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2024-03-05 Council MinutesEDMONDS CITY COUNCIL MEETING APPROVED MINUTES March 5, 2024 ELECTED OFFICIALS PRESENT Mike Rosen, Mayor Vivian Olson, Council President Chris Eck, Councilmember Will Chen, Councilmember Michelle Dotsch, Councilmember Susan Paine, Councilmember Jenna Nand, Councilmember ELECTED OFFICIALS ABSENT Neil Tibbott, Councilmember 1. CALL TO ORDER/FLAG SALUTE STAFF PRESENT Dave Turley, Administrative Services Director Susan McLaughlin, Planning & Dev. Dir. Rose Haas, Planner Jeff Levy, Senior Planner Lief Bjorback, Building Official Jeff Taraday, City Attorney Nicholas Falk, Deputy Clerk Beckie Peterson, Council Executive Assistant Jerrie Bevington, Camera Operator The Edmonds City Council meeting was called to order at 6:59 pm by Mayor Rosen in the Council Chambers, 250 5' Avenue North, Edmonds, and virtually. The meeting was opened with the flag salute. 2. LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Council President Olson 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 Deputy Clerk Nicholas Falk called the roll. All elected officials were present with the exception of Councilmember Tibbott. COUNCIL PRESIDENT OLSON MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER CHEN, TO EXCUSE COUNCILMEMBER TIBBOTT FOR INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. 4. PRESENTATIONS 2023 PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE ANNUAL REPORT Renee Walls introduced Aaron Walls, explaining they are the entirety of the legal team at Walls Law Firm. They have two full-time paralegals, and one legal assistant who is fluent in Spanish. Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes March 5, 2024 Page 1 As the last presentation had case numbers through 2021, their report includes case numbers for 2022 and 2023. Total criminal filings in 2022 were 588 and 545 in 2023. Their report contains a list of the total case filings which includes civil filings as well as criminal filings. The numbers provided are from the Washington Court's website. Walls Law Firm has been the City's prosecuting attorney for a portion of 2023; this presentation is intended primarily as an introduction and a status update as they do not have all the information for 2023. Their report include appeals; while Walls Law Firm has just gotten the written rulings from Snohomish County Superior Court in 2024, she felt it was important to inform the council about those rulings. The City's prior law firm, Zachor Stock & Krepps, filed a RALJ appeal in Superior Court after evidence was suppressed by the Department of Licensing (DOL) which prevented the City from proceeding. There are very few instances when a city can appeal a case and was one of those. When Walls Law Firm took over, briefs had already been written and Aaron Walls appeared for oral argument. As expected, the City was not successful in those appeals; other jurisdictions have also filed appeals with same results. The DOL changed their procedure over time making it difficult if not impossible to provide proof. Mr. Walls explained in Driving While License Suspended cases, caselaw requires proof that the process has been followed. Unfortunately, the DOL no longer maintains that documentation. They hope to work with the DOL and other jurisdictions to find a way around that. Ms. Walls said she was impressed with the resources made available at community court including food, and access to services such as treatment and assessments that service providers available online. As a result, they moved some of the food theft cases and certain crimes of poverty to community court to provide better access to services while the cases proceed. Ms. Walls reported on codification of SB 5536, the Blake Fix which addressed knowing possession of controlled substances and requirements regarding disposition and prosecution of those crimes. Under this statute, prosecution is strongly encouraged to consent to resolve these cases in therapeutic courts by means of pretrial diversions such as stipulated order of continuance (SOC) in community court. Those usually take six months and require the defendant agree to treatment. The defendants meet with probation and receive a chemical dependence assessment before entering the SOC. If the defendant is success in their treatment and following the terms of the agreement, at the end of six months, the charge is dismissed. If not, the court proceeds based on police reports to make a determination whether to find the person guilty or not guilty of a crime. Ms. Walls said they expected to see a significant increase in these crimes once the statute was in effect, but that did not happen in Edmonds or in other cities which was quite surprising. Councilmember Paine said she was glad to hear about community court and the SOC. She has a master's degree in public administration; one of her theses 20 years ago was on therapeutic courts and drug court when that concept was still fairly new. At that time, the dollar value for having a community court/therapeutic court was every dollar invested had a 12-fold return to the community because therapeutic courts work. She was glad Walls Law Firm has positive feeling about the community court. Ms. Walls said she has worked in therapeutic courts in the past and is a big fan. She has been trying to track the number of cases that entered SOCs and was hopeful next year's annual report she will be able to report on some outcomes. Councilmember Eck appreciated hearing about diversion efforts. She asked when conditions are established and a defendant agrees to seek treatment, are there enough facilities and providers to provide treatment. Ms. Walls answered yes. Councilmember Nand was excited to hear about Ms. Walls' background and experience in diversion and community court. She asked if there were graduations from the community court and could councilmembers Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes March 5, 2024 Page 2 attend to cheer people on. Ms. Walls answered she could research that and get back to Councilmember Nand. Councilmember Nand asked if access to services includes any housing placement such as into Oxford Houses or other sober living environments. Ms. Walls answered they ask people to meet with probation staff to discuss needs -based services and providing them a list of services that meet those needs and tracking whether those services were accessed. It was her understanding there are housing services, but she could confirm that and get back to Councilmember Nand. The court likely has information about available services. Councilmember Nand reported in her extended network, someone recently overdosed from dust -off which was something he thought he could use without triggering a positive drug test and lose his housing. It was actually much more dangerous than the opioids he was addicted to. There are so many fraught issues and diversion courts and community courts are worth the funding because they save lives and she thanked the Walls for their lifesaving work. Council President Olson said she was aware from committee discussion that the City's codes are being updated as a result of issues identified by the Walls Law Firm. She thanked them for being proactive and holistic in the services they provide to the City. She welcomed them and thanked them for being part of the Edmonds team. Councilmember Chen relayed he was impressed with the skill set the Walls Law Firm provides including multiple languages which ensure maximum coverage. With regard to the failed appeal, he assumed the DWLS was referred by law enforcement and asked about that relationship and why the appeal failed. Mr. Walls explained these are cases where a person's driver's license has been suspended for a number of reasons. Once their license is suspended, if they are stopped by an officer, they receive a citation for driving with a suspended license. Proving that the person committed the crime of driving with license suspended requires proof that there was due process in the suspension on their driver's license. The key part of that would be proving they received proper notice that their license would be suspended and options. Unfortunately, DOL no longer keep information showing that they were given proper notice. That needs to change so those cases can continue to be prosecuted. Councilmember Chen asked if there were any resources to help those people regain their driver's license. Mr. Walls said he was not sure about specific resources; when those cases come through the court, they try to work with their attorney to give them a roadmap of what they need to do to get their license back. Ms. Walls answered often their attorney will assist them with that process. A lot of license suspensions are for a specific time period and once that time period expires, they can get their license back. 2. ANNUAL PRESENTATION FROM THE EDMONDS CENTER FOR THE ARTS Executive Director Kathy Liu, Associate Executive Director Lori Meagher, and Edmonds Public Facilities District (EPFD) Board President Ray Liaw introduced themselves. Board President Liaw reviewed: Who we are: o Creation and History of Edmonds Public Facilities District (EPFD) and Edmonds Center for the Arts (ECA) ■ In 2001 the City created the EPFD following legislation to have sales tax revenue dedicated to a public facility, the baseball stadium in Seattle. Several regional centers in the state were developed under that legislation. ■ Creating the EPFD allowed it to secure .2% sales tax to fund the purchase of the former Edmonds High School. ■ EPFD also partnered with Snohomish County who distributes .2% sales tax to the four facilities in Snohomish County. Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes March 5, 2024 Page 3 o Relationship between EPFD and the City of Edmonds ■ EPFD is a separate entity and is not under the City's control but has a strong relationship in a number of ways including by statute the council appoints the members of the EPFD Board. ■ The City backed bonds to fund the facility in 2002 and 2008. ■ The City also provided funds during the recession in 2008 that the EPFD is working to pay back with interest. o The ECA 501(c)3 nonprofit ■ Early in its formation, the EPFD realized, like most PACs, operating on revenue alone would not necessarily be feasible and the ECA nonprofit was formed. ■ ECA Board is a fantastic partner who fundraises to assist in providing the variety of programming the ECA offers. Ms. Liu reviewed: Edmonds Center for the Arts Mission o To celebrate the performing arts, strengthen and inspire our community, and steward the development and creative use of the ECA Campus What We Do o Program a robust and multi -genre performance season, bringing diverse artists of the highest quality to Edmonds o Serve our Edmonds and Snohomish community through education and outreach activities that cover both breadth and depth, including our educational programs for schoolchildren, senior - focused arts therapy programs, and arts enrichment programs for general audiences o Host and serve community, regional, national, and international organizations through an active rental program, including long-time partners Cascade Symphony Orchestra, Olympic Ballet Theatre, and Sno-King Community Chorale Board President Liaw reviewed: • Executive Director Transition o Transition and Search Process ■ Nearly year -long process ■ National Search Firm o Founding Executive Director Joe McIalwain departed ECA after 17 years of service on August 31, 2023 o Lori Meagher served as Interim Executive Director through the transition until November 1, 2023 o Kathy Liu joined as ECA's new Executive Director November 1, 2023 Ms. Liu reviewed: • 2023/2024 Season Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes March 5, 2024 Page 4 o The Manhattan Transfer I September 22 o Indigo Girls I September 27 o Nearly Dan I October 14 o Vienna Boys Choir I October 18 o Eli "Paperboy" Reed vs o Harlem Gospel Travelers I October 19 o Herb Albert & Lani Hall I October 21 o Mariachi Herencia de Mexico I October 25 o Lyric & Spirit I October 28 o Lindy West I November 9 o Jenny & The Mexicats I November 11 o Seattle Int'l Comedy I November 15 o An Evening with Amanda Knox I November 29 o Mark O'Connor's An Appalachian Christmas I December 4 o Amy Hanaiali'I I January 20 o Pink Martini ft. China Forbes I January 25 ECA's Audience Members o Marc Cohn I January 28 o Michael Cavanaugh I February 8 o Storm Large I February 14 o CelloGayageum I February 15 o Alan Doyle I February 25 o WE SPEAK Festival I March 1 o God is a Scottish Drag Queen: The 2nd Coming I March 2 o Leahy I March 6 o Time for Three I March 15 o Radical System Art I March 23 o Pamyua I April 4 o Oumou Sangare I April 6 o All Thing Equal: o The Life & Trials of RGB I April 17 o Roger McGuinn I April 20 o Colin & Brad: Scared Scriptless I April 26 • Education & Community Engagement — Serving Nearly 4,500 Annually o Youth and general engagement programs include: ■ Student Matinees ■ In -School workshops in the Edmonds School District (8 schools in 23/24 season) ■ Summer camps ■ Professional development for teachers ■ Pre -show talks o On January 27, the return of Kidstock! separately brought 1,500 attendees to ECA, comprised of young families with children under 12. o Senior programs include: ■ Dementia -Inclusive series ■ Windows to the Arts • 2023/2024 Rentals o Artemidorus: A Pink Floyd Experience o Meadowdale High School o ASHA for Education Tamil Band o Mosaic Arts NW o Ballyhoo o Multicultural Association of Edmonds o Barclay Shelton Dance Theatrics o Nana I Ke Kualu Pono o Cascade Symphony Orchestra o North Queen Drill Team Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes March 5, 2024 Page 5 o Celtic Arts Foundation o Cherry Orchard Festival o Community Christian Fellowship o The Daily Herald o Demiero Jazz Festival o Don Friesen o Edmonds College o Edmonds Jazz Connection o Edmonds PTA o Edmonds School District o Edmonds Woodway High School o Eva Ayllon Eternamente Criolla o EXEM Entertainment o Faramarz Aslani o Golden Dancers o Gothard Sisters o Grand Kyiv Ballet o Hula O Lehualani o Kristina Orbakaite o Northwest Sherpa Association o Christmas Tea o Olympic Ballet Theatre o PACE Live o PIMA Graduation o Rhythm & Soul Dance Company o Rick Steves Travel Talks o Rock it Boy Entertainment o Scratch Distillery o Seattle Film Festival o Seattle Festival Orchestra o Sno-King Community Chorale o Sno-King Music Educators Association o US Air Force Band o Valeriy Meladze o Washington School of Dance o World Ballet Art Competition o Youth America Grand Prix Ms. Meagher explained ECA is a hosting venue that serves a multitude of clients, many of whom are bringing their event to a venue or a stage for the first time. Founding Executive Director Joe McIalwain recognized that and believed in engaging and supporting the communities ECA works with toward removing barriers to access to the venue. In August 2023, the McIalwain ECA Access Fund was officially named, designed with the intent to provide scholarships to offset a portion of the base rental cost using funds raised through last year's Center Stage. Additional access components to this fund include ECA's Arts for Everyone which provides discounted tickets to events as well as universal accessibility as it related to ADA and DEI improvements to the campus. This fund is still being finalized with hopes to fully execute it in the end of Q2 2024. Ms. Meagher reviewed: • 2023 Rentals o Rental and hosting program is continuing to see a return to pre -pandemic numbers with an 18% increase in rentals in 2023 over 2022. FY2022 Audit Results o FY2022 financial audit only ■ Unmodified Opinion Issued ■ No material misstatements identified ■ No uncorrected misstatements in the audited financial statements o Internal control deficiency finding Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes March 5, 2024 Page 6 ■ Related to the implementation of GASB87, Leases - Correction taken during audit process with restatement of financials ■ Additional measures to restore strength of internal controls: - Utilization of State Auditor's Office Year -End Checklist - Accounting team trained on upcoming GASB pronouncements - Updated financial policies & procedures manual - Associate ED review of year-end financial statements a documented process - Meeting scheduled for ECA's Associate ED and City of Edmonds Deputy Director of Administrative Services on 3/14/2024 o FY2023 will be both financial and accountability audits Financial Update o ECA is still recovering from the pandemic ■ Doors reopened in September 2021 after being closed for 18 months ■ 2023 was first full year with no COVID-19 impacts to operations ■ While seeing increases in rentals, much like other PACs across the country and in the region, facing challenges with ticket sales and ticket buyers changing their purchasing habits such as purchasing tickets to shows they recognize as well as last minute ticket purchases ■ The amazing programming team have been evaluating and taking this into account when building the upcoming season o A significant investment was made in staffing in 2023 to support programs and better serve the community. The team is doing a wonderful job