2026-02-11 Council Study Session PacketEdmonds City Council Agenda
February 11, 2026
Page 1
Agenda
Edmonds City Council
Study Session
CITY COUNCIL CONFERENCE ROOM
121 - 5TH AVENUE N, EDMONDS, WA 98020
ZOOM: HTTPS://ZOOM.US/J/95798484261 PHONE: +1 253 215 8782 MEETING ID: 957 9848 4261
FEBRUARY 11, 2026, 3:00 PM
STAFF AND COUNCILMEMBERS ATTEND COMMITTEE MEETINGS VIRTUALLY, AND MEMBERS OF THE
PUBLIC ARE ENCOURAGED TO ATTEND THE SAME WAY.
IF MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC CANNOT ACCESS THE VIRTUAL COMMITTEE MEETINGS WITH THEIR
PERSONAL DEVICES, A MONITOR IS PROVIDED AT THE CITY COUNCIL CONFERENCE ROOM AT 121
5TH AVE N, EDMONDS WA.
1. CALL TO ORDER
2. STUDY SESSION ITEMS
1. Response to Emails Sent to Council Office First Reading – City Council Office (10 minutes)
2. Council Priority Topics and Final Wording First Reading – City Council Office (45 minutes)
3. ITEMS FOR FUTURE CONSENT
ADJOURNMENT
For disability accommodations, materials in alternate formats, accessibility information, or language interpretation/ translation needs, please
contact the City Clerk at 425-775-2525 at your earliest opportunity. Providing at least 72-hour notice will help ensure availability.
City Council Agenda Item 2.1
February 11, 2026 - Study Session
TITLE:Response to Emails Sent to Council Office (First Reading)
DEPARTMENT:City Council Office
PRESENTER:MIchelle Dotsch
NEEDED FROM COUNCIL:Action
RECOMMENDATION:Council Exec Assistant should acknowledge with a generic auto-
response email for confirmation of receipt, all emails that are sent to
the council@edmondswa.gov. Councilmembers can then choose to
respond or not respond after acknowledgement of receipt.
BUDGET:
Total Dollar Amount:0 ☐ Approved in Budget
Fund(s):N/A ☐ Budget Reallocation Required
☒ No Budget Impact
PROBLEM/ISSUE STATEMENT:
Emails that are sent directly to the email: council@edmondswa.gov, are not published and not always
answered, which is at the discretion of the councilmembers.
CONTEXT, ANALYSIS, & ALTERNATIVES:
Emails that are sent through the comment portal are put in the RFF portion of the Agenda Packet.
Emails that are sent directly to the email: council@edmondswa.gov, are not published and may or may
not receive a response at that discretion of the councilmembers. The suggestion has been made for
those that take the time to write to the council should at least receive acknowledgment that the email
has been received.
RECOMMENDATION:
Council Exec Assistant should acknowledge with a generic auto-response email for confirmation of
receipt, all emails that are sent to the council@edmondswa.gov. Councilmembers can then choose to
respond or not respond after acklowedement of receipt.
Dear xxxxx,
Thank you for taking the time to share your observations and thoughts with the Edmonds City
Councilmembers. This is confirmation that your email has been received by the full Council. We
appreciate your willingness to share your perspective.
Warmest regards,
Teresa Simanton on behalf of Council
BUDGET IMPACTS:
Item 2.1
Packet pg. 2/8
0
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
ATTACHMENTS:
None
Item 2.1
Packet pg. 3/8
City Council Agenda Item 2.2
February 11, 2026 - Study Session
TITLE:Council Priority Topics and Final Wording (First Reading)
DEPARTMENT:City Council Office
PRESENTER:Michelle Dotsch
NEEDED FROM COUNCIL:Action
RECOMMENDATION:Council discuss and continue to lay-out priorities for desired
outcomes.
BUDGET:
Total Dollar Amount:0 ☐ Approved in Budget
Fund(s):N/A ☐ Budget Reallocation Required
☒ No Budget Impact
PROBLEM/ISSUE STATEMENT:
Council is asked to refine draft priority, topics, and wording so staff can clearly align programs and
services, using GFOA framework introduced at the Council Retreat as the baseline.
CONTEXT, ANALYSIS, & ALTERNATIVES:
At the retreat, council began identifying priority areas and drafted language that began the process to
form clear council priorities that reflect our current reality and future vision. These draft priorities are
intended to be a shared council direction that will guide upcoming budget discussions, staff work plans,
and policy choices. The retreat session was intentionally not specific to tactics, projects, or solutions.
Instead, its purpose was to create shared clarity on desired outcomes and success conditions, so that
the subsequent workflows come from a common understanding.
Effective priority statements strike the balance: language that is too broad does not
provide enough guidance for implementation, while other wording can be over detailed and limit
flexibility of staff to identify solutions. Council’s intent is to land in the middle – clear on direction and
outcomes, flexible on implementation. At the retreat, council and staff used colored dots to
identify sequencing of priorities.
*Council priorities represent a focused set of outcomes that Council is emphasizing this year. They are
not intended to represent the full scope of Council responsibilities, statutory obligations, or ongoing
work.
Next steps:
1) Council finalized priority topics, wording, and relative order/tiers
2) Department Directors receive the adopted priorities and organize department work under each
priority area.
3) At a future study session, staff returns to council with aligned work areas. activities, and key
deliverables.
