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2023-09-26 Regular MeetingEDMONDS CITY COUNCIL MEETING APPROVED MINUTES September 26, 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 Dave Turley, Administrative Services Director Angie Feser, Parks, Rec., & Human Serv. Dir. Jessica Neill Hoyson, HR Director Carolyn LaFave, Executive Asst. to the Mayor 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 Nand 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 1. ARBOR MONTH PROCLAMATION Mayor Nelson read a proclamation proclaiming October 2023 as Arbor month in Edmonds and urging all citizens to plant, maintain and preserve trees throughout our community as an investment in healthy and sustainable future for all of us. Tree Board Member Kevin Fagerstrom accepted the proclamation. 2. SISTER CITY COMMISSION EXCHANGE TRIP Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes September 26, 2023 Page 1 SCC Chair Katy Renz thanked the council and mayor for the opportunity to have a sister city. She was one of the chaperones on the 2019 student exchange to Hekinan. After everything in the world changed, four years later she was able to return to Hekinan with the adult delegation. This trip was approached knowing anything could happen and there were many unknowns. Japan recently opened to tourists but was not open to every country. There were other changes such as the hotel where they normally would have stayed was not open yet and some of the factories they would have visited also had not opened yet. The delegation was welcomed by the people of Hekinan upon their arrival and it was fun to see many of the people she had gotten to know on her first trip to Japan. She displayed and described photos taken at many of the places the Hekinan Sister City 35' Anniversary Trip (April 2-7, 2023) visited: • Flowers given to each member of delegation upon arrival in Hekinan • Handa Vinegar Mizkan Museum • Buddhist Temple Lunch • Chef (Buddhist Priest's son) with our group at the Buddhist Temple • Kokonoe Mirin Vinegar Factory Tour • Visited City Hall and Fire Station • Hekinan City Hall Group Photo • Mayor Negita and Mayor Nelson speaking together at Hekinan City Hall • Nagoya Castle and Japanese Garden • Sister City celebration reception to celebrate 35 years as sister cities • 35' anniversary celebration • Ceremony for Hekinan City 75t' Anniversary • Hekinan Tea Ceremony • Playing ancient instruments at tea ceremony • Making traditional Matcha tea • Group photo at tea ceremony • Hekinan Aquarium • Kyoto Gold Temple • Kyoto Temple • Masa and Kaori Suzuki, two of the many people of Hekinan who helped make the trip a success • Group photograph - time to say goodbye, until we meet again. Chair Renz explained a 12-member delegation from Hekinan will be in Edmonds October 30 - November 4, staying at the Edmonds Best Western Harbor Inn. During their stay, there are plans for a welcome reception; a walking tour of downtown Edmonds to see art installations, historic sites, murals and local shop; participation in Halloween festivities; tour of the regional firefighters training center; tour of Maplewood school; 35' anniversary reception; visit to Pike Place Market and the Seattle Art museum; visit to Fairhaven in La Conner and opportunity to experience Washington's trains; and a reception in Edmonds for Hekinan delegates. Further information will be provided to councilmembers in the coming weeks. She invited councilmembers to contact Executive Assistant to the Mayor Carolyn LaFave with any questions. Council President Tibbott thanked Chair Renz for her investment in the relationship with Hekinan. There have been many enriching trips and visits during that 35 year relationship and he expected the relationship to last many more years. He asked how the delegation communicated with the people of Hekinan on the trip. Chair Renz answered when they traveled, Commissioner Iyoko Okano who was part of the delegation and is very fluent in Japanese acted as an interpreter. There was also an interpreter from Japan, Akiko. She recalled when she stayed with a family in 2019, they spoke a little English, but she spoke no Japanese, and they were able communicate quite well using Google Translate. 3. SALARY COMMISSION LETTER ESTABLISHING ELECTED OFFICIALS' COMPENSATION FOR 2024 AND 2025 Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes September 26, 2023 Page 2 Chair Bill Taylor reviewed: Salary Commission o Bill Taylor, Chair o Kathy Ehrlich o Gary Holton o Brook Roberts o Angela Zhang Acknowledgements o City HR Staff o City Council Staff o Mayor and Councilmembers o Other City Personnel o Compensation Connections (our consulting team) o Fellow Commissioners Our Process as a Commission o Five independently minded citizens o Coming together for a common purpose o Exchanging ideas o Exploring alternatives o Reaching decisions o Eventually speaking with one voice Our Work as a Commission o Conducted seven open meetings o Identified 16 Western WA cities for comparison ■ Mayor — Council form of government ■ Edmonds +/- 50% o Gathered data re pay and benefits from those cities o Analyzed data re Edmonds council time requirements o Interviewed the mayor and all seven councilmembers o Sought public input ■ Three press releases ■ Outreach to other civic groups o Conducted two public hearings o Examined current salary levels for mayor and council o Compared Edmonds salaries to comparable cities o Calculated inflationary trends o Researched Edmonds NR pay increase trends o Considered WA State minimum wage requirements o Thought deeply about DEI considerations o Considered impact on the City's budget o Reached our decisions Mayor o Our Decision: ■ Effective January 1, 2024 ■ Effective January 1, 2025 o Our Rationale: $156,126 (a 14.6% increase) Increase same % as City NR Ees Comparisons to average and median salaries for comparable cities Edmonds salary was static for three