City Council

Oak Harbor City Council Regular Meeting Minutes September 16, 2025 This was both a physical meeting location and a virtual meeting. Meeting was viewable via YouTube at www.youtube.com/cityofoakharbor, on Facebook, and on Cable Channel 10/HD 1090 following the meeting. CALL TO ORDER Call To Order and Native Lands Acknowledgement - Mayor Wright called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. He included the acknowledgement that the meeting was being held on the ancestral lands of the Coast Salish people and paid respect to those past and present. Invocation – Led by Pastor Matthew Erikson, First Reformed Church . Pledge of Allegiance – Led by Mayor Wright ROLL CALL City Council Present: Staff Present/Videoconference Mayor Ronnie Wright City Administrator Sabrina Combs Mayor Pro Tem Tara Hizon - absent Deputy City Administrator David Goldman Councilmember Jim Woessner Public Works Director Steve Schuller Councilmember Bryan Stucky Parks and Recreation Director Brian Smith Councilmember Eric Marshall Police Chief Tony Slowik Councilmember Christopher Wiegenstein Fire Chief Travis Anderson Councilmember Barbara Armes City Engineer Alex Warner Councilmember James P. Marrow Finance Manager Chas Webster Finance Manager Ashley Ramos Revenue Performance Analyst Chris Conner Communications Officer Magi Aguilar Executive Services Coordinator Macalle Finkle City Clerk Julie Nester Also in attendance: City Attorney Lisa Marshall of Kenyon Disend, PLLC EXCUSE ABSENT COUNCILMEMBERS Mayor Wright greeted all in attendance. He noted Councilmember Woessner was attending remotely, and that Mayor Pro Tem Hizon had asked to be excused. Motion: Councilmember Marrow moved to excuse Mayor Pro Tem Hizon. Councilmember Marshall seconded the motion, which passed unanimously. 1. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Regular Meeting Minutes September 16, 2025 Page 1 of 11 Mayor Wright requested any changes to the regular agenda. Hearing none, it was approved as pre- sented. 2. PRESENTATIONS a. 2025 Whidbey Island Marathon Event Recap Jared Loranger of Fizz Events provided highlights from the April 27, 2025 marathon and provided met- rics from the event. • Total registration for this year’s marathon – 1,519 with the highest number of participants elect- ing to run the half marathon. • Average age for the marathon – 36 • Participants from over 50 miles away – 814 • States represented – 34 • Room Night Stays – 464, selling out all available hotel and other accommodations in Oak Harbor and the greater vicinity. Mr. Loranger review the marketing efforts used to promote the marathon, including print publications, social media via Facebook, Instagram, and paid marketing, promotional emails sent to a database of 52,000, and promotion via Whidbey Shuttle wraps. Marketing materials included a “Race for a day, Play for the weekend” theme. The 2025 marathon had 220 or more volunteers, who were vital to the success of the event. Mr. Loranger thanked the City Councilmembers, City officials and City staff who supported the marathon as volunteers, participants, announcers, and official starters. In looking ahead to next year’s marathon, Mr. Loranger reported he is working in partnership with the Bellingham Bay Marathon to offer bundle entries for participants to register in both events at a discount, and a possible partnership with the Oak Harbor Chamber of Commerce’s Holland Happening and In- ternational Festival, to offer participants more fun over the entire weekend with multiple events held throughout the City. A new logo is also being introduced for the 2026 marathon. Councilmembers Stucky and Marshall provided their respective questions and comments. Councilmember Stucky stated he ran the half marathon this year and noted the number of overnight stays for lodging taxes. Councilmember Marshall noted that Mr. Loranger always did a phenomenal job with the marathon being bigger and better each year. 3. PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD Mayor Wright noted members of the public could comment on Consent Agenda items or subjects of interest not listed on the agenda at this time and there would be an opportunity to comment on the remaining agenda items during the meeting as appropriate. He explained the public may also visit the City’s website prior to meetings for methods to submit public comments, or contact the City Clerk, Julie Nester, by phone or email. When submitting comments, please include your name and address. Public comments sent anonymously or from a non-verifiable address will be shared with the Mayor and Coun- cil but will not be displayed. Comments on public hearing items will be taken during the public hearings portion of the meeting. The City received five new public comments since the last regular meeting, which were displayed. Comments were received from: Regular Meeting Minutes September 16, 2025 Page 2 of 11  1. August Roberts of Oak Harbor, regarding the need for a safer north and south bike route through the City for both commuting and recreation. 