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Cmd70522 Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes July 5, 2022 Page 1 EDMONDS CITY COUNCIL MEETING APPROVED MINUTES July 5, 2022 ELECTED OFFICIALS PRESENT Mike Nelson, Mayor Vivian Olson, Council President Kristiana Johnson, Councilmember Will Chen, Councilmember Diane Buckshnis, Councilmember Susan Paine, Councilmember Laura Johnson, Councilmember ELECTED OFFICIALS ABSENT Neil Tibbott, Councilmember STAFF PRESENT Whitney Rivera, Municipal Court Judge Uneek Maylor, Court Administrator Angie Feser, Parks, Rec., Cultural Arts & Human Services Director Rob English, Acting Public Works Director Jeanie McConnell, Eng. Program Manager Jeff Taraday, City Attorney Scott Passey, City Clerk Jerrie Bevington, Camera Operator 1. CALL TO ORDER/FLAG SALUTE The Edmonds City Council meeting was called to order at 7:01 p.m. by Mayor Nelson in the Council Chambers, 250 5th Avenue North, Edmonds, and virtually. The meeting was opened with the flag salute. 2. LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Councilmember Paine read the City Council Land Acknowledge Statement: “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.” 3. ROLL CALL City Clerk Scott Passey called the roll. All elected officials were present with the exception of Councilmember Tibbott. COUNCILMEMBER BUCKSHNIS MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCIL PRESIDENT OLSON, TO EXCUSE COUNCILMEMBER TIBBOTT. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. 4. PRESENTATIONS 1. MUNICIPAL COURT ANNUAL REPORT Municipal Court Judge Whitney Rivera reviewed: • Court Operations Update o Restarted Community Court in January 2022 ▪ Many thanks to our temporary home at Community Health Center Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes July 5, 2022 Page 2 ▪ Moved to our new Community Court Space on Highway 99 o Began processing passports in November 2021 o Completed multiple jury trials safely o Processing infractions for individuals who did not respond during COVID o Legal financial obligation relief and Unified Payment (UP) Program o Fully operational in hybrid model • Photos of Edmonds Municipal Court Team and of the community court • Looking at the numbers Year Traffic Infractions Non- Traffic Infractions DUI/Physical Control Other Criminal Traffic Criminal Non- traffic Total Total Criminals Filings 2017 3,825 53 90 331 502 4,801 923 2018 4,547 29 144 328 466 5,514 938 2019 2,804 38 135 343 507 3,827 985 2020 1,819 32 105 183 512 2,651 800 2021 2,212 20 65 72 318 2,687 455 • Life Cycle: Criminal Case Filing • Resuming Jury Trials o Resumed in April 2021 o 171 cases set for trial o Since resuming, completed 5 jury trials and 1 bench trial o Charges included ▪ Reckless driving ▪ DWLS 3 + Reckless Driving ▪ Two counts of stalking ▪ Driving Under the Influence ▪ Assault 4 (non-DV) ▪ Violation of No Contact Order (DV) • Community Court Update o Received a grant from the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) as part of SB 5476 o Grant goes towards enhancing and improving therapeutic programs in courts of limited jurisdiction o Vendors present during Community Court hearing dates o Connecting individuals with services to address underlying issues • Statewide Leadership o DMCJA – District & Municipal Court Judges’ Association o DMCMA – District and Municipal Court Management Association o MPA – Misdemeanant Probation Association Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes July 5, 2022 Page 3 o Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission o Washington State Minority and Justice Commission (working to identify and to eradicate the effects of racial, ethnic, and cultural bias in our state court system) • Court Administration o Uneek Maylor, Court Administrator ▪ District & Municipal Court Management Association (DMCMA) – Executive Board Member, Technology Chair, Education Committee Member, Long Range Planning Committee Member ▪ Minority & Justice Commission Jury Demographics Study Work Group ▪ Member of work group for new case management system through Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) ▪ Career & technical education advisor for Edmonds School District • Probation o Omar Gamez, Probation Officer ▪ Training & Education Co-Chair for the Misdemeanant Probation Association ▪ Committee member on Deferred Prosecution Revision workgroup ▪ Misdemeanant Probation Academy Instructor at the Criminal Justice Training Center ▪ DV and DV-MRT Facilitator ▪ Volunteer at Saint Vincent de Paul • Judicial o District & Municipal Court Judges’ Association (DMCJA) ▪ Co-Chair of Legislative Committee ▪ Member of the Public Outreach Committee ▪ Member of Council on Independent Courts o Presenter at the Spring DMCJA Judicial Conference on racial disparities in imposition of legal financial obligations based on 2021 task for report on race in the criminal legal system • Looking Forward o Sections of SB 5476 that makes possession of a controlled substance a misdemeanor sunsets July 1, 2023 o Updating jury summons processing o Continuing to develop Language Access Plan and interpreter services o Change in law to provide for ability to pay hearings for infractions goes into effect in 2023 o Potential for state funding for pretrial services that impact public safety (SCRAM, EHM, GPS) o Transition to new case management system in 2023 o Expanding pretrial services, including text and email reminders for court dates Councilmember Buckshnis observed the number of infractions and DUIs have gone down and asked if that correlated with staffing issues in the police department. Judge Rivera assumed that was part of it as well as COVID. Ms. Maylor assumed it was related to staffing. Councilmember Buckshnis commented these issues do not miraculously go away. Judge Rivera said she did not presume that people were speeding less or driving less after consuming alcohol; there was likely a correlation with staffing. Councilmember Buckshnis thanked Judge Rivera for answering her email and for including numbers in the presentation. Councilmember Paine commented it was great to hear the court was working on pretrial issues and helping to keep people out of jail as much as possible while still keeping community safety in mind. She asked about challenges associated with transitioning to the new case management system. Ms. Maylor answered courts have used the same case management system since 1983 which means the printer is as large as her first car and the system is a black screen with dots. It will be a huge change in how the judge looks at files and how papers are processed internally and there will be mechanisms for people to respond Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes July 5, 2022 Page 4 via the web, which is not available currently, recordings will be added to the website immediately, and people will be able to access documents faster. Some of the problems are due to the court still having paper files prior to going electronic during COVID and those need to be processed into the system before the system launches as well as getting everybody in the state trained. It will be exciting to have the ability for the public to access their documents and respond which hopefully will improve access to justice. Judge Rivera commented it will give judges better information by allowing access to documentation in other counties as well as allow the public to see the documentation at same time. It will help with transparency and uniformity across the courts to ensure they are all seeing the same thing. Councilmember Paine asked where backup drives are stored, assuming it was offsite. Ms. Maylor answered the Judicial Information System (JIS) is stored through the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC). Physical files on Laserfiche are stored through the City’s IT department and she was unsure if there was a backup generator but assumed a governmental agency would have a secondary backup for electronic files. The data regarding criminal histories or DOL is backed up through Olympia and has multiple backups. Councilmember Paine recalled she was involved with the court at the time of the Cascadia earthquake and the court was able to access files as they were stored in Grant county. Councilmember L. Johnson referred to changes that occurred due to COVID and going virtual and asked what would continue in the interim or become permanent. Judge Rivera answered hybrid appearances will continue. Certain statutes require people to appear in person such as an arraignment for a domestic violence offense or a DUI for example. The Supreme Court has modified some court rules to allow people to appear via Zoom. For example, she has had people appear while on their job at a construction site. Pre- COVID, people spent a lot of time finding childcare, taking time off work or finding transportation to appear at a 30-second court hearing because their attorney was asking for a continuance. When there is a something substantive that needs to be addressed in court, court rules give her the authority to set a hearing over and require someone appear in person. The rules evolved very quickly, partially due to the Supreme Court’s response to the pandemic; they can pass rules and emergency orders, some of which are still in place and she anticipated would remain. It was a nice confluence that former Judge Coburn had converted to a paperless system when the pandemic happened. During COVID, a lot was learned about the obligations put on people who are already struggling to come to court and she doubted few courts would return to the old ways of doing things. Councilmember L. Johnson commented for a lot of businesses, courts, city council, etc., there has been a silver lining due to things learned from COVID and she was glad the court had the ability to keep some of those in place. She remembered attending a kudos presentation by Probation Officer Omar Gamez and asked if that would be done again. She found that very thought provoking and educational, to hear from people who were struggling, went through court system, where they were today and how proud they were of the work they had done. Judge Rivera answered there is not a kudos scheduled, it fell by the wayside during COVID. The court sees that regularly, people who come to court and want to share their accomplishments. She agreed a mechanism should be developed to share that with members of the community. It gives people faith in the reliance of human beings to see how well people are doing. She offered to add that to the list of things to follow up on. Councilmember L. Johnson commented it puts a human face to it when people usually only hear about the worst. Council President Olson expressed appreciation for Judge Rivera and Ms. Maylor’s flexibility when the court’s presentation had to be rescheduled. She also appreciated their responsiveness to council questions. She referred to the numbers, commenting the community is looking for more feedback between the court, police and staff. She was thrilled the court is working directly with human services, remarking on the principle of public safety being everyone’s issue and working on it together as a community. Judge Rivera said the court is happy to provide information. She agreed with the overlapping circles. Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes July 5, 2022 Page 5 Councilmember Chen commented the City often receives complaints from the community about speeding, but the number of cases is very low. He referred to Ordinance 4261 which took effect on June 19th, and asked if any cases had come to the court as a result. Judge Rivera answered they have not seen any yet. 5. APPROVAL OF AGENDA COUNCILMEMBER PAINE MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCIL PRESIDENT OLSON, TO APPROVE THE AGENDA IN CONTENT AND ORDER. COUNCILMEMBER L. JOHNSON MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER PAINE, TO MOVE UP DISCUSSION OF COUNCIL RESPONSE TO SUPREME COURT DECISION TO OVERTURN ROE V. WADE TO COUNCIL BUSINESS ITEM 9.2. Councilmember L. Johnson pointed out there were many people in the audience to hear that item who did not need to sit through the OPMA training on the agenda. Moving the item up would be most respectful of the people who are present today. Councilmember Paine said she would support the amendment for the reasons stated. Although she enjoys OPMA training, she recognized there were people present specifically to listen and/or speak regarding the resolution before council so out of respect for the community, she supported moving that item to 9.2. AMENDMENT CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. MAIN MOTION AS AMENDED CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. 