[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-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",[32,75,87],{"_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",6221757,"mediaKeyId","3611486-814d5b21fa2c0ee46a4e0ad716b6521f","parentId",3611486,"title","Public commenter urges council to avoid appointing declared candidates to temporary seat","audioSeconds",93,"startMs",147000,"endMs",240000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3611486-814d5b21fa2c0ee46a4e0ad716b6521f&start=147&end=240","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3611486-814d5b21fa2c0ee46a4e0ad716b6521f/thumbnail_147000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6221757/Lake-Forest-Park/King-County/Washington/Public-commenter-urges-council-to-avoid-appointing-declared-candidates-to-temporary-seat","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6221757-60b4c85abba3693a0506d6b2372662e7/orig.mp4?Expires=1771178139&Signature=BpAiVePuIxvP920w~TKOvF0HSXL2N3go3nyLstAqRTMc91oLLYOeu1BFRWE3m2AZ-IhFCWAZgOpXZBzj7ELTkrkiFdRGhz2v-g9bOLyvuXspFZ04EmkVp98rv3ZM0S~fbSA5rt9qN1w3PZfp~Kemm~hZq9WbH-nb~~f4eOkgynabnl-peKyukcxS09bdZ96wpkb~SaLK32yeMlmskzuGjXdRVwXW8H3dWmhMlOejv4HDqQsWtotQ68mKsfZiKms7DpvYi4xhmQFo8Mm8OftowjG78l2pmI8Uz2wHplIt5AtCb7NhgArI7Mbxdl5fG2DhxpiC6DroIZaw2jQavw2ukg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of Lake Forest Park, WA","date","2025-05-30T17:10:44.13Z","article","A member of the public used the committee’s public‑comment period to urge the council not to appoint a person who has already filed as a candidate for a Lake Forest Park council seat to serve temporarily before the fall election.

The commenter said the temporary appointment process “creates an unfair advantage in the upcoming election” because incumbency can provide “the appearance of legitimacy” and “privileged access to inside information.” They asked the council to “please honor the spirit of fair elections,” and asked the committee to select “a temporary employee who is not currently running for office and who understands that their role is to serve the public until the voters make their decisions this fall.”

Budget Chair John Lebo and other committee members allowed the brief comment and accepted the speaker’s handout; Lebo set a three‑minute limit and the speaker did not exceed it. The committee made no appointment or decision during the meeting; the item was presented as public comment only.

Less critical detail: the commenter said their concerns were about process rather than any individual, and that the remarks were intended to apply to an upcoming meeting concerning a council vacancy.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","May 29, 2025 Budget & Finance Committee","oneSentenceSummary","A member of the public asked the committee to refrain from appointing anyone who has already filed to run for a Lake Forest Park council seat to a temporary appointment, saying such an appointment would create an unfair advantage in the upcoming election.","taxTitle","Lake Forest Park, King County, Washington","taxId",71686,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6221762,"Committee warned reserves could meet ending balance in 2031–2032; levy options and one‑time funds discussed",530,1410000,1940000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3611486-814d5b21fa2c0ee46a4e0ad716b6521f&start=1410&end=1940","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3611486-814d5b21fa2c0ee46a4e0ad716b6521f/thumbnail_1410000.jpg","/articles/6221762/Lake-Forest-Park/King-County/Washington/Committee-warned-reserves-could-meet-ending-balance-in-20312032-levy-options-and-onetime-funds-discussed","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6221762-be69b7d61cc1545e101ac7fcb5b5e42e/orig.mp4?Expires=1771178140&Signature=NtciqDvhgeUAutTELnxWpEvGLu6MmeJ4YoNc1Vn~1N612EEgHqBuiPgDBIRliIAehO7cxrfjLXz7-aa3-KW84B18J0urBA4-SWoX1XA3Okq69V0tNKbFEFWDPnq0vrhR9ay7OvlLEI7zTePM75PIxILSoqVi6WCJrxuRW1j5CsXRk5puNvB2sjw-gCtOOOAMAUH4-4lsoLoSzwUbcC2lfgAaDV-muZ76Y6l4KdwK~u7FPvV-ePpqZq79eGaIFsPZtNNX85G~-P5vWDuNljE6JqOmPk4efyJ3E4z1FPGYRbKgufhfod6fBYunbG~hT3NevztiJCNqciCLdtxNBe~dzA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","City Finance staff presented a six‑year forecast and a set of budget challenge handouts that showed Lake Forest Park’s unallocated funds shrinking and the forecast meeting the city’s reserve target around the 2031–2032 biennium.

