Tolbert discusses challenges, accomplishments of 2021

Arlington weathered another year of the pandemic in 2021 and hopes to continue infrastructure growth for the next year.

Mayor Barbara Tolbert talked with the North County Outlook about how the previous year went for the city and the outlook for 2022 as staff prepare for the new year.

“The biggest challenge was, of course, COVID-19,” said Tolbert. “It has affected everything from our staff, the city’s businesses and our residents."

Federal funds provided to the city to help with pandemic relief were distributed last year and will continue into 2022.

“We’re glad to provide some of the grant relief to help with businesses,” said Tolbert.

Those businesses who needed assistance to pivot to online or could benefit from the additional customers received some support to make that transition.

Other groups that have had trouble also received some help with those funds.

“We’re providing some of those funds for the tourism and leisure industry, which is one of the areas that is really struggling with its recovery,” said Tolbert.

Some of those pandemic relief funds are being distributed by Snohomish County which hopes to soon create a housing plan to help with unsheltered individuals.

Tolbert said she hopes to see that housing begin in 2022 and support various areas of the county.

In terms of business, Arlington had a successful year with about 150 new businesses opening up.

“We have had success on new development,” said Tolbert. “The big news was the Amazon fulfillment center."

Other big industry, such as an electric aircraft manufacturer, also opened up in Arlington in 2021.

“I always look forward to more jobs in the city so people don’t have to commute,” she said.

In 2022 the city hopes to begin more transportation projects to help with those new businesses.

“We want to focus on infrastructure to catch up on the growth cycle that is happening faster than anticipated,” said Tolbert. “Traffic congestion continues to be a concern as we wait for new construction projects, particularly on Highway 531."

A number of projects on that roadway, including a roundabout, are planned to help with congestion. The biggest improvement is a widening to more lanes in the eastern portion of the road.

“We’re waiting on the final designs for the expansion of 531 so that it can hopefully begin construction in 2023,” said Tolbert. “That’s already funded, we just have to wait for the design."

Federal funds are also being made available this year to help with congestion across the nation.

“We’re looking forward to being able to compete for some of those funds,” said Tolbert.

For public safety, the biggest initiative last year for the city was giving up control of the Arlington Fire Department.

“Another big accomplishment is the annexation of the fire department into North County Fire and EMS,” said Tolbert. “That gives them a more sustainable path of funding."

By being part of a Regional Fire Authority the budget for local fire services are not affected by the fluctuations of sales tax revenue.

Another change last year was the prohibition of fireworks during the Fourth of July.

“One of the other bigger challenges was working through our fireworks ban,” said Tolbert.

It was the first year the ban was active.

“We think it went well and was well received,” said Tolbert.

The city has had a team of embedded social workers for a few years now and will soon add to that with mental health responders to respond to people in crisis who primarily need mental health support.

The social worker program is meant to help individuals access programs to recover from drug addiction rather than treat those people as a criminal problem first.

“Hopefully, we see these same successes expanded to people in a mental health crisis,” said Tolbert.

Arlington police vehicles were also improved last year.

“We have purchased some electric vehicles for our police fleet,” said Tolbert, who added the city hopes to expand that effort soon. “We want all of our city vehicles over the next couple of years to be electric,” she said.

Finally, Tolbert said she was excited for the Arlington Youth Council’s efforts to hold a Youth Leader Summit in 2022.

Youth council and leadership groups from Marysville, Lake Stevens, Tulalip and Everett plan to join together.

“The youth have been hit quite hard from COVID,” said Tolbert, who added they have missed out on life experiences and had to deal with remote learning for many months.

“They will focus on some of these issues that have cropped up for today’s youth,” she said.