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2002-06-13 Historic Preservation Commission MinutesHISTORICAL PRESERVATION COMMISSION MINUTES June 13, 2002 1. CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL The first meeting of the Edmonds Historical Preservation Commission was called to order at 3:30 p.m. in the 3' Floor Fourtner Room of City Hall, 121 — 5' Avenue North. PRESENT ABSENT Stephen Waite Ed Baker Darrell Marmion Chuck LeWarne Barbara Kindness Michael Plunkett Greg Arnold Ms. Campbell asked that the Commissioners briefly introduce themselves: STAFF PRESENT Rob Chave, Planning Division Manager Star Campbell, Assistant Planner • Commissioner Marmion said he is an Edmonds Resident, and a member of the Historical Preservation Advisory Commission for the past year. • Council Member Plunkett indicated that he is the Edmonds City Council representative. • Commissioner LeWarne said he is the representative from the Edmonds -Southwest Snohomish County Historical Society. He has lived in Edmonds for 40 years and is a retired teacher of history. • Commissioner Kindness advised that she has lived in Edmonds for 29 years. She was the Chamber President for two years and chaired the Edmonds Centennial Commission for four years. She represented Edmonds in the Washington State Centennial, also. • Commissioner Arnold said he has been a resident of Edmonds for about 12 years. • Commissioner Waite said he was born and raised in Edmonds. He participated on the Advisory Committee, as well. Ms. Campbell said she doesn't have a lot of experience with historical preservation, but has had some graduate school course work on the subject. However, this is a particular interest of hers, and she is happy to be able to assist the Commission in their efforts. 2. READING/APPROVAL OF MINUTES Since this was the first meeting of the Commission, there were no minutes to approve. 3. ANNOUNCEMENT OF AGENDA Ms. Campbell briefly reviewed the items that are on the agenda. No changes were made. 4. REQUESTS FROM THE AUDIENCE There was no one in the audience who desired to address the Commission during this portion of the meeting. 5. PUBLIC HEARINGS There were no public hearings scheduled on the agenda. 6. UNFINISHED BUSINESS There was no unfinished business scheduled on the agenda. 7. NEW BUSINESS a. Review of Roles and Responsibilities Ms. Campbell referred the Commissioners to the two ordinances that were approved by the City Council. One established the Commission, and the other established the actual historic register. The one that established the Commission spells out who the Commission members can be and what the roles and responsibilities of the Commissioners will be. She noted that once the Commission appoints a chairperson, she would no longer be leading the meeting. Commissioner Waite referred to ECDC 10.90.040, which outlines the Commission's responsibilities. Hee said there appear to be several tasks identified, many that have already been started by the Historical Preservation Advisory Committee. He said that Commissioner Marmion has a great start on conducting and maintaining a comprehensive inventory (Sub Section A). Ms. Campbell suggested that because some of the Commissioners did not participate on the Advisory Committee, perhaps it would be appropriate to provide an overview of what they accomplished. Commissioner Marmion explained that the Advisory Committee had a one-year charter to look at the feasibility and determine if it was worthwhile for the City of Edmonds to do something to preserve some of its history. When they first started meeting in January of 2001, there were four or five items for them to address. One was to do an informal inventory to determine if there were buildings worth saving. The end result was a report on the number and location of historical buildings within the City. Next, they researched opportunities for working with the state and other local governments to find out what tools are available to encourage people to preserve historical structures. They worked on becoming a certified local government, which allows them to set up a Historical Preservation Commission and qualify for grants that are earmarked for historic preservation. They also considered ways, through awareness and incentives, to encourage the public to preserve these buildings. Both the amendment to Chapter 10, which set up the Historical Preservation Commission, and the amendment to Chapter 20, which outlines the duties of the Commission, were approved by the Council this past spring. Commissioner LeWarne added that the last few meetings of the Advisory Committee were spent reviewing the proposed ordinances in detail to make them as precise as possible. Ms. Campbell noted that the ordinances that were approved by the City Council were based on models that were provided by the State Historical Preservation Office. Council Member Plunkett explained that while the committee did not make a lot of changes to the model ordinance, they did tailor it to their needs. Commissioner Arnold referred to Page 14, Section C of Title 20. He requested clarification of the rehabilitation issue. He requested further clarification on the requirement that rehabilitation be done 20 months prior to being included on the register. Commissioner Marmion explained that this section is related to property tax valuation, so it deals with State qualifications that have to be met in order to participate in the property tax valuation program. Rehabilitation has to take Historic Preservation Commission Minutes June 13, 2002 Page 2 place over a certain period of time. Commissioner Arnold inquired if the monies that are spent to