2026-05-30 Special Meeting Minutes
Edmonds City Council Minutes
May 30, 2026
Page 1
Minutes
Edmonds City Council
Special Meeting – Budget Retreat
Brackett Room – 3rd Floor, City Hall
121 5TH AVE NORTH, EDMONDS, WA 98020
MAY 30, 2026, 8:30 AM
Elected Officials Present:
Mayor Rosen
Council President Dotsch
Councilmember Eck
Councilmember Chen
Councilmember Barnett
Councilmember Olson
Councilmember Paine
Councilmember Nand
Staff Present:
Lisa Takach, Human Resources Director
Mike Clugston, Planning & Development
Director
Kisha Post, Finance Specialist
Angie Feser, Parks & Recreation Director
Andy Rheaume, Public Works Director
Teresa Simanton, Executive
Assistant/Legislative Aide to Council
Beckie Peterson, Executive Assistant to the
Mayor
Luke Lonie, City Clerk
1. CALL TO ORDER
2. COUNCIL BUSINESS
TIME DURATION TOPIC PRESENTER
8:30 – 8:45 15 min Arrive and consume coffee N/A
Mayor Rosen called the meeting to order. Council took a brief break until 8:45 am.
8:45 – 8:50 05 min Welcome CP Michelle Dotsch
Council President Dotsch delivered welcome remarks.
8:50 – 8:53 03 min Review Agenda Mayor Rosen
Mayor Rosen walked Council and staff through the agenda for the day.
8:53 – 9:10 17 min Budget Foundation Mayor Rosen
Edmonds City Council Minutes
May 30, 2026
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Mayor Rosen and Kisha Post, Finance Specialist, discussed the foundation on which to
establish and build a budget.
9:10 – 9:40 30 min Finding our Vision and Charting a
Path Mayor Rosen
Mayor Rosen emphasized resident-centered outcomes, highlighting the importance of
developing clear KPIs and dashboards aligned with community priorities. Staff also
outlined upcoming work with Baker Tilly and Form to create a long‑range fiscal
sustainability plan.
9:40 – 10:25 45 min Tracking Progress Toward
Community & Council Vision Mayor Rosen
Mayor Rosen outlined a proposed hierarchy for defining the City’s mission, priorities,
outcomes, and measurements. Staff also described next steps for Key Performance
Indicators (KPI) development through Baker Tilly and a potential Council subcommittee.
10:25 – 10:40 15 min Break All
10:40 – 12:00 80 min Financial Assumptions Kisha Post & Mayor
Rosen
Council discussed using a 1% property tax increase and 1% sales tax growth assumption
for 2027–2028, and agreed to revisit assumptions mid‑year as economic indicators shift.
Council also discussed using the upcoming utility rate study and update utility‑tax
projections once new water/wastewater cost data becomes available.
12:00 – 12:30 30 min Lunch All
Council broke for lunch.
12:30 – 1:15 45 min Identified Existing Deficits Mayor Rosen
Council discussed incorporating known exceptional costs (e.g., jail services, insurance,
mandated planning updates) directly into baseline budgeting for 2027–2028 to prevent
hidden structural deficits.
1:15 – 2:00 45 min Budget Format Kisha Post
Edmonds City Council Minutes
May 30, 2026
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Council requested a more transparent and accessible budget format, including a
major-changes table and a “fiscally friendly” dashboard view clarifying cash vs. accrual
impacts.
2:00 – 2:20 20 min Decision Process Beckie Peterson & Luke
Lonie
Council agreed to hold an additional workshop in early July to review both revenue and
expenditure options and to formalize a sequence of budget decisions to avoid late-stage
re-work.
2:20 –2:40 20 min Schedule Teresa Simanton
Council affirmed the target to adopt the budget by late November and to maintain
alignment with the parallel Baker-Tilly and Form Solutions processes while allowing for
course corrections.
2:40 – 2:55 15 min Recap and Next Steps Mayor Rosen
Council and staff agreed that directors will return with refined assumptions, updated
projections, draft KPIs, and that all retreat input will be compiled and validated for
accuracy at a later session.
2:55 – 3:00 10 min Closing Comments CP Michelle Dotsch
Council confirmed commitment to continued collaboration, transparency, and priority
alignment as preparations begin for the 2027–2028 biennial budget.
3:00 ADJOURN
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 3:02 pm.
Luke Lonie, City Clerk