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County chair visits Mukilteo, flags $20 million shortfall and updates on airport, housing and senior‑center funding
Summary
Snohomish County Council Chair Megan Dunn briefed Mukilteo council members on a roughly $20 million county shortfall, Paine Field runway rehabilitation and the county's 'new start' hotel sites for people experiencing homelessness; she also noted increased funding for Mukilteo's senior center.
Megan Dunn, chair of the Snohomish County Council (introduced to the Mukilteo council by the mayor), told the Mukilteo City Council at a work session that the county is facing an operating gap "of about 20,000,000" and is pursuing a combination of savings and new revenues as it prepares a biennial budget.
Dunn walked the council through the county's budget timeline, saying the executive's work runs now through September and the council's review begins at the end of September with a planned adoption in November. "We're looking at a deficit, right now of about 20,000,000 at the county," she said.
She also updated the council on Paine Field. A runway rehabilitation project is scheduled to begin after July 4 and aims for completion by Halloween 2026, with nightly closures expected to begin in July 2026. Dunn said operational control rests with the Federal Aviation Administration and described the airport's voluntary noise‑abatement efforts; in response to council questions she acknowledged the county has requested extended tower hours from the federal government.
On housing, Dunn described the county's "new start centers," two hotels purchased for conversion to supportive shelter and services — one in Everett and one in Edmonds — and said permitting and mitigation work took longer than expected. The council recently approved the contracts for two providers; the facilities are intended to serve roughly 90 people and include wraparound services and 24‑hour security.
Dunn also said the county added $300,000 in a mid‑biennium allocation for 13 senior centers. "The city of Mukilteo senior center typically was getting 25,000, but this year and the next 2 years, you'll get... 77,000," she said.
Why it matters: county budget choices affect local services and grant capacity; the Paine Field schedule may produce local traffic and noise impacts; and the new start centers and increased senior‑center funds will change service capacity for Mukilteo residents.
Next steps: Dunn offered to work with Mukilteo on ferry and lighthouse preservation requests and encouraged council members to follow up on specific items. She said additional county budget work and department meetings will precede council deliberations in the fall.
