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2023-10-03 Regular MeetingEDMONDS CITY COUNCIL MEETING APPROVED MINUTES October 3, 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 Whitney Rivera, Municipal Court Judge Uneek Maylor, Court Administrator Dave Turley, Administrative Services Director Oscar Antillon, Public Works Director Angie Feser, Parks, Rec., & Human Serv. Dir. Kim Dunscombe, Deputy Admin. Serv. Director Rob English, City Engineer Shannon Burley, Deputy Parks, Rec., & Human Serv. Dir. Mike De Lilla, Senior Utilities 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 Paine 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. APPROVAL OF AGENDA COUNCILMEMBER PAINE MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER OLSON, TO APPROVE THE AGENDA IN CONTENT AND ORDER. COUNCILMEMBER BUCKSHNIS MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCIL PRESIDENT TIBBOTT, TO AMEND THE AGENDA BY REPLACING ITEM 9.3, DRAFT ORDINANCE REGARDING REPEAL OF ORDINANCE 4079 HIGHWAY 99 PLANNED ACTION, WITH AGENDA ITEM, REPEAL OF ORDINANCE 4079 HIGHWAY 99 PLANNED ORDINANCE SPONSORED BY COUNCILMEMBER BUCKSHNIS. Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes October 3, 2023 Page 1 Councilmember Buckshnis commented there is some confusion regarding why this was not included in the packet. She has spent a tremendous amount of time on this item and asked Council President Tibbott if she could amend the agenda by substituting her agenda item because she goes into detail and would like to be part of the discussion. Councilmember Chen requested Item 7.5, Approval of GFC Analysis and Adoption of a GFC Rate Ordinance, be removed from the Consent Agenda for a brief discussion. Council President Tibbott raised a point of order, pointing out Councilmember Chen's request was not related to the motion and could be considered when the council considers approval of the Consent Agenda. Mayor Nelson ruled point taken. AMENDMENT CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. MAIN MOTION AS AMENDED CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. 5. AUDIENCE COMMENTS Tony Shapiro, Edmonds, referred to the ordinance the council approved recently regarding dogs on Bracketts Landing out to the jetty, and asked the definition of a sanctuary beach, whether there were different gradations of a sanctuary beach, and which gradation that beach is. He asked how a person walking a leashed dog along the paved walkway from the ferry access point to the jetty and back posed a greater threat to wildlife than a person walking without a dog. If the overarching concern is unleashed dogs on the beach, he suggested there were other options for the City to pursue such as placing signs requested people text a picture of the unleashed dog and their owner to a specific number. People realizing they could easily be reported may be a better deterrent than the action the council took. Edmonds has 1-2 miles of beachfront in an urban area and a charming downtown that leads to the beach. People come to the beach year-round to walk. With scuba divers and people frequenting these sanctuaries, he questioned the legitimacy of the designation. When government imposes ordinance that do not make sense to citizens, citizens begin to lose respect for the government and this is one such ordinance. Georgina Armstrong, Edmonds, speaking on behalf of the Edmonds Climate Advisory Board, said when speaking to a climate mentor in another city in the region about implementing climate action plans, they told her, "A city spends a lot of money writing these plans, a lot of staff manhours and community outreach where citizens spend time to provide the city with input. If you don't implement that plan effectively with your best effort, the members of the community can get discouraged and not want to help anymore. If that happens, then you've shut off an important future path to collaborating and connecting with the public. These are the risks associated with a climate action plan that is not moving forward." There has already been a failure with the 2010 CAP which was allowed to languish for 13 years. There was some progress made in the municipal sector, low hanging fruit for a city, but that CAP was never implemented in the community sector nor was it ever funded by any city council. As a result, according to the 2023 CAP, "the most important finding of this update is that the Edmonds community has not kept pace with its goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions." Ms. Armstrong continued, the community sector accounts for a whopping 98% of the total GHG emissions for the City, and municipal emissions account for only 2%. Focusing on the 2% will not get close to the lofty targets set forth in the 2023 CAP including the long term goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. She did not want that to be the fate of the 2023 CAP since its targets exceed those in the 2010 CAP. Hiring the climate action manager including in the mayor's proposed 2024 budget will significantly increase the odds of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 by working on each of the 61 action items that must be accomplished to meet that goal. A climate action manager will have the necessary expertise and experience Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes October 3, 2023 Page 2 to lead and coordinate a whole city climate action effort and focus adequate time and attention on the community's need to significantly lower GHG emissions. This is the conclusion drawn by many cities in the region in adjusting their tactics to correspond with their climate action goals. It is time for Edmonds to join them. In March, when the council adopted the 2023 CAP update, the council was all in on a call to action. Such action will require funding and if the City is to achieve the CAP's targets, a climate action manager is definitely needed to orchestrate an effective community response. Marlin Phelps, Marysville, said after he learned he could corroborate what happened to him with other victims, he got affidavits. He also did a public records request for all Robert Barker's arrest records. Robert Barker never worked in the field, he was in the courtroom every day. He paid a third person to review the arrest records because he believed every one was criminal act. What they found was deplorable; that man did some really, really bad things. The person who is reviewing the records is also cross-referencing the arrests to any missing person reports because he believed there were several. Josh McClure and Jim Lawless knew what was going on. When an internal review of the police department was done, Lawless resigned; Mr. Phelps believed there was something that caused that. Tomorrow he planned to do a public records request for the summary of that internal review. There were hundreds of deplorable criminal acts by hundreds of people. It is incumbent on the council to look at those because they are absolutely frightening. Chris Eck, Edmonds, spoke in favor of the 2024 budget priorities for the City, in particular the top one, safe places to walk and drive. That is definitely a priority for her and her family in Westgate as people zoom by going to PCC; and as she talks to people in the community, she hears this resonating with many of them. She highly encouraged council to fund this very important and vital priority. Along with safety, she also encouraged the City to continue funding human services. It was her understanding hundreds of community members have been served by human services and she believed there was nothing more important than taking care of Edmonds' citizens. Pam Tauer, Edmonds, speaking on behalf of the Mayor's Climate Protection Committee, relayed the committee's support for including a climate action manager in the City's budget. As Ms. Armstrong stated, the CAP was developed 13 years ago but little progress has been made. Without the focus provided by a climate action