Snohomish County Council unanimously approves Paine Field traffic study grant, mitigation authority, flood waste fee waivers and other motions

The Snohomish County Council approved a series of motions at its Jan. 7 general legislative session, voting unanimously on multiple items that county staff said will add technical studies, clarify mitigation authority for transportation projects, and provide temporary financial relief for residents affected by December 2025 flooding.

In the meeting’s most prominent procurement item, Deb Bell, a council staff member, presented motion 25-579 to approve and authorize the county executive to sign GCC 13-19, a Washington State aviation planning grant agreement for a Paine Field Airport expansion traffic study. Bell said the grant-funded study is a joint project between County Public Works and Paine Field, and that the grant will reimburse up to $500,000 for the study covering 07/01/2025–06/30/2027. Bell also stated the project materials projected Paine Field growth of "6 78 percent by 2040." The council moved, seconded, and approved that motion 5–0.

On infrastructure mitigation, the council approved motion 26-003 authorizing acquisition of real property to mitigate critical-area impacts for the Granite Falls Bridge (No. 102) and Pilchuck Creek Bridge (No. 626) replacement projects in the Stillaguamish River watershed. Bell outlined five components of the motion, including authority for the Public Works Director to approve appraisals up to $21,000 and for the County Engineer to acquire remnant or additional property up to $100,000 to implement the mitigation plan. The motion passed 5–0.

Responding to the December 2025 floods, the council approved motion 26-009 to waive or eliminate solid-waste disposal fees through March 19, 2026, for residents disposing of flood-damaged household materials covered under the governor’s emergency declaration of 12/10/2025. Bell said the action is intended to protect public health and encourage proper disposal; she noted solid waste information is posted on the county website and available at drop-off stations. The council discussed outreach briefly and then approved the motion 5–0.

The council also approved procurement-related motions: motion 26-013 authorizing amendments to 2023–2026 on-call consultant services master agreements for the solid-waste discipline, increasing the umbrella not-to-exceed amount by $1,500,000 to a new total of $5,100,000 under Snohomish County Code 3.04.0.14, paragraph 11 (funding from solid waste fund 402); and motion 26-012 authorizing Amendment 9 to the website development and hosting agreement with ICON Enterprises (doing business as Civic Plus) to add a chatbot module with prorated subscription fees from 01/01/2026 through 07/31/2026 for an additional $35,927.92. Both motions passed 5–0.

Earlier in the meeting the council also adopted Resolution 26-001 recognizing Jan. 9, 2026, as National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day in Snohomish County. Vice Chair Lowe and multiple councilmembers thanked local law enforcement; the sheriff was present and briefly addressed the council. The council recessed to take a photograph and later moved into an executive session under RCW 42.30.110(1)(g) for personal matters, with successive on-the-record time extensions and an explicit statement that no action would follow the session.

All motions on the record during the Jan. 7 session were approved by voice vote and recorded as passing 5–0.