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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-12-10 Council Minutes Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes December 10, 2024 Page 1 EDMONDS CITY COUNCIL MEETING APPROVED MINUTES December 10, 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 STAFF PRESENT Phil Williams, Acting Public Works Director Kim Dunscombe, Acting Finance Director Jessica Neill Hoyson, HR Director Shane Hope, Acting Planning & Dev. Dir. Todd Tatum, Comm., Culture & Econ. Dev. Dir. Rob English, City Engineer Mike Clugston, Acting Planning Mgr. RaeAnn Duarte, HR Manager Tristan Sewell, Planner Bertrand Hauss, Transportation Engineer Frances Chapin, Arts & Culture Program Mgr. Jeff Taraday, City Attorney Scott Passey, City Clerk Jerrie Bevington, Camera Operator 1. CALL TO ORDER/FLAG SALUTE The Edmonds City Council meeting was called to order at 7 pm by Mayor Rosen in the Council Chambers, 250 5th Avenue North, Edmonds, and virtually. The meeting was opened with the flag salute. 2. LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Councilmember Chen read the City Council Land Acknowledgement Statement: “We acknowledge the original inhabitants of this place, the Sdohobsh (Snohomish) people and their successors the Tulalip Tribes, who since time immemorial have hunted, fished, gathered, and taken care of these lands. We respect their sovereignty, their right to self-determination, and we honor their sacred spiritual connection with the land and water.” 3. ROLL CALL City Clerk Scott Passey called the roll. All elected officials were present. 4. PRESENTATIONS 1. MAYOR’S FINANCE UPDATE Mayor Rosen commented a lot of time has been spent discussing savings and revenues. A list of revenue ideas was created and council has taken action on some of those items including the 1% property tax increase, increasing employee and residential parking permits, and increasing red light cameras fines. Staff is also considering increases in permit fees, capturing some of the staff costs for special events, increasing Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes December 10, 2024 Page 2 rates for non-profits renting city property to more than $1/year, capturing credit card fees, potentially surplusing facilities, and implementing a charge for multiple false alarms. 5. APPROVAL OF AGENDA COUNCIL PRESIDENT OLSON MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER PAINE, TO APPROVE THE AGENDA IN CONTENT AND ORDER. Council President Olson requested Item 8.5, 2025 Legislative Agenda, be removed from the Consent Agenda and added to the agenda as Item 10.1. Councilmember Dotsch requested Item 8.6, Adoption of Green Building Incentives for Commercial and Multifamily, be removed from the Consent Agenda and added to the agenda as Council Business Item 10.4. Councilmember Paine suggested Item 8.6, Adoption of Green Building Incentives for Commercial and Multifamily, be added to the agenda as Council Business Item 10.1 and renumber the remaining items in recognition of the public who are here for that item. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. 6. AUDIENCE COMMENTS Merle Carner, Lynnwood, a retired Seattle Police Department major crime detective, founder of Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound, and police liaison for the television show Washington’s Most Wanted, described his personal recommendation for retaining the Edmonds Police Department instead of contracting with outside sources. With regard to community relations and trust, Edmonds police officers are far more likely to have personal relationships with Edmonds residents, businesses and community leaders which together foster trust and mutual understanding. Regarding accountability, a local department is directly accountable to Edmonds residents and to the leadership, a partnership that ensures policies reflect the community’s unique values and needs and local expertise. Edmonds police officers’ familiarity with Edmonds’ geography, demographics, and unique challenges enables them to respond more effectively to emergencies and other routine issues. A city-run police department can implement initiatives specifically designed for Edmonds rather than relying on a broader, generalized policy from an outside police agency. With regard to response times, outsource agencies may not prioritize Edmonds as highly as other jurisdictions they serve, potentially leading to slower response times. Morale is important because outsourcing could lead to dissatisfaction among police officers, many who may leave Edmonds PD for other departments. He believed Edmonds deserves a police department that embodies its identity, values and priorities. Outsourcing may save money on paper, but it risks losing the trust, safety and community-focused service that a local department provides. Retaining a dedicated police force isn’t just an investment in public safety, it is an investment in the city. Marlin Phelps, Marysville, said the city should consider the reputation of the Edmonds Police Department, not just fiscal savings. In the past Edmonds PD has done some horrific things. The incoming Trump administration and new head of the DOJ and FBI have promised openness and honesty. He believed and had evidence that the murder of Assistant US Attorney Thomas Wales in 2001 was planned and carried out in the Edmonds public safety building. As a professional repairing refrigeration, he has heard testimony from customers regarding how horrifically they were treated by the Edmonds Police Department, their constitutional rights violated. He understood those officers are no longer around, but if the truth comes out about who killed Tom Wales, it would serve the city to be separated from the Edmonds Police Department. Shannon Sessions, Lynnwood, urged the council to save the current high quality public safety fire and police services, remarking you don’t know what you have until it’s gone. From experience, she knew the Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes December 10, 2024 Page 3 city is very well taken care of by the first responders. She has the pleasure of knowing most of the councilmembers and serving with a few on community projects and she appreciated their hard work and that they cared about the community. She recognized the council did not take these decisions lightly and was sure some councilmembers lose sleep over these decisions. She retired last December after serving on the Lynnwood City Council for eight years, many of those years in council leadership. Thirty-seven years ago she enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and was a firefighter, serving and living overseas; more than 28 years ago, she was a reporter covering public safety in south Seattle and more than 25 years ago, she was a reporter and editor of the Enterprise Newspapers covering south Snohomish County and north King County. She researched and wrote many of the articles involving the rollercoaster of consolidation talks between south county fire departments and many of the articles about disbanding then-Medic 7 and integrating their paramedics into local fire departments, a complicated transition. In addition she was the public information officer and crime prevention at Lynnwood PD from 2005 to 2013 and worked with Edmonds Police crime prevention and other police agencies in the area. She is also happily married to Keith Sessions, a battalion chief for South County Fire and formerly a captain and firefighters with Lynnwood Fire. She has separately and independently worked with many agencies and believes her perspective is relevant historically and presently. In 2010 Edmonds, Mountlake Terrace and Brier began contracting with Fire District 1. With regard to outsourcing the police department, it is important to realize how special resources are in south Snohomish County. 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 because it is home for them. In 1979 he was hired by Snohomish County Fire District 1 as a firefighter 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, 2) restart its own department, 3) contract elsewhere for service, or 4) have a fire department only and contract for EMS. Joining the RFA seems to be the most cost effective and logistically sound option. Everything is already in place and he couldn’t imagine having to start over and hire 50-60 qualified and trained personnel to man and operate Edmonds’ 3 stations. He can 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/South County Fire. As a citizen of Edmonds, he encouraged the council to move forward and choose to join the RFA and complete the missing piece. Since he last commented, there is a new piece related to the uncertainty of the Edmonds Police Department. As a chaplain, he has worked side by side with many Edmonds officers and has been blessed with their presence and protection. As with the fire department, it would be another monumental task to replace as many as 50-60 police officers. Few officers know the city’s potential hazards and quirks better than the current police and fire departments, and he wondered how a dollar amount can be placed on that. Zach Cash, Lake Stevens, member of the executive board of South County Union Firefighters, spoke regarding the RFA discussion later on the agenda. He has met with many councilmembers and was here to represent the members to ask the council to vote to place RFA annexation on the ballot in April. He is proud of the work the members do daily; he served as a paramedic for several years in Edmonds before being promoted to his current position. He knows Edmonds is a special place and the members want to continue serving Edmonds. He recognized the work the council has done this year has been difficulty and will continue to be a challenge, but placing the RFA on the ballot will hopefully help alleviate some of the stress on the city’s budget and help firefighters know they will have steadiness in the work they provide to the city. He asked the council to continue considering placing the RFA on the ballot. Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes December 10, 2024 Page 4 Wendy Drust, Edmonds, expressed support for maintaining the Edmonds Police Department, speaking from the perspective of someone who has worked at Edmonds-Woodway High School for 30 years as well as a family member of someone. She has worked at Edmonds-Woodway High School when there was and was not a police office at the school and saw the investment the Edmonds Police make in the youth of the community. She has seen the police support students during, after, and outside of school, students who need guidance, something she would hate to see disappear. As a mother and relative, she has seen the Edmonds Police Department be proactive and instrumental in helping a family with a child with mental heal issues get the help they needed. The police department is community and as a teacher she knows community is the backbone that makes a great school and city. Gwen Baugh, Edmonds, expressed her strong opposition to defunding the Edmonds Police Department. Her family has commercial businesses and homes in downtown Edmonds and whenever they have needed the police, they have always responded quickly and professionally. The Edmonds Police have protected the city for over 90 years and help ensure a very livable and safe city. She recently retired as a teacher at Edmonds-Woodway High School; whenever there was an emergency at the school, the police were there to protect students and staff. She recalled when the school had a resource officer, it felt so much safer and everyone appreciated having that officer at the school and was disappointed when that was canceled a few years ago. She referred to the city’s $20 million deficit and urged the council not to balance the budget by jeopardizing safety; safety should be the council’s primary responsibility and another way needs to be found to address the deficit. Mandy Curnutt, Edmonds, said in the 45 years they have lived in Edmonds, they have had 3 break-ins