The city council will take up one of the most controversial issues in the city of Lynnwood – red light cameras. Council members will hold a roundtable discussion on the topic tonight. Councilwoman Kerri Lonergan-Dreke requested the discussion. She says red light cameras are usually the first thing people bring up when they find out she’s from Lynnwood. “What I’m hearing from folks, both inside and... »
Four of the seven members of the Lynnwood Arts Commission have suddenly resigned, citing a dwindling amount of funding and support for the city’s cultural arts program. To help the city fill a new $3.5 million budget shortfall, several popular programs are the chopping block – including the annual Shakespeare in the Park and Wonder Stage performances, as well as teen programs such as Night Waves a... »
I attended the budget meeting in Lynnwood on Monday the 28th with my little sign “CUT DEEP NOW” that I took to Olympia in the morning. I was shocked to see Mark Smith, council president, speak about not cutting to allow a margin for error in the budget at the previous meeting. So I spoke last night about cutting to the point that we have a $10 million reserve and remove the nearly 11 p... »
Six more city employees have been laid off as officials grapple with a new $3.5 million budget shortfall — and the timing has frustrated some city council members. Many of them had requested that the layoffs not be instituted until after they discuss the budget amendments in November and December, but Mayor Don Gough instituted the layoffs last week. The move prompted council members to ques... »
Enrollment in the Edmonds School District is lighter than expected, and that will mean more cuts in this year’s budget. “While we have not dug deep into the data, it is clear people have lost their jobs, lost their homes and moved to other areas,” said Marla Miller, executive director for business and operations. The total impact is $2 million. District officials are trying to id... »
More money troubles are in store for the city of Lynnwood. Officials are looking for ways to cut another $5.26 million from the current budget due to declining revenues. Fourteen city employees are being laid off and another 13 vacant positions will be eliminated. “It is unfortunate we need to make these reductions. However, these are necessary actions to re-balance the city’s two year budget thro... »
The city might roll back some of the tax increases it imposed last year to balance the budget, but the economy must improve before it happens. In December the City Council passed $7 million in higher taxes to help fill a $24 million budget shortfall. It included an increase in the business tax from $15.50 to $85 per employee and a jump in utility taxes from four to six percent. Not long after, som... »
In February the City Council unanimously passed an ordinance that gives more oversight to the city’s budget process. But in an e-mail to city officials, Council President Mark Smith said Mayor Don Gough refuses to sign it. The measure requires that transfer of funds between departments ordered by the Mayor must be confirmed by the City Council — provided that the amount is more than $1... »
Twenty-four city employees were notified this week that they will be losing their jobs at the end of the month. The final layoff notices went out after the City Council approved a new two-year budget on Monday. The cuts were across several departments: Administrative Services – 2 positions (mail room assistant and financial analyst) Community Development – 2 positions (permit tech and ... »
After months of intense debate, the Lynnwood City Council has passed a balanced budget. The spending plan for 2011-12 bridges a $22 million shortfall through a combination of cuts and new taxes. It preserves all but about 30 city jobs. “This is the end product of this journey that has been at times very arduous, at times very personal for everybody including residents of the city. It is not ... »
A week after the City Council passed a series of tax hikes, Mayor Don Gough has vetoed two of them. At Wednesday night’s meeting, council members learned that Mayor Gough nixed the higher utility and property taxes. He said the utility tax increase from four to six percent should have a mechanism to lower it back down when the economy improves. “Our residents and business deserve to know that at a... »
The city’s Parks and Recreation staff are getting a lot of calls lately from residents asking about Lynnwood Lights. The annual celebration is usually held the first week of December. It was decided earlier this year to cancel this year’s event due to budget cuts. It’s unclear how much the move will save, but a budget memo presented to the City Council in 2008 showed that year... »
Tonight the Lynnwood City Council will consider raising a series of taxes to help fill a nearly $22 million budget shortfall. Mayor Don Gough has proposed a two percent increase in the utility tax (water, sewer and electricity). He said that would raise about $2 million and bring Lynnwood in line with neighboring cities such as Mountlake Terrace and Edmonds. Council members will also decide on a ... »
Mayor Don Gough is proposing a series of new taxes and nearly 100 employee layoffs to balance an estimated $21 million budget shortfall. Gough presented his 2011 – 2012 budget to the City Council Monday night. Among his proposals is a two percent increase in the utility tax (water, sewer and electricity). He said that would raise about $2 million and bring Lynnwood in line with neighboring c... »
The city of Lynnwood wants to hear your ideas for closing the estimated $21 million budget shortfall. A town hall meeting is scheduled for Saturday to give you a chance to learn about the proposed cuts and provide feedback on balancing the budget. “The intent of the meeting is to encourage and engage Lynnwood residents in the city of Lynnwood budget process. Given the current city of Lynnwoo... »
As we reported last week, the city-run Kids Klub preschool program is on the chopping block as Lynnwood officials look for ways to plug an estimated $21 million budget gap. A group of parents has protested the proposed cut because they say it would be difficult to find a new preschool in the middle of the year. Now it appears city officials are looking for ways to possibly save the program. Parent... »
A state audit released this week is criticizing Lynnwood officials for spending millions of dollars in reserves and leaving the city in bad financial shape. Our news partners at the Seattle Times have the full story. The report by the office of state Auditor Brian Sonntag found that Lynnwood officials blew through a $6.1 million general-fund balance in 2008 to end with a negative $115,733 balance ... »
A popular city-run preschool program is on the chopping block as Lynnwood officials look for ways to plug a $21 million budget gap. But one group of concerned parents is not letting it go without a fight. Like all city departments, Parks and Recreation is looking for ways to trim its budget. Department managers have been told to cut $1.9 million. The Kids Klub preschool is on the list of proposed ... »
As we reported last week, more than 100 city employees have been notified that they could lose their jobs as soon as January due to budget cuts. We’ve just obtained a list of the positions that are affected. Public safety has the most cutbacks by far. Twenty police officer positions are on the chopping block, as well as three confinement officers, three police cadets, four police clerks, thr... »
Update: We have obtained a copy of the memo. It reads, in part, “as a courtesy, we want you to know as soon as possible that your position is at risk of reduction as of January of 201 1. While we won’t know for certain until later this year, we want you to have as much time as possible to prepare if a reduction were to occur.” You can read the entire memo here. **** Lynnwood is f... »
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