Welcome to the city's informational page, Splash! Sit back and take a deep dive into what's going on around the lake. Check back weekly for new updates.

Human Resources

• The city is hiring Police Officers to fill current vacancies and have an expedited hiring process for entry level, entry level advanced, and lateral officers. Lateral police officers are eligible for a hiring bonus up to $25,000 and $5,000 for moving expenses. Apply today at https://wa-lakestevens2.civicplus.com/377/Police-Officer-Testing-Process.
• The city is hiring for the position of City Engineer! The recruitment will remain open until filled. For more information and to apply, visit: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/lakestevenswa/jobs/5093933/city-engineer?pagetype=jobOpportunitiesJobs
• The city is hiring for the new position of Building Supervisor! The effective date of this position will be January 1, 2026. Recruitment will remain open until filled. To be considered in the first review of applicants you must apply prior to this date. For more information, please visit: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/lakestevenswa/jobs/5134054/building-supervisor?pagetype=jobOpportunitiesJobs
• The city is hiring for the position of Senior Planner. For more information: https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/lakestevenswa/jobs/5163367/senior-planner?pagetype=jobOpportunitiesJobs
• Ready to build problem solving and facilitation skills? The City of Lake Stevens is offering a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certification course from February 25 to May 20, 2026. Learn how to identify a problem, understand what is causing it, and improve the way things get done. This course is open to anyone, and it is applicable to work in every industry. Registration is currently open! Visit https://lakestevenswa.gov/682/Lean-Six-Sigma-Training for more information and to register.
• Ready to advance your Lean Six Sigma skills? The city is offering the Black Belt certification course in fall 2026. Classes are on Tuesdays, September 15 to November 3, 8:30 am to 12:00 pm, at The Mill. To learn more, visit: https://secure.rec1.com/WA/lake-stevens-wa/catalog

Finance

• The city passed its most recent financial and accountability audit from WA state. This transparency and accountability are critical to maintaining public trust. It also ensures fiscal compliance to safeguard taxpayer dollars. The end result saves taxpayers’ money and delivers services more efficiently. To learn more, view our Financial Statement report and Accountability report.
• The City Council adopted its 2026 budget at the December 2, 2025, council meeting.  Some of the highlights from the budget include funding for our local Volunteers of America, traffic safety initiatives, and IT infrastructure upgrades. For more information, visit our budget webpage: https://lakestevenswa.gov/97/Budget

Public Works  

• Starting December 10, 2025, at the intersection of South Lake Stevens Road and Machias Cutoff, there will be an intersection revision to a three way stop. The city has received numerous inquiries about the intersection, and after analyzing the data, the city has implemented an enhancement to the intersection with new stop signs and updated striping as traffic calming measures. Please be on the lookout for the new intersection treatment!

• RESCHEDULED to January 12, 2026. The city has tentatively scheduled a contractor to perform CCTV inspections and cleaning of the stormwater system during the week of January 12, 2026 (previously December 15, 2025). This work will take place at the two roundabouts on Lundeen Parkway at Callow Road and Lake Drive. While this is not a road closure, traffic control and flagging operations may cause temporary delays or limited access in these areas. Flagging will occur only during daylight hours, between 9:00 am and 3:00 pm each day.

• Interested in learning about capital projects Lake Stevens is working on? Visit: https://lakestevenswa.gov/476/Capital-Projects. Check back regularly for updates or sign up to be notified when new information is added.

Parks and Recreation

• To support its Phase II improvement construction project, Frontier Heights Park is closed with an anticipated project completion in February 2026. https://lakestevenswa.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=1018

• Parking will be enforced at North Cove and Davies Beach boat launches; $100 citations will be issued for parking violations. Per LSMC 7.12.090: Failure to display valid permit or receipt for paying day use fees. Cars parked in designated boat trailer stalls. Citations are issued by the Lake Stevens Police Department and directed to the Marysville Court for processing. Citations will be issued for non-payment of fees. Visit the City's boat launch page, https://lakestevenswa.gov/boatlaunch for more information.

