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02/17/2015 City CouncilEDMONDS CITY COUNCIL APPROVED MINUTES February 17, 2015 The Edmonds City Council meeting was called to order at 5:00 p.m. by Council President Fraley- Monillas in the Council Chambers, 250 5"' Avenue North, Edmonds. ELECTED OFFICIALS PRESENT Dave Earling, Mayor (arrived 7:00 p.m.) Adrienne Fraley-Monillas, Council President Diane Buckshnis, Councilmember Kristiana Johnson, Councilmember Lora Petso, Councilmember Joan Bloom, Councilmember Thomas Mesaros, Councilmember ALSO PRESENT Noushyal Eslami, Student Representative 1. ROLL CALL STAFF PRESENT Phil Williams, Public Works Director Patrick Doherty, Econ. Dev. & Comm. Serv. Dir. Shane Hope, Development Services Director Scott James, Finance Director Renee McRae, Recreation Manager Sharon Cates, City Attorney's Office Scott Passey, City Clerk Jerrie Bevington, Camera Operator Jeannie Dines, Recorder City Clerk Scott Passey called the roll. All elected officials were present with the exception of Mayor Earling. 2. INTERVIEW OF APPLICANTS FOR COUNCIL POSITION #2 VACANCY The Council interviewed the following candidates for City Council Position #2 vacancy: • David Preston • Michael Jay Nelson • Debbie Matteson • Jeff Scherrer 3. APPROVAL OF AGENDA COUNCILMEMBER BUCKSHNIS MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER MESAROS, TO APPROVE THE AGENDA IN CONTENT AND ORDER. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. 4. APPROVAL OF CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS Councilmember Bloom requested Item D be removed from the Consent Agenda. COUNCILMEMBER PETSO, MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER BUCKSHNIS, TO APPROVE THE REAMINDER OF THE CONSENT AGENDA. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. The agenda items approved are as follows: Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes February 17, 2015 Page 1 A. APPROVAL OF CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES OF FEBRUARY 10, 2015 B. APPROVAL OF CLAIM CHECK #212837 THROUGH #212945 DATED FEBRUARY 12, 2015 FOR $295,349.33. APPROVAL OF PAYROLL CHECK #61501 DATED FEBRUARY 6, 2015 FOR $2,126.51. C. ACKNOWLEDGE RECEIPT OF A CLAIM FOR DAMAGES FROM BURT HOPKINS (AMOUNT UNDETERMINED), JAY AND ALLISON BREWER ($2,490.00), AND STACIE TRYKAR ($59.99) E. AUTHORIZATION FOR MAYOR TO SIGN AGREEMENT WITH THE YMCA TO OPERATE YOST POOL FOR THE 2015 SEASON F. DISCUSSION OF AN ORDINANCE AMENDING THE 2015 BUDGET FOR CARRYFORWARD ITEMS PREVIOUSLY DISCUSSED AND APPROVED BY COUNCIL DURING THE 2014 BUDGET YEAR G. POLICE UNIFORM VENDOR CONTRACT RENEWAL H. AUTHORIZATION TO PURCHASE FREIGHTLINER VACTOR 2100 CB VACUUM TRUCK ITEM D: APPROVAL OF EDMONDS DOWNTOWN ALLIANCE (AKA EDBID) GRANTS PROGRAM Councilmember Bloom commented among the many reasons she voted against the formation of the Edmonds Downtown Alliance; her main objection has been that she did not think a small group of business owners, in this case the 12-member board, should have the authority to spend the money of other businesses. She was also opposed to the small grant program in which a three -member committee is spends the money of other business owners. She will vote against this item. COUNCIL PRESIDENT FRALEY-MONILLAS MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER MESAROS, TO APPROVE ITEM D. MOTION CARRIED (5-1), COUNCILMEMBER BLOOM VOTING NO. 5. AUDIENCE COMMENTS Dave Page, Edmonds, said he thought the naming of Fire Station 16 after Betty Mueller was going to be on tonight's Consent Agenda. Councilmember Bloom relayed her understanding a public hearing was required prior to Council approval. 6. PUBLIC HEARING ON DRAFT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ELEMENT FOR 2015 COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE Development Services Director Shane Hope explained the packet has a brief overview memo, a clean version of Economic Development Element and a version with tracked changes in the goals and policy section. The draft Economic Development Element reflects comments from the Economic Development Commission (EDC) and the Planning Board; the Planning Board provided their recommendation at the February 11 meeting for which minutes are not yet available. Tonight is a public hearing on the element and not a final decision. Economic Development & Community Services Director Patrick Doherty provided background on the Economic Development Element: 0 Existing Economic development element was approved in 2006 Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes February 17, 2015 Page 2 • As such, it is the oldest and least updated element of the Comprehensive Plan • The proposed revisions constitute a substantial rewrite of the element • EDC reviewed and provided substantive revisions to the goals and policies section at their December 17, 2014 meeting • Planning Board reviewed entire draft Element and provided substantive revisions to narrative sections and goals and policies