Councilmember Decker used council comments at the Lynnwood City Council work session on Oct. 6 to sharply criticize council leadership for what he described as months of delay in scheduling a review of the city’s animal-control code.

Decker said he first asked that the council form a task group months ago after a friend was attacked by a dog. He said he initially withdrew a procedural request to trigger a guaranteed 45‑day agenda placement after the council president offered to put the item on the agenda. “Now, months later, months and months later, we still have not had that discussion,” Decker said. He told colleagues the item has been tentatively scheduled for November but warned it could be postponed again.

In extended remarks, Decker said the council president drafted ordinance language “ex parte” and “failed to notify me that he had done so,” and accused leadership of prioritizing other legislation over public-safety changes. Decker described the personal impact on neighborhood families and warned about the public-health risk when owners refuse post‑attack testing: “If you are bit by an animal with rabies, the animal carrying the disease may not even be showing symptoms…but you can still contract the fatal disease,” he said.

Decker also requested that Councilmember Escamilla be recused from discussions about the incident, saying that Escamilla’s dog was involved in repeated attacks that resulted in pet deaths and injuries. Escamilla responded during council comments that her dog “has not bit a human,” said injuries reported were from separating animals, and offered to meet privately with residents to explain the incidents. Escamilla also said she volunteered to serve on a task group when the issue was first raised.

No formal motion, vote, or formal scheduling action was recorded on the council floor during the work session. Decker’s recusal request was made publicly but the transcript does not record a vote, a vote tally, or a subsequent ruling by the council president or city attorney during the session. The item remains listed as tentatively scheduled for November, per remarks at the meeting.

Why it matters: the item concerns a city code that governs animal attacks and public safety. Councilmember Decker framed the issue as time‑sensitive for neighborhood safety and public‑health reasons (rabies testing), while Escamilla and other council members disputed characterizations of the incidents and offered to discuss privately with residents.

What’s next: Decker said he will continue urging formal action; the council president had said he asked the police chief to review code language and will put the matter on an agenda subject to leadership scheduling. No formal committee, task force, or ordinance was adopted at the Oct. 6 session.