General Legislative Session - Regular Meeting

Good morning, everyone. Snohomish County Council is called to order for our general legislative session. Today is Wednesday, September 16th, 2026 at 9 a.m. We're meeting in the Jackson boardroom and also remotely. I'll read the script for public comment and then our clerks will take role. We'll take public comment beginning in person and then remotely in Zoom. Click on the hand icon to raise your hand. If you're calling in by phone, press star nine to raise your hand and star six to unmute. And each speaker will have three minutes to speak. Please start your comment with your name and city of residence. Next is roll call.

Chair Dunn. Here. Vice Chair Lowe.

Present.

Council Member Neering.

Here.

Council Member Mead.

Here.

Council Member Peterson.

Here.

Chair, we have five members present. Thank you.

Next is our Pledge of Allegiance, and we've asked Council Member Mead to please lead us in the pledge. Thank you. Next is public comment. Does anyone wish to provide public comment?

I do.

Did you want to speak? Okay.

Good morning, council members. My name is Patrick Gann. I'm a Snohomish County resident, a small business owner, and a father of four in the unincorporated Clearview area. The council was led to believe that the Clearview community demanded a 10,000-foot cannabis retail separation buffer and wanted only one cannabis retailer in Clearview. But where is the evidence? Council members Meade and Lowe continue defending the ordinance based on what they say they heard from community years ago. But without meeting minutes, petitions, testimony, or any other written support, those are simply unverified claims, not evidence of community demand. Where are the meeting minutes? Where is the petition requesting 10,000 feet? Where is the community saying that Clearview only wanted one retailer? None of it exists. Clearview meeting minutes immediately before this ordinance was introduced contained no discussion of cannabis retail separation. Mike McQuarrie and Michael Dobish, two senior county officials with extensive planning development services experience, attended that meeting. Yet the minutes contained no request for a 10,000 foot buffer and no statement that the community wanted one or only wanted one store. Then within weeks, the county increased the separation of 2,500 feet to 10,000 feet, effectively limiting the Clearview to only one retailer. What the written record does show is direct communication between county staff and Joshua Estes, the lobbyist for the existing operator, the kushery. County staff asked Estes whether the proposed language gave his client the flexibility it needed. Then came this statement. 10,000 feet is a nice round number that likely won't raise questions on how it was reached. Think about that. The concern was not whether 10,000 feet was supported by public safety evidence, sound land use policy, or documented community demand. The concern was whether the number would raise questions. and cause a problem for the cushery. The number allowed the cushery to relocate while creating a nearly two mile barrier protecting it from competition. If this policy was truly driven by community, show us the record. Alcohol is sold throughout the Highway 9 corridor without any separation between retailers. The county has produced no evidence that separating licensed cannabis stores by nearly two miles creates any public safety benefit. The community never asked for this restriction or demanded only one retailer, but that is exactly what this ordinance accomplished. Please finish the corrective legislation bring it before the council, eliminate this unjustifiable restriction, and support dissolving the TRO so I can staff, stock, and finally open my business. Thank you for your time.

Thank you for your comment. Other speakers? Yeah, you'll come to the podium. If you need to sit, that's fine too.

Morning, my name is Greg Ortega. I'm a resident of frontier air park over the past year and a half. I've had councilman nearing Ken Klein and Tom taken from the planning development. We have a right away that was put On the map, I don't know a hundred years ago. We built the air park around this right away the air park starts The right-of-way starts at the air park, dead ends in the air park. There's no need for it on the north end. The planning examiner said that that right away doesn't need to be used. We got 40 acres inside the air park that that owner says it doesn't need to be used. Trying to deal with Pete. I didn't develop services. It's a very unique situation. I've got a petition that you all have up there that has 39 signatures on it. It's from everybody that surrounds that right away. If this right away has ever opened it will devastate the air park. It'll go through the middle of the air park. And unbeknownst to most of the residents on the west side of the right-of-way, they will lose their right to use the runway. They have to sacrifice their air rights. It's been very, very frustrating trying to deal with the county because this is such a unique property. Everybody wants it vacated. And we'd like to – I know the county can't give it away, but, you know, a lot of the property is useless. It's underwater. There's a lot of wetlands in our area. And I would like the county, if they could, to – the county council to maybe help us get this done. And I don't know how we go about doing it, but dealing with planning and development is just – We get a lot of glassy eyes when we go down there to talk to these people about getting it vacated, because it's not done very often, and this one happens to be a very, very unique piece of property and a right-of-way. There's only one air park in the county. There will never be another, and this would go a long way in destroying the air park. I've dealt with Councilman Nearing on this, and if there's any way that we can proceed to get this vacated, We have one piece of property out there that's 40 acres. They've had five buyers look at it to buy it. It was appraised at $710,000. They can't sell it for $450,000 just because of this right-of-way because they don't want to invest a bunch of money in 40 acres and all of a sudden everybody loses their air rights. So if there's any avenue to get this resolved, I would greatly appreciate it.

