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Key takeaways:
- The Council discussed a proposed 0.1% sales tax to support public safety amid police staffing strain and a $3.8 million citywide budget shortfall.
- The Council reviewed the process of filling the Position 6 vacancy and selecting Council leadership.
In the first meeting of the year with a new mayor and councilmembers, the Lynnwood City Council discussed the implementation of a 0.1% public safety sales tax and council leadership changes and outlined the process for filling the vacant Position 6 council seat.
Public safety sales tax
The Council discussed a proposed 0.1% sales tax authorized by House Bill 2015 that would generate about $3 million annually for public safety and criminal justice costs. If approved at the Jan. 15 meeting, collection could begin in April following a state-mandated, 45-day notice period.
The tax is one option under consideration to address the City’s projected $4.8 million general fund deficit for 2026, with the goal of reducing the amount of general fund dollars used to subsidize police and public safety operations.
If the Council does not approve the tax at its next meeting, it has until June 2028 to enact it without a public vote, Police Chief Cole Langdon told the Council Monday. The permanent tax can be stacked with other local taxes and used broadly for criminal justice purposes, including domestic violence services, diversion programs and behavioral health support.
Langdon outlined the department’s challenges amid the City’s financial crisis. “I want you to be aware that there is real pressure on your police department right now,” he told the Council.
The police department’s original 2025-26 budget, adopted in late 2024, totaled $67.2 million and included $2 million in reductions that unfunded 5% of the workforce, he wrote in a September memo. An additional $4 million was cut after former Mayor Christine Frizzell directed departments to reduce spending by more than $12 million citywide in 2025, unfunding eight more police positions.
Those cuts, combined with the lingering effects of the Great Recession and the COVID-19 pandemic, hampered recruitment and retention, Langdon said. As a result, the department sometimes operates at “Level 2” staffing, responding only to in-progress calls involving an active threat.
“We go to Level 2 a lot more than you’d think,” Langdon said, noting that the department had operated at that level for a few days prior to the meeting. “It’s not a good spot to be in.”
Even when officers are hired, it can take up to 18 months to fully train them, followed by a period of additional supervision before they can respond to calls alone, Langdon said.
How does the tax work? House Bill 2015 authorized a two-part public safety funding mechanism: the 0.1% sales tax and a $100 million state grant. Jurisdictions must meet the grant’s qualifications (which align with state use-of-force, immigration, training and reporting policies) to enact the tax. Grant approval, however, isn’t required to collect the tax, according to the Washington Criminal Justice Training Commission (WCJTC).
So far, 19 Washington jurisdictions unsuccessfully applied for the tax and/or grant, according to the WCJTC. Langdon said Lynnwood police are working closely with commissionstaff and other police departments to improve their chances. If not immediately compliant, the City could pay a $100,000 fee to begin collecting the tax while working toward compliance, though Langdon said he did not know if the fee is refundable.
Langdon said the department is in compliance with all state policies, but the WCJTC requires police to complete training to qualify for the grant/tax, which the department previously had until 2028 to complete. Although police have a portion of the training completed, the need to complete the training would be accelerated if the Council chose to collect the tax.
Langdon also pointed to staffing losses to neighboring departments offering similar pay and lighter workloads. He said there is a “desperate need” for more training and work opportunities, noting the grant could provide matches of up to $125,000 per position, potentially making Lynnwood more competitive.
Councilmembers expressed mixed feelings on the tax. Councilmember Derica Escamilla acknowledged the funding need but questioned its effectiveness without rebuilding community trust in police.
“I don’t think we have a turnover problem, it’s a culture problem,” she said, pointing to the absence of school resource officers in the area as an example of lacking trust. “Let’s start working on other things to start recruiting and getting our community and kids to want to be police officers again.”
City staff have previously cited underperforming red-light camera revenue and delays in opening the Lynnwood jail as major contributors to the 2025-26 deficit. While hesitant about adopting a “regressive” tax, Councilmember Robert Leutwyler said the City’s current “status quo isn’t much better.”
“My concern is we’re making decisions on prosecuting or handling crimes… not based on what’s best for that person and what the circumstances warrant,” he said.
Position 6 vacancy
City staff presented the council with an update on the process to fill the Position 6 opening, vacated when George Hurst took office as Mayor Jan. 1. The City received 28 applicants, with four disqualified for living outside city limits.
Proposed timeline:
- Jan. 11: The Council will submit rankings of the remaining 24 applicants.
- Jan. 21: The Council will interview the top eight candidates.
- Jan. 26: The Council will vote to appoint a new member. The appointee can either take an oath of office at this meeting or on Feb. 2.
Per state law, if the Council doesn’t fill the vacancy within 90 days, the decision will go to the Snohomish County Council. Learn more about the appointment process here.
Other business: The Council discussed council leadership positions and briefly reviewed the 2026 meeting calendar and the annual Council Summit. The Council is set to elect and appoint new leadership and liaison members and finalize scheduling at the Jan. 12 meeting.
A full agenda and meeting recording can be found on the City’s website.
— Contact Ashley at ashley@myedmondsnews.com.
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