General Legislative Session - Regular Meeting

Good morning, everyone. Snohomish County Council is called to order for our administrative session. Today is Monday sorry. Today is Tuesday, 05/19/2026 at 9AM. We're meeting in the Jackson Boardroom and also remotely. I'll read the script for public comment, and then we'll take roll. We'll take public comment beginning in person and then remotely on Zoom. Click on the hand icon to raise your hand. If you're calling in by phone, press 9 to raise your hand and 6 to unmute. Each speaker will have three minutes to speak, and please state your comment with your name and city of residence. Next is roll call.

Chair Dunn? Here. Vice Chair Lo?

Present.

Councilmember Nearing?

Here.

Councilmember Mead? Here. Councilmember Peterson?

Here.

Chair, we have five members present.

Thank you. And before we move forward that we have one amendment to the agenda. So if there's no objection, item K under full council action from Committee of the Whole will be removed from consideration and put back into Committee of the Whole. If you have questions, you can ask Heidi. So is there any objection to that amendment? Okay. So moving forward, we have first up is special reports, and we have Resolution 20 six-twenty two five.

Council considers resolution 26 dash zero two five recognizing May 2026 as public works week in Snohomish County.

Thank you. Any comments from council members? Council member Low, did you want to say anything? I thought he brought this forward.

No comment.

Okay. So we'll open it up to staff. Director Schneider, did you want to share comments?

Good morning. Kelly Steiner for the record for the record. I'm public works director for Snohomish County. Thank you for, acknowledging this week. You know, our staff are extremely dedicated and really work hard for our community to make sure we can deliver the very best, systems.

I'll think about roads often, but we also have solid waste, and, they work endless hours. You know, I think there's only seven days off for solid waste in the entire year. So they're working seven days a week and taking the solid waste, making sure that it's processed properly. And for roads, making sure that we can stay open under the most dire of circumstances, whether it's snow or floods and just day to day travel. So we just thank you for this proclamation and celebrating National Public Works Week.

Thank you so much. Any other comments? Okay. Is there a motion?

I move approval of Resolution 20 six-twenty five. Second.

It's been properly moved and seconded to approve Resolution 20 six-twenty five. Any additional discussion? Hearing none, all in favor, please say aye. Aye. Chair votes aye. Any opposed? Hearing none, that passes five to zero. We have a quick agenda, so we'll take a picture afterwards, if you don't mind. Okay. Next is public comment.

Welcome. Thank you.

Members of the city council, I want to first say thank you for previously taking the time to hear our concerns several months back when my nephew's sister and I came in to discuss the fatal hit and run that took his life of July of last year. We are now following up despite being told by the prosecutor's office that a charging decision will be made in the first quarter of twenty twenty six. We have no re no meaningful update. We have been told the delays are could continue due to staffing shortages. To date, we have been given no substantive information, only explanations for delay.

Notably, the prosecutor's office has never reached out to our family on their own initiative. All communication has been the result of our repeated follow ups. March 12, their office, and I'm gonna say this in a way I feel, We did receive after we met with you guys. I would call in an excuse email, again, going over the excuses why, and they had no timeline, no answers for us. And so they did ask us if we would like a phone call to discuss this further. I wrote back immediately saying, yes. We would. That's been two months ago. We've received no phone call. And I can't imagine we're the only family in this situation.

And I'm gonna say this with respect. Staffing limitations should not prevent timely charging decisions in fatal cases. Families who have lost loved ones deserve accountability and proactive communication without prolonged concern uncertainty. Neighboring jurisdictions, including Pierce County and notably King County, once they receive the case from the from the detectives, they have thirty days to make a charging decision in King County. They do not rely on these type of explanations that we have received and operate with defined expectations for timely charging decisions.

I will ask you again, is this just as you would want for your own family member ten months later? We previously asked the council to consider whether resources could be prioritized or redirected to ensure these cases are handled without ongoing delay. We we didn't resp receive a response from you guys either. So we're just we wrote an email. We're just we're just wanting some answers.

We're just asking for a real status on this case update. And Megan did give me one walking in, so I got a little more information, and I appreciate that. We just and if you guys are taking any actions like King County did to to help these because I would imagine we are not the only family members dealing with these things. And from what I've heard, we're not. And a risk and and like I said, we remain respectful of the challenges facing the system, but we cannot accept indefinite delays for a case involving loss of life.

And, again, I just wanna remind you guys, Brent was hit, drugged 1.2 miles, his body dislodged from the car, he was run over a second time, and the man that hit him went about his day. Never called the police, never did one thing, and returned to the scene because he lived two blocks away, saw all the police activity, and when the police finally spoke with him, he thought he hit a bag of garbage. So when you hit a hundred and thirty pound man, I'm gonna look at each one of you. Would you not stop your car? That's a pretty you hit a we hit a pothole and we know we've hit something.

I couldn't imagine. And maybe if he might have stopped, Brent would not would not be in this well, he would not be gone. And so for us, it's his mother has terminal cancer. She lost her son, her sister-in-law, and her mother in two months. And I would like to get her justice before she leaves this world because she's heartbroken. So I'm just looking to you guys to see, is there anything you can do about timelines? And, really, my big concern is just talk to us. You know, give us real answers and not excuses. I found out there are some things we're working on. It would be nice if the prosecutor would talk to the family.

Anyway, thank you. Thank you for your comment. If you can share your name too.

I'm sorry. Laurie D'Armon. Okay. Thank you.

Is there any additional public comment or any hands raised? No hands raised online.

Okay.

Thank you. Next is introduction and assignment of legislation to committee. You can see what items have come in. Under committee, the whole items a through c are for reassignment and without objection would move to GLS on May 20 for consideration. Their clerk's report on pending legislation, there's no report. We have reports of council committees. You can see the dates and times of committees. Are there any outside reports from committees? I attended the WSAC Board meeting and legislative retreat this week or last week. We did pass a motion resolution that created a structure to have a fleet service that we can opt into.

And our government affairs team is going to be working with fleet and facilities to review that to see if that's something that would benefit the council or the county. Please review other business. There's motion 20 six-two zero seven. We have no executive session today, but we do have a walk on motion.

I move the council to hereby approve and authorize the county executive to execute the claim resolution settlement agreement between Timothy B. O'Hara, Snohomish County, and the City Of Everett as reviewed and approved as the form by the prosecuting attorney. Second.

A motion has been properly made and seconded. Is there any discussion? Hearing none, all in favor, please say aye. Aye. Chair votes aye. Any opposed? Hearing none, then passes five to zero.

Chair, I also have the Chief of Staff's

Oh, sorry. Chief of Staff report. Sorry about that.

That's okay. I had sent an email out to counsel. There's a request for counsel to consider the support of a letter to the governor's office related to the nomination of eight census tracts as opportunity zones. And so, as mentioned in my email today, what I'm looking for is, authorization to affix your signature to the letter.

You can sign my name. Same. Wonderful. Thank you. Okay. No apologies. Report. No worries. Thank you. So with no other business, council is in recess until our 11:00 committee meeting.