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02/28/1998 City CouncilBarbara Fahey, Mayor Gary Haakenson, Council President Dave Earling Councilmember Tom Miller, Councilmember Dick Van Hollebeke, Councilmember John Nordquist, Councilmember Michael Plunkett, Councilmember Jim White, Councilmember Art Housler, Adm. Serv. Director Brent Hunter, Human Resources Director Paul Mar, Community Serv. Director Police Chief Robin Hickok Fire Chief Michael Springer Arvilla Ohlde, Parks & Rec Director Noel Miller, Public Works Director Dee McGrath, Executive Assistant to Mayor Jana Spellman, Recorder Scott Snyder, City Attorney EXEGVTIVE SESSION Saturday 8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. , Mr. Synder's presentation centered on proper procedures and confidentiality during executive sessions as well as general protocol procedures during regular Council Meetings and outside of Council Meetings. A general question and answer period occurred during and after his presentation. Mr. Snyder left after this presentation. CO�JNCTL /STAFF COMIVIUI�TICATION Council President Haakenson stated this topic had been requested by several people. He continued that at times the Council was not sure they had been clear in requesting information from staff and wanted to discuss this topic to ensure that everyone was on the same page when information was requested. Councilmember Earling made a suggestion that all Councilmembers be on e-mail so that when Councilmembers needed updates on certain items or staff needed to be in touch with Councilmembers, they would be able to complete an item in a timely fashion and would not have to play phone tag. A general discussion ensued regarding e-mail and it was the general consensus it was indeed necessary and the following Councilmembers have e -mail addresses: Gary Haakenson, Tom Miller, Dick Van Hollebeke, Dave Earling, and Jim White. John Nordquist still prefers to get his messages by fax machine. Edmonds City Council Retreat Approved Minutes February 27 and 28, 1998 LaConner, WA page 12 1 Updates to the Council were discussed. It was suggested that when the Council asks for something during a Council Meeting that the City Clerk schedule it and track it. Brent Hunter suggested that there are software programs available that could be used for this type of tracking system. A broad discussion followed. A very comprehensive discussion ensued regarding what was required to satisfy both staff and Council in preparation of materials presented to Council and other defined needs. Mayor Fahey did reiterate that the Council should call directors with their questions and requests and try to refrain from going to the staff directly. In that manner the director can establish a time line for their staff to complete the task. She further explained that if a Councilmember calls directly, it may take the staff member off a specific task for which they have a higher priority deadline. The point was made that if a Councilmember did call with a specific request and it was of a personal nature, that was to be clearly stated. Paul Mar asked that if a discussion before the Council does become heated, there could be a de- escalation period at which time the Mayor gives the staff a directive of what is needed and for the staff to clarify with the Council exactly what Council is asking staff to do. There was a general consensus that during the past two years the system has been working fairly well but suggestions are always welcomed. PRODUCTIVITY OF BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS Councilmember Nordquist suggested that this item be put on the agenda explaining that these committees and boards are comprised of volunteer citizens and sometimes these volunteers feel that the Council really has no knowledge that the boards or commissions really exist. He felt it might be appropriate if a Councilmember. would visit one of these meetings and compliment these people on a job well done. He further discussed the fact that sometimes it would be good to revisit whether a board, commission, or committee has outlived its usefulness and whether others need to be added. He suggested that if the Council knew someone who would be beneficial to a board or commission to speak to that individual to see if they would volunteer. He concluded that he felt it was a very important integral part of the system and should be recognized as such. At the end of Mr. Nordquist's presentation, Council President Haakenson asked to add the Summer Market program to the Agenda. A discussion ensued regarding the Summer Market and whether they wanted to move the location to Main Street and if not, would it be possible to hold special events downtown which would entail closing off a portion of Main Street to traffic. Mayor Fahey asked Mr. Mar to research the issue and bring the issue to the Community Services Committee. There was a general discussion after which Mayor Fahey asked for a clarification of the various subjects discussed and a question and answer period followed. Edmonds City Council Retreat Approved Minutes February 27 and 28, 1998 LaConner, WA page 13 Mayor Fahey began by explaining that her original thought was to have a free discussion