cmd070621 spec mtg 1EDMONDS CITY COUNCIL
SPECIAL VIRTUAL ONLINE MEETING
APPROVED MINUTES
July 6, 2021
ELECTED OFFICIALS PRESENT
Mike Nelson, Mayor
Susan Paine, Council President
Adrienne Fraley-Monillas, Councilmember
Luke Distelhorst, Councilmember
Diane Buckshnis, Councilmember
Vivian Olson, Councilmember
Laura Johnson, Councilmember
Kristiana Johnson, Councilmember
ELECTED OFFICIALS ABSENT
none
ALSO PRESENT
Brook Roberts, Student Representative
CALL TO ORDER
STAFF PRESENT
Jeff Taraday, City Attorney
Nicholas Falk, Deputy City Clerk
Dave Rohde, GIS Analyst
The Edmonds City Council virtual online meeting was called to order at 5:30 p.m. by Mayor Nelson.
Councilmember Buckshnis raised a point of order, asking whether the agenda should include approval of
the agenda. Council President Paine said that was her error.
COUNCILMEMBER BUCKSHNIS MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCIL PRESIDENT PAINE, TO
ADD APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA AS ITEM 2.
2. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA
COUNCIL PRESIDENT PAINE MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER BUCKSHNIS, TO
APPROVE THE AGENDA. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.
COUNCILMEMBER FRALEY-MONILLAS MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER
BUCKSHNIS, TO ADD ROLL CALL TO THE AGENDA AS ITEM 3.
Councilmember Olson raised a point of order, pointing out the Council had already approved the agenda.
Councilmember Fraley-Monillas relayed her understanding that the Council could still add to the agenda
as long as there was a vote. City Attorney Jeff Taraday explained at a special meeting there is no need to
Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes
July 6, 2021
Page 1
take roll because there is no consequence to being absent. If the Council wanted to call roll, that could be
done, but it would be clear from the record who was present.
COUNCILMEMBER FRALEY-MONILLAS WITHDREW THE MOTION.
2. COUNCIL BUSINESS
1. COUNCIL DISCUSSION REGARDING RESUMING IN -PERSON MEETINGS
Council President Paine explained the agenda memo outlines several of the issues that the Council needs
to discuss and make a decision on with regard to proceeding with in -person meetings including when to
resume in -person meetings, how committee meetings will be handled, meeting options (fully remote or a
hybrid), and whether to continue taking public comments via email.
When do we resume in -person meetings?
Council President Paine said she had anticipated resuming in -person meetings on July 13'; however, the
courtroom is not available until 6 p.m. which interferes with Council committees on July 13'h. She proposed
the Council resume in -person meetings on July 20'i'.
Councilmember Fraley-Monillas said July 20' sounded reasonable. She pointed out Council President
Paine has had the authority to make this decision on her own. She appreciated Council President Paine
reaching out to the Council, but it is an administrative decision that she could make without the Council's
input.
Councilmember Distelhorst agreed with resuming in -person meetings on July 20t'. In looking the extended
agenda, committee meetings and the Council meeting are already scheduled for July 13'' beginning at 4:00
p.m. so if there is a conflict with the municipal court, it might be better to resume on July 20'h and allow
the extended agenda to remain as is for the committees and the regular meeting scheduled on July 12"'.
Councilmember Olson said she has been anxious to begin meeting in person since mid -May when the
restrictions changed with regard to spacing and meeting in person. Although she wanted return to in -person
meetings the sooner the better, a one week delay is not that critical.
Councilmember L. Johnson expressed appreciation for Council President Paine including the Council in
this conversation and taking into consideration that each Councilmember's life is different and they may
have different circumstances such as someone who is immunocompromised or children in the home under
age 12 as well as sharing space with the municipal court and working with them to find a plan that
accommodates everyone. She was in favor of resuming in -person meetings on July 20'. She recognized
there had been some discussion in the public and on social media regarding why this was happening as well
as a feeling that some Councilmembers were playing into it. It is unfortunate if Councilmembers were
playing into it as all the considerations have been upfront and well communicated. She summarized we are
coming out of a pandemic and there needs to be some flexibility. She appreciated the conversation, but
wished the games would stop.
Council President Paine appreciated the Council's comments and thoughts as well as the work of
administrative staff behind the scenes to put meetings together. The Council does not have its own tech
department; it would be nearly impossible to do Zoom meetings without the support of the IT Department
and direction from HR about workplace considerations. Coming out of a pandemic is very unusual and she
anticipated there would be glitches coming back together. She wanted to have as much discussion about
this as possible because she wanted Councilmembers to feel included. She was eager return to Council
Chambers because that location offers a level of access in a very public way.
