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2023-09-05 Regular MeetingEDMONDS CITY COUNCIL MEETING APPROVED MINUTES September 5, 2023 ELECTED OFFICIALS PRESENT Mike Nelson, Mayor Neil Tibbott, Council President Vivian Olson, Councilmember Will Chen, Councilmember Diane Buckshnis, Councilmember Susan Paine, Councilmember Dave Teitzel, Councilmember Jenna Nand, Councilmember 1. CALL TO ORDER/FLAG SALUTE STAFF PRESENT Susan McLaughlin, Planning & Dev. Dir. Rob English, City Engineer Jeff Taraday, City Attorney Scott Passey, City Clerk Jerrie Bevington, Camera Operator The Edmonds City Council meeting was called to order at 7 p.m. by Mayor Nelson in the Council Chambers, 250 5t' Avenue North, Edmonds, and virtually. The meeting was opened with the flag salute. 2. LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Councilmember Teitzel read the City Council Land Acknowledge Statement: "We acknowledge the original inhabitants of this place, the Sdohobsh (Snohomish) people and their successors the Tulalip Tribes, who since time immemorial have hunted, fished, gathered, and taken care of these lands. We respect their sovereignty, their right to self-determination, and we honor their sacred spiritual connection with the land and water." 3. ROLL CALL City Clerk Scott Passey called the roll. All elected officials were present. 4. PRESENTATIONS PSSH PROCLAMATION Mayor Nelson read a proclamation proclaiming the month of September 2023 as Puget Sound Starts Here Month in the City of Edmonds and urging residents to support clean water and healthy habitat by joining in this special observation and discovering how they can make a difference and be part of the solution. 2. RESOLUTION HONORING JIM TRANER Councilmember Olson read a resolution of the City Council of the City of Edmonds, Washington, honoring James Michael Traner and his many positive impacts and contributions. She thanked Council President Tibbott for giving her the honor of presenting the resolution as he was a personal friend of hers and a great man she was happy to know. Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes September 5, 2023 Page 1 Councilmember Olson recognized friends and family present in the audience to honor Jim Traner. She presented the proclamation to Terry Traner, Jim Traner's wife who commented Jim worked tireless for the City of Edmonds and for veterans. They had many conversations about his dream for the Veteran's Plaza. She appreciated the City's assistance with the Veteran's Plaza and the proclamation. 3. PRESENTATION OF FIXIT EDMONDS - PUBLIC REPORTING APPLICATION This item was removed from the agenda via action taken following the executive session. 5. APPROVAL OF AGENDA COUNCILMEMBER PAINE MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER TEITZEL, TO APPROVE THE AGENDA IN CONTENT AND ORDER. COUNCIL PRESIDENT TIBBOTT MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER PAINE, TO MOVE ITEM 12, EXECUTIVE SESSION TO DISCUSS PENDING OR POTENTIAL LITIGATION PER RCW 42.30.110(1)(I), TO FOLLOW AUDIENCE COMMENTS. AMENDMENT CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. MAIN MOTION AS AMENDED CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. 6. AUDIENCE COMMENTS Kevin Fagerstrom, Edmonds, spoke regarding the Landmark property purchase, commenting when City staff made their presentation, they provided two examples of projects that utilized partnerships, one in downtown Woodinville. He had prior knowledge of that project on the Molbak's site after seeing display boards with site plans, renderings and descriptions of how the project originated and would be moving forward. After the City's presentation, he returned to Woodinville and the display boards at Molbak's that described what will be a super development in downtown Woodinville. He also visited the Woodinville City Hall and spoke with planning department staff responsible for overseeing the project and they provided him a description. He asked how much property Woodinville purchased and Woodinville staff s response was none. He asked how much of the property Woodinville had from a prior project that would be dedicated toward the project and the answer was none. The planning director asked him, 1) whether Edmonds was contemplating purchasing property for a development project, 2) why the city would do that, and 3) if the city did that, wasn't it a violation of the gift of provisions in the state constitution. He visited the MSRC website which includes a section on the gift of public funds; Article 8 Section 7 of the state constitution prohibits municipalities from purchasing property or gifting materials or funds toward a private project. He was puzzled how the Landmark project got to this point without an examination of whether it was legal for the City to make such a purchase. He recalled the mention of a 75/25 split and did not know exact what that split entailed but if the City owned or purchased the land, it would be a violation of the gift of public funds. Based on that, he recommended the project be shelved and the City do something more practical with the $250,000. Zach Bloomfield, Edmonds (unincorporated), recalled he spoke to the council on August 15 about the City annexing the Meadowdale unincorporated area. He requested the council seriously consider the resolution on tonight's agenda and if it is the council's will, vote in favor of it. The neighborhood is eager to formally join the Edmonds community even though they feel they have been part of it for many years. Susan Pullen, Edmonds (unincorporated), a resident of the unincorporated Meadowdale neighborhood, expressed her support and encouraged the council to approve annexing their neighborhood. They would love to officially be part of Edmonds, having enjoyed their Edmonds address for many years and do not want that to change. Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes September 5, 2023 Page 2 Ziggy Fraker, Edmonds, expressed support for continuing the investigation into whether the Landmark 99 opportunity is right for the economy, the people and the culture of Edmonds. They urged the council, city planners and mayor to prioritize finding a compromise that allows the process to continue. Although everyone may not agree, it is clear this critical asset may prove more expensive in the long run if not acted on now. It is time for the City and its residents to take a hard look at the very real economic and cultural divide in the City. It is time to reckon with the contrast in accumulation and distribution of resources. Time is not on the City's side to keep kicking the opportunity down the road. They urged the council to muster the political will necessary to find a compromise that allows the process to move forward. The scope of the project is understandably daunting after the City heavily invested in the Waterfront Center and Civic Park, both of which are within an easy 15 walk from council chambers. It is time to entertain a bigger picture. Xaviar Pekovich, Edmonds, said he has wanted to change the City flag for the past two years. A 7' grader at St. Luke's School and resident of Forest Glen, he explained the existing flag is uninspired and does not accurately represent the spirt of Edmonds. The proposed flag is much more creative. The City of Bellingham recently changed their flag which has brought more city pride. He displayed and described his flag design, the blue at the bottom represents the water in Edmonds, the green represents Edmonds itself and nature, the white at the top represents the sky and the star in the top left represents the United States of America. Thatcher Boddendeitchel, Edmonds, a carpenter with Local 206, explained in early 2020 before the pandemic, he worked for the largest shelter and supportive housing company in the area doing social work and helping unhoused people transition to being housed again and becoming participating members of society. He saw firsthand how housing can save