manager, the City will be in the same situation. Climate action deserves a dedicated resource focused on implementation, reporting and development of climate adaptation and mitigation plans. She envisioned the climate action manager would also coordinate with active and interested environmental groups in the community to promote education and engagement. Edmonds needs a leader in the City's offices who can entirely focus their efforts on the goal of achieving carbon neutrality in 2050. The City cannot wait another 13 years to begin implementation of the CAP. A climate action manager position is long overdue and needs to be included in the City's new budget. Nancy Johnson, Edmonds, retired RN and co-chair, Snohomish and Island Counties Sierra Club, commented on the mayor's proposed budget. She loves living near Yost Park in an area that is quite walkable. She can get groceries and go to the library, the hardware store and the drugstore without ever getting in her car. However, traffic has worsened recently and she has seen several scary near misses including children walking or biking to school. She was delighted to see traffic safety as a budget priority with school zone speed cameras, cameras at six unsafe intersections, and more traffic calming devices. She found it disappointing that Edmonds wasn't further along in addressing the climate crisis. However, the 2023 CAP is a good one if the necessary actions can be taken and the results monitored to ensure steady and measurable progress. Everyone has seen the headlines; weather disasters around the world and in Washington which are predicted to get worse. Edmonds also needs to be concerned about things like sea level rise. Therefore, she strongly supported the proposed new positions for a climate action manager and a grants manager. Recent federal legislation like the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law as well as Washington State's Climate Commitment Act will be instrumental in crafting the response to the existential challenge of climate change. The climate action manager and grants manager Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes October 3, 2023 Page 3 can work together to prioritize and fund the most effective actions to mitigate the climate crisis and adapt to new conditions the City will surely face. Barbara Steller, Edmonds, a member of Advocates for Justice Environment at the Edmonds United Methodist Church and the Interfaith Climate Action Group, spoke tonight for the trees and the CAP which champions more tree canopy in the City. She was grateful the CAP champions more tree canopy, but she was concerned with two developments soon to take place near her home, a block from WinCo. First, at the intersection of 220' Street & 76' Avenue, mature trees will be cut down to expand and improve the roadway primarily for the benefit of vehicular traffic. Second, on a 4+ acre site with old growth trees that abuts 220' Street and the cul-de-sac where she lives, the property is pending sale to the Housing Authority of Snohomish County who has an agreement with the City of Edmonds to operate within its limits. Nearby residents are concerned with further loss of tree canopy and the wildlife that depends on it. She asked who she should contact to voice her concerns about the environmental impacts of these pending changes under the CAP, if there was a provision for oversight of the hard work required to implement the CAP, if there was a City employee with that task in their job description and if not, would someone be hired to enable the plan's timely implementation so the City will be carbon neutral by 2050. Aside from strategies for trees, environment and land use, the plan lists many high to low ranked strategy actions for the City. For example, under transportation 5.2, convert city fleet to electric vehicles. She asked whether the budget included costs and timetable for replacement of gas -powered vehicles and equipment. Another example under buildings and energy, if someone chooses to convert their gas -heated home to an electric heat pump and water heater, who do they notify of this action especially since residential GHG emissions are cited as a significant issue. Someone on the City's staff must manage seeing the planned actions through to fruition. Nora Carlson, Edmonds, a resident of the Westgate neighborhood, expressed her thanks for the recent installation of the rapid beacon lights and signage at the intersection of 96t1i & 224', a busy school crossing for Westgate Elementary School and the neighborhood. Children, parents, neighbors and staff at the school look forward to the eventual installation of the school zone safety cameras later this year at the busy intersection of 96' & 220t1i, also a school crossing. Many people have been involved over the past few years in the efforts to increase the safety of both intersections including neighbors, parents, and staff, which was pivotal to the positive outcome. She greatly appreciated the support of Mayor Nelson, Chief Bennett, Oscar Antillon and Bertrand Hauss. She also thanked councilmembers for their encouragement over the past few years with special thanks to Councilmembers Susan Paine and Vivian Olson for their advocacy for the increased safety measures for these intersections. She summarized patience and persistence pays off in the end. Theresa Hollis, Edmonds, said she was proud of the turnout tonight during public comments, recognizing the council does appreciate hearing from the public. She referred to agenda item 9.3, possible repeal of Ordinance 4079 which controls development in the Highway 99 planned action area. In April 2023 when then -Planning Manager Levitan was meeting with the planning board, he informed them that planned actions are no longer a commonly used technique in municipal land use planning. In August 2023 when the mayor and other candidates for office attended their neighborhood potluck on Madrona Lane, near the Highway 99 Gateway District, Mayor Nelson told them the Highway 99 planned action didn't work and asked them to look forward to the body of work that was being kicked off in the comprehensive plan update that would include new development policies and a new Citywide EIS. Staff has indicated the planned action did not work and was not commonly used in other municipalities and she fully supported the motion to repeal the planned action. 6. RECEIVED FOR FILING CLAIM FOR DAMAGES FOR FILING 7. APPROVAL OF CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes October 3, 2023 Page 4 COUNCILMEMBER PAINE MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER TEITZEL, TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA. Councilmember Chen requested Item 7.5, Approval of GFC Analysis and Adoption of a GFC Rate Ordinance, be removed from the Consent Agenda and added to the agenda as Item 9.1 for a brief discussion regarding how the rates were calculated, and renumber the remaining Council Business Items. He explained his intent was to have Public Works explain. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. The agenda items approved are as follows: 1. APPROVAL OF SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES SEPTEMBER 19, 2023 2. APPROVAL OF SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES SEPTEMBER 26, 2023 3. APPROVAL OF REGULAR MEETING MINUTES SEPTEMBER 26, 20234. 