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July 6, 2021
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what was being said other than people were complaining so she was unsure what Councilmember L.
Johnson was talking about. As committee meetings are not logistically possible next week, she agreed with
resuming in -person meetings on July 20tt' although she will likely be on vacation in Oregon for a wedding.
Everyone is anxious to come to meetings and make comments.
Mayor Nelson relayed there was unanimous support for resuming in -person meetings on July 20'.
Committee Nights: What do we want to do?
Council President Paine referred to options in the agenda memo, a) return to the prior system of meeting in
Council Chambers and forego the regular Council meeting, or 2) have committee meetings begin earlier in
the evening in separate rooms followed by a regular Council meeting. She invited Council input on those
or other options.
As someone who attends all the committee meetings, Councilmember Olson said she has noticed committee
meetings are not as well attended by the community as regular meetings. She suggested committee meetings
continue in a remote manner.
Councilmember Distelhorst said that was an interesting idea to explore, pointing out when committee
meetings are held at the same time, there is not a lot of accessibility for local media or people who want to
monitor committee meetings. Having committee meetings on Zoom at staggered times provides better
accessibility.
Councilmember Buckshnis disagreed with the current committee structure as one hour was not sufficient
to discuss the City's finances. The Finance Committee has had to truncate their meetings and hold special
meetings to discuss bonds, bond refinancing/refunding, etc. which is a very important aspect of the City's
financial future. The last special Finance Committee meeting was in May and there were plans to hold
another one. The Parks & Public Works (PPW) Committee has also had lengthy agendas with not enough
time for their agenda items. Committee meetings are an opportunity for one-on-one discussions with staff.
She supported returning to in -person committee meetings in separate rooms that are either video or audio
recorded. It is important to spend time with the administration on issues such as the WWTP, bond financing,
Civic Field, etc. These issues take a lot of time and one hour is not sufficient for detailed discussion.
Councilmember Fraley-Monillas suggested not having a Council meeting following committee meetings.
That would allow all the committees to meet and perhaps schedule more time for some committees. She
has served on all three committees; in her opinion the Public Safety, Planning & Personnel (PSPP) could
be done in 45 minutes and time could be added to the Finance and/or PPW Committee meetings. For
example, the PSPP Committee could be 45 minutes, Finance Committee 1 hour 15 minutes, and the PPW
Committee could be as long as necessary because it typically has the most agenda items. In the past, on
occasion there was a Council meeting after committee meetings but only it was usually for very important
issues with a short timeline, not general Council business. The Council has gotten into the habit of holding
a Council meeting after committee meetings. She found it exhausting to attend a committee meeting before
Council meetings that last until 10 p.m. and she anticipated it was exhausting for the public and staff. She
supported returning to committee meetings back-to-back so they can be videorecorded and not have a
Council meeting following committee meetings unless it is an emergency.
Council President Paine agreed with finding a schedule that works for all the committees such as recording
via Zoom either in person or remotely and holding a Council meeting only for special business. She
reviewed the meetings held prior to COVID and found there were often regular Council meetings before or
after committee meetings. Committee meetings could start 6 or 7 p.m. and either be held simultaneously or
at staggered times.
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July 6, 2021
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Councilmember Distelhorst voiced support for not having a regular meeting after committee meetings
which would remove the shot clock of packing in three hours of meetings before 7 p.m. The PPW
Committee often has 75-90 minutes of agenda items jammed into 60 minutes. That would provide a lot
more flexibility, and a special Council meeting could be added if something time sensitive needed to be
addressed.
Councilmember L. Johnson spoke in favor of continuing the Zoom format for committee meetings. There
are a lot of logistics with holding multiple meetings with multiple players and it requires staff to be present
after a long day of work. Retaining the Zoom format is more flexible and makes it easier for staff to attend
multiple meetings. For the time being, she preferred to retain the Zoom format for committee meetings.
Councilmember Fraley-Monillas said she was fine with Councilmember L. Johnson's suggestion although
she did not particularly care if committee meetings were via Zoom, in -person or a hybrid. Until the new
COVID variant is defined and cleared up, it may not be a bad idea to utilize a hybrid for committees and
regular Council meetings. She will go with the majority, but said Councilmember L. Johnson raised a good
point about Zoom meetings and it is much easier to participate via Zoom, particularly for staff. Staff begins
work early Tuesday mornings and are often present until 10 p.m.
