LYNNWOOD—The Lynnwood City Council will hold its last Business meeting for the year on Monday, December 8, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. at Lynnwood City Hall to vote on new salary schedules and permit fee increases for 2026. To view the entire agenda, click here.
Permit & Fee Increases
The Council will vote on a 14.7% across-the-board increase for all permits and fees administered by Business Development Services (DBS). The proposal is projected to generate up to $2 million in new revenue. DBS estimates Lynnwood’s 2026 major project pipeline at $188–$307 million in permit valuation.
All Fees and Charges impacted: Unified Development Code; Fire Permits, Inspections, and Service Fees; Streets and Sidewalks; Water; Sewer; One- and Two-Family Dwelling Plumbing and Mechanical Fees; Building, Single-Family, Electrical and Grading Fees; Commercial and Multifamily Plumbing and Mechanical Fee; and Environmental Fees
Business License Fees
The Council will vote on a proposed 33% increase across all business license fees, including garbage collection, is expected to bring in $556,850 in 2026 revenue.
2026 Salary Schedule Ordinance
The Council will vote on ratifying its AFSCME agreement and GSO salary schedules, which include a cost-of-living adjustment increase of 2.7%.
Human Resources Director Annie Vandenkooy urged the City Council on Monday, December 1, to approve a 2.7% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for the city’s 99 GSO employees in 2026, that was also budgeted in the adopted 2025-26 biennial budget. The 2.7% figure matches the 2026 COLA in the tentative AFSCME agreement, while police guilds are scheduled for a 4% increase and Teamsters 2.34%.
Public Safety Sales Tax Measure
The Council will vote on a resolution to prepare an ordinance for consideration of a new Public Safety Sales Tax.
The Lynnwood City Council on December 1, unanimously agreed to postpone consideration of a proposed 0.1% public safety sales tax ordinance and revisit it in early 2026. The council would like to provide Lynnwood Police Chief Cole Langdon enough time to complete a full review of state-mandated eligibility requirements.
Introduced by Council President Nick Coelho and supported by Councilman Robert Luetwyler, the ordinance would impose a councilmanic—no voter approval required—0.1% sales and use tax dedicated to public safety and criminal justice purposes. If enacted by the council and pre-conditions approved by the Criminal Justice Training Commission (CJTC), the tax would raise Lynnwood’s sales tax rate from 10.6% to 10.7%—the highest in Washington state.
Other Business
- Swearing-in Ceremonies
- Mayor-elect George Hurst and Councilmembers Derica Escamilla, Robert Leutwyler, Isabel Mata, and Bryce Owings will take the oath of office
- Community Proclamations
- The Council will honor outgoing officials Mayor Christine Frizzell, Josh Binda, and Patrick Decker for their service to Lynnwood.
- Board and Commission Appointments
- Reappoint to Lodging Tax Advisory Committee Member Leilani Wainui Kamala
- Reappoint of Board Members Matthew Cail (Position #2) and Dorina Katro (Position #3) to Planning Commission
- Reappoint Vanessa Villavicencio to the Human Services Commission
Author: Mario Lotmore
