Loading...
2024-02-06 Council MinutesEDMONDS CITY COUNCIL MEETING APPROVED MINUTES February 6, 2024 ELECTED OFFICIALS PRESENT Mike Rosen, Mayor Vivian Olson, Council President Chris Eck, Councilmember Will Chen, Councilmember Neil Tibbott, Council President Michelle Dotsch, Councilmember Susan Paine, Councilmember Jenna Nand, Councilmember 1. CALL TO ORDER/FLAG SALUTE STAFF PRESENT Susan McLaughlin, Planning & Dev. Dir. Leif Bjorback, Building Official Jeff Taraday, City Attorney Scott Passey, City Clerk Jerrie Bevington, Camera Operator The Edmonds City Council meeting was called to order at 7 pm by Mayor Rosen in the Council Chambers, 250 5t' Avenue North, Edmonds, and virtually. The meeting was opened with the flag salute. 2. LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Councilmember Chen 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. 4. PRESENTATIONS 1. LUNAR NEW YEAR EDMONDS PROCLAMATION Mayor Rosen read a proclamation proclaiming February 10, 2024 as the date of the City's Lunar New Year celebration for the Year of the Wood Dragon. Karen Mei Butler, President, Multicultural Association of Edmonds, relayed the Multicultural Association Board's thanks to Mayor Rosen and the City for the proclamation recognizing the importance of the Lunar New Year holiday. Their Lunar New Year celebration seeks to recognize, amplify and celebrate the distinctive diversity of Asian Americans in Edmonds and share in celebration with their fellow community. These shared experiences are important to see humanity in each other. Proclamations and events ensure all members of the community feel seen and heard so everyone can see themselves in the actions and events of the City. She thanked the City for supporting the event. Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes February 6, 2024 Page 1 Ms. Butler continued, the Lunar New Year celebration this Saturday in partnership with the City of Edmonds and Edmonds Center for the Arts (ECA) will be a full day, free, community event starting at noon with the Mak Fai Lion Dance, Massive Monkees Breakdancing, Northwest Wushu Performance and screening of the movie, "She Marches in China Town" about the Seattle Girls Community Drill Team followed by a Q&A with Director Della Chen and one of the members. The City is putting on a Lunar New Year Market at Civic Field from 2-6 pm. Tickets are available at lunarnewyearedmonds.com for an evening event that will include a CHIME band, Chinese American Bear and Massive Monkees Breakdancing. She has heard that boba squishier will be given out during the concert. She encouraged everyone to join in these events, commenting these shared experiences help bridge gaps in the community. There will also be Year of the Dragon merchandise for sale at the events. 2. HEARING EXAMINER ANNUAL REPORT Hearing Examiner Phil Olbrechts relayed six hearing examiner decisions have been issued since his last annual report to the City Council in March, 2023. A couple of those projects drew some neighborhood concern and questions. Each decision is addressed in reverse chronological order below: Brackett Court Townhomes Unit Lot Subdivision (1/4/24): Approved unit lot subdivision, converting five duplex townhome buildings into fee simple lots at 23220 Edmonds Way. Conversion didn't change anything except ownership. The buildings were originally approved by the Architectural Design Board. The project drew no public comment. Involves change in ownership but little change in the impact to the community and little for the city to regulate. Edmonds is the only city he knew of that requires a hearing examiner process for this change. Edmonds Cooperative Preschool Conditional Use (12/13/23): Approved conditional use permit to operate a preschool in a portion of the existing Edmonds Presbyterian Church located at 22600 96th Avenue West. Two members of the public testified in support of the project, including an adjoining neighbor. No exterior modifications were proposed. Change of use on interior of building. Staff is working on removing daycare centers from the CUP requirement; many cities only require a staff approved CUP. Greenwalk Park Planned Residential Development. (11/27/23): Approved planned residential development at 540 and 550 Edmonds Way into 16-single family lots. The project drew some concern and questions regarding tree impacts, stormwater, traffic, construction noise and aesthetics. All of those concerns were individually addressed in the decision. As detailed in the decision, the City Council has adopted development standards that address all of the issues of neighborhood concern. NOVA Family Resource and Childcare Center Conditional Use (9/7/23): Approved conditional use permit and joint parking agreement to operate a daycare center in a portion of an existing building at 21010 76th Ave W. There was a public comment letter expressing concern over their perception that the joint use lot proposed for the clinic was already full. Applicant and staff testified that the joint use lot was observed to have sufficient capacity and met City parking standards. Pine Park Townhomes Preliminary Plat (8/10/23): Approved preliminary plat, converting three townhome buildings into 14 townhome lots composed of live/work units. Conversion didn't change anything except ownership. The buildings were originally approved by the Architectural Design Board. The project drew considerable public opposition. Neighbors misunderstood the City Council's prior rejection of unit lot plats in the BD district as a rejection of townhome development. Unit lot subdivisions enable townhome development by authorizing zero side yard setbacks between units. However, most parts of the BD district don't impose side yard setbacks so the unit lot subdivision process is not necessary to facilitate townhome development, i.e. the City's zoning code enables townhome development in the BD district without needing to use the unit lot review process. As with Brackett Court, Pine Park left little room for additional mitigation because the ADB had approved the original building design. Since the ADB had been tasked with assessing compliance with zoning code requirements, there was little left to address in the preliminary plat review process. Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes February 6, 2024 Page 2 Appeal of Notice of Notice of Violation — Street Tree Cutting (7/6/23) Denied appeal of Notice of Violation for unauthorized street tree cutting; upheld fine and corrective action (tree replacement). Defendant admitted to topping four street trees in front of his business at 155 3rd Ave S. The defendant did so without prior City approval in September 2020. By the time of the appeal hearing the trees had regrown a substantial amount. However, the City's tree arborist testified that the trees had been topped incorrectly. Because of this, she found that the trees were no longer structurally sound and would grow out of balance in an unaesthetic manner. The defendant's arborist testified in writing that he found the trees to be as healthy as they would be if they were crowned later when they approached overhead wiring. The defendant's arborist report did not assert that the defendant's topping method conformed to professional arborist cutting practices, Ms. Dill testified it did not. Council President Olson asked how final a hearing examiner ruling was, relaying her understanding there was no going back. She asked what recourse a person would have if it was later determined that facts were intentionally misrepresented to the hearing examiner. Mr. Olbrechts responded there has not been a case in Washington in the last few decades that involved a proven instance of fraudulent misrepresentation. There has been some indirect case law, and if outright fraud was determined a substantial amount of time later, there may be grounds for reopening the decision. In Edmond there is a 5 or 10 day time period to request