Loading...
2024-05-07 Council MinutesEDMONDS CITY COUNCIL MEETING APPROVED MINUTES May 7, 2024 ELECTED OFFICIALS PRESENT Mike Rosen, Mayor Vivian Olson, Council President Chris Eck, Councilmember Will Chen, Councilmember Neil Tibbott, Councilmember Michelle Dotsch, Councilmember Susan Paine, Councilmember Jenna Nand, Councilmember 1. CALL TO ORDER/FLAG SALUTE STAFF PRESENT Michelle Bennett, Police Chief Loi Dawkins, Assistant Police Chief Dave Machado, Police Commander Susan McLaughlin, Planning & Dev. Dir. Todd Tatum, Comm., Culture & Econ. Dev. Dir. Mike De Lilla, Senior Utilities Engineer Mike Clugston, Senior Planner Angela Tinker, City Attorney's Office Scott Passey, City Clerk 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 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. PRESENTATION NATIONAL POLICE WEEK PROCLAMATION Mayor Rosen read a proclamation formally designating May 9-18, 2024 as Police Week in Edmonds and publicly saluting the service of law enforcement officers in our community and in communities across the nation. Police Chief Michelle Bennett accepted the proclamation on behalf of the Edmonds Police Department. She introduced Assistant Police Chief Lio Dawkins and Commander Dave Machado. She thanked the council, mayor and the Edmonds community for their support of law enforcement, commenting it is not Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes May 7, 2024 Page 1 always the easiest job, it is a chosen profession and a profession of service that many officers signed onto many years ago. 5. APPROVAL OF AGENDA COUNCILMEMBER PAINE MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER TIBBOTT, TO APPROVE THE AGENDA IN CONTENT AND ORDER. Council President Olson requested Item 10.3, Ordinance to Adopt Critical Aquifer Recharge Area (CARA) Code (AMD2023-0004), be removed from the agenda because it is already on table. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. 6. AUDIENCE COMMENTS Lora Petso, Edmonds, President of the Board of Commissioners, Olympic View Water & Sewer District, explained OVWSD's general manager is unavailable tonight but sent an email to council detailing his request. When a question arose this afternoon, he asked her to share with council that it was his understanding the city had already agreed to remove Section D general requirements (council packet page 168). Apparently the Department of Health comments on the CARA acknowledge the problem with any mitigation other than avoidance is the implication that some degree of degradation to the aquifer is acceptable when in fact even a limited degree of harm to an aquifer could result in lost potability. This is essentially the anti -degradation policy referred to in the fourth paragraph of the resolution adopted by OVWSD Board of Commissioners last night. The Board unanimously adopted a resolution to be sent to all local jurisdictions with land use authority over the CARAs; the Board authorized her to share a couple parts of that resolution in her comments tonight. The first quotes a section of state law as follows: "Potable water is an essential life sustaining element for people and many other species. Much of Washington's drinking water comes from groundwater. Once groundwater is contaminated, it is difficult, costly and sometimes impossible to clean up. Preventing contamination is necessary to avoid exorbitant costs, hardships and potential physical harm to people and ecosystems." She shared another section of the resolution, the Board's request that jurisdictions protect both CARAs from new stormwater infiltration facilities, particularly UICs, that OVWSD be promptly notified of proposed projects and land use activities within the CARAs and that councils publicly commit to reviewing and updating CARA protections based on new information as it becomes available. That does not mean once every eight years during the comprehensive plan or CARA ordinance scheduled update; it means if OVWSD brings something to the city, they want to work with the city on it. 7. RECEIVED FOR FILING WRITTEN PUBLIC COMMENTS 8. APPROVAL OF CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS COUNCIL PRESIDENT OLSON MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER PAINE, TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. The agenda items approved are as follows: 1. APPROVAL OF SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES APRIL 16, 2024 2. APPROVAL OF COUNCIL MINUTES APRIL 16, 2024 3. APPROVAL OF SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES APRIL 18, 2024 4. APPROVAL OF COUNCIL MINUTES APRIL 23, 2024 5. APPROVAL OF PAYROLL AND BENEFIT CHECKS, DIRECT DEPOSIT AND WIRE PAYMENTS 6. APPROVAL OF CLAIM CHECKS AND WIRE PAYMENTS Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes May 7, 2024 Page 2 9. PUBLIC HEARING 1. OPTIONS FOR CITY OF EDMONDS FIRE/EMS SERVICES Mayor Rosen opened the public hearing. Steve Francis, Edmonds, commented he and his wife have lived in Edmonds off and on for the past 48 years and every time they've left, they couldn't wait to get back to Edmonds which is home for them. In 1979 he was hired by Snohomish County Fire District 1 as a firefighters and assigned to Station 4, now Station 20, for the first 11 years of his career. Over the decades, there have been many successful annexations, mergers, consolidations, etc. to bring the department to this point. When he started work, there were 39 online firefighters manning 4 stations; there are now 15 stations with nearly 400 personnel. It was his understanding the City of Edmonds has four options related to fire and EMS service, 1) join the regional fire authority (RFA), 2) restart its own department, 3) contract elsewhere for service, or have a fire department only and contract for EMS. Joining the RFA seems to be the most cost effective and logically sound option. Everything is already in place and he could confidently say Edmonds is already being protected by some of the most amazing, talented, caring and highly trained women and men he knows, all of whom have the gift of service to others which is one of the reasons he stayed on as a chaplain with Support 7. As a citizen of this great city, he encouraged the council to move forward and choose to join the RFA and complete the piece that is missing. Pat Hepler, Edmonds, a longtime resident of Edmonds, started with the Edmonds Fire Department in 1979 and had the opportunity to service the citizens of Edmonds and southwest Snohomish County for 38 years, retiring as a battalion chief. He appreciated the council's attention to this matter and recognizing its seriousness, as well as the amazing opportunity to join the RFA that is already in place and serving south Snohomish County very effectively. The RFA is the safest, most efficient and most cost effective way to run EMS and fire service in south Snohomish County and the City of Edmonds. The RFA is proven to work under one fire chief and administration; as members of the RFA, the City of Edmonds would have direct representation on the RFA Board and input in all decisions. He expressed support for the City joining the RFA. Pat Moore, Stanwood, union president for South County Firefighters that represents the 400 firefighters proudly serving south Snohomish County and the City of Edmonds. He's worked at Stations 16 and 17 over the years and union members are proud to serve the Edmonds community and want to continue serving the residents of Edmonds. The council did a good job commissioning a study to look at all options for fire service and showed the best option moving forward which SCF would like to continue on a permanent basis. He has family that lives in Edmonds and they support joining the RFA. Once the city joins the RFA, they have representation on the Board and City actually has more representation as they are allowed to vote and determine the level of service, funding measures, etc., whereas now residents rely on the city council to make those decisions. Zach Cash, Lake Stevens, a member of the executive board of the union representing the 400 firefighters in South County Fire, said serving at one of the Edmonds stations during his career he has visited many locations in Edmonds, but one place he hasn't been is council chambers. He commended council for seriously considering the options and doing the necessary work to ensure citizens have the best fire and EMS protection available. Over the years, it has been his pleasure to work at Station 16 and if firefighters were categorized by their length of service, he would be categorized as an Edmonds firefighters because he has spent about