4. APPROVAL OF CLAIM CHECKS AND WIRE PAYMENTS 8. PUBLIC HEARING PUBLIC HEARING ON PROPOSED 2024-2029 CAPITAL FACILITIES PLAN & CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM City Engineer Rob English introduced staff present for this item: Public Works Director Oscar Antillon; Senior Utilities Engineer Mike De Lilla; Parks, Recreation & Human Services Director Angie Feser; and Deputy Parks, Recreation & Human Services Director Shannon Burley. Mr. English reviewed: • CIP versus CFP A VA "" CFP 6-year maintenance 6-year capital Long-range (20-year) projectsw/funding projects w/ capital project needs sources funding sources RE • Components found only in the CIP OComponents found only in the CFP O Components found in both the CIP & CFP o CIP is primarily a budget tool that projects a project list for six years. It includes capital improvement projects to improve infrastructure, but also includes maintenance for infrastructure ■ First three years are a constrained list of projects with secured funding or funds reasonably expected to be secured. ■ Second three years are projects that do not necessarily have an identified funding source. Unfunded projects are included on the list to assist in pursuing grants. Public Works & Utilities 2024-2029 CFP & CIP o Combined CFP & CIP Document ■ Transportation ■ Utilities - Water - Stormwater - Sewer o Facilities o Wastewater Treatment Plant Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes October 3, 2023 Page 5 o Comparison to previous year • Citywide Project Maps • CFP & CIP Format Capital zoza aDoject List FaDilities Decision P Budget Project Numb Amount Preservation I Maintenance Projects PN -bl Annual Steal Preservation $1600,000 $2.4W.WO $1300,000 $2.630 NO $263OOW $2,630.OW $13,19DOOD $39.450,0M $52,640.D00 Program PVIT 03 76M Ave. W Overlay km 196tb $20000 50 $0 $O $0 $0 $20 NO $0 S20.ODD SL SW b Olympic V- D,. PWT-06 Alain SL Overlay krom 6tb Ava_ b $789.553 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $789,553 $0 $789,553 81b Ave. PVIT-05 Puget Ell OVD Signal Upgrades $0 $0 $0 $90000 $496000 $0 $586 No $0 $586Wo PWT-06 Signal Upgades- 1001b A. $0 $0 $0 $165.000 $773,000 $o $938000 $0 $938,000 238t11 St. SW PWT-07 ld,uh St. i 3rd Signal Up9mdes $0 50 $0 $0 $110.000 $383 ON $493000 $0 $493 NO PWT-61 Olympic View Dr 0verby-1961b1 $0 $200.000 $1300,000 $0 $0 $0 $1500,000 $0 $1500,000 SR-524 to Talbot Rd PWT-68 881b Av6 Overlay and Sidewalk $150000 $1350.000 $0 $0 $0 $0 $1,500,000 $0 $1500000 Repoir Sa/ety / Capacity Analysis YlBtn S1 SW fmm Hwv 991n 05tn Project Sheets o Project description o Project benefit o Estimated project cost o Expenditures by phase — programmed for 6 years o Funding sources Parks & Recreation Laka Ballln{er Park/Moentlaka Tarra<a ILA DVI Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes October 3, 2023 Page 6 2024 Public Works Comprehensive Plan Update o Transportation & Stormwater/Surface Water Management Plans ■ Updates will generate new project lists for next year's CIP/CFP Public Works & Utilities - Transportation 2024 Pavement Preservation Projects o 2024 Pavement Preservation Program ($1.5M) ■ Construction - 6 Lane Miles 0 2025 Pavement Preservation Program ($ I OOK) ■ Design 2024; Construction 2025 o Main St. Overlay 6th Ave — 8th Ave ($790k) ■ 2024 Construction ■ $750K Federal Grant ■ 11 New ADA Ramps 0 88th Ave Overlay & Sidewalk Repair ($150K) ■ Design 2024 0 76th Ave Overlay Close-out ($20K) 2024 Safety & Capacity Projects o Hwy 99 Revitalization/Gateway ($114K) o Hwy 99 Stage 3 244' St-2381' St ($1.2M) o Hwy 99 Stage 4 224' St-2201' St ($1.2M) 0 76' Ave/220' St Intersection ($650K) o SR-104 Adaptive System ($186K) o Traffic Signal Upgrades ($30K) 2024 Active Transportation Projects & Planning o Transportation Plan Update($236K) o Citywide Bicycle Improvements($15K) o Elm Way Walkway($ I OK) o Traffic Calming Program($ I OOK) o Pedestrian Safety Program ($80K) Public Works & Utilities - Utilities 2024 Water Utility 0 2024 Replacement Program ($3.3M) ■ Construction 2024 ■ 4,000 ft of Watermain Replacement 0 2025 Replacement Program ($426K) ■ Design 2024; Construction 2025 o Yost & Seaview Reservoir Final Design ($850K) ■ $3.5M-$4M rehabilitation cost for each reservoir ■ 2025-26 Construction o Waterline Overlays ($225K) 2024 Stormwater Utility o Storm & Surface Water Comp Plan ($350K) o Perrinville Creek Basin Projects ■ Lower Perrinville Creek Restoration ($275K) ■ Perrinville Creek Flow Mgmt ($100K) ■ Perrinville Creek Basin Update ($594K) o Edmonds Marsh Water Quality Impr ($90K) o Lake Ballinger Floodplain Purchase ($120K) 0 2024 Replacement Program ($1.3M) o Stormwater Overlays ($315K) 0 2025 Replacement Program ($324K) 2024 Sewer Utility Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes October 3, 2023 Page 7 0 2024 Replacement Program($2M) ■ 800 ft of Sewerline Replacement 0 2025 Replacement Program($363K) o Cured in -place pipe rehabilitation ($522K) ■ 4,000 ft of sewer CIPP rehab o Sewerline Overlays($60K) 2024 WWTP o WWTP Annual Capital Replaement ($500K) o Carbon Recovery Project ($500K) o Nutrient Removal Project ($350K) o Gasification Bypass ($300K) o Condition Assessment ($150K) o Variable Frequency Drives (VFD) Upgrades ($250K) o Primary Clarifier 2 Rehabilitation ($600K) Public Works & Utilities - Facilities o Boys & Girls Club o Historic Museum o Cemetery Building o Library o City Hall o Meadowdale Club House o Fishing Pier o Old Public Works o Frances Anderson Center o Parks Maintenance Building o Fire Station 16 o Public Safety o Fire Station 17 o Public Works O&M o Fire Station 20 o Wade James Theater o Historic Log Cabin • 2024-2029 Funding CIP/CFP Schedule o July o Yost Pool House Unsecured Funding $862,240 4% 016-bond $585,000 3% Transportation Impact Fees $423,361 2% Fund 112 $251,570 1.1% ARPA Funds $114,000 0.5% CGene"Fund 1 Other 0.4% citynnwood) Otherh.r L ,550 4% General Fund fund 112 Other 0.3% nara city of Lynnwood Other Facilities 016 bond/non-bond $2,013,645 0.7% Transportation Impact Fees $1,923,065 1% W ■ City staff begins development of capital budgets o August Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes October 3, 2023 Page 8 ■ Submit proposed Capital budget to Finance ■ Prepare draft CFP and CIP o September ■ Joint Presentation City Council/Planning Board (September 19th) ■ Planning Board Public Hearing (September 27th) o October ■ City Council Public Hearing (October 3rd) ■ Planning Board Recommendation/Approval (October l lth) ■ City Council Discussion (October 17th) ■ City Council Discussion/Approval (October 24th) o November ■ Adopt CFP w/ Budget into the Comprehensive Plan (November 21 st) Parks, Recreation & Human Services Director Angie Feser recognized the efforts of Deputy Parks, Recreation and Human Services Director Shannon Burley in preparing the CIP/CFP. She presented the Parks 2024-2029 CFP/CIP: • 2024-2029 Parks CIP/CFP Framework o Department Staff Resources o PROS Plan Capital Recommendations 1. Acquisition to Fill Park System Gaps - Secure additional land for neighborhood parks to address gaps 2. Open Space & Conservation Acquisitions - Pursue acquisitions that adjoin city properties or conserve unique natural areas 3. Park Development & Enhancements — significant repairs needed for aging infrastructure 4. Yost Pool Replacement - Refine options for the replacement of Yost Pool 5. Trail Connections — Needed to help link destinations across the community 6. ADA, Accessibility & Other User Convenience Enhancements - Remove barriers and improve universal access o PROS Plan Goals (9) 1. ENGAGEMENT - Encourage and facilitate meaningful public involvement in park and recreation planning. 2. DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION - Decrease barriers and provide increased opportunities for participation and representative cultural, heritage and art programs, events representing the diversity of Edmonds demographics. 3. PARKS, TRAILS & OPEN SPACE - Provide an interconnected park system that offers a wide variety of year-round recreation opportunities and experiences which support and enhance Edmonds' cultural identity and the natural environment. 4. WATERFRONT USE & ACCESS - Preserve and pursue opportunities to expand public access and enjoyment of Edmonds' waterfront. 5. NATURAL RESOURCE & HABITAT CONSERVATION - Conserve and provide access to natural resource lands for habitat conservation, recreation, and environmental education. 6. CLIMATE CHANGE, ADAPTATION & RESILIENCY - Adapt to climate change and increase local park system resiliency by improving environmental conditions, stewardship and sustainability in parks, trails, open spaces and recreation facilities within planning, development, maintenance, and operations. 