The Burien City Council met on Oct. 12, 2026, to address key civic priorities shaping the city’s future.
Major agenda items included discussing revisions to Burien’s tree code, an updated municipal fee schedule, a presentation on the upcoming 2027–2028 biennial budget, and candidate search milestones for the city manager position.
The council also voiced unanimous support for a six-month moratorium on detention centers and approved the creation of a new Transportation Commission.
Tree Code Updates
Josh Petter, Urban Forest Planner, presented some potential changes to Burien’s tree code. These changes will impact trees on both public and private property. Petter explained that the changes are meant to streamline administration, as well as to clarify the code.
One big change that is proposed will remove the need to obtain a permit before removing a tree that was severely damaged by a storm. It is advisable to take a photo of the storm damage for your records, before proceeding with the full tree removal. In addition, property owners no longer need support from 60% of their neighbors before pruning trees.
It was stressed during this conversation that the city has no proactive code enforcement. They rely on community reporting of potential illegal tree pruning, topping, or removal. This can be done on the city’s website, or on the Fix It Burien app. The potential code changes will also reduce the penalty for failure to follow the code.
The plan for replacement trees will be restructured. There is currently a 3:1 ratio, so if a tree is removed developers must plant three new ones, and then take care of them for two years. If this new code is passed, the replacement number of trees will vary depending on the size of tree being removed, ranging from one, if a small tree is removed, to seven for removal of very large trees. Also, these replacement trees will have to be maintained for three years.
This was a topic for discussion only, with code amendments coming to a vote at a future meeting. There will be a Public Hearing on these changes at the Planning Commission meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 14. The Commission will then provide recommendations to the council.
Fee Schedule Update
Staff have been working to combine all city fee information into one place. While doing that, there are proposed updates to the fees to make them more consistent with other cities. Many of these fees haven’t been updated since 2008.
Once these changes go into effect, there will be a 5% tech fee added at checkout. In addition, a 3% credit card processing fee will be paid by the applicant. Currently, that tech fee is often hidden in the cost of other fees, and the city has been covering the credit card fee. There will also be a “resubmittal fee”, which is aimed at streamlining the process and improving efficiency of applications. The goal is always to have the fees cover the actual cost of processing applications.
2027-2028 Budget Presentation
Finance Director Casey Headley presented the upcoming biennial budget. She said this was the first budget since 2016 that has been this close to balancing revenue and expenses. It still uses around $380,000 in reserves, but makes cuts throughout in order to maintain services in the long term. Burien’s budget is already very lean, and councilmembers were dismayed to see museums, art, and neighborhood grants will be cut. Holiday lights will also be cut from the much leaner budget.
Burien Magazine will be reduced from quarterly to annual publication. The cost of staff health insurance will go down, as the city shifts to a high-deductible plan; helping to pay the cost of that deductible is still cheaper than funding a low-deductible plan.
The city currently has no state or federal lobbyist. A state lobbyist costs around $40,000 per year, and a federal lobbyist is over $60,000. Councilmember Kevin Schilling argued that Burien needs a federal lobbyist, in order to get deals, bring federal dollars to the city, and help with needed infrastructure projects. He said Burien already belongs to many organizations that lobby in Olympia, so it is well represented at the state level. He got agreement across the board on the need for a federal lobbyist.
Deputy Mayor Hugo Garcia said that the city is currently paying a premium for police overtime, since the department is only 80% staffed. He suggested that Burien could save money by increasing to 100% staffing levels. This could make a big difference in what is the city’s largest expense. Councilmember Alex Andrade stressed that public safety is still a big issue in Burien, and that small businesses really don’t want to see any “defunding” of police. Councilmember Patricia Hudson clarified that no one was arguing to defund the police, only to fully staff the department to reduce overtime costs.
More work is needed for the 2028 budget, but those changes will be hashed out with the new city manager, once this position is filled. Updates for 2028 will be made at the mid-biennium review. Director Headley said that city staff will pivot as necessary to adjust to the changing economy.
Search for City Manager
Interim City Manager Bob Larson said there have been 40 applicants for city manager, and 14 of those meet the minimum qualifications. The application period is now closed, and councilmembers will deliberate on their preferred candidates during a special all day session on Tuesday, Nov. 17. Larson said the prior evening there will be a public reception where the community can meet the candidates.
Detention Center Moratorium
Following an Executive Session, the council gave unanimous thumbs up for a six-month moratorium on detention centers in the city. The moratorium will be voted on at the next regular meeting.
Establishment Of A Transportation Commission
The establishment of a dedicated Transportation Commission is a need driven by population growth, according to Interim City Manager Bob Larson. This commission will act as an advisory body, helping staff to develop and implement policy needs for transportation, as well as providing enhanced engagement with the community. It will have five members, all Burien residents. The commission will work on safer routes to schools, intelligent/adaptive traffic signals, and traffic calming measures.
