Edmonds planning board backs 2026–31 capital facilities plan, urges clearer project scoring and parks staffing funding

The Edmonds Planning Board on Sept. 24 voted to forward the city—apital Facilities Plan (CFP) and six-year Capital Improvement Program (CIP) to the City Council with added requests that project-ranking scores and methodologies be provided to the council and that the council consider funding parks capital-project staffing.

Board members and staff said the CFP/CIP is a planning document that does not itself appropriate money but is needed to make projects eligible for grants and future budgets. "These documents are for planning purposes, not budget documents," said Angie Pesser, Parks, Recreation and Human Services Director, during a staff presentation. "Award funding with them goes through a budget process with the Council."

Why it matters: Planning board members said the city is facing a long-standing maintenance backlog and limited staff capacity that affect whether projects listed in the CFP can be implemented. "We are currently operating right about 60% of our staff capacity, 60% of what it was in 2023," Shannon Burley, deputy director, said. Board members said the plan must be transparent about how…