6. AUDIENCE COMMENTS Mayor Nelson described the procedures for in-person audience comments. Jay Grant, Port of Edmonds Commissioner, liaison to Edmonds and Woodway, provided an update regarding the Port. He explained the Port is a separate government under Washington State law that works to bring economic value to the community. The businesses in the Port do not pay property tax because it is government land, instead the state charges a leasehold tax of approximately 13% of which Edmonds receives approximately 30%. A portion of the sales tax generated by the Port goes to the City. For example, when Jacobsen sells a $300,000 boat, about 4% or $12,000 goes to the City. The Port plans to formally announce next week plans to build a new Port headquarters at a cost of approximately $8 million. The taxes and fees the Port will pay the City total approximately $400,000. Once the new headquarters are built, the old building will be demolished and about 900 feet of the north side of the Port walk reconstructed (from the Port building to the fishing pier) and the former building location will be a park. Joan Longstaff, Edmonds, thanked the city council for making an Edmonds kind of day with the 4th of July parade that honored the police, fire, and service organizations. The Pledge of Alliance includes the words, one nation under God with liberty and justice for all, but the United States is nearly in a civil war again and very divided. There are many important issues including the shooting in the Chicago parade. She found it very inappropriate for the council to be addressing women’s rights and abortion. Fortunately, Washington is very pro women’s rights and voices are being heard. Speaking for those who are pro-life, they are the council’s constituents; the population of Edmonds is 43,580 and the council represents thousands of pro-life people. There are many big issues the council needs to work on. Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes July 5, 2022 Page 6 Rebecca Anderson, Edmonds, said she spent the last several days with a heavy heart reflecting on the reproductive freedom resolution before council tonight, questioning whether taxpayer time and resources should be spent discussing a resolution that would endorse abortion so that Edmonds can claim to be an abortion sanctuary. She questioned whether Edmonds needed to be an abortion sanctuary. Washington State has very liberal abortion laws, in fact abortion was legal in Washington years before the Roe decision in 1973. During the state’s last legislative session, a law was passed that no longer requires only doctors perform abortions and replaces “woman” with “person,” so it is now legal in Washington for not just a woman but a person to get an abortion and it no longer has to be done by a doctor. People in the state have very few barriers to obtaining an abortion so why does Edmonds need to be an abortion sanctuary? She wondered whether anyone had stopped to think about those in the City who have been wounded physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually by abortion. Almost a half century of abortion on demand in the United States has resulted in the death of 63.5 million children. Most people know at least one woman who has had an abortion, grandmothers, mothers, sisters, daughters, aunts, nieces and cousins in their families, and the loss they feel needs to be acknowledged and it would be callous to do otherwise as the City declares it a safe place that encourages women to have abortions. Ms. Anderson explained during an abortion, the life of a tiny human being ends. Not all women want to kill their unborn children, not all women who aborted their children are glad they did it, many women who have had abortions deal with regret and great loss. For those who have been directly or indirectly affected by abortion, she was sorry our culture failed them when they needed life affirming support and love for them and their unborn child. She consoled that they were not alone and prayed they had encountered the human mercy of God and if they had not, that they would and if they had started on that path, prayed they would continue. There are several beautiful ministries specifically for women who have experienced the hurt and sorrow of abortion including Project Rachel and it does not matter how long since a person’s abortion. She quoted Mother Theresa when speaking at the 1982 Harvard commencement, “It is something unbelievable that today a mother herself murders her own child, afraid of having to feed one more child, afraid to educate one more child. A nation, people, family that allows that, that accepts that, they are the poorest of the poor.” For the good of Edmonds, she urged the council to vote no on the resolution; the women of Edmonds deserve better. Denise Alvarado, Edmonds, said Edmonds is considering a very divisive resolution on a topic that has already been handled at the state and federal levels. A nonpartisan council should not make such a resolution; it is very inappropriate and does not reflect the views of many Edmonds citizens. Washington State has had abortion rights in place even prior to 1973. Certain councilmember are fear mongering with this resolution in what appears to be a kneejerk and incredibly partisan reaction. She did not want her taxes going to pay for any support for an already well-endowed Planned Parenthood. There is discussion about protection or an escort for people going into the Planned Parenthood on 196th, commenting she was not aware that there has even been a need for protection. There has recently been vandalism and threatening graffiti at the local pregnancy center that serves and supports women seeking help during and after pregnancy. Planned Parenthood is outside the city limits as is the pregnancy center, if protection is given to Planned Parenthood, she asked that it also be given to the pregnancy center. She gave birth to and cared for a 26½ week old baby, now a 26 year old, and knows what a pre-term infant looks like. Washington state currently allows abortion up to 24-28 weeks. About 97% of biologists recognize that life begins at conception; abortion is killing a genetically unique human being and 800,000 abortions happen per year in the United States. What the council is considering is very divisive and many do not support it. She wished the council would consider not approving the resolution. Janet Way, Shoreline, expressed her support for the proposed resolution because women’s rights are human rights and reproductive rights are healthcare and women’s healthcare needs to be supported. She appreciated the council’s willingness to take up the resolution; it will benefit families, the economy and Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes July 5, 2022 Page 7 the human rights of women, children and men. She asked the council to vote yes to support access to reproductive choice, anticipating it mattered to the majority of voters. Maralyn Chase, Esperance, commended the council for bringing this important issue that threatens democracy to a public policy discussion. The U.S. Supreme Court recently overturned the constitutional rights of young women, the right to control one’s own body, but that is only the beginning. The U.S. Supreme Court has seriously challenged the First Amendment mandating the separation of church and state. This country was established, the first in the world, without an official religious doctrine, total separation of church and state and that is being challenged. She referred to hospital mergers, commenting 49% of hospitals in Washington are owned and managed by the Catholic church according to the ethical and religious directives of the Catholic healthcare services of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. When someone goes to a Catholic hospital, they are treated as if they are a Catholic and can only receive medical care that adheres to the Catholic religious directives. The religious directives governing hospital policies in half of Washington hospitals prohibits a full range of reproductive health services even if the woman’s life is in danger, including ectopic pregnancies. These hospital directives prohibit death with dignity, a direct challenge to the constitutional rights of old people and also prohibit contraception, invitro fertilization, the only way some families can build their families, and care for LGBTQ patients and more. This is a serious public policy issue that fundamentally threatens democracy. Tony Shapiro, Edmonds, hoped the primary and overriding objective of this and any city council would be to focus on the challenges and issues affecting efficient management of the city. Edmonds City Council recently exemplified this objective when it denied permission for camping on public property and he applauded the council for addressing that issue before it became an overwhelming eyesore that is difficult to stop once permitted on government property. Taking up issues outside the parameters of the council’s responsibility is counterproductive to the efficient use of the council’s time and detract from constructive efforts to move the City in a positive direction. Tonight’s discussion focuses on issues outside the legal parameters this council has the authority to govern. Additionally, bringing this issue to the forefront effectively divides the citizenry in a manner that does no objective good for the overall wellbeing of the community and was very aptly expressed in an opinion letter to the council by Paster Barry this weekend. Morally, he is opposed to abortion and deeply believes that God does not look lightly or kindly on the taking of innocent human life. Anyone arguing that abortion is not the taking of life is not looking at the facts. The DNA of a fetus in a woman is not her DNA, the heartbeat within the woman is not her heartbeat; she is the caretaker of the baby being formed within her womb and it is that woman’s and the subsequent mother’s responsibility to care for and cherish that life. Abortion does neither of those things and degrades all individuals involved, bringing a stain on womanhood, society and the country. Colleen Tracy, Edmonds, expressed support for the strongest resolution possible to protect and keep abortion access safe, legal and available. She had concerns with access to other health resources such as birth control, family planning and general healthcare that could also go down with the ship. Access is imperative and vital. When she was out recently in support of pro-choice, a couple men shouted at her that it is still legal here, causing her to think, for how long? People who want women and other minorities to have fewer rights will never stop chipping away. She was saddened, sickened and felt very unsure for the country. She could not imagine the feelings of horror of the women in states with stone-age abortion laws now and in the near future. She requested the council protect women’s rights and keep the City out of the stone-age with whatever is within their power. It is absolutely appropriate and important for the council to do this. Citizens cannot do this alone, they need allies near and far. It is not just a women’s issue; young men will also pay for this lack of access. She has heard people in the room mention forced abortion, commenting no one is forcing anyone to have an abortion – get over it. The reality is some people need to have abortions; whatever the reason, it is their choice. Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes July 5, 2022 Page 8 Carin Chase, Edmonds, expressed appreciation for the time the council would take to discuss the council’s response to the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Speaking as one of the majority of women in the country and community that support protections afforded by Roe v. Wade, she was terribly angry and disappointed that for the first time in history, young women now have fewer rights than their mothers. She was angry and disappointed at the leadership shown by the country’s highest court. Seeing the resolution that Councilmembers L. Johnson and Paine brought forward gave her faith in her elected officials. She was pleased the resolution would be discussed tonight and that the council has an opportunity to show the leadership the community needs. The community needs to know its leaders have their back and that they recognize rights are under attack and she urged everyone to support the resolution. She read from the resolution, “therefore, be it resolved that the City Council of Edmonds Washington that: The Edmonds City Council adopts this resolution to express its official position in support of amendments to the Washington State and United States Constitution to codify an individual’s right to comprehensive, safe and accessible reproductive health care including abortion, contraception, gender affirming healthcare and marriage equality and urge our federal and state legislators to act in support of said rights. The Edmonds City Council also directs copies of this resolution be sent to Governor Inslee and representatives as a means of showing support of a constitutional amendment guaranteeing full access to abortion care services and increasing oversight of hospital mergers that have often interfered with reproductive health care services for all people. Edmonds is a supportive community and welcome people from other states coming to the area for full support of legal and safe reproductive support services. We direct that this policy by the city council that the police department will not commit any of their police services to the pursuit of any investigations related to those people seeking or providing abortion care.” Patty Whitmarsh, expressed her opposition to the resolution entitled reproductive freedom. The Supreme Court of the United States is the final arbitrator and law of the land of the constitution. They have corrected their error after nearly 50 years and the death of over 63 million unborn babies. Councilmembers swore an oath to uphold the constitution and if they do not, they are in violation. Nowhere in the constitution does it say abortion is a right. Using a councilmembers’ position to further their opinion or ideological view to what the Supreme Court of the United States already determined is outside their jurisdiction does not represent herself nor many Edmonds citizens. No city council should ever deny an unborn baby its life or right to live. They can better serve the citizens of Edmonds by immediately dropping this resolution. The country has been in a state of great division and moral decline; pursuing this resolution regarding reproductive freedom will only further hostility and prevent the City from being a place of nonpartisan, wholesome and quality living. On July 1, 2022, she sent each councilmember an email stating her concerns. She thanked Council President Olson and Councilmembers Buckshnis and Tibbott for their prompt responses, noting she never heard from the other councilmembers. She requested each Edmonds councilmember search their hearts, stay within the parameters in which they vowed an oath and seek godly wisdom, discernment, prudence and righteousness as they strive for peace and unity in this great City. Mark Ibsen, Edmonds, registered his opposition to the resolution regarding abortion freedom. This is primarily a state issue and should not be taken on by a small city and there are other issues to be concerned with. The impact of the resolution will be very small and will be seen as purely partisan and will divide the City. Unborn citizens are the most vulnerable and need our voices too. To his detractors, he said respect for the rights of human life knows no specific gender. He respectfully requested the council vote no to this resolution. Ruth Johnson Pirie, Edmonds, thanked the council for the many ways they serve the community and thanked citizens for what they do to make Edmonds a beautiful place to be. She expressed her opposition to the resolution. She has heard there needs to be respect for women who have chosen abortion; she has many friends who have done so and she understood their reasons due to choices she has made herself but Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes July 5, 2022 Page 9 looking back there is also a choice for life that women must consider, the life of a human placed in their womb. There is a reason a human being was placed in a woman’s womb to nurture and protect, each of us was one of those. In 1974 when abortion was legalized in Sweden, her mother was told she should have an abortion for medical reasons and chose not to; 28 years later, her mom had a massive heart attack and went into cardiac arrest and that daughter, her sister Rebecca, revived her. She is a math and science teacher who advocates for the poor and needy, an immigrant who now lives in France and works with orphaned children. She urged the city council to put the resolution aside, to consider life and consider men who also have a stake in this issue. If a man is required to pay for a child after it is born, they also have a choice when the child is in the womb. Tiffany Mecca, Edmonds, spoke in support of the resolution in opposition to the Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade. She supported the strongest version, Resolution #1. She grew up knowing she had this protection if she needed it which told that her life, her dreams, who she was, and whether she wanted to be a parent mattered and that her existence independent of whether she would be a mother or bear a child mattered. She had that right when she went to bed Thursday night a week ago, but it was gone when she woke up Friday morning. This right has been chipped away for years at the federal level and in other states. She was terrified and angry when she learned about the Supreme Court’s decision and it felt like an emergency. As a person who can get pregnant but doesn’t want to, and a person who has a lot of privilege in that decision, she has always had the ability to access birth control and healthcare and had parents who understand the implications of being pregnant when you’re not ready, her mom was 19 and has had frank conversations with her. She has a caring partner and access to birth control and healthcare, but not everybody has that. It is important for the city council to support women’s rights at a local level. This is similar to other medical decisions that people cannot force her to make such as give blood or donate a kidney, or wear a mask, yet women will be forced to bear a child. Cassie Friedle, Edmonds, wearing the wings and blood red color depicted in a Handmaid’s Tale, quoted from the late and great Ruth Bader Ginsberg, “speak your mind even if your voice shakes.” She recalled being 9 years old and in the 4th grade when she got her period; at 9 years old she was fertile and could have had a child, a fetus that could have killed her as she carried something she could not comprehend, carrying a death sentence. She questioned whether any councilmember would have stood by and watched a handful of cells rupture their daughter’s uterus and watch her die. She envisioned they would instead do everything in their power to save that person. For those who think it’s God plan and would have let her die, they are lying to themselves; no one should be forced to be an incubator because it’s God will. Yet across the nation, women of all ages are being forced to carry a handful of cells that could kill them, carrying a stillborn or ectopic pregnancy that will cause sepsis or a ruptured fallopian tube that will surely kill them. In North Carolina last week, patients with lupus and rheumatoid arthritis were denied life- saving medication because they are of viable fertility age. Across the nation, doctors are being forced to break their sacred oath of doing no harm because of four men and one woman who swore to protect our constitution. For those who say it will never be outlawed in Washington and question why we are fighting, something shouldn’t happen to ourselves or our loved ones for us to care. Elected representatives are elected to follow their constituents’ will; Edmonds demands protection of its daughters and securing reproductive rights. Shame on those who let their personal views or grudges overrule their duty as elected representatives. Councilmembers may not see the repercussions of their actions now or in five years, but she and other constituents will do everything in their power to unseat them and someday soon they were realize they were a coward but it will be too late. Megan Wolfe, Edmonds, expressed her gratitude to Councilmembers Paine and L. Johnson for proposing this resolution. At a time when it seems everyone in power is doing a lot of awful things, it is nice to know local officials have their backs. She supported a lot of what has been said about having rights taken away. She is now seen as a vessel to have babies, but she is much more than that as are all people who can become pregnant. They deserve equal, easy access to basic healthcare which is what Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes July 5, 2022 Page 10 abortion is. She struggles with the hypocrisy in this very emotional topic, people who claim they are pro- life but are not fighting for things that would actually save lives such as easier access to healthcare, better sex education at all ages, things that would prevent the need for abortion, but abortion should be easy to access as needed because it saves lives. As someone who has had a miscarriage, what came out of her body in no way resembled a human life. The fact that people are fighting for that sack of sells over a living, breathing, and contributing human being is difficult to understand. She strongly supports the resolution and thinks the local level is where there actually can be a very big impact because councilmembers are telling their constituents that they care about them and see them as whole human beings. Sofia Marie Castillo, Edmonds, a high school student, expressed support for the resolution because it supports her, her peers and many others. The formation of the United States was not religiously affiliated. Dawn Modsen, unincorporated Edmonds, said she planned to move into incorporated Edmonds and hoped to vote for the Edmonds council. As a person of baby-making age, with baby-making hormones, the past week has been an absolute nightmare. Although this is Washington, what the Supreme Court did with gun rights recently could also be done in Washington. She asked each councilmember to go on record stating their beliefs by voting for or against the resolution. Stephanie Smith, Edmonds, asked the council to support human rights with the strongest possible form of the resolution. Elected officials need to stand up for basic bodily autonomy and protecting citizens and residents’ rights by, 1) ensuring City resources are not used to assist other jurisdictions in investigating and prosecuting individuals accessing basic healthcare, and 2) using the City’s clout to ensure people’s rights at the national and state level. Lisa Utter, Lynnwood, was glad the council was looking at this issue. She found it appalling that people were urging the council to focus on potholes instead of human rights. Councilmembers took an oath to protect the constitution and previously passed a resolution supporting human rights. She encouraged the council to pass the resolution. Gracelyn Shibayama, Edmonds, encouraged the council to vote yes on the resolution which is near and dear to her heart. She has struggled over the past few weeks knowing her rights have stripped. Knowing the City she lives in cares about