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Lake Stevens council rejects 2026 budget ordinance after split 3–4 vote; workshop planned
Summary
Council failed to adopt ordinance 12‑05, the proposed 2026 budget, after a 3–4 roll call on Nov. 25. Members who voted against cited structural concerns about reserves, property-tax allocations and future sustainability; staff and the mayor said a workshop will be scheduled to reconcile issues before year-end.
Council members on Nov. 25 declined to adopt the city’s proposed 2026 budget ordinance (No. 12‑05), voting 3 in favor and 4 against after a final public hearing and extended council discussion.
The vote followed a staff presentation that listed an estimated beginning balance of just under $54.3 million, projected revenues of about $51.1 million, budgeted expenses of roughly $66.5 million, and a citywide ending fund balance of about $38.9 million. Staff proposed two new positions, an IT applications/data analyst and a traffic engineer, and described a mix of capital projects funded partly by grants.
Mayor (speaker 1) summarized next…
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