and their car has been vandalized twice. The Edmonds Police have always been there when they needed them. She has noticed an increase in crime in recent years and they don’t feel as safe. To be safe, she doesn’t walk without pepper spray, phone and Apple watch. It will take several years for Snohomish County to increase the number of deputies needed for this area. The police department is the highest priority for the community. She expressed her support for retaining the Edmonds Police Department. Debbie Barajas. Edmonds, recognized managing the city’s budget is not an easy task especially when dealing with significant debt, but she wanted to express her concern about the proposal to eliminate the city’s police department and rely on county sheriff’s to fill the gap. This idea risks the community’s safety but also raises questions about how the city got to this point financially. The city’s police department isn’t just a law enforcement agency, it is part of the community. Officers live and work in Edmonds and know the people, neighborhoods, and issues that make the city unique. County sheriffs have a much broader area to cover and can’t dedicate the same level or attention or resources to the city because they have to prioritize an entire county. This means slower response times, less familiarity with the community’s needs and frankly less accountability to residents. Decisions about public safety would be made at the county level and the city would lose the ability to directly address local concerns. Public safety is too important to hand off to an overburdened department that doesn’t have the same stake in the community. Janelle Cass, Edmonds, encouraged the council to remove Adoption of Green Building Incentives for Commercial and Multifamily Buildings from the consent agenda. She did not think a one-size-fits-all approach makes sense due to Edmonds’ unique topography. If there are areas or projects that may require a few feet, that can be handled project by project to consider unique circumstances. Obviously in some places the viewshed is not as impacted and it would be better to determine what fits each individual neighborhood. She suggested the council discuss the green building incentives at a future meeting due to changes the update to the comprehensive plan and development code will have. She feared doing it now would be a waste of time. She encouraged the public to visit the Port on Thursday for Holiday at the Marina which will include fun festivities, hot chocolate, and a band. Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes December 10, 2024 Page 5 Joe Scordino, Edmonds, reviewed good and bad news. The good news, Edmonds Stream Team just completed its salmon surveys in Shell Creek and Lunds Gulch Creek in Meadowdale Park and recorded record numbers of returning salmon. He thanked the property owners living on the creeks for taking care of the property and supporting him and the students coming onto their property to look for salmon. It has been a great experience for the students, especially the large number of fish. The bad news, this year’s sediment flow in the creeks is the worst he’s seen in the 8-9 years he has been doing this, so bad that sediment under a bridge over the creek blocked salmon passage. Good news, the property owner wanted something done and called him and the Department of Fish and Wildlife who came out and cleared a route for the fish which helped increase the number of retuning salmon. Bad news, the city has been aware of the problem with sediment years, but hasn’t done anything about it. The sediment comes from Yost Park and the location of the problems have been identified, but no action has been taken with regard to sediment and erosion in the park. Community members who volunteered to help have been turned away. Good news/bad news, community members frustrated with the city’s lack of concern with the environment, the creeks being one example, formed a new non-profit organization, Edmonds Environmental Council. This was done because they feel they were not being heard and needed a group that could take appropriate action when the council is taking the wrong actions regarding the environment. He urged the council to listen to the community’s concerns and to start caring for the environment and stop forcing community members to take next steps to appeal actions or litigation which is bad news for everyone. Greg Brewer, Edmonds, commented there have been numerous meetings over the last year about the future of Edmonds. He has attended quite a few, hoping to have input into the development of the city. He wasn’t surprised to find there were plenty of people who felt the same way he does about excessive growth threatening the character of Edmonds. At one meeting in the downtown area, amongst the 20 or so people in attendance, nearly all wanted no height changes to the buildings in the downtown core. In fact of all the meetings he attended, he could not recall any citizen crying out to increase building heights downtown. He was taken aback by the 5-foot increase in downtown building heights in the Green Building Incentives on tonight’s consent agenda. He questioned why citizens’ voices are not recognized and if public meetings are merely held to check the box so consultants and staff can move ahead with their agenda. He recommended pulling this issue for a later date after the full ramifications of the approved comprehensive plan are understood by all. He found it very disturbing that a height increase could make it onto the consent agenda without any public discussion. The low scale charm of the downtown core has been cherished by citizens and visitors for decades and that valuable asset needs to be protected. Downtown development is inevitable and can be done tastefully with the allowed 30-foot heights; the post office building, Graphite Arts Center and the Commons are perfect examples. Next, he said the cost to join the RFA is staggering and will require the city to hand over two fire stations and property worth $6-10 million with no compensation. In return, the city gets the opportunity to be charged nearly double for the same service. If the city joins the RFA, there is little chance of taking care of the city’s own fire needs in the future and the city will have no control on dialing back or ramping up service as needed or allowed by budgets. The taxes need to float the RFA vote will inevitably push citizens on or near the financial edge out of the community. There has to be another option. Carolyn Strong, Edmonds, quoted Marysville’s mayor after passing their budget and actually lowering property taxes, “As residents and taxpayers ourselves, we put a priority on keeping costs contained while providing the city services that residents depend on.” She encouraged the council to follow Marysville’s responsible example. She relayed how tiring it was to see governments in Washington State constantly weaponizing public safety items and schools against the taxpayers. Taxpayers are constantly having their pockets picked for more money to fund items the government is mandated to provide after they have spent taxes on lesser items. She proposed critical public safety items be funded first and then decide if programs like gymnastics for kids, flower baskets and other programs that don’t seem to be pertinent to the function of government are needed. If there is not enough money for these non-essential items, then the city should go to the voters to see they want their property taxes raised to enable those types of extra expenditures. Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes December 10, 2024 Page 6 According to the last payroll, Edmonds’ salaries are 49% higher than the state average, including many whose salaries range from $163,000 to $265,000. She suggested putting that to a vote of the people instead of the RFA annexation or a levy lift. All but two councilmembers have passed previous budgets leading to this point; tax dollars through Covid money, partial grants and local taxes were spent on unsustainable programs, unused equipment, bike lanes, unneeded real estate studies, red light cameras without knowing the cost involved, and more, with seemingly no look to the future. The city government is failing its citizens. She urged the council to make deeper cuts in every program and eliminate more employees before looking to raise taxes or remove the city’s police department or annex into the RFA which will also raise taxes. She pointed out the South County Fire union contributed $7400 to Councilmember Eck and $4000 to Councilmember Paine’s campaigns in last year’s elections and she believed they should recuse themselves from any discussion regarding the RFA. Jerry Whitmarsh, Edmonds, said he would rather keep the city’s police department than a council who can’t do their basic job of setting and keeping a budget and keeping the community safe. Kim Bayer Augustavo, Edmonds, Chair of the Architectural Design Board (ADB), speaking on her own behalf, reminded the council of the value the ADB brings to the city. Last night the ADB held two public hearing on two high visibility developments that added value to the developer’s proposal. She understood concerns with the budget and staff hours, but if not for the ADB, there would be two square boxes on 6th & Dayton and 6th & Main. She urged the council to look at the bigger picture as they try to manage the budget and don’t cut their nose to spite their face. Second, she echoed Greg Brewer’s comments about height limits and recommended removing it from the consent agenda because it did not remove the BD1 zone; if the BD1 zone is removed, it’s fine. She asked if the council wanted to have that legacy on their shoulders, changing the character and look of downtown Edmonds by putting approval on the consent agenda and not allowing the community to have further input regarding how it would forever visually change the Edmonds that residents chose to move to. She recommended removing the BD1 and until that zone is removed, not put it on the consent agenda for approval. 7. RECEIVED FOR FILING 1. CLAIM FOR DAMAGES FOR FILING 2. WRITTEN PUBLIC COMMENTS 8. APPROVAL OF CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS COUNCIL PRESIDENT OLSON MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER PAINE, TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA AS AMENDED. