“Budget Season” recently kicked off here in Snohomish County government with big changes to how we approach our county budget approval. Up to this point, council has approved an annual budget each year to provide an outline for expenses and revenues for the following year. This year we are shifting to a biennial budget and approving projected expenses and workplans for the next two years. Moving to approving a biennial budget will help to streamline the budget process, provide more time for oversight of programs, reduce the total amount of time staff spend budgeting which will free up time for other projects during year two, and encourage strategic thinking. Mid-budget adjustments can be made in the second year but the process is streamlined.
At the beginning of September, Executive Somers provided his budget address and presented council with his proposed 2025-2026 Budget for our deliberation and potential approval. Because of the 1% cap on growth imposed on all city and county budgets, the county continues to have limited resources to grow services, and in some cases, services are being decreased to meet our requirements to approve a balanced budget. As I review this new biennial budget, I will be prioritizing sustainability, equity, preventing layoffs, maintaining services, and ensuring stable revenue to ensure that the county’s budget is a reflection of the values of our community. If you have suggestions or input on our budget, I encourage you to:
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Call our offices and leave a message at 425-388-3494
If you are interested in learning more about how the county’s revenues are generated and where expenses are allocated, please visit the county’s interactive “Budget Dashboard” which has this information available to the public.
With Council and Executive Somers at the 2025-2026 Budget Address
The end of August brought a long-awaited day here in Snohomish County: The opening of the first light rail stations in the county! On August 30, the Light Rail Line 1 Extension was opened with four new stops extending from Northgate all the way to Lynnwood. I joined for this historic day and enjoyed celebrating with other local transportation leaders and the community. The extension of this light rail route will bring new multi-modal transportation options to Snohomish County with travel times from Lynnwood to Westlake at 28 minutes, and Lynnwood to SeaTac around 60 minutes. Sound Transit will continue to work on planning and constructing the next extension of this route with its final stop in Everett. Please visit the Everett Link Extension page to sign up for more information on the projected timeline and to sign up for updates. Here are some pictures from the inaugural ride:
With Executive Somers, Councilmember Peterson, and Senator Robinson
With Stephanie Wright and Lynnwood Mayor Frizzell
*ON* the Light Rail! With Councilmember Duque, Representative Kloba, Representative Donaghy, and Senator Lovick
With the extension of light rail to Lynnwood, Community Transit announced updates to some of their routes in the area effective September 17. Commuter routes to Northgate and Seattle have been eliminated and replaced with new express and local routes that connect to light rail. You can see route changes and updates on this page.
The Evergreen State Fair at the Monroe Fairgrounds is the largest county-sponsored event and this year’s fair was a big success. I enjoyed joining for the opening day ceremony and events to kick things off. I especially enjoyed joining for the ice cream making contest with Sheriff Susanna Johnson and Councilmember Nehring and his sidekick! Our concoction of a blackberry syrup ribbon and white chocolate chunks with pop rocks was delicious enough to place 4th (out of four teams) – Go "Team Udderly Delicious"!
As the fair continues to recover from the impacts that COVID had on attendance, especially the year it was cancelled, I’m thrilled to see that the preliminary numbers from this year are showing its steady growth and recovery:
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Attendance was up 1.5% to 232,168 - even with two very rainy days
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Total concert ticket sales increased by 103% from last year
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Presale gate admission and advance carnival sales were up 12.5%
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Total Fair vendors and sponsors were up 4.9% from last year
More totals will be available soon after they are tallied and verified, but I’m encouraged to see that the fair is still an event enjoyed by so many across our county and region. Many thanks to all of the staff and volunteers who worked to put on this year’s fair! Here are pics of some of my favorite moments:
With Team Udderly Delicious and our proud 4th place ribbons from the Ice Cream Making Contest
Teamwork makes the dream work!
With Sheriff Susanna Johnson
While I was at the Evergreen State Fair I was encouraged to see all of the hard work and entries by 4-H members from across the county. 4-H is a youth development program that empowers young people to develop skills and leadership opportunities across all types of interest areas from animals to the arts. There are 4-H Clubs across the county and each club offers its own set of project areas (dogs, horses, goats, gardening, foods, sewing, photography, robotics, etc.) depending on club volunteer leadership. If you are interested in learning more about 4-H or have a young person who is looking to get involved with an activity, they are offering a 4-H Open House Event on October 5 from 2:30-4p at the Evergreen State Fairgrounds. There is also a virtual Zoom session earlier in the day from 10-11:30. An RSVP is requested to snoco.4h@wsu.edu. More information on the open house found here.
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Over 100,000 books have been shipped to children in Snohomish County in just under a year, thanks to United Way of Snohomish County and their partnership with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. United Way of Snohomish County (UWSC) launched their partnership in June of 2023, with books being shipped to families beginning in August 2023. The Imagination Library delivers high quality and age-appropriate books to children from birth to age five, every month until their fifth birthday. UWSC launched their partnership with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to continue to uphold their mission of serving young children in the community with a goal of increasing childhood literacy rates, fostering a love of books, and promoting a culture of reading among all families in Snohomish County. For more information or to sign up, please visit www.imaginationlibrary.com.
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The Snohomish Conservation District is partnering with the cities of Everett, Marysville, and the Tulalip Tribes for a five-year Urban & Community Forests Program which will increase tree canopy coverage in certain urban neighborhoods. If you live in identified neighborhoods that are lacking tree canopy coverage, you can apply to receive free trees to plant near your home or business. To see if your neighborhood qualifies, please take a look at this map, and then use this link to apply. More information on the program can be found here.
Snohomish County Legal Financial Obligation Relief Day is coming up on September 27. On this day, any person who has criminal fines or fees associated with a Snohomish County Superior Court felony conviction can meet with an attorney for a free evaluation to see if they qualify for their fines or fees to be reduced or waived. The event runs from 1-4p and participants are asked to register ahead of time. The event is co-hosted by Snohomish County Legal Services, Snohomish County Public Defender Association, Workforce Snohomish, and Civil Survival. Burdensome fees and fines can inhibit individuals from moving on past a conviction or affording their basic needs. Be sure to register today if you would like to participate.
It's been an exciting month out and about in the county! Here's a few pictures from various events:
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With Representative DelBene and other local labor advocates at the SICLC Labor Day event |
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With local union representatives and labor advocates just prior to the Labor Day March |
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With Dr. Janice Greene at an Economic Alliance of Snohomish County event |
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