The Burien City Council’s May 18, 2026 meeting marked a night of significant transition, community visioning, and pivotal policy shifts.
The evening included a bittersweet note as the council bid a heartfelt farewell to Councilmember Linda Akey.
Looking ahead to the city’s economic future, the Business & Economic Development Partnership (BEDP) pitched an interactive “Burien Has Heart” public art initiative alongside a wave of vibrant, community-led “Summer of Soccer” events capitalizing on local World Cup enthusiasm.
However, the meeting also brought sharp debate and major legislative changes, culminating in tight 4-3 split votes that updated the Council’s Rules of Order regarding virtual attendance and officially repealed the city’s councilmatic minimum wage ordinance.
Burien’s Summer Of Soccer
While the FIFA World Cup is now looking like it will bring far fewer visitors from abroad than expected–ticket sales have been down, and 1,000 hotel rooms once reserved for dignitaries have been canceled–the celebration plans remain strong locally. Local organizations, including Discover Burien, Latino Civic Alliance, and the Highline Heritage Museum, have put together several celebrations of the sport, viewing parties, and family friendly gatherings.
Events will include “Burien’s Copita” on June 6 from 12–4 p.m. at the Highline Memorial Stadium. This family-friendly, free community youth soccer tournament will also feature free hotdogs. The Highline Heritage Museum will host several related events, including More Than a Game: Soccer, Stories, and Identity in America, plus a Taco Festival, a celebration honoring Frida Kahlo’s birthday, and a Multicultural Festival. Discover Burien is leading an effort to beautify Burien for these events, including weeding, trash removal, and twelve new murals throughout the city. More information to come as summer nears.
Councilmember Akey’s Farewell
This was the final meeting for Councilmember Linda Akey, who submitted official notice and said her farewells as she relocates to another city.
As we previously reported, Akey first announced she would resign on Jan. 27, 2026 because she and her husband were moving out of state. She had been continuing her council duties as she waited for their home to sell.
Members were present from the BEDP, where Akey had first volunteered with the city before running for a council seat. Several current BEDP members, as well as the majority of the council, expressed sincere gratitude and good wishes for their comrade, who was described as being intrepid and always putting her whole heart into everything she does.
Interim City Manager Bob Larson said staff will get to work ASAP in finding a replacement to fill the seat Akey will be vacating. On Tuesday, May 19, the city said that the councilmember recruitment schedule and outline of the appointment process will be posted on its website by Thursday, May 21, 2026.
Business & Economic Development Partnership
Members of Burien’s Business & Economic Development Partnership (BEDP) held this joint meeting with the council, to discuss strategies for promoting the city as a destination for visitors. A theme the BEDP has settled on is Burien Has Heart. This was believed to be a universal message that the city’s diverse population could support, and would go hand in hand with small heart sculptures throughout the city.
The hearts would serve as 3-dimensional canvases for art that could highlight local cultures. There could be a map that would lead visitors to all the hearts in the series, and visitors could post photos of the sculptures or scan QR codes for other types of interaction. It was mentioned that other cities are already doing the heart sculptures, so it is not meant to be unique to Burien, but just a popular idea that would motivate people to visit and interact in different areas of the city.
Councilmember Akey said the town she is from, Loveland, has fully embraced the heart sculptures to great success, and that the map draws visitors to local businesses. Mayor Sarah Moore, also originally from the town of Loveland, said that town really focuses on the romantic aspect of the hearts, but that she would like to see Burien also embrace the health and wellness focus of the symbol, such as providing information on the sculptures like how many steps or heartbeats it might take to get to the nearest sculpture. Councilmember Sam Mendez initially expressed hesitation about using hearts at all, though he seemed to come around in the end. He later said that he’d like to see the heart sculptures tied to improvements in bikeability & walkability.
According to the BEDP, it will take about a year to implement the heart-themed sculpture. This includes time to get other community and arts groups, as well as local businesses, on board. During this time, a local artist would be sought to craft the sculptures, which would cost around $1,000 each and are expected to require minimal maintenance. It is hoped that businesses will see the benefit of the program, and help to defray the cost.
Other priorities discussed with the BEDP include anything that improves safety, and the perception of safety, throughout downtown, like better lighting and maintaining the current code enforcement officer. Also, they mentioned that having some permanent, dedicated take-out parking would make things easier for local business owners. In addition, they would love to see a predictable permitting timeline and transparent fees for local events. Premade site maps would also make holding events in Burien easier. It was mentioned that Burien already holds more events than any other city in the South Sound, and they would like to lean into that strength.
Each member of the BEDP spoke briefly, and one said that he would like to see the council continue to keep camping away from city streets. He said that a couple of years ago the council saved many local businesses by removing the homeless encampment from downtown, and this needs to continue if we don’t want to lose many small businesses. Another BEDP member said she also serves on the board of a credit union. She mentioned that there has recently been increasing rates of delinquency across all types of consumer loans, expressing that this has been a time of financial hardship for many.
Councilmember Kevin Schilling suggested two more things be considered. He thought the city should develop a policy around data centers, perhaps allowing small to medium sized ones. He said these have had huge financial benefits for cities that allow them. In addition, he mentioned that Wizards has closed. This was Burien’s only gambling establishment, and brought in around $800,000 in city revenue each year. He thought the city could explore policy changes that might attract a new card room or similar establishment to replace the lost revenue.
Updates To City Council Rules Of Order
Interim City Attorney Ann Marie Soto was not in attendance for this discussion, so helping the council to make updates to the Rules of Order was Substitute Interim City Attorney Eileen Keiffer, who had no familiarity with city code. Contradictory advice was given, as she needed to refer back to the code at length throughout the discussion.
Councilmember Sam Mendez pushed to prohibit virtual attendance except in extenuating circumstances, a contentious move that passed in a split 4–3 vote. Councilmembers Kevin Schilling, Alex Andrade, and Linda Akey were opposed. Councilmember Mendez specifically wanted to use the language from Tukwila’s Rules of Order as the model for Burien’s, feeling that Burien didn’t need to reinvent the wheel if Tukwila had already done the work. It was mentioned multiple times that Alex Andrade is the only councilmember to have attended every single meeting in person.
Minimum Wage Ordinance Repealed
The repeal of the minimum wage ordinance was pulled from the consent agenda after being placed on it at the last meeting, and discussed once again. The repeal passed in the same 4–3 split vote as above. More information on what this means for local businesses and workers to come in a separate article in the near future, so stay tuned…
Video
Below is full, raw video of this meeting:
A thousand dollars a heart? There are a lot better things that need than heart sculptures around the city at a thousand dollars a pop. And the talk of data center revenue is fine but what do locals get out of it? Higher rates, so why would we want data centers when we get nothing back but are forced to pay more, the only ones who seem to make out on it is the electric company and owners of the data centers.
I’m sure the local water districts haven’t been asked if they can support the usage, let alone the supplier Seattle Public Utilities given the ever increasing droughts