with the Council to give her some kind of sense on what the Council would like to see her ideally looking for in a Fire Chief before advertising for the position takes place. She further explained that between the time this subject was put on the agenda and the time the Council Retreat occurred, she had a meeting with Chauncey Sauer from Fire District 111 and she wanted the Council to know that he had made a proposal that the City of Edmonds contract for a Fire Chief from Fire District 111 until the consolidation study is completed; and if the consolidation study indicates that we move forward with consolidation that-it would be feasible that this person be retained under contract until the process is worked through. She wanted to let the Council know that this was an option instead of hiring a new Fire Chief. The Mayor further stated that when Chauncey Sauer .talked to the Mayor regarding this issue, he mentioned the name of Steve Mace. She clarified that Steve Mace was the acting Fire Chief for Fire District 1 when 111 went through the process of merging and ultimately Steve Mace, of his own choice, became a Battalion Commander. She continued that she had worked with Steve over the last two years and has a very high regard for him and from her perspective he was a person she hoped might be a candidate for the permanent position for Chief. She followed by saying that it was not going to happen because she since realized that he is at a point where he is preparing for retirement and does not want that kind of a role. She further elucidated that she had a conversation with Tom (Miller) this morning, and found out that Steve Mace had indicated he was really not interested in moving into that role. Subsequent to her conversations with Chauncey, she attempted to try and get a sense of how the firemen would feel about the issue and she indicated that she started out by talking with Chief Springer. She stated that Chief Springer's first reaction was very positive about the possibility of contracting for a Chief. He saw a lot of benefits to it. When she discussed the downside of this issue, Chief Springer acknowledged that it puts Edmonds Fire Department into another level of uncertainty and he didn't know how well the men would respond to it. She further stated that she had spoken to Kevin Taylor who has assured her that he thinks he could hold the Department together as an Acting Chief if the City has not resolved the issue by the time Chief Springer leaves. Kevin feels he has learned enough and will complete the knowledge acquisition process to be able to handle the Department. Mayor Fahey stated that a problem occurs with this because it puts the Department in a very light staffing position and continued that there were a lot of tenuous situations regarding this issue. Another name mentioned as a possibility for an Acting Fire Chief was Tim McGaughey. She indicated that she wanted to get feedback from the Council on what the Council thinks about this issue and whether there would be advantages to contracting for a Chief for a while or if the Edmonds City Council Retreat Approved Minutes February 27 and 28, 1998 LaConner, WA page 14 Council thinks there are more disadvantages and instead move forward with the process of selecting a Chief. Mr. Haakenson then passed on a couple of comments that he had shared with the Mayor previously which were that he had a couple of the firemen lobby him, explaining that these people were in favor of holding off on bringing a Chief on board if consolidation was going to move forward. He further stated that these fire firefighters indicated to him they felt the Department should be run from within rather than contracting out. A discussion followed with input from various Councilmembers and comments from the Mayor. Mr. Haakenson indicated he thought the Fire Department had been through some interesting times in the last year or so and stated that there is not a lot of stability in the Department. He felt they may have not been excited about the fact that when Kevin Taylor was brought on he wasn't "one of theirs ", i.e., wasn't brought up from the ranks. He expressed a fearfulness that if the City brings in someone from the outside, even on a temporary basis, on a contract basis, that will create more instability in the Department. He went on because of the fact consolidation is so far out in the future, he thought the City needed to go through the process of bringing someone on board. If the City goes through the process and finds that qualified applicants are not applying, then we proceed differently. Councilmember White stated that it the City should set a standard of what is wanted and if the standard is not achieved, an interim director is all the City can hope for. Councilmember Earling basically agreed. Councilmember Van Hollebeke asked for Councilmember Miller's feedback regarding this issue. Councilmember Miller indicated that he would look at it from both sides. He felt from the prospective of Randy Young's presentation that we are in the midst of a consolidation study and Mr. Young would urge prudence and caution which would lend credence to the argument that we hire a interim Fire Chief. He then continued