[{"_1":2,"_110":-5,"_111":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,86,98],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6056625,"mediaKeyId","3309309-6427eccdffbf73fcf2574c673bd4d90a","parentId",3309309,"title","Edmonds examines parking fees, business levies and annexation as revenue options","audioSeconds",6875,"startMs",5568000,"endMs",12443000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3309309-6427eccdffbf73fcf2574c673bd4d90a&start=5568&end=12443","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3309309-6427eccdffbf73fcf2574c673bd4d90a/thumbnail_5568000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6056625/Edmonds/Snohomish-County/Washington/Edmonds-examines-parking-fees-business-levies-and-annexation-as-revenue-options","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6056625-d023ecb9b0c974909cdcf81d588f91c6/orig.mp4?Expires=1775395640&Signature=Pqs8XSb~U6Dyd5iy6QeYuD4T3nuAJhUOi5X67tXk8IZ5T-Ue7v4WQ-q-VqlNFq~ndO0TJ8rYRVGRM7A5BIOie5vSdIxx5CnnDQMn0GlAs43JqzlWNCdcQbfXbFRygKMSGx0LFu2OcZ3TuCk4ekvF2snIbkl9~3QHntMH55L~LQdz1M4TgPvw6Cq-VFy011M7Yh84cf248ft8lUIk-7sb0psueUWR02Sd~b9-7KXx2MZavS5fde~KS6w1ls1BBPQzCG3kIqbJNL68CVhvKWCm9gnKpl1JziIkoHzPSQarEqRHA0pfSIw6kuMt892d7jyuPZpmxXpi8TRJvOsGrrGbmQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Edmonds City, WA","date","2025-05-09T00:00:00Z","article","At the May 9 budget retreat, Edmonds staff and consultants presented a catalog of revenue options the city could pursue to diversify income beyond property tax, and explained the pros and cons of each path.

Options discussed: staff grouped ideas as already implemented, near‑term active ideas, concept ideas to explore and lower‑priority items. Examples discussed in public detail included paid parking and parking meters for downtown and parks; expanded concessionaire programs for park concessions; a tiered business license or head tax on employers; film‑ and production‑permit fees; and targeted tax or fee changes such as a small sales‑tax increment for specified purposes. Staff also noted one‑time or capital options such as selling underused city property (for example, the current city‑hall footprint) to reduce debt and replenish reserves.

Annexation and sales‑tax credits: consultant Mike Bailey reviewed regional comparisons and described a statutory annexation path (interlocal process under state annexation statutes) for nearby Esperance. He said annexation under the cited statute can carry a sales‑tax incentive: a 0.1% sales‑tax credit for a 10‑year period was discussed as a tool other cities have used to make annexation financially attractive. Staff cautioned the city would need to model maintenance and service costs associated with any annexation; the annexation process involves county and boundary‑review steps and public outreach.

Revenue realism and implementation costs: presenters emphasized implementation costs for several options. For example, a citywide paid‑parking rollout (parking meters or QR payment systems) requires up‑front technology and enforcement costs; concession programs need contract oversight and some capital improvements in parks; business license changes or a head tax require state approval and study and carry political and administrative complexity. Staff also noted some ideas do not address the city’s structural imbalance and would be modest relative to the $6 million gap shown in the budget baseline.

Council reaction: council members asked staff to prioritize options that (1) could be implemented quickly with reasonable net revenue, (2) are politically viable given local business structure, and (3) do not require large ongoing staff additions. Several members favored near‑term parking and concession opportunities while urging careful impact analysis for any business‑facing tax or fee.