controlling expenses which helped offset the e Financial Outlook Budget %Of FY2o2 FY2023 FY20M ge Chan" Amounts �� u,asanas FY FY22 OperatingRevenue 3,719 2,882 2,624 9.83% Operating 4,114 3,341 3,287 1.6 % Operating Surplus Goss) (395) (459 (523) -13.9% Amount � thy„ s B Fug 2t FY2o2$ FY2o22 % 0f Change FY23/FY22 Number 0f Events 196 183 141 29.80% Number of Attendees 74,625 67,684 48,0438.70% Tota( F rFs 28.4 .2 20.8 16. o% Revenue W FM 131 1 127 126 o.eo% e Projected Repayment of Loan from the City of Edmonds Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes March 5, 2024 Page 7 Ms. Liu reviewed: Coming Soon 0 24/25 season ■ 24 shows + 10 mystery shows will be shared at Center Stage o New Strategic Plan development ■ Work with external consultant ■ Complete by end of 2025 o Building envelope study and campus future Ms. Liu expressed appreciation to the City for their support and partnership. Councilmember Nand complimented the ECA team for the incredible work they do behind the scenes to keep this resource available to the community. During the 2006 season, as a community college intern, she worked on the program for the Olympic Ballet performance. The EPFD collects .2% from sales tax and provides incredible benefit to the community via its direct offerings and engagement as well as providing a training and employment opportunity for young community members in South Snohomish County. Councilmember Eck commented it has been an honor to get to know the EPFD Board and ECA staff over the last couple months as the liaison to the EPFD. She reiterated her offer to support the EPFD/ECA in any way she can and assured other councilmembers feel same. She agreed the ECA contributes to an increased quality of life for the community. Councilmember Chen commented the .2% sales tax is put to good use in the quality of life improvements, programs, and economic impact the ECA bring to Edmonds. That doesn't just happen, it is due to the dedication and hard work of the leadership and the entire team. He applauded the EPFD/ECA's efforts and offered the City's support to help make the community even greater. Council President Olson commented the council has a lot of sensitivity to annual operating losses based on what the council is learning about budgets. She asked if the shortfall can be made up in the year it occurs and where does the money come from to address that imbalance. Ms. Meagher answered fortunately the EPFD is able to utilize sales tax revenue when needed to offset operational losses. Fundraising in the community also helps close that gap. Ms. Liu commented that is something that will obviously be part of the strategic plan; it is not a gap that can be made up in a year operationally. It likely will be a combination of expense reduction and revenue generation from ticket sales, rentals, and donations. Council President Olson commented in addition to donations, the community can support the ECA by attending shows, a win - win because it provides revenue and patrons have a good time. Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes March 5, 2024 Page 8 Councilmember Dotsch was glad to hear the ECA was back to full programming, recognizing the challenging time the organization experienced. She liked the variety of programs the ECA offers, not just performances but programming like the dementia series. She asked how many people participate in the dementia program. Ms. Liu answered it fluctuates because it is free and due to the participants' circumstances; attendance varies from 5-20 per session. Councilmember Dotsch looked forward to hearing more about the strategic plan. Councilmember Paine asked if there were any complaints about the outdoor concerts in the summer which she found to be a lot of fun. Ms. Meagher said she did not recall any complaints. The music is well received and the neighborhood is used to it. Board President Liaw commented the concerts end well before 9:00 p.m. Councilmember Paine was pleased the ECA was getting out in the community and going into places where people aren't able to attend events at ECA. It is so meaningful to honor people where they are and brings new groups of people together which is what art is all about. Mayor Rosen thanked the ECA for what they bring to the City and what they do for our souls. 5. APPROVAL OF AGENDA COUNCIL PRESIDENT OLSON MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER ECK, TO APPROVE THE AGENDA IN CONTENT AND ORDER. COUNCIL PRESIDENT OLSON MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER DOTSCH, TO AMEND THE AGENDA TO ADD A NEW ITEM 9.2, CONTINUATION OF DADU STUDY SESSION. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. MAIN MOTION AS AMENDED CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. 6. AUDIENCE COMMENTS Judi Gladstone, Edmonds, spoke regarding council meeting notes, relaying she has staffed many committees, been on commissions and advisory committees, is currently on the Edmonds planning board, has run nonprofits, and is an executive director on a board that keeps minutes. In every venue she has worked in, she has supported action -oriented minutes for many reasons. The planning board uses summary notes which has caused problems in the past. One of the main reasons she did not think detailed minutes were advantageous for the council to continue was they require excessive amounts of time for individual electeds and potentially the entire council to review and correct. Electeds' time is much better spent on understanding the issues before them rather than ensuring what they said at previous meetings is accurate, especially when there is little use for those type of minutes in the future. As a citizen, it's too much to slog through to get a sense of what the council said; it is best to know what the council did. As a planning board member, sometimes the council's notes are included in their packet and she finds it cumbersome and not necessarily adding a lot to a subject. Detailed minutes are also no longer needed because meetings are recorded and anyone can listen to the video. If notes can be created that indicate where things are, that is even better. Meeting summaries as an alternative to detailed notes can be helpful, but they can suffer from bias if some things are included and others are omitted. Trying to capture the essence of a conversation takes a good notetaker time to synthesize the information and provide a summary. She concluded the council would be better served by action oriented notes and she encouraged the council to give that their due consideration. 7. RECEIVED FOR FILING 1. CLAIM FOR DAMAGES FOR FILING 2. WRITTEN PUBLIC COMMENTS Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes March 5, 2024 Page 9 8. APPROVAL OF CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS COUNCIL PRESIDENT OLSON MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER ECK, TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA. Council President Olson requested Item 8.3, Title 19 Building and Fire Codes, be removed from the Consent Agenda. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. The agenda items approved are as follows: 1. APPROVAL OF REGULAR MEETING MINUTES FEBRUARY 20, 2024 2. APPROVAL OF CLAIM CHECKS AND WIRE PAYMENT ITEMS REMOVED FROM CONSENT 3. TITLE 19 BUILDING AND FIRE CODES COUNCIL PRESIDENT OLSON MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER PAINE, TO PASS TITLE 19 BUILDING AND FIRE CODES IN THE PACKET. COUNCIL PRESIDENT OLSON MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER PAINE, TO AMEND THE CODE AS PROPOSED TO ADD AN EXCEPTION UNDER R.319.1 ADDRESS IDENTIFICATION. PER THE EMAIL FROM STAFF TODAY, THE ADDITION IS AS FOLLOWS: EXCEPTION. WHERE APPROVED BY THE FIRE CODE OFFICIAL, NUMBERS ATTACHED TO TRADITIONAL STYLE OR HISTORICAL STRUCTURES, OR WHERE OTHER CONTEXT MAY WARRANT, MAY BE LESS THAN 4 INCHES IN HEIGHT. Councilmember Nand observed Address Identification is in Section P.502.1, not Section R which appears to relate to automatic fire sprinkler systems. Council President Olson advised R.319.1 is related to address identification but it is under ECDC 19.05.020. Building Official Lief Bjorback responded the addressing provisions in the building code occur in three different places. The current proposal is to add an amendment to the residential building code, the IRC. Staff did not have enough time to make consistent changes in the commercial codes, IBC, and the fire code 19.25. He was hopeful this will be a step in the right direction to address residential structures as a start. Council President Olson asked if reference to R.319.1 is correct. Mr. Bjorback agreed it is correct, R.319.1 is the residential code in ECDC 19.05. AMENDMENT CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. MAIN MOTION AS AMENDED CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. 