Due to state-imposed 1% limit on property tax growth, high inflation, relatively flat growth in other revenues, unfunded state and federal mandates, and other factors, the City’s operating revenues are not keeping pace with the cost of doing business. As a result, the City of Kenmore faces an upcoming structural deficit in its operating budget (General Fund and Street Fund) and will need to revise the Financial Sustainability Plan that was adopted in 2020. 

The City of Kenmore is excited to mobilize the Financial Sustainability Plan (FSP) Task Force to serve from January 2024 to May 2024.

The nine member FSP Task Force is reviewing the City’s financial forecasts and budgets and evaluating priorities, services, and revenues to make recommendations to the City Manager on how to resolve the structural deficit. All Kenmore residents, business owners, employees, and youth (minimum age 16), were encouraged to apply. Two spots were reserved for community members who have work or experience with business, finance, or management. Kenmore actively sought task force members that reflect the diversity of the community. The FSP Task Force has been mobilized and have been meeting regularly between January and May 2024. Please continue to check this page for meeting dates and agendas.  

November 8, 2024
On November 12, the City Council will continue their series of budget discussions. The Council will be presented with updates to the Financial Sustainability Plan (FSP). The FSP Task Force, that was convened earlier this year and made up of community members, finalized its recommendations and presented its plan to the City Council this past Spring. Because many of those recommendations have been incorporated into the recently proposed 2025-2026 Biennial Budget, the City Council will review a modified plan presented by the City Manager, and based on the FSP Task Force's recommendations.

May 10, 2024
Thank you to the community members who participated and provided feedback as part of the community engagement for the 2024 Financial Sustainability Plan! And thank you to our community led Financial Sustainability Plan Task Force members, who presented their recommendations to the City Council on Monday, May 6, 2024.

• FSP task Force Presentation Slides 2025-05-06
• Watch the FSP Task Force presentation to council on YouTube
• FSP Task Force Final Report 2024-04-25

Financial sustainability concerns were anticipated and discussed in the 2023-2024 Biennium Budget message. The Kenmore City Council discussed financial sustainability at their City Council Retreat on June 30 and July 1, 2023 and adopted it as one of their top five goals for 2024. 

On October 9, 2023, the Council approved the task force’s charter. 14 community members applied to serve on the task force, 12 were interviewed, and nine were offered and accepted positions on it. The task force is scheduled to meet on the first and third Wednesdays of each month, January through April, 2024. In March, three meetings are planned for the first, second and third Wednesdays.

The task force is advisory in nature. It is comprised of nine Kenmore residents and/or Kenmore business owners, many of whom have professional experience in accounting or financial management. The community members are:

• Vincent Keane
• Holly Koelling
• Edouard Lassalle
• Alinafe Matenda
• Jeffrey Pooley
• Katrina Rose
• Tiff Stoner
• Mary Sullivan
• Michael Vanderlinde

The Kenmore staff members are:

• Rob Karlinsey, City Manager
• Melinda Merrell, Finance Director
• Carla Schnee, Admin/Financial Services Manager

The task force’s purpose is to learn more about the City’s financial forecast and budget, solicit input from the community, deliberate solutions, and write an advisory report to the City Manager. The City Manager will then write a report to the City Council with his recommendations.

Task Force Meetings

The Financial Sustainability Plan task force meetings are posted here:

Meeting #1: Wednesday, January 3          Agenda          Meeting Minutes        

Meeting #2: Wednesday, January 17        Agenda         Meeting Minutes          Video         

Meeting #3: Wednesday, February 7         Agenda          Meeting Minutes          Video

Meeting #4: Wednesday, February 21       Agenda         Meeting Minutes           Video         Presentations

Meeting #5: Wednesday, March 6             Agenda          Meeting Minutes           Video

Meeting #6: Thursday, March 14               Agenda          Meeting Minutes           Video

Meeting #7: Wednesday, March 20           Agenda          Meeting Minutes           Video

Meeting #8: Wednesday, April 3 (Town Hall)                                                                             Presentation

Meeting #9: Wednesday, April 10              Agenda          Meeting Minutes           Video

Meeting #10: Wednesday, April 17            Agenda          Meeting Minutes           Video

Meeting #11: Wednesday, April 24            Agenda          Meeting Minutes           Video

The 2024 Task Force Engagement Plan (updated 3/27/24) can be found here.