7. RECREATION PROGRAMS & FACILITIES - Provide a varied and inclusive suite of recreation opportunities and experiences to promote health and wellness, year-round activity and social engagement. 8. CULTURAL SERVICES - Provide arts and cultural opportunities and experiences to promote an engaged and vibrant community. Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes October 3, 2023 Page 9 9. PARK OPERATIONS & ADMINISTRATION - Maintain and operate a modern, efficient park system that provides a high level of user comfort, safety and aesthetic quality, and protects capital investments. • 2024-2029 Parks CIP/CFP Geographic Distribution �LIL ' Cr * Non -site specific projects AZ, P2, D13 Neighborhood Park SE 1 A3, P6, D15 Neighborhood Park SR99 A4, P7, D18 Neighborhood Park SE 2 R17 Citywide Park Improvements R10 Signage & Wayfinding 2024 Projects 2025 - 2029 Projects • Parks 2024-2029 CTP/CFP Format Costs Inflated at 3% per year project UpProtect Ske B, lksuilydon 2020 1 2025 1 2026 1 2027 1 2028 1 2029 6-Year Total Ballinger Park Moundake Terrace ILA •CARRYFORWARD• IFLake D19 fund., ro support City of Mountlake Terrace Ballinger Park Phase BI 5 200,000 $ $ - $ - $ $ - $ 200,000 D-1cipment Payment due uponcompletion of Project, 05 Madsay Ballinger Park •CARRYFORWARD- D6 Construction of improvements including permanent restroom, pared traa, picnic S 271.300 S - 5 - 5 - 5 S 271,300 D7 shebe, ADA access and other anumities. SANI Creek ReMor.don eCARRYFORWAROa R19 Stream heahh and er°swn cunirW °I shell Creek in Yost Park, cope TBDbaxd $ 120,000 S 3140,0, '. - - 5 - 5 - $ SOD,000 on study. Study In 2024. work in 2025. R9 Yost Park E Pool R4 Park enhancements, repair and maintenance to Include resurface of tennis courts $ 5 R6 and trail, bridge and boardwalk repairs(repfaremenl in 2024, inclusive 154,300 5 1.296,400 S 5 5 5 1,450.700 Fill 1plaiiii,ound and pool upgrades m 2025. CalumlIarium Expansion - Phase It D8 Expansion of the current columbarlumfunding prmKid through the Cemetery S S 1591100 S - S S - 5 - S 1591100 Trust fund 137. Woodway Campus Athletic Complex Phase 1 Lighting x D20 In nouln'ration wM1h thr Edmunds 5clwul Dn[rr:t cnmpletra<ommundy park S - 5 1.500,000 S - $ - S - $ - 5 1.500,000 and athktK compkx at former Woodway High School to include lighting and future construction of two additional fields Neighborhood Park SE I x f - Alen and d—lopment of a new neighborhood park In South Edmonds $ - $ 79,600 $ 819,5DO $ - $ - $ - $ 899,100 l+l; g is m R pmgr pun ) Ilundm Parkland A< uhlllon am for chase. Sierra Park R8 PLrygmund repW<ement :ed upgrade tp inclusive standards $ S S 415,000 $ - $ $ S a15,000 R7 Olympic Beach Park R—,, al ion of en sling rrstrooms, $ - S 20.WO $ 33.000 S $ S $ S3.000 • Parks 2024-2029 CIP/CFP Funding Overview Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes October 3, 2023 Page 10 PARKS CIP REVENUE 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 6-Yew Total Real Estate Exclse Tax (REST} I • Fund 126 5 200,000 $ 200,000 S 200,000 S 200,000 S 200,000 $ 200,000 S 1.200,000 Real Estate Excl%Tax(REET)II-Fund 125 S 2,000,000 S 1,500,OD0 $ 1,500.000 S 1,S00,000 $ 1,500,000 $ 1,500,ODD S 9,S00.000 Park Impact Fees -Fund 332.100 S 30D.000 5 30D,000 $ 300,ODO $ 300,000 S 300.000 $ 300.000 $ 1.800,000 Tree Fund 143 • land Acquisition S 215.000 $ 215,000 $ 215,ODO S 215,000 S 215,0DD S 225.000 5 1,290,000 Cemetery Trust Fund 137 - Columbarlum Expansion 5 159.10(1 5 159,100 ARPA Contribution- Shell Creek Study S 120,000 5 • $ • $ • S • S : $ 120,000 Investment Interest 13%) IS 18,918 5 24,795 $ 30.84915 37,08515 43,5071 $ SO,122 S 205.277 Donations lls • 5 -$ - S S 5 5 Bond Proceeds Secured Grans- UnsecuredGrants/Funding•n-land acquisition Ills IS 1,500.000 15 1,945,OD0 I S 5,48L200 15 869,500 I S24,756.800 S 34.552,500 (E) TOTAL PARKS CIP REVENUE JIS 2.853.918 I S 3,898,895 1 $ 4.190,849 1 $ 7.733,285 I S 1,129.007 1 $27,021.922 $ 49,926.977 Park, Fund 6-rear Overvievr 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 IF) eginning Fund Balance $ 3,150,795 $ 3,061,113 $ 1,316,908 $ 17,857 $ 1,214,742 $ 2,817,349 (E)Revenue $ 2,853,918 $ 3,898,895 $ 4.190,849 $ 7,733,285 5 3,120,007 S 27,021,922 (D) Expandaures $ 2,943,600 $ 1,643.100 $ 5,489,90D $ 6,536,400 $ 2.525.400 S 26,559,455 G EndingFund Bil(f-E-0 306 113 316,908 17857 214742S 1,817.M2,279,317 1 1 • Current/Ongoing Capital Projects o Civic Park close out o Shirley Johnson property structure demolition o Mathay Ballinger Park improvements (2023-2024) o McAleer Lake Access Upgrade o Maintenance of Oak Tree (51}i & Main) o Parkland Acquisition Program o Deferred Maintenance/Small Capital Projects ■ BLN shower replacement ■ Cemetery gate repair ■ Mathay Ballinger Apollo Swing replacement ■ Park restroom door (12) automatic locks ■ Viewer repairs • Parks 2024-2029 CIP/CFP Projects o Highlight - 2024 Projects ■ Ballinger Park/Mountlake Terrace ILA D 19 (DP) Construcuon(D39)-ILA $200,000 S2DO,000 Total Expenses $200,000 $200,000 Real Estate Excise Tax ll - Fund 125 $200,000 $200,000 Total Revenue $2001000 $200,000 Un-cured Funding so so • Interlocal agreement to support development PROS Plan of phase 3 which includes improved access for 63 -1 3.2, 3.8, 3.11 G5 - Obj 5.2 Edmonds residents Rec. - 3.6 • Estimated Cost $200,000 ■ Mathay Ballinger Park - D6 (Carryforward/DP) ConRrucoon(D6)- permanent ReWoom $271,300 $271,300 Total Expenses $27L300 $271.300 Real Estate Excise Tax II - Fund 12.5 $271,300 $271,300 Told Revenue 5271,300 $272, PROS Plan • ADA parking and paved pathway 62-Obj2.6 • Shelter with Picnic Tables G3-Obj3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 3.8, 3.9 • Permanent Restroom G9-Obj9.1 • Estimated Total Cost: $499,300 Rec. - 3.1, 3.3, 3.5, 6.2, 6.4 Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes October 3, 2023 Page 11 Shell Creek Restoration — R19 (Carryforward) 2024 Conwuaion (R19)—Creek Restoration $120,000 2025 $380,000 1 1 1 1 1 $500,000 Total Exi, r s120,000 s380,000 S500,000 Real Estate Guise Tax II - Fund 125 s300,000 S380,000 ARPA Funding Transfer $120,W0 $120,000 Total Revenue $120,000 $380,000 sS00A00 Uns-ured Funding so so I • Study to determine scope & obtain permits - 2024 PROS Plan • Restorative work - 2025 G3 - Obi 3.7, 3.8, 3.9 • Estimated Cost $500,000 G4 - Obi 4.2, 4.4 G5 - Obi 5.1, 5.3, 5.4 G6- Obi 6.5 G9 - Obi 9.1, 9.2 ■ Yost Park & Pool R9, R4, R, RI 1 (DP) M24 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 lotai t>—.ea wnd:v So 5o So Trail / Bridge Repair- 2024 Tennis Court Resurface - 2024 Playground Replacement - 2025 Pool Upgrades - 2025 Estimated Cost: $1,450,700 1 M Parks 2024-2029 CIP/CFP Projects o Columbarium Expansion — Phase 2 o Woodway Campus Athletic Complex — Phase 1 Lighting o Neighborhood Park SE 1 o Sierra Park o Olympic Beach Park o Renovation of existing restrooms o Pine Street Park o Johnson property o Neighborhood Park SR99 o Park & Facilities Maintenance and Operations Building o Maplewood Hill Park o Neighborhood Park SE 2 o Waterfront Walkway o Seaview Park o Elm Street Park PROS Plan G1 - Obi 1.1, 1.4 G3- Obi 3.6,3.8,3.9 G4 - Obi. 4.4 G5 - Obj 5.4 G6 - Obi 6.5 G9 - Obj. 9.1 Rec. - 3.1, 3.4, 3.10 Rec. - 6.1 o Pool replacement o Meadowdale Playfields o Edmonds Marsh Estuary Restoration (Willow Creek Daylighting) Programs — Highlight 2024 projects o Signage & Wayfinding — R10 (DP) Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes October 3, 2023 Page 12 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 Total Unseared Funding s0 s0 Trail identification, orientation markers, safety & regulatory messaging, park hours, park rules and etiquette, interpretive information and warning signs. • Estimated Cost: $75,000 S Plan G2 — O2.1, 2.3 G2 —Obj.bj. r 7 G3 — Obj. 3.6 05 — Obj. 5.3, 5.4 G9 — Obj. 9.1 Rec. —6.2,6.5 o Citywide Park improvements/Capital