9. COUNCIL BUSINESS DECEMBER 2023 QUARTERLY REPORT Administrative Services Director Dave Turley reviewed the 2023 Fourth Quarter Financial Update: • Revenue Update: o The local economy has been doing much better recently, with relatively low unemployment and inflation. Interest rates remain high, which negatively affects home sales and other property transactions, as well as motor vehicle sales. This negatively impacts our REET Revenues and sales tax revenues. However, higher interest rates have helped our investment portfolio bring in $1.7 million of revenue to the city in 2023, almost $450,000 (36%) more than any previous year. Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes March 5, 2024 Page 10 o General Fund revenues (pg. 4) came in at $50.0 million, which is 4.9% under budget. General Fund expenses (pg. 10) came in at $59.7 million, or 7% under budget. Estimated ending fund balance (pg. 33) came in at $2.2 million, which is $830,000 less than the most recently updated estimate. o It is important to understand that numbers reported in the monthly reports are estimates that are subject to change after the final year-end close is performed. These are cash -basis numbers that are converted to accrual -basis for the financial reports. General Fund Revenues ended the year $4,689,355 ahead of last year, and $2,553,295 under budget General Faad Cumulative Monthly VrD Variance Budget Forecast Budget Forecast Actuals % January $ 2,843,094 $ 2,843,094 $ 2,320,252-18.39% February 5,636,382 2,793,288 4,920,100-12.71% March 8,487,993 2,851,611 8,150,445 -3.98% April 12,010,212 3,522,219 16,689,365 38,96% May 22,451,612 10,441,400 21,615,550 .3.72% June 25,498,180 3,046,568 23,772,230 -6.77% July 28,462,795 2,964,616 27,008,084 -5.11% August 31,857,014 3,394,219 30,494,023 -4.28% September 34,651,707 2,794,693 33,627,848 -2.95% October 39,245,890 4,594,183 41,665,078 6.16% November 49,438,148 10,192,259 46,406,295 -6.13% December 52,558,830 3,120,682 50,005,535 -4.86% General Fund Revenues by Quarter Operating Revenue Property Taxes -General Levy Property Taxes - EMS Levy RetailSales Tax Other Taxes Licenses and Permits Intergovernmental- CHIP Grant Intergovernmental- Other Charges for Services Fines and Forfeitures Interest Earnings Miscellaneous Total Operating Revenue 2023 022023 $ 824,405 $ 4,969,695 $ 240,675 $ 4,606,009 330,582 1,993,329 96,508 1,847,604 2,781,110 2,757,588 3,042,314 3,033,814 2,279,964 2,129,157 2,041,617 1,894,116 599,769 544,871 484,718 949,831 - - - 1,361,011 206,674 574,187 331,318 268,738 906,937 2,389,517 2,513,413 1,865,842 68,894 22,662 54,632 48,181 17,046 85,401 78,140 66,828 135,064 155,378 152,494 353,436 8,150,445 15,621,785 9,035,829 16,285,410 NonoperatingRevenue Transfers In 0 97.066 - Insurance Recoveries , - - 722.723 92,277 Total Revenue $ 8.150,445 5 15.621,785 $ 9.855,618 5 16.377,687 o Cash flow is very erratic, almost entirely due to property taxes. Nearly all property taxes are received in two months. Expenditure Update: o General Fund expenditures for the year are $10.6 million more than this time last year, which is still $4.3 million (7%) under the amount authorized by Council. o General Fund expenses by department can be found on pages 30-32. Every department in the General Fund finished the year under budget except for Administrative Services and the Police Department. These two departments combined were over budget by $261,963, or 1.5%. o Special Revenue Funds during the year spent only $17.8 million of their approved $24.7 million expenditure budget (72%). Much of the underspending comes from REET funds, which spent $2.4 million (66%) less than their budget, and the Street Construction Fund, which came in $3.1 million (28%) under budget. General Fund Expenses ended the year $10,647,348 greater than last year, and $4,307,234 under budget Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes March 5, 2024 Page 11 General Fund Cumulative Monthly Budget Forecast Budget Forecast YTD Actuals Variance % Genelnl Fund January $ 6,139,087 $ February 11,066,844 March 15,924,888 April 20,588,171 May 25,617,603 June 31,418,317 July 36,370,475 6,139,087 4,927,757 4,858,044 4,663.283 5,029,432 5,800,714 4,952,158 $4,868,760 .20.69% 10,063,682 -9.06% 14,793,075 -7.21% 28,985,494 .7.78% 23,497,459 -8.28% 28,704,022 -8.64% 33,359,621 -8.28% 5.000.000 .000.000 55.00D.ODO 000.000 5.000.000 40.000000 3500D.000 000.000 25 000.000 -000.000 - August 42,238,767 4,768,292 38,672,822 -5.99% 15.000.000 September 46,442,045 5,303,278 43,450,297 -6.44% 10A00.000 5,000,000 October 51,703,607 5,261,562 47,415,870 -8.29% 0 November 57,577,998 5,874,392 54,483,300 -5.37% L. N FEB -,L�R APR ML Y JO\ ;TL AT-G SEP OCT \OV DEC December 63,983,894 6,405,896 59,676,660 -6.73% �Currmt Yea Budget P.-Year General Fund Expenditures by Quarter Q12023 Q22023 Q32023 Q42023 ExperldRwes City Council 108,460 99,692 110,914 104,841 Office of the Mayor 101,671 93,558 95,377 93,006 Human Resources 230,737 224,554 239,553 308,680 Municipal Court 352,625 374,183 370,595 401,968 Administrative Services 774,413 552,880 609,193 626,760 City Attorney 186,270 241,560 276,653 349,876 Non -Departmental 4,986,307 3,419,284 4,335,640 2,777,969 Intergovernmental - CHIP Grant - - - 1,361,011 Police Department 3,173,554 3,487,960 3,897,118 4,482,268 Community Services /Econ. Develop. 289,600 366,664 402,218 379,955 Pia nning&Development 913,919 1,020,392 978,930 1,133,922 Parks, Recreation, Human Services 1,443,058 1,304,751 1,790,785 1,693,350 Public Works -Administration 160,542 155,827 171,625 198,950 Facilities Maintenance 1,264,752 737,662 640,493 1,360,629 Engineering 807,168 845,455 827,191 838,180 Total Expenditures 14,793,076 12,924,422 14,746,275 16,111,365 Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes March 5, 2024 Page 12 Q12023 Q22023 Q32023 Q42023 Operating Revenue PrcpertyTaxes- GeneraLLevy $ 824,405 S 4.939.895 $ 240,675 $ 4,606,009 Property Taxes - EMS Le•.y 330,582 1,993,329 M508 1.847.604 RetaiLSalesTax 2,781,110 2.757.588 3,042,314 3,033,814 Other Taxes 2,279,964 2.129.157 2.041.617 1.884.116 Licenses and Permits 599,769 544.871 4U.718 949,831 Imergovernmennal- CHIP Grant U61,011 Intergovernmental - Other 206,674 574.187 331,318 268.738 Charges forSenaces 906.937 2.389.517 2.513,413 L865,842 Fines and Forfeitures 68,894 22.662 54,632 48.181 IrrterestEamings 17.046 85.401 78.140 66,828 Miscelaieous =064 155.378 152,49d 353.436 TotaLOperating Resenue UWA45 15,621,785 9,035,829 16.285.410 Nonopenaring Revenue Transfers In 97.066 - Insurance Recoveries 722.723 92,277 Tora(Revenue $ 8,150,445 S 15.621.785 $ 9,855,618 $ 16.377.687 Q12023 Q22023 Q32023 Q42023 Expenditures City Council 108.460 99.692 110.914 104.941 Office ct the Mayor 101.971 93.558 95.377 93.006 Human Resources 230,737 224.554 239.553 308.680 Municipal Court 352.625 374.183 370.585 401.968 AdminisirativeSenoices 774.413 552.880 609.193 626.760 City Attorney IM270 241.560 276.653 349,876 Non -Departmental 4,986,307 3.419.284 4.335,640 2.777.969 Intergorernmental- CHIP Grant 1,361,011 Police Department 3.173,554 3.487.960 3.897.118 4,482.268 Community SerricesIEcon. DeveLop. 289,6D0 3KG64 4OZ218 379.955 Planning sDevelopment 913.919 1,020,392 978,930 1,133,922 Parks, Recreation. HumanSenices 1.443,058 1,304,751 1,790,785 1.693.350 Public Works -Administration 160,542 155.827 171.625 198.950 Facilities Maintenance 1,264,752 737.662 640.493 1.360.629 Engineering 807.168 845.455 ay.191 838.180 TotaiFxpenditures 14,793,076 12.924.422 14.746,275 16.111,365 Transfer Out 986.522 115,000 rota(Revenues,Less Expendifures, Lass Trandersout $ (6,642,631) S 1,710.841 S {4,890.657) $ 151.322 • Interest income is improving; in 2023 we saw our highest amount of interest income ever. Annual Interest Income $2,000,000 $1,500,000 $1,000,000 $500,000 5- 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 YTD2023 • General Fund Departmental Budget Comparison o Budget amendments increased the adopted budget by 15% ■ Need to take care in future years to avoid this ■ Every department, with exception of City Attorney and PD, increased their budget, primarily due to salary increases that were approved after the first of the year Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes March 5, 2024 Page 13 2023 Final 2023 Adopted 2023 Budgetas Budget Amendments Amended Difference City Council $ 480,256 $ 6,463 $ 486,719 $ 6,463 1% Mayor 495,273 9,966 505,239 9,966 2% Human Resources 1,254,947 42,799 1,297,746 42,799 3% MunicipalCourt 1,451,763 375,946 1,827,709 375,946 26% Administrative Services 2,203,636 299,034 2,502,670 299,034 14% City Attorney 1,161,780 - 1,161,780 - 0% Non -Departmental 5,108,911 90,389 5,199,300 90,389 2% Fire Contract 10,071,514 1,500,000 11,571,514 1,500,000 15% CHIPGrant - 1,361,011 1,361,011 1,361,011 0% Xfer to Contingency Fund - 447,522 447,522 447,522 0% Police Department 14,981,027 (141,514) 14,839,513 (141,514) -1% Satellite Office 145,681 85,000 230,681 85,000 58% Community Services /EconDev. 