years City NR employee increase percentages Councilmembers o Our Decision: ■ Effective January 1, 2024: $20,462 (a 20% increase) Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes September 26, 2023 Page 3 ■ Effective January 1, 2025: Increase same % as City NR Ees ■ Council President: Additional 20% ($341 per month) ■ Low income supplement: $6,000 per year - Available to an elected councilmember whose income is less than 80% of the reported median income for Snohomish County o Our Rationale: ■ Comparisons to average and median salaries for comparable cities ■ Edmonds salaries were static for three years ■ City NR employee increase percentages ■ Impact we might have on DEI considerations ■ WA State minimum wage requirements ■ "Market pay" vs. "community service" considerations Councilmember Chen expressed his sincere appreciation for the time, effort and expertise the salary commission brought to the process and completing their work in such a short period of time with the assistance of HR and the council executive assistant. He especially appreciated the commission bringing DEI into the process. Although $6,000 is not a lot of money, it is an expression that the City wants to open the door for more people to participate on the council, including those from different income levels and backgrounds. Councilmember Paine thanked the commissioners for their service. She recognized this had been a lot of work and expressed her appreciation for holding 14 two-hour meetings in a short amount of time in addition to conducting interviews. As Councilmember Chen said, she appreciated their finding a way to offer inclusion and accessibility. She hoped future salary commissions would continue that and possibly index it somehow. Councilmember Nand thanked the commission for their work, observing their work and the very thoughtful way they approached their task honored her comments about DEL When she talks about DEI, she is speaking not only about diversity of age and socioeconomic diversity; it would be amazing if someone who works a 40 hour workweek and knows what it is like to live paycheck to paycheck would run for council. People have to consider the amount of time councilmembers put in compared to the compensation they receive and whether they make enough money at their day job to pay their bills. Most people earning less than six figure income make the decision that being a councilmember is not for them. She is running unopposed, but she is interested in attracting people to run for council who have a diversity of opinions and perspectives. She appreciated the low-income supplement to signal the City's interest in having the voices of people from diverse economic backgrounds heard and to represent their lived experience when the council's makes decisions, many of which are related to budgets and finance. She hoped that low income supplement would start to change the calculation for working class and middle class people who might consider running for council. Chair Taylor said Councilmember Nand's comments echoed much of the commission's discussion and he hoped that would be built on in the future. Councilmember Olson echoed the gratitude and appreciation; the commission had a lot of work to do and did it with a lot of grace and a great attitude. She enjoyed her interview with a commissioner and felt her concerns were reflected in the final product, most notably her concerns about the budget situation. She was concerned the effort to address DEI would end up with spending a lot more for the people who are willing and able to serve on council. She joked she makes $100/hour for the hours she gets paid for and the rest she volunteers. Many councilmembers had been volunteering for the City before being elected. It was not that she did not think councilmembers weren't worth a market wage, but to the extent the City cannot afford it or it doesn't jive with comparator cities, the commission found the right balance. She appreciated the commission's nuanced and creative approach to DEI, recalling the idea was taken from Issaquah. Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes September 26, 2023 Page 4 Councilmember Teitzel said as Chair Taylor was speaking, it occurred to him how grateful he was to live in Edmonds, to be able to serve the City, and for commissioners who are willing to donate their time to a very difficult task. The commission did a great job and brought their expertise to the table. 5. APPROVAL OF AGENDA COUNCILMEMBER TEITZEL MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER PAINE, TO APPROVE THE AGENDA IN CONTENT AND ORDER. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. 6. AUDIENCE COMMENTS Kevin Fagerstrom, Edmonds, speaking on behalf of himself and the tree board, the Edmonds Tree Board is thrilled to declare October 7, 2023 as Arbor Day and October as Arbor month. In celebration, the board will host an engaging booth at the Edmonds summer market on 5t' Avenue, across from the historical museum, offering complimentary giveaways to the community. The event, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. aims to promote environmental conscientiousness and the significance of trees in the urban landscape. At the Arbor Day booth, residents will have the opportunity to choose from a diverse selection of tree species that are well suited to the unique climate and environment of Edmonds. This initiative aligns with the tree board's commitment to fostering a green and sustainable community. Additionally, the booth will feature an interactive educational component focused on highlighting the importance of trees in critical areas such as on steep slopes and wetlands. Visitors will gain valuable insight into determining if their homes are located within these critical areas and discover the best approaches to tree and vegetation maintenance. Following the summer market, Bess Bronstein, a renowned horticulturalist