lives. During the pandemic he got really burnout and searched for other ways to help people and turned to the trades. The union grants a living wage and excellent benefits and he was always a maker/builder of things so it was very fulfilling for him. This year he worked on his first residential project in Des Moines and again saw firsthand how housing changes lives. Recognizing there are a lot of projects on the table and a lot of questions; he urged the council when making decisions and plans for the future of Edmonds and all its residents, to consider union labor for those projects. There are union tradespeople in Edmonds who want to help the City, our Edmonds, thrive. Kristin Schwartz, Edmonds (unincorporated), a resident of the unincorporated Meadowdale area of Edmonds, requested the council strongly consider allowing the area to become an official part of Edmonds. She has lived in her home for 11 years and has enjoyed Edmonds in many ways. Lynn Treseler, Edmonds (unincorporated), a resident of the unincorporated Meadowdale area, explained she and her husband moved into their house in 1977. In 2007 when Lynnwood wanted to annex the area, she and her husband and another neighbor circulated at least two petitions and 90% wanted to be annexed by Edmonds rather than Lynnwood. Their addresses are already Edmonds. She hoped the council would consider the resolution requesting annexation into Edmonds rather than Lynnwood. Roger Pence, Edmonds, spoke regarding the resolution about further development of the comprehensive plan vision statement. His comments at the August 2 public hearing are included on council packet page 142. The resolution as drafted advances the cause of community engagement and allows substance to be added to the vision statement to make it a more effective tool for directing development of the comprehensive plan. Nancy Johnson, Edmonds, said she moved to Edmonds about 10 years ago to enjoy outdoor activities, the arts, and her very young children. She was excited Edmonds had adopted a climate action plan (CAP) several years prior and she looked forward to the results. Fast forward to today, she is disappointed; the CAP vision was great but there was no accountability or follow-through to make the plans successful. Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes September 5, 2023 Page 3 Unfortunately the result is GHG emissions have actually increased which science says contributes to increasing the intensity of the recent forest fires, hurricanes, floods and droughts all over the world. She expressed interest in turning this around and successfully implementing the new, proposed CAP. A number of nearby cities have dedicated sustainability or climate coordinators who are instrumental in keeping their city's CAP on track. Since significant federal funding from the Inflation Reduction Act is becoming available for climate mitigation and adaptation, a sustainability coordinator would have a valuable role in obtaining grants and ensuring equitable distribution. Another option would be offering incentives and expertise to assist residents in, for example, electrifying their homes. There is money available but it is very complicated to access. This would go a long way to reducing overall GHG emissions. Another potential task would be performing risk assessments so the City could continuously update planning for sea level rise and other vulnerabilities. She requested the council and mayor fund a climate action plan leader and commit to making the City's CAP a reality. Beth Waring, (unincorporated), a resident of the unincorporated Meadowdale Beach neighborhood, echoed her neighbor's sentiments. She has been a police officer for 26 years, 16 of them at the Lynnwood Police Department. Theirs is a beautiful, quiet neighborhood, but she is aware of the service level their neighborhood receives from the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office (SCSO). Although she did not believe SCSO willfully ignores the neighborhood, the reality is there are a very small number of houses and they are far away from any SCSO substations. She is very familiar with Edmonds' excellent police department, an agency she would gladly be protected by. She had nothing negative to say about the Lynnwood Police Department, but echoed the sentiments of her neighbors when they say they identify as Edmonds residents; Edmonds is a lovely place to grow up and to be from. 12. CONVENE IN EXECUTIVE SESSION TO DISCUSS PENDING OR POTENTIAL LITIGATION PER RCW 42.30.110(1)(1) At 7:28 p.m., the council convened in executive session to discuss pending or potential litigation per RCW 42.30.110(1)(i) for approximately 20 minutes. The executive session concluded at 7:48 p.m. 13. RECONVENE IN OPEN SESSION The meeting reconvened at 7:49 p.m. Council President Tibbott raised a point of order, advising the agenda needed to be amended to reflect the removal of the Fixit Edmonds presentation. COUNCIL PRESIDENT TIBBOTT MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER BUCKSHNIS, TO REMOVE AGENDA ITEM 4.3, PRESENTATION OF FIXIT EDMONDS - PUBLIC REPORTING APPLICATION, FROM THE AGENDA. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. 7. RECEIVED FOR FILING 1. CLAIM FOR DAMAGES FOR FILING 8. APPROVAL OF CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS COUNCILMEMBER TEITZEL MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER PAINE, TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. The agenda items approved are as follows: Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes September 5, 2023 Page 4 1. APPROVAL OF REGULAR MEETING MINUTES AUGUST 22, 2023 2. APPROVAL OF CLAIM CHECKS AND WIRE PAYMENTS 3. APPROVAL OF PAYROLL AND BENEFIT CHECKS, DIRECT DEPOSIT AND WIRE PAYMENTS 4. TREE BOARD MEMBER APPOINTMENT APPROVAL 5. ORDINANCE EXEMPTING GENERATORS FROM LOCAL NOISE REGULATIONS 6. RESOLUTION HONORING JIM TRANER 9. COUNCIL BUSINESS REIMAGINING NEIGHBORHOODS & STREETS PROGRAM OVERVIEW & PRESENTATION OF EDMONDS GREEN STREETS MANUAL Planning & Development Director Susan McLaughlin said this presentation is an informational briefing that will include a description of the green streets manual. Most of the material will come back to council in some form, either through legislation or policies in the comprehensive plan. In 2022 Mayor Nelson announced the Reimaging Neighborhoods and Street Program initiative. It was intended to rethink how streets and public spaces are designed to foster environmental, social and economic well-being across the City, not just downtown, but thinking about public spaces as thriving areas throughout the City. This was sparked by thinking about how people used streets and public spaces during the pandemic when people were forced to take to the streets to socialize when the libraries, restaurants, bars, and other third places were not available. People walked in their neighborhoods and talked to their neighbors and got to know their neighborhood streets which was enlightening in some places, concerning in others. She reviewed: Program Objectives o Design streets that not only serve mobility needs but also foster social interaction and community cohesion o Promote sustainable transportation options like walking, biking, and public transit, thus reducing car dependency and resulting environmental impacts o Ensure landscape and street trees have adequate space to thrive and to serve environmental benefits for carbon sequestration and green stormwater infrastructure o In 2011, the City adopted a "Complete Streets" program that prioritizes accommodating the needs of all users — including pedestrians bicyclists, transit and individual vehicles — in transportation projects Build the foundation 1. New street typologies o Depicts how the transportation functions are accommodated in the right-of-way 2. A new public space typology o Depicts how street space can be reallocated to linear public spaces by utilizing "the flex zone" 3. A public space activation strategies toolkit o Empowers communities to utilize streets for people needs beyond mobility o Staff will create a permit structure to enable each strategy 4. An updated Street Tree Plan 5. Green Streets Manual Functional Classification vs Street Types o Existing street functional classification system is organized primarily around traffic volume ■ AASHTO regulates dimensional standards for vehicular travel but does not regulate multi mobility and public space needs ■ Some roads should carry higher volumes of traffic at higher speeds, while others (the majority) carry lower volumes at lower speeds. This allows neighborhoods to flourish between main traffic corridors. Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes September 5, 2023 Page 5 o Edmonds new street typologies will consider land use context and ensure that street design serves social, environmental and economic purposes. • Example Street Type and Map c ".( a. �. I _e■ Iri. � I _. • s0.5' OSa� Nam 11 .wM 4-41 Mne14.4w14mM1 Awn wr vwut rrI M IM Ywl e•I w.rl • RwWwW rw4weeAwlM M•. •Weald ww.A •rrmlr MwlW rrwrewwa. • rrw.rrw�wee.ew4esrrraa4derl•w.rl.e.w • e'.r•Iw W&weeb�egwM •wMrm�wewlwwewww.e l•.n•I.n • r—r.W.. Neighborhood Corridor Street .oaOrsY Rrghl.I WAY SP.e I-P1. [I.•.n•��n.n I nr �.se Binn ♦v.n�. W.M • Proposed new street types CRY of tare.er. —%gaw ca.--- SF oo J i — 1.4.d UW NM~Md SUM L. — connwwr P.apk S1.P.1 —t+w+W4.WC. oalmeet Am" suM Rmdw+d %-SU." Deed elo U" Q ca y 9—ow N.q'b n e� Dmnc,. A.1 v Ms. McLaughlin explained the City has a decades old, legislated street map that identifies how much right-of-way is needed, but does not breakdown the allocation of the right-of-way to justify the amount of right-of-way that is needed. The street type map identifies for each segment how much right-of-way is needed to achieve goals, providing more substantial justification when requesting dedication of additional Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes September 5, 2023 Page 6 right-of-way or removing the requirement continued her presentation: • Public Space Activation Matrix Aft- he.-/ weekends OEMMENEW NI dny if everything can fit within the available right-of-way. She • Reimaging Streets: Pilot Projects o Held six summer neighborhood meetings last summer to discuss neighborhood streets and identify activation opportunities in each area o Top activation strategies were voted on by a sample of the neighborhood at the meeting o Staff tallied the top activation idea in each neighborhood o Postcards were mailed to broader neighborhood to confirm top activation idea • Core Group Meetings o In 2022, we engaged in a public space conversation about how our neighborhood streets and public spaces serve us and what could change even temporarily o Held over 30 core group meetings • Pilot Projects 2022 o Five Corners: Corner-copia o Downtown: Porchfest o Firdale: Winterfest • More to come in 2023 o Porchfest 2.0: Sept 9 o Perrinville-palooza: Sept 23 o Westgate decorative crosswalk: end of Oct/early Nov o Highway 99: have been trying since 2022 to establish a core reimagining group, ideally approximately 6 members • Updated Street Tree Plan o Purpose of the Plan ■ To proactively manage public trees to incorporate all trees adjacent to sidewalks, roads and other rights -of -way throughout the City ■ To align more closely with the guidelines set in the Edmonds Urban Forest Management Plan (2019) ■ To protect and enhance the health and diversity of street and right-of-way trees as an essential social, environmental, economic, and community asset for future generations while also enhancing the views of Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains through emphasis on selecting the most appropriate species for the available space and proper maintenance practices. • Green Streets Manual o Purpose of the manual: ■ To provide a set of tools to apply to streets and public spaces that prioritize sustainable stormwater management while enhancing pedestrian safety and promoting walkable neighborhoods Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes September 5, 2023 Page 7 ■ To identity suitable streets for implementing GSI and to create a citywide prioritized investment network to build out over time that results in a cohesive and functional green stormwater system. • Green Streets Network Map �r•�r.•a' ���•w•YII•••p•f r11 L J fam4ew hma • _ 1• _ ura�yvoy •.4 �i �.maelWaF _ • O mmwp.remp•t, i!� Overview o Green Streets Kit of Parts ■ Permeable pavement ■ Vegetated bioretention facilities ■ Street trees ■ Modular soil cell systems ■ Pedestrian and bicycle amenities Application in Downtown Mixed Residential Zoning (Example) Tr o • Reimagining Next Steps 0 2023 Reimagining pilot projects o Council review of new Street Map informed by Street Typologies o Finalize the updated Street Tree Plan o Amend sidewalk codes pursuant to new street types o Finalize the green streets manual including an investment network (can be staff resource or council -adopted document) Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes September 5, 2023 Page 8 Councilmember Chen commented the pictures look good. He imagined gathering in public spaces would create flow and communication between people, pedestrian and neighbors. Although very attractive, everything costs money; he asked the estimated cost per mile for greet streets and how many miles of streets there are in Edmonds. Ms. McLaughlin responded the green streets manual is a kit of parts, not a street proposal and not a design. The green streets manual offers choices and if the City abides by the recommended investment network, for capital projects already on the list, consideration can be given to whether they are suitable for green stormwater infrastructure for example or what green stormwater could be incorporated into the project. It could be permeable pavement, 1-2 rows of street trees, vertical wall green stormwater infrastructure, etc. This is not a design proposal, it is just plans, policies and guidelines around green streets. Councilmember Chen observed at this point it is just conceptual. Ms. McLaughlin explained it is a recommended investment network. She agreed things are expensive so it is important to consistently put the investment in the right place to build a cohesive network instead of disparate green street elements peppered throughout the City, an intentional effort that creates green streets where they are most conducive as well as great neighborhood amenities via walkable streets. Councilmember Chen referred to pictures that depict a detention pond with trees that requires 8 feet of space which in most cases would eliminate parking spaces in exchange for that benefit. Ms. McLauglin answered it depends on the street. It may be surprising how much right-of-way within the City's street network is not used; for example there may be 40 feet of paving and 80 feet of available right-of-way. It would be determined on a case by case basis. In theory, if it is a completely built out right-of-way, use of the flex lane (aka parking lane) would need to be considered. Many cities have policies stating the private storage of vehicles is not the most prioritized use on some street segments, particularly in areas with off street parking for residents. The flex lane can be adaptive and can be used for green stormwater infrastructure to provide the 8-feet segment as needed. There are existing streets such as Dayton that do not have parking where there may be excessive right-of-way. Councilmember Chen commented one of benefits mentioned was to prevent flooding which would be desirable, especially on Dayton Street where flooding occurs. According to information provided by staff at a prior council meeting, the flooding was caused by natural events such as storms that cause the sea level to be higher than the street. He asked whether a green street would do any good in that case. Ms. McLaughlin answered green streets alone