reconsideration and 21 days to appeal that to court. If the appeal to court occurred in time, the issue of fraud could be raised and it would be a compelling reason for the court to reverse the decision. The case law in Washington is very strict; if one does not meet the 21 day appeal deadline to court for a local final decision, even if the decision is blatantly wrong, the court will not reopen it. In the case of fraud, particularly if it was by the applicant, the courts would be more willing to reopen. If not, there is the fact that all testimony is provided under oath and it is a criminal offense to knowingly misrepresent facts. The courts may impose punishment in that manner. Mr. Olbrechts continued, stating he keeps up with case law and had not seen anything in the last few years except for some indirect references that suggested it is possible to reopen a case due to fraud but it has not come up yet in Washington. Council President Olson acknowledged there is a short window. Mr. Olbrechts agreed it was within 21 days or the 5 or 10 day period in Edmonds to request reconsideration. Beyond that, one would be breaking new ground and would have to convince the court of an issue of first impression to go beyond the 21 days due to fraudulent conduct. Councilmember Nand thanked Mr. Olbrechts for his sensitivity in explaining the case law in developments and handling these hearings for the City, recognizing administrative law can be very challenging when dealing with members of the public. 3. MIKE BAILEY FINANCIAL RECOVERY PROJECT PRESENTATION Mayor Rosen introduced Financial Consultant Mike Bailey who is serving as Chair of the Blue Ribbon Panel that he appointed. Mr. Bailey presented regarding the City's Financial Recovery Project, explained he is working with Mayor Rosen to look at financial challenges that have emerged over the last few years. He has worked with the City in a variety of respects over the past several years all related to the City's finances, in recent years related to the council's consideration of budget priorities. He has a long history of working with cities in the northwest, most recently as the finance director in the City of Redmond which he left in 2018 and 3 years with Municipal Research Services Center (MRSC) working with cities on projects and problems similar to that facing Edmonds. He also works with the National Association of Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) on this type of issue as well as providing training. He was a CPA in the past, but has retired his CPA license. Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes February 6, 2024 Page 3 Mr. Bailey commented on the significant economic disruption (Great Recession) in 2008-2010 that affected many cities in the northwest; about 10% of Redmond's budget was impacted by the Great Recession. Redmond developed this grid that was used to share information regarding where the city was financially. It is an interesting visual that characterizes the nature of where the city is and what should be done. He recalled in Redmond, the council was very interested in ensuring the city was fiscally well managed and wanted to help which he appreciated. The indications along the bottom are when things were normal, could be addressed administratively or needed council action. The arrow indicates where he believes Edmonds is now; at some point council action will be required to restore the City's fiscal long-term health. o a E m w m m E o m E O O� tD m m 9 O Z O C fn 0 C O o CO � aD I O O U 2a 0 Q L L a Ecan p O at do C� J = 3.0 _ ,t U-'L Normal Ad ministrative Action Council Action Mr. Bailey reviewed: • Budget Reporting — City of Edmonds — 2024 o Deterioration in fund balance over past two+ years ■ Declaration of a fiscal emergency in October 2023 ■ Significant use of one-time funds to balance budget ■ Systemic concerns with costs and revenues trajectory ■ Many "easy" remedies already in use • Fiscal First Aid — a GFOA Resource o A Twelve Step Recovery Program ■ GFOA's Process for Recovery from Financial Distress Stages of Financial Recovery Bridging Reform Transform 10 Recovery Leadership 1 Recogn¢e 11 Manage Recovery Program 2 Mobilize 7 R p Long -Tenn Financial Planning t Generic ncY 3 Trealmenls B Longer -Term Therapies a^vial*tes%,, m P^ DtnUo�\Financial asQ O2 Suatainability ii 5 Fiscal First Aid h _ ," Bankruptcy. Receivership p 13 Time ♦ ' ...... Decline DisUess Stabilization Recovery Stages of Financial Condition Recovery Process Overview Bridge Reform o Bridging ■ Recognize / mobilize Transform Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes February 6, 2024 Page 4 ■ Survive / Stabilize ■ Diagnose (confirm the nature of the problems) ■ Apply retrenchment tactics ■ Develop Recovery program o Reforming ■ Execute recovery plan - Monitor, manage, adjust ■ Develop long-term strategies - Begin implementation of strategy ■ Develop long term financial plan o Transforming ■ Institutionalize long term financial planning - From once a year or occasionally to a way of life ■ Explore new methods to deliver service ■ Become financially resilient ■ Budgeting for Outcomes Blue Ribbon Panel o Mayor appointed ■ Community based with fiscal expertise ■ Will use the GFOA Fiscal First Aid to develop recommendations ■ First meeting was January 29 - Reporting out periodically via mayor o Anticipate report prior to work on next budget Generic (initial) Treatments o Hiring "freeze" (open positions thoroughly vetted by mayor before filling) o Mr. Bailey's initial recommendations: ■ No amendments to General Fund budget yet ■ Scrutiny of any large purchases (>$1,000) prior to commitment by mayor's office ■ Developing detailed cash -flow ■ Revising monthly report for council & public Councilmember Tibbott referred to Mr. Bailey's recommendation to revise monthly reports and asked what that would entail. Monthly reports are typically reviewed at the finance committee meeting and quarterly reports are provided at council meetings. He asked if Mr. Bailey planned to suggest any changes to quarterly reports. Mr. Bailey responded his initial thoughts on the monthly reports are although investments and investment earnings are important, he would not have it as the front page. In his view, the front page should be about the health of the City's largest operating fund particularly given the current circumstances. He suggested looking closely at cash flow, fund balance and what's happening month to month in the General Fund in a very straightforward way. Some of the information the council is provided is very similar to the type of information he shared with councils. It can be simplified and standardized so the first few pages provide the critical information that the council needs to be very familiar with to help manage the City's fiscal affairs. Mr. Bailey continued, explaining in Redmond and in Renton, he provided a monthly report to the finance committee where deep dives would occur and a quarterly report to the full council where every councilmember had an opportunity to see the health of the city's various funds. He relayed his understanding there has been some interpretation of information in the quarterly report which he has discussed with Administrative Services Director Dave Turley. He recommended reinstating review of the quarterly reports and characterizing it as less generic with more focus on his role and expertise as the City's chief financial officer regarding what the report is saying and what he sees coming up that the council needs to be aware of or if things are in a good condition and there are no concerns. He recommended a quarterly Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes February 6, 2024 Page 5 report that is interpreted by the chief financial officer through the mayor's office that characterizes the current status of things and how that affects the City's financial condition moving forward. Councilmember Nand thanked