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. The agenda items approved are as follows: 1. APPROVAL OF COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES NOVEMBER 19, 2024 2. APPROVAL OF COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES NOVEMBER 19, 2024 3. APPROVAL OF PAYROLL AND BENEFIT CHECKS, DIRECT DEPOSIT AND WIRE PAYMENTS 4. APPROVAL OF CLAIM CHECKS AND WIRE PAYMENTS 7. ORDINANCE AMENDING 8.10.050 AUTOMATED TRAFFIC SAFETY CAMERAS BASE FINE INCREASE 9. PUBLIC HEARING 1. CREATIVE DISTRICT GATEWAY ART PROJECT PUBLIC HEARING Arts & Culture Program Manager Frances Chapin explained this project, located at Anway Park, is funded with a capital grant from the Washington State Arts Commission for Creative Districts and the grant match Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes December 10, 2024 Page 7 was provided by the Edmonds Arts Festival Foundation, an extraordinary opportunity to have a new art installation in the community funded by a private/public partnership and does not include any City public art funds. Anway Park is very small park with restrooms, a walkway, and dog walking area, but its main characteristic, aside from being a neighborhood park for people who live in the that area, it is adjacent to the ferry loading lanes for the Edmonds-Kingston ferry, a ferry route that carries about 9,700 passengers every day. It is a s ignificant gateway for Edmonds which is why it is called the Creative District Gateway Art project. It is a gateway to the City as well as for the Creative District located in the downtown area of Edmonds. When the Creative District Advisory Committee became aware of this grant opportunity, there was a lot of discussion about what could be done to utilize this little park and all the people who pass it to promote Edmonds and bring attention to the rich artistic attributes and cultural elements in the community. This project was envisioned working with the Creative District Advisory Committee and the Arts Commission and funded entirely by a public/private partnership. Ms. Chapin continued, the process for public art includes issuing a request for qualifications which was approved by the city council before it was advertised. The City received 21 application submissions. A selection panel was formed, also specified in the public art process, that consisted of representatives from the City Council, the Arts Commission, Edmonds Arts Festival Foundation, and the Creative District Advisory Committee and a professional artist with an extensive background in public art. The selection panel reviewed the 21 submissions and selected 3 to create site specific concepts which were presented at a public meeting with public comment. The selection panel reviewed the public comment before making their final recommendation. The selection panel’s recommendation went to the arts commission for review before forwarding it to city council. The recommendation was for the artist, Sean Orlando, who is here via Zoom to present his concept proposal. Mr. Orlando is from Richmond, California and has extensive experience in art, particularly fabricating large scale, compelling community pieces. Artist Sean Orlando reviewed: • Engineered Artwork o Our values and what we do ✸ CREATIVITY: Engineered Artworks–a sculpture atelier led by Sean Orlando. We design and produce durable, compelling large-scale artworks in community settings. ✸ EXPERIENCE: Close to 25 years of expertise creating monumental sculptures for public and private clients. ✸ IMMERSIVITY: Our works are immersive and invite interaction. Our intention is to engage audiences in creative spaces and expansive environments, where people from diverse backgrounds can explore and gather. ✸ COLLABORATION: We work within a collaborative model, bringing together our expertise in materials, engineering, and functionality with the knowledge and experience of local stakeholders and municipal representatives ARTIST STATEMENT: Sean Orlando and Engineered Artworks create monumental sculptures for public and community settings. Collaboration and relationship-building is a primary influence, whether interfacing with municipal arts agencies, civil engineers, community representatives, or fellow artists. Orlando’s works are often influenced by mathematical or geometrical patterns, the aesthetics of industry and locomotion, and regional histories and ecologies. In every endeavor Engineered Artworks strives to generate immersive environments through striking and spectacular sculptural objects, shaping compelling spaces in which members of the public can connect with their own creative ideas and imaginative experiences. • Examples of similar recent commissions Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes December 10, 2024 Page 8 THE CONCEPT: COLOR TREE GATEWAY CANOPY ✸ SITE SPECIFIC: Illuminated organic sculpture specific to the parameters of the Richard F. Anway Park. The sculpture’s asymmetric canopy provides a curving embrace of the park site. ✸ FUNCTIONAL: Structurally sound and designed to provide seating and shade. ✸ DESTINATION DEFINING: Exemplifies the experimental and design-centered values of the Edmonds Creative District Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes December 10, 2024 Page 9 ✸ Takes root from existing sculpture pad, extends to approximately 15’ in height and 15’ diameter ✸ A gateway gesture for the park, offering those who are walking dogs, stretching their legs, or taking photographs, a large-scale creative object and destination to center their visit. ✸ At 15’ high, the sculpture will be highly visible from nearby vantage points and will cast a geometrical shade pattern over the park’s grassy area and walkway ✸ Inspired by parametric design: Interdependent parts providing strength to the whole. As the gridded intersecting components reach toward the centerpoint, their shape will change according to the shape of the structure Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes December 10, 2024 Page 10 “COLOR TREE” VIBRANT AND CUSTOMIZABLE ELEMENTS ✸ Will work with stakeholders to design customizable cladding of colored panels (which will also prevent climbing and debris buildup) ✸ Enhanced by optional programmable illumination system embedded within the sculpture • Materials and Composition o Structurally engineered stainless steel sculpture affixed to existing cement pad o Internal EL wire or LED for optional lighting o FUNCTIONAL AND ADJUSTABLE ELEMENTS o Material is permanent, durable, and weather-resistant steel that requires a low level of maintenance. o Center/base configuration is adjustable according to size and mounting, and backrest of seating area and debris prevention below bench can be determined with City of Edmonds representatives. o As determined by artist and commissioners, an arrangement of durable panel claddings will cover the steel ribs at regular intervals to prevent the possibility of climbing. o Design is flexible in terms of the arrangement of rectangular panels in the grid, the structure’s base and overall height and diameter. o Optional illumination allows for different colors or patterns of lighting if desired. • Preliminary Budget Estimations Project Cost Amount Artist Fee $30,000 Engineering $15,000 Materials $23,000 Finishing $6,000 Labor $23,000 Installation $10,000 Transportation $3,000 Insurance $5,000 Total $115,000 • Suggested Timeline Contract Signed / Commencement of Artwork Creation Begins December/January 2025 Design Engineering Finalized, Materials Acquisition begins February 2025 Materials acquisition completed, Fabrication begins March 2025 Fabrication and Finishing 8 weeks April - May 2025 Transportation and installation, 2 weeks June 2025 Final installation details and dedication June 2025 Mayor Rosen opened the public hearing. Samantha Saether, Edmonds, member of the Arts Festival Foundation Board and on their behalf, relayed the board is excited to financially contribute to this unique installation that will accentuate the Edmonds Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes December 10, 2024 Page 11 Creative District. As part of the Gateway Selection Committee, they are thrilled with the selected design and look forward to seeing it completed. Kirsten Paust, President, Edmonds Arts Festival Foundation, expressed a huge thank you to everyone who has contributed, to Sean, to the Gateway Selection Committee, and specifically the festival which is an important part of the community and yields the funds that enable the foundation to invest in pieces like this. There has been an incredible partnership between the Arts Commission, the Edmonds Arts Festival, the Edmonds Arts Festival Foundation and the City of Edmonds to get to this point using funds raised through the annual festival and the Creative District grant that the City applied for and received. This will be a wonderful piece to add to Edmonds near the ferry to welcome people to the City and celebrate the arts. She highlighted the great partnership between community organizations and the City enabling this to occur and the artist who will bring it to life. Robert [no last name given] said he was excited to see this space get some attention, a space that feels kind of neglected. This is a great opportunity to liven up the downtown core, especially for those waiting for the ferry. He asked the total watts of LED illumination and the annual operating cost. Mayor Rosen advised the public hearing is an opportunity to provide comment, and suggested he email his questions to staff. Peter Gibson, Edmonds, commented this is a terrific piece. He provided background on the Richard F. Anway Park, ironic as tonight the council will be discussing the possibility of eliminating the Edmonds Police Department and contracting with an outside agency, Richard F. Anway was an Edmonds Police officer for 30 years, a terrific man who spent a lot of time working at the ferry terminal directing traffic and the park was named after him. He appreciated the tribute and bringing more attention to the park. 2. PUBLIC HEARING ON DRAFT COMP PLAN Planning & Development Director Shane Hope introduced Acting Planning Manager Mike Clugston, City Engineer Rob English, and Transportation Engineer Bertrand Hauss. She reviewed: • Overview of process & Timeline o Comprehensive plan update process has been underway for more than 2 years o Through Snohomish County Tomorrow process growth, housing and job targets were set for each city and the county to provide land use capacity to achieve numbers by 2044 o City needs to adopt its updated comprehensive plan by December 31, 2024 • Planning in Washington State • Periodic Update Requirements Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes December 10, 2024 Page 12 o Cities and counties must conduct a thorough review of their comprehensive plans and development regulations. o Revisions may be necessary to reflect new population and employment projections and any related zoning and/or urban growth area (UGA) changes, changes in state law, new community priorities, and more. • What if we don’t adopt the Plan as required o Potential impacts  Non-compliance with state law  Ineligible for state grants and loans needed for infrastructure projects  Hard to move to next set of GMA requirements for regulations due in 2025  Non-compliance with GMA could expose City to appeals and lawsuits, which might result in additional costs and Hearings Board or court-ordered amendments to City’s comprehensive plan  Potential loss of certain tax revenues. Note: this tool is rarely used but is possible at some point • Notable new state legislation • 2044 – Meeting growth targets Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes December 10, 2024 Page 13 • City’s Housing Requirement • Achieving Capacity • Community Outreach Overview Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes December 10, 2024 Page 14 Ms. Hope reviewed the Growth Strategy Approach: • Edmonds Growth Considerations o Total housing units to achieve – 9,069 o Capacity distributed along the Highway 99 corridor: approximately 4000 units of existing capacity o Potential to distribute remaining future growth in other areas across the city  Possible for some neighborhoods across the City to include small areas (centers, hubs) for low-scale multifamily housing and commercial. This can result in: - More walkability (less need for vehicle trips for everything) - More affordable housing choices than just along a highway.  Could help in equitable approach to development across city and result in sustainable growth pattern. • Centers & Hubs Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes December 10, 2024 Page 15 • Key areas of change based on Council’s preferred Alternative (11/4/24) Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes December 10, 2024 Page 16 o Neighborhood Centers 1. Westgate 2. Five Corners 3. Medical District Expansion 4. Firdale o Neighborhood Hubs: 1. North Bowl 2. Perrinville 3. East Seaview 4. South Ballinger 5. West Edmonds Way 6. Maplewood Ms. Hope reviewed Centers and Hubs from Revised Draft Comprehensive Plan (Based on “Preferred Alternative from November 4, 2024): • Future Land Use Changes: Westgate • Future Land Use Changes: Five Corners Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes December 10, 2024 Page 17 • Future Land Use Changes: Medical District Expansion • Future Land Use Changes: Firdale • Future Land Use Changes: North Bowl Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes December 10, 2024 Page 18 • Future Land Use Changes: Perrinville • Future Land Use Changes: East Seaview • Future Land Use Changes: South Lake Ballinger Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes December 10, 2024 Page 19 • Future Land Use Changes: W Edmonds Way • Future Land Use Changes: Maplewood • Housing Capacity in Hubs & Centers Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes December 10, 2024 Page 20 • Can Hubs or Centers be changed before finalizing Plan o Yes, so long as capacity target can still be met overall, consistent with other Plan goals o Factors to consider:  For change to height or area WITHIN a hub or center: - How would that affect feasibility of development & actual capacity of the hub or center? - Would it make the hub or center less likely to function well?  