if we decided on an interim Fire Chief would we go to District 1 or take, as Council President Haakenson has been lobbied, someone internally. He suggested that if the City looks to District 1 he felt there are some political tones that will be sent right down to the newest recruit, we are going to be District 1. If the City looks to internal issues, he felt there would be the domino effect, overtime may skyrocket because fire fighters will have to fill in for each other. He felt the Department may run thin; and as much as he respects Kevin Taylor, he stated that he is just beginning to feel his oats in his current job and to thrust him into the Fire Chief job would do him a disservice. He continued that if the City does recruit for a permanent Fire Chief, he felt there would be some issues of finding an individual that would want to take the risk of taking the position during a consolidation study and then finding himself without a position. He recommended looking at an Interim Chief from another agency who was retired, who would like to come back as a Fire Chief for a year, would not be a threat to anyone internally as far as competing for the job if and when it becomes available. This person would then not be fearful of Edmonds City Council Retreat Approved Minutes February 27 and 28, 1998 LaConner, WA page 15 losing his job if a consolidation took place. This would not then send any political messages that the City of Edmonds is linking to District 1 or to Mountlake Terrance or to any other fire agency at all. Brent Hunter, Personnel Director, gave the Council and Mayor some input on personnel issues regarding the Fire Department so they would be aware of all issues. The Mayor then asked Mr. Hunter for his recommendation regarding Councilmember Miller's suggestion and Mr. Hunter indicated that calls be made to other Fire Departments looking for upcoming retirees to fill the position on a six month to a year basis. Mr.. Hunter indicated that he would look into it. A discussion followed regarding cost of search and procedure used to find a suitable applicant. Mr. Hunter indicated to the Council that if the Council looked at his handout, it outlined the procedure used in the fire chief recruitment process. Councilmember White wanted to know if the Fire Department had a long -range plan of tasks to be performed that would be put on hold if an interim Fire Chief were hired. He questioned if an interim person would implement the long -range plan or would he create his own plan and expect that to be implemented. He was bothered by the interim idea concept as regards any long -range plans the Fire Department may have. Councilmember Miller felt that Mr. White made a very good point indicating that when an interim chief is hired, his main issue is to come in and be a caretaker by handling day -to -day issues and not to come in with an agenda to build a different vision. statement. The interim person should make sure that the organization remains stable until a decision is made for or against consolidation and if consolidation does not occur, to then hire a permanent Fire Chief and then hand over the entire organization to the person hired. Mr. Plunkett indicated that he liked Councilmember Miller's idea of finding someone who is willing to serve under the circumstances that now prevail and that Mr. Miller's suggestion might be the answer to the issue at hand. Mr. Van Hollebeke asked Mr. Plunkett if he meant an interim chief and Mr. Plunkett answered in the affirmative. A discussion then followed regarding Kevin Taylor's qualifications to fill the position on an interim basis for an extended period of time. Councilmember Nordquist asked if Fire Chief Springer was available to fill this position and Councilmember Haakenson implied that Chief Springer wanted to retire as close to his indicated date of April 30, 1998, as possible. Councilmember White expressed his concern about going into a holding pattern for a year if an interim person were hired and the additional costs that would be incurred by the Department during that time and that it might be a good idea, if a qualified candidate came forward and was willing to take the position, that person should be put in place and keep the Department moving forward. Edmonds City Council Retreat Approved Minutes February 27 and 28, 1998 LaConner, WA page 16 Councilmember Earling then asked the Mayor if she was looking for a consensus from the Council. He thought he counted four people who seemed to be in favor of an interim chief and if that was indeed the case the Council should say so. It was then agreed that there was a count of four Councilmembers who were in favor of an interim chief. Mr. Earling left the meeting at 1:00 p.m. Mr. Toskey then gave a background on their budget and economic impacts, direct and indirect. He continued with further areas of consideration for development citing UNOCAL, the waterfront, 104/Dayton/Main, Highway 99 and Point Wells. Mr. Toskey and Mr. Prinz followed with possible projects referring to Edmonds Crossing, old ferry dock, Deer Creek Outfall, 104 parking lot, artists in residence, waterfront walkway, marsh walkway, parking, deep water pier, summer shuttle, farmers