Mr. Bailey and the members of Blue Ribbon Panel for sharing their expertise with the City. She applauded previous councils for their foresight in establishing a fiscal reserve policy and saving money in times of plenty. She recognized the world just went through a pandemic and is experiencing global inflation pressures. She assumed a lot of cities were facing some of the same fiscal policy challenges that Edmonds is. With regard to the hiring "freeze," Councilmember Nand observed there are certain critical departments in the City that are chronically understaffed such as the police department. She asked Mr. Bailey or Mayor Rosen to comment on bringing that department up to full staffed for public safety and how that would be done this year. Mayor Rosen responded there are openings in the police department and he is trying to keep that funnel filled. There are several officers in the academy who will be sworn in soon. The department tried to get a lateral person that was available from another city but missed that opportunity. A police department staff member announced their retirement today. He agreed police department staffing and keeping the community safe was important. Edmonds is not the only community suffering, there is a lot of competition for officers; Seattle has approximately 400 open positions. Mr. Bailey commented as a peer budget reviewer for GFOA, he reviews hundreds of budgets a year. There is a term being used, fiscal cliff, that is a common problem. He referred to the City of Seattle's budget challenges which are emblematic of problems across the state and across the country. Councilmember Chen thanked Mr. Bailey and the members of Blue Ribbon Panel. He recognized members of the panel in the audience including Carl Zapora, Darrol Haug and others. He appreciated their expertise and willingness to roll up their sleeves and help the City to get through these difficult financial times. With regard to financial policies, he recognized financial practices are driven by financial policies. As chair of finance committee, he is focusing on financial policies this year. He asked to what extent the blue ribbon panel would focus on financial policies. Mr. Bailey agreed financial policies are the council's opportunity to help create the guardrails that provide for future success. As was observed earlier, the fund balance policy is in good shape and he had no immediate concerns with it. There are a number other things the council may want to put in place to help guide the administration in future decisions and help inform future administrative and council decision. He looked forward to making some recommendations through the mayor's office and the blue ribbon panel and working with the council to consider policies to put the City in a better position to see these kinds of things coming and avoid them in the future. Councilmember Chen asked about the timeframe when recommendations will come to council. Mr. Bailey answered his hope and expectation was to have recommendations to the mayor and then to council by mid- year. There will be things the council wants to have in place in anticipation of the next budget season which is coming soon and give the council time to consider alternatives and arrive at the policies they think best represent the City's interests. He anticipated by April being able to suggest subject matters that may help preclude problems like this in the future. Councilmember Paine thanked Mr. Bailey and the entire blue ribbon panel who are doing this hard work. She observed there was a fairly large discussion coming up regarding the fire contract and no decision has been made yet. She asked, 1) will the blue ribbon panel look at that in the larger context of the City's financial health, and 2) will the blue ribbon panel make any recommendations or provide input regarding revenue options the council should consider for the future. She acknowledged the 2024 budget will be pretty tight and was concerned the 2025 budget will be very difficult. Mr. Bailey responded the contract with the regional fire authority (RFA) is a significant issue for a variety of reasons. He was aware the council had commissioned a study on that subject. While it is important to the blue ribbon panel's work, they do not want to duplicate that study with regard to recommendations, options, etc. The blue ribbon panel looks Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes February 6, 2024 Page 6 forward to recommendations from the study and is certainly discussing the implications of the recommendations, but does not to duplicate that work. Mr. Bailey continued, with regard to characterizing the challenge, the 2024 budget uses $6.2 million in federal grant funds to help pay for fire contract costs in 2024 as well as $3.2 million contra -account in anticipation of salary savings for vacant positions in the 2024 budget. Considering those two issues, which are the biggest issues in his mind from what he has seen so far, that is approximately a $10 million difference. He suggested it is not just a revenue issue or just an expenditure issue, but something that will require work on both ends of the budget. Councilmember Eck thanked Mr. Bailey and the blue ribbon panel for their work. She expressed appreciation for the work on monthly reports and the dedication to making this work visible for council, something that will be very important. She looked forward to seeing the monthly reports. Councilmember Dotsch thanked Mr. Bailey and the blue ribbon panel for their work. As the council will be undertaking a biennial budget process later this year, versus an annual budget, she asked Mr. Bailey to comment on the pros and cons of waiting until June to hear the blue ribbon panel's recommendations. Mr. Bailey appreciated the challenge facing the council with the next budget being the first biennial budget which is a factor in addressing the issues. In terms of timing, the blue ribbon panel is waiting on recommendations from the fire study as that information will be pivotal. He agreed it will be a tight window, the results of that study will be provided in April which is about when the budget process begins. One of the other challenges with a biennial budget is the City's financial systems which are decades old and present their own problems. All that will be happening at once and it will be a challenge to work through the timing of fire study report, getting information to council and commencing with the 2025-2026 budget. He said the blue ribbon panel will not waiting until June to provide information to mayor and through the mayor to council; he assumed the blue ribbon panel's work would culminate in June. Councilmember Dotsch asked about pros and cons of a biennial budget versus an annual budget, if one is better than the other. Mr. Bailey said one of the pros of a biennial budget is there is more flexibility in a 2- year budget. As the council works through ways to resolve the financial challenges, that flexibility will come in handy. At the same time, doing a 2-year budget, especially for the first time, will be messy and it takes some experience to get comfortable thinking differently with a 24-month window versus a 12-month window and understanding the nature of compounding things such as compensation which will change over the course of 24 months, sometimes more than once. A biennial budget is a more complicated process which will present some challenges, particularly given the City's financial systems. He summarized there are pros and cons of a biennial and annual budgets. Council President Olson referred to the issue of a biennial budget, the longer period of time, doing that for the first time and it being messy. She anticipated there will be bigger adjustments mid -point because there are many unknowns going into that 2-year period. Mr. Bailey pointed out the law requires a mid -biennial review which is an opportunity to finetune and make any