half his career in the City of Edmonds. He was proud to be part of the community. Originally from out of state, he had no idea what an Edmonds Kind of Day meant until he worked in Edmonds; working in Edmonds, he understands how special the city is. The city is special to the council, mayor, citizens and the members who work in Edmonds to protect citizens and visitors. He thanked the council for the work Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes May 7, 2024 Page 3 they have done and to consider annexation to the RFA as the most cost effective and most serious option for the city going forward for the benefit of Edmonds citizens. Doug Loeser, Shoreline, union president, Shoreline Local 1760, spoke in favor of the City of Edmonds working with South County RFA. His wife spends a lot of time in Edmonds and they have a business at the Edmonds waterfront so they are also invested in the fire service provided to Edmonds. Shoreline Fire is one of the options the city is considering; however, South County RFA has provided good service to Edmonds and he recommended the city continue working with the RFA. Jay Grant, Edmonds, Port of Edmonds Commissioner, thanked the city for acknowledging police week. He has worked in law enforcement for the last 14 years, working with aviation and maritime and recognized it was a tough job. He expressed his appreciation for the Edmonds Police Department. With regard to fire service, he suggested the city has two options, 1) restarting its own fire department, or 2) joining the RFA. He did not think eliminating a fire station was a reasonable alternative. In his opinion, it comes down to money, whether it costs $20-21 million for the city to operate its own fire department or $21 million to be part of the RFA, there will effectively be a new cost. Regardless of the option selected, if the city forms its own fire department, there likely will need to be a bond issue to provide funding. With the other option, the RFA, individual property owners pay for fire service. In addition to cost, it comes down to how citizens will be represented, whether by commissioner elected by the district or by city council. He hoped what didn't get lost was the real dollars and cents versus protection. The city currently receives great protection from the RFA and he assumed if the city formed its own department, the protection would be the same. He urged the council to lay out the facts to citizens so they understand the decision. Ron Wambolt, Edmonds, relayed in November 2009, after five months of consideration, numerous public hearings and very strong support from the firefighters union, the city council voted 6-1 to approve a contract for fire service with Fire District 1, now known as South County Fire. He was a councilmember at that time and voted with the majority. The sole reason for the action was to reduce fire service costs for Edmonds. During the past 15 years this objective has consistently been achieved as the annual savings often amounted to more than $1 million. Unfortunately those savings became more than SCF could endure and they notified the city in accordance with the contract that they were terminating the contract in two years, not an unreasonable thing for them to do as their revenue for the contract since its inception grew by a compound annual growth rate of less than 3%, less than inflation they experienced. Edmonds should not be the remedy for this situation. Being part of a RFA was deemed not to be a good move for Edmonds 15 years ago and he believed that continues to be the situation today. Mr. Wambolt continued, Edmonds' relatively high property values cause that not to be a good financial decision. The 2024 tax rate for each of the 4 cities now part of SCF is $1.17 per $1,000 of assessed value. The average value of Edmonds homes is higher than any city in Snohomish County, except for the Town of Woodway. The average Edmonds home value is 21.9% more than the average for the 4 cities — Brier, Lynnwood, Mill Creek and Mountlake Terrace. That means that the average Edmonds homeowner would pay 21.9% more in taxes to SCF than the average for the 4 current cities. In fact, it would be 50% more than Mountlake Terrace and 46% more than Lynnwood. A new tax of more than $1,000 for the average Edmonds residence — $18M in total for Edmonds property owners. He recommended re-establishing an Edmonds Fire Department. The personnel now devoted to Edmonds should become employees of Edmonds and the city should be able to purchase from SCF the fire equipment used in Edmonds. At the beginning of the contract the city's personnel and equipment went to FD1, so it seems reasonable that we should be able to now do the reverse of that. In 2009 city council made a decision late in the negotiations to retain the fire stations which is now being reaffirmed as having been a wise decision. Re-establishing the city's own fire department may require increased expenses, and possibly a vote for higher property taxes, but that's preferable to not having full control of such a major expense and the $1.17 SCF levy. Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes May 7, 2024 Page 4 Bill Krepick, Woodway, described his background, a CEO of a software company with 700 employees and listed on Nasdaq. His approach to this situation is from a business point of view, he is not a politician or a firefighters and respects all the first responders. Looking at the alternatives the city is considering, there are implications for taxpayers. He could not understand how any well run organization could have a 50% increase in the cost of their service over the last four years and say there will be another 50% increase in two years. The council has I1/2 years to make a decision and he hoped the council would take the time to analyze what is going on with the regional fire departments. He opined all the regional fire departments, not just SCF, are out way out of control. The state set up the RFA model but did not set up good operating regulations, guardrails or financial reporting standards. As a result regional fire districts across the state are ripping off taxpayers. They are all well intentioned and part of the community, but the costs and acceleration has been beyond the population growth and cost of living and something has to be done. It will be his mission to get the state to revise their rules and guidelines for regional fire departments as they are out of control and it is time to reform them. He has provided the council ideas about how they can participate in that effort. He expressing willingness to work with the council and the state to reform the situation. Jim Ogonowski, Edmonds, acknowledged first responders, both police and fire, who do a tremendous job for the community. With regard to the RFA, he questioned the timing of the public hearing tonight when there hasn't been any discussion by council following the Fitch report and the meeting with the SCF commissioners. He did not find the Fitch report very robust as it did not lay out the alternatives or do a fair financial analysis. Fitch used the RFA's input related to tax levy rates versus recalculating based on Edmonds participation. If Edmonds joins the RFA, it will dramatically alter the assessed value of the RFA and the levy rates themselves which was not addressed in the Fitch report. He referred to the benefit charge, a new, different type of revenue mechanism compared to the levy calculation and wondered how the benefit charge fit in, particularly with the range from 0-60% of revenue collected could be via the benefit charge. He questioned how that was determined and how it affected citizens and taxpayers. He found the lack of voting representation on the board, particularly in the early years, problematic. He had similar concerns to Mr. Krepick regarding cost control measures. He questioned whether the existing fire stations would be sold or given to SCF and how that was addressed in the calculation. He asked whether the taxes currently collected by the General Fund and used to fund fire and EMS services would be redistributed to taxpayers if the voters approved joining the RFA. Corbitt Loch, Edmonds, commented he was involved with the formation of the RFA with the City of Lynnwood and SCF and it seems to be the clear, best choice of the options available to the City of Edmonds. The cost of services, the cost per service call, and the number of calls are increasing, yet property tax increases are limited to 1%. An unintended consequence of the approval of a 1% property tax increase means fire service delivery at the municipal level is pretty much unaffordable and therefore ways to make it more affordable have to be found such as economies of scale. He supports Edmonds joining the SCF RFA, commenting the fire benefit charge will better allocate costs for fire service based on land use rather than property assessed value. Based on what happened in Lynnwood, property taxes and the fire levy will not go down and will continue to increase. He suggested the analysis consider decades rather than annual which shows a more accurate picture. With no further public testimony, Mayor Rosen closed the public hearing. 