1,105,451 207,104 1,312,555 207,104 19% Planning&Development 4,594,594 651,923 5,246,507 651,923 14% Human Services 324,650 23,332 347,982 23,332 7% Parks & Recreation 6,022,817 462,087 6,484,904 462,087 8% Public Works Admin 617,614 49,967 667,581 49,967 8% Facilities Maintenance 2,472,445 2,405,007 4,877,452 2,405,007 97% Engineering 3,224,439 391,070 3,615,509 391,070 12% $ 55,716,788 $ 8,267,106 $ 63,983,894 $ 8,267,106 15% • General Fund Budget Amendments Salaries & Benefits $ 1,928,000 ProjectCarryforwards- BuildingMaint 1,540,565 Project Ca rryforwa rds - Planning & Dev. 382,304 Fire Contract 1,500,000 CHIP Grant (fully reimbursed) 1,361,011 Repairs to Library (fully reimbursed) 500,000 Xfer to Contingency Fund (per policy) 447,522 Other 607,704 Total $ 8,267,106 • General Fund Budget Comparison o The following slide was included because it is important to understand the relative size of departments, when looking for places to make "budget cuts" ■ Many positions in the Parks Department and Planning Department generate revenue that support their costs ■ Most of Engineering bills to non- General Fund Funds ■ Most of the remaining Departments are already staffed at their most basic levels ■ Non -Departmental and City Attorney have no employees and most of the costs are under contract Percentage Adopted Percentage Department Adopted Budgets ofSubTotal FTEs ofSubTotal Police Department $ 17,478,540 40% 83.8 39% Parks, Rec, Human Services 6,841,537 16% 33.8 16% Planning & Development 4,251,605 10% 20.0 9.16 Engineering 3,777,853 9% 18.5 9% Public Works Admin/Facilities 3,360,605 8% 17.0 8% Administrative Services, City Clerk 2,825,453 6% 16.0 8% Municipal Court 1,811,176 4% 9.0 49% Comm Services/ Econ Development 1,334,150 3% 5.8 3% Human Resources 1,222,438 3% 5.6 39% Mayor's Office 490,875 1% 2.0 1% City Council 479,286 1% 1.0 0% Subtotal 43,873,518 100% 212.5 100% Non -Departmental 6,857,495 - CityAttorney 1,161,780 Total $ 51,692,793 212.5 Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes March 5, 2024 Page 14 Councilmember Paine commented the detail gives a better picture about last year and how decision made regarding salary increases affected the budget. She also found it interesting to see which departments have a revenue component. There will be a lot of upcoming discussions and this is a decent place to start the year. She was also glad to have grants and reimbursables identified which are a pass -through Councilmember Nand referred to packet page 343, the list of mid -year budget amendments that helped spend the City into the hole. She recalled the press referring to the council last year as the tax and spend council; it is the council's responsibility to say yes or no to budget amendments and the council must adopt fiscal discipline to ensure there is a balance budget and not rely on high projected revenues because as Mr. Turley pointed out, General Fund revenues from property taxes are quite erratic. There has been a lot of controversy and criticism regarding the 2023 budget, but the decision -making power lies with the council, the council needs to enact fiscal discipline and transparency as well as fully educating themselves on how much money is coming in, where it's going and where vital services are. She thanked Mr. Turley and his department for their hard work putting together this information. Councilmember Chen praised Mr. Turley for presenting the quarterly report in this way rather than just repeating the monthly report like has been done in the past, a great improvement in his opinion. Additionally, the report highlights information illustrating the reason for the differences such as the $8 million in amendments. Like Councilmember Nand said, there is opportunity to get the budget closer to reality instead of adding $8-10 million in amendments that throw off the budget. Councilmember Chen pointed out opportunities that should be focused on, first, the investment portfolio is making more interest income than in prior years because market interest rates are higher. The foregone opportunity was not moving the investment portfolio from the lower return to the higher return until the latter half of the year. The General Fund is still using reserves including ARPA funds to fund general operations. It may be too early, but the council and administration need to work on a plan for replenishing reserves in the near future. Councilmember Dotsch referred to the statement at the beginning of the report that unemployment and inflation are relatively low. However, from what she is reading, inflation is still quite high and there could be challenges this year related to bids for transportation projects coming in much higher. For example, the state is seeing bids for some projects 100% higher than what they were expecting. She understood the companies that do the work are heavily employed by the state so smaller cities do not have much to choose from so they can bid quite high. She suggested keeping that in mind as far as expectations this year and she did not foresee the City getting lower bids this year. She was curious whether Mr. Turley had had any input on that or done any research. Mr. Turley said a google search of the current inflation rate is 4.4%. A couple years ago the inflation rate was 9-10%, the highest rate since the 1980s. At one point inflation was down to 3.5%; compared to the past couple years, the rate is amazing low. His presentation was intended to provide a high level, big picture on the economy which is difficult to do in a short presentation. Councilmember Dotsch commented as everyone knows going to the grocery store, everything costs more although food and gas are not included in the inflation rate calculation. From what she is seeing in other cities and the state, she recommended being extra careful and not expecting things to decrease this year. She expressed appreciation for the information Mr. Turley provided especially by department. Council President Olson referred to Mr. Turley's comment that the administration will be focusing on contract negotiation timing. To the degree that is not successful, she suggested anticipating those extra expenditures in the budget. She agreed the council approved those budget amendments, but they were the result of a bargaining agreement and the council was in tough spot and couldn't say no. Mr. Turley said the benefit of getting contracts signed early and included in the adopted budget versus amending the budget several months later is it also helps the council make decisions about other things that are in the adopted Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes March 5, 2024 Page 15 budget. For example, there may have been things approved in the adopted budget that may have not been proposed or council may not have approved them if they knew how big the salary increases would be. Staff is also working on developing better and more robust financial policies. For example, there is no policy regarding how to handle a expense that is coming, but not much is known about it such as a labor contract. Mr. Turley continued, finance directors, mayors, and HR directors have had different opinions in the past; some do not want to add anything to the budget, believing that might affect labor negotiations and they want it to be more visible when it is added as an amendment. Others want to add everything that may be included in the labor contract plus more to avoid surprises and ending up in this situation. There needs to be a policy so future administrations and councils have better guideposts regarding what to do in that situation and ensure there is enough in the budget to account for labor contracts not have not been signed yet. Council President Olson suggested not naming the expenditure or having it under a specific department, but a buffer for the anticipated expenses. Council President Olson asked if the unusual investment interest was based on the unspent ARPA funds that are waiting to be spent. Mr. Turley said the total cash and investments is pretty level with prior years; overall the total cash investments is not that much different. Council President Olson agreed the information presented was very well laid out and she found the presentation very useful. Councilmember Eck agreed the information was very helpful. She thanked Mr. Turley for holding the council's hands and explain everything very well. Now that the council has this data, she is encouraged that everyone can work together to see this as our problem together, not finance, not the departments, but council and administration all together. She agreed with Councilmember Nand, the council needs to take a hard look at how decisions are made moving forward. She acknowledged things have gotten intense in the last few months and she hoped the council and administration could move beyond that together to look more creatively at problem solving instead of pointing fingers. This is a good opportunity for a fresh start for everyone to be in this together. 