OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Edmonds City Council Regular Meeting – March 24, 2026

City Council & Boards — Tuesday, March 24, 2026
BodyEdmonds, Washington
SessionCity Council & Boards
DateTuesday, March 24, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 3:08:07

Transcript — Verbatim
2:58

Good evening, everyone.

2:59

Welcome to the March twenty-fourth edition of the Edmund City Council.

3:03

I will call this meeting to order.

3:05

Please join me in the flag salute.

3:08

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to every public for which hands one nation under God.

3:29

Thank you.

3:57

Mr.

3:57

Lani, can we have a roll call, please?

4:00

Councilmember Eck.

4:02

Councilmember Chen.

4:04

Councilmember Barnett.

4:06

Council President Dutch.

4:07

Councilmember Olson.

4:09

Councilmember Payne.

4:10

Councilmember Nand.

4:26

Anybody opposed, please raise your hand and say nay.

4:36

And our first one is from our good friends at the port.

4:40

Welcome.

4:51

Okay.

5:00

And on behalf of the Edmonds Port Commission, I thank you for the opportunity to speak with you tonight, especially being first up.

5:08

That's great, thanks.

5:10

I'm here with the Port's Executive Director, the literature literatively named Brandon Baker, who will also be presenting tonight, and our director of economic development, Brittany Williams, back there.

5:25

I've been on the commission for just under one year, and I've been designated as the commission's liaison with the Edmunds City Council for 2026.

5:36

So you may have noticed my attendance at your recent council meetings, and that's why I'm here tonight to explain a little bit about what a port is within the state of Washington, what port districts can do under the law.

5:49

Then Executive Director Baker will speak about our port operations, and finally, I'll talk briefly about our upcoming activities this year, and the kickoff of our master planning process.

6:07

Let's start with something basic but kind of confusing.

6:13

For Edmonds, many people look at our beautiful marina and think that's the port.

6:19

But there are ports in Washington that don't have water at all.

6:24

Under RCW Title 53, which is the portion of state law that defines how ports are formed, governed, and license, and financed in Washington.

6:34

Ports are public economic development agencies.

6:38

Ports use land, infrastructure, and partnerships to grow jobs and commerce.

6:44

Washington has 75 public ports, which is far more than any other state in the U.S., and that's because Title 53 is unique in its flexibility.

6:57

It affords ports in pursuing economic development.

7:02

For the Port of Edmonds, the marina is an important part of its economic development mission, but it's not the only part.

7:10

We'll talk shortly about commercial properties that the port leases to local businesses, but looking outside of Edmonds to ports that are less land constrained, provides examples of the range of different things ports can do.

7:24

The Port of Shallan Douglas is partnering with Microsoft to build data center infrastructure near Wenatchee.

7:32

A couple of years ago, the Port of Skagit bought the former Northern State Hospital campus in Cedar Woolley to preserve historic buildings and turn the site into a mixed-use development centered on education, RD, and manufacturing.

7:46

Some industrial ports partner with maritime training organizations for educational programs.

7:52

All of these activities are possible because they fall within the broad economic development mission of ports.

7:59

But importantly, the projects are in the public interest because, like you, we are accountable to the public.

8:07

As a footnote to this, economic development by ports is not intended to supplant the private sector, but ports can take a long-term view when it comes to return on investment, and also have access to funding sources such as partnerships and government grants that the public uh the private sector might not.

8:27

The Edmonds Port District boundaries were set in 1948 at a time the port, at the time the port was established, were a geographically small port district, including only part of Edmonds up to 92nd Avenue West and all of Woodway.

8:45

So for those of you who have never had the opportunity to vote for a port commissioner, it's probably because you live on the other side of 92nd.

8:56

The five commission members represent three areas within the port district, which you see here.

9:04

And there are two at-large members.

9:09

So the current port commission, Commissioner Cass is the current commission president.

9:16

The role of the Edmonds Port Commission is to set policy and strategic direction and perform fiscal and asset oversight.

9:25

It's the job of the executive director to lead a staff of about 30 employees to execute that direction and manage day-to-day operations of the port.

9:38

The port owns about 30 acres of land, which you can see on the with the white dash line, on which our boat storage and marine support facilities, leased commercial property along Admiral Way, which is the main road that runs along the waterfront there.

10:00

And at Harbor Square, also leased properties.

10:04

The Port Administration Building is there, and of course, parking.

