Everett City Council Meeting: Housekeeping Amendments, Charter Review, Legislative Preview (January 21, 2026)
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Everett City Council Meeting - January 21, 2026
The Everett City Council met at 6:30 PM on January 21, 2026, in Council Chambers. The meeting began with the Pledge of Allegiance and a Land Acknowledgment. Key actions included the unanimous adoption of a housekeeping ordinance for the Everett 2044 comprehensive plan updates, the approval of appointments to the Charter Review Committee, and a legislative session preview from the city's lobbyist. The council also heard presentations from the Economic Alliance of Snohomish County and the Mukilteo School District regarding a February 2026 bond and levy election.
Consent Calendar
- Claims Payable: Resolution authorizing claims against the city totaling $3,460,865.23 for the period ending December 26, 2025.
- BNSF Pipeline Licenses: Four licenses (25W-24305, 25W-24307, 25W-24309, 25W-24310) for the Port Gardner Storage Facility construction.
- BNSF Water Main License: License at SR5 near E Grand Avenue.
- Merrill and Ring Creek Bridge Replacement: Amendment No. 1 with David Evans and Associates, Inc.
- PlanSource Service Agreement: Agreement to implement PlanSource products.
Public Comments & Testimony
- John Moranty (Pacific Ridge Homes, resident of South Everett) spoke in support of the staff-recommended amendment (Sheet One) to Council Bill 2512-91, noting that reducing the fee-in-lieu from $15 to $9 per square foot would lower the cost per unit by approximately $11,000 and help make homeownership more attainable.
- Russell Joe (Master Builders Association, Bellevue) expressed support for Sheet One but requested that Council Member Ryan’s proposed amendment (Sheet One A) be sent to the Planning Commission for further study, citing the need to evaluate its impact on housing costs and displacement.
Discussion Items
- Mayor's Introduction of New Firefighters: Chief Dave DeMarco introduced Stephen Council Vaughan and Cameron Kaulia, who completed their initial 16-week academy and will begin operational duties. Council President Schwab administered the firefighter's oath.
- Economic Alliance of Snohomish County Presentation: Former Mayor Ray Stephenson highlighted international recruitment efforts (Select USA, Paris Air Show), a healthcare summit, and a contracting conference that drew 550 attendees. He noted a 13% bidding preference for state shipbuilders and discussed legislation to expand that preference.
- Mukilteo School District Presentation: Representatives John Pullman and Shelley Henderson presented two February 10, 2026 ballot measures: Proposition 1 (a four-year educational programs levy renewal at an estimated $1.88 per $1,000 assessed value) and Proposition 2 (a $400 million capital bond for school replacements, security upgrades, and facility improvements). The combined tax rate increase for an average home ($659,200) would be about $21 per month.
- Council Comments: Councilmembers reported on neighborhood meetings, the MLK celebration, library board updates, and the upcoming council retreat on January 31.
- Council Bill 2512-91 – Everett 2044 Housekeeping Amendments: This third and final reading ordinance makes clarifications and corrections to development regulations adopted in July 2025. A key change relaxes inclusionary zoning requirements for owner-occupied housing: instead of reserving 20% of units for households earning up to 80% of area median income (AMI), the requirement becomes 20% for households earning up to 100% AMI. The fee-in-lieu for owner-occupied units is reduced from $15 to $9 per square foot. Staff recommended Amendment Sheet One (including two additional ways to ensure owner-occupancy and an inflation adjustment). Councilmember Ryan proposed Amendment Sheet One A, which would further require 10% of units be sold to first-time homebuyers and prohibit the $9 fee if a habitable dwelling was demolished on the site. After debate, the council voted to adopt the ordinance with Amendment Sheet One only, and directed that the concepts in Sheet One A be sent to the Planning Commission for further study.
- Charter Review Committee Appointments: The council approved seven appointments (Brady Begin, Grant Harrington, Sherry Ierton, Tom Norcott, Sophia Pastor, Mason Rutledge, Deb Williams). Mayor Franklin announced seven mayoral appointees (Rod Sniffin, Randy Bollerjack, Leland Dart, John Trainer, Ellie Vasquez, Liz Stenhouse, Emily Hoke). The committee’s first meeting is set for February 12 at 4:30 PM.