2. CONTINUATION OF ACCESSORY DWELLING UNIT CODE UPDATE (AMD2023-0008) ACCESSORY DWELLING UNIT CODE AMENDMENT TO ALLOW FOR DETACHED ACCESSORY DWELLING UNITS — "EXPANDING HOUSING OPTIONS BY EASING BARRIERS TO THE CONSTRUCTION AND USE OF ACCESSORY DWELLING UNITS IN ACCORDANCE WITH HB 1337." Councilmember Dotsch recognized she keeps belaboring this point, but she is trying to understand the idea of HB 1337 and HB 1110. She understands the differences but wanted to understand whether ADUs could be merged into HB 1110. She suggested looking at population growth areas, infrastructure, capital projects, etc. in totality before doing the code update so there is an opportunity to see the differences between the options. If ADUs are added into HB 1110, that allows 2 per lot which could be a duplex, a house and an ADU, or a house and a DADU. But if only HB 1337 is used, every house and every duplex can have 2 ADUs which would spread density in neighborhood where there is currently one house on a lot and it would compound quickly. She understood wanting to preserve lot coverage, but there are lots ripe for purchase, demolishing the existing house and constructing as many units as possible. She asked about the impacts of incorporating ADUs into HB 1110 versus not and how that would impact single family neighborhoods. She asked if that information could be provided before making a determination on a HB 1337 code alone. Planning & Development Director Susan McLaughlin asked if Councilmember Dotsch could clarify the question. Councilmember Dotsch commented the HB 1337 requirements of 2 per lot is moving forward and the City has the option of not using that if the ADU under HB 1110 is the second unit, so just 2 units per lot instead of 3; one is a triplex bill and one is a duplex bill. Her understanding is that under HB 1337 standalone, any unit can have 2 ADUs. She feared things mushroomed if ADUs were not used under HB 1110. There may be pros and cons and it would be helpful to understand those along with strategies for Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes March 5, 2024 Page 16 accommodating population growth and not destroy what makes Edmonds what it is. Ms. McLaughlin clarified Councilmember Dotsch was asking for a pros and cons list for 1 versus 2 ADUs on a lot as it relates to the comprehensive plan growth alternatives. Councilmember Dotsch answered yes. Ms. McLaughlin referred to the study session earlier today where staff s recommendation and what has been included in the methodology, two ADUs per lot to moderate density in neighborhood centers and hubs. Staff would be happy to articulate that in a pros and cons list. She pointed out the environmental analysis is not done so the pros and cons would be purely from a land use policy perspective. There is flexibility in the schedule for passing ADU legislation. It is up to council, along with the planning board's recommendation, whether to allow one or two ADUs per lot. The benefit of deciding that earlier is accounting for that in the comprehensive plan growth alternatives in an intentional way versus later in a more reactive way. Councilmember Paine said she will ask questions that were answered in the study session because this is a regular council meeting. She asked how many ADUs could be expected based on historical trends and the target. Council President Olson raised a point of order, advising this was a continuation of the study session. Mayor Rosen allowed Councilmember Paine to continue. Councilmember Paine asked how many ADU applications were expected based on historical trends and how many were anticipated to be accomplished via the GMA legislation. Ms. McLaughlin answered just because ADUs are allowed, not every parcel in Edmonds will build an ADU and certainly not within a 20 year period. Department of Commerce also will not allow accounting for more than 10% of growth target assumptions in the ADU category. Ten percent equates to approximately 80 ADU per year; she could not imagine getting close to that number based on current applications for ADUs. Councilmember Chen commented even if the City decided to allow two ADUs per lot, it is not mandatory; people can choose to build only one. Ms. McLaughlin answered yes, pointing out it will be dictated to a large degree by site constraints; two would be a stretch for the majority of lots in the City. Councilmember Dotsch referred to condominiumization of ADUs and DADUs and what that would entail such as a separate mailbox, separate address, separate property taxes, etc. Ms. Haas answered the City does not regulate condos, that is done at the county level. Councilmember Dotsch asked how condominiumization works. Ms. Haas answered that would be a question for Snohomish County. Ms. McLaughlin said some basic assumptions would be it would require an address, taxes assessed by the county, utilities, etc. which is accounted for at the county level. Councilmember Dotsch commented that has never been allowed in Edmonds before. Ms. McLaughlin responded there are condos in Edmonds; it is a county regulatory function. City Attorney Jeff Taraday explained whether a multifamily building is condominiumized or not is a real property function. The owner records a declaration of condominium with the county which sets forth the common areas, etc. Whether a multifamily building is condominiumized or not is not something the City regulates. Councilmember Nand thanked staff for the excellent presentation during the study session. She was particularly excited by Senior Planner Jeff Levy's suggestion to consider prefab plans that can be offered to community members. There is a lot of enthusiasm in the community about pursuing ADU/DADUs for additional family members or possibly an income opportunity. She will send her questions to staff via email regarding opportunities for prefab plans and regarding impact fees. Councilmember Dotsch commented if ADUs are done under HB 1110, it has an alternative density where 25% of the land is set aside to not meet the density requirement and only look at 75% for the density in HB Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes March 5, 2024 Page 17 I 110. She asked if that had been considered. Ms. McLaughlin answered she was not sure, that was not a methodology considered as part of the comprehensive plan growth targets, but it could be researched as it relates to ADUs. Councilmember Dotsch recalled it was related to critical areas and a way to have a less impactful option. Ms. McLaughlin answered critical area are addressed via the City's rigid critical area ordinance. She will have to research the reference to 75%/25%. Councilmember Dotsch referred to displacement, relaying what has happened in other cities as more affordable housing are targeted for purchase by investment groups. She recalled displacement was required to be considered in HB 1220 and other bills. Ms. McLaughlin answered displacement is absolutely a factor in the comprehensive plan analysis and will be part of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). Generally, Edmonds has a low displacement risk relative to regional partners. Ms. Haas responded, with regard to critical areas and ESHB 2321 which is currently on the governor's desk be signed, it includes some clarifying language. She repeated information she provided at the study session that any city subject to the requirements of this section shall apply to middle housing the same development permit and environmental review processes that apply to detached single family residences unless otherwise required by state law which would include shoreline regulations, energy codes and electrical codes. The regulations applied to single family