Thank you for your comment. Any other speakers? Any hands raised online?

No hands raised.

So we will close public comment. We have no resolutions or consent agenda. And next is administrative matters.

I move approval of administrative matters, motion 26-378. Second.

It's been properly moved and seconded to approve administrative matters, motion 26-378. Any discussion? Hearing none, all in favor, please say aye.

Aye. Aye.

Chair votes aye. Any opposed? Hearing none, that passes 5-0. Next, we have action on items from committee. Under Committee of the Whole, we'll hear items A through A, B, and C under one staff report. So if you can read those in.

Council considers motion 26-352, approving an agreement for LEED and RNP services with Evergreen Recovery Centers. Motion 26-371, approving and authorizing the executive to sign agreement with Touchphrase Development LLC doing business as Julota for services supporting the Snohomish County LEED program. And motion 26-374, approving the agreement for professional services with purpose, dignity, action regarding LEED and RNP.

Good morning, counsel. For the record, Nicole Gourley, council staff. The prosecuting attorney's office serves as the organizing agency and funding pass-through for the LEAD program. This program is funded by grant dollars and various aspects of it are contracted out. Before you are three contracts for the LEAD program, which would be for a new funding period. Motion 26-352 is with Evergreen Recovery Center, who provides the recovery navigator program for the services provided under the LEAD program. The agreement amount is $310,000 for a contract period from July 1st, 2026 through December 31st, 2026 and may be extended five additional six-month terms. Motion 26-371 is with Touchphrase Development LLC who serves as a case management software provider for the program. The agreement amount is $50,000 $459 for a contract period of October 1st, 2026 through September 30th, 2027, and will automatically renew for the next five years unless terminated by either party. Motion 26-374 is with Purpose Dignity Action, who performs the administrative side of the program. The agreement is for $134,000 for a contract period of July 1st, 2026 through September 30th, 2026, and may be extended up to five additional six-month terms. Today's request is for council to consider taking action on all three motions.

Thank you. Any questions from council? Okay. Is there a motion for item A?

I move approval of motion 26-352. Second.

It's been properly moved and seconded to approve motion 26-352. Any discussion? Hearing none, all in favor, please say aye.

Aye.

Chair votes aye. Any opposed? Hearing none, that passes 5-0. Next item.

I move approval of motion 26-371. Second.

It's been properly moved and seconded to approve motion 26-371. Any discussion? Hearing none, all in favor, please say aye.

Aye.

Chair votes aye. Any opposed? Hearing none, that passes 5-0.

Next is item C. I move approval of motion 26-374. Second.

I've been properly moved and seconded to approve motion 26-374. Any discussion? Hearing none, all in favor, please say aye.

Aye.

Chair votes aye. Any opposed? Hearing none, that passes 5-0.

Next, we'll consider item D. Council considers motion 26-380, reaffirming authorization for the county executive to execute Amendment 1 to the Enterprise Agreement with Environmental Systems Research, Inc. for a countywide geographic information system and associated amendments between Snohomish County and Environmental Systems Research Inc. Good morning, Council.

For the record, Debbie Mock, Council Staff. Environmental Services Research Incorporated, also known as ESRI, was selected by Snohomish County in September 2022 through the RFP process to provide geographical information system mapping and analysis services. The initial agreement with ESRI expires November 30th. The proposed amendment will extend the agreement for four more years to allow for continuation of the existing services. It also includes the acquisition of additional advantage program learning and service credits. The term of the amendment is December 1st, 2026 through November 30th, 2030. The amendment will add $1,827,475 plus applicable sales tax to the agreement. Funding for this is included in the proposed 2027-2028 budget. The motion would authorize the executive to execute Amendment 1. Today's request is for council to consider taking action. Thank you. Questions from council?

Is there a motion?

I move approval of motion 26-380. Second.

It's been properly moved and seconded to approve motion 26-380. Any discussion? Hearing none, all in favor, please say aye.

Aye.

Chair votes aye. Any opposed? Hearing none, the pass is 5-0.

Next, we have an executive session. Thank you. Council has need for an executive session pursuant to RCW 42.30.110, paragraph 1, subsection I. This is for pending litigation. Estimated duration is 10 minutes with extensions announced in this general legislative session and potential action to follow. And that puts us at 9.24. Council's now in executive session.

Council has returned from executive session, and we have a walk-on motion.

I move the council to hereby authorize and approve this settlement agreement and release of all claims in the amount of $50,000 related to the matter of Faber Construction Inc. v. Snohomish County, Thurston County Superior Court, cause 26-2-02569-34, as negotiated by the prosecuting attorney following consultation with the county executive. 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, the pass is 5-0. That concludes our agenda, and we're now in recess until our 1030 public hearing.