A lot has happened since the printing of our last Council message. 2025 not only brought us a new calendar year but new challenges and new uncertainties as well. However, it has also presented new opportunities for us to collaborate and find solutions together.
As always, we remain busy working for Burien. After three months of presentations, public hearings, and deliberation, we passed a new budget that is responsive to our six-year financial forecast, reflective of the community’s priorities, and representative of the City’s goals for the next two years.
After interviewing many passionate and qualified community members, we appointed 15 outstanding individuals to serve across five different advisory boards. We rely on our advisory boards to bring together a unique blend of expertise and community perspectives, developing valuable, actionable insights that help inform our decision-making process. We also approved several updates to board compositions and rules to help them run their meetings and do their work as efficiently and effectively as possible.
For all the actions we’ve taken and the conversations we’ve had, we’ve also had the opportunity to hear some incredible presentations in the Council Chambers so far this year.
We’ve heard about innovative efforts to protect our urban forest, inspiring stories from the teams behind our successful crisis response model, changes impacting regional transit options, and bold efforts to remove barriers to high-demand career pathways for graduating students.
Outside of chambers, we are dedicated to advocating for Burien at the national and state levels. We forge partnerships across jurisdictional boundaries to address mutual challenges and amplify our shared priorities. We sit on regional committees to dive deep into important issues and ensure Burien’s voice is represented at each table.
And we rely on your involvement as community members. We thank you for volunteering to serve on the City’s advisory boards, for keeping us informed about the priorities in your neighborhood, and for participating in engagement opportunities for active projects.
Whatever comes next, we’re stronger together.
Get involved
We encourage Burien residents to understand and follow the business of the City as well as provide meaningful input.
- Attend City Council meetings in person at Burien City Hall, via Zoom, on Channel 21, or stream online. Watch for scheduled public meetings or public hearings on specific projects and topics at burienwa.gov/calendar
- Read summaries of City Council meetings at burienwa.gov/CouncilRoundups
- Watch live and past City Council meetings at burienwa.gov/tv
- Share your thoughts with the City Council at council@burienwa.gov or to each councilmember’s email address, which can be found at burienwa.gov/council
- Sign up one hour before each City Council meeting to speak to the City Council virtually or in person during public comment at burienwa.gov/PublicComment
- Visit the Burien Community Hub, an online community engagement platform where you can learn about and participate in current planning efforts, at connect.burienwa.gov
As the City's governing body, Burien's seven elected City Councilmembers establish City policies and laws, adopt an annual budget, approve appropriations, contract for services, and grant franchises. City Councilmembers serve staggered four-year terms; roughly half the Council is up for election every two years. All Councilmembers are "at-large" meaning that they serve the City as a whole as opposed to a specific district.
The City Council chooses a Mayor and Deputy Mayor from among its members at the first meeting of the new year following an election. The Mayor presides at Council meetings and represents the City at ceremonial functions and inter-governmental meetings. The Deputy Mayor presides in the Mayor's absence.