2. Rhonda Wright of Oak Harbor, in support of basketball court preservation at Windjammer Park and Fort Nugent Park and not changing them to pickleball courts citing youth use. 3. Kiefer Hermann of Oak Harbor, asking that the City not sacrifice any basketball courts at Wind jammer Park or Fort Nugent Park for pickleball, suggesting tennis courts be used or new courts be created. 4. Jennifer Ward of Oak Harbor, expressing her strong support for preserving the basketball courts at Fort Nugent Park and Windjammer Park for basketball as there were limited activities for youth. 5. Erin Cook of Oak Harbor, regarding the need for City provided pickleball courts and noting the growth of participation in the sport and in the Whidbey Pickleball Association, of which she and her husband were members. Mayor Wright asked if there were any members of the public present who wished to speak to any other items not listed on the agenda or on the consent agenda. He noted the Clerk would call on speakers in the order in which they signed in to speak and asked speakers to step forward to the microphone, state their name and address, and to limit comments to three minutes. 1. Jestoni Jimenez of Oak Harbor, identified himself as a member of Whidbey Island Basketball and the organizer for local tournaments held every summer, and coordinating on-line pickup games since 2008. He noted that he and his organization were not at odds with pickleball but believed that pickleball should be located at Fort Nugent Park and that basketball was better suited to Windjammer Park, without which location there would be no place to play since Sara- toga Heights is a military owned facility. He also noted that an indoor facility would be welcome. 2. Darin Cook of Oak Harbor, identified himself as a member of the Whidbey Pickleball Associa- tion. He noted that like Mr. Jimenez, he had no beef with Whidbey Basketball and was not interested in having pickleball at Windjammer Park. He stated he had been advocating for pick- leball for twelve years and that it was the fastest growing sport. He noted that new courts at Fort Nugent were still in the permitting stage and encouraged that this process move more quickly. 3. Lamont Webster of Oak Harbor, introduced himself as the President of the Oak Harbor Basket- ball Club and stated he was here for basketball but was not against pickleball. He noted there was a huge saturation of sports in Oak Harbor, which was good, but which also made it hard to find places to play. Mr. Webster stated he would like to bring more tournaments to Oak Harbor and that he had been organizing adult tournaments since 2020/2021 and youth tournaments this year. He noted he had intended to apply for lodging tax funding but ran out of time and was now working on next year with plans for a bigger tournament. 4. Stefanya Huerta of Oak Harbor, spoke on behalf of basketball but honored the strength of the Pickleball Association. She noted that more courts were needed for all, so as not to take courts away from youth that just want to shoot hoops. Ms. Huerta noted there were typically few pick- leball courts in lower income neighborhoods and cited the need for community collaboration and keeping communications open. 5. Asaya Plumly of Oak Harbor, stated he had come to support basketball. He noted he had grown up in Oak Harbor and found the courts to be a site for transformation and connection and a place to meet people of all demographics and bring people together. He observed that his neph- ews, like him, would head to the basketball courts when they came back into town in order to play and connect with others. He hoped to see the courts at Windjammer be used for basketball. 6. Garrett Green of Oak Harbor spoke with concern about the homeless population and drug ad- diction problems on Whidbey Island and gave examples of packages being stolen in his neigh- borhood and individuals sleeping in the woods near his home. Mr. Green stated a vagrant fol- lowed his wife last week and had experienced trespassers on their property and heard screamed obscenities at night. He believed many came from off the island to go to Spin Café in the afternoon and then slept at night in the area. Regular Meeting Minutes September 16, 2025 Page 3 of 11  7. T.J. Ewen of Oak Harbor, identified himself as a member of the Pickleball Association. He noted he moved to Oak Harbor three years ago, heard about pickleball when it was being played at the red barn and found his community of friends. Mr. Ewen stated he supported basketball too and that pickleball was also a sport for all ages and courts are needed. He noted where they play at the school the courts are unsafe, and he must often drive out of town to play. He encour- aged keeping basketball at Windjammer Park and having pickleball use the new courts when finished, noting he thought that was two years out and hoping for a better alternative in the time- being. 