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Lynnwood staff say small general‑fund investment leverages events, partnerships and nearly $130,000 in wellness savings
Summary
City staff told the Lynnwood council that the Healthy Communities team uses roughly $54,000 of general-fund investment (2025) to leverage grants, sponsorships and partnerships for parks, events and human services; staff described metrics and program evaluation tools, including Placer AI and surveys.
Lynnwood planning and parks staff presented an overview of the city's Healthy Communities work at the June 17 council work session, stressing that a relatively small general‑fund investment supports a broad portfolio of events, arts, volunteer programs and human‑services coordination.
Monica Thompson, planning superintendent, introduced the program and said the team works across "homes, jobs and kids" objectives to translate council‑adopted plans into community events and services. "Much of what this team does is work that you've already experienced ... it's attending a community event or enjoying public art, volunteering, celebrating our community's history," Thompson said.
Mario Harrington, the healthy communities manager, outlined the division's program areas — community events, park activation, arts and culture, heritage, volunteer engagement and human services coordination — and how staff measure outcomes. Harrington said the Healthy Communities team leveraged approximately $54,000 of general‑fund investment in 2025 to deliver a wide range of community programs through grants, sponsorships and earned revenue, noting that staff costs were not included in that calculation. "When we fund this team, staff leverage talent, skill, relationship building and a relatively small amount of general fund investment (approximately $54,000 in 2025) to deliver a wide range of community programs and services," Harrington said.
Staff described methods to measure attendance and partner satisfaction: small events can use manual clickers while larger events may rely on Placer AI cell‑phone data when a subscription exists to estimate attendance and dwell time. Monica Thompson and Harrington noted that Placer AI helped estimate event attendance previously but that the city’s subscription had expired on April 15. "Placer AI ... hosts a platform that collects cell phone data. It's one of many out there and it's often used ... by agencies with a subscription," Harrington said.
The presentation included outcome figures the team uses for planning and grant applications: staff reported vendor booth fees of about $35,000 in 2025 tied to larger events, and they said the city's Well City employee wellness initiatives produced nearly $130,000 in savings in 2025. Councilmembers asked how staff decide whether to continue or pivot events, and staff said they rely on survey feedback from attendees and partners, sponsor interest, and attendance metrics.
Council members also discussed budget season priorities and asked staff to present sustainable efficiencies, measurement approaches and an expected timetable for budget decision points. Staff said they would follow up with more detailed measurements and continue to coordinate with department directors as the city prepares for the coming budget cycle.
Next step: staff will supply additional detail on metrics, clarify Placer AI availability, and provide input to the council as budget discussions progress.
