Lynnwood starts discussion on potential minimum wage increase

Published 1:41 pm Tuesday, May 19, 2026

EVERETT — The city of Lynnwood will start gathering community input on a possible minimum wage increase after a City Council discussion Monday.

Last month, council member Isabel Mata started conducting research on the minimum wage after gauging interest from other council members. She directed city staff to put a minimum wage discussion on a future meeting agenda.

On Monday, all council members said they were in favor of gathering community input on what a minimum wage increase would mean for the city.

“I think we owe it to the community to at least do the research,” council Vice President Derica Escamilla said.

Lynnwood currently matches the state minimum wage of $17.13 per hour. The council did not discuss an amount for a possible new wage Monday.

A single person without kids would need to make $29.71 per hour to afford the cost of living in Snohomish County, according to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Living Wage Calculator.

Several cities in Washington, including Everett, have minimum wages higher than the state’s. In 2024, Everett voters approved an increase to $20.24 per hour.

The Everett initiative, which was citizen-led, only applies to businesses with 15 or more employees. For businesses with more than 500 employees, the new wage went into effect July 1, 2025. For businesses that have between 15 and 500 employees, it will go into effect July 1, 2027.

Some council members said Monday they’d be in favor of a tiered approach similar to Everett’s to lessen the impact on small businesses.

“I do love that most of the cities that have done this haven’t done a one-size-fits-all approach,” Escamilla said.

In a December interview with The Daily Herald, Lynnwood Mayor George Hurst said he was interested in starting a minimum wage discussion in 2026 to increase household incomes in the city and make home ownership more attainable.

Last year, former council member Josh Binda launched a campaign to raise the minimum wage in Lynnwood to $20.24 through an initiative based on the one that passed in Everett. Binda’s initiative did not receive enough signatures to advance to the ballot, council President Nick Coelho said Monday.

Much of Monday’s discussion centered around community engagement.

“I want people to know we’re talking about this and give them a chance to start reaching out to us” council member Robert Leutwyler said.

Council member Bryce Owings suggested hosting a community roundtable with residents, workers and business owners. Other outreach ideas included a survey, doorbelling and tabling at city events.

“We don’t want to just talk to people who we know are going to say, ‘Yes, this is going to be awesome,’” council member Chelsea Wright said. “We need to talk to those very small businesses and these big retailers that we have here.”

In addition to the impact on small businesses, other potential concerns from the council included discouraging businesses from opening in Lynnwood and decreasing youth participation in the workforce.

“When that happens, usually there’s bad outcomes that follow it,” Coelho said. “I’m not saying that’s a reason not to make any moves, I’m just saying that we have to acknowledge there are trade-offs to this.”

Coelho said he supports exploring a carve out for younger workers to give them a chance to enter the workforce.

The council decided to plan a roundtable discussion for after Labor Day to give city staff the time to work on research while also balancing the budget. By the end of the year, the council will need to pass its 2027-29 budget following a $25 million deficit in 2025-26.

“I’m very mindful that we need to be laser focused on the budget this year, not wanting us to take quick action just because it’s a serious policy and it needs serious thought, but recognizing as well we’re in a budget year,” Leutwyler said.

Jenna Peterson: 425-339-3486; jenna.peterson@heraldnet.com; X: @jennarpetersonn.