 

Although the City of Kenmore has been adopting balanced budgets, operating expenditures could have exceeded operating revenues as soon as 2026. This could have created up to a $2 million structural deficit by 2026. The Task Force, City staff and Management Partners worked together to review this issue, obtain input from the community, and created a balanced financial plan through 2028. 

The final Financial Sustainability Plan through 2028 was approved via Resolution 20-357 by the City Council at their October 26, 2020 meeting. View Agenda Bill   View Resolution No. 20-357.

In 2021, the City of Kenmore's Financial Sustainability Plan won a Municipal Excellence Award through the Association of Washington Cities, which honors cities putting creative ideas to use for their communities.

Financial Sustainability Plan Task Force

On October 7, 2019, the City Council approved a process to create a Financial Sustainability Plan. This process authorized the creation a City Financial Sustainability Plan Task Force to advise the City Manager on ways to resolve the City’s upcoming structural deficit.

On November 12, 2019, the Council approved the task force’s charter. 10 community members applied to serve on this task force, nine were interviewed, and seven accepted positions on it by January 2020.

The task force is advisory in nature. It is comprised of seven Kenmore residents, many of whom have a professional experience in accounting or financial management. The members are:

• Mike Vanderlinde
• Elisabeth Spring
• Fernell Miller
• Lynn Zwaagstra
• Anthony Tarnowski
• Jeffrey Pooley

The task force’s purpose is to learn more about the City’s financial forecast and budget, deliberate solutions, and write an advisory report to the City Manager. The City Manager will then write a report to the City Council with his recommendations.

Task Force Meetings

The Financial Sustainability Plan task force meetings are posted here. All meetings were streamed live and recorded.

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Past Meetings

Meeting #1: Wednesday, January 22:  agenda video

Meeting #2: Tuesday, February 11: agenda, video

Meeting #3: Tuesday, February 25: agenda, video

Meeting #4: Tuesday, March 10: agenda, video

Meeting #5: Thursday, April 16: agenda, video, presentation

Meeting #6: Tuesday, August 11:  agenda, video, presentation, report

Community Open Hourse, August 24:   agenda, video

Meeting #7:  Monday, August 24:  agenda, video

 Meeting #8:  Tuesday, August 25:  agenda, video

Presentation to City Council on September 10, 2020:  agenda, video, presentation

Balancing Act Budget Simulator Tool

Thanks to many who contributed to the City's Budget Simulation Tool. The FSP Task Force reviewed the Tool results during their meeting of August 24 and plan to present a report to the City Council at their budget retreat scheduled for September 10. Click on the link below to view a high level summary of the results of the Budget Simulator Tool. Also below are three graphics depicting the results of revenue enhancements, expense reductions and expense additions.

Click here to view the Balancing Act Budget Simulator Tool Results Summary

 

Public engagement is a key part of the process, and the City held a virtual online open house on August 24 to hear the public’s ideas. In addition, the City of Kenmore deployed an online interactive tool known as “Balancing Act” to get your hands-on input on how to balance the city’s budget. This tool allowed the public to select various choices, including what revenues to increase or what services to cut. Balancing Act was a fun, user-friendly way to participate in the financial sustainability plan process.

Learn more

• COVID-19 Impacts on General Fund - Fiscal Model by Management Partners, 2020
  • In preparing its recommended budget strategies for City Council consideration, Management Partners prepared a fiscal model to assess the impacts that the COVID-19 pandemic recession would have on the City’s General Fund. That model has been authorized for publication on the City’s website for anyone interested in reviewing the model and the assumptions included within. The model also includes the four budget scenario packages that they recommended for Council consideration that includes selected strategies addressing the projected fiscal gap.
• 2019-2020 Final Biennial Budget – Full Document
• City Council Retreat (January 11, 2019) – Video, Meeting Materials
• City Council Study Session with City of Kirkland representatives (April 22, 2019) – Video, Meeting Materials
• City Council Study Session with City of Shoreline representatives (April 23, 2019) – Video, Meeting Materials
• City Council Special Meeting (October 7, 2019) – Video, Meeting Materials
• City Council Regular Meeting (November 12, 2019) – Video, Meeting Materials
• City Council Retreat (January 10-11, 2020) – Video, Meeting Materials
• Financial Sustainability Plan Task Force presentation to City Council (September 2020) -  Agenda, Video, Presentation
• City Council adoption of the Financial Sustainability Plan (October 2020) - Video, Meeting Materials, Agenda Bill