course corrections in the 24-month biennial budget that may be necessary. That law was a good thing because lots of things change such as compensation, health insurance rates, etc. The council will have an opportunity at the mid -biennium to address things that come up. He cautioned against turning that into another budget process which would undo the benefits of a biennial budget. The council can amend the budget at any point to resolve any identified concerns, but the mid -biennium is an opportunity to make the biannual budget work and be successful in the second year. Council President Olson thanked Mayor Rosen for having the foresight and wisdom to seek out Mr. Bailey and put him in charge of the blue ribbon panel. She was excited about the outcome. Councilmember Nand identified herself as the junior member of the finance committee. Looking at Mr. Bailey's recommendations, she was most excited about developing a detailed cash -flow. Before she joined Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes February 6, 2024 Page 7 the council, she had a concept of the General Fund like her Bank of America app where she could see how much money was in the account. Cash -flow reports will help get information to the council and the public quickly. Although she did not understand a lot about the GFOA and best practices, she recalled him saying mid -year budget amendments had been problematic over the last several years. That was something she was excited to see what the blue ribbon panel comes up with. 5. APPROVAL OF AGENDA COUNCIL PRESIDENT OLSON MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER PAINE, TO APPROVE THE AGENDA IN CONTENT AND ORDER. COUNCIL PRESIDENT OLSON MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER TIBBOTT, TO REMOVE COUNCIL BUSINESS ITEM 9.2, CRITICAL AQUIFER RECHARGE AREA CODE AMENDMENT, AT STAFF'S REQUEST. AMENDMENT CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. MAIN MOTION AS AMENDED CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. 6. AUDIENCE COMMENTS David Chan, Lynnwood, chair of the Asian Service Center, expressed appreciation for the proclamation regarding Lunar New Year which is celebrated by many Asian cultures and recognizes the significant number of people in the City who are celebrating with a fun event. He referenced the drum from the Lion Dance that gets people's ears ringing and the excitement of the other activities which are also educational for the general public. Lunar New Year is a major event for the Asian community. He wished the council and audience a bright year, the Year of the Dragon. The Lion Dance also scares off bad things and celebrates a new beginning. He referenced the red envelope given to councilmembers to bring luck for the year. Darrol Haug, Edmonds, thanked the council and Mayor Rosen for all they do for the city. He found the 2-day retreat amazing, commenting he has attended and viewed about 20 retreats over the last 24 years and this was among the finest. The desire for collaboration between the executive and legislative branches was very visible to the public. Sorting out priorities for the year will offer several challenges, first, creating a schedule for the major work and sorting out what the council needs to know before making decisions. He suggested creating and publishing a work plan calendar for the public as items posted on the extended agenda are very difficult for the public to find. Posting it in the packet on Friday for a Tuesday decision also makes it difficult for good public input. The council structured its committees to parallel city departments; there are more than 150 volunteers working on various boards and commission, and he questioned whether they were aligned to help the council get the information they need on a timely basis. He suggested the council may want to form additional public groups that are less formal than boards and commissions to work on topics such as finance, parks, public works and public safety ideas. As that discussion would exceed the three minutes allowed for audience comments and the word count for written comments, he sent detailed information to each councilmember. Linda Ferkingstad, Edmonds, explained they purchased property in Edmonds seven years ago hoping to live there and still haven't been able to. She welcomed new councilmembers and Mayor Rosen and looked forward to their input and prayed they would stand up for the constitutional rights of all citizens, landowners, and taxpayers in Edmonds as they swore to do when they took office. Give us your money, your trees, and the rights to all property shaded by the trees; these are the city's requirements for a permit to divide their 1.2 acres into 3 lots for her parents and themselves. Over $106,000 in illegal extortion for the worth of trees needing removal for their homes, plus signing away the rights to all retained trees on their property title and the land beneath their canopies for protection by the city forever. They planned to retain 35% of the trees, resulting in 65% canopy coverage on the largest lot, 39% on the next lot and 30% on lot 2, positively contributing to the city's 30% tree canopy goal. Their treed property is at risk for wildfires. Seven years ago, prior to the purchase of the land, they presented Mike Clugston with a geotech Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes February 6, 2024 Page 8 report and survey and received his assurance there would be no problem dividing the property and building 4 homes as long as 30% of the trees were retained. They purchased the property in May 2017 after which Mr. Clugston told them the small corner labeled critical landslide prohibited any division. After two years to remove that corner, Kemen Lien asked why they didn't include the divisions in the same permit. They were shocked as Mr. Clugston had said that wasn't possible. Ms. Ferkingstad continued, in December 2019 when their engineers were to submit plans for division, council passed an emergency moratorium on division applications so they could limit landowners' rights to trees on their properties with a tree ordinance. The tree ordinance passed after nearly a year and many comments by her at city council meetings. They submitted their application for division in December 2021; all aspects except for the trees have been approved as of December 2022, over a year ago. They still haven't done enough; they are required to obtain appraisals of all trees on the property that will end up only protected by the city, $48,000. Their fee in lieu limit was met, but they are required to submit a replanting plan on their unplantable land which is all critical area now. The seven years of the city's bait and switch has damaged their family, material prices have skyrocketed, her mother passed away and her 89-year old father has moved into their house full of stairs. It is not affordable living in Edmonds. All Edmonds properties with trees have been devalued by the tree ordinance; who would buy a property that requires $106,000 just to get a permit to divide it and then lose rights to 65% of it? She begged the council to restore their constitutional rights on their property as she would like to be able to build a home that her parents can live in. 7. RECEIVED FOR FILING 1. WRITTEN PUBLIC COMMENTS 8. APPROVAL OF CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS COUNCIL PRESIDENT OLSON MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER TIBBOTT, TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. The agenda items approved are as follows: 1. APPROVAL OF SPECIAL MEETING/AUDIT EXIT MINUTES JANUARY 11, 2024 2. APPROVAL OF REGULAR MEETING MINUTES JANUARY 23, 2024 3. ORDINANCE CREATING A SUMMER RECESS TO COUNCIL'S REGULAR MEETING SCHEDULE 4. COUNCIL CONFIRMATION OF TREE BOARD APPOINTMENTS 9. COUNCIL BUSINESS TITLE 19 BUILDING AND FIRE CODES Planning & Development Director Susan McLaughlin provided an introduction, advising some of