her, her friends and her family to put this forward, to think about them, to protect them is very important. The council has to pass this resolution for people her age and younger to be an encouraging and welcoming City and to let young girls thrive and flourish. Denise Cooper said choosing to make abortion part of the discussion has placed a division in the community. She is pro-life, in support of the born and the unborn along with her heavenly father. What Councilmembers Paine and L. Johnson did by bringing abortion to the city council was a reckless move, bullying fellow councilmembers into saying that they support something that possibly they don’t. The answer to preventing babies from coming into the world is safe sex or sustaining from sex; killing babies is not birth control. Checking twice, ensuring you have taken your pills or are wearing protection so the woman does not get in a predicament where she has to choose to kill her unborn child. She was unsure why the Catholic church was brought up, but they are pro-life and offer child and family services, adoption, elder care and spiritual care. She asked the council to leave this as a federal decision and not a City statement because not all citizens agree and are not all pro-abortion, some of them choose life. Ken Reidy, Edmonds, encouraged the council to remove the special event permit item from tonight’s consent agenda. If the council wants to review the special event permit code, he suggested initiating a policy-making process, tasking the planning board with it as a first step and not add more new problems to the City code. At a minimum, he requested the following terms be correctly defined in the City code: Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes July 5, 2022 Page 11 easement, right-of-way, opened public street, opened public alley, unopened public street, and unopened public alley. He requested the council clearly identify who has maintenance responsibilities for all portions of both opened and unopened streets and alleys. He questioned where the idea came from that the City can issue a special event permit to use a right-of-way that the City has never used, plus issue such a permit without the fee owner’s approval. The City has experienced a property owner taking legal action to establish adverse possession of a City easement. The City won that 1989 case because the property owner’s construction and maintenance of a fence in the easement area was not considered adverse or hostile to the City’s easement. The law allows the fee owner to use their land before the City opens a street or alley so the construction and maintenance of the fence was not adverse or hostile to the City’s easement. Mr. Reidy continued, however, if the City brings in a third party and allows permits to be issued to third parties for use of unopened streets and alleys, the situation changes. If the City does so, a property owner’s use of their property may now become adverse or hostile to the City’s right-of-way. If the council decides to go forward, he strongly recommended all permit applications to make use of the unopened streets and alleys require the signed approval of the fee owner; approval by both parties with legal rights to the property might protect the City from opening the door to adverse or hostile use of a City easement by the fee owner. The fee owner should be involved in the permit process if someone wants to use part of an opened street or alley that the fee owner is required to maintain. He urged the council to take time to get this right, to allow property owners with land subject to an unused right-of-way or with maintenance responsibilities an opportunity to be heard on this important topic starting at the planning board level. Bill McClain, Shoreline, recalled fishing in the 1980s and bagging seven silvers, one of which the hook almost went through the fish’s eye. Imagine a hook going through the eye and being dragged into a boat. He commented on the pain inflicted by boiling crab. In an abortion of the unborn, the abortionist crushes the baby’s skull or cuts off the arms and legs while it is alive and struggling, fighting against the abortionist’s actions. He acknowledged having an unplanned child was hard on a woman, but the mother can have the child and it can be adopted. The torture that the unborn experience during an abortion is unimaginable. Slavery was abolished in the 1800s in spite of the inconvenience to the slave masters, the plantation owners as well as to the country; it cost 500,000 lives to put an end to slavery. The overriding reason was because slaves were people. The unborn are people too and need protection under the law. Mary Jennings, unincorporated Edmonds, said she was 15 when she was taken advantage of and became a very young mother. She was told to abort, that she would never graduate from high school and not to bring an unwanted child into the world. She had her daughter; her daughter is now 49 years old, a successful executive with Nordstrom. She herself graduated from high school in the top percentile and went on to Fresno State University and is a retired law enforcement officer, spending 25 years as a undercover investigator for the State of California. Edmonds is a great place to retire and be closer to her daughter. She is thankful she had her child regardless of what people said and raised her as a single mom until she turned 16. She is extremely pro-life and her daughter texted her recently thanking her for giving birth to her. Kristen Johnson said this is an incredibly large subject and cannot be solved in an hour or two. Not only have children been allowed to die, but women have also suffered due to what they did. She never had to do that, she brought forth her children and her youngest daughter commanded her heart to beat in the mighty name that we never hear about or dare to discuss because it is forbidden in society. She has seen the greatness of his power in so many ways for many decades. She encouraged everyone to consider that they are a living miracle, put together so fantastically but their offspring are being killed, people who could become doctors, etc. as she has seen in her incredibly smart grandchildren. At 88 years old, she is experiencing difficulty with her knees. She referenced the story relayed by Ruth Johnson Pirie about her daughter reviving her, commenting she was here tonight as a mighty testimony. Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes July 5, 2022 Page 12 Heather Damron, Edmonds, said the stripping of rights does not stop here. Washington is one bad election away from what is happening federally happening in Washington. Church and state must be kept separate, legislators must be encouraged to codify Roe at the state level as soon as possible. She urged the council to vote yes to approve the most strongly worded resolution possible. Mayor Nelson described the procedures for virtual audience comments. Dawn Siewert, Director, Edmonds Lutheran Learning Center, was proud Edmonds was taking up the Roe v. Wade discussion. She spoke in favor of the approval of an update to Edmonds City Code to include Impact Fee Waiver for Early Learning Facilities. This came about as a result of her center which has been trying to change the use of the fireside room to be an educational center for children. The fee to change the use for childcare is about $36/square foot. At a time when childcare is so important to so many families, having this space or allowing a reduction in the fee for other centers would allow many more childcare spaces to open up. She urged the council to approve the fee waiver amendment. The information in the Child Care Collaborative Task Force report attachments is from November 2019 so it can be multiplied by COVID. She commended the hard work that childcare teachers, directors, and staff have done over the last two years during the pandemic, in-person with children and taking on an immeasurable amount of stress and keeping things as normal as possible for the children, some of whom have only been alive during COVID. She has 15 kids now that only know COVID, seeing parent and others wearing masks. Opening more childcare spaces as families return to work is important and she urged the council to vote yes on the fee waiver. Linda Ferkingstad, Edmonds, said Britain’s restrictions and fees for cutting pine trees motivated the Declaration of Independence on July 7, 1776. Property rights continue to motivate immigration to the U.S. Her parents were 5 years old when 400 Nazis occupied their tiny island in Norway, doubling their population. For five years Nazis kicked families out of their homes in the dark of night, moved in and took their food supplies. When supplies ran out, Nazis moved to the next home. Every home housed either two families or Nazis who took what they wanted, making families buy back their own supplies, their own property. In 1965 her parents immigrated to Seattle with their children and were proud to become naturalized when they were sworn in as American citizens. Their father employed 100s, served on museum, charity and hospital boards, volunteered thousands of hours at Ballard Food Bank, Nordic Heritage Museum and supported those in need, paying for drug and alcohol addicted employees’ sobriety. Her mom supported him and their five children in everything, inspiring them to give what’s needed and expect nothing in return. In 2017 they purchased 1.2 acres in Edmonds to downsize and live beside each other. Inexperienced, they first got the go-ahead from the geotech and planning department but then got the runaround. After five years, they are close to a permit for division. Shockingly 82 years after the terrifying Nazi occupation, it is happening to them again in the USA. Ms. Ferkingstad continued, they cannot live on the property until they pay Edmonds for their own trees. Edmonds has permanently seized rights to all trees on their property without just compensation. Permits for tree removal for three homes are denied until $107,000 is received in tree fees in addition to the likely $100,000 in permits and Edmonds’ permanent seizure of all rights to trees is recorded on property titles at the county. Their Ukrainian neighbors have to pay $64,000 in tree fees to build a home for their parents, a south Asian family cannot build homes without paying hundreds of thousands, and retired couples cannot afford to divide and sell half their property for retirement. Immigrant families and senior citizens are forced to compensate for tree canopy loss of 100 years of development. Edmonds’ seizures and excessive fees restricting the use of vacant properties has decreased values and owners’ equity. They are denied constitutional protections that all citizens benefit from. She asked whether the council would honor the pledge they made at all meetings, liberty and justice for all and asked whether all citizens will be free to live peacefully and productively without interference from the government. She asked for this to be Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes July 5, 2022 Page 13 placed on next week’s agenda, immediately rescind the illegal tree ordinance and prioritize their constitutional rights. Cynthia Sjoblom, Edmonds, said people from Lynnwood and Shoreline speaking tonight do not have a say in Edmonds’ politics. She was appalled by a remark by an audience member to “get over it.” The resolution is an overreach and overrides the state’s authority. The state of Washington has already decided to keep women’s rights in place so fear-mongers saying people will be unable to get birth control, she suggested they get over it because they will be able to get birth control. To those who say, my body my choice, they are the same people, along with the government, telling unvaccinated people what to do with their bodies, shaming people for not being vaccinated or not wearing a mask. When it comes to my body my choice, they only believe it when it is convenient for them. She recalled Councilmember L. Johnson telling others to get vaccinated. There are two sides to every story; many women regret their abortions. In an