at February 11, 2015 meeting • While much of text is new or revised, the preexisting format was followed • Element is broken into four sections: o Introduction and Discussion of Economic Development o The Edmonds Economy o Economic Development Goals and Policies o Implementation He explained this element is intended to enshrine the City's goals, policies and strategies for growing the local economy in order to enhance the quality of life. Programs and activities strive to broaden and strengthen the local tax base, provide greater range of goods and services, and provide employment and entrepreneurial opportunities while recognizing social, cultural, environmental values. The Element is comprised of four basic sections: • Population • Employment • Retail Sales • City Revenues and Sustainability The population section provides information on: • Total population • Average age • Ethnic make-up • Households • Household income • Labor force population Summary of conclusions from population section: • Population growth lags Countywide averages • Labor force population is smaller percentage than in similar -sized cities • Retiree population is relatively larger than average • Household income is relatively higher than average • Higher -income retirees may create sizable cohort with disposable income and leisure time • Potential for turn -over in housing stock, converting to couples and young families, creating increased demand for certain goods and services • Generally more affluent population creates demand for wide variety of goods and services • Higher -priced housing creates demand for more affordable housing options The employment section provides information on: • Jobs per capita • Size of the labor force • Jobs by sector Summary of conclusions from the employment section • Services sector will continue to be largest, especially health care sector • Retail sector provides potential for employment growth Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes February 17, 2015 Page 3 • Remain stable: education, government, FIRE, WTU • Manufacturing sector small, but artisanal and specialty industries emerging • Substantial gap between residents in labor force (21,174) and in -city jobs (13,149) • Additionally, only 20% of Edmonds labor force works in town, meaning approx. 17,000 residents commute away for work, while approx. 8,900 commute into Edmonds The retail sales section provides information on: • Top retail sales sectors • Taxable retail sales per capita • Retail sales "leakage" by category Summary of conclusions from retail sales section: • Edmonds captures 84% of total anticipated retail sales per capita (Western US average) • Vehicle sales skew the data. Extracting vehicles leaves only 5 1 % of anticipated retail sales • So almost 50% leakage of potential nonvehicle sales • Therefore, nonvehicle retail sectors could provide substantial growth potential Mr. Doherty displayed a pie chart of City revenues and reviewed a summary of conclusions from the City revenues and sustainability section: • Recapture of even modest amount of retail sales leakage could yield much -needed sales tax revenue • Appropriate new (re)development would provide: o One-time "new construction" property tax, adding to future property tax revenue baseline o Sales tax from construction materials and activity o Sales and utility tax from new residents, workers, etc. With regard to the Economic Development Goals and Policies, he explained staff and the EDC worked through a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis and placed particular emphasis on identifying new opportunities. He highlighted opportunities in the SWOT analysis: • Leverage amenities and "character" for business growth • Leverage arts community, ECA for economic impact • Leverage telecommunications/technology assets • Plan and implement infrastructure improvements • Work with property owners and developers to pursue appropriate redevelopment, including hospitality, in key locations, such as Hwy 99, Westgate, Downtown fringe • Expand and enhance tourism • Senior and more affluent households provide potential for capturing more spending locally Mr. Doherty reviewed Economic Development Goals and Policies: • Goal A: Foster a healthy business community that encourages appropriately scaled growth and investment that offers a wide range of goods and services, provides employment, and enhances municipal revenue. o Policies Al-A9 promote the following: ■ Business -friendly regulatory environment ■ Business recruitment ■ Business retention and expansion ■ Local purchasing policies ■ Local business promotion campaigns ■ Emerging business sector — artisanal and specialty mfg. ■ Partnership with business orgs, leaders Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes February 17, 2015 Page 4 ■ Ferry traffic -related business opportunities ■ Greater energy efficiency that can free up discretionary income • Goal B: Revitalize and enhance the city's business