Item 2.2
Packet pg. 4/8
4) Staff then develops and brings forward performance measurements and KPI’s within the GFOA
framework so Council can track progress over time.
RECOMMENDATION:
Council discuss and continue to lay-out priorities for desired outcomes.
BUDGET IMPACTS:
0
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
ATTACHMENTS:
Updated Retreat Priorities Worksheet
Draft Priorities for Study Session
Item 2.2
Packet pg. 5/8
Edmonds City Council Study Session 2.11.26
CITY COUNCIL PRIORITIES WORKSHEET
These draft priorities reflect themes and direction that emerged from the
Council workshop. They are intentionally phrased to translate discussion into
actionable, outcomes-focused priorities that can be used for budgeting,
performance tracking, and implementation.
SYNTHESIS OF PRIORITY THEMES INTO DRAFT PRIORITY STATMENTS
Derived from ECC Retreat Priorities Ranking 2.6.26
FINANCIAL STABILITY STRATEGIC CLARITY & DIRECTION
Establish disciplined, outcomes-focused
budgeting across all City spending—aligning
discretionary investments with Council
priorities, tracking performance and results
for required services, and strengthening
stable revenue plans to move the City out of
crisis mode.
Establish clear Council priorities and
objectives to guide strategic decision-
making and enable modern, outcomes-
focused governance that delivers clearer,
more consistent results for the community.
PRIORITIZATION, TRADEOFFS & CAPACITY
ENGAGEMENT, COMMUNICATION, TRANSPARENCY
Make clear, transparent choices about City
priorities, recognizing limited capacity and
focusing efforts where they deliver the
greatest community benefit.
Improve clarity and transparency around
how community and stakeholder input
informs decisions, while strengthening
coordination across the organization to
deliver shared outcomes effectively.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Support and strengthen existing businesses while proactively preparing the City to respond
to and shape economic growth and redevelopment opportunities that advance long-term
financial stability.
What Makes a Strong, Actionable Council Priority
Item 2.2
Packet pg. 6/8
Good Priorities give direction without prescribing the solution. They help staff align work, budgets, and
metrics—while leaving room for professional expertise and changing conditions
✅ A Strong Priority Is:⚠️ Avoid Priorities That Are:
Clear and outcome-focused
Describes what success looks like for the
community, not internal tasks.
Too Vague
“Support the community” Everyone agrees, but it
doesn’t guide action.
Specific enough to guide decisions
You should be able to answer: “Would this help us
to say yes or no to a budget request?”
Too Operational or Prescriptive
“Hire three new inspectors” That’s a tactic, not a
priority.
Broad enough to allow multiple strategies
Leaves flexibility for staff to propose approaches
and adapt over time
A List of Projects
“Build X, Fix Y, Upgrade Z” Projects flow from
priorities.
Within Council’s Influence
Something the City can meaningfully impact
through policy, funding or oversight.
Framed as Internal Activity Only
“Improve staff processes” Focus on resident
outcomes instead.
Measurable over time
Can reasonably be tied to indicators, benchmarks
or progress reporting.
One-Time or Short-Term
Priorities should endure budgets and years.
Examples:
Too Vague Better
❌ “Improve Public Safety”
✅ “Maintain a safe community with timely emergency response and visible prevention efforts”
Too Specific Better
❌ “Add four police officers and two vehicles”
✅ “Ensure public safety services are appropriately staffed and equipped to meet community
needs.”
Project-Based Better
❌ “Fix roads and sidewalks”
✅ “Maintain reliable, safe and accessible transportation infrastructure”
Item 2.2
Packet pg. 7/8
Value Key Red = 3 Yellow = 2 Green=1
RED VALUE YELLOW VALUE GREEN VALUE Vaue
FINANCIAL STABILITY Urgent Foundational Important Dependent TOTAL
Align budget with priorities 7 21 1 2 2 2 25
Strengthen Sustainable revenue to improve long term stability 12 36 3 6 0 0 42
Address fiscal concerns and success with transparency 0 0 9 18 11 11 29
CATEGORY TOTAL 19 57 13 26 13 13 96
STRATEGIC CLARITY & DIRECTION
Establish priorities and objectives 11 33 4 8 0 0 41
Support change by moving beyond "the way we always do it"1 3 6 12 1 1 16
Build out strategy with solid objectives to reactive approach 0 0 2 4 10 10 14
CATEGORY TOTAL 12 36 12 24 11 11 71
PRIORITIZATION, TRADEOFFS & CAPACITY
Communicate Decisions to staff and community clearly 3 9 8 16 4 4 29
Acknowledge limited capacity and focus efforts where they matter most 4 12 7 14 1 1 27
Connect priorities to community benefits and shared values 1 3 5 10 11 11 24
CATEGORY TOTAL 8 24 20 40 16 16 80
ENGAGEMENT, COMMUNICATION, TRANSPERENCY
Meet people where they are 0 0 14 10 2 2 12
Break down silos and improve cross departmental workflow 3 9 5 6 6 6 21
Improve clarity about how input informs decisions 1 3 3 44 11 11 58
CATEGORY TOTAL 4 12 22 44 19 19 91
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Clarify city's role and goals 1 3 5 12 7 7 22
Support long-term financial stability by aligning growth, infrastructure and policy 7 21 6 14 3 3 38
Prepare internally for re-development and investment opportunities 0 0 7 36 10 10 46
CATEGORY TOTAL 8 24 18 36 20 20 106
Item 2.2
Packet pg. 8/8