For change by REMOVING a hub or center: - Is it easy to leave out now and maybe consider it in the future? - Would that be better or worse for having a good neighborhood? - Would that be better or worse for increasing walkability? - Would it be better or worse for having diversity and housing choices across the city? • Draft Plan Highlights o City’s VISION: “Edmonds is a charming and welcoming city offering outstanding quality of life for all with vibrant and diverse neighborhoods, safe streets, parks, and a thriving arts scene shaped in a way to promote healthy lifestyles, climate resiliency, and access to the natural beauty of our community. o General Structure of each element Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes December 10, 2024 Page 21 o Summary of Land Use Element  Involves comprehensive planning for various land uses, including residential, commercial, industrial, agricultural, and recreational areas. - Guides population density and building intensities. - Emphasis on environmental justice , public health equity. - Aims to reduce single occupancy vehicle usage. - Accounts for infrastructure needs and green spaces. - Aims to create a balanced, sustainable, and safe environment for all. - Includes a Future Land Use Map to guide zoning and other development regulations. o Summary of Housing element  Plan for sufficient land capacity for housing needs.  Includes an inventory and analysis of existing and projected housing needs.  Aligns with states goals, policies, objectives, and provisions for housing preservation, improvement, and development.  Aims to increase housing capacity, affordability for economic segments of the community.  Addresses racially disparate impacts, mitigate displacement and exclusion o Summary of Economic Development element  Establishing local goals, policies, objectives, and provisions for economic growth and vitality and a high quality of life.  Includes - Context for economic development in Edmonds. - Key employment sectors. - Key concepts that staff and the Economic Development Commission believe are important to understand the City’s economy today and in the future. - Proposed Goals and Policies for the 2024 Edmonds o Climate Element  HB 1181 was adopted by the Growth Management Act (GMA) in 2023 to include goals and policies for climate change and resiliency. This element adds a requirements for adaptation and mitigation of the effects of changing climate.  Not due until 2029.  Lays foundation for addressing these issues in the near future as we have resources & funding. o Culture, History, Urban Design Element  Formerly the “Community Culture and Urban Design Element,” this optional element is updated as the Culture, History and Urban Design Element  Place-centered approach for new developments Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes December 10, 2024 Page 22  Integrate place making considering Social, economic, environmental, and cultural elements.  Create clear and objective development regulations per HB 1293.  Makes historic preservation a priority where possible  Enhances the creative and artistic identity of the City o Capital facilities element  Identifies current capital facility needs, future needs  Includes a six-year capital improvement plan (CIP) that identifies capital projects and costs, aligned with available resources, and a longer-range (20-year) CFP of capital projects.  Implements the land use element by showing how public facilities and services will accommodate the levels and intensities of development envisioned in the plan, and at adopted levels of service.  Includes Park and recreation facilities and Transportation as well GMA requirement to reassess the land use element if probable funding falls short of meeting existing needs and to ensure that the land use element, capital facilities plan element, and financing plan within the capital facilities plan element are coordinated and consistent. o Utilities Element  Addresses the general location, proposed location, and capacity of all existing and proposed utilities.  Identifies telecommunications services, and hazardous liquid pipelines.  Identifies all public entities that own utility systems within and adjacent to their boundaries and encourages coordination. o Transportation Element  Sets a framework to plan and prioritize a transportation network for Edmonds, and provides metrics for measuring progress.  Includes Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes December 10, 2024 Page 23 (i) Land use assumptions to estimate travel. (ii) Estimated multimodal level of service impacts to state-owned transportation facilities. (iii) Facilities and service’s needs, (iv) Financing plan and analysis (v) Intergovernmental coordination efforts. (vi) Demand-management strategies. (vii) Active transportation component o Other Elements  Existing Park Recreation and Open Space (PROS) Plan would remain an element of Edmonds Comprehensive Plan  Existing Shoreline Master Program would remain an element of Edmonds Comprehensive Plan • Other issues and next steps o Additional issues  Should future growth be “staggered” i.e., phased? - Difficult to make major changes at this stage of Plan process, except by removing one or more hubs from Plan; - Could be considered as amendment in 2025, with thoughtful process, consistent with state guidance.  How will new development affect infrastructure? - City will continue making improvements through its CIP/CFP process & updates to water, sewer, and stormwater system plans - Development must be concurrent with city’s level of service standards or pay the difference - Development must pay impact fees, connection fees (which include share of future system improvements) and meet city design standards  How will development contribute to city? - Can improve some sites, potentially reduce stormwater runoff (by meeting new standards), contribute to future tax base, and help city be more vibrant and sustainable long-term  What will happen to environmentally critical areas? - Critical areas, as defined in city code, must be protected & cannot be built on unless specifically allowed in code (e.g., for certain steeper slopes) - Critical area regulations will be reviewed in 2025 and updated as needed; they will apply to future development.  How will stormwater be managed? - All new development must meet City’s stormwater code (per current standards or better)  What is plan for area around Marsh (aka Unocal property)? - Land use designation remains the same as in prior Comp Plan while legal and ownership issues get settled - Draft Plan policies call for protection and enhancement, etc. Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes December 10, 2024 Page 24 - Stronger policy can be added for enhancing/enlarging fish habitat and connection to Puget Sound o Potential Amendments  Recommendations from staff (and others): - Planning Board recommendations (see packet) - Include having channel for fish migration to Puget Sound at Unocal property and seeking expansion of Marsh as estuary (exact language TBD) - Make minor language changes to Climate Element such as climate leadership being a “mission” for Edmonds - Possible other items  Other amendments that Council decides to make, based on CM preferences, community input, etc.  Recommendations that come from Department of Commerce (Commerce letter pending) o What happens next?  Completion of public hearing tonight  Consideration by City Council of any Comprehensive Plan changes  Adoption of final Plan (scheduled December 17)  Submittal of final Plan (with any technical corrections) to State Then:  Implementation of items required by Comprehensive Plan update, such as: 1. Updates to development regulations - Some due by end of this year - Some due by July 1, 2025 (such as “middle housing”) - Some due by December 31, 2025 (such as for critical areas) Carrying out capital projects, as identified in the Plan 2. Following up on priority actions, programs, and other activities related to the Plan, such as: - Climate resiliency - Taking steps to protect, enhance, enlarge Edmonds Marsh - Strengthening economy for future quality of life Mayor Rosen opened the public hearing. John Brock, Woodway, relayed growing up in Edmonds, he enjoyed fishing at the old fishing pier inside the marina. He and his siblings own property in Edmonds; he currently lives in Woodway and serves on the Woodway City Council. The Woodway City Council passed its 2025 budget and 20-year comprehensive plan last week, not as complex a plan as Edmonds’ plan, but the required elements and processes were the same. To responsibly complete the task, they were able to rely on years of hard work by the planning commission, town planner, town attorney and town staff, a huge undertaking. Their process was transparent, well considered, open, and honest. The council was able to trust the process and the plan it produced. He was very comfortable with the result and proud of the unanimous vote that approved it. He offered his sympathy to the Edmonds City Council for the impossible place they find themselves; the City’s comprehensive plan is incomplete and inadequate. The council is being asked to approve a plan for the future with only a portion of the critical information that is needed. The process seems to have addressed the state-required housing elements very well, but is fatally flawed with respect to environmental problems created by inadequate mitigation of past development. Erosion to the fragile creeks continues unabated, salmon habitat is being lost, and damage to private property is ongoing. Additionally, the proposed plan does not adequately protect drinking water aquifers from the increased runoff new development will produce. This draft plan makes it clear that the precious environment will continue to be sacrificed at the altar of even more development. The comprehensive plan process was designed to identify and address existing problems as well as plan for responsible future growth. The process that should have resulted in a Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes December 10, 2024 Page 25 truly comprehensive plan has failed. Now it falls to the council to approve a plan without a full understanding of many existing problems. A project-level review cannot make up for an incomplete comprehensive plan and the resulting development codes it will produce. He loves Edmonds and its many coastal resources, the vibrant downtown, and the high quality of life all enjoy, but feared this plan will not protect or enhance the Edmonds everyone treasures. Laura Walls, Edmonds, given the importance of the comprehensive plan to reimaging the future of the Edmonds Marsh, she emphasized it is essential to recognize in the language of the plan that the Unocal property is the keystone that connects and integrates the entire vision for the Edmonds Waterfront, both ecologically and socially. First, the Unocal property is essential to any ecological restoration of the marsh which requires daylighting Willow Creek to allow the free flow of waters between the marsh and Puget Sound. Only this will allow a passage way for salmon to spawn upstream, nourish their growth in the estuary, seek the ocean and return to their spawning grounds to lay eggs, thus completing the lifecycle blocked by the current underground culvert. In terms of the social ecology of the Edmonds community, the Unocal property is key to building a trail around the perimeter around the marsh