8. Mark Dejong of Oak Harbor, identified himself as a pickleball player and that it was part of his exercise regime. He noted his age and stated he did not have time to wait two years for new courts and that there should be a way to complete them sooner. 9. Brian Supowit of Oak Harbor, identified himself as being a part of the Pickleball Association. He noted the school courts were not in good condition with roots growing through and damaging the surface. He noted he started playing pickleball after the COVID-19 pandemic and when he moved here he didn’t find many available places to play. He stated with not enough court space here, he drives to Mount Vernon weekly to play. 10. Josie Honalez of Oak Harbor, stated she used to play soccer but switched to pickleball when pregnant. She stated she had found her community of friends here playing pickleball and that courts were needed. 11. Kylie Hickam of Oak Harbor, noted the reason more young people don’t play pickleball is due to a lack of places to play. She stated she graduated from Oak Harbor High School in 2023 and played all sports. She noted the need for more options and locations and the need to split up the times allotted at current parks. Hearing no one else with a desire to address the Council, the public comment period was closed. 4. CONSENT AGENDA Consent Items a. Approval of Minutes: City Council Meeting of September 2, 2025 b. Approval of Payroll and Accounts Payable Vouchers c. Professional Services Agreement with Fizz Events for 2026 Whidbey Island Marathon d. National Opioids Settlement: Secondary Manufacturers Participation Form e. Appointment: Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission, Position 2 – Denise Marion f. Appointment: Planning Commission, Position 1 – Jeffrey Ward Mayor Wright called for any changes to the consent agenda. Hearing none, he called for a motion for approval. Motion: Councilmember Marrow moved to approve the consent agenda as presented, seconded by Councilmember Wiegenstein. The vote on the motion passed unanimously. 5. MAYOR & COUNCIL COMMENTS a. Mayor’s Comments Mayor Wright provided the following comments: • Huge shout out to Public Works Administration Manager Sandra Place for her recent help with the team at ICOM. • Thank you to the Navy League: The 22nd Annual Military Appreciation Picnic was a great success with 1,500 people in attendance! Thank you to several Councilmembers for attending, along with City Regular Meeting Minutes September 16, 2025 Page 4 of 11 Administrator Combs, Public Records Officer Nicole Bradley, and Communications Intern Nolan Sal- tonstall, and special thanks to all the volunteers that make this event so successful. • First Annual Harvest at the Harbor: Thank you to Parks and Recreation for launching this new annual event this past Saturday at the Oak Harbor Marina and Catalina Park. Thanks to our Parks and Marina staff and great volunteers for supporting this event. • Congratulations: Councilmember Christopher Wiegenstein has earned his Certificate of Municipal Leadership from the Association of Washington Cities. It’s my pleasure to present him with his certifi- cate. • Way to go Wildcats!: Congratulations to Oak Harbor High School color guard member Abigail Giugli- ano and trumpet player Bradley Price who are headed to the 2026 Rose Parade! They are the first students to represent Oak Harbor in this national event. • State of the City: I will be presenting our annual State of the City address at the Greater Oak Harbor Chamber of Commerce luncheon on Thursday, September 18, 2025. The luncheon will be held at the Oak Harbor Fire Department. I’m looking forward to providing important updates on current projects, community initiatives, and the City’s future plans. I understand this will be recorded for those who can- not attend. • The Wright Blend: Our next Wright Blend, coffee and conversation with the Mayor that was scheduled for this coming Friday, September 19, 2025 at Regency on Whidbey is being rescheduled at their re- quest. A new date will be announced. • Upcoming Events: There