank you.

3:23

Given that there is uh we're moving into committee territory, and there will be uh a robust um discussion, which will include the December financials.

3:32

Um item of business is audience comments.

3:37

This is an opportunity for members of the community to address council on items of interest to them.

3:44

And uh when I call your name, please approach the podium.

3:48

When you get to the oppodium, please state your full name, City of Residence.

3:52

You'll have three minutes.

3:53

When you start talking, the light will turn green.

3:55

When you have thirty seconds left, it'll turn yellow, and when you're done, it'll turn red and make a noise.

4:11

Hi.

5:01

I have multiple times emailed your code people about that.010, which requires property owners to make vegetation.

5:19

So it does not encroach on sidewalks or obstruct pedestrian travel.

5:24

I have been elanding and emailing for four months now, and that is yet none of those bushes have been cut right there on a 228 or anything handled there.

5:35

And I feel like as a disabled person who wants to come visit my family and move around town, I can't do that safely in a wheelchair.

5:44

Nobody responds until say, if we see something, we'll get to it.

5:47

When Edmonds is very, very has really good codes on that.

5:52

It says clearly cannot encroach, but they don't do anything.

5:56

So instead, thousands of dollars are spent on your rescue services to come pull me out of your bushes when I get stuck.

6:03

So I just wanted to bring that to your city council to say it is clearly clearly unsafe in that neighborhood for people who are wheelchair users to get around over there.

6:14

And I wish you would take it seriously and do something about it.

6:18

And I was saddened to find out that Edmonds does not have an ADA coordinator that I could work with and you know discuss these things with.

6:28

So thank you very much for allowing me to speak up and to share my experiences on your streets in your city.

6:35

Thank you.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Water And Wastewater Management█████████████████████████████████████████████49%
Procedural████████████████17%
Environmental Protection█████████████14%
Public Works██████7%
Parks and Recreation███3%
Public Engagement███3%
Pedestrian Safety██2%
Homelessness██2%
Land Use Regulations██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Edmonds City Council Regular Meeting - February 10, 2026

The Edmonds City Council met on February 10, 2026 at 6:00 PM. The meeting included public comments, consent agenda approval, discussion and votes on a $500,000 on-call engineering contract with Jacobs, and a six-month moratorium on permit applications in the Deer Creek Critical Aquifer Recharge Area (CARA) related to stormwater management. All votes were unanimous.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved the meeting agenda.
  • Approved the consent agenda en bloc, which included: Council meeting minutes from February 3, 2026; approval of claim checks; approval of payroll and benefit checks; Amendment No. 6 to the Wastewater Treatment, Disposal and Transport Professional Services Agreement; a revision to Commute Trip Reduction code (ECC 17.95.090); an interlocal agreement with Snohomish County; and a resolution adopting the Business Improvement District (BID) recommendations.
  • Received for filing: Written public comments and appointment of councilmembers to 2026 committees.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Christine (city resident): Expressed frustration with lack of vegetation maintenance on sidewalks, stating that as a wheelchair user she cannot travel safely and that Edmonds lacks an ADA coordinator. Urged council to enforce existing codes.
  • Stephanie (city resident): On behalf of a group of residents, requested that the lead agency issue a Determination of Significance and require a full Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed expansion of the Linwood wastewater treatment plant. Cited concerns about adverse public health impacts, financial risks (citing cost overruns on similar megaprojects), geology similar to Oso landslide, and that the project may become obsolete within 20–30 years.
  • Lizzie (child resident): Expressed general appreciation for Edmonds and the salmon run.
  • Bob Brunette (Edmonds resident for 22 years): Asked the City of Edmonds to serve as the SEPA lead agency for the Linwood plant expansion, arguing the plant is in the middle of Edmonds residential area. Criticized the proposed incinerator technology as a failed technology (similar to Edmonds gasification plant) and noted a growing opposition group of about 150 voters.
  • Bruce Buchanan (resident above treatment plant): Described ongoing noise pollution (low-frequency hum), light trespass, and odor issues from the Linwood plant. Demanded a halt to further development until an EIS is produced, and warned of a potential class-action lawsuit.
  • Steve Fisher (resident above plant): Reported that core drilling had already begun on site, and encouraged council members to visit the area to understand the impact.
  • John (remote participant): Thanked council for listening to the community, noted concern about state legislation (Shelters Not Penalties Act) that could limit camping bans, and urged council to go big on funding for unhoused support to maintain public spaces and pass a levy. Thanked Councilmember Barnett for data-driven governance.

