In an action-packed, long session on Monday, July 27, 2026, the Burien City Council addressed critical issues shaping the community’s financial and political landscape.
Heading the agenda was a briefing from Seattle City Light regarding impending multi-year utility rate increases aimed at modernizing aging infrastructure and grid reliability.
Beyond utility costs, the council took decisive steps to reshape city governance—filling a vacant council seat with former candidate Patricia Hudson and officially terminating City Manager Adolfo Bailon’s contract without cause following a contentious late-night vote.
Seattle City Light Rates To Increase
Seattle City Light (SCL) gave a presentation to the council, the first in a series from local utility providers. SCL is a private non-profit utility, and is solely supported through revenues from customers, without any tax assistance. SCL provides electricity to nearly 1 million residential and commercial customers, with around 20,000 located in Burien.
The power they provide comes predominantly (77%) from hydroelectricity, with 11% derived from wind power and 6% coming from nuclear energy sources. SCL was the first utility in the US to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions, back in 2005. They provide some of the lowest rates for electricity in the country.
However, with an aging power grid, increased demand, and inflation-based cost increases for equipment and wages, rates will be going up. Increases are scheduled as follows: 9.5% in 2027, an additional 9.5% in 2028, and then increases of between 7 and 11% each year through 2032. This will amount to more than doubling the rate customers were paying in 2019. A 9.5% increase in 2027 will mean an additional $7 to $14 per month for most families after the first rate hike.
SCL knows this is a big ask, and they have increased assistance programs to help those in need. There is a 60% discount available for residents that are income qualified, and income qualifications have been expanded in order to help an expected 31,000 more people. In addition, SCL provides assistance in applying for federal and state utility assistance programs.
For those who don’t qualify for rate discounts, SCL now offers a time-of-use rate program. They charge less for off-peak electricity usage, with an increase during peak hours. With this new program, electricity is at a premium between 5-9pm, and is cheapest between midnight and 6am. Further details of the time-of-use rate schedule can be found at the above link.
With the increased cost, they hope to provide customers with better service, catching up on deferred maintenance that will help reduce and minimize outages. They will strengthen cybersecurity, replace aging utility poles, and trim trees, as well as create a smarter power grid that can handle increased community solar energy production.
It was mentioned that homeowners who have trees overgrowing power lines should not attempt to remove these branches on their own. Contact SCL, and professionals will safely take care of any problem branches.
Council Vacancy Filled By Former Candidate
The council conducted interviews with four applicants, to fill the seat recently left by Linda Akey. All candidates were asked the same series of questions by each sitting councilmember, and it was agreed that they were a strong group of candidates.
Patricia Hudson, who previously ran against Councilmember Kevin Schilling, was chosen in a 5-0-1 vote, with Councilmember Alex Andrade abstaining since Hudson wasn’t her top pick. Councilmember Schilling said she may not have been his top pick, but he voted with the majority anyway, in the spirit of cooperation.
The other candidates interviewed included Jacques Colon, who expressed enthusiasm for putting his local government experience to work with the city in some capacity soon. Also, Jessica Ivey, who ran for city council in 2025 and currently serves as Chair of the Planning Commission. The fourth of five candidates was Krystal Marx, who served on the city council several years ago, including being appointed Deputy Mayor in 2020.
Hudson will have an opportunity to be sworn in at her first council meeting, a study session on Aug. 6, at 6 p.m. This meeting has just been added to the schedule, as a forum to discuss the new budget.
City Manager Bailon Terminated
After a late executive session, the council majority voted to terminate its city manager contract with Adolfo Bailon. The termination is without cause, and he will receive severance pay as per his employment contract. This decision comes months after he was placed on paid administrative leave, with no explanation to the public. Interim City Manager Bob Larson was given approval to begin looking for candidates to serve in the newly-vacated position.
Mayor Sarah Moore opened the meeting to public comments on this topic. Councilmember Schilling said holding an unscheduled public comments session at 10 p.m., after a lengthy executive session, with no prior public notification, was a “charade.” The room was empty besides staff and one remaining member of the public, with all the chairs stacked for the night. Interim City Attorney Ann Marie Soto said this was standard practice. In response, Schilling told Soto, who has only ever attended meetings via Zoom, “you’re not even here.” Minutes later, Schilling appeared to leave the meeting before it was adjourned.
However, hands were raised on Zoom, and five more members of the public spoke, saying that they were indeed present and following the late-night decision. One mentioned that there have been many meetings and public comment periods since Bailon was placed on administrative leave. If members of the public had anything to say about it, they had the opportunity. Another speaker said Bailon was terminated for “abusive behavior,” and the city should save money by not giving him severance pay. To this, Councilmember Andrade asked how a member of the public could know any reason for his termination, when the council had only just received a report about it.
Video
Below is full, raw video of this meeting (most of the late fireworks happen after an Executive Session ends near the 4-hour, 28-minute mark):
It was a sad evening for anyone who cares about Burien. Under Adolfo’s leadership, Burien became cleaner, safer, and business friendly. Some people want chaos and don’t care about the actual residents. They won this time and Burien lost a fine human being.