The Edmonds City Council convened on April 14, 2026, at 6:00 PM. The meeting featured a proclamation for Earth Day 2026, a public hearing on extending the interim landmark tree ordinance (Interim Ordinance No. 4389) for six months, and approval of the consent agenda. The Public Defender’s annual report was moved to a later agenda item and subsequently tabled due to the presenter’s absence. Council members also delivered comments on national, local, and youth-related topics.
All items on the consent agenda were approved unanimously. Key items included:
Items filed without discussion: Claim for Damages (Jean Holtrop and Theresa Hollis), written public comments, and a Tree Code Update Progress Report.
Staff (Deb, Planning and Development) explained that the interim ordinance, which temporarily restricts removal of landmark trees (≥30 inches trunk diameter), was adopted in April 2025 in response to the removal of “Big Red” sequoia. It expires at the end of April 2026. The proposed extension would allow continued protection through October 2026 while the city completes a permanent tree code update.
Public Testimony (all speakers supported the extension):
Council Discussion:
No vote was taken on the ordinance extension during this meeting; it was a public hearing with council questions.
Item 10.1 (Public Defender’s Annual Report) was tabled by unanimous consent due to the presenter’s absence.
The meeting adjourned at 6:35 PM.
Good evening. Welcome to the April 14th edition of the Edmonds City Council. Would you all please join me in the flag salute? I pledge a lead to the flag. And to the Republic for which it spans one nation under God into this. Thank you. For the land acknowledgement, Councilmember Payne, please. Thank you. We acknowledge the original inhabitants of this place, this Nahomish people and their successors, the Tulelope tribes, who since time immemorial have hunted, fished, and gathered and taken care of these lands. We respect their sovereignty and their right to self-determination, and we honor their sacred spiritual connection with the land and water. Thank you. Can we have a roll call, please? Councilmember Eck. Councilmember Chen. Councilmember Barnett. Council President Dutch. Councilmember Olson. Councilmember Payne. Councilmember Nand. Mayor Rosen. All elected officials are present. Thank you. Our next item of business is approval of the agenda. It's been moved and seconded. All in favor of approving the agenda, please raise your hands and say aye. Aye. Anyone opposed, please raise your hand and say nay. Motion is carried unanimously. Thank you. Next item of business is presentations. The first presentation is a proclamation for Earth Day 2026, and I will be joined at the podium by Bill Derry, who has many titles, including president of Phil Chuck Audubon Society and member of the leadership team with the Edmonds Marsh Estuary Advocates, affectionately known as the Martians. Twenty million people participated. Think about that. Twenty million. No internet, no cell phones, no email. They made it happen. Earth Day 2026, whereas Earth Day 2026 affirms that even with our abundance of rich and beautiful land, water, and air, they are finite and must be preserved and passed on as a legacy to generations yet unborn. And whereas environmental stewardship is sustained in daily decisions by each one of us as individuals. And whereas environmental action is local and decentralized. Policy shifts do happen in our Edmonds, not just in Washington, D.C. or the other side of the world. Environmental protection of our global ecosystems affects everyone, everywhere. And whereas at a moment of heightened uncertainty and environmental stress, one conclusion is clear. We must meet the test of our time and rededicate ourselves to the great tasks of preserving our environment. Now there are therefore I'm Mike Rosen, mayor of the City of Edmonds, Washington, do hereby proclaim April 22nd, 2026 Earth Day in Edmonds, and hereby encourage residents, businesses, and institutions to use Earth Day to celebrate the Earth and commit to exercise their power in service of the planet we all depend on. And this is my favorite planet. Mr. Derry. Thank you. Same as you I feel funny standing up here by myself because I've never done the only good thing I've done by myself is propose to my wife.