Next steps: staff will add estimated implementation costs and projected net revenue to the catalog and return with a prioritized list and public‑facing explanations. The annexation path for Esperance will be modeled with service‑cost projections and assumptions for any state or county incentives.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","City Council Special Meeting - Council Retreat 5/9/2025","oneSentenceSummary","Council heard a broad list of revenue options — paid parking, concessionaire fees, business (head) taxes, film‑production permits, sales‑tax strategies and possible annexation of nearby Esperance — and discussed tradeoffs, legal steps and implementation costs.","taxTitle","Edmonds, Snohomish County, Washington","taxId",51965,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":79,"_47":80,"_49":81,"_51":82,"_53":83,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":84,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":85,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6056630,"Edmonds police warn training, enforcement and social‑worker support are strained in tight budget",0,12180000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3309309-6427eccdffbf73fcf2574c673bd4d90a&start=12180&end=12180","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3309309-6427eccdffbf73fcf2574c673bd4d90a/thumbnail_12180000.jpg","/articles/6056630/Edmonds/Snohomish-County/Washington/Edmonds-police-warn-training-enforcement-and-socialworker-support-are-strained-in-tight-budget","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6056630-0d2c6d2a1c5e9ae65b8bcd1ad0c05c18/orig.mp4?Expires=1775395640&Signature=do7bJCKBk64WK1zoYIR0q2XBvzSmqHRT~ZhO89LKU8Bas2v~vm9NH6MF-8Q63nBOaUQWbgZ~BsHsWvsCGHsNXLjhlfNWjxy4UPKvAZpBEYHDJL~ibS745y9P-3WZjPxcukv~1Y93K4xGomegQuK~YGtIdY-vbv1Bh~cjF2dOjm8lUYF~RrBOd5ftcL5A4PUqsJuRgVqXFx20qPJFIU-IXIUaQItaZze2TjHOpMUwke1xeCaS1hVRj3k3bGgN3p1qlIlFUg83d7z6pvge3C44Xn1KgnJ910~qkOj2LO-rLbYKaau1mRZ82fSH1cYadrMnGeBykDaSRsSXg5Qkcgdk~w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Edmonds public-safety leadership told council on May 9 that the city’s police staffing and training profile is strained by prior budget reductions and that further cuts would force changes in enforcement priorities.

Key points: Acting Police Chief Sniffen and other public-safety directors said the department will preserve 911 response as a first priority but that less‑urgent services — parking enforcement, animal-control response, certain proactive patrols and low-dollar property crime follow‑up — may be deprioritized if resources fall further.

Training and retention: staff emphasized that training (recruitment, field training, de‑escalation and crisis‑intervention instruction) is both a public‑safety and a retention tool. Cuts to training budgets and professional development increase the risk of workplace injuries, legal claims, and early staff departures; several council members and department leaders linked retention problems to the difficulty of replacing experienced personnel.

Behavioral-health response and social‑worker model: Edmonds currently uses grant funding to embed a social worker with public safety to route people experiencing behavioral-health and homelessness needs into services rather than strictly criminal channels. Staff called that a high‑value, cross‑system approach but cautioned it is grant‑dependent; if grants expire the city would face reduced capacity to divert mental‑health and substance‑use calls away from enforcement.

Enforcement tradeoffs and public expectations: leaders said the city already lacks some capacity for routine code and parking enforcement and that public complaints (graffiti, litter, vegetation overgrowth) may see longer response times. Council members discussed the possibility of setting formal deprioritization policies (for example, not pursuing certain low‑level offenses) but staff and legal advisors said such shifts should be deliberate and publicly debated if used.

