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2025-11-18 Committee of the Whole MinutesEdmonds City Council – Committee of the Whole November 18, 2025 Page 1 Minutes COUNCIL COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING November 18, 2025 Elected Officials Present Staff Present Council President Tibbott (Chair) Councilmember Dotsch Councilmember Chen Councilmember Eck Councilmember Olson Councilmember Nand Councilmember Paine Ludwig Marz, HR Director Todd Tatum, City Administrator Megan Luttrell, Program Coordinator Ted Corey, Building Official Jeff Taraday, City Attorney Richard Gould, Finance Director Emily Villata, Deputy City Clerk Economic Development Commissioners Present Matt Cox Kevin Harris Natalie Seitz Carrie Mandak Darrol Haug Nicole Hughes Nick Perrault 1. CALL TO ORDER The Edmonds City Council Committee of the Whole meeting was called to order virtually and in the City Council Conference Room, 121 – 5th Avenue North, Edmonds, at 6:00 pm by Council President Tibbott. 2. COMMITTEE BUSINESS 1. Selection of Student Council Representative The Deputy City Clerk drew numbers to begin the discussion of student council representative applicants; Applicant 2 was drawn randomly to be discussed first. Councilmembers Paine, Eck, and Olson highlighted Applicant 2’s conservation efforts, volunteering, and prior experience with the city’s boards. Councilmember Dotsch appreciated Applicant 1’s focus on both youth and elderly engagement. Councilmember Chen agreed that both candidates were impressive and recused himself from voting due to a conflict of interest. Council President Tibbott closed the discussion with the item returning to full council at a later date. Committee Recommendation: Move to Full Council 2. 2026 COLA for Non-represented Employees Ludwig Marz, HR Director, provided an overview of the proposed 2026 Cost of Living Adjustment for non-represented city employees of 2.7% based on the most recent Consumer Price Index. Committee Recommendation: Move to Consent Agenda 3. Economic Development Commission Presentation on Paid Parking Edmonds City Council – Committee of the Whole November 18, 2025 Page 2 Todd Tatum, City Administrator, introduced members of the city’s Economic Development Commission to present on Paid Parking and Business and Occupation Tax. Nick Perrault, Darrol Haug, and Nicole Hughes discussed the process their workgroup took to research paid parking. The presentation provided a variety of potential policy options and discussed the impacts of each one. Council questions revolved around exemptions for short parking windows, similar pilot programs in commercial areas of neighboring cities, and current parking inventory. Committee Recommendation: Informational 4. Economic Development Commission Presentation on Business and Occupation Tax Todd Tatum provided an overview of a potential business and occupation tax which, if adopted, must be passed using the existing statewide model ordinance. Matt Cox, Kevin Harris, Carrie Mandak, and Natalie Seitz discussed their project methodology including holding four workshops attended by over 40 Edmonds business owners. The group summarized their findings, highlighting small business concerns of financial burden and impact on the city’s character and local economy. Committee recommendation: Informational 5. Edmonds Green Project Update Ted Corey, Building Official, presented an update on the Edmonds Green Behar project including the current state of the building and status of necessary permits. Committee recommendation: Informational 6. Council ROP Amendments Use of Attorney Time Councilmember Olson reintroduced the proposed amendments to the use of attorney time section of the council rules of procedure. Council agreed to reduce the required number of councilmembers to request written work from the attorney from three to two. Committee recommendation: Move to Consent Agenda 7. Introduction and Discussion on Utility Tax Increase Jeff Taraday, City Attorney, provided a brief overview of utility taxes in Edmonds, outlining the process, limits, and requirements for increasing rates. Council discussed this as a possibility to address funding gaps including a potential increase on a temporary basis and assistance programs for low-income residents. Council requested the city attorney prepare a draft ordinance with temporary language and blank amounts to come back for discussion. Committee recommendation: Move to Full Council ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 9:53 pm.