Sedro‑Woolley weighs options as county withdraws $800,000 for senior meals program

City staff told the Sedro‑Woolley council the county has proposed ending its contribution to the senior meals program — roughly $800,000 a year — and that the city must act to prevent service disruption.

Charlie, city staff leading the item, said the county is drafting a six‑month interlocal agreement (ILA) to keep services through the end of the year, but the RFP that would identify a new meals provider closed the same day as the study session and staff had not yet seen the responses. He told the council the Northwest Regional Council (NWRC) is managing the RFP process and that the new contract model could reduce per‑meal costs to the $5.40–$5.50 range, but the county’s withdrawal of $800,000 could leave an uncovered gap the city would need to address.

"There's a real possibility there are no responses to the RFP, in which case the NWRC is going to try to work with another provider directly," Charlie said, adding that the city does not yet know how many Sedro‑Woolley residents are served under the current county contract. He recommended quick engagement with NWRC and other cities to negotiate a multijurisdictional approach and avoid a break in service that must begin July 1.

Council members asked whether the city could use restricted operating funds and whether feasibility studies for shared staffing and a commercial kitchen had been considered. Charlie said the city is seeking guidance from the state auditor’s office on allowable uses of certain operating funds and noted an initial estimate that upgrading or building a commercial kitchen could cost in the $70,000–$200,000 range depending on scope.

Multiple councilors urged collaboration with Burlington, Mount Vernon and other cities to pursue economies of scale. Staff said county officials will meet with city representatives March 16 and that next steps will include invitations to NWRC to negotiate provider selection and a request for clearer cost breakdowns and service‑by‑geography usage data before the council commits major dollars.

Public comment at the end of the meeting reiterated the ask for a short‑term price menu, 12 months of usage data by geography and multiple priced service levels from the RFP to inform any city financial commitment.

Next steps: staff will pursue the proposed six‑month ILA for 2026 continuity, press NWRC for RFP results and usage data, and report back to council with a short‑term term sheet showing estimated city exposure before any long‑term financial commitments are made.