Marysville council agenda: waiving utility connection fees for affordable housing

What the records say

The April 6, 2026 City Council work session agenda listed a discussion item on waiving capital improvement charges for affordable housing ¹. Staff proposed a new code section, MMC 14.07.085, that would let the city administrator waive capital improvement charges — the connection or hookup fees for public utilities — for new affordable housing units, as allowed by RCW 35.92.380 ¹. Waivers would be limited to nonprofit organizations, public development authorities, housing authorities, or local agencies that provide emergency shelter, transitional housing, permanent supportive housing, or affordable housing ¹. The proposal follows a Connecting Housing to Infrastructure (CHIP) grant the city pursued with the Housing Alliance for Snohomish County for Leonard Crossing Apartments, at the corner of Grove Street and Cedar Avenue; the grant would reimburse the city for the charges it waives ¹. Staff asked the council to adopt the regulations by ordinance at the April 13, 2026 City Council meeting ¹. The record does not establish the outcome of the April 6 discussion ¹.

• The April 6, 2026 City Council work session agenda listed a discussion item on waiving capital improvement charges for affordable housing ¹.
• Staff proposed a new code section, MMC 14.07.085, allowing the city administrator to waive capital improvement charges for new affordable housing units as allowed by RCW 35.92.380 ¹.
• Waivers would be limited to nonprofit organizations, public development authorities, housing authorities, or local agencies providing emergency shelter, transitional housing, permanent supportive housing, or affordable housing ¹.
• The draft defines affordable housing as housing whose monthly costs, including utilities other than telephone, do not exceed 30 percent of monthly income, capped at 60 percent of area median income for rental housing and 80 percent for owner-occupied housing, using HUD figures for Snohomish County ¹.
• The proposal follows a CHIP grant the city pursued with the Housing Alliance for Snohomish County for Leonard Crossing Apartments at Grove Street and Cedar Avenue; the grant would reimburse the city for waived charges ¹.
• A waiver would require a recorded covenant barring non-affordable use of the property, with retroactive payment of applicable fees if the property is converted ¹.
• The record does not state the dollar amount of the charges or the outcome of the April 6 discussion ¹.

Why it matters

The draft code would let Marysville forgo the public-utility connection fees that affordable housing developers otherwise pay, with the CHIP grant reimbursing the city for what it waives ¹. Any waiver would have to be conditioned on a recorded covenant restricting the property to affordable housing, with the owner required to pay the applicable fees retroactively if the property is converted to another use ¹. The record does not state the dollar value of the charges or how many projects might qualify ¹.

What changed / what's next

• The April 6, 2026 City Council work session agenda listed a discussion item on waiving capital improvement charges for affordable housing ¹.
• Staff proposed a new municipal code section, MMC 14.07.085, and asked the council to adopt it by ordinance at the April 13, 2026 City Council meeting ¹.
• Whether the City Council adopts the waiver regulations by ordinance at the April 13, 2026 meeting, as staff requested ¹.
• Whether the council changes the eligibility categories, the income limits, or the factors used to grant, partially grant, or deny a waiver ¹.
• The record does not establish the outcome of the April 6 work session discussion ¹.
• The dollar value of the capital improvement charges and the number of projects that might qualify are not stated in the record ¹.
• The available records do not establish the meeting's outcome.