Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
Everett council hears staff briefing and seeks annual reports as buffer-zone ordinance is advanced
Loading...
Summary
City staff briefed the City Council on proposed amendments to the service facility buffer-zone ordinance, recommending a two-year extension of the ordinance’s sunset and a new annual reporting requirement; staff cited declines in calls for service at designated sites but emphasized the tool is not a homelessness solution.
The Everett City Council received a detailed briefing on Oct. 8 seeking to amend the city’s service facility buffer-zone ordinance to extend its sunset date and add routine reporting requirements.
City legal and police staff presented data on the ordinance’s use since it was adopted in 2023 and asked the council to amend the current expiration so the ordinance remains in effect through Dec. 31, 2027, and to require annual administration reports and additional reports whenever a new zone is designated.
Staff said the ordinance (codified at EMC 9.54) permits the mayor to designate service facility buffer zones when qualifying events occur; within designated areas, sitting or lying down is unlawful (with medical and other exceptions), and distributing goods or services in the right of way requires a city right-of-way permit. Lacey Offit, briefing for the police department and city legal, said administration has issued six right-of-way permits over the ordinance’s life, three of which remain active.
“Good intentions only go so far. We have to couple that with good implementation,” Offit told councilmembers, quoting a staff colleague and summarizing staff’s view that the ordinance has been implemented as intended.
City staff provided enforcement and service-outreach statistics: since July 2023, calls for service reportedly fell by roughly 45% near the UCC church site, 18% near Andy’s Place, 51% at the Fred Meyer location, and 14% around the Imagine Children’s Museum. Police reported issuing 156 warnings for buffer-zone violations and pressing 11 criminal charges related to the ordinance; Offit said the prosecutor’s case management software showed seven filed charges, noting the discrepancy would be reconciled. No convictions for the buffer-zone violation have been reported, and prosecutors said many cases were dismissed, diverted, or remain pending.
Staff described how buffer zones interact with other city operations: public works and the city’s encampment response teams said zones made some cleanup work more feasible in high-impact locations; social workers said the zones create opportunities for outreach by clarifying where officers and social workers can engage and offer services.
Councilmembers asked for numeric context beyond percentage changes, and staff agreed to provide raw counts and clarify prosecutor/police discrepancies in future reports. Some councilmembers expressed philosophical objections to the tool as a response to social problems but acknowledged that local businesses, service providers and residents have reported improved safety and access in designated areas.
The ordinance amendment was read for the first time; staff said the third and final reading on the buffer-zone amendment is scheduled for Oct. 22, 2025. No final council action occurred on Oct. 8.
The council packet and staff presentation identified four existing designations by name: UCC church (2624 Rockefeller), Andy’s Place (3301 Lombard), Fred Meyer (8530 Evergreen Way) and Imagine Children’s Museum (1502 Wall Street). Staff said the ordinance requires posting zone maps on the city website and that administration will return with the requested annual and event-triggered reports.
Details about permit counts, enforcement actions, and the statistics staff presented will be included in the written reports to council when they are filed.