consultant, educator and ISA certified arborist, will lead a captivating walking tour where participants will have the opportunity to explore downtown Edmonds while she highlights and points out interesting trees. Her wealth of knowledge and experience will enrich the tour, providing valuable insights into the unique qualities of the urban forest. Tree walk participants should meet on the steps of the historical museum at 2 p.m. All residents, nature enthusiasts and those interested in sustainable practices are encouraged to participate in the summer market on October 7, 2023 and the tour for a memorable Arbor Day celebration. Jane O'Dell, Edmonds, representing the Climate Action Board, relayed the board is a group of citizen volunteers formed to interface with the City of Edmonds, the city council and with other citizen groups concerned with the environment. She asked the council's help in stepping up to the challenge facing the community, specifically, an investment in the actuation of the Climate Action Plan (CAP), starting with a climate action manager. Edmonds has had a CAP since 2010. There were good intensions from the beginning; it was not actually adopted until the updated version in 2023. The board thanked the council for taking that step, but remain concerned. Having a plan is like looking at a swath of grass in your yard thinking you could make a great vegetable garden there, but until a lot of work is done and an investment made in seeds, there won't be anything but a swath of lawn and you won't be harvesting any carrots. Ms. O'Dell continued, the board is willing to work to get things done, but would like to have the partnership and investment in this effort. The board's belief that a climate action manager is a necessary and priority step is based on research, looking at what other communities have done. Edmonds needs a designated individual with subject matter expertise, project management expertise, experience, and communication and interpersonal skills to engage other City departments, citizen groups, neighboring communities, set priorities, define plans and monitor the work, and adjust plans to ensure preparations are being made in a sensible way. This is not pioneering; other cities and municipalities of various sizes are doing this. If Edmonds cares about addressing the vulnerabilities the City faces as a coastal community, this is a necessary step. Matt Richardson, Edmonds, said his comments are barely germane to city council other than the City has flying Ukrainian flags on buildings and has adopted resolutions. For those that don't know, Poland has Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes September 26, 2023 Page 5 stopped giving weapons to Zelenskyy; the Canadian speaker of the parliament just stepped down because they gave a standing ovation to a Nazi. Jon Stewart, a Jewish man, gave a medal of honor to a Nazi who had to cover their swastika and black sun tattoos at Disneyland. He said he was just trying to sleep at night and for those that don't know, the war in Ukraine is really about construction of natural gas pipeline from Saudi Arabia to Eastern Europe to reduce reliance on natural gas from Russia. The destruction of Nord Steam 1 and 2 was specifically about Germany's energy dependance on Russia. They scuttled their coal burning power plants and nuclear reactors and now are dependent on Russia for energy which has become a natural emergency for them. Mr. Richardson continued, the war in Syria was over that; John Kerry went to Syrian President Bashar al- Assad and proposed a pipeline. President al-Assad said no, we already have a deal with Iran and Russia to build another pipeline. The war on Libya was over this; they needed weapons to send to ISIS to destabilize Syria to get a Saudia Arbia pipeline line through. This is just another rung on the ladder for this pseudo environmental effort; Germany wants to have windmills and solar panels and basically cut themselves off at the knees. The tide is turning; no war is good. Edmonds didn't say boo about Libya, didn't fly Libyan or Syrian flags and he questioned why Edmonds was flying Ukrainian flags when the wars are all for the same reason. He reiterated he was just trying to sleep at night and wanted to say something about peace. 7. RECEIVED FOR FILING 1. UPDATE ON CRITICAL AQUIFER RECHARGE AREA CODE AMENDMENT 2. OUTSIDE BOARDS AND COMMITTEE REPORTS 3. WRITTEN PUBLIC COMMENTS 8. APPROVAL OF CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS COUNCILMEMBER PAINE MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER NAND, TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. The agenda items approved are as follows: 1. APPROVAL OF REGULAR MEETING MINUTES SEPTEMBER 19, 2023 2. APPROVAL OF CLAIM CHECKS AND WIRE PAYMENT 3. APPROVAL OF PAYROLL AND BENEFIT CHECKS, DIRECT DEPOSIT AND WIRE PAYMENTS. 4. AUTHORIZATION FOR MAYOR TO SIGN INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT WITH SNOHOMISH COUNTY REGARDING SOLID WASTE 9. COUNCIL BUSINESS RESOLUTION FOR ANNEXATION INTO SNOHOMISH COUNTY FIRE Administrative Services Director Dave Turley explained the resolution is regarding the possibility of annexation into the South Snohomish County Regional Fire Authority. He displayed a graph of the recent fire contract cost to the City for 2013-2024, noting he projected the cost for 2024 as SCF has not provided the cost for 2024. He built in a 10-12% increase for 2024 which according to his conversations with SCF is accurate. • Recent Fire Contract Cost History 2013-2024 Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes September 26, 2023 Page 6 S14X0AW $12A00= s39,699,000 s6.oao.000 s6aooaoo 54,000,000 $2AWAW So 2013 2M4 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2@3 2024 Mr. Turley observed for a quite a while, 2014-2021, the contract amount was pretty flat, and only varied between $6M and $8M so previous councils and finance directors