Replaement Program o Parkland Acquisition Support o Debt Service and Interfund Transfers • 2024-2029 CIP/CFP - Parkland Acquisitions o Parkland Acquisition — A2, A3, A4 (No DP- Council Authorization) 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 Total Unsecured (S2o0.o00) (S200,000) • Neighborhood Parks SE1 • Acquisition as Feasible • Estimated Cost: $1,500,00 o Interurban Trail PROS Plan G2 — Obj. 2.1 G3 — Obj. 3.1, 3.1, 3.3, 3.9 Rec. —1.1 o Edmonds Marsh Estuary Restoration (Willow Creek Daylighting) Changes to CIP/CFP CFP I CIP COMPARISON 12024 TO 2029) ADDED TWO I PROJECT NAME CFP DESCRIPTION None CFP / CIP COMPARISON (2024 TO 2029) PROJECTS REMOVED TVpe PROJECT NAME 1 CFP 1 DESCRIPTION Parks Lake Ballinger Access McAleer Project completion scheduled in 2023 Parks lJohnson Property Demolition I IDemoliton to be complete in 2023 Park8 IPlayground Upgrade Program I IPlayground upgrades identified each year, no need for additional program CFP 1 CIP COMPARISON 112024 TO 20291 REVISED Type PROJECT NAME CFP CHANGE Parks Colum barium Expansion - Phase II Funded through CemeteryTrust Fund 137 - scheduled in 2025 vs. 24 Parks Elm Street Park Improvements Separated into planning In 2027 and construction in 2028 vs. 2026 Parks Interurban Trail Expansion Moved to 2029 vs. 28 Parks Johnson Property Master Plan Removed demolition master Plan scheduled in 2026 vs. 25 Parks Lake Ballinger Park Mountlake Terrace ILA ILA completed in 2023, payment due upon construction completion in 2024, carryforward Parks Maplewood Hill Park Playground replacement moved to 2027 vs. 25 significant price increase Parks Mathay Ballinger Park Improvements ermanent restroom installation scheduled to take place In 2024 carryforward Parks Nei hborhood Park SE1, SR99 SE2 X Master Ian and construction of all three parks pushed back one year must acquire first Parks OI m 'c Beach Park Improvements Separated into planning in 2025 and construction in 2026 vs- 24 Parks Parkland Acquisition/Neighborhood Parks X All three bumped back one year to 2024. 2025 and 2026 Parks Pine Street Park Improvements Separated into planning in 2025 and construction in 2026 vs. 24 Parks Seaview Park Improvements Restroom replacement moved to 2028 vs. 27 Parks Shell Creek Restoration Plan carried forward to 2024; restoration in 2025 vs. 24 Parks Signage and Wayfinding Price increase to S75K vs- S51 500 Parks Yost Park & Pool Improvements I lPlayground replacement moved to 2025 vs. 23 significant Price increase due to topography Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes October 3, 2023 Page 13 Mayor Nelson opened the public hearing. Jay Grant, Edmonds, a Port of Edmonds Commissioner but speaking for himself tonight, explained he has been involved in public budgets for many years, all directly related to public safety and security of critical infrastructure. He referred to the beginning balance of $6 million in the 2024 proposed budget, commenting he found that frightening compared to balances in other years. In 2023 there were ARPA funds and one-time monies, and in 2024 the City is expecting major grants. He referred to fines and forfeitures and asked the source of those funds. He noted although property values and property taxes are increasing, revenue has been about $14-15M, approaching $16M, but he did not see any justification for the forecast for property tax to decrease by $4-5M, a significant amount. He hoped his questions would be answered, noting the budget is a very important topic. Mayor Nelson reminded this is a public hearing on the 2024-2029 CIP/CFP. [No name given], Edmonds, said she was impressed with improvements and the creation of more parks in Edmonds, noting she moved to Edmonds 20 years ago for the parks and open spaces. As much as she loves parks, pedestrian safety needs to be a priority for the City. She walks 4-5 miles/day; one of her main routes is 80' Ave W between 188' Street SW and Olympic View Drive. There is a sidewalk improvement project in the CIP for that area, funded in 2027 and 2028. That is a dangerous section of road and she has seen people with strollers in the street in areas where the road crests and cars cannot see them because the area next to the road is full of mud six months of the year. She has fallen a couple of times when walking on that stretch of the road. Many people walk that stretch of road because it goes to Seaview Park and other lovely places in Edmonds that are great to walk to. She urged the council to make pedestrian safety projects a priority and specifically that section on 80t' Ave W between 188' Street SW and Olympic View Drive. Jim Ogonowski, Edmonds, thanked staff for the great overview provided by their presentation. He referred to the proposed utility rate increases and the additional bonding in that proposal versus the CIP/CFP, advising he did not see the correlation he would expect. There were some comments about revenues for some of the projects, but he did not see the bonding portion. The utility rate study suggests the City will be bonding in addition to a double-digit rate increase, but the revenue section of the CIP/CFP does not necessarily suggest the same integration of revenue streams. He suggested looking at that to be certain it is cohesive and transparent. Chris Kelly, Edmonds, a resident of the Seaview neighborhood, expressed appreciation for the presentation and the work staff is doing, commenting it is exciting to see the future and to be a resident of Edmonds. He referred to PWT-68, the 88t1' Ave overlay and sidewalk repair, advising as a resident of the area, he appreciated the City's investment in the long needed underground infrastructure and appreciated resurfacing the roadway as it is pretty bumpy. He was disheartened to see that the scope of the project was an asphalt sidewalk and not a long -life, low maintenance concrete sidewalk as there are elsewhere in the City. Many property owners along the planned project route have already invested in concrete sidewalks as a result of City development requirements and codes. He requested the scope of the project be changed from an asphalt walkway to a concrete sidewalk. If funding is an issue, he suggested this may be a candidate for the Safe Routes to Schools program as it provides direct access to Seaview Elementary within two miles. Mr. Kelly referred to PWT-17, 196th Street SW/88" Avenue West intersection improvements, explaining he is a 30+ year regular user of this intersection as a driver, pedestrian and bicyclist. He looked forward to this project coming to fruition from a safety point of view. The stated justification for the project is to improve vehicle level of service; he requested the description be expanded to reflect a Complete Streets approach with marked and signalized crosswalks. In addition to providing safe and convenient access for all modes of travel, construction of sidewalks will provide residents who live north of 196/Puget Drive/SR 524 easy access to Maplewood Hill Park, a highly underappreciated City asset and inaccessible to Seaview Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes October 3, 2023 Page 14 residents without a vehicle. He also asked that the scope of the project be expanded to include a short, approximately 100-foot, sidewalk on the south side of Puget Drive from 88t1i Avenue W to the intersection to the existing marked entry of the park boundary. He suspected the legislature's passage of Move Ahead Washington will mandate Complete Streets and appreciated the council's support and acknowledgement of that. He was opposed to any short or long term solution that would limit movement of north-southbound traffic to right turn only. Theresa Hollis, Edmonds, commented the plan uses priorities for walkways that were established in 2015 which is before city council decided to put almost all new housing growth in the Highway 99 subarea. This CFP ignores housing growth decisions made regarding the location of future density. She requested