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The Lynnwood City Council on Dec. 8 is set to vote whether to increase permit and licensing fees to offset the City’s $8 million 2026 general fund deficit, vote on an inflation wage increase for non-represented City employees and discuss a proposed public safety sales tax increase. Additionally, four new Councilmembers are scheduled to take their oaths of office during the Monday business meeting. That will be followed by a discussion regarding the process to fill the Position 6 seat, which will be vacated by Councilmember George Hurst after he takes office as mayor in January.
Fee increases
Two ordinances on Monday’s agenda aim to update city fee structures to address inflation and cost recovery. The first ordinance proposes a 12% increase in permit fees to achieve full cost recovery for city services. The proposal also includes an inflation adjustment equivalent to 2.7% of the Consumer Price Index (CPI and sets a base charge of $114 to align with a half hour of staff time. The ordinance also introduces fee increases for “major projects” valued at $5 million or more. City staff project this update could generate between $537,000 and $2 million in additional revenue.
A separate ordinance would increase business license fees from $125 to $166, while the fee for employees working 15 or more hours per week would increase from $93 to $124. If approved, the new rates would take effect March 1, 2026, and are projected to generate approximately $556,850 in additional revenue.
Public safety sales tax
The council will also vote whether to authorize the mayor to prepare an ordinance imposing a 0.1% public safety sales tax to support the City’s criminal justice operations. According to the proposed resolution, the City’s $8 million general fund deficit is driven partly by a 44% increase in public safety expenses from 2018. To begin collecting the tax by April, the Council must pass an ordinance and submit it to the state Department of Revenue for approval by Jan. 15.
However, the City can only collect the tax if it meets the qualifications for an associated grant program from the Washington Criminal Justice Training Commission. To qualify for the grant, jurisdictions must comply with immigration enforcement under the “Keep Washington Working Act”; adopt state-mandated use-of-force, de-escalation and firearm-relinquishment policies; complete mandated officer training, and report use-of-force data, per state law.
City employee cost of living increase
The council is set to adopt the 2026 salary schedule for City employees, which includes a 2.7% cost-of-living adjustment for employees not represented by a union. The schedule also reflects negotiated rates for positions covered by collective bargaining agreements.
Council reorganization
Four new councilmembers are set to take oath of office Monday, and three proclamations are scheduled to honor Mayor Christine Frizzell and Councilmembers Josh Binda and Patrick Decker, whose terms expire at the end of the year. Frizzell and Binda did not win reelection and Decker didn’t seek reelection. Decker instead will take office as a Snohomish County Charter Review Commissioner in January, serving District 3.
The following people were elected in November and are set to take their oath of office, with terms beginning Jan. 1.
- George Hurst for mayor.
- Derica Escamilla, elected to Position 1. She was appointed in 2024 after former Councilmember Shirley Sutton resigned.
- Isabel Mata, replacing Decker in Position 2 for a four-year term.
- Bryce Owings, set to replace Councilmember Josh Binda in Position 3 for a four-year term.
- Robert Leutwyler, re-elected to Position 5 for a two-year term, in accordance with state law given he was appointed to the council in March after the resignation of Julieta Altamirano Crosby.
The council Monday is set to begin discussing the process to fill Position 6 — now held by Hurst — which must be completed within 90 days to prevent passing the decision to the County. This will be the Council’s third time going through this process since the beginning of 2024, following the resignation of former Councilmembers Shirley Sutton and Julieta Altamirano-Crosby. The process involves the city clerk publishing a notice of vacancy, followed by the council reviewing applications and interviewing up to eight finalists.
View the full agenda here.
The meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m., Monday, Dec. 8 at Lynnwood City Hall: 19100 44th Ave. W. It will also be livestreamed on the city’s website and Zoom.
— Contact Ashley at ashley@myedmondsnews.com.
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