did not have to pay a lot of attention to it. The cost went up from approximately $8M in 2022 to $12.5M in 2024, a 50% increase in the fire contract in two years. The City needs to figure out how to handle that level of increase because it is not sustainable. He assured the increase was not a blip that would correct itself; the cost would not go down. Mr. Turley explained this Resolution was previously discussed in the Public Safety, Planning, Human Services & Personnel Committee on July 11, and the Finance Committee on July 20. Three neighboring cities, Brier, Mountlake Terrace, and Mill Creek, recently joined the RFA. This leaves Edmonds as the only remaining "contract city." When SCF formed, they contracted for service with several area cities; one by one the other cities joined the RFA. The RFA was formed as a result of legislation and has only been in existence since 2017. He reviewed frequently asked questions: • Doesn't the contract run until 2030? Yes, but keep in mind that the RFA can cancel's the City's contract with a two-year notice. The RFA did that with Brier and Mountlake Terrace. • If we pass this resolution tonight, what action is this Council or any future Council bound or committed to? Nothing. Passing the resolution tonight does not commit the council to anything. The council can walk away by not taking further action. • What would happen if we don 't pass the resolution? We would not be able to learn what the impact would be to the City or to taxpayers. Due diligence into this decision would not be performed. There will be a $4M increase every 2-3 years with no identified funding source. • Shouldn't we do our "due diligence" before passing this resolution regarding the RFA? We cannot perform any due diligence regarding the South County RFA without passing this resolution. This resolution is the first step in performing that due diligence. The resolution basically tells the RFA that the City wants to talk to them. Without the resolution, the RFA won't answer questions. The resolution is the only way to get the discussion started. • Could we form a task force to look into this, prior to passing the resolution? A task force could look into alternatives — recreating an Edmonds fire department, or asking Shoreline if they would provide service to Edmonds, for example. But we cannot do any due diligence on joining the RFA without notifying the RFA that we are considering the possibility. Per RCW, the resolution is the first step in doing this research. Mr. Turley relayed staff s request to approve the resolution on pages 150 and 151 of the packet. COUNCIL PRESIDENT TIBBOTT MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER NAND, TO APPROVE A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF EDMONDS, Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes September 26, 2023 Page 7 WASHINGTON EXPRESSING THE INTENT TO PURSUE THE BENEFITS OF RECEIVING FIRE AND EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES FROM THE SOUTH SNOHOMISH COUNTY REGIONAL FIRE AUTHORITY VIA ANNEXATION. Councilmember Buckshnis raised a point of order, suggesting a question and answer period first so councilmembers do not have to only speak to the motion. Mayor Nelson advised the agenda item is a resolution related to annexation to SCF and the motion is to approve the resolution. Councilmembers will have an opportunity to discuss the resolution. Council President Tibbott said one of questions he wanted to clear up was the administration did not ask for this to be on agenda. He has been talking about it with council leadership and it seemed the right time for the council to consider it so he asked that it be brought to the council for deliberation. He expected there would be ample time for discussion on this topic tonight before the council votes. The reason he wanted to present the resolution to council is because the RFA is the City's current provider of fire and emergency medical services (EMS). The RFA is also the entity that knows the City better than any other provider, knows the issues in the City, knows where the fire stations are located, knows where emergency services are most likely to be needed and the plans to address those issues. Therefore, it seemed appropriate go to them to ask for information. Unknowns include the level of service the RFA would recommend for the City in the future. There have been dramatic increases in the volume of EMS calls, partially due to the increase in population. The RFA knows what levels of service would be necessary to meet that need and to cooperate with surrounding cities. Another unknown is the cost. This is an opportunity to get that information while planning for other costs the City has to accommodate. Council President Tibbott continued, explaining he would like to start the process now. It was his understanding that it takes the RFA time to do a cost analysis and provide a cost estimate. He anticipated the council would not have time to look at this issue for a few months, possibly December, January or February. He felt it was prudent to start the conversation now which is why he made the motion. Councilmember Teitzel expressed his appreciation for the excellent level of service the City has received from SCF for some time. Having said that, he was looking at this issue from the constituent's perspective and how they could get the best possible fire and EMS service for the least possible cost. He understood the issue related to the City's budget, but feared if the council was not careful, the cost could be shifted from the City directly to the user of these services. He wanted to ensure that whatever the council does, they keep that perspective in mind, that the council looks at the issue from the consumer's perspective and ensure they get the best possible deal. Councilmember Teitzel continued, stating he agreed the City should look at joining the RFA as one option as well as other potential