article by the Daily Caller, former state lawmaker Alveda King, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s niece and media personality Corinne Kimble spoke about their abortion stories and how the experience changed their lives. “Abortion is a civil wrong. Life is a civil right” said Alveda King. King stated her OB/GYN coerced into getting her first abortion and recommended she obtain her second one due to struggles in her marriage and the age of her first child and referred her to Planned Parenthood with the advice not to talk to her family or church about women’s health matters and that Planned Parenthood would be a friend to talk to. King had two abortions and an abortion-related miscarriage before she began to look more closely into the issue, before she experienced the reality of the sanctity of life. “If I told my grandfather he would have helped me choose life. He convinced my mother not to let me in 1950.” Corinne Kimball, a pro-life advocate and media personality, was pressured by her family and boyfriend who said their lives would be changed and it would affect their careers. She reported being tugged in every direction and crying hysterically because she could not think about going through with an abortion. She wished Planned Parenthood had been honest with her about the pain, guilt and especially options. She said they weren’t trying to help her but pushing abortions and no information was given about adoption. She had expected Planned Parenthood to be a safe place for women. She urged the council not to pass the resolution. Mary Kimball, Edmonds, a queer woman, was heartened to see so many pride flags when she experienced the Edmonds 4th of July parade for the first time yesterday. She was heartened by the actions of Council President Olson and Councilmembers L. Johnson and Paine to include all people who may need access to reproductive rights and reproductive health care. She recognized it was incredibly unusually for a city council to take up a matter that does not practically impact the City. As others noted, there are no places in Edmonds that perform abortions. These are unprecedented times, Roe v. Wade has been overturned and is no longer law and access to comprehensive reproductive care and other forms of healthcare including those affecting the LGBTQA+ community are under threat. She urged the council to vote yes on either of the resolutions; she liked the first one but both are fantastic. These are unprecedented times that demand unusual comprehensive solutions to protect democracy and civil rights. Charlie Ann Lu, Edmonds, thanked the council for their willingness to consider the resolution on abortion and reproductive rights. While she considered herself pro-choice, she is also pro-life; a human live that begins at viability, not at conception. Not all people believe fertilized eggs are babies and since some cited science, as a published scientist, in the strictest biological definition, an embryo is actually a parasite, unable to sustain itself without a host. Women as a whole should not be forced, or to use some others’ words, enslaved to become a host to a parasite. Many reference women who regret their abortion, but looking at science, a landmark study at UCFF recently showed 95% of women do not regret their decision and the overwhelming majority had positive feelings or none at all. She had a lifesaving abortion in her 20s and the only trauma she ever experienced is from people who accused her of murder. Despite that trauma, she has become very open with her story and because of that transparency, she has spent the past 25 years advising others on their reproductive decisions. While she does not always agree with every case in which a person chooses an abortion, she believes that every individual must have the freedom to Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes July 5, 2022 Page 14 control their own reproductive autonomy and neither she nor the government should impose their own views on other people’s medical decisions. Therefore, she supported the council’s resolution on abortion and reproductive rights in its strongest form. This is especially important in the context of Edmonds’ commitment to equity since restrictive reproductive choices disproportionately harm people of color and those who are economically disadvantaged. Edmonds is small but mighty and this resolution can signal to the governor, senators, representatives that the City is in strong support of women, people of color and other who are economically disadvantaged. She urged the council to vote yes. Natalie Seitz, Edmonds, continued her comments previously provided to council on the most recent version of the PROS Plan. The current council is not able to make commitments to improvements in the next round of the PROS Plan and she wanted a durable public record of the feedback the council received and disregarded. Page 17, the outcome of the community tabling events in SR-99 is only identified by a few sentences on that page and includes no separate write-up in appendix D. This is the only outreach for which this is the case. If the City wants to build relationships with underserved communities, the City needs to do a better job of documenting the feedback received from the community and directly connect it to policy, CFP/CIP, and new inserted action plan. She asked that a separate write-up from the feedback received from the tabling events be included. Figure 5 Map 1, the City erroneously counts land owned by the PUD in the SR-99 area as a special use park. She referred to the email provided to council on June 26th from the PUD identifying there is no access or agreement between the City and the PUD for areas south of the park and that these locations are signed no trespassing. She requested all figures and tables be revised to remove this area from depictions and calculations of City services. Page 74-76, open space, greater attention should be paid to equity and access as well as the revised definition of open space to focus on restoration of forest land and wetlands that can be or are located in all areas of the City. If the City is going to change the definition of open space to better accommodate acquisition of the marsh, then that concept of restoration and not just citing open space where natural features exist needs to be applied throughout the City including underserved areas. Ms. Seitz continued, additionally, the City included a walkability analysis to open space within the maps but provides no text analysis of the accessibility gap within the open space section. She requested a text analysis of the location of significant access gaps be included. Page 75, wetlands, the Unocal property identified in the wetland section is primarily upland and contaminated fill pad and provides very limited potential for direct wetland restoration, only the stormwater pond and ditch. Many other properties within the City provide a greater ability to directly provide wetland habitat. She requested the Unocal property be eliminated from the wetland section or discussion expanded to include any property within the City that would provide equivalent proportions of land that could be restored to wetlands. This would include but is not limited to the entire area north of the marsh west of SR-104 and south of Dayton as well as properties along Lake Ballinger. Next week she will start with Chapter 6. She referred to the Supreme Court’s decision that this is not a federal issue, and said it is entirely appropriate for the council to take up the matter and provide the City’s point of view to the state. There is no such thing as an unborn citizen; there is birthright citizenship in this country. She absolutely supported bodily autonomy. Susan Hughes, Edmonds, referred to a post in My Edmonds News by Councilmembers Paine and Councilmember L. Johnson that they drafted a resolution in support of abortion. Now they want the Edmonds City Council to adopt it. They did not state that large parts of the resolution are copied from Resolution 3054 submitted by Marxist Seattle City Councilwoman Kshama Sawant who is openly Marxist and has been noted as such on CNN, New York Times, Seattle Times, etc. Councilmembers Paine and L. Johnson distributed the resolution on local news media before disclosing it to their fellow councilmembers. She recalled Councilwoman Sawant brought protestors to then Mayor Durkan’s home and unlocked Seattle city hall for protestors and questioned whether Edmonds had to look forward to. Some people who live, work or visit Edmonds support the United States Supreme Court decision. The constitution does not confer a right to abortion and returns the authority to regulate abortion to the people Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes July 5, 2022 Page 15 and their elected representatives. People of both viewpoints are free to have their own opinion and citizens of Edmonds all deserve representation by Edmonds City Council. The U.S. Supreme Court is the highest tribunal in the nation for all cases and controversies arising under the constitution or the laws of the United States. As a final arbitrator of the law, the court is charged with ensuring American people the promise of equal justice under law and thereby also function as guardian and interpreter of the constitution. Edmonds councilmembers have taken an oath of office to support the constitution and laws of the United States. The city council code of ethics states the chief function of local government at all times is to serve the best interest of all the people. Edmonds City Council is foisting opposition to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling which exposed citizens to choose between staying silent out of fear or risking harm if they publicly oppose the resolution. Pro-choice and pro-life people deserve to be safe and to feel invited in the community. This resolution should not be part of Edmonds City government and Councilmembers Paine and L. Johnson should be censured for violating their oath of office, the code of ethics, and the code of conduct. 7. RECEIVED FOR FILING 1. MARCH QUARTERLY FINANCE REPORT 8. APPROVAL OF THE CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS COUNCILMEMBER PAINE MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER CHEN, TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA. COUNCIL PRESIDENT OLSON MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER BUCKSHNIS, TO PULL ITEM 8.7, ORDINANCE REPEALING OR AMENDING CERTAIN CHAPTERS OF ECC TITLE 4 LICENSES AND ADDING A NEW CHAPTER RELATED TO SPECIAL EVENT PERMITS, AND PUT IT ON THE AGENDA AS ITEM 9.3. AMENDMENT CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. MAIN MOTION AS AMENDED CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. The agenda items approved are as follows: 1. APPROVAL OF COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES OF JUNE 27, 2022 2. APPROVAL OF COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES OF JUNE 28, 2022 3. APPROVAL OF PAYROLL AND BENEFIT CHECKS, DIRECT DEPOSIT AND WIRE PAYMENTS 4. APPROVAL OF CLAIM CHECKS AND WIRE PAYMENTS 5. CONFIRM APPOINTMENT OF BOARD/COMMISSION CANDIDATE 6. EDMONDS CITIZENS' TREE BOARD APPOINTMENT CONFIRMATION 8. RESOLUTION ADDING SPECIAL EVENT PERMIT FEES TO THE CITY'S FEE SCHEDULE 9. PLN2022-0009 REZONE 9516 & 9530 EDMONDS WAY 9. COUNCIL BUSINESS 1. APPROVE UPDATE TO EDMONDS CITY CODE CHAPTER 3.36 TO INCLUDE IMPACT FEE WAIVERS FOR EARLY LEARNING FACILITIES Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes July 5, 2022 Page 16 Acting Public Works Director Rob English introduced Engineering Program Manager Jeanie McConnell. He reviewed: • Impact Fee Waiver o ECC 3.36 – regulates Street and Parks Impact fees o ECC 3.36.040 – provides partial exemption for low-income housing units o In 2018, the state legislature created a Child Care Collaborative Task Force to incentivize employer-supported childcare as well as improve childcare access and affordability. Their 2019 report included many recommendations, one of which was to partner with entities and jurisdictions to eliminate local construction impact fees. o