10:12

The Port of Edmonds operations are built on four pillars, which are incorporated into our mission statement.

10:20

Recreational marina, commercial properties, environmental responsibility, which is built into everything we do, and public access, which ensures the public can enjoy the amenities, views, and charm that are unique to the Edmonds Waterfront.

10:41

Revenues and expenditures, it's a little hard to see, but just want to make a couple points here.

10:49

The marina is our largest source of revenue.

10:53

That's primarily from boat moorage and storage.

10:58

But it's also by far our largest cost.

11:02

And as we'll see shortly, marina projects are not cheap.

11:07

The other number here I want to draw your attention to property taxes are less than 5% of our port revenues.

11:17

For my talk about economic development, there has to be a business case for what we do with a small port district.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Judicial System██████████████████████22%
Economic Development███████████████15%
Transportation Safety███████████11%
Public Safety█████████9%
Fiscal Sustainability████████8%
Land Use Regulations██████6%
Procedural█████5%
Environmental Protection████4%
Community Engagement████4%
Summary of Proceedings

Edmonds City Council Regular Meeting – March 24, 2026

The Edmonds City Council met on March 24, 2026, from 6:00 PM to 9:05 PM. The meeting included presentations from the Port of Edmonds and the Municipal Court, a finance update from the Mayor, approval of the consent agenda, confirmation of a new HR Director, a resolution of intent to vacate a portion of 84th Avenue West, and a discussion on options for the wayside horn at Dayton Street railroad crossing. Public comments addressed youth activity account funding, the Lynnwood Wastewater Treatment Plant, street vacation support, and red light camera ordinance compliance.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved unanimously:
    • City Council meeting minutes (2026-03-10, 2026-03-17 committees)
    • Summer Market Special Event Agreement
    • Approval of payroll, benefit checks, direct deposit, and wire payments (03/01/2026–03/15/2026)
    • Approval of claim checks and wire payments (03/11/26, 03/18/26)
    • Senior Office Specialist (City Clerk) job description
    • PSA Amendment 2 for the Phase 16 Waterline Replacement Project

Public Comments & Testimony

  • John Martin (Mountlake Terrace): Urged council to adopt a resolution encouraging the Everett City Council to not use youth activity account funds for a professional baseball stadium, emphasizing that those funds support parks in Edmonds and neighboring communities.
  • Stephanie McLaughlin (Edmonds): Raised concerns about the Lynnwood Wastewater Treatment Plant expansion, noting it is expected to reach capacity by 2040 (only four years after completion) and that costs have already risen from $150M to $330M. She called for a regional solution.
  • Sean Leiser (applicant): Spoke in support of his 84th Avenue street vacation application, stating the state has approved it, it will clean up illegal dumping and encampments, place land in private ownership for tax base, relieve city maintenance liabilities, and enable redevelopment.
  • Ken Reedy (Edmonds, via Zoom): Argued that Ordinance 4361 (red light camera program) cites a repealed statute (RCW 46.63.170, repealed June 6, 2024) and urged the council to amend it to reference current law (RCW 46.63.210–.260), update the city code, align operations with new equity and signage requirements, and reduce litigation risk.

Presentation: Port of Edmonds

  • Commissioner Ross Dimmick, Executive Director Brandon Baker, and Economic Development Director Brittany Williams presented an overview of the port’s role as a public economic development agency under RCW Title 53.
  • The Port of Edmonds owns ~30 acres, operates a marina (900 storage spaces, 275-person waitlist, 5,000+ guest moorage nights in 2025), a boat valet, fuel dock, and 50-ton travel lift.
  • Harbor Square Business Complex: 100,000 sq ft leasable space, 93% occupied, 81 businesses, 600 employees.
  • Environmental programs include clean marina certification, underwater cleanups, hazardous waste disposal, oyster shell water purification, and treated pressure wash water.
  • North Port Walk and Seawall Reconstruction Project (3 phases, $38–40M total): Phase 1 (admin building) completed 2024 at $10M; Phase 2 (site prep/electrification) 100% funded, starting late 2026; Phase 3 (950-ft seawall and walkway) – funding mix being finalized, includes 6-inch elevation for sea-level rise.
  • 2026 priorities include starting Phase 2 construction, pursuing Phase 3 funding, and a master planning process (first full update in ~20 years).
  • Councilmembers asked about coordination with city’s comprehensive plan, leasehold excise tax revenue, boutique hotel projections, World Cup opportunities, connecting downtown to waterfront, climate impacts, and active entertainment for youth.