ways to provide these services and run the numbers so when a vote is taken, the council can say they have looked at this carefully and feel it is the best option for the residents. Having said that, he agreed the council needed to pass a resolution to start the process with SCF; however, the resolution as written is too affirmative, too strongly worded and presumes the City has already done some study and makes some assumptions when frankly that is not the case. For example, the fourth whereas clause states, "WHEREAS, both the City and SCF believe that the public health and safety of the citizens they serve will benefit from annexation into SCF; and" He said that may or may not be true as that analysis has not been done yet. COUNCILMEMBER TEITZEL MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCIL PRESIDENT TIBBOTT, TO AMEND THE RESOLUTION TO CHANGE "WILL" TO "MAY" IN THE 4TH WHEREAS SO IT READS, "WHEREAS BOTH THE CITY AND SCF BELIEVE THAT THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY OF THE CITIZENS THEY SERVE WILL MAY BENEFIT FROM ANNEXATION INTO SCF; AND". Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes September 26, 2023 Page 8 Councilmember Paine asked if altering this whereas clause would limit the information the RFA would be able to provide. City Attorney Jeff Taraday answered he did not think so although he has not spoken with the RFA regarding this change. As long as Sections 1 and 2 of the resolution remain worded as they currently are, he did not think a change in the whereas clauses would be not problematic as far as preventing the City from getting the due diligence it is seeking from the RFA. Councilmember Nand did not think Councilmember Teitzel's desire to change "will benefit from annexation" to "may benefit from annexation" would materially affect the resolution so she had no objection to the proposed amendment. Councilmember Teitzel reminded the council as Mr. Turley mentioned, this a nonbinding resolution; it does not bind either party. It is simply a resolution of intent to explore these options. As the resolution is nonbinding, the amendment is appropriate. AMENDMENT CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. Councilmember Nand spoke in favor of the motion to pass the resolution. It is very important to explain to the community that this would subject them to separate taxation authority that would parcel out money they previously paid into the General Fund through their property taxes and to explore how that would impact consumers and the services they expect from either the RFA or the other options. The framework that the administration put forward to pursue obtaining this information and potentially holding public hearings in the future regarding the impact to taxpayers and service users in the City is appropriate. She supported moving forward with the resolution at this time. Councilmember Chen expressed appreciation for the services the City gets from SCF. He also appreciated Mr. Turley bringing this issue to council for the third time to get more information. COUNCILMEMBER CHEN MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER TEITZEL, TO AMEND SECTION 1 OF THE RESOLUTION TO READ, "...THE CITY REQUESTS INFORMATIONABOUT ANNEXATION INTO THE SOUTH SNOHOMISH COUNTY REGIONAL FIRE..." Councilmember Chen said the reason he wants to make that clear is the intent of the resolution is to get information, not to request annexation into SCF at this stage. He echoed Councilmember Nand's statements about being transparent to the taxpayers who could end up getting a property tax bill that potentially was hundreds of dollars more than what they are currently paying. For residents on a fixed income, a $400-$500 increase would be a difficult financial burden. He reiterated the need to be transparent about the process. Councilmember Nand recalled during preliminary discussion the existing text in this section was required to legally trigger SCF providing information. She asked if that was correct or was the amendment nonmaterial. Mr. Taraday answered this resolution is taking place within the context of a statute. The statute uses the phrase "resolution requesting the annexation." When a resolution is passed requesting annexation, that triggers the next step in the process described in the statute. In his opinion, the amendment changes the way the resolution relates to the statue, because it no longer follows the process in the statue. It is one thing to request information about annexation and another thing to request annexation. The statute states when annexation is requested, the next step in the process begins. The statute does not state what happens next if information about annexation is requested. While he sympathized with the motion, he could not speak for what the RFA would do if such a resolution were adopted. There is nothing preventing the RFA from providing the same information, but he could not say that they would do that. Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes September 26, 2023 Page 9 Councilmember Paine said after hearing Mr. Taraday's explanation, she was not in favor of amending either Section 1 or 2. There is too much risk about what information the RFA provides the City. The City needs as much information as possible to make a determination. Councilmember Olson commented there are two separate issues, one is that the City is experiencing increased costs for fire and police that have to be grappled with in the immediate term. The other is whether annexation into the RFA is the best approach to deal with revenue insufficiency to offset those bigger and growing expenses. The City is paying handsomely for fire service via the partnership with SCF. In the year ahead, there will be onboarding of new councilmembers, the comprehensive plan will require a lot of the council's attention, as well as the first biennial budget. She suggested the City not volunteer