Mukilteo City Council votes to read land acknowledgement less often

MUKILTEO — The Mukilteo City Council voted Monday to read its land acknowledgement, a formal statement that recognizes indigenous people, less often before its council meetings.

The council had considered removing the statement from its regular order of business, potentially reading it as little as once per year, as part of a number of changes it sought to make to its council rules and procedures. After making an amendment to a proposed motion, the body eventually voted 4-3 to read the statement at the first council meeting of each month, rather than at the start of each meeting.

Mukilteo Mayor Joe Marine broke a 3-3 tie — which occurred because the council has a vacant seat after council member Mike Dixon’s resignation in April — to vote in favor of reading the statement once per month. He said that he felt the statement should be read once per year but supported the once-per-month option to give the council time to work on potential changes to the statement’s language.

Land acknowledgements are a traditional custom that dates back centuries for native communities, according to Washington Tribes, a nonprofit made up of tribal leaders from across the state. In recent years, reading the statements has become common practice at city council meetings, school board meetings and public events. Proponents say the goal is to educate attendees and remind them of the original stewards of the land before settlers arrived.

https://www.heraldnet.com/2026/05/05/mukilteo-city-council-votes-to-read-land-acknowledgement-less-often/