rehabilitate a structure could be used to offset the property valuation for property tax. Council Member Plunkett clarified that with the rehabilitation, the structure would increase in value. That increase in value is not taxed for ten years. He said another incentive could be that the supplies and items that you purchase in Edmonds to do the rehabilitation are tax free. These are only a few of the numerous incentives the Commission might want to consider. Commissioner LeWarne said that the inventory that was prepared identifies buildings within the City that are 50 years old or older. It is hoped that in the very near future, the Commission can conduct a more specific study and develop criteria for preserving historic structures. The end result would be a picture of each of the properties with a short description of how each meets the requirements. From there, others could be encouraged to place their properties on the register, as well. Council Member Plunkett referred to Title 10, Sections A and B. While Commissioner Marmion did a great job in establishing an inventory of historical places, the State requires that the Commission hire a professional to do this inventory. This professional inventory is one of the hurtles they have to meet in order to become a local certified government and be eligible for grant benefits, which is another task of the Commission. It is hopeful that the Commission will be able to obtain grant funding for the professional inventory. Ms. Campbell mentioned that the Commission has a State contact, and staff has requested that she provide the Commission with a copy of the State of Washington Certified Local Government Program Requirements and Procedures. When the committee last looked at the document, it was only a draft and was undergoing some changes. The State contact provided a copy of the new document, which is still in draft form, and Ms. Campbell said she could forward a copy of the document to each Commissioner. She suggested that this document could provide a lot of direction to the Commission regarding how to become a local certified government. Commissioner Arnold inquired about the Commission's plan of attack. Commissioner Waite said there are State incentives, but the Commission has an opportunity to figure out what the City, itself, can offer. Commissioner Marmion said the only incentive that was put in the code that was recently approved is the special tax valuation. One of the main functions of the Commission during this next year will be to increase public awareness and try to come up with additional incentives. The proposed incentives will be presented to the City Council for consideration. Ms. Campbell said that obtaining Certified Local Government status is paramount to being able to utilize the state benefits. Other than that, it is up to the Commission to consider other opportunities. Ms. Campbell said the roles and responsibilities are clearly listed in the ordinance found in ECDC 10.90.040. Commissioner Kindness questioned if the Commission should establish a schedule for presenting issues to the public. She suggested that the Commission provide information to the public so that they are well-informed of the proceedings. This could be done with a biweekly or monthly communication report. Ms. Campbell explained that all of the Commission meetings will be open to the public and posted in other public notice places. An agenda will come out a week before each meeting. It is up to the Commissioners to decide if they want to provide something extra such as a periodic newsletter, etc. Commissioner Arnold inquired regarding the open meeting law and whether or not the Commissioners can carry on discussions outside of the meetings. Ms. Campbell said she would have to seek further feedback about these rules. Council Member Plunkett said that Commissioners can meet and have general conversations, but they cannot conduct business and make decisions outside of the meeting. All decisions have to be made during the meeting and on the record. Commissioner Waite inquired if conversations amongst Commissioners outside of the meeting have to be recorded. Council Member Plunkett answered that, under normal circumstances, they do not. However, if the Commissioners get into a quasi- judicial setting, they cannot talk amongst themselves outside of the meeting. All conversations have to be on the record. Most of the Commission's activities will be legislative functions, which allows outside discussion with decisions being made in public and on the record. Commissioner Marmion inquired if the Commission would be allowed to form sub -committees to consider specific issues. Council Member Plunkett said that sub -committee meetings should be open to the public, but he is unclear as to what extent Historic Preservation Commission Minutes June 13, 2002 Page 3 the meetings would need to be advertised. The Commission asked that staff research this issue and provide feedback to the Commission at a later date. Commissioner Arnold inquired if the state has rules for how Commission sub -committees should be set up. In most cases, the sub -committee will not make any decisions, but will only make a recommendation to the Commission as a whole. Council Member Plunkett advised that City Attorney Snyder has a complete analysis of the Open Meetings Act, and this document should be provided to each of the Commissioners. b. Discussion of Election of Officers COMMISSIONER LEWARNE NOMINATED COMMISSIONER MARMION AS THE CHAIR OF THE COMMISSION. COMMISSIONER WAITE SECONDED THE NOMINATION. The Commissioners discussed the responsibilities of the Chair and the need to create by-laws