and an overlook on the south side, opening the restored estuary to the public for recreational value. She imagined the profound experience for children seeing the salmon eggs they helped raise not only hatch but grow into strong and beautiful fish that return home to Edmonds to continue the cycle of life as well as the real cultural value to Edmonds of contributing to the wider economy of the Salish Sea. Ms. Walls continued, doing this will mean Edmonds will have restored a millennia old natural process, a process Unocal destroyed. Everyone senses why this needs to happen, both to restore a sense of agency and hope for the land we’ve adopted and made our home and to reintegrate humans back into the natural landscape as creative participants, instead of agents of blockage and destruction. She thanked planners for prioritizing the future of the marsh; it is a small marsh but an immense vision, one central to any whole conception for the future of Edmonds. There is immense work ahead if this vision is to be realized, work that needs to be recognized and acknowledged in the language of the comprehensive plan. She recommended the language in the plan be clarified to state that any restoration of the marsh requires an open reconnection to the sound and the reconnection requires building a daylight channel through the Unocal property. She feared any plan for improvements that doesn’t explicitly acknowledge this problem and difficulty as well as the importance of this challenge, risks creating an opening for failure and compromise as soon as the going gets tough which it surely will. Kimberly Koenig, Edmonds, referred to an email she sent regarding the building and height code for the BD1, slated to be renamed retail core, relaying her understanding the proposed code would allow for increased building heights in BD1. Some councilmembers have said that is not accurate and she heard today that some councilmembers are thrilled for the opportunity for redevelopment and hoped it definitely would bring in large chain stores. She has her feet on the ground all day, every day in the Edmonds community, dealing with customers, business owners, visitors, and Edmonds residents. She questioned whether councilmembers taking this vote could say the same thing and asked if they were comfortable with this decision being their legacy, if their constituents were fully aware of the impact of their decision. What she hears and knows is that Edmonds is unique, special, and has nostalgic charm that people specifically come to enjoy. Allowing redevelopment to three stories in the retail core would dramatically change what she calls the secret sauce, what makes people want to visit, work and live in Edmonds. Ms. Koenig asked whether a T-Mobile corporate manager would make it in to shovel the snow in the front of their building during a massive storm, whether a Pottery Barn worker would get CERT training to be available to the community when a natural disaster hits, or whether the XYZ corporate office would know that the elementary school up the hill desperately needs support to bring resources to their student body, 60% of whom are on free and reduced lunch when deciding which donation request to approve. These are just a few things that small business owners do in the community. Change and growth are inevitable and Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes December 10, 2024 Page 26 additional housing is necessary; however she asked the council to do a deeper dive into how this comprehensive plan will truly effect the BD1 or retail core and make the move to grandfather in the current height restrictions and not demolish what makes Edmonds special and penalize and financially push out small business owners who in no small part have created the thriving community everyone enjoys. Kathleen Sears, Edmonds, advocated for wording in the comprehensive plan about reconnecting the Edmonds Marsh to Puget Sound. She was heartened to hear from Ms. Hope that this language can be added. With regard to timing, some may wonder why do this now when there are so many important issues, the Unocal property is still being cleaned up, final cleanup is several years away, and why not wait until that is completed. The short answer is no for two reasons, 1) it will not change whether or not the estuary can be reconnected, it will only change the cost, and 2) when the cleanup and monitoring are complete, the property will pass to WSDOT and will likely be put up for sale, perhaps very quickly. When that happens, if the city isn’t ready to make purchase decisions, the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to restore the estuary and return salmon to the Edmonds Marsh could vanish. It’s hard to imagine that WSDOT would be willing to keep the property on hold for the 2-3 years while the city gathers the information it needs. The city cannot wait until the Unocal cleanup is finished and the property passes to WSDOT to start getting the marsh ducks lined up in a row. Local environmental organizations are eager to help the city pursue salmon restoration funding for both the purchase cost and reconnection. To do this, they need the city to make it clear in the comprehensive plan that that is their intent. Bill Derry, Edmonds, relayed two years ago Greg Ferguson and he wrote a grant application to NOAA for a study of the marsh and estuary restoration. Next month will be time to think about the next phase of that grant and to be eligible for grants, it is critical to a clear statement from the local community regarding their vision. He urged the city to make it clear in the comprehensive plan that the vision for the city is to restore the estuary as well as the marsh. He supports green building incentives, but it should not be an excuse to increase lot coverage and lose trees. When talking about comprehensive plans, it often come down to individual decisions on development proposals which come down to the hearing examiner. The experience in the community seems to be that the critical area ordinances are often overridden by the hearing examiner. He urged the council to keep that in mind and ensure there are strong statements in the comprehensive plan to protect environmental resources. Robin Wright, Edmonds, said she has been fairly involved in observing the comprehensive plan and outreach to the community, but felt the citizens and the city were not always on the same page and citizens were not being listened to. There is a huge focus on creating more density throughout the city; the city has put in millions of dollars to revitalize Highway 99 to be better equipped to handle a lot of density and growth and now the plan is to spread that around the city. She was not seeing in the comprehensive plan that the same millions of dollars that were being spent to compensate neighborhoods for all the new growth that is supposed to be coming in. She feared increased density would affect quality of life; for example, parking at QFC in Westgate has become very difficult. She anticipated that same situation in all the hubs which she did not think was well thought out. She agreed with the previous comments about ensuring there is a good connection between Puget Sound and the estuary. Greg Brewer, Edmonds, commented the comprehensive plan draft is a lot to digest and it changes nearly every time he reads it and looks at the land use map. The zones downtown have been completely renamed so it’s hard to determine if existing codes for the renamed zones will carry through or be open to fresh interpretation. First, he is concerned about the use of floors to designate height instead of feet. This is vague and could lead to building height increases in the low profile downtown core. Mixed commercial 3 which will replace some of the BD zones is indicated as 3 floors with commercial allowed. Words matter and 3 floors could be interpreted to more than 30 feet. Commercial Allowed makes it unclear if business on the ground floor will still be required. Allowing 100% residential in the downtown core will lead to the erosion of valuable commercial space and tax revenue. This should be setting off alarms in the business community; Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes December 10, 2024 Page 27 he asked for language that assures citizens the downtown building height will indeed stay low profile at 30 feet and require business on the ground floor as is currently required. He appreciated all the hard work that went into the comprehensive plan and that staff is continuing to modify and edit to obtain the best result; however, as concerned citizens the constant changes to the text and the future land use map make it hard to follow. Mr. Brewer continued, at one point the plan called for residential walkable urban areas within ½ mile of all hubs and centers; before he could figure out what that meant, it was removed from the plan. Revisiting the future land use map on a different day he noticed several single family lots near the Seaview center were removed from being rezoned, another significant change. Almost every time he opens the document there are new changes. He realized the draft plan was done yet and was being tweaked continuously with no explanation, but wondered how concerned citizens were supposed to keep up with the changes. He asked if the initial draft was done. If someone read the draft document weeks ago and are to comment as part of the public hearing, they may not have the latest information. He suggested the document have a hard stop date and allow the public at least one week to review the completed document before having a public hearing. Georgina Armstrong, Edmonds, commented when there is a vision that goes out 20 years, it is important to know the starting point. Goals will become harder to achieve especially when there is no money and the city is understaffed. To say Edmonds is a climate leader as stated on the city’s website and in the draft comprehensive plan misleads the public and council regarding what is possible in 20 years. The city calls itself a leader, but cities who used to be behind have actually caught up and are now ahead. She explained how that happened: in 2010 when the Mayor’s Climate Protection Committee drafted the climate action plan (CAP), Edmonds was indeed ahead of other cities since it was early times and just having a CAP put the city ahead. That is not the case 14 years later and the city needs to accept that reality before history repeats itself as in very little progress is being made in the 2023 CAP update, just as was the case with the 2010 CAP. The city is now a year and 9 months out from the adoption of the update with only one action item out of 20 completed and 11 more to be completed in 2025. Ms. Armstrong continued, cities that are leaders are getting awards for their climate programs like Port Townsend that just received an international award for its financial sustainability initiative, the second in four year; Bellingham received a governor’s recognition award; Bainbridge Island has outstanding comprehensive climate programming, one component of which is Bainbridge Prepares which works to ensure all residents are prepared for the impacts of extreme climate events; Lake Forest Park, Kenmore and Redmond have CAPs that include a complete resilience plan; and Redmond, Bainbridge and Shoreline have published in-depth reports on the progress they are making on their CAPs. Many cities, including Shoreline, have completed vulnerability assessments to understand future climate risks. Most of these cities either have climate action managers or intend to hire them and all apply for climate grants to fund their programs. Edmonds thinks of itself as a leader in climate action and everyone wants the city to be a leader, however, it’s easier to strive to be better when there is ground to make up. This is why Edmonds climate and environmental volunteers prefer the city’s mission to become a better leader in climate action. The risk the city runs by thinking it is something it is not is resting on laurels you