market, and railroad crossing. He touched on the vision process for the items mentioned. Both gentlemen then spoke to other City/Port issues elucidating boat use — police and fire, park access, police /fire response, kiosk, water line reroute, restrooms, and alliance. A comment, question, and answer period followed. Council President Haakenson asked Councilmember Van Hollebeke to introduce Mr. Mayo, Brad Butterfield, and Doug Dewar. The presenters covered the following items: Proposed Code Changes to the Edmonds Community Development Code, the Architectural Design Board (ADB) process, possibility of 'a new voluntary pre - planning process, proposed physical changes to Edmonds downtown to create a new Walking Village (Urban Village), and Property Development 101. The packet handed out to the Council contained written and pictorial material supporting the decisions the presenters had reached. Edmonds City Council Retreat Approved Minutes February 27 and 28, 1998 LaConner, WA page 17 During the discussion regarding the ADB, Councilmember Van Hollebeke stated that although the Architectural Design Board has done a good job over the past years, he wondered if it was possible that the usefulness of that Board has come to an end. Mr. Van Hollebeke asked Mr. Mar if a pre - planning process could replace the ADB. Mr. Mar stated that at the present time he has not looked into replacing the ADB and indicated that item would be coming before the City Council in the next 30 to 60 days. The Mayor stated that the City Attorney, Scott Snyder, is looking into this issue at present. Mr. Butterfield gave the Urban Village portion of his presentation last. The packet handed out consisted of pictures of other locals pertaining to ideas the trio were espousing. There were also architectural drawings showing the ideas presented. He indicated that some of the property owners would like to contribute financially to support some of the items mentioned in the presentation. He mentioned that he would like to see a pilot program where a portion of Main Street would be closed off to vehicle traffic on Saturdays and become a pedestrian mall. Mr. Butterfield spoke to the advantages of this type of program. Mr. Van Hollebeke asked the Council for their input regarding the urban village idea. Mr. Haakenson spoke up stating that he felt it was an idea that needed to come to fruition. Mr. Nordquist expressed concerns for public safety asking for reassurance. Mr. Butterfield replied that this would be taken care of. Councilmember Miller asked how to go from the vision to action. The presenters indicated they would support any reasonable idea that Council would suggest that would create a pilot program to make a walking mall. Mr. Mayo indicated that the presenters would be willing to spend some of their own money on their properties to get the ball rolling,. i.e. bike racks, flower pots, etc. It was implied by Mr. Butterfield that the merchants are willing to cooperate and would like to see this implemented. Mr. Butterfield indicated that the Edmonds Alliance for Economic Development, because of its public /private partnership, would be a good vehicle to perhaps oversee or coordinate this program. The Mayor stated that for at least one year (one summer or timeline set) the administration needs to know there is support for this program. She indicated that a pilot program would enable the administration to address problems that come forth and find solutions if it becomes viable to proceed to a permanent program. The Mayor stated that she is committed to doing whatever it takes on the administration side to make this program happen if she has the direction from Council. Mr. Van Hollebeke then asked the Council for direction. Mr. Plunkett indicated that he would be interested in supporting a little piece of the program for a year but would like to have that portion identified. Councilmembers Tom Miller, Dick Van Hollebeke, John Nordquist, Jim White, and Gary Haakenson all favored a pilot program giving the Mayor the direction to go forth with this pilot program. Edmonds City Council Retreat Approved Minutes February 27 and 28, 1998 LaConner, WA page 18 1 0 Mr. White stated that he would like to see the whole City drawn into the concept presented. He felt a PR campaign would be beneficial to the program which would lead to full development of the program. Councilmember Miller stated that he would like to see banners put up defining Edmonds City limits. Jacque Mayo agreed to make a commitment to donate the use of the theater on a Saturday afternoon sometime this Spring pulling all the groups together to make a presentation. Mr. Van Hollebeke vigorously stated that he would like to see the banner program implemented indicating that the banners not only state the City of Edmonds but what part of Edmonds, i.e., Westgate, Five Corners, Perrinville, etc. Council President Haakenson thanked all involved for their hard work. Tapes of this meeting are available in the City Clerk's Office. With no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 3:30 p.m. BARBARA S. FAHEY, MAYOR SANDRA S. CHASE, CITY CLERK Edmonds City Council Retreat Approved Minutes February 27 and 28, 1998 LaConner, WA page 19