Discussion Items

  • Jacobs On-Call Services Contract (Public Works)

    • Public Works Director Andy Ream presented a $500,000 not-to-exceed on-call contract with Jacobs Engineering Group for work on the wastewater treatment plant's liquid side, including updating engineering record drawings and creating standard operating procedures (SOPs) required by the NPDES permit. The contract was sole-sourced due to Jacobs' historical familiarity with the plant; switching firms would be expensive and time-consuming.
    • Councilmembers discussed the necessity of the contract for safety and redundancy, the $500,000 figure (larger than typical on-call), and the importance of transparency in reporting total spending. Councilmember Nand noted the contract brings oversight that would aggregate expenses. Councilmember Chen questioned the sole-source justification; Director Ream explained the city's purchasing policy and legal verification.
    • Motion: Authorize the mayor to execute the contract with Jacobs Engineering Group in the amount of $500,000. Passed unanimously.

  • Six-Month Moratorium on Permit Applications in Deer Creek CARA

    • Planning Director Mike Cludson and City Engineer Mike Daley presented updated information: a draft scope for a PFAS-stormwater study, and a memo from Herrera Consultants showing that existing stormwater infrastructure in the CARA is almost nonexistent. Because all water infiltrates in the area, a new code prohibiting infiltration means virtually any project triggers stormwater requirements with no feasible pathway. A basin study would cost approximately $1.4 million and take years, followed by design and construction. Ecology has not processed a basin study in 10–15 years.
    • Council debate weighed the need to protect groundwater from PFAS versus the burden on property owners and staff. Councilmember Payne noted that without a moratorium, staff would have to process futile permit applications. Councilmember Olson expressed low confidence but supported the moratorium as a short-term fix. Council President Dash supported only a six-month term, insisting on no extension. Councilmember Barnett questioned if a pre-screening modification could replace a moratorium; staff replied the code change is the root problem.
    • Motion: Adopt an ordinance establishing a six-month moratorium on permit applications within the Deer Creek CARA that require stormwater management, and set a required public hearing for March 3, 2026. Passed unanimously.

Key Outcomes

  • Unanimous approval of the Jacobs on-call engineering services contract ($500,000).
  • Unanimous adoption of a six-month moratorium on certain permit applications in the Deer Creek CARA, with a public hearing scheduled for March 3, 2026.
  • Consent agenda approved unanimously.
  • Council remarks encouraged voting on the Edmonds School District levy (due by 8 PM that evening), supporting the Edmonds Food Bank, donating blood, and maintaining sidewalks free of vegetation encroachment.
  • Scheduled Mayor's Finance Update (agenda item 5.1) was not presented during the meeting.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening and welcome to the February 10th version of the Edmund City Council. Call this meeting to order, and would you all please join me in the flag salute? And to the Republic for which it stands. Invisible with liberty and justice for all. Thank you. Councilmember Chen, would you please do the land acknowledgement? Thank you. Twingle my mic. We acknowledge the original inhabitants of this place, the Snohomis people and the successor, the Talelap tribes, who sings time immemorial, the Huntic Fish Gadda, and taken care of this lens. We respect the sovereignty, the light to determination, and we honor the secret spiritual connection with the Lang and Water. Thank you. Thank you. Just before you do the roll call, um, just wondering if the feed is going out given that we have a logo on our screens. So uh which feed is that? Would this be the Zoom feed or the broadcast feed? Yeah, we're gonna zoom the live stream. So we are working on the feed, but um we will continue. Could you please give us a roll call? Councilmember Eck. Here Councilmember Chen. Councilmember Barnett. Here. Council President Dodge. Councilmember Olson. Council Councilmember Payne. Councilmember Nand. And Mayor Rosen. Sure. All elected officials are present. Thank you. Our next item of business is approval of the agenda. Second. It's been moved and seconded to approve the agenda. All in favor, please raise your hand and say aye. All right. Anybody opposed, please raise your hand and say nay. The motion is passes unanimously. Thank you. Given that there is uh we're moving into committee territory, and there will be uh a robust um discussion, which will include the December financials. Um item of business is audience comments. This is an opportunity for members of the community to address council on items of interest to them. And uh when I call your name, please approach the podium. When you get to the oppodium, please state your full name, City of Residence. You'll have three minutes. When you start talking, the light will turn green. When you have thirty seconds left, it'll turn yellow, and when you're done, it'll turn red and make a noise. Hi. I have multiple times emailed your code people about that.010, which requires property owners to make vegetation. So it does not encroach on sidewalks or obstruct pedestrian travel. I have been elanding and emailing for four months now, and that is yet none of those bushes have been cut right there on a 228 or anything handled there.

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