Council President Paine recommended the Council start committee nights at 6 p.m. with a hybrid model,
with the order of the meetings to be determined.
Councilmember L. Johnson asked for clarification whether the hybrid was for Councilmembers,
participants, staff, or the public. She was concerned if it was hybrid for Council or staff, it will be politicized.
She encouraged the Council to reach consensus regarding how to move to forward with committee meetings
so it is clear and there is no miscommunication.
Councilmember Olson reiterated her experience that fewer people attend committee meetings, therefore
she was satisfied with continuing with remote access to committee meetings for everyone for simplicity
sake; a hybrid is logistically more difficult. She preferred to have all the committee meetings held at the
same time; staff that needs to be in multiple places could move between meetings and the agendas could be
planned to allow that. She preferred to have committee meetings videoed for Councilmembers and the
public to watch later as she found she gets a lot more information at committee meeting than she is otherwise
privy to.
Councilmember Fraley-Monillas commented there was a reason why committee meetings were not held at
the same time, but she could not recall the reason. She also recalled meetings had to be held in the Council
Chambers to be televised. She felt holding meetings at the same time was not very transparent and created
issues for staff and the public. She did not have a vested interest with a particular way but wanted it
considered from citizen's as well as staff s point of view. Councilmembers are flexible and can adapt, but
it is more difficult for staff and public to move to the different rooms. She suggested holding the easiest
committee meeting first, then the next easiest meeting, and have the PPW Committee meetings last so it
could be the longest. She recalled PPW Committee meetings lasting 2-3 hours in the past.
Mayor Nelson said in his discussions with Directors, they appreciate having the meetings staggered as it is
chaotic to present an item at two committees. Council Chambers is the only place with microphones and
cameras; other meetings could be recorded in a Zoom format with Councilmembers starting and stopping
the Zoom meetings.
Councilmember Buckshnis recalled the meeting times were staggered because they could not be recorded
simultaneously. She has been on all the committees in the past and recalled Finance Committee meetings
have lasted 2-3 hours. Citizens are not upset about committee meetings because items are then on Consent
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July 6, 2021
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or presentations made to full Council; citizens are interested in what the Council is doing at regular and
special meetings. She preferred to meet in person but understood some people do not want to and like the
technology of Zoom. She summarized one hour is not sufficient for the Finance or PPW Committee
meetings.
Councilmember L. Johnson recalled when committee meetings were held in person pre-COVID, the
meetings were not video recorded and there was only an audio recording and minutes. This is an opportunity
to take what has been learned from this unfortunate situation including the ability to record remote
committee meetings. She found a video preferable because people often get more from watching something
than reading it. She did not want to surmise whether citizens did or did not find value in committee
meetings. In the past it was more difficult, but now they have the opportunity. She summarized it was
important to continue having the video available and to make the best of what was learned during the
pandemic.
Councilmember Distelhorst summarized what he has heard, committees remain fully remote, change the
timing of the meetings, and record the meetings via Zoom.
A MOTION WAS MADE BY COUNCIL PRESIDENT PAINE AND SECONDED, TO DO
COMMITTEE MEETINGS BY ZOOM ON THE SECOND TUESDAY AND START WITH THE
PSPP COMMITTEE AND DECIDE HOW TO NAVIGATE THE LENGTHIER COMMITTEE
MEETINGS.
Mr. Taraday pointed out the agenda calls for discussion only so the Council cannot take final action. There
would need to be ordinance drafted to amend the City code and any voting would be preliminary and the
final action would be taken when an ordinance was drafted to conform the City Code with Council direction.
Councilmember Buckshnis raised a point of order, Mr. Taraday said the Council cannot make a decision.
Mayor Nelson clarified Mr. Taraday said this wouldn't be the final decision; an ordinance on a future
agenda would be the final decision.
Council President Paine asked for input regarding holding Finance and PPW Committee meetings on Zoom.
Councilmember Fraley-Monillas commented that did not need to be decided tonight. She suggested Council
President Paine work with the committee chairs to determine the time they need. If the meetings will be
held on Zoom, she was fine with starting the PSPP Committee at 4 p.m.
Councilmember L. Johnson commented the 4 p.m. start time was not necessarily ideal. If there would not
be a regular Council meeting following committee meetings, she preferred to have committee meetings
start later to accommodate other schedules.
COUNCIL PRESIDENT PAINE WITHDREW THE MOTION.
Council President Paine said she will work with the committee chairs.