districts, balancing the needs for housing, commerce and employment development with neighborhood character, amenities and scale. o Policies B 1-B 11 promote the following: ■ Regulations supporting compatible redevelopment ■ Monitor and right -size parking requirements ■ Regulations encouraging redevelopment in key locations ■ Enhance vitality of Downtown; monitor & support BID ■ Explore potential of other BIDS ■ Maximize synergy and impact of ECA and Downtown ■ Historic preservation ■ Brand and promote business districts ■ Work with property owners, developers on key properties ■ Regulations supporting viable commercial space ■ Infrastructure and tech improvements to support businesses • Goal C. Diversify and grow the city's economic make-up to reduce sales leakage, attract spending from nearby communities, enhance local employment, and increase municipal tax revenues to support local services. o Policies C1-C6 promote the following: ■ Growth of under -represented sectors to meet unmet demand ■ Leverage technology assets ■ Recruitment and "buy local" to stem retail leakage ■ Attract consumer spending from beyond Edmonds ■ Incentives for appropriate redevelopment ■ Longer business hours and/or evening uses to capture more peak -hours spending • Goal D: Support and enhance the community's quality of life for residents, workers and visitors in order to sustain and attract business and investment, and enhance economic vitality. o Policies DI-D5 promote the following: ■ Provide diverse, affordable housing supply ■ Culture that respects diversity as progressive community where businesses wish to locate ■ Social, cultural, artistic, recreational & education opportunities ■ Communicate with public re: economic vitality ■ Integrate economic development with environment, culture, social equity, etc. • Goal E: Expand and enhance the tourism sector to attract outside spending to help fuel the local economy. o Policies E1-E7 promote the following: ■ Support for events, festivals ■ Support for arts/culture sector ■ Support for sports, nature, outdoor events/activities ■ Strategic use of marketing to attract visitors ■ Market Downtown as year-round destination ■ Support tourism infrastructure ■ Enhance hospitality infrastructure Mr. Doherty explained the Implementation section discusses measures, resources and programs that can implement the various Goals and Policies, including: • Staff support, outreach and activities • Legislative actions • City expenditures • Activities and programs by Port of Edmonds Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes February 17, 2015 Page 5 • Programs by Edmonds Community College • Collaborative efforts between Chamber, City and others Strategic Action Plan (SAP): • Strategic Objective #1 states: "create economic health, vitality and sustainability." • 22 of the 88 action items in the Council -approved SAP relate directly to economic development • Council will be presented an implementation package for the SAP in March • Several action items are complete; many on -going • Other action items span short (3-5 years) and long terms (5-10+ years) With regard to a performance measure, Mr. Doherty explained the success of economic development efforts is difficult to pinpoint and measure. Economic growth or decline may be more tied to regional and national economic cycles than a city's efforts. Nevertheless, progress can be measured to some degree. As one of the two most basic performance measures, staff intends to track and measure employment. Annual employment growth (or decline) is trackable via State and US census data. In addition, since Snohomish County growth targets have assigned 2,269 new jobs to Edmonds for the planning horizon of 2035, we can measure employment both in absolute terms and in relation to this target. Ms. Hope reviewed new steps: • Public hearing tonight on the draft Economic Development Element • February 24 City Council Study session on draft Economic Development Element • February 25 open house, 5 to 7 p.m., Brackett Room, City Hall • Continued work and public meetings on various draft Comprehensive Plan elements • Refinement of draft language on all elements • Public hearing on full draft Comprehensive Plan update scheduled for June • Final adoption mid-2015 Councilmember Mesaros referred to the growth target of 2,269 jobs by 2035. If the City currently has 13,000 jobs, that represents a 20% growth in the next 20 years. He asked whether that growth target seemed reasonable and how the number was determined. Ms. Hope answered these numbers are from PSRC estimates, there has been a lot of background work done followed by an allocation process whereby each city and county takes their share based on population size. The targets are approximation of what the City should plan for. Mr. Doherty added PSRC looks at the City's track record and tries to improve it a little. Councilmember Buckshnis observed some of the SAP has been incorporated in the goals and policies. Mr. Doherty