don’t actually have. Ron Eber, Edmonds, referred to a letter he submitted last week with specific language for protecting the marsh consistent with what Ms. Hope was talking about as opportunities to improve Policies 10.1, 10.2 and 10.3. to make it absolutely clear that to restore the marsh to a functioning estuary suitable for salmon requires an open channel to Puget Sound which will require crossing the Unocal property. Plans need to say what they mean and mean what they say. He urged the council to consider what he submitted as possible language to do what Ms. Hope suggested can be done. He concluded the marsh is so special to the community and public trust for the future that the council is in charge of. He offered a thought from a favorite author, Henry Thoreau, a town is saved not more by the righteous people in it or its leaders but by Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes December 10, 2024 Page 28 the marshes and the swamps and the woods that surround it, or in Edmonds’ case, within in, which is the key for protecting Edmonds and its waterfront. Ginger Coward, Edmonds, commented on the comprehensive plan and the crystal ball forecast for expanding the population over the next 20 years. She recalled Ms. Hope telling her at one of the event that there will be a reevaluation of population growth in five years, but she didn’t hear anything about that in the discussions of this plan. She wondered if there would be an honest reevaluation of population growth in five years and whether progress would come to a halt or slow down if the expected growth had not occurred. Erika Barnett, Edmonds, Salish Sea Brewing Company, commented on the critical role the comprehensive plan has in shaping the city’s future and preserving what makes Edmonds unique. They moved here because Edmonds is special, the small town charm, vibrant small businesses and historic character, a combination that draws visitors and fosters a strong sense of community. The downtown business districts are the heart of the city and represent more than just a collection of shops and restaurants, they embody the spirit of Edmonds. The charm wasn’t created by accident; it is the result of thoughtful planning, organic growth that supports local businesses while maintaining the character of the historic retail core. As the comprehensive plan looks ahead, it is essential to ensure its policies protect the small business ecosystem that drives the economy and sustains the community. Clarity and commitment are needed on a few key points. First, building heights, the character of Edmonds relies on the human scale of downtown; any height allowances should reflect the community’s vision, low profile structures that preserve views, and the walkable, inviting atmosphere people treasure. Building heights must remain clearly defined and aligned with the city’s historic charm. Second, business district integrity, downtown Edmonds thrives because of its businesses, not condos. Ensuring BD2 remains a space for organic commercial growth rather than a pathway to residential overdevelopment is essential for maintaining the vibrancy and economic sustainability of the core. Ms. Barnett continued, third, parking and access, more than 20% of Edmonds’ population is over 65, a demographic that relies heavily on automotive access to downtown businesses and given the climate and hills, biking downtown is impractical for most citizens. Reducing parking and prioritizing bike lanes for a smaller, more mobile segment of the population risks alienating a large portion of the community and customers. While multimodal transportation options are important, they must be balanced to ensure the majority of residents and visitors who depend on automotive access can continue to enjoy downtown. Fourth, community growth, growth is inevitable, but it must align with Edmonds’ identity. Thoughtful planning can support organic development that enhances rather than detracts from the unique character of Edmonds. She urged the council to take these considerations to heart and ensure the comprehensive plan reflects the values of Edmonds and protects the small town, small business, secret sauce that makes Edmonds the community we all love and allow it to grow in harmony with its unique character. Janelle Cass, Edmonds, an environmental engineer, explained in her senior at the Air Force Academy she did a project where she planned a wastewater treatment plant for a town of 40,000 people starting from scratch. When she thinks about population growth, she thinks about flushes. She did a deep dive on the material on the Everyone’s Edmonds site which included looking at the Department of Commerce methodology for determining housing targets for the anticipated population growth. Edmonds is expected to grow by about 13,000, a population of about 55,000 by 2044. That is based on average household sizes; Edmonds is currently at 2.29, the lowest in the county except for Index. Edmonds is already ahead of the curve because 23% of its population is over the age of 65; the Snohomish County average is 13%. She imagined in 20 years that sector of the population may have declined and those are the people who tend to live alone in their homes which brings down the household average to 2.29. Commerce told each county to anticipate a reduction in household averages and designated the average as 2.475 for Snohomish County. Instead of following Commerce’s instructions, Snohomish County planning advisory group came up with Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes December 10, 2024 Page 29 a new way of determining housing targets that applied citywide of 2.11/household which she did not think was feasible because as people are aging, families are moving into Edmonds so there will be more people per house which is a lot more flushes. If the city ends up with an average household of 2.29, the population would be 64,287 instead of 55,000, an excess of 41,000 flushes per day. Joe Scordino, Edmonds, commented the council has a serious problem; they are trying to deal with a budget problem and at the same time not getting the support they need for the comprehensive plan. He would love to debate the lady from Herrera regarding what SEPA requires versus what is sufficient for a checklist. The EIS was supposed to help inform the decision, it was supposed to tell the city where adverse effects would be. It didn’t do that so now the burden falls on council. This process focused on the house bills but there are other applicable laws. He referred to RCW 36.70A.070 and WAC 365.196.485, explaining the RCW contains mandatory elements in the comprehensive plan including that the land use element shall review drainage, flooding and stormwater runoff in the area and nearby jurisdictions and provide guidance for corrections, etc. That is not in the comprehensive plan. The RCW also states in the plan that the city is supposed to avoid impacts through appropriate land use designations. He suggested doing environmentally sensitive zoning to address that requirement. The RCW also states avoid directing new growth to areas with high probability of conflicts between new development and protecting critical areas. Although a critical area is a small piece, what happens around it has an impact. For example, Perrinville Creek is a critical area, the problem is the area around it, including Lynnwood, is putting stormwater into the creek, yet nothing in the plan addresses that so the plan is deficient as related to other applicable law. He understood there was a deadline, relaying a number of people would be willing to help create language such as a staggered approach to get over the hump and then work on fixing problems next year. He urged the council not to adopt the comprehensive plan just because the city has to; he preferred to do it right and figure out how to transition. David Richman, Edmonds, said he has been involved with the marsh for several years and supports the alignment of Willow Creek so it flows properly into Puget Sound. There have been other projects to try to improve the salmon run; admittedly this would be a small salmon run, but it couldn’t be as small as the one at Meadowdale Beach which he and his daughter witnessed. As a field ecologist specializing in biocontrol primarily for insects and spiders, he has done some surveying of arthropod fauna which is necessary for birds and mammals and insects that live in the marsh. The marsh is a very important part of Edmonds; if Edmonds values its environment as it claims, this is one of the project that absolutely needs to be done, restore the salmon, restore the Puget Sound area and thus the Salish Sea. It is important culturally and psychologically because people gain a lot by visiting the marsh. Hearing no further comment, Mayor Rosen closed the public hearing. 10. COUNCIL BUSINESS 1. ADOPTION OF GREEN BUILDING INCENTIVES FOR COMMERCIAL AND MULTIFAMILY (Formerly Consent Agenda Item 8.6) A MOTION WAS MADE BY COUNCILMEMBER DOTSCH AND SECONDED TO APPROVE THE ADOPTION OF THE GREEN BUILDING INCENTIVES FOR COMMERCIAL AND MULTIFAMILY. A MOTION WAS MADE BY COUNCILMEMBER DOTSCH AND SECONDED TO AMEND TO STRIKE 16.43.050 UNDER BD BUSINESS DISTRICT SECTION REFERENCED UNDER ECDC SECTION 16.43. Councilmember Dotsch explained the council has heard input from the public tonight as well as received numerous emails. This is a separate incentive program outside the comprehensive plan, however, there are Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes December 10, 2024 Page 30 some things in the comprehensive plan. The green building incentives do allow heights in BD1 to increase by 5 feet, essentially allowing for 3 story development if a builder wishes to redevelop. Developers will absolutely take advantage of it for the third story and the unintended incentive will be to tear the building down. Redevelopment at this time does not ensure protection of the city’s historic, low profile, small business friendly development pattern and she believed the BD portion should be removed from this program at this time. This will allow continuity of Edmonds’ attractive, historic, low profile development pattern. Edmonds has often been asked by other cities how they can plan and develop a downtown like Edmonds. What Edmonds has must be cherished and that includes preserving the BD zoning and its development codes. Councilmember Paine said she was not necessarily opposed to the amendment, but did not have the code that was referenced. It was her understanding that that part of the code was more closely related to the existing code and was not part of the green building incentives. Acting Planning Manager Mike Clugston responded green building incentives are incentives in several zones including BD. The base standards still remain and are not changing, but with green incentives such as LEED Certification, Master Builders Built Green Certification, a builder could get an additional 5 feet in height. That would apply to BD1-4, BD5 was removed previously. One of the incentives for the BD zone is 5 feet in height and the other is a slight change to parking. The green building incentives apply to a number of other zones. If the council wanted to remove the BD zones, that could be done. This is part of the implementation of the Climate Action Plan so this discussion will continue in the future. Councilmember Paine asked if it would be more efficient to eliminate Section 16.43.050 on packet pages 77 and 78 related to the BD zones. Mr. Clugston answered the council could strike that proposed language. Councilmember Chen asked if centers and hubs qualify as multifamily and will the 5 feet green building incentive apply to areas. Ms. Hope responded right now there are no hubs or centers; approving this with any changes does not say what will occur in centers and hubs; that would be a future conversation. It would allow redevelopment in current multifamily zones to potentially have an addition 5 feet of height if the builder does a lot of things to make their building more climate