getting transportation priority planning in sync with development planning. When the TIP was presented to council in June, the new sidewalks on 84'1i Street were planned for 2024, however, this version of the CIP has it planned for 2027. One of her neighbors drives their electric wheelchair in the road on 84'h; a sidewalk on 84' is definitely needed now. She requested the timing of the sidewalk from 76t' Street to Highway 99, PWT-50 be moved up to 2025. That has been a dangerous route for a long time for pedestrians walking to/from the park, Safeway or the bus. She did not support the amount of spending in the Green Streets demonstration project. To her way of thinking, a Green Street was a Tesla and residents would be happy with a used Prius. Residents just want some kind of walkway, asphalt or concrete, so they do not have to walk in the street, especially when walking kids to school. To this point, she requested adding a project for a paved walkway on 236t1i between 84'1i and Edmonds Way, the route to Madrona School which would support the neighborhood where development will eventually happen on the empty lot at 236' & 84t''. She expressed support for the increased funding in 2024 for traffic calming. With regard to parks, she supported the emphasis on the maintenance and repair backlog and the investment in access to Lake Ballinger. With no further public comment, Mayor Nelson closed the public hearing. Council President Tibbott requested councilmembers keep questions at a general level. There is a lengthy agenda item at the October 17 meeting for council discussion. Staff has requested councilmembers submit questions on specific projects to them so they can be summarized and provided for the October 17 meeting. He anticipated the council will continue to receive entails on this topic; it would be a great opportunity for councilmember to include those questions at the October 17 meeting. Council President Tibbott relayed his understanding that the planning board planned to discuss and make a recommendation on the CIP/CFP at their October 11 meeting. He asked that the council receive their comments prior to the October 17 meeting. Ms. Feser advised staff discussed the turnaround on the public hearing with the planning board. The planning board's meeting is October 11, the information for the October 17 packet is due October 12; the planning board is committed to having that completed on October 11 so staff can include it in the agenda packet due on October 12. Council President Tibbott acknowledged that information would be very helpful for the council. He reiterated a significant portion of the October 17 meeting would be devoted to discussing the CIP/CFP and getting answers to questions councilmembers submit to staff. Councilmember Nand said she would email project specific questions to staff. She inquired about ADA accessibility for playgrounds, noting a lot of signage on playgrounds in Edmonds parks include an age limit such as the equipment should only be used by those under the age of 12. However, families with differently abled adults may want to bring them to the park. Europe has been experimenting with all ages parks so the public and seniors have engagement and exercise opportunities. She wondered whether there could be a shift toward an all age component in playgrounds. Ms. Feser answered there is a difference between ADA and inclusive. ADA is meeting the requirements to provide equitable access; inclusive takes that much farther and creates an enhanced play experience that goes beyond just access. Inclusive level playgrounds address what Councilmember Nand mentioned. The playground improvement at Seaview Park was the first inclusive playground followed by Mika's Playground at Civic Playfields. The plan is to have the next couple Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes October 3, 2023 Page 15 playground replacements be inclusive level. The goal is to create play environments at a level that is inclusive, multigenerational and multi -ability that welcomes everyone. Councilmember Nand commented she was a fan of that. Councilmember Buckshnis asked whether the transportation plan update would utilize the multimodal design. Mr. English answered the intent is to update transportation impact fees to a multimodal level of service. With regard to Perrinville, Councilmember Buckshnis observed the lower creek design was $900,000 last year and those funds were not used. Now the project is only $275,000. Mr. English answered over $900,000 was planned to take the project to 60% design; that included a ARPA allocation which was reduced. The reduced amount will get the project to 30% design in 2024. Councilmember Buckshnis asked whether the council would be provided an update on Perrinville. She wanted to know more about the $594,000 and the partnership with Lynnwood. Mr. English advised Mike De Lilla was instrumental in securing the grant from Department of Ecology. Mr. De Lilla answered $594,000 is the total cost of the project and includes grant funds from DOE, and matching funds from Edmonds and Lynnwood. That project will update the 2015 basin analysis that was done for the flow reduction study and will include additional sites and more due diligence. The sites are listed but based on the projects done so far, geotechnical work needs to be done as well as look at infiltration rates to see the true potential of some of the sites that are considered the best or most fruitful. The cost is split 50150 with Lynnwood; having a team of cities helped obtain the grant. He is working on an interlocal agreement (ILA) that will spell out all the details as far as responsibilities between the two parties. He is also working on an RFQ for a consultant; the contract will be over $100,000 and will require council review and approval. He was hopeful the study could begin next year. Councilmember Buckshnis observed the basin is the upper reach. Mr. De Lilla agreed. Councilmember Buckshnis asked if there had ever been thought given to putting Perrinville in Parks & Recreation since it is now considered a nearshore estuary which means an automatic 10 points in grant scoring. The area by the railroad tracks could be a passive park. Mr. De Lilla answered the biggest issue is the City does not own the land and does not regulate the stream as it is waters of the state. The City owns land at the marsh and Shell Creek. Councilmember Buckshnis agreed about green streets, relaying the need for code as a manual is not sufficient. She preferred to build sidewalks in that area versus this big project. She was shocked about the treatment plant and asked if the numbers were realistic, that the nutrient removal project will cost $41 million. Mr. De Lilla answered that was the estimate from the consultant based on data that currently exists. Councilmember Buckshnis said a lot of people have asked about an ILA regarding Esperance Park. She asked about the parks maintenance facility near Esperance. Ms. Feser answered the City is leasing space on 76t' to house overflow equipment and staff. Councilmember Buckshnis advised volunteers cut the grass at Esperance Park. She asked if there had been consideration given to an ILA for Esperance Park so the City could help with cutting the grass, animal control, etc. Ms. Feser answered she has not spoken to Snohomish County about a maintenance ILA for Esperance Park. If that is something the council wants to pursue and fund, the budget process is the time to do that. Councilmember Paine observed bicycle infrastructure still includes the word sharrows which she did not consider bicycle infrastructure since it is just paint on the roadway rather than a true bike lane. She asked if sharrows would be used in the foreseeable future or would there be something that designates a proper bike lane. Mr. English answered that will addressed in the transportation update. Sharrows are still an alternative treatment when there is not enough right-of-way