are not a stormwater system; they are a redundancy with the stormwater system in anticipation of stronger storm surges. Less impervious surface minimizes the flow from hardscape streets, sidewalks, etc., allowing more water to percolate into soil, minimizing the amount of flooding or at least slowing it down so the existing pipes can better handle the surge. It reduces instances of pipe breakage or damage caused by the system being overwhelmed. Dayton is just one example; the City needs to be intentional about its investments. Dayton could be an important demonstration project due to its proximity to Puget Sound and it is a popular, walkable neighborhood and the street trees were recently removed. There are many reasons that block makes sense, but it will not entirely relieve flooding in that area. Councilmember Nand referred to the to the green street network map and streets identified as "opportunity to enhance as a green street and evaluate for incorporation of GSI." She suggested prioritizing areas in the network with the most disparity in shade equity, especially in relation to potential deadly heat domes as more extreme weather events are experienced due to climate change. She suggested prioritizing taxpayer dollars to literally save the lives of residents, wildlife and vegetation by planting trees that can provide shade for the next generation. Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes September 5, 2023 Page 9 Second, Councilmember Nand applauded staff and the consultants for mentioning environmental impacts in street tree design. She suggested identifying the need for crosswalks to protect humans and areas where wildlife corridors would make sense due to impacts of human development, greenbelts that are cut off due to increased density, etc. She suggested more specificity regarding the habitat provided by trees, especially for avian species and pollinators, would be helpful. She acknowledged no one was contemplating funding this all within the next five years, but it would be nice to have a vision for the City for future generations. Third, Councilmember Nand said there needs to be a strong correlation of investment in street and beautification in neighborhood business districts. The small businesses that survived the pandemic need a lot of help and have been paying sales tax to fund the City's operations and deserve to have reinvestment from the City. She suggested increasing the attractiveness of those areas for walkability to mimic things seen in the Bowl due to previous generations preserving and investing in street trees, shade equity, and creating a create pleasant and livable environment that is attractive to pedestrians and non -motorized users. Fourth, Councilmember Nand, council liaison to the tree board, said the tree board has had considerable discussion about paring down the 200 species list trees. She requested some emphasis be placed on utilizing native species, pollinators and forage opportunities. Some jurisdictions have begun to dedicate park space to edible forests where people can pick fruit, a great mental health activity and socioeconomic equity by increasing availability of fresh fruit and vegetation. For example, the public can cut rosemary in a park in Bellevue due to someone planting rosemary bushes a generations ago. She was excited to see the next iteration of this presentation. Ms. McLauglin responded, with regard to utilization of this document, particularly the street typology work, she has did that in a previous City where new street typologies and dimensional standards were established. While it may seem far-fetched, every capital project was committed to following the standards and every project started to right size. If private development is required to adhere to these new standards, incremental changes will begin happening faster than one might anticipate. Councilmember Buckshnis noted she has submitted questions to staff primary regarding costs. She asked if the green streets initiative was continuing, recalling council requested code be created before continuing with green streets and there was a budget amendment to move funds from planning & development to stormwater, $72,000 for Dayton Street. Ms. McLauglin answered creating the green streets manual was created using carryover funding from last year which was approved by council. The purpose was to ensure a common vocabulary around green streets and have a manual that is right for Edmonds that can be applied to the streets along with the investment network. Ms. McLaughlin explained green streets are capital projects; street design is not legislated except for private development. There can be internal policies around complete streets. Councilmember Buckshnis assured there is a code related to streets. Ms. McLauglin agreed there is code for streets that private development must abide by. Councilmember Buckshnis did not recall council approving the creation of a green streets manual. She supported establishing green street code and offered to send Ms. McLaughlin Seattle's code. She noted the projects on the CIP/CFP have underlying code. Ms. McLauglin said she knows Seattle well as she used to manage the green streets program for SDOT. Green streets was a codified program that allowed private development to get bonus density; it allowed complete independence of a developer design to interpret what a green street was in partnership with staff. At the capital level, green streets were developed through internal standards, adopted through director's rules, they are not legislated. The directors of SDOT and public utilities would adopt a collaborative manual that would be followed as standards. She was happy to walk through how Seattle's program works, they have a lot of fantastic manuals, standards and codes. Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes September 5, 2023 Page 10 Councilmember Buckshnis clarified the council legislates the budget. Dayton would be a great project, but the cost is $4.26M for one block. She acknowledged ARPA funds would be used for some of, but the City's portion was still $1.5M. Citizens are more interested in sidewalks than green streets. She wanted to ensure staff was not continuing down the path of green streets without council's knowledge, commenting none of this was on the CIP/CFP. Ms. McLauglin responded there were green streets in the CIP/CFP last year. Councilmember Buckshnis said she did not see the Maynard Avenue or High Point examples in the CIP/CFP. Ms. McLaughlin advised those are Seattle examples of case studies. Councilmember Buckshnis said her concern continues to be the cost associated with this wonderful program. She agreed with Councilmember Nand's recommendation to look at street trees. In 2020 when Councilmember Olson was the liaison, the tree board had a great street tree list ready to go, but she was unsure what happened to that list. She reiterated her concern with the cost associated with green streets and citizens' preference for sidewalks and street trees rather than green streets which are more costly. Councilmember Paine commented this was one of her favorite topics. She liked how staff begin the presentation by framing a whole series of things that would be considered with street typologies. She was eager to have more discussion about the public space activation toolkit which would be important for neighborhood commercial districts. She was also interested in street activation which means more people on the streets which is good for public safety and health and walkable streets are friendlier and facilitate the creation of neighborhoods on busier corridors. There are three state routes in the City, SR-524, SR- 104 and Highway 99, and it may be necessary to negotiate with WSDOT to make them more pedestrian and bicycle friendly and to bring back neighborhood commercial districts. Westgate is a neighborhood business district; it is a little terrifying to walk there, but there are