10. COUNCIL BUSINESS 1. CONSENT TO HOLDOVER TENANCY GRANTING A HOLDOVER TENANCY TO T- MOBILE WEST TOWER, LLC Angela Tinker, City Attorney's Office, explained this agenda item is a request for council to authorize the mayor to consent in writing to a holdover tenancy with two of the tenants at Five Corners water tank site. In 1997 the City entered into a lease with Voicestream; amended in 2004, that authorized Voicestream to Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes May 7, 2024 Page 5 erect a monopole on which it would locate telecommunication equipment. That interest is now held by T- Mobile; the lease expires later this month. The lease contemplates a holdover tenancy; with the City's consent, a Lessee can hold over on a month -to -month basis with rent paid on a prorated basis. Either party can terminate up 30 days' notice. The terms are the same as under the existing lease. Various items are being negotiated which is the reason there is not a longer term lease to present at this time. COUNCIL PRESIDENT OLSON MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER PAINE, TO AUTHORIZE EXECUTION OF THE ATTACHED WRITTEN CONSENT TO HOLDOVER TENANCY UNDER THE TERMS SPECIFIED IN THE LEASE. Councilmember Nand asked what material terms caused the negotiation to extend beyond the life of the lease. Ms. Tinker answered the parties were talking about rents owed under the lease. T-Mobile paid the items owed within the last few weeks and they are balanced with the City through 2014 which was a major item. Councilmember Nand commented the lease holds more value to T-Mobile now than what the City was charging in 1997. She wondered if there was any point of contention regarding the rate, but it sounds like it was just the currency. Ms. Tinker answered she couldn't say yet whether there was any contention with the rent. Councilmember Paine commented there is a noticeable difference between the agreement with T-Mobile and the Version. She asked how long T-Mobile was out of compliance with payment of rent. Ms. Tinker answered they missed a payment which caused all the other payments to be below what was owed the City because the rent increases annually. While they had been paying, they had been paying less than the amount owed the City. They went back 10 years and paid everything owed the City plus a late payment fee. Councilmember Paine asked if it was expected that T-Mobile would remain current with their rent payments. Ms. Tinker answered she did not see any reason they would not pay the amount due going forward. Councilmember Tibbott relayed his understanding there are annual escalations in the rental fee. Ms. Tinker agreed. Observing this agreement will be a month -to -month lease, Councilmember Tibbott asked if she anticipated entering into a long term lease. Ms. Tinker answered yes. Councilmember Tibbott asked about the timeframe for the long term lease. Ms. Tinker answered the City has provided draft leases to all the tenants in March; there are items holding up negotiations, largely rent. Councilmember Tibbott observed what is before the council is an extension of the current arrangement and staff is working on a long term lease with the current carrier. Ms. Tinker answered what is before the council is extending each lease with each carrier on a month -to -month basis while details of a longer term renewal with each carrier are negotiated. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. 2. CONSENT TO HOLDOVER TENANCY GRANTING A HOLDOVER TENANCY TO SEATTLE SMSA LIMITED PARTNERSHIP, D/B/A VERIZON WIRELESS Angela Tinker, City Attorney's Office, explained this item relates to the lease with Verizon Wireless which the City entered into a few years ago. Council authorized Verizon to collocate on the tower owned by T- Mobile and leased ground space for associated equipment. Like the monopole lease, this lease includes a section that contemplates a holdover tenancy under the same month -to -month terms, prorated rents, and either parry can terminate upon 30 days' notice. The City is also negotiating terms on this lease; a holdover tenancy would allow the City to continue negotiations while having a lease in place and obtaining rent. COUNCIL PRESIDENT OLSON MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER TIBBOTT, TO AUTHORIZE EXECUTION OF THE ATTACHED WRITTEN CONSENT TO HOLDOVER TENANCY UNDER THE TERMS SPECIFIED IN THE FACILITIES LEASE FOR VERIZON WIRELESS. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes May 7, 2024 Page 6 3. ORDINANCE TO ADOPT CRITICAL AQUIFER RECHARGE AREA (CARA) CODE (AMD2023-0004) COUNCIL PRESIDENT OLSON MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER PAINE, TO TAKE THIS FROM THE TABLE. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. Senior Planner Mike Clugston advised staff is seeking council approval of the ordinance in the packet related to the CARA regulations that the City has working on with OVWSD over the past year. He, Senior Utilities Engineer Mike De Lilla and Planning & Development Director Susan McLaughlin are present to answer council questions. Councilmember Dotsch referred to information that went to the planning board and discussion with staff and OVWSD's request to remove 23.60.030.13 General Requirements. Mr. Clugston answered the planning board recommended removing 23.60.030.D. Lc which is no longer part of the language proposed tonight. Councilmember Dotsch asked why that was removed. Mr. Clugston answered it was removed at the planning board's request. Councilmember Dotsch relayed her understanding of OVWSD's November 29, 2023 letter was according to the Department of Health, mitigation does not apply to CARAs as it does to other critical areas so no level of damage is acceptable. She asked how that is addressed by not removing that section. Mr. Clugston asked if Councilmember Dotsch was proposing that D. La and b. also be removed as that would be consistent with guidance Department of Health provided in November and March although staff does not necessarily agree with that recommendation. The language provides guardrails, but it can be removed. Councilmember Dotsch asked if Mr. Clugston was referring to D. La and b, but not 2, 3 and 4. Mr. Clugston agreed. COUNCILMEMBER TIBBOTT MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCIL PRESIDENT OLSON, TO APPROVE THE ORDINANCE IN THE PACKET. Councilmember Tibbott commented after reviewing this 3-4 times, he noticed it provides substantial protection that do not exist under the current code. OVWSD is interested in the protections available via this ordinance, as well as conflicting information about additional concerns OVWSD has. He appreciated the information the last time the council discussed this, that shallow UICs allow percolating through soil more effectively before it run down the streets and into other unintended places which he viewed as a protection. The CARAs go through four different jurisdictions on the way to wells. Councilmember Tibbott observed the red circles on the map are not in Edmonds; one is in Esperance and the other is in Woodway. He asked if there were additional protections in the CARA for that part of the wellhead. He asked how to balance comments from OVWSD regarding passing this ordinance with all its protections versus waiting any number of years until there is more information. Mr. De Lilla answered the red circles on the map are one year infiltration travel time zones. In the older code and the 2002 report, that would signify areas where septic systems would not be allowed, but would be allowed in all other zones. For most CARAs, what matters is the 10-year zone which is where the higher level of care needs to happen related to water treatment and infiltration. Expanding into the buffer zone literally doubles the area being protected; the state only requires half that area. Mr. De Lilla continued, related to OVWSD's concerns, if additional credible science that measures treatment for PFAS or other chemicals arises, it will automatically be adopted. There is some confusion in regard to what infiltration systems do. The UICs at grade are infiltration which is completely separate and untreated. What happens before, whether at the surface or at a UIC, it gets treated first. That is the point that is being missed. That is how the system works, it is treated to the standards that the state requires which the City has enhanced. It is measurable and then it is infiltrated whether on surface or a UIC. UICs require excavation, however, infiltration at the surface also requires large amounts of amounts of excavation and often more excavation to create slopes. UICs can be vertical due to soils and other methods of infiltrating. Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes May 7, 2024 Page 7 The ordinance is designed to be improved. The ordinance is only as good as the current science; there is science to detect chemicals, but there is no science related to treatment. Everyone assumes plants will be better than other systems, but there is no way of knowing that. Until that science comes out, it is important to have that capability. Councilmember Tibbott relayed his understanding, if new science comes out that is adopted by the Department of Ecology, it will immediately be integrated into the City's code. Mr. De Lilla answered yes. Councilmember Tibbott summarized there will be no requirement to present it to council, it would be immediately adopted. Mr. Clugston answered that is the stormwater component. The entire regulation is based on best available science (BAS). As science improves, the regulations will be updated. If the federal government develops new guidance, that will be considered. If OVWSD does a new study of their watershed, some tweaks may be necessary. The City is required to update the critical area ordinance every 10 years with the comprehensive plan, but it can be updated sooner if new information becomes available. Councilmember Nand asked if continuing to delay adoption of the code would leave the CARA unprotected. Mr. Clugston answered it would leave the regulations the way they are today. There hasn't been any contamination over the last period of decades. The intent is to adopt new, robust regulations based on BAS to ensure there is no contamination in the future. Councilmember Nand asked if it would have been preferrable to adopt this before the comprehensive plan update and before density is proposed that might impact the area. Mr. Clugston answered staff s recommendation is adopt the regulations tonight. Once the regulations are in place, the area will be regulated and considered in the future if needed. Councilmember Nand observed stormwater eventually works its way down into the CARA. She asked if there was anything other than crumb rubber that should be addressed to prevent pollutants. She recalled bringing up glyphosate in the past. She was interested in the council looking at those contaminants citywide, not just in CARAs. Mr. De Lilla answered it comes down to science; up until 20-30 years ago, no one knew about PFAS or 6PPD-Q. The good thing about the CARAs is it will try to keep up with the science. To regulate these things and determine safe levels, the City is not equipped monetarily to develop science; that is what the federal government does. The federal government's deep pockets are needed to fund that as well as find the data sets to model and understand the science. The Puget Sound region is at the forefront and the City has partnered with firms at the forefront such as Herrara. The City has to stick with BAS because that's all that's available. Councilmember Nand thanked the community for their engagement, expressing her hope that everyone thinks about the poisons and chemicals they introduce into the natural environment that impacts the health of humans, wildlife and plants. Councilmember Eck commented this has been such a valuable conversation. She was grateful for staff returning to council so many times and ensuring the public's questions and concerns are addressed. She expressed support for the motion as it is important to get additional protections into place as soon as possible. She appreciated the ability to move swiftly in the future as science improves. She was glad the council took the time to have a full conversation and hear from all sides and the community. Councilmember Chen echoed Councilmember Eck's comments, expressing appreciation to Mr. De Lilla and Mr. Clugston for their due diligence. He pointed out the planning board provided a recommendation in 2023 for no UIC wells at all in the CARA. The planning board then backtracked and in 2024 recommended allowing shallow UIC wells. He asked the disadvantage of adopting the 2023 planning board recommendation that would not allow any UIC wells. Mr. Clugston answered the initial version of the code that the planning board considered in November 2023 had language in it that allowed shallow UICs in the Deer Creek Aquifer. Following the public hearing, the planning board recommended prohibiting shallow UICs in QVA soils in Deer Creek. Over the last 4-5 months, the planning board revised their recommendation and now recommended allowing shallow UICs in the Deer Creek QVA. Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes May 7, 2024 Page 8 Councilmember Chen relayed he understood the timing but asked staff to describe why the planning board revised their recommendation. Mr. De Lilla answered without shallow UICs, everything would be on the surface which would result in more downstream flooding and flooding on sites. The issue is pipes and perforated pipe; a perforated pipe is an UIC. The majority of stormwater flows eventually reach pipes and don't use Ecology's TAPE standards related to stormwater treatment which only leaves natural methods. He was not saying plants are not an effective form of mitigation, but it is likely not effective for PFAS otherwise PFAS wouldn't exist. Input from engineers was used in developing Ecology's TAPE standards. Council President Olson assured the council takes protection of its aquifer, which the community is fortunate to have, very seriously. She offered her personal commitment to bring this back whenever it needs to be revisited. She thanked staff for their work. Councilmember Dotsch pointed out OVWSD had experts look at their clean drinking water and they recommended no UICs in the QVA. In an effort to do no harm, she preferred not to allow any infiltration in the QVA layers which are like sand. That has been a consistent recommendation from OVWSD and it is in the report from their experts and the OVWSD Board passed a resolution passed yesterday with the same recommendation. She reiterated her preference to do no harm and not allow shallow UIC in the QVA of Deer Creek. Councilmember Paine expressed support for the motion, pointing out there are currently no regulations protecting the CARA. She expressed her appreciation for the thoughtfulness in putting together an ordinance that will immediately incorporate any changes. She recognize the need and desire for OVWSD to get notified or provide the City notification as OVWSD is a valued partner. MOTION CARRIED (6-1), COUNCILMEMBER DOTSCH VOTING NO. 4. LANDMARK 99 UPDATE Community, Culture & Economic Development Director Todd Tatum advised the intent of this item is to provide an update on the progress since the last briefing to council on December 6, 2023. The presentation will discuss next steps and decisions over the next few months. A bigger part of why staff is presenting to council is expressed in the Highway 99 Subarea Plan which describes the qualities residents want to see in the corridor including economic development, safety and walkability, housing and development specifically mixed use and affordable housing, a distinct identity that creates a welcoming and attractive environment, and creating more efficient and accessible transit connections. With regard to what staff is doing and where the City is in the process, he explained it is very early in a process that will be spread over many years. The process is currently in the feasibility stage. Mr. Tatum reviewed: Option to Purchase Timeline o The March 31, 2025 decision point is exercising the option to purchase which includes S1 million earnest money down payment. Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes May 7, 2024 Page 9 ■ Source of the $1 million to be determined, could be a combination of City and partnership funds. Previous Decision o On December 5, 2023 city council authorized the mayor to sign the amended Option which attaches the negotiated PSA as an Exhibit and amends the timeline and "assignment clause" language. ■ This action resulted in: - $100,000 becoming nonrefundable - Further consideration until we execute the option or we choose to discontinue pursuing this project - Staff advancing the project as described in December 5' presentation 2024 Anticipated Costs (from December 5 meeting) Activity Due Diligence: Alta survey, Title, Environmental Real Estate consulting Development agreement Communication and outreach Total* Amount $100,000 $25,000 $100-$150,000 $15,000 $245,000-$290,000 *Partnership arrangements may impact individual line items 2024 Funding Options o $100,000 -Snohomish County grant o $300,000 - Currently available from Affordable and Supportive Housing Sales & Use Tax The Next Decision o Authorize/not authorize staff to work with the preferred development team to draft a Memorandum of Due Diligence outlining the steps necessary to determine whether a partnership and purchase of a portion of the property are feasible. ■ This action would result in: - Staff time devoted to negotiations with the preferred development team - An agreement outlining the process necessary to conduct due diligence on the partnership and the property Planning & Development Director Susan McLaughlin reviewed: • Actions Taken Since December 5' o Request for Proposal ■ Staff developed a Request for Proposal which went "live" in January ■ Pre -bid conference on February 12t1' ■ Proposal closed on March 22" d ■ Staff received two bids o Evaluation process ■ Six -person evaluation committee was established - 2x staff Todd Tatum and Susan McLaughlin) - 2x board/commission members (planning board and EDC) - 2x Councilmembers (Council President Olson and Councilmember Chen) ■ Evaluation consisted of- - Evaluation of proposal Interview Post -interview site visits (by a reduced committee) Preferred Developer o Development & Design Team Organization Chart Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes May 7, 2024 Page 10 rgE' Gw,Pry kv. ................ ................ Primary Development Developer Partner ....................................................................... 1 Architect General Contractor • Proposal o Workforce housing ■ 826 units with 648 units (80%) catering to 30-80% AMI o Mix of retail, apartments, and market rate townhomes o Proposed Multifamily Residences 7 SF 372.044 SF wilding 4 (Townhomes) ` 29,240 SF ■ Market rate townhomes (Building 4) ■ Public open space adjacent to townhomes lined with retail (approximately 60,000 square feet at ground level) o Public/Private Development Division Y 1 1 I �7r6 /o 2 4% 242' St SW ■ Civic component in master plan work included either a community center or aquatic center (reach goal) ■ Civic uses comprise 24% of the project site • Project Phasing Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes May 7, 2024 Page 11 r-------------------- �3� !ps u ! ` ! e 11 �q i b ;P3 0 36 month phasing o Phasing and timing negotiable Evaluation committee's reaction to proposal and interview o Affordability component ranked high o Financing model allows for options o J2 includes daycares in in each of their development o Commitment to community and achieving public uses o Impressed with the team's willingness to work with our team toward mutual objectives Mr. Tatum reviewed: • What's Next? o Staff needs authorization to enter into negotiations with proposed developer towards Memorandum of Due Diligence (or similar document) o Staff will bring this decision forward in early June o If approved, staff will work with J2 team to create "path forward" to get to answers about: ■ The details of the partnership ■ The due diligence on the property ■ The ownership and financing model o Finalize plans for the City's portion of the property ■ Determine if community center feasible in conjunction with additional housing ■ Determine if there are municipal partners for an aquatics centers and timing Approximate Timeline o June 2024: Approval to negotiate MOA on Due Diligence o July 2024: Approval of MOA on Due Diligence o November 2024: In progress report o December -February 2025: Hearings and decisions related to property ownership, financing, and phasing Councilmember Tibbott commented the MOA will surface a lot of negotiation topics. He recognized staff may not be able to answer some of his questions until after the MOA is negotiated. He asked if the public space percentage lines up with public conversations held in the past. Ms. McLaughlin answered there were three development schemes in the proposal. The preferred concept does align with the master planning work, the other two not as much. With regard to parking and access, Councilmember Tibbott said he did not see any additional on or off ramps to the property which was concerning to him. Ms. McLaughlin advised access will be considered as part of the due diligence. There was a conversation about parking as part of the proposal, recognizing the proposal is a concept. Their approach was shared use parking and structured parking; their proposal for managing parking was one of the selling points for the committee. Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes May 7, 2024 Page 12 Councilmember Tibbott asked if their history as a development group includes integrating parking with that level of housing. Ms. McLaughlin said she has not seen all their projects, but the projects the committee saw certainly had integrated parking. Councilmember Tibbott referred to the public space shown in brown on the diagram, recalling the presentation indicated there would be retail on the first floor. Ms. McLaughlin explained there is 60,000 square feet of retail on the ground floor throughout the development site. A significant amount is lining the public space/town square. Councilmember Tibbott observed the town square is the public open space between P3 and P2 on the project phasing image; P3 is the townhomes and the retail wraps P2. Councilmember Nand thanked staff and the committee for all their hard work. She asked about the proposed heights for buildings 1, 2 and 3. Ms. McLaughlin answered the proposal did not include exact heights; it looks to be between five and seven stories. Councilmember Nand recalled the original RFP mentioned extending the building height to 90 feet for this parcel and asked if that was something they were pursuing. Ms. McLaughlin answered in reviewing the proposals, neither development team maximized the 70-foot height limit; there is no interest in exceeding the existing zoning height. Councilmember Nand recalled this project originally came on the City's radar when Director Feser approached the existing property owner regarding the open space and trees as a potential park space. It appears from this mockup that the trees would be eliminated. Ms. McLaughlin answered the project is not at that level of design. Due diligence will help determine if there are significant trees on the site. Inevitably the scale of development will result in some tree removal. Councilmember Nand commented there is particular sensitivity in the subarea where there is a lack of shade equity and lack of mature trees. If the City remains involved in the project, she suggested giving priority to preserving the mature trees lining the parcel. Ms. McLaughlin reiterated the project is not at that level of design, commenting she gets excited thinking about increasing the canopy on this site despite an increased amount of development. The existing site includes a vast amount of surface parking; the rendering illustrates an opportunity to infuse that with more tree canopy. With regard to the public facilities/amenities, Councilmember Nand said the question she has always had about putting a pool or aquatics center on the site is the Dale Turner YMCA pool is literally within walking distance. In terms of this very resource -poor area of the City with regard to public facilities, she asked about the fixation on a pool, whether it was meant to serve the residents of the high density housing. The larger community on Highway 99 could benefit from community space, recalling the council held a town hall in the cafeteria of the Public Works building because there was literally no other place to meet with the public on Highway 99. Ms. McLaughlin responded an aquatic facility ranked very high in the PROS Plan. There is interest from adjacent jurisdictions around partnering on an aquatic facility. The aquatic facility would be a regional attraction and still an amenity to existing residents. She recognized an aquatics center would be a reach goal, but the intent was to