will apply to any other development on the lots; there isn't an exception or easing of restrictions for ADUs or middle housing in critical areas. Councilmember Dotsch said sadly that bill passed which eliminated CARA protections. The 75/25 would allow the City to include protection of the clean drinking water CARAs which could be something to explore. Ms. McLaughlin answered CARAs are still critical areas per the code. Councilmember Dotsch answered they originally had better protections and now if there is a single family house, it can be densified where before the density did not have to be included in those areas. Mr. Levy said he was not sure if this was the 75/25 that Councilmember Dotsch was referring to, but per HB 1110 if areas are shown through the EIS process of being incapable of taking additional capacity, those areas cannot be forced to allow either HB 1110 or HB 1337 units because as with any building, there is a process to ensure the pipes are sized correctly. None of these are loopholes to allow construction in a way that the city infrastructure cannot handle. Councilmember Nand referred to the 75/25, recalling when Representative Jessica Bateman, the original drafter of the bill, put forward the regulations, there was significant pushback from cities, specifically cities on islands, cities with historically diverse neighborhoods that were at danger of displacement. The 75/25 was meant to protect neighborhoods with special circumstances that were vulnerable to displacement due to lower property values, critical areas and shoreline. The 75/25 was drafted in such a way that it cannot be used to protect areas that were ever racially exclusive due to redlining. She recalled several members of the council, primarily Councilmember Tibbott, advocated very strongly in regard to that. She was interested to see how that panned out in the comprehensive plan update. 3. CONSIDERATION OF CHANGE OF COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES STYLE Council President Olson explained information regarding a change in the council minutes style was initially made available via Request for Filing as well as in this week's agenda packet. The intent is related to money and to finally succumb to pressure from parliamentarian Ann McFarland who has encouraged the City as a best practice to make this change. Council President Olson acknowledged she was one of the hold outs in previous discussion, wanting to keep detailed minutes. She personally liked the detailed minutes in the past, but this is an opportunity to cut back. If this is just a preference and not a need, the council should definitely consider it. Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes March 5, 2024 Page 18 Council President Olson continued, there has been a lot of input on this subject from the public; she thanked everyone who had taken the time to weigh in. The City is in a tough spot financially and every dollar is precious. Some have argued the savings from this are not significant enough at $7,000, but by way of comparison, it takes about three households in Edmonds to contribute that amount to the City from their property taxes in a year. That may be surprising to some people because when looking at their total property tax bill of $14,000, of that amount, only $2,000 or approximately 14% goes to the City. Council President Olson continued, in vetting this idea, she found all the south county cities the City partners with, Mountlake Terrace, Lynnwood, Mukilteo and Mill Creek, use summary notes as does Shoreline. Kirkland does summary notes and has a system that allows them to embed video clips under the agenda topics. She found their minutes to be very user friendly; however, that is not a short term cost savings as they use the Granicus system that the City does not currently have and does not have the money to purchase. Therefore, she was not recommending that system, even though she really liked their minutes. Bellevue utilizes detailed minutes and it was her understanding Bellevue recovered from a difficult financial situation a few years ago without changing their note style which illustrates it is not absolutely necessary to rectify the City's financial situation. COUNCIL PRESIDENT OLSON MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER ECK, TO INITIATE THE CHANGE TO SUMMARY MINUTES ON JANUARY 1, 2025. Council President Olson explained this date would be after all the hearings and additional hard work related to the comprehensive plan. In conversations about whether this was a good or bad idea, she was most moved by a councilmember who told her it would take them longer to do their job if they had to listen to the videos rather than accessing the written detailed notes. While she was inclined to think that was a short term issue, until the City has access to other technologies, such as the transcript gathered by Zoom or other Al options for preparing transcripts, there isn't a lot of extras time to figure out those steps while getting through this year's immense workload. Therefore, she was proposing the January 1, 2025 date which is after the hearings and the huge extra workload that the comprehensive plan puts on councilmembers and everyone else. Councilmember Paine expressed support for moving from detailed minutes to action oriented minutes. In listening to the public comment as well as her personal space and the way she does her work, action oriented minutes would be more effective. She appreciated the proposal to delay the start until after the comprehensive plan is completed. Councilmember Nand expressed appreciation for Council President Olson's work in bringing this forward, and to City Clerk Scott Passey and notetaker Jeannie Dines. As a dissenting voice, she pointed out multiple community members have said without summary style minutes, it would make transparency in the council's work more difficult. Personally, whenever she needs to look at historic actions of the council, including her own historic actions, she finds it extremely helpful to be able to view a summary of the thoughts of councilmember and audience comments especially dissenting voices if someone had an policy objection to an action the council took and explaining why that person was dissenting. Councilmember Nand referred to Council President Olson's point about the possibility of Al or Zoom, commenting she did not know if Zoom will exist in 100 years or what will happen to all the videos or how accessible they will be. Very likely as historical documents, the minutes will survive and may be the only standing record of the work the council did informing ordinances and other legal actions that were taken. When trying to explain to explain to present and to future constituents why the council did what they did, she was in favor of retaining the detailed style of minutes. She did not think saving $7,000/year would justify what would be lost in terms of the richness in transparency to the community. In addition, since Zoom videos are not close caption enabled, they are not necessarily accessible to everyone to use adaptive technology to read the minutes. Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes March 5, 2024 Page 19 Councilmember Eck commented change is hard; it is smart to look at efficiencies. It is unfortunate that staff spends the better part of a couple days to prepare detailed notes when there is Zoom. If the motion, which she supports, is approved, the council has time to think about adaptive technology and other ways to ensure the public gets the information they are looking for. The financial savings as well as time savings are considerations. With all hands on deck and looking at every single role within the City, it is important to set everyone up for success to maximize the work they are doing. Councilmember Dotsch spoke against changing the format. She has used the full council minutes to get more clarity about situations in the past so she could provide informed public comments or bring information forward. The option to read the notes versus watch a 3-4 hour meeting, the notes are very accessible and easy to review and saving an inordinate amount of time. If she misses a meeting or wants to get a reap of a topic, the minutes are the quickest way versus watching a meeting. Some people can't watch a two-hour video, maybe they work and don't have not a lot of time; the notes are a way they can participate more quickly. One style is auditory and the other is not and access is not available if the minutes are a summary. A lot can be lost in a summary; she understood it is quicker for the council or a board to read, nonprofits