this is procedural; the City is mandated to adopt the state required elements of the building code. She directed council's attention to the optional appendix that include separation of demolition construction waste for residential and commercial and solar ready provisions which are consistent with the comprehensive plan and the climate action plan. Staff is seeking council support to move this to the consent agenda at the next opportunity. Building Official Leif Bjorback reviewed: • State of Washington Building Codes Adopted as of March 15, 2024 0 2021 International Building Code 0 2021 International Residential Code 0 2021 International Mechanical Code Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes February 6, 2024 Page 9 0 2021 International Fuel Gas Code 0 2021 International Fire Code 0 2021 International Existing Building Code 0 2021 International Property Maintenance Code 0 2021 International Code Council Performance Code 0 2021 Washington State Energy Code 0 2021 Uniform Plumbing Code 0 2021 International Swimming Pool and Spa Code 0 2021 International Wildland Urban Interface Code o Current National Electrical Code o WA State Amendments as applicable o Building codes are adopted by ordinance in Edmonds Community Development Code Title 19 Building Code - Commercial 0 2021 IBC Significant Changes ■ Some examples: - New section regulating Puzzle Rooms - Changes to Height and Area sections for Mass Timber construction - Accessibility changes to require automatic door openers on certain occupancies; and increased floor spaces to accommodate larger wheelchairs - Updates to Concrete design requirements - State requires EV Charging in most occupancies - New provisions for Shipping Containers used as buildings o Construction and Demolition Material Management ■ 2021 IBC Optional Appendix P (Not mandatory unless adopted by City) - Purpose: To increase the reuse and recycling of construction and demolition materials - Applies to: 13 New buildings Alterations over 750 SF or $75,000 valuation 13 Demolition over 750 SF or $75,000 valuation - Requirements: • Separate containers for recyclable and non- recyclable materials • Salvage Assessment of materials being removed • Waste Diversion Report at completion Residential Building Code 0 2021 IRC Significant Changes ■ EV Charging in all new homes with garage (State am. to IRC) ■ Structural requirement changes for wall and roof framing ■ Wind speeds updated for structural design ■ New chapter added by state for existing structures ■ New provisions for Shipping Containers used as houses o Solar Ready Provisions ■ 2021 IRC Optional Appendix T (Not mandatory unless adopted by City) - Applies to: 13 New construction • With at least 600 SF of roof area • Oriented within 110' and 270' of true north - Exceptions: 13 Solar ready provisions are not required if • A permanent on -site solar system is installed • Roof is shaded - Requirements: Minimum 300 SF Solar Ready Zone Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes February 6, 2024 Page 10 13 No obstructions 13 Capped electrical sleeve thru roof 13 Electrical service reserved space o Construction and Demolition Material Management ■ 2021 IRC Optional Appendix Y (Not mandatory unless adopted by City) - Purpose: To increase the reuse and recycling of construction and demolition materials - Applies to: 13 New homes 13 Alterations over 750 SF or $75,000 valuation 13 Demolition over 750 SF or $75,000 valuation - Requirements: • Separate containers for recyclable and non- recyclable materials • Salvage Assessment of materials being removed • Waste Diversion Report at completion Proposed Title 19 Updates o ECDC 19.00 Building Code ■ Updated from 2018 to 2021 version of each published code ■ Permit timelines increased for applications and permit life ■ Minor amendments for code clarification and cleanup o ECDC 19.05 Residential Code ■ IRC FS Fire Area calc now includes garage o ECDC 19.25 Fire Code ■ Codification of some South County Fire standards Energy Code - Regulatory Requirement o In the 2009-10 session, the Washington State Legislature passed a law that requires construction permitted under the 2031 state energy code achieve a 70% percent reduction in annual net energy consumption, compared to construction permitted under the 2006 Washington state energy code. Residential Energy Code 0 2021 WSEC Significant Changes ■ Air Leakage ■ Attic Insulation ■ Wall Insulation ■ Heating and Cooling Systems ■ Water Heating ■ Lighting ■ Efficiency Package Credits ■ Existing Buildings Commercial Energy Code o 2021 WSEC Significant Changes ■ Building Envelope ■ Mechanical Systems ■ Water Heating ■ Electrical Power & Lighting ■ Solar Readiness ■ On -site Renewable Energy ■ Efficiency Package Credits ■ Existing Buildings Commercial Energy Code o Solar Readiness Now required in multifamily buildings and commercial buildings (new and significantly altered) Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes February 6, 2024 Page 11 ■ Size of solar zone determined as % of roof area ■ Requires providing capacity in electrical panel, route for future wiring, roof penetration sleeve for solar ready zones International Wildland Urban Interface Code o WUI Code - adopted by state ■ Purpose: To mitigate the risk of wildland fire spreading to structures and from structure fires spreading to wildland areas ■ Construction Requirements: - Ignition resistant 13 Roofs • Eaves • Siding • Glazing • Vents • Decks - Spark arrestor on chimney - Landscape/ vegetation management - Defensible space - Fire access City of Edmonds Wildland Urban Interface Areas WNNWOOD • ��� Ed.9DNU5 moo', w �� � MOUNTU" nNACE M, o • Timeline o City Council approval of updated Title 19: February 2024 o State adoption of 2021 WSEC and all 2021 Building Codes: WS Building Code Council ■ Applies to projects applied for on or after the effective date: March 15, 2024 Mr. Bjorback referred to a conversation with Council President Olson over email about the possibility of one oversight being addressed as an amendment. He referred to packet page 76, 19.00.020 International Building Code adopted, and requested council consider adding Appendix P to the list of appendix chapters which was omitted as an oversight. Appendix P is the Materials Management appendix presented in the slides. COUNCIL PRESIDENT OLSON MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER NAND, TO ADD APPENDIX P. Council President Olson commented she is passionate about solid waste management so she was excited about Appendix P and wanted to ensure it was included. She observed the appendix related to commercial Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes February 6, 2024 Page 12 materials management was already included. Mr. Bjorback answered Appendix P is related to commercial, the other two related to residential were already included. