OpenPublica

Accountability starts with access.

© 2026 · Filed for the public record

Use casesAboutAPIPrivacyTermsLinkedIn
Home/Edmonds, Washington/City Council & Boards
OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Edmonds City Council Regular Meeting - November 2, 2026

City Council & Boards — Monday, November 2, 2026
BodyEdmonds, Washington
SessionCity Council & Boards
DateMonday, November 2, 2026
StatusNEW · FILED
Video Record
0:00 / 2:49:26

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

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording. Names come from transcript evidence. “Possibly” marks uncertain attribution.

Speaker 1

0:38

All right.

0:39

Good evening.

0:40

We will now call the meeting to order for the November 2nd Edmonds City Council.

0:45

Would you all please join me in the flag salute?

Unassigned speaker

0:49

My

Speaker 2

0:49

pledge is to the flag

Unassigned speaker

0:52

of the

Speaker 2

0:52

United States of America

Unassigned speaker

0:54

and to the Republic for which it stands.

Unassigned speaker

0:58

Another God.

Speaker 1

1:04

Thank you.

1:05

Land acknowledgement.

1:06

Can I ask Council President Dash, please?

Speaker 2

1:10

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

1:24

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

Unassigned speaker

1:32

Thank

Speaker 3

1:32

you.

1:33

Mr.

1:33

Clerk, can we get a roll call, please?

1:35

Councilmember Eck.

1:37

Here.

1:38

Councilmember Chen.

1:39

Councilmember Barnett.

1:41

Council President Dodge.

1:42

Councilmember Olson.

1:44

Councilmember Payne.

1:45

Councilmember Nand.

1:47

Mayor Rosen.

Unassigned speaker

1:48

All elected officials are present.

Speaker 1

1:49

Thank you.

1:50

Our next item of business is approval of the agenda.

1:55

It's been moved.

1:56

And seconded.

1:58

Council President Dodge.

Speaker 2

2:00

I move to amend the agenda by removing items twelve point three and twelve point four with both items to be rescheduled to a future meeting in 2026.

Speaker 1

2:09

Second.

2:15

Seeing none, all in favor of removing Council Business 12.3 and 12.4.

2:21

Please raise your hands and say aye.

2:24

Anyone opposed, please raise your hand and say nay.

2:27

Motion passes unanimously.

2:29

So that brings us to approving the agenda as amended.

2:33

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

2:36

Anyone opposed, please raise their hand and say nay.

2:38

Motion carries unanimously.

2:40

Thank

Unassigned speaker

2:40

you.

Speaker 1

2:41

Our next item of business is presentations.

2:45

And tonight I will be proclaiming Diwali Festival of Lights.

2:50

And uh joining me at the podium will be Suresh Sharma, who is the counsel and head of chancery for the consulate general of India, Seattle.

3:17

Whereas Diwali, also known as the Festival of Lights, is one of the most significant and cherished celebrations for millions of people all over the world, including many residents in the city of Edmonds.

3:29

And whereas Diwali has been celebrated for thousands of years by various cultures and symbolizes the triumph of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance, and hope over despair.

3:40

And whereas Diwali traditionally includes the lighting of oil lamps called Dias, sharing meals, exchanging goodwill, and participating in acts of service and reflection.

3:50

And whereas for generations, local Hindu and South Asian communities that observe Diwali have contributed significantly to the cultural, civic, and economic vitality of the City of Edmonds and Washington State.

4:02

And whereas the Consulate General of India in Seattle, which recently established its presence in Seattle, continues to foster people-to-people ties between India and the United States, strengthening cultural bonds celebrated through shared traditions such as Diwali.

4:18

And whereas the City of Edmonds is committed to recognizing Diwali in the hopes of increasing the awareness of the rich cultural heritage and traditions of our local Hindu and South Asian communities, and to come together in the spirit of friendship, inclusion, and community.

4:32

Now there, I for Mike Rosen, Mayor of the City of Edmonds, do hereby proclaim November 8th, twenty twenty-six is Diwali Festival of Lights Day in the City of Edmonds, and I encourage all residents to join in recognizing and celebrating the cultural writtenness, community contributions, and enduring values celebrated during this important festival.

Speaker 4

5:23

Honorable Mayor Mike Rosen, distinguished members of Edmund City Council, friends from Indian American community, ladies and gentlemen.

5:35

It is a privilege to be here in Edmunds tonight on behalf of Consulate General of India in Seattle.

