After postponing the item from last week due to a packed agenda, the Edmonds City Council is scheduled to revisit at its Tuesday, Jan. 25 meeting a list of amendments to the 2022 budget that was approved by the council last month.

These amendments include removing several programs and positions approved by a majority of the council in November. Among them: a full-time police commander, police body cameras and the police scuba team; a full-time public information officer (until the 2022 budget, this position was part-time); a solar program for low-income households; an additional $200,000 for the city’s human services department; a new full-time position to manage the city’s capital projects. There is also an amendment to remove the new full-time Race, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (REDI) program manager, stating that using a consultant for this purpose is sufficient.

The amendments also include adding several expenditures; among them, $70,000 for the city’s Diversity Commission, $100,000 for the Creative District’s 4th Avenue Cultural Corridor project, $60,000 for a study of a police station and/or city hall relocation and $150,000 for streetlights in the Lake Ballinger area.

You can read all of the proposals here.

Many of the amendments up for reconsideration Tuesday night were submitted by Councilmembers Diane Buckshnis and Kristiana Johnson during the council’s 2022 budget process in November, but both Buckshnis and Johnson were unable to attend the Nov. 18 meeting where those items were discussed.

State law requires any budget amendments that change the 2022 budget’s fund balance must be approved by a supermajority vote of five members out of seven.

A public hearing has already been scheduled on the matter for the Feb. 1 council meeting.

Other items on Tuesday’s counci agenda include:

– A proclamation for Lunar New Edmonds and an update on the wastewater treatment plant’s Carbon Recovery Project.

– Continued review of the city’s Non-Represented Employees Compensation Study

– Introduction to a proposed city code amendment that would require the inclusion of bike facilities for short- and long-term parking for all multifamily and non-residential development “that is new, substantially damaged or improved” or if a parking lot is expanded by 50% or more.

– Consideration of a proposal by the administrative services department to replace existing Enterprise Resource Planning Software (Eden) with a five-year contract for the OpenGov Budget Suite. The cost is $382,585 for a five-year contract and it would be funded by federal American Rescue Plan Act dollars.

The meeting will be held virtually using the Zoom meeting platform. Paste the following into a web browser using a computer or smart phone:
https://zoom.us/j/95798484261
Or join by phone: US: +1 253 215 8782 Webinar ID: 957 9848 4261

Those wishing to provide audience comments using a computer or smart phone are instructed to raise a virtual hand to be recognized. To provide audience comments by dial-up phone, press *9 to raise a hand. When prompted, press *6 to unmute.

In addition to Zoom, regular Council meetings beginning at 7 p.m. are streamed live on the council meeting webpage, Comcast channel 21, and Ziply channel 39.

Prior to the 7 p.m. business meeting, the council will meet at 6:15 p.m. in executive session to discuss collective bargaining strategy.