Edmonds City Council Special Meeting – June 17, 2026

Note: The agenda and transcript list the meeting date as June 16, 2026, but the provided metadata indicates June 17, 2026. This summary uses the latter date per instructions.

The Edmonds City Council held a special meeting on June 17, 2026, to conduct interviews for two vacancies on the Salary Commission and to discuss a draft letter to the Everett City Council and Mayor regarding utility tax and water rate proposals. The meeting was called to order at 5:30 PM and extended to 6:30 PM via unanimous vote.

Board/Commission Appointment Interviews – Salary Commission

Human Resources Director Lisa Takich presented the background: Ordinance 4372 (December 2024) suspended the Salary Commission for two years; Ordinance 4435 (May 2026) resumed it. The five-member commission had two vacancies after one term expired and one member resigned. Mayor Rosen appointed two candidates: Alicia Koney and Jerry Masters. Council members interviewed each candidate.

Interview with Alicia Koney

• Alicia Koney, a 25-year Edmonds resident and owner of Kone Consulting, expressed gratitude for the council’s service. She highlighted her data-driven approach and experience with wage/salary analyses.
• Councilmember Eck asked what unique skills she brings; she cited grounding in data and experience with comparable salary studies.
• Councilmember Chen asked about balancing city finances with fair compensation. Koney emphasized considering the city budget, the need to avoid barriers for elected officials, and time commitments.
• Councilmember Nand shared an example of incumbents running unopposed (72 positions in Snohomish County in 2023) and asked how she would incorporate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Koney responded that she would factor in cost of living in Edmonds and the risk of disincentivizing qualified candidates if compensation is too low.
• Council President Bosh asked how she would weigh data versus public sentiment. Koney said she would stand behind data if sentiment conflicted, but would also value public input.
• Councilmember Olson raised a potential conflict of interest if Koney consulted for the city while on the commission. Koney stated she would not pursue city work during her tenure, considering it a conflict.

Interview with Jerry Masters

• Jerry Masters, an eight-year Edmonds resident and retired business owner, noted his volunteer experience on the Northwest Straits Commission and Snohomish County Marine Resources Committee, including wage/salary survey work.
• Councilmember Chen asked about the city’s financial situation. Masters replied that the city’s financial situation is secondary to determining fair pay; he would not advance a career by underpaying people.
• Councilmember Nand repeated the DEI question. Masters acknowledged his privilege as a white male and said he would listen to others and follow guidance on DEI.
• Council President Bosh asked about data vs. public sentiment. Masters said the commission’s job is to do its job even if sentiment differs; revenue issues should be separate from job value.
• Councilmember Barnett asked about selecting comparable jurisdictions. Masters emphasized looking at neighboring cities with similar demographics and structures, and communicating findings to citizens.
• Councilmember Payne asked about unique skills. Masters cited his experience negotiating funding for the Northwest Straits Commission in 2010, requiring him to speak truth to power and advocate for the value of the work.
• Councilmember Olson noted that Masters’ initial reaction was “who would want to do that,” but he later applied. Masters agreed.

No formal vote was taken; the interviews were conducted for council consideration. The council will presumably forward the appointments to the Salary Commission.

Letter to Everett City Council and Mayor

Council President Bosh introduced a draft letter regarding Everett’s proposed utility tax and regional water policy. The letter aimed to correct a misstatement that Edmonds imposes a utility tax on customers outside its limits, and to express concerns about representation and financial impacts.

Councilmembers provided feedback:

• Councilmember Barnett suggested using bullet points or bolding to highlight key points (e.g., Edmonds does not tax outside customers, the tax would apply to unrepresented customers, the proposal compounds existing water rate increases). She noted the letter should be easy to scan.
• Councilmember Nand recommended softening “respectfully clarify that this characterization is incorrect” to “respectfully wish to clarify that this characterization is incorrect.” She also suggested removing references to Alderwood Water and Wastewater District to keep the focus on correcting the misstatement, but later agreed to keep it after discussion.
• Councilmember Payne supported keeping the Alderwood references because Edmonds buys water through Alderwood and the connection is relevant.
• Councilmember Olson proposed minor edits: adding “and been relied on in support of” after “discussion of the proposed ordinance,” and adding “who do not directly benefit from Edmonds’ general fund expenditures” after “neighboring jurisdictions.” She also preferred bolding over bullets and emphasized expediency.
• Councilmember Chen suggested the city also communicate with its own residents via a PIO statement.
• Councilmember Olson opposed bolding, preferring underlining or italics for emphasis.
• Council President Bosh noted the mayor would sign the letter, so the opening should include the mayor.

Consensus: The letter would be sent with the agreed edits (adding the mayor, softening the clarification language, incorporating Olson’s additions, and retaining Alderwood references). Council President Bosh and Councilmember Barnett volunteered to finalize the draft and send it promptly.

Key Outcomes

• Interviews conducted: No formal vote was taken on the Salary Commission appointments; the council will proceed with the mayor’s appointments.
• Letter to Everett: The council agreed to finalize and send the letter with the discussed edits. Council President Bosh and Councilmember Barnett will complete the draft and transmit it.
• Meeting extension: The council unanimously voted to extend the meeting from 5:30 PM to 6:30 PM to allow sufficient discussion.
• Next steps: The letter will be sent to the Everett City Council and Mayor; the city may also issue a public information statement to Edmonds residents.