Next steps: staff will provide clearer descriptions of potential deprioritization options and related legal questions; council members asked that any public‑facing materials clearly list which services would be cut or maintained in a no‑levy scenario.","Public-safety leaders at the May 9 retreat said staffing and training cuts have narrowed options for proactive enforcement, risked morale and retention, and increased reliance on grant-funded social‑worker programs whose future is uncertain.",{"_33":87,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":88,"_41":89,"_43":90,"_45":91,"_47":92,"_49":93,"_51":94,"_53":95,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":96,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":97,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6056635,"Parks maintenance cutbacks outlined as 'deferred maintenance' risk at Edmonds budget retreat",2081,10564000,12645000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3309309-6427eccdffbf73fcf2574c673bd4d90a&start=10564&end=12645","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3309309-6427eccdffbf73fcf2574c673bd4d90a/thumbnail_10564000.jpg","/articles/6056635/Edmonds/Snohomish-County/Washington/Parks-maintenance-cutbacks-outlined-as-deferred-maintenance-risk-at-Edmonds-budget-retreat","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6056635-2e8557d7e3f17d30f272366fee11644f/orig.mp4?Expires=1775395640&Signature=cLeXlh6LPdn9ZBiT4lGXfArHCj7fsJI~t1PgiZUOSoTUmNQcujz1jufcxbGgwmoQcpwrsIKlzMcs6EjL5suw2OiRCnfZj92wBoIVwcZkmFxQzCr4hjtofGlu1zIE6eyW5HlysOuvQKiEDrfKH5wDOpHeQurdtc8ZASyFImdtvhOBllUiREq2NlJrETtjpGtzYMzfTTvEI2k8JmuoJ7gUiDCt3Mlm9-85ipu1es1OXSUFm~fae6szMryV~lWUIdLxlAhVjrQFDLILNY4lA8Z2p6As6MQbqzWG1ZCCWNFrkfGGJx8Ph13sXkVUhdxXjQv-LPu2mdtes3G5U7hnQmh0NQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","City parks staff told the Edmonds City Council on May 9 that budget reductions taken during the 2026 planning cycle have already reduced routine maintenance and will cause visible service declines this summer and beyond.

Why it matters: the parks and recreation department manages downtown parks, the waterfront and dozens of neighborhood sites. Staff said reduced maintenance affects public sanitation, safety, asset life cycles and accessibility — and that some impacts are not obvious until they occur.

What staff described: Parks director Angie said the department has cut roughly 25% of the parks maintenance crew and is reducing support for vegetation management, restroom servicing and vandalism response. Specific examples presented to council included a planned reduction from 17 portable restrooms to 10 (a 60% reduction in those units), closure of one permanent restroom, less frequent litter and graffiti removal, less frequent vegetation control and slower repairs to playgrounds and trails. Staff said more than 70 park‑related capital and maintenance projects are on a backlog list.

Deferred maintenance and asset management: Parks staff said the department does not currently have a full inventory of park assets or a documented, parks‑specific ADA transition plan; both limit the city’s ability to prioritize repairs and life‑cycle replacements. Public‑works staff said similar deferred work affects streets and facilities and noted that preventive maintenance investments now avoid larger replacement costs later.

Community impacts and tradeoffs: Council members were advised the reductions will be noticeable to residents — longer response times for cleanup, more visible graffiti or overgrown areas and occasional temporary closures of amenities (playgrounds, restrooms) for safety or when repairs can’t be scheduled. Staff emphasized that volunteer or partner support can help with some tasks (cleanups, graffiti removal) but cannot fully replace trained maintenance crews for safety‑sensitive work or large repairs.