Presentation: Edmonds Municipal Court – State of the Court

  • Judge Neil Weiss and Assistant Court Administrator Omar Gomez presented.
  • Court handles misdemeanors, infractions, parking, photo enforcement, dangerous dog hearings, and vehicle impounds.
  • 2025 filings jumped dramatically due to red light camera enforcement (began May 2025). Parking/photo enforcement filings (labeled as parking) reached ~25,000, an 8× increase from 2023 and >3× increase from 2024.
  • Red light filings: 21,000 in 2025 (partial year) vs. school speed zone: 2,003. Monthly peak: ~4,000 in May/June, then ~2,500 in December.
  • Criminal cases returned to pre-pandemic levels.
  • To manage volume, court added extra hearings (Mondays, Fridays, written, ex parte), created a financial hardship form, and implemented a text messaging program (15,000+ reminders sent) and an administrative warrant quash policy.
  • Blake case vacates: Completed 850 dismissals, first court to work with AOC’s Blake unit.
  • Community Court: Monthly resource fair (first Monday, 1 PM) with ~10 vendors; Therapeutic Community Court (weekly Tuesdays) for high-risk/high-need individuals; participants reported program helped avoid future legal trouble.
  • Budget: Court came in under budget due to delayed hiring (savings ~$280K), offset by credit card fee increases. Grants (Blake, therapeutic, interpreter, pretrial) returned ~$175K to city.
  • Incarceration costs: Steadily increasing but per-case costs remain comparable to pre-COVID when adjusted for contractual 3% annual increases.
  • Upcoming: Lynnwood Jail interlocal agreement begins March 30, expanding from 3 to 8 in-custody calendars per week; new statewide case management system (replacing DOS-based legacy system) implemented September 2026 with no direct city cost; credit card fees will shift to state-run system, passed to payers.
  • Councilmembers asked about alternatives to incarceration, net financial impact of red light cameras, convenience fees, ICE protections for undocumented community members, and staffing adequacy.

Presentation: Mayor’s Finance Update

  • Mayor Rosen reported good news: Grant for Olympic View Drive overlay increased from $700K to $1.4M, reducing city contribution from ~$1.1M to $457K, thanks to Transportation Engineer Bertrand House.
  • Bad news: Fuel costs have risen sharply—$37,000 for a purchase in late January vs. $51,000 for the same amount six weeks later—impacting city operations despite efforts to use alternative vehicles and reduce idling.

Council Business

1. HR Director Confirmation of Appointment

  • Mayor Rosen appointed Lisa Takach as HR Director after a nationwide search (60+ applicants, interviews with leadership, community panel, mayor, and council).
  • Motion to confirm and approve employment agreement passed unanimously.
  • Ms. Takach addressed council, expressing excitement to join the city and lead the HR team.

2. 84th Avenue Street Vacation – Resolution of Intent to Vacate

  • Staff presented the resolution for a portion of 84th Avenue West. After extensive prior discussion, the council had no new questions.
  • Motion to approve the resolution, subject to conditions, passed unanimously.
  • Councilmembers noted that concerns (utility easements, access for neighbors/businesses) had been resolved and that state law requires half of any compensation to be dedicated to open space or transportation capital projects. The city attorney recommended that language be included in the subsequent ordinance, not the resolution.

3. Options for the Wayside Horn at Dayton St. Railroad Crossing

  • Transportation Engineer Bertrand House presented four options:
    1. Replace existing QZT system (vendor out of business) with Rio Grande Technology system (~$100K total cost).
    2. Remove wayside horn at Dayton only; train horns resume at that crossing.
    3. Remove wayside horns at both Dayton and Main Street; train horns resume at both.
    4. Keep existing system but only respond to service failure calls during weekday working hours (2025 call-out cost $8K).
  • Staff recommended Option 1 as preferred, but noted no funding in 2026 budget; temporary fallback of Option 4 if funding unavailable. A local improvement district was not recommended.
  • Council discussion: Members expressed concern about safety (fatalities have occurred at crossing) vs. cost and staff frustration (125 call-outs since 2019, $19K total overtime costs). Option 4 was argued to maintain safety because train engineers will blow horns if wayside horn fails.
  • Motion (Councilmember Payne): Adopt Option 4. Seconded.
  • Amendment (Councilmember Dutch): Add “until funding becomes available to remove the QZT system at Dayton Crossing and replace with Rio Grande Technology system.”
    • Amendment debate: Supporters (Dutch, Nand, Payne, Eck) cited desire to pursue a permanent fix when possible; opponents (Chen, Barnett, Olson) cited current financial constraints, need for further due diligence on moisture issues, and decibel testing.
    • Amendment passed 4-3 (Eck, Dutch, Payne, Nand yes; Chen, Barnett, Olson no).
  • Main motion as amended: Unanimously approved (7-0).

