One of the primary duties of your city council is to work with City staff to develop and adopt a budget. In December, we adopted the 2023-2024 biennial budget, reflecting several important priorities that were identified in the preliminary stages of our strategic planning process. This budget strives to meet our community’s current needs while maintaining a healthy government operation. However, we will need to have conversations soon about ways to improve the long-term financial health of our city.
This spring, we will adopt a new five-year strategic plan focusing on four strategic directions: achieving financial stability, reshaping community through smart and mindful development, advancing racial equity, and centering community accountability. The plan spans across five years and multiple budget cycles and sets the course for our City’s priorities for multiple city council administrations.
We worked together to progress several legislative priorities over the last six months. We extended the end date of the Affordable Housing Demonstration Program, inviting a new project sponsored by ecoThrive into the program. We passed additional protections for Burien renters, approved additional funding for human services and the arts, and supported important infrastructure improvements.
We also approved use of federal funding to help our community and local government operations recover from the COVID pandemic. The American Rescue Plan Act is helping support historic investments in public safety, economic development, and community needs.
As elected leaders, we look forward to working with our peers in other cities, the King County Council, and state and federal legislature to make sure Burien’s interests are met through their policymaking processes. Many of us are testifying on bills that impact Burien, which we will share during the Council Reports section of City Council meetings.
There are several big issues on the horizon, and we hope to hear from you. Housing, public safety, neighborhood planning, and more will be top priorities in the near future.
Thank you for staying involved.
Get involved
We encourage Burien residents to understand and follow the business of the City as well as discussions on specific topics that are brought before the City Council.
- Attend City Council meetings: in-person at Burien City Hall, via Zoom, on Channel 21, or stream online. See schedule of meetings.
- Watch for scheduled public meetings or public hearings on specific projects and topics.
- Read a summary of the City Council meeting in the latest Council Roundup.
We want to hear from you! Public comment is an important way for the City Council to hear from residents and businesses. Ways to provide meaningful input include:
- Share your thoughts with the City Council at council@burienwa.gov or to each individual Councilmembers’ email address, which can be found at burienwa.gov/council.
- Attend a virtual City Council meeting and speak to the Council for up to two minutes during public comment.
- Visit the new Burien Community Hub, an online community engagement platform where you can learn about and participate in current planning efforts, at connect.burienwa.gov.
Ordinances, Resolutions, Proclamations
The Burien City Council passed the following ordinances, resolutions, and proclamations between September 2022 and February 2023.
Ordinances: The City Council passed Ordinance Nos. 798-811. The ordinances covered many topics including the Affordable Housing Demonstration Program, budget and related tax levies, renter protections, Comprehensive Plan amendments, compost procurement, and more.
Resolutions: The City Council passed Resolution Nos. 483-492. The resolutions covered many topics including approval of a comprehensive emergency management plan, new City staff employment policies related to vaccine mandate and vacation policy, approval of use of American Rescue Plan Act funding, repeal of local executive order declaring COVID-19 a public health emergency, approval of the 2023 City Council meeting schedule, affordable housing, and more.
Proclamations: The City Council issued 12 proclamations on the following topics: Latinx Hispanic Heritage Month, Suicide Prevention Month, Welcoming Week, Italian American Heritage Month, Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Indigenous Peoples’ Day, Native American Heritage Month, International Day of Persons with Disabilities, National Human Trafficking Month, Lunar New Year, Black History Month, and Burien’s 30th Anniversary of Incorporation.
Burien City Council
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.