friend and energy efficient by meeting specific criteria. Councilmember Chen asked if the council approves the green building incentive and also adopts the comprehensive plan with centers and hubs, would a developer have an opportunity to use both those regulations to get a 5 foot incentive in centers and hubs. Ms. Hope answered a developer could certainly do both. The reason the idea of green building incentives began was to recognize buildings and how they are used along with transportation are the two biggest factors that create greenhouse gas emissions and other climate damaging effects. The idea was what can the city do to improve building quality beyond all the current building standards and provide a little bit of incentive to help pay for the additional cost of meeting the requirements or enclose the additional HVAC equipment, extra insulation, etc. in the extra 5 feet. Councilmember Chen commented the current housing units based on the proposed comprehensive plan is 10,190 and the requirement according to the state and county assignment is… Councilmember Tibbott raised a point of order, that Councilmember Chen was not speaking to the motion. Mayor Rosen requested he speak to motion related to the BD zone. Councilmember Chen said he was trying to understand the green incentives before making a motion to table. Councilmember Chen continued, the requirement is 9,068 housing units so there is an excess of 1,021 units. If the city delayed the green incentives, would that negatively impact the required number of units. Ms. Hope answered the extra 5 feet of height is not enough to achieve additional units. There usually needs to be 7.5 feet for another floor which does not include the roof, etc. The green incentives will not increase the number of units. Councilmember Chen commented with that information, there are too many unknowns that will impact green building incentives and the council is in a time crunch to approve this. Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes December 10, 2024 Page 31 COUNCILMEMBER CHEN MOVED TO TABLE THIS TO JANUARY UNTIL THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN IS ADOPTED. MOTION DIED FOR LACK OF A SECOND. Council President Olson agreed with Councilmember Dotsch’s motion to remove the BD zones and pass the rest of it. Councilmember Nand recalled a comment made during audience comments that there was an attempt to put this through on the consent agenda to hide the ball. She asked how many times staff has come before the council to discuss the green building incentive code; she believed it had been at least 3-4. Planner Tristan Sewell answered five times. Staff first came to council in January, and following a long pause have been before the council four more times including tonight. For that reason, Councilmember Nand encouraged the council to make a decision to avoid continuing to use staff time. She did not support removing the BD zones because in looking at incentivizing development, people tend to be hostile to change. However, buildings have a certain life and as they become degraded, the city wants developers to redevelop especially in the historic downtown business district where new development like the post office building, the Graphite and Charcoal, buildings that are very well integrated into the style and culture of the Edmonds downtown business district and often replace buildings that are not in good shape which is bad for the business tenants and the property owners. The 5 foot incentive for LEED Gold and Built Green sets a good example for the community. Another comment offered during the public hearing was Edmonds calls itself a climate leader, but doesn’t embrace the steps needed to be a climate leader. Councilmember Nand continued, allowing the language in C. Height. “Development certified LEED Gold, Built Green® 4-Star, or better may receive an additional five feet above the stated height limit” is a way to demonstrate the city takes its responsibility to reduce greenhouse emissions seriously and while the city is conscious of the type of development desired in Edmonds, the city is not trying to discourage development to the point there are a bunch of rundown buildings that will damage the reputation of the business districts. Councilmember Eck said she was not opposed to having a full conversation in the future. She appreciated Councilmember Nand’s question about how many times this has been discussed with council, recalling it has been discussed at committee as well as at council meetings and it wasn’t anyone intent to hide this language. She was willing to delay the conversation and to balance the language with incentivizing developers who will come anyway, to go green, particularly knowing the primary causes of carbon in the atmosphere is transportation and buildings. Councilmember Paine commented this opportunity allows the use of green building standards for multifamily and commercial across the city. The downtown business district is special and she wanted to ensure it was done in a meaningful way. The downtown business district is already fairly dense and having green building incentives for commercial and multifamily across the rest of the city will help reduce carbon impacts and allow the city to focus on the BD zones with more precision. She expressed support for the amendment. AMENDMENT CARRIED (6-1) COUNCILMEMBER NAND VOTING NO. COUNCILMEMBER DOTSCH MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER CHEN, TO POSTPONE TO A DATE AT THE END OF JANUARY TO REVISIT THE REMAINING PORTION. Councilmember Dotsch commented there are a lot of unknowns, and regardless of how many times this has come to council, the public was not brought along. The other sections of this code also include height bonuses, density bonuses, and reduced parking bonuses. One of the things she recalled hearing developers were interested in was expedited permits; the City does not have to offer all these other things. The City Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes December 10, 2024 Page 32 can also include things in the building code instead of an incentive program that triggers incentives that may not be compatible, depending on where they’re located. Councilmember Nand commented when it comes to efficient use of staff time, the fact that the City is experiencing a fiscal emergency and laying off dozens of staff, the Planning Department is severely understaffed and Acting Director Hope came out of retirement to try to rebuild that department, she did not think it would be responsible to force staff to bring this to council for a sixth time when the council has been discussing it since January 2024. She urged the council to be good stewards of taxpayer resources and encouraged the council to vote on this tonight. Councilmember Paine expressed support for Councilmember Nand’s position. For the first six months of 2025, staff will be working on ensuring all the codes are compliant with state law related to housing, which will be big push. It is better to approve this tonight and let staff work on the regulatory codes next year. Councilmember Eck commented councilmembers can agree to disagree whether visibility regarding this issue was provided. She believed visibility was provided and the language has not changed, and she wanted to ensure both perspectives were being shared. She did not support postponing this to the end of January. Councilmember Tibbott said he did not support postponing to January. The council has gone through the code language with a fine tooth comb at least twice at committee. There was a great explanation of the green building incentives for commercial and multifamily zones, areas that will provide the biggest benefit due to the number of units. It is a prudent way to implement these incentives. All the building codes including design standards will apply; the only thing that is added is incentives for green buildings. AMENDMENT FAILED (2-5), COUNCILMEMBERS CHEN AND DOTSCH VOTING YES. MAIN MOTION AS AMENDED CARRIED (6-1), COUNCILMEMBER DOTSCH VOTING NO. 2. 2025 LEGISLATIVE AGENDA (Formerly Consent Agenda Item 8.5) COUNCIL PRESIDENT OLSON MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER TIBBOTT, TO ADOPT THE 2025 LEGISLATIVE AGENDA. COUNCIL PRESIDENT OLSON MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER TIBBOTT, TO AMEND SECTION 4, STRIKE “THAT PROMOTE” AFTER “BACK MEASURES” AND ADD “WHICH AID IN THE FINANCING OF.” Council President Olson said this would avoid the possibility of construing the guidance of council, that they were in favor of some of the less environmentally friendly and less neighborhood friendly ways of construction that are being pushed and she was concerned as originally offered the language was too broad. That was her only objection to the 2025 Legislative Agenda, and would have approved it on consent otherwise. Councilmember Paine said as the person who put this into the legislative agenda, she described why she added it. She did not object to this change, but did not appreciate the framing. Places like Housing Hope need to have access and the city’s support through the legislative agenda to obtain additional funding. The Edmonds Food Bank, who serves 1,000 families/week, also needs social support via inclusion in the legislative agenda as well as the City’s own human services program. This is not related to the aggressive building of houses, the City does not build houses, developers build houses. This is intended to provide a variety of housing options at all income levels, focusing on the lower income levels to ensure access to housing across the board. Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes December 10, 2024 Page 33 Councilmember Nand said she had no objection to Council President Olson’s edit. There are a lot of interesting financing options that the federal and lower levels of government are trying to adopt such as the Low Income Housing Credit to create more affordable housing. The statement that Director Tatum and Ms. Munguia developed states, “Increase housing supply and support measures to increase housing stability.” Typically when the council delegation meets with legislators, the meetings last 10 minutes; the time goes very quickly and the goal is to get the gist of the City’s agenda across to them before they go into session. She thanked Councilmember Paine for developing this and expressed support for Council President Olson’s amendment. Council President Olson commented she neglected to mention specifics, lot coverage and setbacks were things there has been talk about changing at the state level and she did not think that was not something the community wanted. Councilmember Eck read the section, “Increasing housing supply and support measures that increase housing stability, back measures that promote housing construction, explore new funding options for needs along housing continuum including homeownership, senior housing, rent support and permanent supportive housing.” Edmonds has community members who have these needs now, people on the housing continuum, desire homeownership, senior housing, rent support to keep people in their homes rather than becoming homeless and help them get back into housing, and permanent supportive housing. She was unable to support the amendment. AMENDMENT CARRIED (5-2), COUNCILMEMBERS CHEN AND ECK VOTING NO. MAIN MOTION AS AMENDED CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. COUNCIL PRESIDENT OLSON MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER TIBBOTT, TO MOVE UP THE FRANCES ANDERSON CENTER INVESTMENT GRADE AUDIT ON THE AGENDA. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. 