Council approves resolution to sponsor Lake Stevens Sewer District for AWC employee benefit trust

City staff presented a resolution asking the council to approve City sponsorship of the Lake Stevens Sewer District’s application to join the Association of Washington Cities (AWC) Employee Benefit Trust.

Gene (city staff) told council that in mid-December the sewer district "received a 30 day notice from Snohomish County that they would no longer be providing the benefit package to the Lake Stevens Sewer District employees," and that the sewer district had asked the city to sponsor its AWC application so it could apply for AWC benefits.

Councilmember Marcus (commenting during discussion) framed the sponsorship as one step toward closer operational alignment and noted potential administrative savings if the sewer district and city used the same benefit provider. Other councilmembers and the presenter described the request as a practical, short-term measure to ensure continuity of employee benefits for sewer district staff.

A motion to approve Resolution 2025-01 — "City of Lake Stevens sponsoring Lake Stevens Sewer District request to join the Association of Washington Cities Employee Benefit Trust" — was moved and seconded and then passed by voice vote. The meeting record shows multiple affirmative "Aye" responses and the mayor declared the consent motion passed; no council member recorded a named dissent during the roll call that followed the motion.

The resolution authorizes the city to sign a sponsorship letter to accompany the sewer district’s AWC application. No change to the city’s benefits was described, and staff said the sewer district will include the city sponsorship in its AWC application package. Council did not take additional action on consolidation or merger of services at this meeting; council comments referenced consolidation as a separate, broader topic.