Finance Director Anne Vaughn told the Budget & Finance Committee the projection assumes current adopted budgets and noted several clarifying factors: the Guild collective bargaining agreement (CBA) costs exceeded earlier estimates, Teamsters negotiations remain unresolved and therefore cost‑unknown, and the city expects multiple police retirements in the 2025–2026 biennium that affect one‑time payout liabilities. Vaughn summarized the effect: using one‑time funds to cover recurring operating costs leaves the city vulnerable later in the forecast.

Committee members examined staff calculations that removed one‑time revenues from the general‑fund picture. Using figures in the back of the adopted budget, a committee member presented an adjusted general‑fund view in which revenue was $25,505,000 and expenditures $26,388,000 for the biennium — a gap consistent with staff’s operating shortfall assessment. That member said removing transfers to internal service funds and one‑time funds reduced the usable cash balance to about $23,000,600 — a figure the presenter used to illustrate the city’s reliance on one‑time monies and transfers to balance ongoing functions.

Vaughn and council members discussed retirement payout mechanics. Vaughn explained police retirement payouts differ from unrepresented employees: police receive a percentage payout for accrued sick leave. She told the committee, “Police are different. They get a portion of 50% of their sick time where unrepresented employee gets 0% of their sick time paid out,” and that long‑tenured retirements can create large one‑time costs.

The committee discussed possible revenue tools. Staff circulated guidance from MRSC and relevant RCW sections about levies: staff advised that a levy must state its first‑year rate and that you cannot simply present a ballot measure that says “10¢ first year, 20¢ second year” without specifying the year‑one rate and allowable escalation (for example, CPI escalation provisions). Vaughn said cities commonly present a multiyear temporary levy with a defined first‑year rate and built‑in CPI or percentage adjustments and then seek voter renewal at the end of the term.

Deputy Mayor Fieratani previously provided council a draft list of priorities that could be funded by a levy (public safety and parks maintenance were included in the materials); staff emphasized council must reach consensus on scope and rates before public messaging. Staff and council members agreed next steps include clarifying the levy term, the precise first‑year rate to present to voters, and what services the levy would fund.

No levy proposal was adopted at the meeting; members directed staff to return with clarified options and more granular lists of the functions to be funded and the budget shortfall analysis that ties the levy request to service levels.

Less critical detail: staff flagged other cost pressures such as jail costs, solid‑waste contract renegotiation expected next year, and the City’s previous reliance on one‑time CARES/other funds to smooth operating results.","Committee members reviewed a six‑year forecast showing reserves declining toward the city’s minimum by 2031–2032, discussed use of one‑time funds and personnel cost drivers, and received legal guidance that a levy must state a first‑year rate rather than staged year‑to‑year increases.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6221767,"Lake Forest Park finance director reports April dashboard shows several funds on watch; facilities costs rising",185,275000,460000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3611486-814d5b21fa2c0ee46a4e0ad716b6521f&start=275&end=460","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3611486-814d5b21fa2c0ee46a4e0ad716b6521f/thumbnail_275000.jpg","/articles/6221767/Lake-Forest-Park/King-County/Washington/Lake-Forest-Park-finance-director-reports-April-dashboard-shows-several-funds-on-watch-facilities-costs-rising","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6221767-9f5b87080bd91ed47136482f052af437/orig.mp4?Expires=1771178140&Signature=bAolc1noKLwq2k8hmO87hHnQk8aqoWxA50fmFmXCumH2WkbrwqZNisKJ9fgqu1-QtXUi~xQDSCS30Qq02a1z2Edz~vgzguuN~oR6dWp5HcQpq~vUn96XvfXnZE6DXMMNk~lYR44Jrp701XohEs-TdkzYE~Crptwv1MY66Y1WWEUTcB0kO~CZU1EdJVJDkKy2noGrKKoOrtMlfqWDiW0on--AFBGHApM7mATVz1UQLfxOT0f-HEQ-GWsZjqUdcseo0boG8sBCwNDuJvFQiWiAprJR3ewgYiH5NPJR1CL0JfZgXOOKitXNtQqlbyLOYNNcZNK2gBxDssFBmntM1bLR9Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Finance Director Anne Vaughn told the Lake Forest Park City Council Budget & Finance Committee on evening that the city’s April budget monitoring dashboard shows multiple funds that warrant attention, particularly facilities and a small program called CrimeWatch.