are different than government. Edmonds has a rich history of government involvement and full minutes allow the public to be as fully informed as possible. For $7,000, there are lot of other things the council can consider instead. Almost every email and feedback she has received, other than the one public comment today, have been in support of retaining the detailed notes. Councilmember Chen said the idea of saving money is good, but at this point, for a proposal a year ahead, right now the council's energy should be focused on things with bigger impact than a cost savings of $7,000 that sacrifices transparency. The change to eliminate detailed minutes was too much sacrifice for little savings. The council's energy should be focused on the current financial situation, strengthening financial policies, revenue opportunities and other things that have a bigger impact. The council can revisit this idea in January 2025, but for the reasons stated by other councilmembers, now is not the time to make this change. Council President Olson commented whatever time is dedicated to this has already been dedicated so that is not a reason to make or not make this change. She agreed with the comment that change is hard. She envisioned 2025 will be the hardest year financially that the City has experienced. With a starting point of January 2025 and the $7,000 savings, at the end of that year, the council will know whether or not it worked. COUNCIL PRESIDENT OLSON MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER ECK, TO AMEND TO EVALUATE IN JANUARY 2026 WHETHER OR NOT TO CONTINUE WHICH WOULD BE COMMITTING TO A ONE YEAR TRIAL AND A REEVALUATION. UPON ROLL CALL, AMENDMENT FAILED (2-4), COUNCILMEMBER ECK AND COUNCIL PRESIDENT OLSON VOTING YES; COUNCILMEMBERS CHEN, DOTSCH, PAINE AND NAND VOTING NO. MAIN MOTION FAILED (3-3), COUNCILMEMBERS ECK AND PAINE AND COUNCIL PRESIDENT OLSON VOTING YES; COUNCILMEMBERS CHEN, DOTSCH AND NAND VOTING NO. City Attorney Jeff Taraday explained in the last vote, the tie can be broken by the mayor. The mayor is not obligated to break the tie, but has that option. Mayor Rosen said he would not exercise the option to break the tie. 10. MAYOR'S COMMENTS Mayor Rosen referred to the discussion at the study session prior to this meeting and continued during this meeting regarding housing. In his observation if he asked a resident what the prefect size for Edmonds was, they would probably say the day after they moved in. Change is coming and it cannot be stopped and there Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes March 5, 2024 Page 20 are laws the City must comply with. The choice is what to do within the options available and impacts based on those decisions that will carry into the future. He appreciated the tone of the conversation and the concern for the environment, residents, and quality of life. 11. COUNCIL COMMENTS Councilmember Eck said she has been thinking a lot about this and has had several community members encourage her to speak about disturbing world events. In trying to be thoughtful, she has her thoughts and feelings about what goes on in the world stage. Lately the requests have been to condemn hate speech and threats of violence and targeting of anyone who is marginalized, whether they are LGBTQIA, different color, different religion, etc. She was happy to say she strongly condemns and will always condemn those threats to anyone in the community. She unequivocally appreciated community members who encouraged her to share that. Councilmember Chen commented he found the discussion regarding ADU/DADU very helpful. Not only is it the law for the City to comply, but it also presents opportunities for seniors on fixed income who want to age in place as well as ease housing pressures in the community. He looked forward to more discussion in the future and was feeling good about the discussion and the information presented tonight. Council President Olson announced a new volunteer program in Edmonds, the Property Tax Exemption Program for Seniors and Persons with Disabilities. She explained many homeowners were expecting a bigger property tax bill, but that didn't happen for many. It is an issue for many people and may be a bigger issue in the future. The program's goal is to have everyone qualified receive the reduction in their property taxes that is available to them. There will be four volunteers assisting seniors and disabled persons with the property tax exemption. The tax reduction has been in effect for many years but the maximum income to qualify has been increased by almost $20,000 which means many more people will now qualify. The documentation the program requires can be overwhelming to some qualified persons so they don't apply. The volunteers will manage the application process and answer questions. Further information is available in the Edmonds Waterfront Center newsletter or by calling their registration desk to attend an informational session or schedule an appointment with one of the volunteers. The first informational session is March 11 at the Edmonds Waterfront Center. Higher taxes are a fact of life, but this program will help qualified persons receive a significant cut in their tax bill. There are ten appointments available in March. She thanked all who are involved in the program; she knew only Theresa Hollis by name, but there are at least three others. Councilmember Paine commented the study session was very successful and a lot of good information was shared. She suggested formalizing the process so the study session can be extended to accommodate more dialogue and so the study session was not constrained by special meeting rules. She found study sessions very useful when she was on the school board and they can be useful for the council to have informal discussions and information sharing. Councilmember Paine reported she went to the Washington Kids in Transition Gala fundraising event. They have done a remarkable job this year with fundraising to benefit students and families experiencing housing instability who are impacted by today's economics. They provide housing, clothing, food, and resources for students. Not all families survived the 2008/2009 recession which was very traumatic for many families and many families have not recovered from the pandemic years. Food and housing insecurity are first and foremost; inflation is hitting those families the hardest. She was pleased that Washington Kids in Transition's fundraising did so well. Human services are important to the community because those are the groups that need support. Councilmember Nand reported on Thursday evening, in her personal capacity, she had the incredible honor of joining the Shariif family, including Abdikadir's mother and father along with Ahmed Mumin, executive Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes March 5, 2024 Page 21 director of the Seattle Ride Share Drivers Association, SeaTac Mayor Mohammed Egal, Federal Way Councilmember Lydia Assefa-Dawson, and many others to celebrate Abdikadir's life and discuss the need for safety reforms for rideshare, taxi and delivery drivers in the state. The most impactful moment for her was when Mr. Shariif, Abdikadir's father, spoke about their family history and his son's life. With Ahmed Mumin translating, Mr. Shariif told the gathering that Abdikadir was born the night he and his wife were fleeing Samalia where civil war had broken out. In the refugee camp in Kenya where Abdikadir grew up, his son was known for sharing everything he had, even his last bottle of water. After they immigrated to the United States and Abdikadir started working as a rideshare driver, his son would take extra food from home to share with homeless people he encountered on his rides as well as seed for the birds. Mr. Shariif made a powerful point which was shared by other people, they fled Samalia because of guns; they came to the United States to be safe from gun violence only to lose their son's life to gun violence in the United States, in Edmonds. Mr. Shariif said even the birds are crying now that his son is gone. A lot of people cried on Thursday night because there was much trauma in the room, not just because of Abdikadir's painful loss, but because other rideshare drivers have lost their lives to gun violence in Washington State. The local rideshare community has lost five drivers in the last five years due to violence on the job; now they are pledging to turn their tears into action. ADJOURNMENT With no further business, the council meeting was adjourned at 9:11 pm. Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes March 5, 2024 Page 22