to consider annexation into the RFA this year. If the RFA was gracious enough to work with the City until 2025, she would happily support this initiative and vet it at that point. She has given this issue a lot of consideration and is still considering it as she listens to councilmembers. Mayor Nelson reminded councilmembers to keep their comments related to the amendment to Section 1. Councilmember Teitzel referred to the agenda memo in which Mr. Turley states, "This is the language preferred by the RFA...", pointing out it does not say it is required by law or that the RFA will not provide this information if the language in Section is amended as Councilmember Chen proposed. It is unknown what the RFA will do if the council adopts the resolution with this amended language. He hoped the RFA would work with the City and provide the information needed to do due diligence. He assumed the RFA believes they are the best option for Edmonds and that they strongly desire Edmonds join the RFA. It behooves the RFA and the City to work together to get the information the City needs to do its due diligence. For that reason he strongly supports the amendment. Councilmember Teitzel continued, the July 11, 203 PSPHSP committee meeting minutes are attached to the agenda memo. At that meeting, Council President Tibbott raised the same concern, stating the phrase request annexation seems to bypass the research process and he suggested replacing it with expressing the intent to pursue the benefits of receiving fire and EMS services. Councilmember Teitzel agreed with those comments, that it is premature to pass the resolution with the existing language and he preferred to adopt Councilmember Chen's amended language. Councilmember Nand asked if Councilmember Chen would be open to removing the request to amend Section 1 related to seeking information and amend the first sentence in the third whereas clause, WHEREAS the City and SCF are interested in wag seeking additional information regarding the potential operational efficiencies. Councilmember Buckshnis raised a point of order, observing Councilmember Nand was offering an amendment that had nothing to do with Councilmember Chen's amendment. Mr. Taraday said Councilmember Nand's comment was in order if she was suggesting Councilmember Chen withdraw his amendment and she made the amendment as described. Councilmember Chen said no. Council President Tibbott did not support the amendment even though his comments at the committee indicated he probably would support it. He has learned in the meantime that there is a significant process between passing this resolution to going to a vote. He asked Mr. Taraday to provide a step-by-step overview of the process. He did not support the amendment as he believed there was plenty of opportunity to get information before making any further recommendations. Mr. Taraday said he understood the sentiment behind the desire to amend the language in the resolution because it does say request annexation. When the plain words are spoken, it sounds like the City has decided it wants to be part of the RFA. Mr. Taraday continued, it will be helpful for the council to put this in the context of the statute. There are four subsections of the statue; subsection 2 talks about how a city like Edmonds can request annexation by resolution which is what the council is deliberating tonight. Even if the council adopts the resolution, the Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes September 26, 2023 Page 10 next step would be for the RFA Board to adopt a resolution amending its plan and establishing the terms and conditions of the requested annexation. Then the RFA sends that resolution back to the City. The election by constituents only happens if the Edmonds City Council adopts a resolution approving the annexation and the plan amendment provided by the RFA. It does not just automatically go to a vote of the citizens if the RFA Board adopts a plan amendment. It comes back to the city council and the city council has another opportunity to decide whether it goes on the ballot or not. The council could decide at that time to kill the matter and it never goes to the ballot. Procedurally speaking even though the resolution states the City is requesting annexation, this not the final opportunity for the council's decision about annexing into the RFA. Councilmember Buckshnis said she strongly supports this amendment and has serious concerns. This has not gone through a public process, it has been discussed by the finance committee and was pulled by the council president. This is a very serious issue which could potentially have tax implications on citizens and there has not been a public process. She wanted to get information , but anticipated she would not support annexation. She supported the amendment due to the need for more transparency via holding public hearings UPON ROLL CALL, MOTION CARRIED (4-3), COUNCILMEMBERS TEITZEL, CHEN, BUCKSHNIS AND OLSON VOTING YES; COUNCIL PRESIDENT TIBBOTT AND COUNCILMEMBERS PAINE AND NAND VOTING NO. Councilmember Olson said it would work much better for the City to explore this in 2025. She encouraged councilmembers not to approve a request for information which will result in the RFA providing information and the City studying options which she thought would be better to do in 2025. She will vote no on the motion for that reason. Councilmember Buckshnis said she will vote no on the motion. She found it inconceivable that the council would put something like this through when there will potentially be three new councilmembers and she is retiring. This a serious decision to move to an RFA; the RFA is a taxing district, it is very different, there has been no transparency related to the budget or cost, and there have not been any public hearings. She felt it was premature to push this forward just because it may take months to get through. It is