Vaughn said the city’s biennial budget pacing is at 16.7% through April and cautioned committee members that “there is quite a bit more yellow, which is not alarming because most of it is one‑time costs that are annual, but they're frontloaded.” She said insurance payments that come due in January make early dashboards look less favorable.

The nut graf: the dashboard identifies timing issues (annual bills paid early in the year), reclassified invoices, and emerging facilities maintenance costs that will be proposed in the next budget amendment. Those developments, Vaughn said, do not yet represent formal policy changes but are items staff will track and return to the committee.

On operating items, Vaughn said CrimeWatch is “exceeding its budget currently.” She attributed temporary overages in dispatch to invoice timing from Norcom and said two quarters had recently been paid, explaining the spike. Vaughn also identified misposted invoices: “there were two invoices for AWC that were charged under [executive] that were incorrect, and they really are going to be reallocated to the memberships line item.” She said staff will recode those charges and that the reallocation will bring that line back on target.

Facilities is the area flagged for the closest monitoring. Vaughn told the committee, “Facilities, in April is starting to show that we are going over,” and said she will bring proposed increases in a forthcoming budget amendment because of aging‑building repairs and some one‑off events that required unplanned work.

Police spending tracked near pacing expectations but reflected the January insurance timing: Vaughn said police were at about 17% year‑to‑date and that insurance timing explains most of the variance. Staff also noted salary‑savings from a small number of unfilled positions that partially offset other pressures.

On revenues, Vaughn said property tax flows explain higher percentages in April for the general fund and surface water fund. She described capital improvement fund revenue sources as primarily real estate excise tax (REET) and King County levy allocations. The transportation capital fund, she said, is largely grant‑driven and currently at about 3% for the year, pending the roundabout project and other grant timing.

Vaughn reviewed capital activity: she said public works has approval to coordinate asphalt overlays with King County and noted an accounting coding correction so the Beach Drive lift station will appear under a project‑specific code in the amended reports. She also said a contractor held the invoice for police locker rooms and that expenditure will appear in May reporting.

Committee members asked for follow‑up detail on the street fund shortfall (right‑of‑way permits, motor vehicle excise tax, franchise fees and construction permit timing), and Vaughn said staff would provide a deeper breakdown. She also agreed to track traffic‑camera receipts and interest attribution at a more granular level.

The meeting produced no formal budget votes. Vaughn said staff will bring a preliminary budget amendment to the committee in the coming weeks to address facilities and other identified coding and timing issues.

Less critical details: Vaughn asked whether members wanted a presentation on proposed overlay streets and agreed to provide the list and the public‑safety walk improvements planned for the 201st/197th (Horizon View area) overlay when those details are finalized.","Finance Director Anne Vaughn told the Budget & Finance Committee that April budget monitoring shows several funds are above typical spending for the biennium and that facilities and certain nonoperating costs will require a budget amendment.","actionData","errors"]

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Public commenter urges council to avoid appointing declared candidates to temporary seat

Committee warned reserves could meet ending balance in 2031–2032; levy options and one‑time funds discussed

Lake Forest Park finance director reports April dashboard shows several funds on watch; facilities costs rising