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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Edmonds City Council Regular Meeting - February 25, 2026

City Council & Boards — Wednesday, February 25, 2026

BodyEdmonds, Washington

SessionCity Council & Boards

DateWednesday, February 25, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 1:51:34

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

0:31

All right, let's call this meeting to order.

0:34

This is the February 24th meeting of the Edmonds City Council.

0:37

Welcome everyone.

0:38

Would you please join me in the flag salute?

0:42

I bless it.

0:53

Liberty and generous crawl.

0:56

Thank you.

0:58

Land acknowledgement.

0:59

Councilmember Barnett, please.

1:04

We acknowledge the original inhabitants of this place, the Snohomish people, and their successors, the Tuelep tribes, who since time immemorial have hunted, fished, gathered, and taken care of these lands.

1:16

We respect their sovereignty, their right to self-determination, and we honor their sacred spiritual connection with the land and water.

1:25

Thank you.

1:26

Can we do a roll call, please?

1:28

Councilmember Eck.

1:30

Councilmember Chen.

1:32

Councilmember Barnett.

1:34

Council President Dutch.

1:36

Councilmember Olsen.

1:37

Councilmember Payne.

1:38

Councilmember Nand.

1:40

Mayor Rosen.

1:41

All elected officials are present.

1:46

Thank you.

1:48

We just got a little view of Chris there for a minute.

1:51

Our next item of business is approval of the agenda.

1:55

Thank you.

1:57

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

1:59

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

2:02

Anyone opposed, please raise your hand and say nay.

2:04

Motion is approved unanimously.

2:06

Thank you.

2:07

Our next item of business is presentations.

2:10

And the first is a proclamation of the lunar new year in Edmonds.

2:14

And joining me will be two leaders from the Multicultural Association of Edmonds, Nikki Okamoto Glaros, or members.

2:21

All right.

2:22

Well, Nikki Alcamota Gleros, Karen May Butler, and Company.

2:53

Whereas the City of Edmonds is proud to be home to residents and businesses from a wide variety of cultures around the world.

3:00

We value that diversity as a source of strength.

3:03

And whereas the City of Edmond Edmonds recognizes and celebrates the diversity of Asian Americans in our community and their valuable contributions to economic, cultural, and artistic vitality of our city.

3:15

And whereas Lunar New Year is celebrated by Asian cultures around the world and encompasses a wide variety of traditions and celebrations.

3:23

And whereas we as a community are compelled by our shared humanity to value, protect, and care for one another.

3:32

Inclusion and representation in the city recognized events and celebrations are vitally important so that all members of our community can feel accepted and connected to their city.

3:42

And whereas Lunar New Year in Edmonds is now recognized by the City of Edmonds as an annual celebration.

3:47

Now, therefore, I'm Mike Rosen, mayor of the City of Edmonds, hereby proclaim February 28th, 2026 as the date of the city's lunar new year celebration for the year of the horse.

3:58

And I want to thank these people for creating this amazing event.

4:01

Please.

4:49

Thank you.

4:56

Thank you so much.

5:05

Next item of business is the mayor's finance update.

5:15

And always looking for efficiencies and making our equipment last a long time.

5:20

Well, they have also made our budget a little healthier by uh keep updating our fleet and um the records and reducing accidents.

5:31

They reduced uh our insurance cost by $32,000, which might not sound like a huge number, but it's 25 29% reduction in our insurance costs from last year.

5:41

Um so yeah, well done.

5:43

I continue to brag about them.

5:45

Uh our next item of business is audience comments.

5:48

This is an opportunity for anyone who wishes to to address counsel on anything that's on your mind.

5:55

Um I open it up.

5:58

Uh anybody who wishes to address counsel, please approach the podium.

6:02

You will have three minutes when you start talking.

6:06

Sorry.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Tree Regulations████████████████████20%

Fiscal Sustainability███████████████████19%

Government Structure████████████████16%

Procedural█████████████13%

Public Engagement█████████████13%

Tree Management██████6%

Racial Equity████4%

Engineering And Infrastructure███3%

Public Safety██2%

Summary of Proceedings

Edmonds City Council Regular Meeting - February 25, 2026

Note: The agenda lists the meeting date as February 24, 2026, but the user-provided date is February 25, 2026. This summary uses the latter per instruction.

The Edmonds City Council held a regular meeting on February 25, 2026, at 6:00 PM in the Council Chambers. The meeting included a proclamation, the mayor's finance update, public comments, a consent agenda, and three council business items: updates to the tree code, adoption of a resolution on council priorities, and a proposal to remove the mayor's standing finance update. The meeting adjourned at 7:51 PM.

Consent Calendar

Approved unanimously: minutes from prior meetings, PSA for Water Comprehensive Plan Update, claim checks and wire payments, payroll and benefit checks, and a parks maintenance worker position conversion.

Public Comments & Testimony

Jess Grant (homeowner, Perrinville) expressed concern about the cancellation of her group's event at the Edmonds Waterfront Center. She stated that the event, titled "Should Boys Be Allowed to Compete in Girls Sports," was scheduled for March 14, 2026, but was canceled by CEO Daniel Johnson on February 16, 2026, citing potential disruption. Grant argued that the cancellation was discriminatory based on politics and violated the city's equitable engagement framework. She noted the event has been moved to the Linwood Event Center, removing event dollars from Edmonds.
An unnamed speaker (Edmonds resident) addressed item 9.2, urging the council not to adopt a resolution that he felt was too restrictive and a political reaction. He suggested amending the motion to clarify that the intent is to prepare for the next biennium budget rather than to micromanage city employees.