honor the interest of regional partners to explore it. Councilmember Nand asked about the regional partners. Ms. McLaughlin answered Mountlake Terrace and Shoreline. Councilmember Nand relayed from speaking with representatives of the Dale Turner YMCA, an aquatic facility is incredible expensive; for example, it costs $10,000 to fill the pool. When she very enthusiastically supported this project last year, the excitement she heard from her neighborhood, she lives within walking distance of the property, was about the potential for community space. One of the problems with Highway 99 is there are no great places to walk to, especially for families with young children. In looking at the response to the RFP, she did not see a role for the City to remain in the transaction versus just telling these partners to deal directly with the property owner because she was unsure what benefit there would be for the neighborhood or the region from the City's involvement versus proceeding as a private transaction if the amenity is a pool. Councilmember Nand continued, a pool is great, but the Highway 99 community is underserved in so many ways that a pool did not rank as a top priority for the area. If Mountlake Terrace and Shoreline want to Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes May 7, 2024 Page 13 place a pool somewhere and Edmonds wants help, that may be a great idea, but is that something Edmonds wants to devote a significant amount of staff time and resources to helping bring about for the subarea. Ms. McLaughlin answered the civic use described in the RFP aligned with community center. The RFP mentioned an aquatic center as an option. This proposal spoke more about aquatics center than had been anticipated. An aquatic center is relevant in the PROS plan and there have been local and regional conversations about an aquatics center. She agreed that did not rank the highest in neighborhood conversations and what is needed is community meeting space. A community center or a reach goal of an aquatic center would have to have community meeting rooms to meet the goals of the community. With regard to why the City would remain engaged in this project, Mr. Tatum said whatever community space is included, whether it is a community center or open space, the goal is create open spaces that are inviting and make people want to linger. Mixed use development has struggled in the past; the addition of public space and some type of community center where the public is coming and going increases the vibrancy of the area and the viability of the retail. The City is interested in the project both for the retail and the public space due to how they complement each other. Councilmember Nand commented when looking at the City's investment and what the City would gain, she was hoping there would be more devotion to open space/green space which is severely lacking in this neighborhood. Children play in the common driveways of their dense housing because there is no green space. Ms. McLaughlin agreed that is why the City wants to have a seat at the table, to get the public open space and explore the civic use opportunity. The area shown in brown on the project phasing image is the built civic use such as a community center and the open space which comprise 24% of the site. How that would be financed and how it would ultimately be delivered is yet to be determined. The preferred option was included in the presentation; the proposal included two other options, one of which eliminates the public open space. The intent of the City's involvement is to deliver the public open space; a development team would design the site in a different way with roof top amenities or enclosed in a courtyard available to residents. The ability to deliver public open space available to everyone would require some public investment; how that is achieved via negotiations has yet to be determined. Councilmember Nand commented there are a lot of communities adjacent and within walking distance to this parcel that multiple levels of government and the nonprofit community are trying to reach. Before the decision comes back to council regarding whether to proceed, she suggested ascertaining the interest of those governmental and nonprofit partners so there is more dedication to community service and public space and less private sector. Councilmember Paine asked if the percentages of private versus public space was fairly firm and did it need to be 25%/75% to pencil out financially. Ms. McLaughlin answered this is the developer's proposal, a percentage has not been negotiated and would occur in the next phase. In preliminary conversations with this team, they are open to that negotiation. Councilmember Paine commented this 10 acre site is a rare opportunity. There is some interest on council for locating a police substation in the area; she asked if that discussion will be included in the due diligence. Ms. McLaughlin answered a police substation was part of the master planning concept including articulating what that mean from a square footage perspective, recognizing it would be a training facility with office space. Further defining civic use will absolutely be necessary in the next phase. Councilmember Paine commented the 36 month phasing is astounding. She was very pleased the proposal includes ownership housing as it will help bring down property prices. If the project included childcare, she suggested talking with the school district who has connection with childcare centers and may have insight into what's possible. She looked forward to the next phase. Councilmember Chen said as a member of the interview team, the reason he was interested in J2 was, 1) their access to state, federal and private funding sources for the affordable housing component and their experience on the sites the interview team visited in Ballard and Seattle, and 2) their interests are in line with the City's interests. One of the examples they used was they did not want to maximize the building Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes May 7, 2024 Page 14 height because they recognize that would not be the most attractive way to build a community adjacent to single family housing. During their proposal, they demonstrated building at less than the maximum building height which shows they care about the surrounding community and not just their own profit. He recognized the project is in the early stages of development. He asked for assurance that moving forward and up to March 2025 before the council commits to $1 million earnest money there would not be any additional commitment of General Fund money. Mr. Tatum responded two sources of funding have been identified which staff thinks can get through the next phase. He did not anticipate asking for more, but maybe something will happen that makes it the best idea ever to come forward with General Funds although he did not think that would happen in next nine months. Councilmember Chen observed there is $100,000 from a Snohomish County grant and $300,000 from the Affordable and Supportive Housing Sales & Use Tax. He noted the $1 million earnest money could come from a combination of sources. He asked if additional commitment from the General Fund was foreseen. Mr. Tatum answered no. Councilmember Chen commented there would also be further negotiation with J2 regarding the public space such as who owns it, who operates it, who maintains it, the amount of City commitment, etc. He asked for assurance that that was still to be negotiated. Mr. Tatum answered a great deal remains to be negotiated with regard to the public component including financing, sharing siting costs, phasing, etc.; a partner was needed to get into the details. All those things need to be considered to determine what's feasible. Councilmember Chen observed it is still very early, the City has not signed MOA yet. Councilmember Eck commended the community members who have been involved including representation from the Economic Development Commission. She was particularly happy to hear this developer is committed to onsite daycare; building that into their model is really telling about their commitment to caring for the community. She was also pleased with the affordability components because the City needs the housing. The shopping options and the resulting revenue will be helpful whether the City proceeds with this plan or another plan that does something similar. The City needs the diversified revenue and needs the community space particularly in the east part of City. She anticipated once this project was underway, there would