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2024-08-20 Council PSPHSP MinutesMinutes PUBLIC SAFETY, PLANNING, HUMAN SERVICES & PERSONNEL COMMITTEE MEETING August 20, 2024 Elected Officials Present Staff Present Councilmember Neil Tibbott (Chair) Michelle Bennett, Police Chief Councilmember Chris Eck Rod Sniffin, Assistant Police Chief Council President Vivian Olson(ex-officio) Loi Dawkins, Assistant Police Chief Mayor Mike Rosen Navyusha Pentakota, Urban Design Planner Councilmember Will Chen Scott Passey, City Clerk Councilmember Susan Paine Councilmember Jenna Nand 1. CALL TO ORDER The Edmonds City Council PSPHSP Committee meeting was called to order virtually and in the City Council Conference Room, 121 – 5th Avenue North, Edmonds, at 3:30 pm by Councilmember Tibbott. 2. COMMITTEE BUSINESS 1. Committee Updates • RFA Scheduling Mayor Rosen explained the intent is to negotiate with the RFA regarding a contract extension as well as annexation so the council can make an informed decision whether to recommend annexation to the community for a potential vote. The council approved a resolution requesting annexation which just begins the process of discussion. The next step is meetings between the City and RFA. If annexation is the outcome of those meetings; the RFA will perform a SEPA review as part of their process and adopt a resolution amending the RFA plan. Conversations will occur in September and October, the resolution in October, the City would approve the amended RFA plan and a pre-annexation agreement in January, followed by engagement with the community, and if council decides to pursue annexation, have it on the ballot in April. Discussion followed regarding when talks with the RFA will begin. • Comprehensive Plan Ms. Pentakota reported:  A lot of progress has been made in last 1-2 months  Tentative plan to publish DEIS and draft plan on August 29  Once DEIS is published, plan to hold public webinar, date will be announced soon  So far have only discussed land use and housing elements, when draft plan published, all elements of the comprehensive plan will be combined into a single draft document for review and comment  Public comments will be documented and shared with planning board and council when making the final growth alternative decision  Housing element - planning board and council comments have been addressed and are ready to include in draft plan  Land use element – have had discussions with planning board; having study session with council tonight to further define the element  Transportation element – presented to planning board and council early August. Working on project list. Will be discussed with transportation committee tonight 08/20/24 PSPHSP Committee Minutes, Page 2  Meetings scheduled with planning board (September 11) and council (September 10) to review transportation element which will be published later than draft plan due in order to hold a separate, in-person community meeting for that element due to its technicality and complexity  Economic development element – finalized goals and policies following discussions with EDC and planning board and element is ready to be published  Capital facilities element – department directors have met to discuss and provide feedback and draft goals and policies are being revised based on their input  Community culture and design – developed new framework to uphold the neighborhood hubs and centers growth strategy along with design framework that will help establish character for each area  Climate element - not due until 2029, but interest from community in addressing issues related to climate in the comprehensive plan update. Incorporated goals from the Climate Action Plan (CAP) and policies developed to address GHG reduction and climate resilience  Utilities element – still working on initial draft, expect to include when draft plan is published.  Waterfront plan – initially had plans to do online open house on waterfront vision; due to recent organizational changes, do not have bandwidth for separate open house. Will be published along with DEIS and draft plan  Community champions – group that represents the diverse community and acts as outreach specialists to marginalized and underrepresented communities. Have met with human services, HASCO, Community Transit, etc. to exchange information on community needs and plans those organizations have for Edmonds.  Recently held an internal workshop with the consultant to discuss the future land use map and designations. Two growth alternatives were proposed; once comment period on DEIS closes in September, staff will present a recommendation to the planning board and council regarding selection of a preferred alternative, either A or B or a combination  Schedule available on the City’s website at Everyone’s Edmonds Questions and discussion followed regarding impact of the organizational change, and how the waterfront study informed the waterfront plan. 2. Fund 018 Edmonds Homelessness Response Fund Discussion Councilmember Tibbott advised the council did not approve a proposed budget amendment to return funds in the Edmonds Homeless Response Fund to the General Fund. This is a discussion regarding how to use those funds. Mayor Rosen explained the council was presented with a recommendation to move the funds to the General Fund due to the financial crisis. Council indicated a preference to use the funds as originally intended to assist those facing or experiencing homelessness. To facilitate that discussion, he create an initial list of thoughts and had a brief discussion with Councilmember Eck who advocated for using the funds as originally intended. He shared his ideas for using the funds: 1. Focus on preventing people on the edge from becoming homeless 2. Invest in an organization for which this work is a core competency to stretch dollars further. 3. Keep the Highway 99 Neighborhood Office open for a year. Net annual cost is approximately $175,000 4. Fund the police department’s imbedded social worker when the six month grant expires and until more grant funds become available ($65,000). 5. Fund a safe place for people living in their cars to park, shower and do laundry. 6. Focus on a target demographic such as victims of domestic violence and women with children 7. Focus on seniors. Chief Bennett explained the social worker is grant funded through December. The department can apply for grant funds again in January which would be awarded July 1; good likelihood the department will receive the grant funds. Funding the social worker until those grant funds are available would cost 08/20/24 PSPHSP Committee Minutes, Page 3 $65,000. Assistant Chief Sniffen commented on the value of the social worker to the homeless population. Questions and discussion followed regarding a church in Esperance that provides a parking lot with amenities for people living in cars, whether there are safety concerns with parking areas for people living in cars, limited services available at safe parking lots, importance of providing options for people experiencing homelessness, some individuals’ difficulty complying with rules in organization-operated housing, providing funds to organizations or people who can connect needs with services, costs associated with safe parking lots, language in the code regarding use of the Homelessness Response Fund, importance of keeping people housed, tent city in Shoreline (Camp United We Stand), using the funds to assist unhoused residents on Highway 99, how the Neighborhood Office currently functions, using the funds to prevent people from becoming homeless, services the social worker provides, priority to fund the social worker, cost of safe parking, funding human services, and using $65,000 to fund the social worker and the remainder for human services and/or Neighborhood Office. Committee recommendation: Councilmembers Tibbott and Eck and Council President Olson use input to develop proposal for utilizing the funds. 3. PD Speed Awareness Trailer Donation Assistant Chief Sniffen relayed late last year a citizen donated funds to the Edmonds Police Foundation. for a speed awareness trailer. The cost of the trailer is $13,000. Legal advised council approval of a resolution for a donation above $10,000 was required for the mayor to accept the donation. The City currently owns 2 trailers, one of which is over 20 years old and not completely operational. This new trailer will replace the 20 year old trailer so there will be no additional cost for licensing and insurance. The new trailer has much better data collection capabilities as well as red and blue lights when a driver exceeds the posted limit. Discussion followed regarding advances in the trailers in the last 20 years, and thanks to the donor. Committee recommendation: Consent Agenda 3. ADJOURN The meeting was adjourned at 4:24 pm.