for their meetings. It was suggested that the staff provide the Commission with a copy of the by-laws from other commissions or boards within the City to use as an example to establish their own document. THE NOMINATION WAS ACCEPTED UNANIMOUSLY. Council Member Plunkett pointed out that he is not a voting member of the Commission. His capacity is an ex-officio Commissioner representing the City Council. He indicated that he could serve in a parliamentary capacity to help the Commission in following Robert's Rules of Orders. The Commission discussed whether or not there is a need for additional Commission officers. Council Member Plunkett said the Roberts Rules of Order are subsidiary to an organization's rules. An organization's by-laws are the authority, and Roberts Rules of Order come into play when there is a question that is not answered in the by-laws. The Commission agreed that until the by-laws are established, they would not appoint any other Commission positions. If the Chair is unable to attend a meeting, he could ask another Commissioner to take his place. Commissioner LeWarne said that on issues that present a conflict of interest for any of the Commissioners, he would assume that person would step down from the discussion. Council Member Plunkett advised that in these situations, the Commissioner should step down from the discussion, and should probably even leave the meeting. 8. Administrative Reports a. Discussion of Extended Aeenda Commissioner Kindness said that by the next meeting, the Commissioners should all have a copy of the "Program Requirements and Procedures for Certified Local Governments." One of their first orders of business should be to discuss this document. The Commission discussed the proposed schedule for future Commission meetings. Council Member Plunkett advised that the meeting room has been reserved for the second Thursday of each month at 3:30 p.m. Commissioner LeWarne suggested that a Commissioner should be taxed with coming up with a recommendation for by-laws or at least obtaining samples of existing by-laws from around the state. Also, they need to determine the level of City staff and funds that will be available to the Commission. Commissioner Marmion said another project would be the professional inventory. Perhaps one of the Commissioners could collect information regarding fees that would be involved in this effort. The Commission briefly discussed whether or not the professional inventory would be required in order for the City to become a Certified Local Government. Ms. Campbell suggested that some of the issues would become more clear after the Commission has the opportunity to review the Program Requirements and Procedures document from the State. Historic Preservation Commission Minutes June 13, 2002 Page 4 Ms. Campbell suggested that it would be efficient to form sub -committees to meet in between meeting times to research issues that the Commission will be discussing in the future. Commissioner Marmion agreed that this would help the Commission get their momentum moving forward. As the word gets out, the public will be coming forward to participate in the program. Even though the City might not be able to become a Certified Local Government right away, they should start on the inventory as soon as possible. Ms. Campbell suggested that one of the first sub -committees formed should be a grants committee. There is a huge manual for historical preservation grants that is available for those Commissioners interested. COMMISSIONER ARNOLD MOVED THAT THE COMMISSION SET UP FOUR SUB -COMMITTEES: AN ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE, A COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE, A GOVERNMENT LIAISON COMMITTEE AND INCENTIVES COMMITTEE. COMMISSIONER WAITE SECONDED THE MOTION. Commissioner Arnold explained that the administration committee would be responsible for keeping the Commission moving forward by taking care of issues such as by-laws, grants, etc. The communications committee could be responsible for communicating the activities of the Commission to the public. (The tape missed some parts of this discussion) Commissioner LeWarne said he feels the formation of sub -committees is good, but perhaps they should wait for a few months to allow the Commission to get going. After a few more meetings, the Commission will have a little better idea of the direction they want to go. Commissioner Waite inquired if the Commission could informally pursue some of the topics that have been identified. He noted that it takes a long time for the City to act on specific requests. Commissioner Arnold said the Committee must decide what methods they will use to pursue issues of importance. Commissioner Marmion agreed, and suggested that each Commissioner be given an assignment to pursue the additional information that will be required for future discussions. Ms. Campbell suggested that further discussion regarding sub -committees should be part of the next meeting agenda. Commissioner Kindness suggested that staff come back with information regarding the by-laws. Also, the Commission should come up with a framework for advising the public of the Commission's activities. She said she would be glad to participate in the community information aspect. Commissioner Marmion said that there are some specific tasks that the Commission will be going forward with next month, and the intent of this meeting was to designate a specific meeting time and place. The Commission agreed that they would hold regular meetings on the second Thursday of every month at 3:30 p.m. Commissioner Marmion offered to review Chapter 10 to identify the specific