be a domino effect and other developers will want to be part of the change. She was very optimistic and pleased with the potential for this site. Councilmember Dotsch commented she researched the developer names. She asked if this group has worked together on projects in the past. Mr. Tatum answered yes, different combinations have worked together before; this combination is currently working on developments in Everett and Tacoma. Councilmember Dotsch observed none of those developments have been completed yet. Mr. Tatum agreed none of the projects under this exact partnership had been completed, but different formations/partnerships have completed projects. Councilmember Dotsch said in researching J2, it appears they are fairly new to affordable housing. She understood the excitement about opportunities but she likes to see things that have been done and achieved on budget and delivering what was proposed. The idea of 30-80% AMI workforce housing, she looked up other developers, the ones in Mountlake Terrace did not use any public money; the ones in Shoreline near the Central Market are using MFTE which shows these projects can be done without a public investment. She was concerned about the deliverables; it's great to be hopeful, but with the cost of construction, to make these units affordable for those income levels will be very challenging without a heavy lift of money. She was concerned with that coming from Edmonds' taxpayers who are already being hit with a lot. She was concerned that the realities may not be achievable with this group who has not done anything like this before. She was also concerned with retail in this parcel with no redesigned access. The property owner was unable to sell the property due because it was not accessible for consumers and that is the reason other opportunities did not reach fruition. Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes May 7, 2024 Page 15 Councilmember Dotsch asked how physical access to the retail and public amenities would be addressed. Ms. McLaughlin answered the due diligence would look at access. A key part of this site is its proximity to the Swift line; a multimodal transited oriented development provides opportunity for regional transit as well as proximity to the Interurban and as the proposal mentions, the site is two miles from the Mountlake Terrace light rail station. Vehicular access will be certainly be considered during the due diligence phase, the proposal sees this as an opportunity to build on the multimodal network. Councilmember Dotsch referred to the 30%-80% AMI, noting the housing in Shoreline with MFTE is 70% AMI. She asked about the developer's proposal to get to 30%-60% AMI. Ms. McLauglin answered the financing is yet to be determined. The reason this proposal ranked highly was their understanding of affordable housing financing and their ability to see it out at a 55 year term which is one of their strengths. Affordable housing in this development market provides stability because there are so many affordable housing sources. While conventional development may be struggling due to a myriad things including interest rates, this is an opportunity to partner with an affordable housing developer. She could not cite their exact financing strategy as that is something that will be worked on as the process moves forward. Mr. Tatum commented the City will go into the due diligence of the partnership critical as he hoped the developers would be critical of the City's partnership. There are protections and mechanisms to ensure what is talked about does get built such as via a development agreement. Councilmember Dotsch reiterated her concern that J2 is new, she has researched their background, and what they've done and haven't done. She was concerned this was something that has never achieved before. As happened with the City's experience with wastewater treatment plan, she urged caution when partnering with someone who has not actually delivered something before due to the unknown challenges. If affordable housing is this popular, she was surprised the City only received two bids. She asked why the committee did not choose the other bid. Mr. Tatum answered the main difference between the proposals was one focused on affordable housing and the funding mechanism in the current market. The other proposal focused on market rate housing and relied on surface parking to reduce costs and there was a funding gap. The committee felt there was an opportunity to negotiate with J2 with regard to timing, etc., and did not feel there was that same opportunity with the other developer as well as the need to fill the funding gap. Councilmember Dotsch asked if there had been any feedback regarding why the RFP did not generate more interest. Mr. Tatum answered the market for market -rate housing is a tough place right now due to high interest rates. Councilmember Dotsch recalled staff s comment that there is a lot going on with affordable housing and wondered why others developers who consistently do this type of work did not bid on it. Mr. Tatum said he could not speak to why they didn't bid on it. Council President Olson said she had the privilege of being involved in this process and couldn't say enough nice things about the team and their enthusiasm and sincerity. There are preconceived notions about affordable housing; on the site tours and during the interview they repeatedly referred to workforce housing and building a community. She walked away feeling like they were not just building housing but building a community which is what everyone wants for multifamily projects. With regard to the tools, one of the things they talked about were long range financing tools at low rates available from the federal government which allows them to lower costs due to the lower rates and it is spread over a much longer period of time. Council President Olson continued, what has been frustrating about MFTE for those involved in discussions about housing is there will still be a need for affordable housing after the 15 years lapses. This 50 year profile that is building for the sake of creating affordable housing is an entirely different mindset. An epiphany for her, since it has been a long time since she's spent a lot of time in multifamily housing, was how much it has changed over the years; there are more community spaces, rooftop decks, an assigned garden area, etc. It is different in terms of the quality of life that is offered. If this project could be created, if it was the right time to create it, she envisioned it would be a place where everybody wanted to live. Because she liked this team so much and because they were so sincere and wonderful, she feared it was a Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes May 7, 2024 Page 16 bit of a bait and switch because in the initial phases, there were discussions of the government entity funding a community center which is not in the cards in the next 5-10 years regardless of the financing tools. Because she was so excited about the project and wished it could happen, she has spent a lot of time brainstorming how to make it happen in way that didn't include public/taxpayer investment. She referred to Mr. Tatum's comment that maybe there would be such a great idea that General Fund money would be invested and assured there was no General Fund money available. Therefore, if the partner could overlook the fact that it wasn't actually governmental and if interested nonprofits like the Boys & Girls Club who have expressed some interest in that location could be identified and maybe in seven years when the City pays off a big bond, there could be an agreement to use the Boys & Girls Club space when they are closed. With regard to the open space, she did not think the City could afford to buy that right now. That location is not her highest priority for open space in south Edmonds; park space is really needed on the west side of 84t''. She suggested privatizing it, referring to the Green Acres Food Truck Park in Boise, Idaho (greenacresboise.com) where people come from all around and generate tax revenue. She was unsure whether that food truck park was public or private; if it was public and there could be an interest only loan or fees from the food trucks offset the cost of the property, it could work as an ownership model. She suggested possibly a private entity would do the food truck court and pay for the land where the trucks would be located. The food truck park in Boise included open space and was a place for family entertainment on a nice evening. If the team was open