July 2021 – RCW 82.02.060 was amended to also allow exemptions for early learning facilities • Proposed code update to allow for partial exemption of street and park impact fees o 80% exemption with remaining 20% paid at building permit issuance o Covenant to be recorded ▪ 25% or more of children and families qualify for state subsidized child care ▪ Annual report and supporting documentation to be submitted to the City ▪ Exempted portion of fees to be paid for failure to comply with covenant ▪ Full fees required for property conversation • Staff recommends the change Councilmember K. Johnson advised the Parks and Public Works Committee reviewed this proposal and supports staff’s recommendation. It was brought to council due to the code change. The committee felt it would be an asset to childcare and learning facilities in the City. The fees that will be waived are not significant for the City and can be recovered if the conditions are not met. Council President Olson thanked staff for the complete packet. She pointed out the permit system will be used to track receipt of the annual reports to ensure compliance. Councilmember Paine appreciated this coming to city council. She thanked former Student Representative Brook Roberts for bringing this forward after being contacted by Ms. Siewert. It was her understanding that child care facility would be next to the Housing Hope facility near the Lutheran Church. Ms. McConnell advised Ms. Siewert operates a business within the Edmonds Lutheran Church which is adjacent to the future Housing Hope location. Councilmember Paine expressed support for the proposed change as the apartments at Housing Hope will be large enough for families so it will be important to have access to childcare nearby. As a parent who paid for childcare, she realized it was expensive. Councilmember Buckshnis thanked staff for the complete packet. COUNCILMEMBER BUCKSHNIS MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER PAINE, TO APPROVE AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF EDMONDS, WASHINGTON, AMENDING SECTION 3.36.040 OF THE EDMONDS CITY CODE TO ADD A PARTIAL IMPACT FEE EXEMPTION FOR EARLY LEARNING FACILITIES. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. Mayor Nelson declared a recess from 9:09 – 9:15 p.m. 2. DISCUSSION OF COUNCIL RESPONSE TO SUPREME COURT DECISION TO OVERTURN ROE V. WADE Council President Olson said before the council discusses the merits of one resolution over the other, she wanted it to be clear that the council wanted to make a statement on this issue. Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes July 5, 2022 Page 17 COUNCIL PRESIDENT OLSON MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER K. JOHNSON, TO ABSTAIN FROM MAKING A STATEMENT AS A CITY COUNCIL. Council President Olson said she did not come to the role as a city councilmember to be a politician, she came to serve her community in a nonpartisan role. Whenever the council acts, they should like the process regardless of the subject matter. She felt this process does not work and she did not want the council to weigh in on national issues. The council position is promoted as a part-time job and in her experience, being both an activist and doing the City’s business makes it a full time job plus. She was not willing to stop doing the work of the City to be an activist in this role. She was not saying she or anyone else should be silent on this matter, but she shouldn’t be speaking on behalf of the community on this matter, she preferred not to and she preferred not to be put in the position of doing so. If this becomes a resolution and the body does not accept her proposal, she will vote on the resolution because she has already taken a stand on this issue. However, nonpartisanship is also part of the council’s charter. Council President Olson continued, as council president, she attends a monthly meeting with all the other south Snohomish County city council presidents and Edmonds is the only city taking up this action. All the others are saying their city is choosing not to get involved due to their nonpartisan charter. A councilmember’s role is determining what is best for Edmonds. Those who think choice is important, as a lot of people do, would say this is something they have to do. She has looked at this issue very exhaustively this week and last and feels strongly that these rights are secure in Washington State and that a further statement in Edmonds is not needed because the situation will be the same regardless of whether a statement is made or not. Councilmember Paine said she was not in favor of doing nothing. As one of the authors of the resolution, she pointed out with the ruling of the Supreme Court, everything has changed. Decades of case law regarding privacy and access to medical care have been lost with this ruling. The decision has been delegated to the states and she hoped the council would stand up and send the resolution to state representatives and the Governor to add reproductive care to the state constitution. The council has heard stories tonight and via email, lived experiences that should not be ignored or treated lightly. She believes in choice and as a parent she chose to have her daughters, but that is not everyone’s path. This is a good vote for the city council to take, to stand up for the people who lost their rights a week and a half ago when the country went backwards. She will not support the motion to do nothing. Councilmember L. Johnson said she was also not in favor of doing nothing. She did not accept the argument that the council should not speak out because this is a divisive issue. It should not be divisive to protect freedom, equality, human health and human rights. To those who say this a partisan issue, she asked if they were saying one party did not support religious freedom, equality and human rights. She respects the rights of others to their personal religious beliefs as it pertains to their individual choice. This resolution is about supporting, protecting, codifying individual choice and human rights. She was not here to protect people’s feelings or desires to control the rights and choices of others. She was here to protect the right to choice, bodily autonomy and freedom which comes in many forms. This is unprecedented, many have had their rights threatened and stripped away and for that reason she cannot do nothing. Councilmember Buckshnis thanked Council President Olson for putting together the agenda packet so everyone can review it. As the longest serving councilmember, she recognized this was an extremely emotional topic and tonight’s public comments on both sides of the issue may have been the longest. It is an emotional issue, church versus state. She is a very religious person and carries a rosary in her purse. The council has looked at state issues before and provided opinions, approximately 8-10 times in the past 12 years. From a partisan standpoint, this issue is very divisive and the country is extremely divided. She was still processing whether the council should say something and further the division. She used to teach self-defense for the Portland Police and often heard women talk about incest, abuse, rape, date rape, etc. Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes July 5, 2022 Page 18 The onus is on women and nothing happens to the man even though it takes two. She hears both sides and recognizes it is a difficult issue to process. She thanked everyone who has contacted her, acknowledging some people are very angry. She anticipated the council would be thoughtful in their decision. Councilmember Chen thanked the community for speaking up and writing to the council to let them know where they stand. This is a very important issue and people are very passionate about it. This was a national issue and has become a local issue as abortion rights and choice are now up to the state. He said choice regarding abortion is the freedom to choose, it is not a forced abortion. He was born and raised in China in the 70s and his relatives went through forced abortion due to the one child policy. In Washington there is choice, women have the freedom to choose. The founding fathers founded this country based on the concept of religious freedom. Forced abortion is wrong, the freedom to choose is a way of life that we pursue and treasure. He immigrated as a first generation to the U.S. with the idea of pursuing freedom. For that reason, the council needs to send a message to the state lawmakers that they want freedom. Councilmember K. Johnson expressed support for the motion to take no action. The Supreme Court is the determinant of the constitution; they made a ruling and defer it to the states for further action. That upset a lot of people as illustrated by many who spoke tonight, but others said this is not the role for local government, it is up to the state to decide. No other cities in south Snohomish County are considering this action. This is a very divisive issue and it is up to a person’s personal belief to take action and they have avenues to contact their state legislators and the governor. This is not an appropriate role for the City of Edmonds and as a representative government, she was unsure how councilmembers could promote their own agendas without taking into account there are over 40,000 people in the City and not all are fully represented by this decision. This is a divisive issue and not everyone agrees so councilmembers cannot take a position. UPON ROLL CALL, MOTION FAILED (2-3-1), COUNCILMEMBER K. JOHNSON AND COUNCIL PRESIDENT OLSON VOTING YES, COUNCILMEMBERS CHEN, PAINE AND L. JOHNSON VOTING NO, AND COUNCILMEMBER BUCKSHNIS ABSTAINING. COUNCILMEMBER L. JOHNSON MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER PAINE, TO ACCEPT A RESOLUTION OF THE EDMONDS CITY COUNCIL IN SUPPORT OF ACCESS TO A FULL RANGE OF REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS INCLUDING ABORTION SERVICES AND URGING FEDERAL AND STATE ELECTED OFFICIALS TO CODIFY THESE RIGHTS. Councilmember L. Johnson clarified the motion was to approve the resolution that was handed out. This updated resolution is a combination of two resolutions in the packet. She appreciated the improvements that came with the opportunity to update the resolution, specifically adding more information about Washington State and what Washington has done to-date. She and Councilmember Paine undertook this resolution and wording is borrowed from five cities, Minneapolis, San Diego, Morro Bay, Pasadena as well as the State of Washington Governor’s office. Many of the statistics and additional wording come from the American Psychological Association, the ACLU and the Rabbinical Assembly. Instead of reinventing the wheel, they did their research and used language from other places along with the original language that they and other councilmembers provided. She was proud of the resolution. The reason for the resolution is the U.S. is a country founded on the principle of separation of church and state. Councilmember L. Johnson continued, last week 168 million people who may become pregnant had the fundamental right to reproductive freedom and privacy stripped away; a floodgate was opened allowing individual bodily autonomy and reproductive choice to be dictated by others’ religious beliefs. If a constitutional right that was long established by law can be stripped away, what’s next, the right to use contraception, marriage equality, protection from criminalizing the private conduct of LGBTQ persons?. In 2007, the council unanimously resolved that it is their utmost responsibility to uphold the rights and freedoms of the families and individuals they represent and that they believe as elected representatives of Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes July 5, 2022 Page 19 the people of Edmonds, they have a special responsibility to speak out against discrimination against any residents and chose to be a leader in protecting human rights, equity, public safety and social wellbeing. Councilmember L. Johnson continued, after Friday’s decision, many in the community were terrified about