Council approves lot-splitting ordinance; county budget hearings set for Oct. 20
Snohomish County Council members voted 5-0 on Oct. 14 to approve Substitute Ordinance 26-036, a growth management measure relating to lot splitting, along with three amendments that each passed unanimously. The vote was taken during a public hearings session. In the same session, the Council voted 5-0 to continue a public hearing on Motion 26-408, Open Space Taxation Application #3266, to Oct. 28, 2026.
Lot splitting and open space
The ordinance and its amendments were the only land-use decisions recorded in official minutes during the past two weeks. The minutes describe Substitute Ordinance 26-036 as relating to Growth Management and Lot Splitting; the text does not state what specific changes the ordinance makes. The continued open space item concerns a taxation application filed under Motion 26-408 and will return to the Council on Oct. 28.
Cannabis rules and Comprehensive Plan amendments headed to hearing
At its Oct. 7 general legislative session, the Council scheduled two public hearings for Oct. 28, 2026. A hearing on Motion 26-155, regarding Comprehensive Plan amendments, was scheduled 5-0. A hearing on Ordinance 26-063, regarding cannabis retail regulations, was scheduled 3-2.
The same session produced several unanimous votes: Resolution 26-048 recognizing Oct. 12, 2026, as Indigenous Peoples' Day (5-0); Resolution 26-049 recognizing October 2026 as Breast Cancer Awareness Month (5-0); Motion 26-397 covering administrative matters, purchasing awards and open space applications (5-0); and Motion 26-370 for the apportionment of 2025 Public Utility District Privilege Taxes (5-0).
At an Oct. 6 administrative session, the Council approved Resolution 26-046 recognizing Domestic Violence Awareness Month (5-0) and Resolution 26-047 recognizing Disability Employment Awareness Month (5-0), and scheduled an Oct. 20 public hearing on Motion 26-394 concerning travel and communication reimbursement allocations for the 2027-28 Biennial Budget (5-0).
Budget deliberations run through the week
The Council's Committee of the Whole met Oct. 6 through Oct. 9 for 2027-2028 biennial budget deliberations. Agendas list department presentations and question-and-answer periods covering Public Works (Roads and Solid Waste), Facilities & Fleet, Information Technology, Human Services, Health, Emergency Management & E-911, the Medical Examiner, the Sheriff, District Court, Superior Court, the Clerk, Office of Public Defense, the Prosecuting Attorney, the Treasurer, the Executive, the Assessor, Finance, the Auditor, Public Advocate, Human Resources, Airport, Planning & Developmental Services, and Conservation & Natural Resources. Public comment was on each agenda. No budget figures, votes or decisions appear in those agendas, and minutes have not been published.
A Community Budget Forum was scheduled for Oct. 7 at 6:00 PM in the Jackson Board Room, 8th Floor, 3000 Rockefeller Ave, Everett, with remote participation via Zoom.
Property tax appeals continue
The Board of Equalization held appeal hearings on Oct. 5, 7, 8, 12 and 14, with agendas listing appellants including IH3, IH4, IH5 and IH6 Property Washington LP, 2018-3 IH Borrower LP, CFC Investments LLC, Robinett Investment Company LLC and individual owners. The agendas list parcel IDs and hearing times but no dollar amounts. Minutes have not been published, so no outcomes are recorded here.
Coming up
- **Oct. 20, Administrative Session:** Ordinance 26-066, a proposed six-month extension of the moratorium on data centers in unincorporated Snohomish County; proposed surface water management billing agreements with Bothell, Granite Falls, Lake Stevens and Mill Creek; Motion 26-412, a proposed 2027-2029 collective bargaining agreement with Laborers Local 292.
- **Oct. 20, Public Hearings:** Budget Ordinance 26-060 to adopt the 2027-2028 Biennial Budget; Ordinances 26-046 through 26-053 on property tax levies; Budget Motion 26-375, the Six-Year Opioid Settlement Dollars Spending Plan 2027-2032.
- **Oct. 21, General Legislative Session:** A bid award to LeadsOnline, LLC for law enforcement online database reporting, estimated at $250,000.00 over five years; Motion 26-405, a software agreement with Concourse Tech Inc. for a Judicial Court Management System.
- **Oct. 28:** Public hearings on Comprehensive Plan amendments (Motion 26-155) and cannabis retail regulations (Ordinance 26-063), plus the continued open space hearing on Motion 26-408.