Lynnwood City Council approves additional $100,000 for community COVID-19 relief.
By: Erin Freeman | Lynnwood Times Staff
At the September 14 business meeting, the Lynnwood City Council voted and unanimously approved to increase the city’s community relief fund contract award with the Community of Color Coalition (C3), increasing the disbursement of CARES Act funds to Lynnwood residents from $200,000 to a maximum of $300,000 through October 31, 2020. Councilmember Julieta Altamirano-Crosby recused herself from the vote due to close association with C3.
“We received some good news,” explained councilmember Ian Cotton. “The Governor released some additional CARES funding act funds, which supplemented our previous allotment of $1,180,000 worth of CARES funding and increased that to allow us to fund some of these programs that we’re doing.”
The council then unanimously authorized Mayor Nicola Smith to execute the contract amendment with the architect designing phases 2 and 3 of the Lynnwood Police Department’s (LPD) Community Justice Center for $1,471,105, extending the contract term through February 2023.
The Criminal Justice Center, an expansion of the Lynnwood Civic Center to include access to treatment and services for incarcerated individuals oriented toward improving outcomes for offenders by addressing factors that are often linked to criminal behavior, was initially expected to be completed in 2022, with occupancy in 2023.
The council then unanimously approved an amendment to the 2019-20 biannual budget for the funding of the prospective Criminal Justice Center’s design, providing for the transmittal of the amended budget to the state.
“To complete the Phase 2 design work in 2020, a budget amendment was needed to transfer an additional [$1,392,000] from the criminal justice fund…to the public safety capital fund,” explained Councilmember Shannon Sessions.
The council also approved entering into a contract with the Snohomish County Public Utilities District to facilitate the replacement of the overhead utility system to an underground utility system within the area of 196th St. SW.
Future Lynnwood City Council Business Meetings, Work Sessions and Committee Meetings can be streamed live by the public at https://www.you- tube.com/user/CityofLynnwood/live.