• Snohomish County Parks boat launch access passes will no longer be accepted at Davies Beach, after December 31, 2025. Visit the City's boat launch page for information on which passes are accepted. https://www.lakestevenswa.gov/boatlaunch

• The Discover Pass will no longer be accepted at the North Cove boat launch after November 30, 2025. Visit the City's boat launch page for information on which passes are accepted. https://www.lakestevenswa.gov/boatlaunch
• If you have lost an item at a city park, email Parks@lakestevenswa.gov or call (425) 622-9406 to inquire about your item.

Planning and Community Development

• New Business License Fees will become effective January 1, 2026. For more information, visit: https://www.lakestevenswa.gov/727/2025-Permit-Fee-Schedules
• Citizen Connect will be unavailable from 12:00 pm on December 31, 2025, to 9:00 am on January 2, 2026, due to software updates.
• Every year, citizens can request amendments to the Comprehensive Plan and its implementing ordinances through a process known as "docketing," outlined in RCW 36.70A.470(2). The deadline for 2026-citizen initiated amendments is January 31, 2026. For more information, please visit the docket website.

Police Department

• Join the Lake Stevens Police Department for their annual Polar Plunge, on Sunday, February 22, 2026, at 9:00 am, at North Cove Park. This is a fun and fast jump into the lake to raise money for Special Olympics Washington. There is a registration fee to join the team, and proceeds benefit Special Olympics Washington. For more information, visit: https://polarplungewa.com/
• Officers from our night shift crews went shopping with tags from our local Lake Stevens Boys & Girls Club. These tags have requests from Lake Stevens children for items that could make their holidays more joyful. This shopping trip was done in partnership with BlueBridge Alliance, which helps us acquire funds to help our community members in need. If you want more information on BlueBridge Alliance or would like to donate, visit: https://bluebridgealliance.org/lakestevenswapd/. All donations are utilized in our community to help those in need.
• The LSPD is forming a community partnership where all residents and businesses with cameras on their property, if interested, can register them with our department. Participation in this partnership is completely voluntary.  All registered information will be protected but may be subject to public disclosure by state law. The LSPD will not have direct access to your cameras. If you find that you do have relevant footage, you will be provided a link to upload it directly to our evidence system. If you are interested in participating in this community partnership or want to learn more about the program, please visit our webpage https://lakestevenswa.gov/765/Register-a-Camera
• Unused medications in the home are a primary source for drug abuse. Do you know how to get rid of old medicine safely? It’s not secure in the trash, and you should never flush them down the toilet. LSPD now has a safe, easy way to dispose of unwanted medications. Stop by the police department at 1825 South Lake Stevens Road and look for the green box about the size of a trash can inside the lobby. The rest is easy and best of all, it’s free! Let's make our community safer together. The LSPD lobby is open Monday through Friday from 9 am - 12 pm and 1 pm to 4 pm.
• The LSPD has partnered with SNO911 to enhance safety for Private Schools and Daycares within the City of Lake Stevens. Through this partnership, facilities can now receive Rave Alerts for nearby police activity. These alerts can help schools and daycares make informed decisions about activating their emergency lockdown procedures based on real-time information. Private Schools and Daycares can sign up by scanning the QR code or visiting: https://tinyurl.com/3zn2rc3y
• Lake Stevens has been recognized as the 10th safest city in Washington for 2025! Safewise ranks cities based on crime data calculated from the FBI. Check out the SafeWise website for more information: https://www.safewise.com/blog/safest-cities-washington/#city10

In Other News

• City offices will be closed Thursday, January 1, 2026.
• Starting January 1, 2026, the city will implement a new 3% service fee. This is to cover the expenses associated with processing credit card payments. To avoid this fee, you can pay in person with a check. Please note, the city does not accept cash.
• The City of Lake Stevens is looking for one local high school senior with a passion for leadership to nominate for the Center for Quality Communities scholarship, presented by the Association of Washington Cities. This opportunity is for students who are active in leadership in their city government, community, or school and who plan to pursue higher education in Fall 2026. Interested? Visit: https://lakestevenswa.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=1033 to learn more! Deadline to submit to the city is January 5, 2026.

City Meetings 

• Monday: Special City Council meeting
• For more information, visit the City Calendar.