goals that the Commission needs to work on. He suggested that at the next meeting the Commission should review the Commission's goals and a time line and process for accomplishing the goals. They should also discuss the checklist for getting the process started to become a Certified Local Government. The Commission could also review the by-laws from other commissions and boards within the City and attempt to create their own document. Commissioner LeWarne could provide a report on the anticipated cost of a professional inventory. Commissioner Marmion suggested that the Historical Preservation Commission should be tied as closely to the museum as possible. The Commission discussed that the museum representatives have some experience in writing grants. Ms. Campbell summarized the four items that have been identified for the next agenda: The role of the Commission and a schedule, review the Certified Local Government Requirements and Procedures document, the formation of sub -committees, and creating Commission by-laws. Commissioner Kindness inquired if the Commission has a budget from the City to cover operation costs. Council Member Plunkett said the budget right now covers the staff time, the minute taker, and formal advertising of the meetings. Anything above the basic administrative functions is not funded by the City. Commissioner Kindness inquired if the Commission Historic Preservation Commission Minutes June 13, 2002 Page 5 could go before the Council with a request for funding if they want to publish some type of public communications document. Council Member Plunkett answered affirmatively. Commissioner Waite inquired if the Commission could use funds from the Hotel/Motel tax. Council Member Plunkett said he believes this would be possible because the intent of this tax revenue is to help with tourism. He suggested that Commission Chair contact the appropriate staff or the chair of the hotel/motel tax board, which is made up of people in the tourism and hotel industry. Commissioner Arnold suggested that rather than just reviewing the by-laws of the City's boards and commissions, the Commission should also review the by-laws of historical commissions in other jurisdictions, since their responsibilities will be quite similar. Mr. Chave said that the other boards in the City have rules of procedures rather than by-laws. The rules of procedures describe how the meetings will be run. Commissioner Waite suggested that since there is already an open meetings act, standing rules for public hearings, and Roberts Rules of Order, this should be sufficient for the Commission. Mr. Chave said that staff could also seek information from other historical preservation commissions as a comparison. He said it should be relatively simple for staff to come up with a draft document for the Commission's consideration at the next meeting. The Commission agreed this would be helpful. Mr. Chave suggested that at some point in time, a representative from the State Attorney's Office could come before the Commission to explain the public open record laws and what they mean to the Commission from a practical standpoint. Commissioner Waite said that other Commissions have by-laws that cover issues such as attendance requirements and rules of conduct that are little bit more specific. It is up to the Commission to determine these issues because it is not addressed in the ordinance. The Commission agreed that this issue needs to be addressed. Commissioner Kindness volunteered to review the list of financial assistance programs and gather additional information for the Commission's future consideration. Ms. Campbell referred to additional resources she has collected for the Commission's information. One provides a list of the historic preservation references found in the zoning code already. There is also a document written by Councilmember Plunkett regarding the tax valuation program. In addition, she provided a list of documents that are available from the Municipal Research and Services Center related to historical preservation. She advised that staff could obtain copies of selected parts of these documents as requested by the Commission. The Commission agreed that there should be a standing agenda item that allows the Commissioners to share any ideas they might have or to provide new information and materials. 9. HISTORIC PRESERVATION CHAIR COMMENTS Commissioner Marmion said he has a lot of desire to continue the historic preservation effort. He hopes that his role as chair does not overweigh his desire to continue the process. He does not want to get too buried in the administrative aspects. 10. HISTORIC PRESERVATION MEMBER COMMENTS Commissioner LeWarne noted that the Snohomish County Council passed a historic preservation ordinance at about the same time as the City of Edmonds did. Their intention is to assist the City and other cities in their efforts. He looks forward to having a good working relationship with them, as well as with the State and the Historical Society. Commissioner Kindness said she is pleased with all the work that has already been done by the advisory committee. Commissioner Waite said he supports Chair Marmion and felt that he would make sure there is an element of teamwork on the Commission. It is important that the Commission members all work together. Historic Preservation Commission Minutes June 13, 2002 Page 6 11. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business to address, the Commission adjourned at 4:40 p.m. PLANNING BOARD CHAIR COMMENTS PLANNING BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS Historic Preservation Commission Minutes June 13, 2002 Page 7