Proposed Ordinance No. 25-0635 would amend 2025-2026 budget and 2026 salary plan

What the records say

The Nov. 24, 2025 agenda listed Proposed Ordinance No. 25-0635, presented by Finance & Administration Director Melinda Merrell, for adoption ¹. The meeting record documents the substance of the proposal. At a public hearing on Nov. 10, 2025, staff recommended a $1.5 million increase in general fund revenue, primarily from building permit and plan review fees and adjusted utility tax revenue, alongside approximately $954,000 in higher expenditures for consulting services, police services, and a new IT position, for a net positive fund balance impact of $511,000 ¹. Restricted-fund adjustments were proposed for the street fund, CAPE fund, park capital, and transportation capital, among others ¹. The proposed salary plan changes include a 2.7% wage-adjustment factor tied to the June CPI-W Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue index, effective Jan. 1, 2026, and a new IT supervisor position budgeted at $180,000 annually, fully loaded ¹. Because the record is a pre-meeting agenda, it does not establish whether the council adopted the ordinance ¹.

• Ordinance No. 25-0635 would amend the 2025-2026 biennial budget and the 2026 salary plan and was listed for adoption on Nov. 24, 2025. It was presented by Finance & Administration Director Melinda Merrell.
• Proposed general fund revenue would rise by $1.5 million, expenditures by roughly $954,000, with a net $511,000 gain to the fund balance ¹.
• The salary plan calls for a 2.7% adjustment effective Jan. 1, 2026, tied to the June CPI-W Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue index, plus a new IT supervisor position at $180,000 annually ¹.
• A public hearing on the ordinance was held Nov. 10, 2025, with no speakers signed up ¹.

Why it matters

This amendment shifts how the city spends money on consulting, police services, staff pay, and other operations in the 2025-2026 biennium. The salary-plan change and new IT position affect city staffing and compensation, which in turn influence the cost of city services Kenmore residents rely on. Anyone wanting the full text of the changes would need to review the ordinance attachment or the meeting minutes from the scheduled date, since the agenda signal itself does not include the adopted language.

What changed / what's next

• The Nov. 24, 2025 agenda lists Proposed Ordinance No. 25-0635 for adoption, with supporting material including the schedule of recommended budget amendments, the proposed ordinance text, and a staff presentation ¹.
• The meeting record does not establish whether the council adopted the ordinance; the available record only shows it was scheduled for adoption ¹.
• Adoption of this ordinance was the second step after the Nov. 10 public hearing, at which no residents spoke ¹.
• The available records do not establish the meeting's outcome.