neighbors in the area and it is a friendly, attractive place. She was interested in more discussion about how public space activation would help neighborhood commercial areas which help neighborhoods thrive. Councilmember Paine referred to the street tree plan, commenting she was surprised by some of the trees on the list. She relayed a suggestion from Sky Nursery to look at trees that will naturally migrate north because of tree die off due to the climate warming and things happening hydrologically. She was fascinated to see the street map and streets that could be identified as corridors. She asked if staff had the ability to go into each area to describe how it would look, suggesting that would be a great way to engage neighborhoods from Firdale to Meadowdale. Green streets are doable and come with a lot of images. She was familiar with director's rules, something that has not been adopted in Edmonds, but are very helpful for public, developers, builders, and staff. Councilmember Paine requested staff coordinate with PUD regarding utility synchronization so that wires could be undergrounded. Undergrounding is protective of the entire grid. She found it frustrating to see wires on both sides of 220'; they are ugly and prevent people from planting trees under the wires. Ms. McLaughlin answered these are foundational policy documents and hopefully design standards can be adopted. It gives the City a head start when engaging neighborhood districts in comprehensive plan conversations, particular in areas where subarea planning can be done like the illustrations. She was excited to see it come together at the subarea level. She agreed undergrounding was challenging. A lot of cities legislate it and require it. It is a huge cost for the City to bear; for example, a huge part of the cost estimate for 236'1i was undergrounding the existing utilities to allow for abundant landscaping and street trees to fill in the vacancy in the tree canopy. Councilmember Olson thanked the council for their interesting comments, good points and questions. She asked the cost for Dayton and for 236t''. Ms. McLaughlin said she did not have exact figures; she estimated Dayton at $1.7M and 236'1i at $4M due to significant undergrounding and storm drains. Cost estimates are typically not done at the 10% design level so she was cautious about sharing those numbers. She would be more comfortable advancing the design to 30% and getting an engineering cost estimate. Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes September 5, 2023 Page 11 Councilmember Olson said she found the exercise of looking at those specific projects in last years' budget very helpful to understand the investment and how much the City can afford to spend on each capital improvement. Other councilmembers have made great points about prioritizing projects and projects that may rise up during the budget process. Additionally, an investment may make sense when there is a confluence of factors such as a flooding issue and no sidewalks. With regard to the street tree list, Councilmember Olson agreed she was the liaison when it was worked on in the past. She suggested comparing the previous list to the list that is currently being circulated to ensure good ideas on both are considered. She recalled the tree board was working within the guideline of their vision statement, right tree right place. Perhaps if staff was not using that same guiding principle, the trees on the street tree list may block views in areas where that was not ideal. Councilmember Olson said she was also passionate about undergrounding, recalling disappointment when a lot of ugly cable lines were added by Frontier in the past. Utility improvement districts can be set up in a neighborhood with agreement of 60% or more of the residents. The City cannot afford to underground all the wires in City, but if a neighborhood is willing to pay for it themselves over 20 years, that would be a smart thing do and the City should assist them with putting the instruments together. Councilmember Olson relayed she went on the field trip to Seattle; they are beautiful, placemaking projects as well as helpful for stormwater. She was glad street closures were being explored, recalling many people loved aspects of the streateries. She suggested considering what was valuable about the streateries and how to make that happen without all the negatives. She recalled there was a presentation at a regional event regarding this topic. Some neighborhoods in Edmonds have a lot of public spaces, parks and amenities; in those areas it does not make sense to close streets and making it harder for people to get around. It may be worthwhile to consider in other places that are not blessed with public amenity space. For example, she questioned closing the area by the fountain for Porchfest this Saturday when there is the amphitheater at Frances Anderson Center just steps away. This creates inconvenience and blockage and eliminates parking and easy transportation through the center of downtown. She questioned the need to close a street when there are public gathering and amenity spaces so close by. Ms. McLaughlin answered historically downtowns have been a central gathering space, where people come to greet, socialize and be together. It is the core center of town and while Frances Anderson Center is great, it is not in the downtown core where things happen organically. Mayor Nelson joked apparently only Halloween could be held downtown. Councilmember Teitzel commented the packet is very visionary, he liked looking through it and found it very exciting. Having said that, he is a fiscal conservative, and was considering what the City was grappling with including the Landmark property on Highway 99, potential purchase of the Unocal for approximately $20M based on fair market value, and the greenway loop, 20 miles of physically separated walking/jogging paths around the City, conservatively costing well over $100M. He was concerned about bankrupting the City and urged the council to look very, very carefully at costs and have deep discussions when proceeding. He recommended implementing green streets incrementally when possible within the framework of the budget. 2. ANNEXATION OVERVIEW City Attorney Jeff Taraday presented an high level overview of annexation, commenting it is not possible to cover all the annexation material in detail during tonight's council meeting. To provide an idea of the depth of the subject matter, MSRC's publication on annexation is 103 pages; tonight's presentation will just scratch the surface. Many of the questions forwarded by councilmembers would be answered as part of a particular annexation study which would be done as part of due diligence on a particular proposed annexation. He reviewed: Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes September 5, 2023 Page 12 Annexation definition o When the boundaries of a city are expanded to add new territory that was previously incorporated. History of annexations in Edmonds (available on city's website) o 1948-1999 History of Annexations in Edmonds What territory can be annexed into a City? o Urban Growth Area (UGA) ■ Growth Management Act - No code city located in a county in which urban growth areas have been designated under RCW 36.70A.110 may annex territory beyond an urban growth area (RCW 35A.14.005) o Metropolitan Urban Growth Area (MUGA) ■ Countywide Planning Policies (CPP) Countywide Planning Policies o Development Pattern (DP) 5 ■ Each city shall adopt such plans and regulations for territory within its city limits. Additionally, cities may adopt such plans and proposed development regulations for adjacent unincorporated territory within its UGA or Municipal UGA (MUGA) to which the city has determined it is capable of providing urban services at some point in the future, via annexation. o DP-21 ■ Where the MUGA map in Appendix A portrays agreement - meaning in places that do not include areas