The Burien City Council addressed a wide range of topics during its Oct. 6, 2025 meeting, with discussions spanning community recognition, public health, airport impact mitigation, and critical financial matters.

The meeting opened with three community proclamations, during one of which a local restaurant owner voiced concerns over the unpermitted and untaxed operation of illegal street food stands, a recurring issue that city staff is actively attempting to address with Public Health – Seattle & King County.

Councilmembers also approved sending a letter to the Port of Seattle demanding action on long-standing airport mitigation issues.

An expected 11% decline in sales tax revenue highlighted the urgency of the upcoming Nov. 4 vote on the Public Safety Levy Lid Lift as council reviewed mid-biennium budget updates.

Proclamations & Restaurant Issues

The meeting began with three proclamations, recognizing Hispanic Heritage, Domestic Violence Awareness, and Indigenous Peoples Day. When accepting the proclamation for Hispanic Heritage Month, a local restaurant owner spoke about the difficulty many local restaurants are facing recently. This is due to something that Councilmember Jimmy Matta has brought up at three meetings now, which is the failure of King County Public Health to adequately control illegal taco and other food vendors.

Councilmember Matta said that these street food establishments are not permitted, taxed, or properly following food safety regulations. City Manager Adolfo Bailon said that city staff are actively working with the county and police on this. He said staff have requested a meeting with King County regulators, but this request has so far gone unanswered.

Burien Airport Committee Update

Members of the Burien Airport Committee received full council approval to send an official letter to the Port of Seattle requesting more aggressive steps to mitigate the airport’s impact on surrounding communities. Specifically, the letter asks that the Port finally replace the hundreds and possibly thousands of faulty port packages, which have been a known problem for decades. The letter is available at this link. The airport committee is hoping neighboring cities will also sign on to this letter.

Critical Areas Ordinance Update

The council heard a briefing on potential updates to the Critical Areas Ordinance. This ordinance must be revised every 10 years in order to comply with Washington State law, and was last done in 2015. The first reading of the draft ordinance will take place at the Oct. 20 council meeting.

Coffee With The City Manager: City Finances Edition Oct. 14

City Manager Adolfo Bailon shared that the Tuesday, Oct. 14 Coffee With The City Manager will address city finances. Members of the public will have the opportunity to ask questions of staff from the finance department. This coffee chat will meet in Council Chambers at City Hall at 5:30 p.m. It is the last of the 2025 series; however the popular chats will be continued in 2026.

DESC Update Coming Nov. 3

For those who have been curious about what is happening at the DESC Bloomside building in downtown Burien, an update from DESC has been tentatively set for the Nov. 3 meeting. They should be addressing issues like how well their Good Neighbor Policy has been enforced, animal welfare issues, as well as crime in and around the building.

Mid-Biennium Budget Review & Levy Lid Lift

The council heard a presentation on the mid-biennium budget, which must be updated and finalized by the end of the year. Updates include a reduction in sales tax revenue, which is predicted to drop by 11% due to an unstable economic environment. An addition includes $31,500 from an Orca card grant, to provide staff bus passes. Another cut includes a $275,000 grant that was supposed to come from King County for the police co-response program.

If the Public Safety Levy Lid Lift receives voter approval in November, the city is expected to bring in around $8.9 million in new revenue. This would be put into a special public safety fund, and used to preserve and expand the police co-response program, hire more officers, and create safer streets and sidewalks. More details on the planned use of these funds will be presented at the Oct. 20 meeting.