10/21/2000 City CouncilEdmonds City Council Budget Workshop
October 21, 2000
3rd Floor Great Room - City Hall
Officials Present: Staff Present:
Mayor Gary Haakenson
Tom Miller, Council President
Michael Plunkett, Councilmember
Chris Davis, Councilmember
Lora Petso, Councilmember
Dave Earling, Councilmember
Jim White, Councilmember
Dave Orvis, Councilmember
Peggy Hetzler, Adm. Serv. Director
Doug Farmen, Asst. Adm. Serv. Director
Chief Robin Hickok
Chief Tom Tomberg
Duane V. Bowman, Dev. Serv. Director
Stephen Clifton, Com. Serv. Director
Brent Hunter, Human Res. Director
Noel Miller, Public Works Director
Brian McIntosh, Asst. Director Parks & Recs
Scott Rogers, Park Maintenance Manager
Joan Ferebee, Court Administrator
Jana Spellman, Sr. Ex. Council Assistant
Recorder
Council President Miller called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. He gave a brief presentation explaining
that the meeting was a workshop, not a public hearing, and there would be no audience comment taken.
He informed the audience that this workshop was being held to allow the Directors an opportunity to give a
brief synopsis of their budgets and then answer questions from the Council. He followed by explaining how
the budget was constructed and how decision packages were established.
He thanked the Mayor and staff for all the work involved in putting the budget together and said it was one
of the easiest to understand. He thanked Councilmembers Petso and Orvis for sitting on the Budget
Review Committee.
Before he could call on any of the Directors, Councilmember Petso asked to be recognized. She
commented on the decision packages she wanted to strike from the budget and various other budget items
she would like to get more information on. She asked if some of her general questions could be put on the
Council Retreat Agenda.
Council President Miller then began the presentations by the Directors.
Council President Miller then called on each Department Director to make a presentation. Each Director (or
appointed designee) made a brief presentation and answered questions from the Council.
Council President Miller completed the Workshop by summarizing the questions the Council wanted the
staff to answer by a date certain in time for the next Council Budget Workshop as follows:
Council President Miller requested a full -page summary, with totals, of the baseline budget as presented
with adoption of all the mandatory and number one -ranked decision packages.
Council President Miller also requested revenues to be calculated at 2% instead of 4% and asked if the
budget would be balanced at those levels.
Mr. Earling requested that the staff look into what grants are available and bring back a listing of those
grants.
Ms. Petso asked to be recognized. She requested budget figures before the L-5 decision and after the L-5
decision. She wanted salaries to be separated out and not lumped together so she could compare with
State averages. She stated that she would not be able to adopt the 2001 budget with the L-5 increases in
place with the $97,000 Fire Chief pay. She stated she hated the L-5 policy.
Councilmember Davis requested a detailed description of all vehicle purchases.
Council President Miller then asked the Council for any other questions and received no response from the
Council.
President Miller then called on Mayor Haakenson who stated that he was concerned because the budget
had been based on the library impact disappearing in the year 2002. He asked that the Council make a
decision on what they wanted to do as pertains to the library. If the Council wants to leave it in the General
Fund he stated that would make a significant different 5-year picture, a picture that would not be solved with
a 6% property tax increase every year from 2002 to 2005. He stated there needed to be a Council
discussion about the library impact as that was the backbone of the budget.
A general discussion ensued between the Council with no consensus among the Councilmembers.
The Mayor asked that the Council, during the budget deliberations, to come to a consensus on whether they
will put annexation of the library into Sno-Isle on the ballot.
Council President Miller stated that if 1-722 passes he would like the Mayor to come to the Council with
possible budget cuts.
The Mayor stated that the library issue had dragged on from January 4 to today. He stated that it is time to
make a decision in order to give the citizens who want to support annexation a chance to get out and work
the community, feeling the decision needs to be made now.
Mr. Earling asked that the library annexation issue be scheduled on the Council Agenda. Council President
Miller concurred and stated that he would schedule it for an upcoming Council meeting.
Council President Miller asked if there were any more questions and thanked the staff for their hard work.
The meeting was adjourned at 11:45 a.m.
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Edmonds City Council Budget Workshop
October 21, 2000