of gap, overlap, or other special notation - the MUGAs shall be used to designate future annexation areas for each of the nine cities in the Southwest Urban Growth Area. An interlocal agreement should be executed by the county and city addressing transition of these services. Map of large UGA that extends from Everett to King County -line (SW UGA) that contains the nine cities referenced in DP-21 and small island UGAs surrounded by rural areas such as Monroe and Snohomish �41w '-N INT I d LAKE J, STEVENS Y EVERETT Lr 2 7 4 .. KIL E �~ S�OHO�MISH ale Y, Miks { (MILL L4 1CREEM1C tax MONRO ED ONDS !LYNNWOO � M UNTLN(E Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes September 5, 2023 Page 13 • Map of southern portion of SW UGA with each city's incorporated area and MUGA, areas claimed by two cities, and areas not claimed by any city J) i Will CrQelc_ rrf M� p Arca / i , . . _ Lynnwood f .....r N —tdmonds WoC 'a i + 4 1 M r•- 1"f-rrac' t i , Brier i Bothell R3E ROE —RtfE- Iddp 3 Snohomish Count GMA Comprehensive Plan MUNICIPAL URBAN GROWTH AREAS EFFECTIVE DATE September 2, 2013 Pane Field Area City of Mill Creek R Bothell MUGA ^/ Southwest Urban Growth Area 0 City of Mukikeo Mill Creek MUGA City of Edmonds ISWUGAI Boundary Mukilteo MUGA �� City of Mountlake Terrace Edmonds MUGA Other Urban Growth Area CJ City of Everett Mountlake Terrace MUGA Coy of Woodway tUGAt Boundary Everett MUGA City of Brier Woodway MUGA Arterial Roadway City of Lynnwood Brier MUGA Gap Area Not Clamed by Any Coy Railway Lynnwood MUGA City of Bothell Overlap Area Clamed by Two Cities Snohomish County Boundary ' • Map of Edmonds MUGA o Other than Esperance, there is no MUGA associated with the City of Edmonds o Area to the north is either unclaimed or part of Lynnwood's MUGA o Rectangle outlined in ' orange is the subject of the next agenda item r.Map / 'tTnnwe a A E a Edmonds r ountlt?; Woo a r Terrac�l + a i ---5 • Is the city required to annex new territory? o No. The decision of the council whether to "accept" the proposed annexation is entirely within the council's discretion. Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes September 5, 2023 Page 14 If not required, why would the city annex? o Annexation process usually starts with expression of interest from unincorporated territory because it is difficult to annex territory that does not want to be annexed. Why do annexations happen? o Annexations are the result of mutual attraction between the city and the unincorporated territory. ■ For example, a city interested in the tax base provided by a car dealership in an incorporated area and the car dealership interested in the city's police department protecting their property o Analysis should be done regarding what each gets as a result of annexation. What are you going to cost me? o Does the territory have infrastructure deficiencies (e.g., sewer, sidewalks)? ■ A lot of sidewalks issues are because the City annexed territory that was deficient ■ Difficult to bring deficient area up to code, costs a lot o Will the territory require additional services (e.g., police)? Other considerations o What is the zoning going to be? ■ Can adopt pre -annexation zoning o Is there existing indebtedness that the city would need to assume? o Annexation ILAs are very common. Snohomish County prefers to have transition arrangements worked out through ILA Annexation study o Considerations of service costs should include: ■ Police protection (additional personnel equipment, police stations) ■ Fire protection (additional personnel, equipment, hydrants, fire stations) ■ Public Works (additional street lighting, maintenance, construction, storm drainage, garbage collection) ■ Parks & Recreation (additional parks acreage recreational programs, new facilities( ■ Water (water main construction, maintenance replacement of old liens) ■ Sewer (new interceptor lines, additional treatment plant capacity, pump stations) o The question that logically follows is whether or not the city has the physical and financial capacity to provide the required services in area to be annexed Annexation Incentives o State Tax Incentive (HB 1425) Municipal annexations - sales and use tax - effective July 2023 ■ Reauthorizes the municipal annexation sales tax credit - 10 years. Cities may impose a sales and use tax in addition to other authorized taxes collected ■ The tax is a credit against the state sales and use tax. The Department of Revenue must collect the taxes on behalf of the city at no cost to the city and must remit the tax to the city ■ The maximum levy amount that may be imposed based on population is changed to: - 0.1 percent for each annexed area in which the population is between 2,000 and 10,000; and - 0.2 percent for each annexed area in which the population is above 10,000 ■ Expands it to all cities and request that the city enter into an interlocal with the county to qualify to use it. The interlocal must address balancing of annexation of commercial, industrial, and residential properties; development, ownership, and maintenance of infrastructure; and potential for revenue sharing. ■ Population thresholds have been lowered to take advantage of the tax incentive ■ A city may not begin to impose the authorized tax after July 1, 2028 How do annexations happen Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes September 5, 2023 Page 15 o Annexation methods identified by MRSC ■ Election Method, Initiative by 10% Petition ■ Election Method, Initiated by Resolution ■ 60% Petition Annexation Method ■ Alternative Petition Annexation Method ■ Annexation for Municipal Purposes ■ Annexation of Federally Owned Areas ■ Annexation of Unincorporated Islands ■ Alternative Unincorporated Island-Interlocal Method of Annexation ■ Interlocal Agreement Method ■ Interlocal Agreement Annexation of Area Served by Fire District(s) ■ City Boundary Line Adjustment 60% petition method — most frequently used 1. Owners of 10% need to initiate (percentage based on property valuation) 2. Council may accept, reject or modify boundaries 3. If boundaries are accepted, then petition circulated to owners of 60% of the property value 4. Filing of petition and determination of sufficiency 5. Hearing on petition before city council 6. Resolution of intent to annex 7. Snohomish County Boundary Review Board approval 8. Annexation ordinance Early Coordination with County Identify any issues with proposed annextion area (informs legal description) Work with existing MAILA / Draft ILA Annexation Method Cnnr. -h Anne.-., Meth,.i. Elation, Petiton, ILA Intention to BRB OW lomdation finA .. Old.—.r to C—N, OW, DOR Implementation Transfer of Assests Permits Elections [Taxing Maintenance / service Agreements Mr. Taraday recognized Snohomish County planners who generously allowed him to use some of their slides in this presentation. Councilmember Nand asked about tax impacts to property owners in the Meadowdale neighborhood; for example, if the City spent X dollars on an annexation study and wanted to pass that cost onto the property owners in the form of a levy. As there are no businesses in that area, she asked how sales and use tax would be assessed or collected. Mr. Taraday answered the cost of the annexation study is not typically passed on to the annexing territory and is usually something the city absorbs. He was not aware of a mechanism to pass the cost on. An annexation can be paired with a utility local improvement district to fund new utilities in the annexing territory; there is specific statutory authority to do that. He wasn't aware of a statute that would allow the city to pass on the cost of the study to the annexing territory. Councilmember Nand wondered what the study would cost, commenting if it was in the range of $50,000, cost recovery may not be worth pursuing. Mr. Taraday explained some topics are evaluated inhouse so there is no money out of pocket other than staff time and taking staff off other tasks. For example