Discussion Items

2026 Tree Code Updates (First Reading): Mike Cludson (Planning and Development) and Deb Powers (Urban Forest Planner) presented the project scope, timeline, and public engagement strategy. The update aims to address landmark tree code, private property tree removals, and development tree code. A focus group of eight members includes developers, arborists, environmentalists, and city board representatives. The timeline is aggressive (8 months) with a possible extension of the interim ordinance. Councilmembers discussed the need for broader input from the Tree Board and view advocates, as well as alignment with the Climate Action Plan and Urban Forest Management Plan. No vote was taken; this was a first reading.
City Council Resolution Establishing Priorities (Second Reading): Council President Dutch presented the resolution, which outlines four priorities: financial stability, strategic clarity, prioritization/trade-offs, and economic development. Several amendments were debated:
- Amendment 1 (passed unanimously): Added "enhance livability in commercial and urban areas" to the economic development priority.
- Amendment 2 (failed 4-3): To add "with an intent to pursue our city's diversity, equity, and inclusion goals" to the prioritization priority.
- Amendment 3 (failed 5-2): To add a reference to Resolution 1556 (long-range financial strategy and revenue policy).
- Amendment 4 (failed 6-1): To strike "out of crisis mode" and replace with "to long-term financial stability."
- Amendment 5 (passed 6-1): To add "and into long-term financial stability" after "out of crisis mode." The amended resolution was adopted unanimously.
Removal of Mayor's Finance Update (First Reading): Council President Dutch moved to remove the standing mayor's finance update from the presentation section of each regular meeting, arguing it was redundant with the finance committee and other reports. Councilmembers debated transparency and efficiency. The motion failed 5-2, meaning the update remains on the agenda.

Key Outcomes

Approved unanimously: Consent agenda and the resolution on council priorities (as amended).
Failed motions: Amendments to add DEI language (4-3), to reference Resolution 1556 (5-2), to strike "crisis mode" (6-1), and the motion to remove the mayor's finance update (5-2).
Tree code update: First reading held; staff will continue work with a focus group and planning board, with a target completion by October 2026.

Council Comments

Councilmembers expressed support for the Lunar New Year celebration on February 28, 2026, and noted community events. Councilmember Nand reaffirmed commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and to anti-displacement in Highway 99. Councilmember Payne mentioned a meeting on the Meadowdale wastewater treatment plant. Councilmember Olson congratulated a new Washington Supreme Court Commissioner. The student representative highlighted the Edmonds Food Bank resources.

Meeting Transcript

All right, let's call this meeting to order. This is the February 24th meeting of the Edmonds City Council. Welcome everyone. Would you please join me in the flag salute? I bless it. Liberty and generous crawl. Thank you. Land acknowledgement. Councilmember Barnett, please. We acknowledge the original inhabitants of this place, the Snohomish people, and their successors, the Tuelep tribes, who since time immemorial have hunted, fished, gathered, and taken care of these lands. We respect their sovereignty, their right to self-determination, and we honor their sacred spiritual connection with the land and water. Thank you. Can we do a roll call, please? Councilmember Eck. Councilmember Chen. Councilmember Barnett. Council President Dutch. Councilmember Olsen. Councilmember Payne. Councilmember Nand. Mayor Rosen. All elected officials are present. Thank you. We just got a little view of Chris there for a minute. Our next item of business is approval of the agenda. Thank you. It's been moved and seconded to approve the agenda. All in favor, please raise your hands and say aye. Anyone opposed, please raise your hand and say nay. Motion is approved unanimously. Thank you. Our next item of business is presentations. And the first is a proclamation of the lunar new year in Edmonds. And joining me will be two leaders from the Multicultural Association of Edmonds, Nikki Okamoto Glaros, or members. All right. Well, Nikki Alcamota Gleros, Karen May Butler, and Company. Whereas the City of Edmonds is proud to be home to residents and businesses from a wide variety of cultures around the world. We value that diversity as a source of strength. And whereas the City of Edmond Edmonds recognizes and celebrates the diversity of Asian Americans in our community and their valuable contributions to economic, cultural, and artistic vitality of our city. And whereas Lunar New Year is celebrated by Asian cultures around the world and encompasses a wide variety of traditions and celebrations. And whereas we as a community are compelled by our shared humanity to value, protect, and care for one another. Inclusion and representation in the city recognized events and celebrations are vitally important so that all members of our community can feel accepted and connected to their city. And whereas Lunar New Year in Edmonds is now recognized by the City of Edmonds as an annual celebration. Now, therefore, I'm Mike Rosen, mayor of the City of Edmonds, hereby proclaim February 28th, 2026 as the date of the city's lunar new year celebration for the year of the horse. And I want to thank these people for creating this amazing event. Please. Thank you. Thank you so much. Next item of business is the mayor's finance update. And always looking for efficiencies and making our equipment last a long time.

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