Loading...
2025-05-09 Council Retreat Minutes Edmonds City Council Special Retreat Minutes May 9, 2025 Page 1 EDMONDS CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING BUDGET RETREAT ACTION MINUTES May 9, 2025 ELECTED OFFICIALS PRESENT Mike Rosen, Mayor Will Chen, Councilmember Neil Tibbott, Council President Michelle Dotsch, Councilmember Susan Paine, Councilmember Chris Eck, Councilmember Jenna Nand, Councilmember Vivian Olson, Councilmember OTHERS PRESENT Mike Bailey STAFF PRESENT Jeff Taraday, City Attorney Todd Tatum, CCED Director Rod Sniffen, Acting Police Chief Richard Gould, Finance Director Angie Feser, PRHS Director Mike Clugston, Acting PDS Director RaeAnn Duarte, HR Manager Uneek Maylor, Court Administrator Phil Williams, Interim PW Director Beckie Peterson, Legislative Assistant Scott Passey, City Clerk 1. CALL TO ORDER/FLAG SALUTE The Edmonds City Council Special meeting was called to order at 9:00 pm by Mayor Rosen in the Brackett Room, 121 5th Avenue North, Edmonds, and virtually. 1. ICEBREAKER The group engaged in a trivia icebreaker activity. 2. OPENING COMMENTS/REVIEW AGENDA Mayor Rosen outlined the structure and format of the meeting. 3. BUDGET A. UPDATED REVENUE AND EXPENSE PROJECTIONS Director Gould outlined revenue and expense projections, and the methodology used to arrive at his conclusions. 4. SCENARIO #1 – $6M AS BUDGETED Edmonds City Council Special Retreat Minutes May 9, 2025 Page 2 A. BENEFITS B. RISKS Staff presented the first scenario – a budget that assumes a successful $6 million levy lift. Under this scenario, the city will be operating under the status quo but with fewer staff and more limited resources than in the past. Staff outlined the impacts and service reductions resulting from this scenario. Councilmembers’ questions and feedback focused on potential negative impacts of deferred maintenance and training, the reprioritizing of law enforcement, crime prevention, court, legal and safety risks, asset management, and technology. 5. BREAK The meeting recessed from 10:30-10:43 am. 6. SCENARIO #2 - COMMUNITY VISION A. BENEFITS B. RISKS C. PROCESS Mayor Rosen introduced Scenario #2, which assumes a higher levy lid lift to restore service levels, improve quality of life, and implement a more robust funding model. This scenario is informed by a combination of Community Priorities, administrative analysis, and regional comparables. Mr. Bailey discussed comparables and the price of government. Council discussion focused on the following points: • The need for a sustainable and vibrant city; • The importance of community feedback on services like outsourcing police and selling assets; • The challenges of comparing cities due to differing demographics and services; • The need for strategic financial planning, including revenue and expense gaps; • Specific metrics such as the price of government and the impact of infrastructure maintenance on long-term costs; • The importance of transparency and community engagement in budget decisions; • Defining the budget in terms of priorities and service levels rather than numbers/costs so it becomes a real choice for voters. 7. LUNCH Edmonds City Council Special Retreat Minutes May 9, 2025 Page 3 The meeting recessed for lunch from 12:00-12:35. 8. SCENARIO #3 - NO LEVY/LEVY FAIL A. BENEFITS B. RISKS Department directors outlined the staff, service, and program cuts as well as the ancillary impacts that would take place as a result of the No Levy or Levy Fail scenarios. The ensuing discussion focused on the importance of detailing the impacts of a no/failed levy so voters have a clear choice, and council can implement a budget immediately following the vote, should one occur. 9. REVENUE IDEAS AND OTHER REGULATORY TOOLS TO OFFSET THE COST OF CITY OPERATIONS The Council then considered a draft list of possible revenue and other regulatory tools to offset the cost of city operations. The following items were discussed: • Selling city assets, including City Hall • Park program fees • Engineering permit fees • Pet licensing fees • Tax increment financing • Annexing Esperance • False alarm fees • Installing parking meters • .01% Public safety sales tax 10. LEVY OVERVIEW AND TIMELINES Beckie Peterson, Legislative Assistant, explained how the levy rate is calculated and provided an overview and timeline of a levy lid lift ballot measure. The council discussed the merits and scope of temporary vs permanent and a single-year vs multi-year levy as explained by Mr. Bailey. The city is required to state a purpose if it chooses a multi-year levy. 11. NEXT STEPS AND ENGAGING THE COMMUNITY Mayor Rosen outlined the next steps for engaging the community, which will include public meetings, mailers, information on the city website, and FAQs. Edmonds City Council Special Retreat Minutes May 9, 2025 Page 4 The Council shared ideas on the type, scope, and messaging of a potential levy lid lift ballot measure. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 3:43 pm.