4. FRANCES ANDERSON CENTER INVESTMENT GRADE AUDIT PAYMENT Public Works Director Phil Williams commented council action is needed to allow finance to pay a bill. The State passed a law in 2019, the Clean Buildings Act, which has a sequenced structure. The point of the law is bring commercial buildings into a higher level of energy efficiency and decarbonize emissions, basically electrifying them. The o nly City building that meets the first tier in that law, 50,000 square feet (the tiers will eventually decrease to 30,000 and 15,000 square feet in subsequent biennium) is the Frances Anderson Center which is 55,000 square feet. The City worked with ESCO contractor McKinstry who proposed an investment grade audit. The proposal was presented to the PPW Committee in June 2023 and two weeks later approved by council, $92,500 to do an investment grade, the first step in any ESCO project. McKinstry started that audit in September and a request was made to have funds carried forward into the 2024 budget, but something went awry and it wasn’t carried forward. The audit continued and a report was prepared; when staff requested payment of the bill, they learned there was no budget for it. He will make a presentation regarding the results of the investment grade audit in January when the council is less busy. COUNCIL PRESIDENT OLSON MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER NAND, TO AUTHORIZE THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT TO FUND FROM THE BOND FUNDED DEFERRED MAINTENANCE BUDGET 016.100 FOR THE DELIVERY OF THE FRANCES ANDERSON CENTER INVESTMENT GRADE AUDIT BY MCKINSTRY. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. COUNCIL PRESIDENT OLSON MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER NAND, TO EXTEND TO 10:40. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes December 10, 2024 Page 34 3. PUBLIC DEFENSE CONTRACT RENEWAL HR Manager RaeAnn Duarte advised the HR Department worked with the City’s legal counsel and Snohomish County Public Defenders Association (SCPDA) to prepare this contract. HR Director Neill Hoyson advised the proposed contract is for 18 months. The reason, in addition to getting contracts off cycle so they do not have to be renewed at yearend when the council is dealing with the budget, is legislative changes may occur that will change the caseload limits for public defenders. It is anticipated the caseload limits will be decreased which would require more public defenders to address the City’s public defense needs. The initial proposal from the SCPDA included a significant increase in the second half of 2026 anticipating that legislative change which is why staff asked for an 18 month contract to see what happens with that legislation and to address any increase at that time. Kathlee Kyle, Snohomish County Public Defender Association, presented the contract renewal: • Contract Term: 1/1/25 to 6/30/26 o The contract structure is consistent with previous agreements • Comparing Rates Year Over Year o 90% of SCPDA costs are employee salaries and benefits o Compliance with Indigent Defense Standard One: Pay Parity with the Snohomish County Prosecutor’s Office o SCPDA is actively recruiting and retaining defenders to prevent vacancies and avoiding people languishing due to public defender shortages. • 2024 November Point in Time – Attorney Workloads o Number of Cases Open Per Attorney Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes December 10, 2024 Page 35 COUNCILMEMBER PAINE MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER CHEN, TO ACCEPT THE CONTRACT AS PRESENTED. Councilmember Paine commented she looked forward to Ms. Kyle’s next presentation. She expressed appreciation to staff for getting the contract off the end of the year cycle. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. 5. DISCUSSION/POTENTIAL ACTION OF FIRE/EMS SERVICES OPTIONS Council President Olson commented it was her pleasure to introduce this agenda item regarding potential annexation to the RFA. She advised the documents in the packet are the same ones that were in the packet last week, the last approved documents from the RFA. Unfortunately there was nothing new this week so there is no intent to take action tonight to allow the council to receive and consider the documents that reflect the changes to areas of concern. She introduced RFA representatives here tonight, Fire Commissioner Ed Widdis, Fire Chief Bob Eastman, and Communications Director Christie Veley, suggesting they describe what happened at the RFA meeting tonight followed by council questions. The RFA will meet against next week to finalize the agreement. Commissioner Widdis referred to questioned raised, first, what happens if Stations 16 and 20 are no longer used as fire stations such as if Edmonds were to restart its own fire department. As stated previously the fire stations follow the fire service; if the City restarted its own fire service, they would come back to Edmonds and that language is being rewritten. Another question was parody in the temporary service agreement regarding SNO 911, LEOFF1 liability, and fire marshal fees. In talking with legal and some RFA Board members, it is likely the RFA will take over the SNO 911 payments, but the LEOFF1 liability and fire marshal are City issues. Another issue that came up was a date change, August 1 was changed to June 1. The term of the agreement ending was December 2026, but the notification date was omitted so the date of September 30 is being added. Commissioner Widdis continued, 2.2 in one of the articles related to changing level of service, the section refers to increase and a concern was raised that it should also say decrease. That section will likely be removed. The final issue was related to rolling stock, that the City may buy back equipment with concurrence of the RFA. That will be changed to allow the City to buy back rolling stock. A copy of the revisions will be provided to the City tomorrow and he encouraged council and the administration to ask any questions. Councilmember Paine asked Commissioner Widdis to repeat the first item. Commissioner Widdis explained if stations 16 and 20 were no longer used as fire station, the City would have to buy them. If the City wanted to restart its own department, the stations should follow the fire service and would return to the City with no consideration or cost. Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes December 10, 2024 Page 36 Fire Chief Eastman commented from a process perspective, what they talked to the RFA Board about tonight was when the council receives the changes, the board get will receive the same changes tomorrow. The plan is to bring the changes for approval at their meeting next Tuesday prior to the item on the council’s agenda so the council will know when considering that item whether the changes were approved by the RFA Board. That is how the RFA is expediting this so hopeful the council does not need to hold a special meeting next week. Councilmember Nand thanked the staff, RFA commission and the negotiating team for their work. The City continues to get a lot of comments supporting the RFA as well as concern about annexation. She looked forward to hearing when town halls with the community can be scheduled. Councilmember Eck expressed appreciation for the information provided by the RFA tonight. She agreed public engagement will be important and she was eager to have that happen as soon as possible. Councilmember Chen expressed appreciation for the changes Commissioner Widdis outlined, especially the property transfers with no consideration. He suggested the RFA entertain the idea about transferring two stations from the City of Edmonds to the RFA at cost, meaning fair market value, and if they revert in the future, they would also revert at cost. Chief Eastman said that has not been done with any other city and he guessed that would not be acceptable to the board and at this point, he suggested not going there for several reasons including that the RFA has not purchased stations from any other entity. It is in everyone’s best interest for the RFA not to buy the stations and then sell them back and instead do it as proposed where the stations follow the service. Currently Edmonds provides the service via contract; if Edmonds’ voters support annexation, the stations follow the taxpayer. If the City of Edmonds restarts its own fire department and citizens get fire service from the City, then the station would go back with the taxpayers to the City. He summarized that is a cleaner way to do it rather than pass dollars back and forth. Councilmember Chen expressed appreciation for the feedback and relayed his support for the changes that were made to the original version. Communications Director Christie Veley said the RFA has been having some really good conversations with residents. They appreciate all the questions and feedback and engagement in the process. The RFA is happy to answer questions when people reach out. 10. COUNCIL COMMENTS Councilmember Nand reported those who attended the tree lighting ceremony might have had the opportunity to see Richard Taylor, Jr. perform from his new album, An Edmonds Kind of Christmas. She was very proud of him and his accomplishments; he will next be performing at the Musicology Company on December 13. A link to that show and to his album on Spotify or YouTube can be found in the Edmonds Beacon. Councilmember Paine thanked everyone who attended tonight’s meeting. She looked forward to getting all the comments on the comprehensive plan wrapped up. She was glad to see that the bulk of the green building incentives were approved tonight, one of the big things on the Climate Action Plan. She commented next week will be busy and she was glad this meeting finished earlier than last week’s 11:30. Councilmember Dotsch thanked everyone who attended tonight’s meeting, commenting it was great to hear from the public. She acknowledged there had been fits and starts, things have changed midstream and it will be a challenging end of the year. In looking over the comprehensive plan, she wanted to be more intentional about Edmonds. Some of the comments tonight were very informative and there is still time to be more intentional related to the environmental gifts in Edmonds. Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes December 10, 2024 Page 37 Council President Olson commented most are aware of the huge PR nightmare related to the alleged plan to outsource the police which was never a plan. She appreciated the council was getting information on absolutely all budget cutting opportunities, but if the Edmonds Police officers didn’t already know how much they are loved and appreciated, that was a positive outcomes of the article. She suggest other communities are looking to hire Edmonds’ amazing officers over this article and she urged them to please don’t go, we love you. Councilmember Tibbott commented it is great that there is time for council comments and it is not past 11:00. He applauded Mayor Rosen’s leadership in working on options and alternatives. Although it caused a bit of PR snafu, he saw this as being proactive related to very important conversations. One of the most exciting things is the council and administration are having ongoing and fruitful conversations with the police department. His regard for the police department has only gone up in the last week as the council works on long lasting solutions. Councilmember Chen thanked the public for sharing their concerns with the council and he assured the council hears them. Gathering information about any decisions before the front of council helps them make better decisions for the City, whether it is regarding the comprehensive plan, fire services, or the police department. He appreciated all the comments because they mean the citizens care. Councilmember Eck thanked the public for the feedback they provide particularly at public hearings. The council has a responsibility to do their jobs as seriously and diligently as possible and it is also the council’s duty to educate the public and address misinformation whether it is about the police, green incentives or whatnot. She concluded it is important that the council represent and listen, but also not to take the blame for things they haven’t done and to use the opportunity to educate. 11. MAYOR'S COMMENTS ADJOURNMENT With no further business, the council meeting was adjourned at 10:18 pm.