Key Outcomes

  • Unanimously approved consent agenda, HR director appointment, and 84th Avenue street vacation resolution.
  • Adopted Option 4 for the wayside horn at Dayton Street, with an amendment directing staff to pursue replacement with a Rio Grande (or equivalent) system when funding becomes available. Funding not currently allocated; implementation during weekday hours only.
  • The council extended the meeting to 9:10 PM to complete business.
  • Meeting adjourned at 9:05 PM.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening, everyone. Welcome to the March twenty-fourth edition of the Edmund City Council. I will call this meeting to order. Please join me in the flag salute. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to every public for which hands one nation under God. Thank you. Mr. Lani, can we have a roll call, please? Councilmember Eck. Councilmember Chen. Councilmember Barnett. Council President Dutch. Councilmember Olson. Councilmember Payne. Councilmember Nand. Anybody opposed, please raise your hand and say nay. And our first one is from our good friends at the port. Welcome. Okay. And on behalf of the Edmonds Port Commission, I thank you for the opportunity to speak with you tonight, especially being first up. That's great, thanks. I'm here with the Port's Executive Director, the literature literatively named Brandon Baker, who will also be presenting tonight, and our director of economic development, Brittany Williams, back there. I've been on the commission for just under one year, and I've been designated as the commission's liaison with the Edmunds City Council for 2026. So you may have noticed my attendance at your recent council meetings, and that's why I'm here tonight to explain a little bit about what a port is within the state of Washington, what port districts can do under the law. Then Executive Director Baker will speak about our port operations, and finally, I'll talk briefly about our upcoming activities this year, and the kickoff of our master planning process. Let's start with something basic but kind of confusing. For Edmonds, many people look at our beautiful marina and think that's the port. But there are ports in Washington that don't have water at all. Under RCW Title 53, which is the portion of state law that defines how ports are formed, governed, and license, and financed in Washington. Ports are public economic development agencies. Ports use land, infrastructure, and partnerships to grow jobs and commerce. Washington has 75 public ports, which is far more than any other state in the U.S., and that's because Title 53 is unique in its flexibility. It affords ports in pursuing economic development. For the Port of Edmonds, the marina is an important part of its economic development mission, but it's not the only part. We'll talk shortly about commercial properties that the port leases to local businesses, but looking outside of Edmonds to ports that are less land constrained, provides examples of the range of different things ports can do. The Port of Shallan Douglas is partnering with Microsoft to build data center infrastructure near Wenatchee. A couple of years ago, the Port of Skagit bought the former Northern State Hospital campus in Cedar Woolley to preserve historic buildings and turn the site into a mixed-use development centered on education, RD, and manufacturing. Some industrial ports partner with maritime training organizations for educational programs. All of these activities are possible because they fall within the broad economic development mission of ports. But importantly, the projects are in the public interest because, like you, we are accountable to the public. As a footnote to this, economic development by ports is not intended to supplant the private sector, but ports can take a long-term view when it comes to return on investment, and also have access to funding sources such as partnerships and government grants that the public uh the private sector might not. The Edmonds Port District boundaries were set in 1948 at a time the port, at the time the port was established, were a geographically small port district, including only part of Edmonds up to 92nd Avenue West and all of Woodway. So for those of you who have never had the opportunity to vote for a port commissioner, it's probably because you live on the other side of 92nd. The five commission members represent three areas within the port district, which you see here. And there are two at-large members. So the current port commission, Commissioner Cass is the current commission president. The role of the Edmonds Port Commission is to set policy and strategic direction and perform fiscal and asset oversight. It's the job of the executive director to lead a staff of about 30 employees to execute that direction and manage day-to-day operations of the port. The port owns about 30 acres of land, which you can see on the with the white dash line, on which our boat storage and marine support facilities, leased commercial property along Admiral Way, which is the main road that runs along the waterfront there. And at Harbor Square, also leased properties.

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