5:42

I thank you, Mayor Rosen and the City Council for proclaiming Diwali in the city of Edmunds.

5:48

Diwali is the festival of light, is one of the India's most loved festival.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural████████████████████████████28%
Fiscal Sustainability██████████████14%
Water And Wastewater Management██████████████14%
Economic Development████████8%
Public Engagement███████7%
Budget Equity Analysis██████6%
Government Structure█████5%
Arts And Culture████4%
Transportation Safety████4%
Summary of Proceedings

Edmonds City Council Regular Meeting - November 2, 2026

The Edmonds City Council met in regular session at 6:00 PM on November 2, 2026, in Council Chambers at 250 5th Ave N, Edmonds, WA. All elected officials were present. The council amended the agenda to reschedule two planning items, approved the consent agenda, heard a Diwali proclamation and the 2027 state legislative agenda, received a finance update, held public hearings on utility rates and the 2027-2028 biennium budget, met in executive session, and authorized the city to join Seattle in litigation. The meeting adjourned at 8:47 PM.

Agenda Action

  • Council unanimously removed items 12.3 (Conversion or Addition of Dwelling Units in Existing Buildings code amendment) and 12.4 (Westgate Neighborhood Center Map Updates) from the agenda and rescheduled both to a future meeting in 2026.
  • The agenda as amended was approved unanimously.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved unanimously: the construction contract award for the Olympic View Drive Pavement Preservation Project; the Arlington Airport use agreement; and the separation agreement with Finance Director Richard Gould.

Received for Filing

  • Claims for damages from Healthcare Realty Trust, Kai Yan Chan, and Sean Gwizdak were received for filing.

Presentations

Diwali Proclamation

  • Mayor Rosen proclaimed November 8, 2026, as Diwali Festival of Lights Day in Edmonds. Suresh Sharma, Counsel and Head of Chancery for the Consulate General of India in Seattle, accepted the proclamation and thanked the city, noting that Diwali is celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, and Buddhists and represents light over darkness and togetherness.

2027 State Legislative Agenda

  • New lobbyists Brianna Murray and Kyle Schroeder of Gordon Thomas Honeywell presented the draft 2027 legislative agenda. They recommended a top-three-to-five priority front page and a separate support/oppose/monitor list, and highlighted the 2027 long session, constrained operating and transportation budgets, and the more stable capital budget.
  • The draft agenda included a $4 million transportation request for Highway 99 right-of-way acquisition, preserving prior allocations of $22.5 million and $16.5 million, plus a $1 million capital request for Yost Pool and support positions across fiscal sustainability, public safety, transportation, housing, and environment.
  • Councilmembers provided feedback including restoring the longstanding marsh/Unocal property earmark, strengthening fiscal sustainability and revenue-sharing language, opposing HB 2489 on no-camping enforcement, and tracking tort reform, unfunded mandates, CERB/economic development, and possible Amtrak support. One councilmember suggested wastewater treatment needs should be prioritized over additional Highway 99 funding; staff explained the $4 million is for right-of-way and comes from a different funding bucket. The lobbyists committed to weekly updates during session. The city administrator said a revised draft would be brought back, likely on the next consent agenda.

Mayor's Finance Update

  • The mayor gave a preview of the September and third-quarter report. Compared with cumulative budget estimates: REET was about $158,000 lower; property taxes were $35,000 lower; lodging tax was about $40,000 higher; sales tax was about $780,000 above forecast and about $785,000 above last year. Development services revenues were at 139% of the budgeted amount, about $1.3 million above expectations, with the city 75% through the year.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No general audience comments were offered during the regular audience-comment period.

Public Hearings

Utility Rate Study and Future Utility Rate Ordinance - Second Reading

  • Teresa Hollis (Edmonds) said the stormwater ordinance is silent on semi-annual billing even though about 3,000 customers in the Olympic View Water and Sewer District territory receive semi-annual bills, and she asked the city to fill that gap. She also said if her home were 10 blocks north in city service territory, she would pay 48% more for water starting in January.
  • Jim Oganowski (Edmonds) asked the council to make sure the utility rate package, budget, and CPI documents align, warning that downstream problems could become more onerous.
  • A remote participant named Heidi had audio difficulties; a councilmember later noted Heidi Dowtree's emailed comments had been received.