- Legislative Session Preview and Update: Lobbyist Trevor Justin provided an overview of the 60-day session, noting a $1.6 billion state shortfall. He discussed the city’s legislative priorities: capital budget provisos, support for the Regional Fire Authority bill (HB 2224 / SB 6037) to enable a fire benefit charge, opposition to unfunded mandates, tracking of the public camping preemption bill (HB 2024), and work on automated license plate reader regulations (SB 6002). The city has not recommended adoption of the public safety sales tax due to compliance challenges.
Key Outcomes
- Consent Items (1–5): Approved unanimously (7-0).
- Council Bill 2512-91 (Item 6): Passed on third reading as amended by Sheet One (7-0). The fee-in-lieu for owner-occupied housing was reduced to $9 per square foot; the Planning Commission will review the additional proposals in Sheet One A.
- Charter Review Committee Appointments (Item 7): Approved unanimously (7-0). Councilmember appointments will be joined by mayoral appointees; the committee will select a 15th member at its first meeting.
- Historic Commission Appointments: Harmony Cooper (position 1) and Marcus Nunes (position 8) were confirmed by the council.
- Next Steps: The council retreat is scheduled for January 31, 2026, from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM at the Everett Station. The Planning Commission will consider the additional homeownership and displacement protections proposed in Amendment Sheet One A.
Meeting Transcript
Good evening, residents of Everett, Washington. I'd like to call to order the Everett City Council meeting of January 21st, 2026. For more information on council meetings and how to participate, please visit our website at Everett Wad.gov slash city council. Clerk, will you please take the role? Mayor Franklin, here. Councilmember Zarlingo. Here. Councilmember Burbano. Yeah. Councilmember Tui. Here. Councilmember Weir. Here. Councilmember Bader. Here. Vice President Ryan. Here. President Schwab. Here. At this time, I'd like to ask Councilmember Weir to lead the Pledge of Allegiance. At this time, I'd like to ask Councilmember Bader to read the land acknowledgement. The city council wishes to acknowledge the original inhabitants of this place, the Stahocia people and their successors, the Talaylop tribes. Since time immemorial, they have hunted fish gathered on and taking care of these lands and waters. We respect their sovereignty, their right to self-determination, and honor their sacred spiritual connection with the land and water. We'll strive to be honest about our past mistakes and bring about a future that includes their people's stories and voices to form a more just and equitable society. Thank you very much. Well, good evening, Mayor. Good evening, President Schwab and Council members and our community. First, I'm happy to be swearing in two new firefighters and like to invite Chief DeMarco forward to introduce them. All right. Good evening, Mayor and Council. Dave DeMarco, Fire Department. It's a pleasure to introduce you tonight to new firefighters. These gentlemen are at the end of their initial academy training. So for the last 16 weeks, they've been learning the fundamentals of being a firefighter. Next week they will go out into operations and start to serve the community on the street and spend the rest of their first year on probation learning all of their first year skills in what will eventually be a career of learning that really doesn't stop until you get to my age and you're kind of done. So first tonight, I'm going to introduce Council Vaughn. Council, you can step forward. Council's originally from Fairhope, Alabama, and now lives in North Everett with his wife and two children. For the past seven years, Council has worked in HR software sales and implementation. Prior to that, he worked as a lifeguard at Pensacola Beach, Florida. Council holds a bachelor's degree in international studies from the University of West Florida, an MBA from National Taiwan Normal University. In his free time, he enjoys snowboarding, sailing, and camping with his family. Council, welcome to the Everett Fire Department. All right, next I have Cameron Colya. Cameron spent most of his childhood in Renton and currently lives in Kenmore with his wife and son. Cameron has a bachelor of science in manufacturing and supply chain management from Western Washington University. He worked in the aerospace industry, doing process improvement and has his own small metal fabrication and welding company. He has no previous fire service experience. Cameron enjoys spending time with his family, remodeling his home, playing chess, and staying fit.
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