not something the council should be doing now, there is plenty on the council's plate now and next year with the comprehensive plan. The City has seven years left on the contract with SCF and has not received anything from SCF saying they will cancel the contract with the City. Councilmember Teitzel said at the appropriate time, he would be more than happy to approve the resolution with the language as proposed tonight, but it is premature now. From the perspective of the fire and EMS consumer, they could potentially pay quite a bit more per month for a comparable level of service. Councilmembers need to be sure they can stand before their constituents and say they have considered all the options and run the numbers and the RFA is the best choice for them and encourage them to vote for it. The process is not there yet. He was interested in pursuing the numbers and hoped the RFA would work with the City to provide the information needed to do due diligence. Councilmember Nand said it would be a mistake not to pass the resolution tonight. During preliminary discussions with the RFA, they made it clear they would not undertake the administrative burden of providing taxpayers in Edmonds with information to make a responsible decision to ensure public safety in Edmonds unless the council passed the resolution. The resolution is not binding, but she wanted the City to procure the information necessary to provide to taxpayers so they can make a decision whether or not to vote themselves into the RFA's taxing authority and pay the amount the RFA needs to provide public safety in Edmonds. It sounds like a very egregious process. Looking at the map and the fact that Edmonds is the only city still under contract in Snohomish County, it would irresponsible not to engage with a vital provider of public safety on a change they potentially want to make and to look at other financial options in a neutral Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes September 26, 2023 Page 11 and methodical manner and put that information in front of the voters in an expeditious manner. The council needs to allow the RFA, who provides the City's public safety, to engage with voters and provide information to the council. This resolution provides the statutory trigger. It would not be in the best interest of the City, constituents or taxpayers to keep putting this off. She supported the motion to pass the resolution. Council President Tibbott commented this is one of those decisions that will require a lot of detailed information; the process is just getting started. It is a courtesy to start with the current provider as well as the best way to get information from the people who know Edmonds best. It may take up to a year to work though the details so it is worth starting now. Councilmember Olson commented with the passage of Councilmember Chen's amendment, the statement that the resolution provides the statutory trigger is not accurate. She was hopeful the RFA would still work with the City and provide information. Mr. Taraday said with passage of the amendment to the resolution that added "information about", he could not predict what the RFA Board would do with the resolution. They may treat it the same as the original resolution, but he was skeptical about that. There is nothing legally that prevents the RFA from providing the information, but it is possible they may interpret the resolution as outside of the statutory process that he described. Councilmember Buckshnis said she has heard nothing from the RFA that they plan to trigger the contract and she did not want to rely on hearsay information. The council owes the voters to have a pragmatic process after the budget process and after the comprehensive plan. She reiterated she would not rely on hearsay information to make a decision this important that had not been transparency or had any public hearings. Councilmember Paine reiterated her support for the resolution. The council knows what the costs will look like in the future by looking at the graph. The City has been experiencing increased costs due to inflation and other costs. The dialogue with SCF will aid in the council's discussion. She did not know how this could be considered hearsay; the information provided by SCF will be very clear and transparent as they were with the other cities. The timing seems optimal; if the information is provided in late winter/early spring, details regarding the comprehensive plan update will not be available and there will be an understanding regarding the budget. With regard to new councilmembers that will be elected, they are all smart people, no different than existing councilmembers, and thinking they are less able is a disservice to them. When the council passes the resolution, she was hopeful SCF would treat the amended resolution like the original and fulfill the request. Councilmember Nand said based on preliminary discussion with SCF, the City cannot not get to the point of a public hearing, where the actual impact to taxpayers of annexing into SCF could be provided, until the resolution is passed. She was eager to get that information in front of the voters and handle this in a transparent way. Continuing to put this off does not serve the best interests of the City's voters and taxpayers. She was supportive of the original resolution due to the uncertainty provided by the amendment to Section 1. She favored getting the process started so SCF could engage directly with citizens, taxpayers and councilmember to provide financial impact information. Councilmember Teitzel said he has have talked to SCF as have other councilmembers, and is convinced they believe their service is the best option for Edmonds' citizens and businesses. Therefore it behooves them and the City for SCF to provide the information necessary to do proper due diligence. There will be an impact to the consumer of fire and EMS; the council needs to be able to articulate exactly what that will be. The specifics of that impact are currently unknown; the City needs information from SCF. The council needs to be able to stand in front of the voters and tell them the City has run the numbers and are convinced voting to join the RFA is the right choice. He was hopeful if the council passes the resolution as amended, SCF will agree to work with the City and provide the necessary information. Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes September 26, 2023 Page 12 UPON ROLL CALL, MOTION CARRIED (4-3), COUNCILMEMBERS TEITZEL, PAINE AND NAND AND COUNCIL PRESIDENT TIBBOTT VOTING YES; COUNCILMEMBERS CHEN, BUCKSHNIS AND OLSON VOTING NO. 10. MAYOR'S COMMENTS Mayor Nelson gave a shout out to the community organized Perrinville Palooza street fair on October 7. 11. COUNCIL COMMENTS Councilmember Buckshnis gave a shout out to the tree board for the work they have done and the wonderful Arbor Day event. This Wednesday and Thursday from 9 to 11 a.m. are the last two opportunities to spread chips under the leadership of Joe Scordino. The marsh group and other volunteers have spread chips on 400 feet of the creek; the chips were not affected by last night's rains. WSDOT will visit the site on Thursday to see the work that has been done. Councilmember Paine thanked for the community for their input regarding tonight's meeting. The salary commission did a great job and the tree board has been doing awesome work. She noted fall is a good time to plant trees in this area when the ground is still warm and the roots will still grow. Councilmember Nand thanked councilmembers and staff for their hard work on the matters the council considered tonight. She also recognized the incredible volunteers on the tree board, the salary commission and the sister city commission. She thanked the community for responding to a call for donations for Bonanza Rabbit Rescue, an organization whose board she serves on. After the story was picked up by My Edmonds News and King 5, $2,800 of the $10,000 they were seeking was raised which will help get the 33 rescued rabbits fixed, vaccinated, fed and ready for adoption. She found it heartening from an animal rescue perspective that so many people cared about the rabbits and helping find them new homes. Council President Tibbott commented October will be a very busy month; planning has been underway since the beginning of the year to enter the budget season in a different way. In addition to regular meetings, there will be three special meetings to address budget issues, at least 2 public hearings on the budget and 1-2 other public hearings on other topics. There will be a lot of public engagement in the next 4-5 weeks going into November deliberations. October will be a very important month for the council to be prepared and for the public to be involved. Councilmember Teitzel reported he worked at the marsh with the Joe Scordino and other volunteers at the last week. It is amazing what the volunteers have accomplished, clearing an incredible amount of invasive nightshade, opening the Shellabarger Creek channel to allow water to flow freely where it was previously backed up which contributed to the flooding problem. An incredible amount of wood chips have been spread and it is hoped the chips will keep the nightshade along the creek under control. He expressed appreciation for all the work and time the volunteers and Joe Scordino have put into that effort. Councilmember Chen reminded of the Mid-Autum/Moon Festival on Friday, September 29. It is a traditional holiday celebrated in many Asian countries. It is one of the most popular holidays, almost as popular as Chinese New Year or Lunar New Year. The history can be traced back 3000 years. It is typically held on the lunar calendar of August 15 when it is believed the moon is the fullest and brightest. It is an opportunity for the community to come together and celebrate this meaningful holiday. There will be a celebration at the Waterfront Center on Friday at 6:30. He hoped to see everyone there. Councilmember Olson said she had the privilege of attending the Harvest Moon Festival at the Edmonds Waterfront Center last year. It was an amazing celebration, maybe one of the best events she has attended Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes September 26, 2023 Page 13 in terms of cultural experience. She highly recommended making that festival a priority on Friday evening. She congratulated the ECA on the successful search for a new executive director. After reading the bio on new director, Kathy Liu, she anticipated Ms. Liu would be fun to work with and she was excited to meet her and have her leading the ECA. She congratulated the ECA for booking the Indigo Girls on September 27. Although it was likely a sold out show, she suggested anyone interested in attending inquire at the box office. Councilmember Olson reported on two exciting opportunities this Thursday, 1) Edmonds Civic Roundtable is hosting the superintendent of Edmonds School District Rebecca Miner at the Edmonds Waterfront Center at 5:30 p.m. to discuss happenings at Edmonds schools and an opportunity for Q&A. It is an RSVP event, and 2) the annual fundraiser, the Empty Bowl, for the Edmonds Food Bank at the Edmonds Yacht club at 6 p.m., and 3) October 2 is National Custodian's Day. She relayed an awful situation the City's amazing custodians had to deal with related to vandals doing gross things in restrooms. She was glad that was no longer happening and hoped it never happened again, but the custodians need to be raised up, thanked and applauded. She encouraged anyone who sees any of Edmonds' wonderful custodians next week to thank them lavishly. 12. ADJOURN With no further business, the council meeting was adjourned at 8:43 p.m. SA--:K- SCOTT PASSEY; trrf CLERK Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes September 26, 2023 Page 14