are several events to look forward to in October. Dia De Fiesta, celebrating Hispanic/Latino Heritage Festival will be October 4, 2025 on Pioneer Way in Downtown Harbor. Visit their website: diadefiestawa.com for vendor opportunities and information. Elegance & Art, a dinner and auction to benefit the Whidbey Homeless Coalition, will be October 25, 2025 at The Center in Oak Harbor. Visit their website at whidbeyhomeless.org for more information. • Advisory Board Vacancies: We still have openings on several of our City Advisory boards and com- missions. See the City’s website for information on how to apply and requirements for applicants. • Stay Connected: Stay connected to City information and activities at any time by visiting our website and our Facebook page. b. Councilmembers Mayor Wright called on the Councilmembers for their comments. Councilmembers Armes, Stucky, and Marshall provided their respective comments. 6. PUBLIC HEARINGS & MEETINGS a. Annual Revenue Sources and Property Tax Hearing. Deputy City Administrator and Finance Director Goldman presented a summary of annual revenue sources and property taxes. Per RCW 84.55.120, the legislative body of a City must hold a public hearing on revenue sources for the coming year's budget, including consideration of possible increases in property tax revenues, prior to the property tax levy certification deadline of November 30. After the hearing, the legislative body can then pass the annual ordinance to increase property taxes by one percent (1%). Regular Meeting Minutes September 16, 2025 Page 5 of 11 Deputy City Administrator and Finance Director Goldman reviewed the unaudited 2024 preliminary financial results and the trends for major revenue sources, including property taxes, from 2018 through mid-year 2025. He explained that the unaudited preliminary results from 2024 are split into two sections due to different accounting treatment, Government Funds and Enterprise Funds. 1. Governmental Funds – Fund Balance Reviewed were the 2024 preliminary results for the General Fund, Streets/Arterials Fund, Transporta- tion Benefit District Fund (TBD), Creative Arts Fund, Lodging Tax Fund, Senior Services Fund (which will fold into the General Fund this year), and other Governmental Funds. Also reviewed were the Gov- ernmental Fund balance trends from 2018 through 2024. 2. Enterprise Funds – Net Position Reviewed were the 2024 preliminary results for the Water Fund, Sewer Fund, Solid Waste Fund, Storm Drain Fund, and Marina Fund. Also reviewed were the Net Position trends from 2018 through 2024. Deputy City Administrator and Finance Director Goldman also provided a review of 2025 mid-year revenues and analysis and provided information on future trends, as summarized here: Revenue Analysis Detail Approved Levy Lid Lift and Bond Excess Levy revenues starting in 2023. Growth by average 1.9% per year since 2023 (1% statutory increase plus new construc- Property Tax Stable tion). Increase due to construction activity (schools and housing). Expect to return to Sales Tax Increase trend in the next 12 months. Utility Tax & Franchise Fees Increase Increase due to City Council approved utility tax adjustment. Utility Revenues Decrease Decrease due to City Council approved sewer rate adjustment. Development /Building Permits Decrease Permit activity returned to trend compared to stellar 2024. Increase due to City Council approved new license structure which took effect Business during 2024. Additional revenue (from base trend) to be reserved for eco- Licenses Increase nomic development. Parks & Recreation Increase Increase due to Marina rates and new parks and recreation programs. Real Estate Excise Tax Increase Returning to normal from lower than average 2024. Motor Vehicle Continuing to decrease due to long-term statewide downward trend in fuel Fuel / CAPRON Decrease consumption. Increase following sales tax trend. Expected to return to trend in the next 12 TBD Sales Tax Increase months. Lodging Tax Increase Returning to normal from lower than average 2024. Interest Earnings Decrease Projected to start decreasing with projected decrease in interest rates. Regular Meeting Minutes September 16, 2025 Page 6 of 11 Deputy City Administrator and Finance Director Goldman explained total revenues include some voli- tivity from transfers, insurance recoveries, grants, and bond proceeds. With those components not included, the total core revenues results show a steady growth from 2018 through 2025. The 2025 outlook shows that City financials are stable. Staff will keep an eye on sales tax and devel- opment and real estate related trends. Staff is also looking for the State of Washington to adopt a per- manent fix to transportation funding. Mayor Wright opened the public hearing and confirmed no comments had been received. He requested comments from those members of the public in attendance. Hearing none, Mayor Wright closed the public hearing and called on the Council for their comments. Councilmembers Marrow and Stucky provided their respective questions and comments. Deputy City Administrator and Finance Director Goldman responded to questions. This information was provided as required by RCW 84.55.120, and no action by the Council was requested. 