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. COUNCIL PRESIDENT OLSON MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER TIBBOTT, TO HAVE THE CITY ATTORNEY MOVE THE PACKAGE OF CODES IN THE PACKET FOR APPROVAL ON A FUTURE CONSENT AGENDA. Councilmember Nand commented this was an exciting presentation, especially with so many interfaces between the code updates and public safety and residential safety. She was an early adopter of an EV and remembered her long cord being a trip hazard in her apartment building. With differences between 120 volt and 240, people use unsafe adapters that can create fire hazards. Amendments are a necessary adoption and are low cost compared to the lives and property that can be saved. She referred to Appendix T, permanent on -site solar system, and asked if staff saw any movement toward mandating the inclusion of a house battery to increase storage. She recognized the cost savings to the property owner, commenting grid integrity and extreme weather events in the future, being able to store energy would be beneficial system wide. Mr. Bjorback said he has not seen any movement to include that in any code packages. The building codes have regulations related to storage systems within a structure, but they are not mandated. Councilmember Nand echoed Council President Olson's comments, she was also excited by the salvage assessment in view of how much waste there is in commercial construction. Councilmember Paine commented she had an early preview of staff s presentation to the climate protection committee. She was very excited to see these amendments, noting they are directly applicable to the climate action plan. The wildlife requirements are very applicable to resiliency that is needed due to the climate crisis worsening year by year. With regard to the wildland fire potential, she asked if that would be updated based on science as things continue to warm up and water becomes more scarce. Ms. McLaughlin referred to the WUI code, explaining that methodology was created by the state and updates will be done by the state and implemented at the city level. Councilmember Chen observed solar readiness required 300 square feet of area for a solar panel. The City and state are currently working on regulations related to detached dwelling units (DADU), and asked if there consideration was given to exempting DADUs from this requirement as they will be much smaller structures. Ms. McLaughlin answered the state will mandate the size of an ADU, it cannot be smaller than 1,000 square feet; that roof area would still provide 300 square feet although she recognized there were exceptions. Mr. Bjorback responded the appendix has size limits for town homes; instead of 300 square feet, it is 150 square feet so it is proportional to the unit size. With regard to the solar readiness area required for commercial projects, it is based on a percentage of the roof area. Councilmember Chen asked if any clarification was needed to the code as proposed or was that already covered. Mr. Bjorback answered the regulations cover when and what is required. If the council adopts Title 19 as amended and proposed tonight, that appendix will be part of the package as a requirement. Councilmember Chen observed the presentation refers to updating 2019 standards to 2021, but this is 2024. He asked if the City was three years behind. Mr. Bjorback answered it is typically a three year code update process. The model code as published by the International Code Council (ICC) goes from 2018 to 2021, the next update will be in 3 years or 2024 and so on. In the last couple of code cycles, the State of Washington made an effort to integrate Washington State amendments within the International Code. The slide related to timeline states Washington State Building Code which is the result of the state collaborating with the publishers at the national level. Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes February 6, 2024 Page 13 Councilmember Chen relayed his understanding of Mr. Bjorback's explanation that three years behind was normal. Mr. Bjorback answered it wasn't normal, but this was the first couple cycles where the state has taken time to do additional publishing. Getting the state version published takes much longer than just adopting it the following year like has traditionally been done. This year there were also delays due to amendments at the state level in the Energy Code as well as the Wildland Interface Code. There are still discussion on the Wildland Interface Code related to what the state will adopt. That should not make the council nervous about adopting at the City level because whatever the state ends up with, the City will fall into line with whatever the state decides. Ms. McLauglin clarified the City of Edmonds is not behind, it is normal to follow the state's timeline; the state's process has been a little slow. Councilmember Dotsch referred to the background/history in the agenda memo that states the Title 19 update proposal was presented to committee last year. The City's code is required to be updated to adopt the state code and the optional codes are being presented for the first time. Mr. Bjorback answered the optional codes are the appendixes that are optional until adopted by the jurisdiction. The appendixes have not changed since they were presented to the PSPHSP committee in September. Councilmember Dotsch referred to the agenda memo which states some Edmonds -specific amendments were made. Mr. Bjorback explained after the committee forwarded the amendments to the consent agenda, the planning & development department decided to take more time to smooth out the transition of the fire codes that were brought forward and used previously as standards. The amendments warranted more time and staff took that extra time to ensure they were well integrated. Councilmember Dotsch observed the state requirements in one section and then there are optional Edmonds requirements. She asked if the motion was related to two different amendments or the complete package that includes all the options. Mr. Bjorback answered the entire slide show and Title 19 as provided in the packet. Councilmember Dotsch observed this is the first time she has seen the optional items. It appears solar readiness is required for commercial but residential is optional. Mr. Bjorback agreed that was true for solar readiness. Councilmember Dotsch observed the Edmonds -specific amendment states if a residential roof is shaded it is not required. That seems subjective such as a tree in a neighbor's yard, a deciduous tree that provides shade in the summer, or other things that change. She asked where that wording came from. Mr. Bjorback answered that appendix is published as an optional appendix in the model code. It is there for the city to adopt if the city chooses. Councilmember Dotsch asked whether that was Edmonds -specific language. Ms. McLaughlin answered the exceptions are in the model state code as optional appendixes for cities to adopt. The state said cities can adopt that as an optional appendix and wanted there to be exceptions for houses in shade. There is some level of discretion when everything is not explicitly written out in code which is when the City utilizes internal protocols and practices such as asking for a shade study. Councilmember Dotsch commented with efforts to make residential construction less expensive, that seems to add a burden of cost to the builder, especially for DADUs. Ms. McLaughlin answered in computer aided design, shade studies are a click of a button to determine whether a structure will be shaded. Staff does not think the 300 square feet of clear roof space would be onerous. Councilmember Dotsch observed it would affect design, roof angles, location of a skylight, etc., creating extra burden on single family versus commercial. She asked the additional cost for residential with the optional provisions related to separating waste and solar readiness. Ms. McLaughlin answered with regard to a solar ready residential project, it is as much of a design decision as a cost implication. It may determine where a skylight is located to allow 300 square feet. She did not view it as a cost implication. Mr. Bjorback said staff is hearing from inspectors and others in the industry that a lot of projects are already doing close to the standards in the appendixes as far as construction material management. It will require a little more intentionality to separate out materials and providing documentation to the City than what is occurring and a few notes on the plan set for the permit. Ms. Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes February 6, 2024 Page 14 McLaughlin added contractors are becoming more accustomed to doing that as jurisdictions across the region require it. Councihmember Dotsch commented the appendixes are specific to construction in Edmonds. COUNCILMEMBER DOTSCH MOVED TO AMEND THE MOTION TO NOT INCLUDE THE OPTIONAL ITEMS. MOTION FAILED FOR LACK OF A SECOND. Council President Olson said several other small things were pointed out during her email exchange with staff. This will be forwarded to the consent agenda for approval so it is not necessary for council to point out those minor changes. She asked if staff could provide a clean version based on what was in the packet and identify the changes between that and the last time it was presented to council. Mr. Bjorback answered certainly. Council President Olson concluded it was not necessary for her to make those amendments. With regard to the 300 square feet solar ready zone, Council President Olson pointed out the possibility of premanufactured DADU and how that would influence whether a roof was ready for solar panels. She said if staff was in a hurry, she may want to offer a second on the last motion to provide more time to think about it. She asked if the body of appendixes could be adopted and that amendment and other exceptions added in the future. Mr. Bjorback said he did not have the text of the appendix in front of him. Council President Olson said she would not to make a motion and allow staff to be creative and wait and see what was in the packet when it was on the consent agenda. Council President Olson recalled a comment that under state regulations DADU could not be less than 1,000 square feet, she clarified the state does not allow the City to require DADUs be less than 1,000 square feet. A DADU could be 400 square feet for example in which case the 300 square foot requirement might be a lot. Ms. McLaughlin offered to look at that exception and expand on it. Council President Olson commented for those who love their historic, old homes, one of the nuances staff plans to add was in regard to the size of letters on a home because 4-inch letters may not work on a historic home. Councilmember Nand referred to Council President Olson and Councilmember Dotsch's reference to a "shed in a box" that people can purchase. If the optional appendixes are problematic for premanufactured DADU, they could be amended in the future. Mr. Bjorback agreed. He referred to the second bullet on the slide titled Residential Building Code Solar Ready Provisions which states the optional Appendix T applies to structures with at least 600 square feet of roof area, so it would not apply to smaller structures. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. 2. CRITICAL AQUIFER RECHARGE AREA CODE AMENDMENT This item was removed from the agenda at the request of staff. 3. AUTHORIZING COUNCILMEMBERS TO CONTINUE DISCUSSION WITH GOVERNOR'S STAFF REGARDING MARSH RESTORATION Council President Olson explained as the meetings planned for the end of 2023 were being rescheduled, it was realized the authority initially provided involved different councilmembers so it was appropriate to bring it to council for approval. It is somewhat urgent to get the meetings scheduled. She explained the City has a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) expressing interest in purchasing the Unocal property when it becomes available. There are potentially other options for restoring marsh that do not necessarily require the City purchase the property that council had agreed to pursue as part of exploring alternatives. This is a continuation of exploring those opportunities. COUNCIL PRESIDENT OLSON MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER TIBBOTT, THAT COUNCILMEMBER TIBBOTT AND COUNCIL PRESIDENT OLSON BE AUTHORIZED Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes February 6, 2024 Page 15 BY THE EDMONDS CITY COUNCIL TO CONTINUE DISCUSSIONS WITH THE GOVERNOR AND THE GOVERNOR'S STAFF PERTAINING TO THE MARSH AND ALTERNATIVE PATHS TO RESTORATION. Council President Olson explained she and Councilmember Tibbott would be acting in the capacity as representative of the council and not as individual councilmembers and would only take actions to make statements that the council body has already given authority or made a council body statement. Councilmember Paine commented this may be premature in view of Ecology's presentation next week. She spent a couple hours today looking at the collection of Ecology documents. Ecology hasn't published any of the studies regarding sites that are identified as hot spots, however they have a new RFQ out that discusses adjustments to the standards based on land use. There still need to be discussions about the broader parameters of the marsh and the Unocal property and she preferred to have this discussion after hearing from Ecology. At some point there will need to be a decision regarding go or no go; once the standards are met, there is still a two-year waiting period. She preferred to hear from Ecology regarding how close they are and whether this is the best use of time and effort for advocacy. Elections this November will determine the new governor; continuing the relationship with WSDOT may be valuable. She wanted to ensure all the information was available before advocacy efforts were renewed. She recommended having discussion now and making thoughtful decisions after hearing from Ecology next week. Councilmember Nand recalled the council had a robust discussion when this was letter proposed by former Councilmembers Teitzel and Buckshnis. She continued to question the timing; the City has an MOU but title has to change through several parties before it ends in the City's lap and the City does its due diligence to decide whether it wants to take title to the property. She referred to the two paragraphs before the closing paragraph in which the council recommends options to Governor Inslee as alternatives to the MOU, and wondered it would be more successful in seeking meetings to strike those two paragraphs, as she suggested last year, and leave it very open ended and potentially have a discussion with Ecology in a more open ended manner since the City is simply in the MOU phase with regard to property acquisition. She did not think the council necessarily had to say these are options to the MOU because the MOU doesn't really bind the City to purchasing the property. She preferred to have an open-ended discussion with the state, get feedback regarding potential grant programs Ecology can use to retain title, do cleanup, etc., to get a better understanding of the state's position in regard to the property. She found it confusing to make alternative recommendations at the MOU phase. Councilmember Tibbott commented the City entered into an MOU, but the parameters are still not well understood. This is a proposal to continue discussion, discover those parameters, discuss the City's interest as outlined in the past as well as determining the state's interest. To that extent the reports from Ecology have been very instructive. He found Ecology's last presentation very helpful and expected next week's presentation to be helpful as well. There will be a new governor at some point, likely before these discussions are wrapped up and he wanted to continue having profitable discussion with the state regarding the future of the marsh. Council President Olson commented several good points have been made which are certainly considerations. She said whether anyone liked the terms in the initial go around wasn't as relevant since there have been initial meetings and it was agreed to schedule follow-up meetings. Neither the state nor the City is at a point to make any next moves; this is about maintaining the relationship and the conversation. The current governor is very interested in wildlife and specifically salmon restoration efforts and having his support would be helpful. Whether the City buys the property or the state retains it, the priority is stewardship of that land and restoration of the marsh. The City will need the state's help via grants even with an MOU so there is value in continuing to pressing forward with the relationship and conversation and she hoped the council would support the recommendation. Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes February 6, 2024 Page 16 Councilmember Nand asked if Council President Olson would be comfortable striking the paragraphs she identified on the second page of the letter to Governor Inslee, the paragraph that begins, "A possible option to consider to drive this high priority..." and the paragraph that begins, "Another option, if you decide ownership of the property by any State agency doesn't align with your strategies...". That would leave the possibility of meetings for information gathering and meeting of the minds as a more open ended process and make her more comfortable signing onto the letter. Mayor Rosen restated the motion. COUNCILMEMBER TIBBOTT AND COUNCIL PRESIDENT OLSON BE AUTHORIZED TO CONTINUE DISCUSSIONS WITH THE GOVERNOR AND THE GOVERNOR'S STAFF PERTAINING TO THE MARSH AND ALTERNATIVE PATHS TO RESTORATION. Councilmember Nand thanked Mayor Rosen for the clarification, she thought the motion was for the new council to sign a 2024 version of the letter. MOTION CARRIED (6-1), COUNCILMEMBER PAINE VOTING NO. 10. MAYOR'S COMMENTS Mayor Rosen thanked council for the joint retreat and the level of collaboration, cooperation and respect that he and staff experienced, the same level of respect and collaboration that he has experienced since he took office. The retreat was a really good start, everyone will get better at respecting and honoring each other's lanes, looking for opportunities to make council meetings more efficient, and bringing clarity and focus to the priorities given current realities. He summarized the year was off to really good start. Mayor Rosen reported since the last council meeting, he has done several things in an effort to leverage collaboration and resources from regional partners including meeting with U.S. Representative Rick Larsen, Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers, Edmonds School District Superintendent Rebecca Miner, the Mayor's Climate Protection Committee, and the Port of Edmonds Executive Director; and participating in a CEO roundtable; and he had the good fortune of swearing in two new police officers. 11. COUNCIL COMMENTS Councilmember Nand thanked Mayor Rosen, Executive Assistant to the Mayor Carolyn LaFave, Council President Olson, and Council Executive Assistant Beckie Peterson for their hard work on the retreat. She found it very fruitful and recognized it was logistically very challenging. She recognized Councilmember Tibbott for taking a year's worth of ideas and putting them onto giant postcards. Everyone who participated at the retreat brought their all and she found it very heartening as a public official to see the degree of collaboration and trust between the branches of government. Councilmember Nand referred to consent agenda item 8.4, Council Confirmation of Tree Board Appointments, advising she was happy to reappoint Crane Stavig as her council appointment and recognized the reappointment by other councilmembers of Bill Phipps, Wendy Kliment, Ben March and Ross Dimmick. She commented the Edmonds Tree Board is amazing and she highly encourage everyone to attend their meetings and listen to them talk about tree policy and environmental impacts. Councilmember Paine expressed appreciation for the two day retreat marathon where a lot was done and a lot of necessary information was shared. She reminded of the celebration of Lunar New Year on Saturday, February 10, a collaboration between the Multicultural Association, the City, and other groups, including a program at Edmonds Center for the Arts. She expressed appreciation for the community volunteers and the collaboration with City. She is working on collaborating with Community Transit to bring the Zip Shuttle to Edmonds for large events. Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes February 6, 2024 Page 17 Councilmember Dotsch agreed the retreat was fantastic and well -orchestrated with very timely topics. She recognized Council President Olson, Ms. Peterson, and Councilmember Tibbott, for their efforts. She referred to the presentation about lanes, expressing appreciation for the communication and opportunity to speak with and work with administrative staff, noting there were many similar thoughts regarding how to get things done. She reported on the great discussion she had with Bill Phipps who she reappointed to the tree board. Council President Olson thanked everyone for the great job they did at the retreat. She commented instead of going to a tree board meeting, everyone should meet the tree board at their upcoming Earth Day planting and ivy removal. She reappointed Wendy Kliment and Ross Dimmick to the tree board; she has one appointment as a councilmember and the council president appoints the alternate. She knew Mr. Dimmick when she was on the tree board in the past; he is an unbelievable resource. Council President Olson gave a shout out to the administration and specifically City Clerk Scott Passey who has been encouraging the council for a very long time to have the packet available earlier; the packet came out on Wednesday this week. She appreciated staff, councilmembers and the council executive assistant for their good attitude, recognizing the timing of the packet changes everyone's workflow. She expressed her appreciation on behalf of Mr. Passey who insists this is a better way to do city government. She looked forward to seeing everyone at the Lunar New Year celebration. Councilmember Tibbott reported he found the retreat energizing and informative and great for the council and staff to work together. He advised the primary outcomes discussed at the retreat are still being refined and are not in a final form as he realized at the end of the day, there was a mixture of priorities, policies and outcomes. He hoped to have a draft completed by the end of week draft for further council feedback. He summarized overall he was really impressed by the great ideas that were generated. Councilmember Tibbott reported the recent Affordable Housing Alliance (AHA) meeting included discussion about data available for cities to use in their comprehensive planning process which he provided to the planning & development director. AHA discussed adding cities in Snohomish County including Darrington to the ILA which will require a change to the ILA. The City is well served by Snohomish County housing resources and by AHA. Finding space for new housing and constructing affordable structures will be an ongoing challenge that requires cooperation and collaboration across the county and state. It is important work and he was thankful to be part of the solution. Councilmember Chen encouraged everyone to join in the celebration of Lunar New Year this Saturday. This year is the Year of the Dragon; the dragon is a symbol of strength and power and is also associated with good fortune, wisdom, success, protection, and masculinity. An event like this is beyond a simple celebration; it symbolizes community building and cultural sharing that strengthens the community. This is a great time of the year to strengthen the community, springtime when people celebrate life and look forward to new hope and new life. In light of the City's financial situation, he said a little hope will take us a long way. Councilmember Eck said she also enjoyed the retreat. She congratulated the reappointed tree board members. She highlighted the daylong Lunar New Year event this Saturday, commenting Edmonds is lucky to have such a variety of cultures in Edmonds and it is getting more diverse all the time. She looked forward to attending the Lunar New Year celebration on and hoped it would inspire more cultural events throughout the City. ADJOURNMENT With no further business, the council meeting was adjourned at 9:09 pm. Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes February 6, 2024 Page 18 sx--Z�- SCOTT PASSEY; CLERK Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes February 6, 2024 Page 19