Did you know that the top item on the City’s list of rising financial challenges has consistently been “Wages & Benefits”? If labor costs are truly the primary driver of our local fiscal strain, then the timeline, handling, and lack of transparency surrounding the City Council’s February 9, 2026 meeting should raise a lot of eyebrows.

At that meeting, the City Council voted to approve the new Firefighters’ labor contract covering 2026–2028. Technically, the Council followed the bare-minimum letter of the law regarding Washington State Public Disclosure rules—holding negotiations in executive session and casting the final vote in a public setting.

However, the late-night procedure used left a great deal to be desired from an open-government standpoint.

The Rushed Timeline

• The Clock: The contract vote was buried as the very last item on the agenda. At approximately 9:01 PM—three hours after the meeting began—the Council adjourned into an executive session.
• The Vote: The Council returned to the public room at 9:31 PM, asked the HR Director for a brief overview, took an immediate affirming vote with zero public debate, and adjourned the entire meeting by 9:35 PM.
• The Slides: The HR presentation detailing the actual long-term financial impacts of this contract was only visible to those watching the absolute tail-end of the meeting video. It is highly unlikely any members of the public were left in the audience at that hour.

What’s Actually in the Agreement?

While competitive compensation for public safety is vital, the public has a right to understand the numbers being approved in the dark. The newly approved agreement includes:

• Structural Increases: Annual salary structure increases of 3.0% in 2026, 4.0% in 2027, and 4.0% in 2028.
• Specialty Bump: A 1% salary bump for training on the city’s new $765,000 fire boat.
• Compounding Steps: It maintains annual step increases averaging 3% for years 1–5, alongside longevity increases and educational incentives (a 2% annual increase for standard degrees).

Transparency Matters

True transparency isn’t just about quietly posting a PDF under the “Labor Agreements” section of the city website after the fact. It’s about ensuring that major spending decisions happen when the community is actually awake to watch and ask questions.

We urge all Anacortes residents to log on, watch the February 9th meeting archives, examine the contract terms, and ask city leadership why backroom timelines are taking precedence over open government.

Anthony Lee

Anacortes, WA