7. ORDINANCES & RESOLUTIONS a. Ordinance No. 2029: Amending Oak Harbor Municipal Code Chapter 10.08.010 reflating to speed limits on Washington State Route 20 City Engineer Warner reviewed the proposed ordinance. He explained that the Washington State De- partment of Transportation (WSDOT) is installing a roundabout on State Route 20 (SR 20) at the inter- section with Fakkema Road. There currently is no traffic control for SR 20 at this intersection and Fakkema Road is stop controlled. City Engineer Warner displayed an image provided by WSDOT of what the roundabout will look like. Through a speed limit analysis performed by WSDOT, they determined that the existing speed limit of 50 mph on SR 20 at this location needs to be modified to 45 mph to accommodate the installation of the roundabout. Oak Harbor Municipal Code Chapter 10.08 establishes speed limits within the City limits. Therefore, an ordinance modifying this code is necessary to make this change to SR 20 from Mile Post 33.69 to the north City limits. Staff reviewed the WSDOT analysis and agreed with it. The speed reduction will in effect eliminate all 50 mph speed limits within the City limits. Construction of the roundabout on SR 20 at Fakkema Road is anticipated to occur in the fourth quarter of 2025. The roundabout was previously discussed at the February 23, 2022 City Council Workshop during which City and WSDOT staff provided a WSDOT Safety Improvement SR 20 at Fakkema project up- date, and at the September 25, 2024 City Council Workshop in which City and WSDOT staff provided a SR 20 Fakkema Road Roundabout project update. Mayor Wright noted no public comments had been received. He opened the floor for comments from those present. Hearing none, he provided questions and comments and then called upon the Council for their questions and comments. Councilmembers Stucky, Wiegenstein, Marshall, Marrow and Woessner provided their respective questions and comments. Councilmembers inquired whether a change could be made to reduce the proposed 45 mph speed further to 40 mph. Mayor Wright suggested staff obtain an answer on whether this further reduction could be made and bring the item back to the September 23, 2025 Council work- shop as an action item, if this can be confirmed with WSDOT. Regular Meeting Minutes September 16, 2025 Page 7 of 11  b. Resolution 25-23: Adopting the Vision to Action Planning Document for the Waterfront District and discussing next steps. Public Works Director Schuller presented the item. He introduced Consultant Norman Wright from the Center for Creative Land Recycling (CCLR) who was participating remotely. Director Sculler noted that the Oak Harbor community has repeatedly demonstrated its unwavering commitment to revitalizing its downtown and waterfront. From the early vision laid out in the 1990 Har- bor Watch plan to multiple major planning initiatives since, residents, businesses, and civic leaders have consistently invested their time, resources, and energy to bring this shared vision to life. The Vision to Action Plan notes that the private market had struggled for decades with vacant/contam- inated properties on Pioneer Way. The City purchased properties at 1081 and 1091 Pioneer Way as catalyst for redevelopment of downtown. The City was awarded a $200,000 grant from the Washington State Department of Ecology towards cleanup of the properties and in January 2024 began the next steps for redevelopment of the waterfront district. In May of 2024, the City partnered with CCLR for services. Three agreements were approved by the Council: 1. Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study by Farallon Consulting, 2. Planning and renderings by Dahlin Group architects 3. Vision to Action Plan by CCLR In January 2025, the approach going forward was further finalized with the Council: • Three well-attended public workshops • Chamber of Commerce luncheon presentation • Project web page • News releases and social media posts • Several local news media articles Director Schuller reviewed map graphics of the waterfront district area and the specific areas of reme- dial investigation and provided an update on the environmental clean-up of petroleum contamination at the Pioneer Way properties and present results showing no contaminants in groundwater studies for over a year. CCLR’s Norman Wright cited the excellent turnout at all events and praised the outreach work of City Communications Officer Aguilar. He explained CCLR’s process of using community feedback to refine the preferences of the community, with those participating showing a broad consensus on the need for Oak Harbor to make major policy changes and infrastructure improvements to support the expected level of population growth, and also that the waterfront should be a cornerstone for fostering this growth in a sustainable manner, with a balanced mix of commercial, office, hotel, and residential uses, redi- recting growth and sparking investment. Community participants ranked these themes in order of im- portance: 1. Walkable streets 2. Vibrant public plazas 3. Live-Play-Worl activity areas 4. 5-story buildings with mixed uses 5. Rich urban canopy, lots of street trees 6. Public art and unique civic features 7. Special district signage and branding Mr. Wright explained CCLR’s use of community-led prioritization, coupled with robust analysis, iterative Regular Meeting Minutes September 16, 2025 Page 8 of 11 design, a clarified vision, and using proven strategies for success to create a plan with near and mid- term actions that could deliver on these top three themes quickly, and the top seven overall. He ex- plained that The Dahlin Group then refined the 20-year-old visuals from past development proposals and clarified a new vision and action steps based on community input. Key Insights for Action include: • Policy o Zoning amendments • Placemaking o Streetscaping, gateways and signage • Incentives o Multi-family Tax Exemption • Development Offering o Public-private partnership at catalyst sites Director Schuller noted that the Vision to Action Plan is a visioning document. He reviewed the next steps: 1. Finish site cleanup 2. Update zoning, design, and parking code 3. Launch development offering for catalyst sites 4. Invest in placemaking 5. Complete engineering plans Director Schuller provided conceptual renderings of how the western side of the waterfront district could look and noted the City Council and Planning Commission approved a 55-foot height limit (five stories) for downtown development twenty years ago and noted updated State funding. Washington State has also made updates regarding reduced parking requirements, adopted via Senate Bill 5184, that preempt local governments regulations. Director Schuller noted there were examples in the meeting packet of other cities in Western Washing- ton that have launched Requests For Proposals (RFP’s) for development offerings at catalyst sites, including Bellingham, Kirkland and Vancouver. The Oak Harbor Main Street Association has also met with the City regarding the design of Pioneer Way from State Route 20 to City Beach. In closing, Direc- tor Schuller reviewed the schedule for an RFP: • Fall 2025 - Issue RFP for Master Infrastructure, Utility and Transportation Comprehensive Plans • Winter 2025/2026 - Complete Feasibility Study for Pioneer Site Environmental Cleanup • 2026/2027 - Complete Infrastructure Comp. Plans • 2031 or later - Opening of New Building on City Property He noted the City has already had some interest from potential developers. Mayor Wright confirmed no public comments had been received. He requested public comment from those in attendance. 1. Brad Gluth of Oak Harbor, identified himself as the owner of the Alfy’s building and most of the grassy area adjacent that is frequently used for events. He stated he felt he was a stake- holder but hadn’t been personally contacted. Mr. Gluth stated he had done a parking study for the City in years past and cautioned about a lack of parking requirements. He noted that he had attended the workshops and a large concern for him and others was affordability. He stated he did not have much confidence that builders could recoup their investments and noted a need for developers to have flexibility. He asked to be part of a stakeholders list. Regular Meeting Minutes September 16, 2025 Page 9 of 11 Hearing no other comments from the public in attendance, Mayor Wright called on the Council for their comments. Councilmembers Stucky, Marrow, Marshall, Woessner and Armes provided their respective questions and comments. Director Schuller and Mr. Wright of CCLR responded to Council questions regarding development. Mr. Wright noted in every community there are dynamics and key aspects to address. He explained Place- making is critical to