Lynnwood council welcomes new members, OKs health care contract for Community Justice Center

Lynnwood City Hall was filled with well-wishers Monday as five elected officials were sworn into their positions during the Lynnwood City Council’s Dec. 11 meeting. Additionally, two officials leaving the council – Councilmember Jim Smith and Council President Shannon Sessions – were formally acknowledged for their contributions to the council and city as a whole. Family members, friends and supporters gathered en masse during the council’s final meeting of 2023 to celebrate the joyous occasion.

Newcomers Nick Coelho and David Parshall were sworn into council seats 4 and 7, respectively. During November’s general election, Coelho received 4,411 votes – or 63% – compared to incumbent Smith’s 2,259 votes. Parshall received 5,258 – or 78%– votes compared to opponent Derek Hanusch’s 1,430 in the race for position 7, left vacant by Sessions, who announced last December she would not be running for office in 2023.

Incumbents Julieta Altamirano-Crosby and George Hurst renewed their oaths of office. Councilmember Hurst ran unopposed and received 5,526 votes. Council Vice President Altamirano-Crosby received 4,238 votes – approximately 63% – compared to challenger Robert Leutwyler, who received 2,504. 

Also sworn in was Lynnwood Judge Valerie Bouffiou, who ran unopposed and received 5,489 votes. 

Bouffiou began her tenure as Lynnwood’s judge in 2022 after being appointed by previous Mayor Nicola Smith and confirmed by the council. Earlier this year, councilmembers voted to approve a proposal by city administration advocating for a full-time elected judge to replace the part-time appointed position that Bouffiou occupied at the time. The decision was spurred by growing case load in the Lynnwood Municipal Court. During her comments, Bouffiou stated her support for the electoral process. Due to the election timing, she will serve a shortened term to end in December 2025, but successive judges will serve four-year terms.

Smith and Sessions received praise from their fellow councilmembers, family, friends and community members during the proclamations used to honor their work for Lynnwood. 

Sessions was celebrated for her initiative in serving Lynnwood’s veterans, her role in establishing the now-under-construction Community Justice/Recovery Centers and her community service. 

Smith was lauded for his support of Lynnwood’s elderly residents, reverence for procedure and emphasis on public safety.

In other business, the council voted 6-0-1 – with Councilmember Josh Binda abstaining – to approve a contract with national health care provider Wellpath to provide medical care in the Community Justice Center. The $1,651,554 contract stipulates that Wellpath will provide health care in the new jail from March 2024 to March 2025. 

A second approved motion with the same vote distribution will allow the police department to transfer up to $400,000 from Lynnwood’s general fund to cover the costs of this contract.

Lynnwood Chief of Police Cole Langdon mentioned that the department was also applying for a $144,000 grant from Verdant Health that may provide funding for the mental health portion of the contract.

During new business, outgoing Councilmember Smith put forth a series of four motions to be discussed and evaluated by the council in January. All four passed with varying levels of support. 

Per Smith’s motions, the council voted to postpone discussion and/or vote on the following subjects by Jan. 22, 2024:

1. A type of senior care Smith said should be permitted in Lynnwood but is currently not within the code. On Monday, he motioned that city staff make a presentation about a senior housing referendum by Jan. 22, 2024.  Following some confusion about what he was talking about, the item was approved by a vote of 4-1-2 with George Hurst against and Altamirano-Crosby and Binda abstaining.
2. Elimination of Lynnwood’s $40 car tab tax. The vote was 4-3, with Altamirano-Crosby, Binda and Hurst voting against.
3. Providing Lynnwood’s Alcoholics Anonymous organization with $25,000 in rental assistance from the city’s American Rescue Plan Act funds as they are trying to find a new meeting location. With the exception of Binda, who abstained on the basis that it was “morally wrong to use [one]’s last meeting to push a personal agenda,” all voted in favor.
4. The elimination of a 6% water/sewer/trash tax. The item passed by a 5-1-1 vote, with George Hurst against and Binda abstaining.

Councilmember Shirley Sutton also moved that, by April 2024, staff bring at least three auditing services to the council for a possible contract to complete a full audit of the city’s finances. Sutton said that residents paying city property taxes have come forward and stated that they would like to know where their money was being spent. 

Altamirano-Crosby questioned if it was wise to bring forth this item given that two new councilmembers will have only just begun their terms at that time. Sessions said that the item was brought to the council without background and she believed a request of this nature should be discussed by 2024’s council. Councilmember Patrick Decker argued that the motion was innocuous as it does not bind the future council to the audit, merely that the council will be presented with a list of auditors. Sutton’s motion passed in a 5-2 vote, with Altamirano-Crosby and Sessions voting against.

Decker asked that the council consider a $10,000 request of ARPA funds to the nonprofit organization World Youth Orchestra of Lynnwood to provide music lessons and performance opportunities to the community. His request for discussion was supported.

During her comments, Mayor Christine Frizzell decried the recent hateful statements made over Zoom during public comment in two previous meetings. She said that she was absent from the previous meeting because she was participating as a panelist in a public forum held by Building Bridges. The organization aims to mend political divides that have grown exponentially in the past several years, through civil and respectful discussions. Frizzell read a few portions of a pledge taken by participants in the countywide forum. 

“It is the duty of all who participate in political dialogue to do it in good faith and with civility. Doing so will grow a thriving democracy built on tolerance, understanding, mutual respect and critical thinking. It is our job to nurture our political institutions by being respectful towards others.” 

In other business, an ordinance adopting mid-biennial budget modifications to reflect unexpected expenditures and income was approved in a 6-0-1 vote, with Binda abstaining. 

The council also unanimously adopted the ParksLove initiative and plan, which aims to increase equity and access to Lynnwood’s parks. During public comment, Parks and Recreation Board Member Holly Hernandez spoke at length about the extensive work and careful thought put into the ParksLove project and commended city staff on behalf of the advisory board for the project.

Finally, the council read a proclamation acknowledging International Migrants Day and approved the appointment of Leilani Kamala, general manager of the Homewood Suites Hotel in Lynnwood, for a position on the Tourism Advisory Committee. 

–Photos and story by Jasmine Contreras-Lewis