Lynnwood City Council celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month and a century of women’s voting rights
By: Erin Freeman | Lynnwood Times Staff
At the September 28 business meeting, the Lynnwood City Council voted (5-2) and approved to allocate half of the recently awarded additional CARES Act funding to the Lynnwood Food Bank. Councilmembers Ian Cotton and Christine Frizzell were not in support of the reallocation, explaining that the intention of the community relief fund, comprised of CARES Act funding, was meant for housing relief during the coronavirus pandemic.
“Housing is homelessness prevention,” said Frizzell. “My vote isn’t against food, but it is for housing.”
At the September 14 business meeting, the council announced that it had received an additional $100,000 additional CARES act funding, approving to increase the city’s community relief fund contract award from $200,000 to a maximum of $300,000. Now, $50,000 of that funding will be allocated to support the food bank’s efforts to adequately serve the community and vulnerable populations during the pandemic.
The city also made two proclamations, the first celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month. Before presenting it, Councilmember Julieta Altamirano-Crosby asked if there were any objections (there was not) to changing the original title of ‘Latino Heritage Month’ to ‘Hispanic Heritage Month.’ According to Altamirano-Crosby, the modified language is in greater alignment with the nationally recognized holiday, accurately reflecting and honoring the heritage and culture.
“September 15 to October 15, 2020, is recognized as National Hispanic Heritage Month, which is a time to renew our commitment to honoring the invaluable ways Latinos contribute to our common goals, celebrate diverse cultures, and to work towards a strong, more inclusive and more prosperous society for all,” read Altamirano-Crosby.
The second proclamation aims at honoring the 100th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution.
“For all the young girls out there, what this means is some of us have only been able to vote for 100 years,” said Councilmember Ruth Ross.
The city then confirmed the appointment of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Commission Candidates Daniela Altamirano-Crosby, Joshua Binda, and Marcia Smith. Parks and Recreation Board Candidate Katie McKeown and Arts Commission Candidate Teodora Popescu were also appointed to their respected boards. Ty Tufono-Chaussee was confirmed to the Board of Ethics.
Later in the evening, the council held a public hearing regarding the 2020 Flood Hazard Area Regulations, presented by Derek Fada, Environmental and Surface Water Supervisor, and Public Works manager Jared Bond.
At the beginning of the year, the city was told by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) that they needed to update codes to comply with newly adopted updates. Updates will allow Lynnwood to continue to participate in the flood insurance program and allow community members in flood zones to continue to purchase the insurance, explained Fada.
Council then unanimously approved the flood hazard area regulations, reestablishing and updating the city’s code as required by FEMA, explained Cotton.
Then, the council unanimously approved the refinance 2010 utility bonds, as Finance Director Sonja Springer was able to identify an opportunity to refinance existing utility bonds, at a cost-savings of $500,000 to $700,000 over the remaining 10 years of the loan.
Holding a public hearing on priorities for the 2021-22 budget to prepare a detailed budget, councilmembers also heard from community members on matters under consideration by the city. No action was taken. Decisions regarding the adoption of the city’s budget will not be made until after a second public hearing on the detailed preliminary budget planned for November 9.
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.