attract tourism, activity, and produce walkable streets, all of which attract invest- ment. He gave Salem, Oregon as an example, In regard to policies, he explained any changes that helped to make this Plan a reality are helpful as having alignment allows development to occur volun- tarily. Director Schuller explained the Council has already funded an RFP for a Transportation Plan, which will be City-wide and not just limited to the Waterfront District and downtown area. With discussion concluded, Mayor Wright called for a motion. Motion: Councilmember Marrow moved to approve Resolution 25-23, adopting the Oak Harbor Vision to Action Planning Document for the Waterfront District, and committing to the goal of redeveloping downtown. Councilmember Armes seconded the motion. Councilmember Marrow stated he wanted to be on record that if any agency or party attempts to use coercive threats to seize people’s property, they could expect militant opposition. Hearing no other comments, Mayor Wright called for a vote on the motion, which passed unanimously. 8. CONTRACTS & AGREEMENTS a. Agreement for Sharing Taxpayer Information Between Participating Cities Finance Manager Chas Webster presented the City of Seattle’s Tax Sharing Agreement. She reviewed that on August 6, 2025, the Oak Harbor City Council adopted a local Business & Occupation (B&O) Tax to generate revenue for Marina dredging, breakwater improvements, and related projects. The tax will take effect October 1, 2025, with an estimated annual revenue of $800,000 to $900,000. Approxi- mately two to three dozen businesses (about one percent (1%) of Oak Harbor businesses) are expected to be subject to the tax. In coordination with the Municipal Research and Services Center (MRSC), the City of Seattle is cur- rently the host of a tax sharing agreement that allows participating cities to share tax data and local B&O tax best practices while ensuring compliance with the tax confidentiality provisions of municipal tax ordinances. To support efficient and compliant administration of the new tax, staff recommend joining the City of Seattle’s Tax Sharing Agreement, with a growing network of regional collaboration. Benefits of joining include: • Administrative Efficiency: Avoids the need to build costly new tax systems by leveraging Seat- tle’s existing infrastructure. • Cost Savings: Reduces staffing and technology costs associated with tax administration. • Data Sharing with Safeguards: Enables Oak Harbor to receive secure taxpayer information un- der strict confidentiality requirements. • Expert Support: Provides access to participating cities including Seattle’s established pro- cesses, templates, and best practices in B&O tax administration. • Consistency & Compliance: Aligns Oak Harbor’s tax operations with statewide standards and proven models. Regular Meeting Minutes September 16, 2025 Page 10 of 11  • Faster Implementation: Streamlines startup of Oak Harbor’s B&O tax program in time for the October 2025 effective date and April 2026 first collection date. This Agreement will enable the City of Oak Harbor to securely share tax data, gain administrative sup- port, and leverage Seattle’s established tax infrastructure as Oak Harbor implements its new local B&O tax. Participating Cities: Aberdeen Kelso Seattle Auburn Kent Shelton Bellevue Lacey Shoreline Bellingham Lake Forest Park Snoqualmie Bremerton Longview Tacoma Burien North Bend Tukwila Covington Olympia Westport Dupont Pacific Yelm Everett Poulsbo Issaquah Renton There is no cost to join this Agreement. The primary points of contact for the agreement are Chas Webster, Finance Manager - Financial Planning & Operations, and David Goldman, Deputy City Ad- ministrator and Finance Director. Mayor Wright confirmed no public comments had been received. Hearing no comments from the public in attendance, he called on the Council for their comments. Councilmembers Marrow and Marshall provided their respective questions and comments. With discussion concluded, Mayor Wright called for a motion. Motion: Councilmember Marshall moved to authorize the Mayor to sign the Agreement For Sharing Taxpayer Information Between Participating Cities with the City of Seattle to participate in its Licensing and Business & Occupation Tax Sharing Program. Councilmember Marrow seconded the motion. The vote on the motion passed unanimously. ADJOURN There being no further business, Councilmember Wiegenstein moved to adjourn the meeting, se- conded by Councilmember Marshall. The vote on the motion was unanimous, therefore the meeting was adjourned at 8:22 p.m. Certified by Julie Nester, City Clerk Regular Meeting Minutes September 16, 2025 Page 11 of 11