their and their family members, friends and neighbors’ safety and wellbeing. Now more than ever as stated in the Safe City Resolution, the council, as elected representatives of the people of Edmonds, have a special responsibility to speak out against discrimination against any residents and choose to be leaders by protecting human rights, equity, public safety and social wellbeing. The council owes it to those who are terrified about the loss of human rights to use their voice to call upon the state and federal government to codify these rights into the Washington State and United States Constitutions so that going forward the right to bodily autonomy and reproductive freedom is protected at the highest level and not threatened in the future. In this resolution, the council stands by those commitments and uses its collective voice to advocate for the restoration and preservation of reproductive freedom and choice. Councilmember Paine spoke in favor of the resolution, a resolution that directly impacts the most intimate decision a family makes, conversations that happen at the kitchen tables, on the phone, everywhere, conversations that need to be held with medical providers and others that a person trusts. These are not discussions for legislators who tell people they no longer have a choice. The Supreme Court’s ruling has undone the ability for people to seek clinical care because Casey v. Planned Parenthood was taken away. Roe v. Wade, access to safe, legal abortion care was taken away overnight. Not having the ability to get good counsel will put everyone at risk. There have been discussions about a national law outlawing abortion as soon as the next election. The Supreme Court has been packed with people who do not believe in choice. Having the state and federal constitutions recognize reproductive rights and freedom is absolutely essential so people continue to have access to clinical care for reproductive services and it is nobody else’s business. Councilmember Paine continued, what is proposed is not outrageous or out of line with what existed two weeks ago. The council has heard from a lot of people tonight and have received an equal amount or more emails on this topic. It has been overwhelmingly representative of the state’s positions of 80/20 or sometimes 90/10 in favor of preserving women’s right to access to care. She requested the council support the resolution. She noted domestic violence is an issue, abuse in the family dynamic is part of what needs to be discussed. Someone with a coercive, violent partner does not have a choice. She wanted to preserve these rights for individuals and families in the future. COUNCILMEMBER BUCKSHNIS MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCIL PRESIDENT OLSON, TO AMEND TO REMOVE SECTION 4 WHICH ENGAGES THE EDMONDS POLICE DEPARTMENT IN PURSUIT OF INVESTIGATIONS RELATING TO PEOPLE SEEKING OR PROVIDING ABORTION, FINDING THAT OVERREACH. Councilmember Buckshnis commented this is a very difficult topic, she was old enough to know what happens; at 13 she was a hotel maid and saw what happens when someone tries to self-abort and it wasn’t pretty. She has prayed a lot on this, and it is important to understand the implications of what happened and why it is important for the council to make a statement at the city level to state legislators. She summarized Section 4 was too overreaching. Councilmember L. Johnson said this section is important; the State of Washington has already set the groundwork for this by issuing something similar to the Washington State Patrol (WSP). Edmonds has its own police department and it is appropriate to make such a statement regarding the City of Edmonds police department and not committing services in pursuit of any investigations related to people who are seeking or providing abortion care or reproductive health care services and it is not a public safety priority for the Edmonds community. Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes July 5, 2022 Page 20 Councilmember Paine pointed out Governor Inslee issued a directive to the WSP, but each community has their own police department and she did not believe this was not overreach or inappropriate to make a policy that this was the lowest priority in the police department. She encouraged councilmembers to support the declaration that pursuit of people coming to the community seeking reproductive health care services, abortion services or those investigations because that is not a public safety issue for Edmonds. Council President Olson said that was a section she wanted to rewrite as it appeared to order or direct the police department which is more of an administration issue. The section she included in one of her versions of the resolution stated the Edmonds City Council and Edmonds Police Department recognize and agree to the restrictions in RCW 9.02.100 prohibiting local law enforcement from penalizing, prosecuting or taking any adverse action against patients exercising their reproductive rights. Instead of the council ordering the police department, it would state the council and Edmonds Police Department support what is already state law. She liked the tone of that language better and suggested voting no on this amendment with a subsequent motion to add the alternative language. Councilmember Chen referred to section 4, commenting it was important to state the police department will not engage in criminalizing anyone seeking abortion services, but he wanted to ensure the language was clear about those seeking abortion services versus other crimes. He feared people would use this clause as a shelter for other wrongdoing. City Attorney Jeff Taraday said one option would be to reference state laws that protect those rights in RCW 9.02, but simply referencing that chapter does not say much. He was unsure if the drafters of section 4 intended for it to go above and beyond what the state is protecting in RCW 9.02. The council does not need to tell the police to protect a right that state law already protects; RCW 9.02.100 states, “The state may not deny or interfere with a pregnant individual’s right to choose to have an abortion prior to viability of the fetus or to protect the pregnant individual’s life or health.” The only possible ambiguity he saw was state law protects up to viability and also to protect the pregnant individual’s life or health; the language in section 4 is not limited in that way, but could easily be amended to apply that limitation. He was unsure that would achieve the drafters’ intent. Councilmember L. Johnson appreciated Council President Olson bringing up the Governor’s directive 22- 12, a directive to the WSP. She supported applying the wording in that directive to the City of Edmonds Police Department. Councilmember Paine also supported the inclusion of the Governor’s directive and the language in RCW 9.02 which was recently revised by the legislature to make abortion care access a lot broader. Council President Olson asked if the Governor’s directive applied to local law enforcement. Mr. Taraday answered it does not. One of the paragraphs in the June 30th press release from the Governor’s office states, “though the governor does not have jurisdiction over local law enforcement agencies, state law prohibits anyone including all state and local enforcement from penalizing, prosecuting or taking any adverse action against patients exercising their reproductive rights.” The Governor’s press release expressly states it does not have jurisdiction over local law enforcement agencies. Council President Olson pointed out the press release also states that state law prohibits penalizing, prosecuting or taking any adverse action against patients exercising their reproductive rights. She did not understand how both could be true. Mr. Taraday said the question it raises is if state law already prohibits anyone including all state and local enforcement from penalizing, prosecuting or taking any adverse action against patients exercising their reproductive rights, the purpose of the Governor’s directive is not clear. The directive describes what it does but he was unsure whether it was a real world impact or a symbolic thing. For example, the press release states, “The order directs the WSP to decline cooperation with most subpoenas, search warrants or court orders from states with laws that ban or significantly restrict abortion access. WSP must review and process such requests in conjunction with the Office of the Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes July 5, 2022 Page 21 Attorney General and Governor’s general counsel.” Mr. Taraday suggested if the council wanted to do something similar to the Governor’s order, they more closely copy the language used in the Governor’s order in the way that it references search warrants or court orders from states with laws that ban or significantly restrict abortion access as that is the meat of the Governor’s order. That may be what was intended by section 4, but section 4 does not exactly say that and he did not want to presume the authors’ intent. As one of authors of section 4, Councilmember L. Johnson said what the Governor wrote does a much better job of encapsulating the intent. Councilmember K. Johnson raised a point of order, advising Councilmember L. Johnson had already spoken twice on this subject. Councilmember L. Johnson agreed she had spoken twice and was simply clarifying the intent of the authors. COUNCILMEMBER L. JOHNSON MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCIL PRESIDENT OLSON, TO EXTEND TO 10:15. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. City Clerk Scott Passey restated the motion TO STRIKE SECTION 4. COUNCILMEMBER L. JOHNSON MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER PAINE, TO AMEND THE MOTION TO TAKE THE VERBIAGE IN THE GOVERNOR’S DIRECTIVE 22-12 THAT APPLIES TO THE WASHINGTON STATE PATROL AND ADOPT IT TO APPLY TO THE CITY OF EDMONDS POLICE DEPARTMENT WHICH INCLUDES THE RCW THAT WAS CITED WITHIN THE DIRECTIVE. UPON ROLL CALL, AMENDMENT CARRIED (5-1), COUNCILMEMBERS CHEN, BUCKSHNIS, PAINE, L. JOHNSON AND COUNCIL PRESIDENT OLSON VOTING YES; COUNCILMEMBER K. JOHNSON VOTING NO. Because the last amendment the council voted on was not a full insertion of language, Mr. Taraday asked if the intent was for the resolution to come back on consent next week so he could draft language that was in the spirit of the motion for the council’s review prior to a final vote. If not, more work would be necessary to ensure he got the language right. Council President Olson pointed out next week is committee night and asked if it would be possible to work on the wording now. Mr. Taraday said he was trying to capture the spirit of the discussion as well as be mindful that the council was a legislative body speaking to a police department; in the Governor’s situation, it is the executive branch speaking to its own law enforcement agency. For that reason he suggested the following, “With the passage of this resolution, the Edmonds City Council requests the City of Edmonds Police Department to decline cooperation with most subpoenas, search warrants or court orders from states with laws that ban or significantly restrict abortion access.” Councilmember L. Johnson said the Governor’s directive states, refrain from providing any cooperation or assistance whatsoever to any out of state law enforcement agency, public entity or private party if the matter concerns abortion-related conduct or other reproductive health and establish a process in conjunction. Mr. Taraday observed she was looking at the actual directive, he was looking at the press release which is a shorthand version of the directive. Councilmember L. Johnson said the actual directive does a thorough job of encapsulating the intent of the original section 4. Her motion was to take the language from the directive and adopt it for the City of Edmonds. Mr. Taraday asked if it would work to reference directive 22-12 and add that the council requests the Edmonds Police Department follow the Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes July 5, 2022 Page 22 directions