responded the SAP is an implementation measure; everything in the SAP has a home goal in the document. Councilmember Petso thanked Mr. Doherty for responding to her email, noting some of the concepts were incorporated into the presentation. She expressed concern with the statement, "Large numbers of workers who commute to Edmonds create demand for affordable housing." She suggested it may be better to acknowledge the high property values create a problem rather a large number of people commuting to Edmonds for work. She expressed appreciation for the response to political questions and suggested revising certain buzz words and possibly asking the City Attorney about the appropriateness of comingling economic policy and government in the Comprehensive Plan. Councilmember Petso relayed a question that arose in one of the candidate interviews, whether the City has considered building on parks and other open space. Mr. Doherty said certainly not parks; sometimes a neighborhood considers a vacant lot as open space. For example the vacant lot adjacent to the carwash on Edmonds Way; although not open space by definition, some neighbors may consider it open space and do Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes February 17, 2015 Page 6 not want it to be developed. Infill development recognizes opportunities in an existing built environment on vacant or under -developed properties for development that is appropriately scaled and respectful of the character of an existing neighborhood. Councilmember Petso referred to the phrase, "downtown fringe" in the presentation which she did not see in the document. She suggested using downtown fringe to differentiate from the downtown core. Next, Councilmember Petso recalled a suggestion for an Economic Development Commissioner to include the flower program as a strength. Mr. Doherty explained Commissioners had many suggestions; he attempted to augment the statements about the aesthetic nature without including specifics. The Council could amend the statement about amenities to include the flower program. Councilmember Bloom referred to the second sentence in Policy B4 "Monitor and enhance the Edmonds Downtown Business Improvement District in its efforts to fund business promotion, marketing, improvement projects, beautification, etc." She questioned the point of including that in the Economic Development Element when the Council is doing that in the work plan every year. Mr. Doherty answered that was already referenced in the existing document. In addition, policies in the elements often support language in the code; a requirement in the BID ordinance does not negate an overarching policy. If the Council found it entirely redundant, the language could be modified. Councilmember Bloom saw it as redundancy particularly since there is controversy associated with the BID and it will be several years before this document is updated again. Mr. Doherty noted the City has the opportunity to update the Comprehensive Plan annually. If the Council made a significant change to the BID, the Comprehensive Plan policies likely would also be updated. Councilmember Bloom reiterated her opinion that it was redundant. Councilmember Bloom referred to policy B5, "Explore the potential of additional Business Improvement Districts in other commercial areas to help fund business promotion, marketing, improvement projects, beautification, etc., in a sustainable fashion," noting the BID was supposed to have been brought forward by 60% of the businesses owners in the district but ended up being formed in a different way. She was opposed to including language in the Economic Development Element that the Council and the City will explore potential of additional BIDS and preferred it be left to the business owners. She suggested eliminating that language as the formation of a BID should come from business owners not the Council. Councilmember Bloom pointed out there the element does not mention development of a year-round market which is a huge potential draw. A year-round market is in the SAP and the Capital Improvement Plan and should be included in this element. Mayor Earling opened the public participation portion of the public hearing. There was no one present who wished to provide testimony and Mayor Earling closed the public participation portion of the public hearing. Mayor Earling declared a 15-minute break. Mayor Earling left the meeting at 7:44 p.m. 7. CONTINUATION OF INTERVIEWS FOR COUNCIL POSITION #2 VACANCY The Council interviewed the following candidates for City Council Position #2 vacancy: • Stephen Clifton • Neil Tibbott • Mario Brown • David L. Teitzel • Adam Cornell • Alvin Rutledge Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes February 17, 2015 Page 7 8. ADJOURN With no further business, the Council meeting was adjourned at 11:00 p.m. DA ]DO. EARLING, MAYOR SdOXT4ASSEY, CITY ERK Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes February 17, 2015 Page 8