2027-2028 Proposed Biennium Budget - Second Public Hearing / Fourth Reading

  • Staff presented the mayor's proposed budget, noting the November 2023 fiscal emergency, the 1% property tax limit, temporary revenues including the utility tax set to expire after 2028, and a proposed 2027-28 general fund plan with revenues exceeding planned expenditures by $2.5 million and a rebuilt ending fund balance.
  • Jim Oganowski commended the general fund improvement but warned that total city expenditures remain above total revenue and that special revenue fund reserves are being drawn down by 40% over the biennium. He urged the council not to treat the reserve buildup as new spending capacity and suggested a utility tax decrease instead if funds allow.

Executive Session

  • The council entered executive session under RCW 42.30.110(1)(i) to discuss litigation or potential litigation with legal counsel. It reconvened at 7:55 PM, and no action was taken in executive session.

Council Business

Litigation Authorization

  • Council unanimously approved a motion for the City of Edmonds to join as co-plaintiff in a declaratory judgment action led by the City of Seattle concerning public records requests submitted by "Gimme Derecords at Proton" regarding the city's computer infrastructure, and authorized the city attorney to take consistent actions.

Utility Rate Study Discussion - Third Reading

  • Public Works Director Mandy Ray, City Engineer Mike Lala, and consultant Chris Gonzalez answered council questions. They explained that proposed rate increases include about 9.7% for water in 2027 and about 7% for sewer, that large capital projects such as the Lynnwood wastewater treatment plant are expected to be partially bond-funded, and that annual replacement projects are not bonded.
  • Chris Gonzalez said deferring water rate increases for 2027-28 would draw the water utility's ending fund balance from about $15 million in 2026 to about $2 million by 2029 and negative by 2030, requiring much larger increases later.
  • Councilmembers discussed Edmonds' 20% utility tax rate compared with Seattle's 12%, Bremerton's 18%, and rates of 6-12% in most other jurisdictions. Staff indicated lowering the rate would reduce the general fund balance, with essentially no cash reserves by the end of 2028 at 18%.
  • Staff acknowledged the semi-annual billing issue raised in public comment and committed to review whether the code needs to be updated.
  • Council unanimously voted to forward the utility rate ordinance to the November 10, 2026 consent agenda for approval; it can be pulled from consent if further discussion is needed.

Council Comments

  • Councilmembers thanked the Consulate General of India and the Edmonds Chamber of Commerce for the Diwali proclamation and downtown Halloween festivities, and urged residents to turn in ballots by 8:00 PM the following day. Information about replacement ballots at votewa.gov was also shared.

Key Outcomes

  • Agenda amended and approved unanimously.
  • Consent calendar approved unanimously.
  • Diwali proclamation issued for November 8, 2026.
  • City authorized to join Seattle declaratory judgment action unanimously.
  • Utility rate ordinance forwarded to the November 10, 2026 consent agenda unanimously.
  • 2027 state legislative agenda will be revised and brought back for council action.
  • The 2027-2028 budget public hearing was closed; no budget adoption occurred at this meeting.

Meeting Transcript

All right. Good evening. We will now call the meeting to order for the November 2nd Edmonds City Council. Would you all please join me in the flag salute? My pledge is to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. Another God. Thank you. Land acknowledgement. Can I ask Council President Dash, please? We acknowledge the original inhabitants of this place, Stohomish people and their successors, the Talelep tribes, who since time immemorial have hunted, fished, gathered, and taken care of these lands. We respect their sovereignty, the right to self-determination, and we honor their sacred spiritual connection with the land and water. Thank you. Mr. Clerk, can we get a roll call, please? Councilmember Eck. Here. Councilmember Chen. Councilmember Barnett. Council President Dodge. 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. Council President Dodge. I move to amend the agenda by removing items twelve point three and twelve point four with both items to be rescheduled to a future meeting in 2026. Second. Seeing none, all in favor of removing Council Business 12.3 and 12.4. Please raise your hands and say aye. Anyone opposed, please raise your hand and say nay. Motion passes unanimously. So that brings us to approving the agenda as amended. All in favor, please raise your hands and say aye. Anyone opposed, please raise their hand and say nay. Motion carries unanimously. Thank you. Our next item of business is presentations. And tonight I will be proclaiming Diwali Festival of Lights. And uh joining me at the podium will be Suresh Sharma, who is the counsel and head of chancery for the consulate general of India, Seattle. Whereas Diwali, also known as the Festival of Lights, is one of the most significant and cherished celebrations for millions of people all over the world, including many residents in the city of Edmonds.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI
TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com