to privatizing the community center by doing something like the Boys & Girls Club, arena sports, privatizing the open space, or doing it in a way that was revenue positive, after voting no all three times this has come to council, she could be a yes if it could be done privately, but with the same spirit of the amenities but without the City of Edmonds. Councilmember Nand asked if the development team envisioned there would be less parking allocated per housing unit due to the proximity to transit. Mr. Tatum answered the proposal talked about a range of affordable housing, the 30-80% AMI typically has fewer vehicles so not as much parking needs to be provided due to the proximity to transit. Councilmember Nand said street parking is already highly competitive on side streets due to inadequate parking for the existing high density housing. If the intent is to add 800 units without adequate parking, she was concerned about the strain that would place on the infrastructure. Ms. McLaughlin answered the design is not there yet; the proposal provided structured parking which is more a more efficient land use for the site. They also looked at shared parking for the retail and civic components. A single parking space can cost $60,000 which adds to the cost of the units. She assured there will be conversations about parking and just because the housing is affordable does not mean the units do not have a parking space. As was seen in Seattle, there are different ways to manage parking to be more sustainable and efficient such as an added charge for parking, etc. Councilmember Nand commented on Capitol Hill there are six story apartments with tiny efficiency studios where the tenants use electric scooters. It is a young, healthy population, mostly in their 20s and early 30s who don't need access to a car. Edmonds is differently situated from Capitol Hill and she would be very concerned about a proposal to restrict parking. The Safeway property owners complain their parking is being used by residents from nearby developments who park in their parking lot overnight. Not providing sufficient parking for this number of new residents would place a strain on existing businesses. Councilmember Nand referred to a January 7, 2024 press release from Representative Rick Larsen that he had obtained $12.5 million in bipartisan infrastructure dollars for Mt. Vernon's library commons. It took incredible advocacy from the mayor and council through multiple administrations to put together a project funded by the federal government at that level. The key to that project was the library commons contains 78 EV charging ports. She suggested that level of engagement from the federal, state and county government, regional partners, and nonprofits will be necessary to offset the costs and have more devotion toward the public amenities component and less toward affordable housing or the private aspect of the partnership to make it self -funded. She reiterated that will take buy -in from City leadership; if the City's Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes May 7, 2024 Page 17 leadership does not want to invest in those amenities for Highway 99, there won't be a project to take to the federal or state government. 11. COUNCIL COMMENTS Councilmember Nand thanked the Edmonds Police Department and acknowledged National Police Week. Since joining the council, she has learned a lot about what first responders do and how hard they work. She recognized these are times when her generation, the millennial generation, and the GenZ generation is talking about defending the police. In a recent conversation with a young community member, she explained why it may be of interest to reform the police, but that the police are the thin blue line keeping the community safe. That particularly applies to low income communities and communities of color that have a higher rate of victimhood for violent crime. When envisioning the future, there can't be a future without the police. She thanked the Edmonds police officers who put their lives on the line to keep the community safe every day. Councilmember Paine encouraged everyone to get outside in the next couple days to enjoy the sun, mow lawns, etc. She commented the council had an interesting series of discussions tonight including the special meeting regarding the existing comprehensive plan, the CARA ordinance which has been a long time coming and lot of work by the City, and the update on Landmark. Discussions regarding Landmark will continue; she was excited to discuss the financial opportunities and the types of public spaces and facilities that might be possible especially with interest in loosening the City's ownership opportunities in the downtown area and possibly moving some public facilities closer to Highway 99. Councilmember Dotsch acknowledged the police community, commenting there are a lot of young officers with families in Edmonds and she honored their dedication. She announced an opportunity for youth 13 years and up to remove ivy at Pineridge Park on Saturday, May 18, 10 am to noon. Council President Olson gave a shout out to the City's Parks Department who worked with Mountlake Terrace Parks and thanks to the ILA and budget allocation by council, there is a gorgeous entry from Edmonds into the Ballinger Park. The new Ballinger Center which is managed by the Edmonds Waterfront Center is open to Edmonds residents and is a great amenity for the area. Council President Olson relayed the community has spent a lot of time via the comprehensive plan discussing what makes Edmonds special and that includes historic building. One of those historic buildings, the old opera house or Masonic Lodge on Dayton & 5t' is having a fundraiser on Saturday May 11 for upkeep on the historic structure. Beer and wine start at 5:30 pm, smoked prime rib at 6:00 pm, tickets are $100 each. The event includes a silent auction, live music, and Edmonds-Woodway High School Jass Band. Further information can be found by googling the Edmonds Masonic Center Association. She suggested for those unable to attend, purchasing a ticket and donating it to a worthy person that would enjoy the event. Councilmember Tibbott announced at next Tuesday's Public Safety Committee meeting at 3:30 pm, the committee will discuss the fire service options in the Fitch report. He will bring the comments/questions from the public hearing to the committee and to the consultant who will also attend the committee meeting. He is personally contacting South County Fire commissioners to learn about their role, and how they bring accountability to the administration and the work of the RFA. The commissioners are an extension of the communities they serve to bring accountability, identify high priority services and focus on the budget. He will share the results of his discovery process during the Public Safety Committee meeting. Councilmember Chen commented tonight's discussions about fire service and the cost do not dilute the community's appreciation for the great services provided by SCF and first responders. The council is just doing their due diligence to make the right decision for the community and for SCF. Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes May 7, 2024 Page 18 Councilmember Eck recognized May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, honoring Americans from those regions who contributed deeply to the history, culture and achievement of the United States. As a mom with a school age child at home and thinking about her and her spouse's occasional date nights in Edmonds, she encouraged community members to pick a place they haven't been to before or visit a different part of Edmonds. Edmonds residents are fortunate to have so many places to enjoy. 12. MAYOR'S COMMENTS Mayor Rosen thanked the council for how they are approaching so many issues with seriousness and intention including fire and EMS services, serious budget issues, the comprehensive plan, the CARA, and Landmark, as well as regional issues such as transportation, crime, food insecurity, behavioral health, substance abuse, climate change, etc. He respected the way councilmembers are rolling up their sleeves to address those issues. Tomorrow he will join 100 students in the Ride to School program at Sherwood Elementary. He has not been on a bicycle since 1989 and appreciated everyone's thoughts. He also reminded this weekend is Mother's Day. ADJOURNMENT With no further business, the Council meeting was adjourned at 9:31 pm. CSZ-11,0 SCOTT PASSEY;tKCLERK Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes May 7, 2024 Page 19