the finance director crunches the numbers, public works evaluates the utility situation, planning & Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes September 5, 2023 Page 16 development determines pre -annexation zoning, etc. To the audience members requesting annexation, Councilmember Nand said it sounded like the 60% petition method would be very successful. She thanked them for their activation and for bringing the issue to the council. Councilmember Buckshnis recalled an Esperance annexation effort in 2018 where all the research was done inhouse. Annexation did not proceed because it was determined to be cost prohibitive; the City needed to get money from Snohomish County and they refused. The Meadowdale area is 47 homes; a citizen prepared some estimated costs. There will need to be an evaluation related to fire, police, sewer, etc. She supported the 60% petition method and moving forward as quickly as possible. Mr. Taraday clarified the next agenda item will be an opportunity to discuss annexation of the Meadowdale neighborhood. This agenda item was intended to be big picture annexation. Councilmember Paine asked how the City's fire protection contract addresses annexation. Mr. Taraday answered it does not address annexation other than Esperance because Edmonds has no MUGA other than Esperance. The comprehensive plan also does not address any annexation other than Esperance. A lot of changes would be required if the City added territory to its MUGA. Councilmember Teitzel asked if an annexation proposal goes to the Boundary Review Board and they change the annexation proposal, does the annexing city have the right to back out. Mr. Taraday answered yes. Councilmember Olson thanked Mr. Taraday for the presentation, commenting she has been through several, but what he added was very valuable. Mayor Nelson declared a brief recess. 3. RESOLUTION TO REQUEST CHANGE IN MEADOWDALE MUNICIPAL URBAN GROWTH AREA Councilmember Olson commented there are a few relevant points and a lot points the council does not need to delve into in-depth at this point. The City does not always have option to change the MUGA; that is related to the comprehensive plan. If the council wants to change the MUGA and have an opportunity to annex this area at any point in the foreseeable future prior to the next comprehensive plan update, this is the time to do it. This is really an administrative step asking Snohomish County and the City of Lynnwood to approve this MUGA boundary change to put these 47 homes inside Edmonds' MUGA. She thanked Zach Bloomfield who did a lot of the work on the resolution and Mr. Taraday who also worked on it. Councilmember Olson said Snohomish County has had 2-3 conversations with her about this and a few with the residents. Snohomish County does not have an issue with it; it is just a matter of Lynnwood and Edmonds saying yes. It could take up to six months for this administrative change to happen so it would be better to move forward as soon as possible. This neighborhood is on septic which is super relevant; the neighbors are aware that the cost would be borne by the neighborhood and not the City via a utility improvement district. Those things are addressed in the next decision related to annexation. This is just a decision whether to make a change in the boundary of the City's MUGA. She spent some time in the neighborhood and it feels like any other neighborhood in Edmonds that she visited while doorbelling. COUNCIL PRESIDENT TIBBOTT MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER TEITZEL, TO APPROVE A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF EDMONDS, WASHINGTON, REQUESTING THAT SNOHOMISH COUNTY AND THE CITY OF LYNNWOOD, RESPECTFULLY, CONSULT WITH THE CITY OF EDMONDS CONCERNING THE CITY OF EDMONDS' Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes September 5, 2023 Page 17 REQUEST TO AMEND THE MUNICIPAL URBAN GROWTH AREA BOUNDARIES FOR LYNNWOOD AND EDMONDS SUCH THAT THE SUBJECT PORTION OF UNINCORPORATED MEADOWDALE IS INCLUDED IN THE EDMONDS MUGA. Councilmember Paine asked where this action puts the City in the flowchart displayed in the presentation. Mr. Taraday answered because this area is not currently in the City's MUGA, the City isn't supposed to be planning for it. Changing the MUGA boundary just allows the City to start contemplating this territory becoming part of the City. It does not bind the City to an annexation, but allows the City to begin planning for a possible annexation which is something that technically should not be done in the absence of a MUGA change. Councilmember Paine observed this is before step 1. Mr. Taraday agreed it was step 0. Councilmember Chen observed including these 47 homes in the City's MUGA does not change any administrative costs, revenue, services, etc. Mr. Taraday answered there would be no tax revenue changes or service obligation changes. It just allows the City to start planning for a possible future annexation. There may be inhouse costs associated with that planning exercise, but no revenues or expenses change as result of this resolution. Councilmember Chen said he was supportive if this action will make 47 homeowners feel better. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. 4. COMPREHENSIVE PLAN VISION STATEMENT RESOLUTION Councilmember Olson commented this item is pretty self-explanatory. The council has discussed the vision statement process during previous meetings; City staff and a consultant conducted an extensive process to create a vision statement for the comprehensive plan update process, an optional process, but one she appreciated. Having a vision of where the City will end up means the plan will reflect what the community wants which is the purpose of engaging in that type of exercise. A draft vision statement was prepared as a result of the process but to date it has not been fully validated, amended and approved by council. The intent of this resolution is to take that policy to final and establish a process for doing that. She conferred with the planning board chair to ensure they could handle the associated workload suggested in the resolution and they were on board with it. COUNCILMEMBER OLSON MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER TEITZEL, TO APPROVE A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF EDMONDS, WASHINGTON FOR FINALIZING THE CITY OF EDMONDS 2024 COMPREHENSIVE PLAN VISION STATEMENT COUNCILMEMBER BUCKSHNIS MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER TEITZEL, TO ADD A WHEREAS CLAUSE, "WHEREAS THE STATE REQUIREMENTS DOES NOT REQUIRE A VISION STATEMENT TO BE PART OF THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN." Councilmember Buckshnis explained this clarifies the vision statement is not a state requirement. Councilmember Paine questioned the need to amend the vision statement again since it was already amended once before. It is still a proposed draft and the final document is not due until the end of 2024. She asked why this was being done now and requiring more work by the planning board with a very specific deadline. Mayor Nelson requested councilmembers' comment relate to the amendment. UPON ROLL CALL, MOTION CARRIED (5-2), COUNCILMEMBERS TEITZEL, CHEN, BUCKSHNIS, AND OLSON AND COUNCIL PRESIDENT TIBBOTT VOTING YES; COUNCILMEMBERS PAINE AND NAND VOTING NO. Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes September 5, 2023 Page 18 In response to Councilmember Paine's question, Councilmember Olson explained the reason is so during this process, even during the scoping exercise, when asking the public what to change in the comprehensive plan sections, if they knew what was in the comprehensive plan section via a Cliff Note summary and referring to the approved vision statement, they could make suggestions to be added to the scope. The reason for spending time and money to develop a vision statement is so it can guide the process. To honor the time and money that was spent on engagement obtaining great inputs, it should get to final where the council feels good about using it and it actually guides the process. She recalled during past process where a lot of repetition was required such as revisions to the PROS Plan. The value of doing good engagement and developing a final vision statement is it guides the process all the way through and possibly there won't be any revisions at the end if the vision statement is honored throughout. Councilmember Paine did not support the motion for several reasons. It is an iterative process that is already underway. At the end of the process, likely next fall, a lot of people will have looked at it and council can consider it again with all the information. She feared if it kept going around and around, it would never end. She found it funny that the PROS Plan process was brought up, pointing out that was a statistically valid process, and at the end, there were interventions from councilmembers that went outside the normal path and what had been seen as statistically valid that changed input into the PROS Plan outside of public view which she found objectionable and not transparent. For those two reasons and the length of time it will take to do this, she did not support it. Councilmember Buckshnis commented the PROS Plan was to be an update and not rewritten which was why council had to intervene. COUNCILMEMBER BUCKSHNIS MOVED TO ADD A WHEREAS CLAUSE, "WHEREAS THE CITY AS A METHOD OF OBTAINING COMMENTS LIMITED INDIVIDUALS TO ONLY 120 CHARACTERS WHICH WAS A NEW SURVEY TECHNIQUE." MOTION DIED FOR LACK OF A SECOND. Councilmember Nand spoke in favor of the resolution which underscores the importance of public process and input. There has been a lot of criticism about the time, effort and money already invested in the vision statement and the public hearing, but the amount of passion this topic generated is indicative of how important it is for people who are passionate about the City. The steps outlined in the resolution honor that passion and commitment toward creating a vision for the City's future. She respected some of Councilmember Buckshnis' criticisms about the process, but did not think it belonged in the whereas clauses of the resolution and can be discussed internally. Councilmember Buckshnis spoke in support of the resolution and expressed her appreciation to Councilmember Olson for preparing it. She referenced the approved climate action plan which is very GHG centric. She wanted to ensure the planning board was part of this process; they only received a presentation regarding the CAP. Councilmember Chen said he could not support the resolution. The vision statement is the very beginning of the comprehensive plan process and he did not want the council micromanaging the professions doing this work. He understood there was some back and forth regarding the wording of the vision statement, but there is still time to refine and reach a final statement. He acknowledged there was some dissatisfaction/frustration regarding the process. He supported allowing time for staff to refine the vision statement and bring a final version to council. He particularly objected to the revisions suggested by a private citizen (referenced in the section 2 of the therefore section). Councilmember Olson raised a point of clarification, advising there is no intent to bring the vision statement back to council, only the comprehensive plan will come to council. Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes September 5, 2023 Page 19 UPON ROLL CALL, MOTION CARRIED (5-2), COUNCILMEMBERS TEITZEL, BUCKSHNIS, OLSON, AND NAND AND COUNCIL PRESIDENT TIBBOTT VOTING YES; COUNCILMEMBERS CHEN AND PAINE VOTING NO. i [I�►i /�'Z�Ta�YK� a]Ti i I �I`►Y K" Mayor Nelson commented tomorrow is big day for students in the Edmonds School District and he wished them all a wonderful first day of school as well the parents who are preparing their children for their big day. 11. COUNCIL COMMENTS Councilmember Teitzel reported Councilmember Olson and he met with citizens on 76t' near Meadowdale today to review a serious problem with safety on a stretch of 76t' where there have been serious traffic accidents over the last 2-3 years. They are very anxious to work with the police and public works departments to determine a way to calm that situation and keep people safe. Council President Tibbott relayed prior to tonight council meeting, there was a volunteer appreciation event at Civic Playfield for volunteers serving on boards and commission. It was a lot of fun and he enjoyed spending time with them. The council is very appreciative of volunteers' involvement and their time, expertise, experience, and exposure to the community that benefits the City. With regard to the start of school, Council President Tibbott urged drivers to watch for students walking to/from school and activities and for pedestrians to watch for vehicles. Councilmember Nand highlighted a nonprofit organization where she serves on the board, Bonanza Rabbit Rescue in Lyden, Washington. She hoped to propose legislation later this year to ban backyard breeders. While camping with friends in unincorporated Skagit County, they found 33 rabbits kept in a 2x8 space, who were starving due to competition for food and water. She and her friends purchased the rabbits for $223 and transported them to the rescue. Anyone interested in supporting their vet bills which will include spay/neuter surgeries and vaccinations so they can be adopted can donate to Bonanza Rabbit Rescue and Adoption Center. Everett recently passed legislation prohibiting the sale of animals. The rabbits they purchased from the backyard breeder were all young so prior generations had already been eaten. The backyard breeders were very nice people; the other animals on their property including goats, geese, chickens, etc. appeared well cared for. What often happens is backyard breeders get in over their heads very quickly; no one wakes up in the morning wanting to commit acts of animal cruelty and abuse. These rabbits are marketed to people who begin as hobbyists and end up with more animals than they know what to do with, creating a burden of thousands of dollars, incredible animal suffering, and trauma to humans who witness it and try to rescue the animals. She assumed legislation banning the sale of animals in Edmonds and backyard breeding would not have a lot of impact, but hopefully with enough momentum it could be countywide and end incredible amounts of animal suffering. Councilmember Paine announced her appointment of Ben Marx, a high qualified arborist with many levels of arboriculture training and tree assessment, to the tree board. She thanked Council President Tibbott and the Council's Legislative Assistant Peterson for organizing the volunteer appreciation event. Councilmember Buckshnis concurred with the comments about the volunteer appreciation event, commenting that was something near and dear to the late Councilmember K. Johnson. Volunteer restoration of the Edmonds Marsh continues on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 9 — 11 a.m. and will include spreading wood chips and working in the water. She, Councilmember Teitzel, Joe Scordino, Bernie Sahala, Oscar Antillon, and Tanner, Bushnell, Department of Ecology, met with the EPA to discuss what can be done. DOE will not have the science on the Edmonds Marsh ready this year and that Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes September 5, 2023 Page 20 will be delayed until 2024. It was a good meeting, there are interesting standards; it is tricky due to cleanup issues and multiple lawsuits. She was pleased Mr. Antillon had been involved in cleanups like this when he worked for the Navy. 14. ADJOURN With no further business, the council meeting was adjourned at 9:57 p.m. Nicholas Falk, Deputy City Clerk for SCOTT PASSEY, CITY CLERK Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes September 5, 2023 Page 21