Next steps: parks staff will provide a site‑level list of the planned reductions and will work with council on messaging for public outreach. The council asked for clearer, public‑facing materials that show what a no‑levy or reduced‑revenue scenario would mean for specific parks and amenities.","Parks leaders told the council that staffing cuts and budget reductions have sharply reduced routine maintenance, raised the risk of asset failures and increased the backlog of needed repairs and ADA work, and outlined specific service changes residents should expect if spending is not restored.",{"_33":99,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":100,"_41":101,"_43":102,"_45":103,"_47":104,"_49":105,"_51":106,"_53":107,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":108,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":109,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6056640,"Edmonds leaders review three budget paths and set public outreach as levy decision looms",4444,5085000,9529000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3309309-6427eccdffbf73fcf2574c673bd4d90a&start=5085&end=9529","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3309309-6427eccdffbf73fcf2574c673bd4d90a/thumbnail_5085000.jpg","/articles/6056640/Edmonds/Snohomish-County/Washington/Edmonds-leaders-review-three-budget-paths-and-set-public-outreach-as-levy-decision-looms","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6056640-ffebb8fffcd4d8b00433134ea7920e79/orig.mp4?Expires=1775395640&Signature=h~NmwWeIEgBJTJ832w0IenExXMql3VTUmhcaE~2pTI~w9bj~G0cAU4TONH88Aqk6130PV-auX0rZ6o12iPaj2X2NGJ34gYOrrGa03vodFUDbU4BRT5TOgFGLjpYuDvsGuq6b6s8YGLER~8G9Es9pZD9QDnxh0VBBxBIrFNafjAT2GXL72X3ZRRe5Nb88o3cuim67S~pSql0LUNiDjEzri~clPyc3ZcC8YEzXlKbO5Fn5xXnBKz4iHyQjCEpUM0h06bRnQKgmOw1riJO3BsGZpEmPGg9de6AK1-w50GC4BEED3ILuIce9Mbn04wq6yEI8hbsF1WKXwL4tC7z43cBATg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Edmonds City Council members and staff spent a full-day budget retreat on May 9 reviewing updated revenue and expense projections and three possible approaches to the city’s 2026 budget.

Staff presented three linked scenarios: (1) the 2026 budget as adopted, which assumes a $6 million property-tax levy lift; (2) a higher, “community vision” funding level that would restore services and begin catching up on deferred maintenance; and (3) a no-levy or failed-levy scenario that would require deeper cuts and changes to service levels. Finance staff highlighted the uncertainty in sales tax and other revenues and said projections will be refined monthly.

Why it matters: the council must decide whether to place a levy lid lift before county filing deadlines this summer if it wants voters to consider new property-tax authority in the November general election. Staff and council discussed a calendar of public hearings and outreach, including a late‑May community meeting, and described the legal and scheduling steps (resolution, public hearing, appointment of pro/con committees, county filing). The deadline to file ballot measures with the county clerk was discussed as early August, and staff emphasized the need for council direction now so outreach and legal work can proceed.

Most immediate facts: the budget used in staff presentations relies on a $6 million levy lift built into the 2026 baseline. Staff also identified a $2 million embedded expense reduction already assumed in the 2026 figures and noted a separate schedule for repaying a bridge loan; the 2026 budget as drafted includes a $3 million programmed payback installment. Staff warned that weaker-than-expected sales tax collections are a major near‑term risk to the general fund.

Council next steps and timing: council members agreed to begin more active public outreach in late May and to schedule work sessions and committee meetings in June and July to finalize any resolution placing a measure on the ballot. If council chooses to place a measure it will need to adopt the formal resolution (with the ballot title and explanatory language) and file with the county in time for the August filing deadline. Staff said the municipal code and state laws require the council to give precise ballot wording and to appoint committees if the council moves forward.

What council members worried about: members pressed staff for concrete descriptions of what a no-levy scenario would look like — which services would be reduced or eliminated and what the timeline for those cuts would be — and they asked for materials that the public can understand easily. Several members urged rapid, clear outreach so voters would see tradeoffs in plain language.

Where this goes next: staff will refine revenue projections and return to council with more detailed program-level impacts, a draft resolution and a schedule for public outreach. The council asked staff to prepare a short, plain-language package explaining the three scenarios and the fiscal consequences so that public meetings can focus on questions and priorities.","City staff laid out three budget scenarios — the budget as adopted (with a $6 million levy assumed), a larger “community vision” funding level and a no-levy scenario — and provided a calendar for council deliberations and public meetings as officials prepare for a possible levy measure this fall.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Edmonds examines parking fees, business levies and annexation as revenue options

Edmonds police warn training, enforcement and social‑worker support are strained in tight budget

Parks maintenance cutbacks outlined as 'deferred maintenance' risk at Edmonds budget retreat

Edmonds leaders review three budget paths and set public outreach as levy decision looms