Council Meeting Options — Fully Remote, Hybrid A the type of participation is fully optional, anyone can
be in -person or participate via Zoom), Hybrid B ,Elected officials and staff participate in -person while
residents and others have the option to be remote
Council President Paine explained the Council needs to find the best hybrid option. The Governor's
mandate says everything must have a hybrid option. There is strong consensus to return to in -person
meetings. Her preference is Hybrid A.
Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes
July 6, 2021
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Councilmember Olson liked the idea of a hybrid for the sake of captioning which has been a great addition
via the Zoom format. She did not support either Hybrid A or B fully, for reasons related to the pandemic;
if an elected official feels they cannot attend in -person meetings, that should be honored. However, in
general, electeds need to be there, show up and be responsive to the public who attends and want to see
them face-to-face. She recommended Councilmember be encouraged to attend in -person.
Councilmember Fraley-Monillas expressed support for Hybrid A; it is important that those who do not
feeling safe to have that opportunity. There are some that feel Councilmembers should be held to a different
standard than the general public, but there may some who have health issues. She was not crazy about
Hybrid B which allowed residents and others the option to be remote. Citizens have submitted numerous
emails about wanting to come in -person to testify before Council so that should be a requirement for
citizens. She supported citizens retaining the ability to submit letters/emails. She anticipated most
Councilmembers who could be in -person would be as they takes their work very seriously, more seriously
than just about any other Council.
Councilmember L. Johnson appreciated Councilmember Olson's comments regarding flexibility. There has
been a pandemic; it is a whole new world and she was not sure what to expect going forward. For example
if she had a cold or allergies, was it appropriate for her to attend sniffling and sneezing or would it be better
or more courteous for her to stay home. She preferred to retain flexibility, recognizing that none of us have
ever been through something like this. The Council could have the best intentions and say what will work
now, but quite likely there will need to be flexibility to shift in the future. Councilmembers signed up to do
this because they like to engage with the public. There have been sacrifices related to participating via
Zoom from home; families have to give up privacy, kids have to be quiet, spouses sometimes cannot go to
bed until midnight because the only quiet corner is being used. The Council wants to get back but has done
what needed to be done in order to best serve the public. She looked forward to the ability to meet in -person,
but also retain the flexibility for whatever comes next.
Council President Paine commented the decision whether someone appears in public and in a public forum
is up to that person. There are conditions and situations where the most vulnerable needed to be considered.
She strongly encouraged Hybrid A where the type of participation is fully optional.
Councilmember Distelhorst agreed; he appreciated the flexibility and being respectful of everyone's
comfort levels, their health and the health of their family. He supported Hybrid A as well as retaining the
ability to take public comment via email because that provides a great option for people who are working
during Council meetings or have other commitments.
Councilmember Buckshnis said Hybrid A or B was fine with her. The most important part was allowing
citizens to come to meetings. She pointed out even though we're all vaccinated, some people are not and
there is always the possibility of contact with the virus. Captioning is another advantage that has been very
well received in the community. She supported having emailed public comments read into the record.
Council President Paine summarized the Council consensus is a hybrid and to continue to take public
comments via email.
Council President Paine relayed she received a text from Councilmember K. Johnson that she is having
internet issues and is unable to appear because she is using her phone.
3. ADJOURN
With no further business, the Council meeting was adjourned at 6:14 p.m.
Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes
July 6, 2021
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M1 AEL NELSON, MAYOR
_.' r
Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes
July 6, 2021
Page 7
1.
2.
Ot EI7
Agenda
Edmonds City Council
7• � SPECIAL MEETING - VIRTUAL/ONLINE
VIRTUAL ONLINE MEETING
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"WE ACKNOWLEDGE THE ORIGINAL INHABITANTS OF THIS PLACE, THE SDOHOBSH (SNOHOMISH)
PEOPLE AND THEIR SUCCESSORS THE TULALIP TRIBES, WHO SINCE TIME IMMEMORIAL HAVE
HUNTED, FISHED, GATHERED, AND TAKEN CARE OF THESE LANDS. WE RESPECT THEIR
SOVEREIGNTY, THEIR RIGHT TO SELF-DETERMINATION, AND WE HONOR THEIR SACRED SPIRITUAL
CONNECTION WITH THE LAND AND WATER. - CITY COUNCIL LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT
CALL TO ORDER
COUNCIL BUSINESS
1. Council Discussion Regarding Resuming in -Person Meetings (45 min)
ADJOURN
Edmonds City Council Agenda
July 6, 2021
Page 1