provided in the Directive of the Governor 22-12. Councilmember L. Johnson said that would be acceptable to her, but was unsure about the rest of the council. Council President Olson agreed that would be simpler and better. Councilmember Buckshnis raised a point of order, asking about parliamentary procedure since the council already voted. Mr. Taraday suggested another motion to amend to tighten up the spirit of what was previously voted on by expressly referencing 22-12 which may be more consistent with Councilmember L. Johnson’s motion. Councilmember L. Johnson clarified she referenced the directive, not the press release and the council voted on the directive, not the press release. Her motion was to have the directive worded to apply to the City of Edmonds Police Department. Mr. Taraday asked if her request was for the mayor to issue a directive to the police department. If he directly translated the directive, that’s what it would be. Councilmember L. Johnson appreciated that Mr. Taraday was asking for clarity; that would be acceptable to her, but the council would need to vote on it. As Councilmember L. Johnson began to make a motion, Councilmember Buckshnis raised a point of order, commenting this would be a reconsideration as the content of what the council voted on was being changed. Mr. Taraday agreed it could be characterized as a reconsideration if someone on the prevailing side wanted to do that. At the end of the day, he was not sure what the council just voted on, which was why he brought this up. COUNCILMEMBER PAINE MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCIL PRESIDENT OLSON, FOR RECONSIDERATION REGARDING SECTION 4 OF THIS RESOLUTION. WITH THE PASSAGE OF THIS RESOLUTION, THE EDMONDS CITY COUNCIL REQUESTS THE EDMONDS POLICE DEPARTMENT REFRAIN FROM PROVIDING ANY COOPERATION OR ASSISTANCE WHATSOEVER TO ANY OUT OF STATE LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY, PUBLIC ENTITY OR PRIVATE PARTY IF THE MATTER CONCERNS ABORTION RELATED CONDUCT OR OTHER REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE SERVICES THAT ARE LAWFUL IN WASHINGTON, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, DECLINING TO COOPERATE WITH AN OUT OF STATE SUBPOENA, SEARCH WARRANT OR COURT ORDER THAT HAS NOT BEEN DOMESTICATED IN THE STATE OF WASHINGTON. Councilmember Buckshnis raised a point of order, suggesting the council vote on the reconsideration before the amendment. Mr. Taraday agreed. Councilmember Paine restated the motion: TO RECONSIDER THE MOTION. MOTION TO RECONSIDER CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. COUNCILMEMBER PAINE MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER L. JOHNSON, WITH PASSAGE OF THIS RESOLUTION, THE EDMONDS CITY COUNCIL REQUESTS THE EDMONDS POLICE DEPARTMENT REFRAIN FROM PROVIDING ANY COOPERATION OR ASSISTANCE WHATSOEVER TO ANY OUT-OF-STATE LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY, PUBLIC ENTITY OR PRIVATE PARTY IF THE MATTER CONCERNS ABORTION-RELATED CONDUCT OR OTHER REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE OR SERVICES THAT ARE LAWFUL IN WASHINGTON, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO DECLINING TO COOPERATE WITH AN OUT-OF-STATE SUBPOENA, SEARCH WARRANT, OR COURT ORDER THAT HAS NOT BEEN DOMESTICATED IN WASHINGTON. Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes July 5, 2022 Page 23 Councilmember Buckshnis said she was not sure where this language came from. She had not read it in any of the materials and therefore would not support it. Council President Olson recalled a comment by the city attorney to have the mayor direct staff rather than the council asking the police department. Mr. Taraday said the motion contains the word “request” versus “direct,” a key distinction. The council should not direct employees to do anything. Council President Olson said an earlier version referred to a City of Edmonds policy which may be more appropriate and stronger. She asked if the maker of motion would make that change, to reference City of Edmonds policy. Councilmember K. Johnson said she was also concerned with the language. She wondered if it would be preferable to direct the mayor to ask the police department because the council can tell the mayor what to do but cannot tell his staff what to do. As the executive, the mayor takes direction from the city council. Mr. Taraday clarified the council adopts policy; where that policy is in the form of a law, the mayor is tasked with enforcing the laws of the City. An independently elected mayor does not have the same relationship to the council as a city manager who reports to the city council. Councilmember K. Johnson asked if the council could make it the policy of City to fit within that chain of command. Mr. Taraday said that was similar to the motion that Council President Olson was contemplating by including the word “policy” in the motion. Councilmember K. Johnson asked if Mr. Taraday could craft that language. Mr. Taraday said one option would be, “With the passage of this resolution, it shall be the policy of the City of Edmonds to refrain from providing any cooperation or assistance whatsoever to any out-of-state law enforcement agency, public entity or private party if the matter concerns abortion-related conduct or other reproductive health care or services that are lawful in Washington including but not limited to declining to cooperate without any out-of-state subpoena, search warrant or court order that has not been domesticated in Washington.” Councilmember K. Johnson offered that language to keep the mayor, council and staff in its proper order. COUNCILMEMBER L. JOHNSON MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER PAINE, TO EXTEND TO 10:30. MOTION CARRIED (5-1) COUNCILMEMBER K. JOHNSON VOTING NO. Mr. Taraday restated the pending amendment: AMEND SECTION 4 TO READ AS FOLLOWS: “WITH THE PASSAGE OF THIS RESOLUTION, IT SHALL BE THE POLICY OF THE CITY OF EDMONDS TO REFRAIN FROM PROVIDING ANY COOPERATION OR ASSISTANCE WHATSOEVER TO ANY OUT- OF-STATE LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY, PUBLIC ENTITY OR PRIVATE PARTY IF THE MATTER CONCERNS ABORTION-RELATED CONDUCT OR OTHER REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE OR SERVICES THAT ARE LAWFUL IN WASHINGTON INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO DECLINING TO COOPERATE WITHOUT ANY OUT-OF-STATE SUBPOENA, SEARCH WARRANT OR COURT ORDER THAT HAS NOT BEEN DOMESTICATED IN WASHINGTON.. AMENDMENT CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. UPON ROLL CALL, MAIN MOTION AS AMENDED CARRIED (6-0), COUNCILMEMBERS K. JOHNSON, CHEN, BUCKSHNIS, PAINE AND L. JOHNSON AND COUNCIL PRESIDENT OLSON VOTING YES. 3. ORDINANCE REPEALING OR AMENDING CERTAIN CHAPTERS OF ECC TITLE 4 LICENSES AND ADDING A NEW CHAPTER RELATED TO SPECIAL EVENT PERMITS (Previously Consent Agenda Item 8.7) Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes July 5, 2022 Page 24 City Clerk Scott Passey said he asked Council President Olson to pull this from consent as he received late breaking information from the development services department about retaining chapter 4.80 related to aircraft landing permits. COUNCIL PRESIDENT OLSON MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER L. JOHNSON, FOR ADOPTION OF THE PROPOSED ORDINANCE AND STRIKING THE REPEAL OF CHAPTER 4.80. Councilmember K. Johnson asked if this was related to handheld aviation devices. Mr. Passey said he was not sure what it relates to; there was apparently reference in the code to chapter 4.80 in a few places and staff felt to be safe, they wanted to keep it in the code for the time being and strike it later if necessary. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. Council President Olson referred to the citizen comment about unopened rights-of-way. She asked if that was on the fee schedule. This has been on the agenda no fewer than six times and that wasn’t something that came up. She acknowledged the citizens comment, it will be looked at and brought back for amendment if necessary. COUNCILMEMBER PAINE MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER L. JOHNSON, TO ADOPT ORDINANCE NO. 4269, AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF EDMONDS, WASHINGTON, PROVIDING FOR THE REPEAL OF OR AMENDMENT TO CERTAIN CHAPTERS OF TITLE 4 ECC LICENSES AND THE AND ADOPTION OF A NEW CHAPTER TO TITLE 4 ECC RELATING TO SPECIAL PERMITS, PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY AND SETTING AN EFFECTIVE DATE, AS AMENDED. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. 4. CITY OF LYNNWOOD/MEADOWDALE PARK ILA 2022 EXPENDITURE REQUEST Council President Olson relayed Councilmember K. Johnson’s interest in this going back to committee. Parks, Recreation, Cultural Arts & Human Services Director Angie Feser advised this was pretty complicated and it may be best to take it back to committee. She recommended it be considered in conjunction with the anticipated renewal of the 2025 deadline on the entire ILA. 3. OPEN PUBLIC MEETINGS ACT (OPMA) TRAINING (PART 2) Due to the late hour, this item was postponed to a future meeting. 10. MAYOR'S COMMENTS Mayor Nelson thanked everyone who came to the 4th of July parade, the Edmonds Chamber of Commerce for putting it together, and City staff for their support. It was great to see the new police bike patrol and well as South County Fire’s bike patrol. He thanked those who refrained from lighting off fireworks, acknowledging some were disappointed the City did not have official, authorized fireworks this year. He was confident fireworks would return to the redone Civic Park next year. 11. COUNCIL COMMENTS Councilmember Chen expressed appreciation for everyone’s input in the process. As we celebrate the birth of the nation, remember we are all here because of one idea, treasuring freedom. The 4th of July is a big celebration to carry on that spirit. Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes July 5, 2022 Page 25 Councilmember Buckshnis commented everyone had a good time at the 4th of July parade. She was shocked and saddened to hear what happened in Highland Park, an area she used to visit, commenting it was unfortunate people will shoot up a 4th of July parade. She appreciated everyone who contacted her about Roe v. Wade, noting it is a very complicated issue due to financial implications and abortions related to domestic violence, incest, domination, etc. Council President Olson recognized the different times that various members of our society have gain their freedom. She looked forward to a day when the 4th of July can be celebrated as freedom for everyone and appreciating everyone’s freedoms. There was a fair amount of fireworks in spite of the ban and she hoped in the future the community would embrace the ban as fireworks are very dangerous and a fire hazard. She thanked Ms. Feser for being professionally dressed and ready to go for her agenda item. Councilmember Paine thanked everyone involved in the great 4th of July celebration. It was a wonderful time, and it was great to have the parade back and people downtown. It sounded a bit like a war zone on the 4th of July; she preferred a more silent 4th of July celebration instead of the booms and bangs, particularly after the semi-automatic gunfire that Highland Park experienced during their parade. There has to be something better for people to do and there needs to be a better way to treat people before they do that. Councilmember L. Johnson thanked everyone who came out tonight and/or emailed the council to share their concerns, fears and personal stories. It is not an easy topic for anyone and she appreciated those who were willing to be vulnerable, share and advocate for what they believe is right. She shared her feelings of deep sadness for the six people who were shot and killed in Highland Park at a parade celebrating the idea of freedom from oppressive rule. It is an idea because not everyone is free. That speaks volumes about the state of the nation and the work left to do when people can be shot and killed while celebrating freedom. 12. ADJOURN With no further business, the council meeting was adjourned at 10:29 p.m.