for a bike lane. The transportation plan update Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes October 3, 2023 Page 16 will adopt more of the Complete Streets principles throughout the entire transportation system and he anticipated bike lanes would be more prominent than sharrows if there is enough space. With regard to the transportation plan update, Councilmember Paine said transportation planning needs to be harmonized with the comprehensive plan where there is more planned development which may shift how some areas will look and feel and include appropriate infrastructure. Mr. English agreed, advising the transportation plan will be coordinated with the comprehensive plan. Councilmember Paine said she will submit her project specific questions to staff. Councilmember Chen thanked staff for their hard work and heavy lifting. He expressed interest in an ILA with Snohomish County for Esperance Park, a wonderful facility that Edmonds residents enjoy. There is no permanent restroom at Esperance Park and perhaps that is an improvement that Edmonds could work on with Snohomish County. There are two dog parks at Esperance Park and with the success of Edmonds' dog park at Marina Beach, perhaps the City could share its experience with dog parks with Snohomish County. Councilmember Chen recalled taking a bike ride a couple weeks ago along the Interurban Trail that identified some possibilities for study. He asked if it would be possible to add that to 2024. Ms. Feser answered the bike bridge would be a transportation project, not a parks project. Mr. English recommended evaluating that along with other projects in the transportation plan update. Councilmember Chen commented Mountlake Terrace, Lynnwood and Shoreline are interested in working together so the bicycle bridge could be a multijurisdictional effort. He will email project specific questions to staff. Councilmember Teitzel said as he thinks about southeast Edmonds, there is a lot going on there including improvements on the corridor to streets and infrastructure, improvements at Mathay Ballinger Park, and the ILA with Mountlake Terrace to provide access to their park, making it a very attractive, walkable area. There is a definite need to focus on pedestrian safety in that area and he recommended prioritizing the 238t1i Street sidewalks (PWT-50), in the CIP/CFP in 2030-2044 which he felt was too far out in view of the need for pedestrian safety. He plans to propose an amendment to the CIP/CFP to exchange the timing of that project with PWT-64, Green Streets on 236t' St SW which is scheduled to start in 2025. He preferred that the 238t' walkway start in 2025. 9. COUNCIL BUSINESS 1. APPROVAL OF GFC ANALYSIS AND ADOPTION OF A GFC RATE ORDINANCE (Previously Consent Agenda Item 7.5) Councilmember Chen asked public works staff to explain the calculation, particularly for the storm rate increase. He referred to the PowerPoint on packet page 45 that reflects the stormwater rate going up from $799 to $,3122, approximately a 300% increase. He understood costs went up during the 2023 study versus the 2011 study, but the equivalent service unit (ESU) concept needs to be explained. In the 2011 study the ESU was actually higher than the 2023 study so it seems counterintuitive that as development occurred during the last 12 years, the cost increased but the ESU decreased. Public Works Director Oscar Antillon reviewed: • General Facilities Charge (GFC) Definition o A one-time charge at the time of development that recovers a proportionate share of the past and planned capital costs of the City utilities systems. The charge is paid by all customers newly connecting to the City utilities systems or existing customers where the structure has been modified to increase the number of dwelling units, or other changes that require additional capacity. • Background o The GFC is a connection charge that: Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes October 3, 2023 Page 17 ■ Is imposed on development to recover an equitable share of system costs ■ Is based on the cost of existing assets and future capital projects ■ Provides a source of funding for capital projects and/or debt service GFC Methodology GFC per ERU = o Key steps: ■ Define the "cost of the existing system" The GFC calculation ■ Compute interest accrued on existing assets should only include costs ■ Define the capital improvement program funded by the utility ■ Define the applicable system capacity Mr. Antillon advised the reason the ERUs (denominator in the above calculation) for stormwater decreased slightly is because the analysis was based on available land. The only way to change that is if land is added to the City. The number decreased slightly based on information provided by Snohomish County regarding available lots and zoning. The numerator is quite a bit higher which is the reason for the significant percentage increase. Councilmember Chen said during the last 12 years there are many new buildings in Edmonds which means the usable land would increase rather than decrease. He asked if the surface increases by adding more buildings. Mr. Antillon answered no surface was added; the City did not grow. Buildings were added and the density increased, but there is the same amount of land; stormwater fees are calculated using available land. Mr. De Lilla explained the 2011 data assumed a base number that was already developed. The way the model was built assumed a growth factor for 20 years. That growth factor assumed a growth in population which translated to buildable land. The issue with that model is it is based on county data and zoning, there is only so much impervious surface where building can occur in the City. The old model projected there would be more impervious area than could possibly ever be built. The new data, based on Snohomish County Buildable Lands, assigns zoning for single family, multifamily and commercial and each has an equivalent amount of area that is allowed to be impervious. The new data showed, based on the Snohomish County data, that this is as much impervious surface there can ever be based on the Buildable Lands report. Mr. De Lilla continued, the issue between storm, water and sewer is that storm GFCs are purely based on impervious surface which is a very limited resource. A lot of capital projects have occurred which adds to the overall asset value; a higher asset value but not a lot of increase in the denominator, the GFCs will increase tremendously. Water and sewer, which is based on population, buildings can be added and the overall population growth is unlimited so the numerator and denominator increase at the same time which is why water and sewer have not increased a lot. Councilmember Chen said he wanted that explained so developers know why when they are paying a fee three times higher. COUNCILMEMBER CHEN MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCIL PRESIDENT TIBBOTT, TO APPROVE THE UTILITY RATE INCREASE ORDINANCE. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. Mayor Nelson declared a brief recess. Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes October 3, 2023 Page 18 2. OVERVIEW OF UPCOMING BUDGET PROCESS Administrative Services Director Dave Turley commented as the council just received their budget books last night, he did not expect a lot of in depth questions tonight. This agenda item is an overview to get the ball rolling. He reviewed the 2024 budget season: • What to expect; o This is the last year we will be doing a one-year budget. We will be doing this process again in the Fall of 2024, but then it will be for a two-year budget. o Producing the 2024 Proposed Budget is the culmination of more than six months of hard work. o A tremendous amount of effort and collaboration has gone into preparing for this budget season: ■ Council Retreat ■ Council Resolution for Budget Priorities ■ Several Council -sponsored budget outreach events ■ Extensive planning and coordination between the Council President (with input from Council members), the Council Legislative Assistant, and the Administration - Mr. Turley recognized Council Legislative Assistant Beckie Peterson for her assistance with making the process as efficient as possible ■ Close examination of the schedule - for example, in an effort to improve efficiency, the CIP/CFP presentation schedule has been changed, which we hope will eliminate some overlap and redundancy o We are pleased to be able to deliver the Mayor's Budget Message and the Proposed Budget not only on time as promised, but we have actually delivered it to you earlier than in previous years! ■ Dates the budget was delivered to council, past 10 years: - 10/2/2023 - 10/3/2022 - 10/4/2021 - 10/5/2020 - 10/8/2019 - 10/9/2018 - 10/ 10/2017 - 10/11/2016 - 10/13/2015 - 10/ 17/2014 What to look for in budget book: a. Table of contents, Mayor's Budget Message b. Sample ordinance c. Resolution 1526 - Establishing Council Budget Priorities d. Org Charts e. Strategic Outlook and Fund Balance Analysis f. Tables and Charts that summarize the budget g. Property Tax Information, Authorized Positions, Salary and Wage Tables h. List of Decision Packages i. 145 pages of budget information by fund, department, cost center j. 98 Decision Packages (fewer than previous years) Budget Season calendar o Department presentations to provide insight and context to the budget: October 3, October 10 and October 17 o Further CIP/CFP Discussions: October 17, October 24, and adoption November 21 o Public hearings on the budget: October 17, October 24 and November 6 o Budget Workshops: October 19 and October 30 Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes October 3, 2023 Page 19 o Council Budget Review and Discussion: November 6 and November 14 o Dates set aside for further Review and Discussion if needed: November 16 (Thursday), November 18 (Saturday), November 20 (Monday) o Final Review and Adoption of the Budget: November 21 Inflation: Biggest impact to 2024 budget is inflation o Inflation in the past couple years has been higher than any time in the past 40 years o Inflation is a fact of life. Costs go up. We recently experienced record inflation globally, especially during 2021-2022. Edmonds was not exempt. o While costs continue to rise, the City has not had significant increases to General Fund Revenues in decades. This has placed a continually increasing strain on our ability to deliver services to the public. o Inflation over the last couple of years has hit the General Fund hard: ■ Contract for Fire and EMS services: $4 million ■ WCIA insurance: $.5 million ■ Salaries & Benefits, to remain competitive with other cities and hold onto staff ■ Inflation hits all costs — supplies, professional services, vehicles, fuel, utilities, etc. What to expect in the budget o While the 2024 proposed budget reflects the values and priorities of the mayor, council and the residents of Edmonds, this is not the year for growth in the budget o Barebones budget this year, only about 20 General Fund decision packages, nearly all of them designed to maintain current service levels o Only two new General Fund positions, one of which is designed to increase revenue o Happy to meet with councilmember individually to discuss, answer any questions What to expect tonight o "Year in Review" from the Municipal Court and the Administrative Services Department (first of 3 such presentations) o Format was requested by Council and provides background information and additional "Bi Picture" context for Council and the public to better understand departmental budgets o Brief review of decision packages (deliberations will come later when council has had ample time to digest budget) Mr. Turley described a proposal for a different process this year; ;the council's legislative assistant executive volunteered to collect councilmember's decision packages, comments and suggestions and put them on the website organized by category. This will make it more accessible to everyone and allow councilmembers to check the list before submitting a similar decision package. The list will be more accessible on the City's website and easier to understand. Council President Tibbott expressed appreciation for the calendar. There will be more presentations from staff about their program areas as well as opportunities for the council to discuss the budget. Tonight is an opportunity for councilmembers to ask high level questions; specific questions can be asked at the meetings when budget discussions are scheduled. The council does not typically meet on the fifth Tuesday; there is an informal budget workshop scheduled in the Brackett Room to work through the budget and discuss council decision packages. He suggested tonight councilmembers ask questions about navigating the budget document rather than regarding specifics which will be discussed later. Councilmember Buckshnis referred to the calendar, advising there is no interrelationship with the CIP/CFP. Upon further observation, she noted the calendar included further CIP/CFP discussion on October 17, October 24 and adoption November 21. Councilmember Buckshnis inquired about the public hearing on the CIP/CFP, also noting there was no public hearing regarding revenues. Mr. Turley advised there are public hearings on October 17, October 24 and November 6; the budget season calendar was intended to be high level and he did not identify the topic for the public hearings. Council President Tibbott advised Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes October 3, 2023 Page 20 the public hearing on the CIP/CFP was held tonight. There are two public hearings on the budget, October 17 and 24', and regarding revenues on November 6. Councilmember Buckshnis observed the budget schedule was truncated to ensure Councilmember Teitzel was part of the budget team. She suggested the council think about that because she felt the person that will take his seat should be part of budget process. She recalled in 2021 there was a huge mishap in how that was handled and hoped there would not be a push to approve the budget before the election is certified. Councilmember Olson referred to Council President Tibbott's comment about meeting on the 5' Tuesday and observed the 5t' Tuesday is Halloween. She asked if the budget workshop would be held on Monday or Tuesday. Council President Tibbott said the workshop was on Monday, October 30. Councilmember Olson referred to the use of ARPA funds for the General Fund to balance the proposed budget and wondered if other approaches were considered and how the conclusion was reached that that was the best approach. Mr. Turley said as much as possible has been done to identify other revenue sources. There have not been any significant revenue increases in at least 20 years and that is not something that can be done overnight. That was the biggest challenge in determining how to shore up reserves during 2024. A levy, doing something with the fire contract, or other options such as instituting a B&O tax, would not take place in 2024, they would occur in at least in 2025. Therefore the ARPA funds were the only alternative to make the 2024 budget sound. Councilmember Olson asked for confirmation that there were no other alternatives to consider. Mr. Turley said he was very, very happy to talk with councilmembers and listen to their ideas. He was not saying this was only the alternative, but after putting the budget together, that was the best thing they come up with and it is a sound, responsible budget. If council can make improvements before it becomes the council budget, he was happy to listen and work with the council to incorporate them. With regard to the 2024 budget being barebones as proposed and more or less maintaining service levels, Councilmember Olson observed she did not see the landmark project in the budget or the CIP/CFP. She asked how the landmark and greenbelt projects fit into the budget as she did not see a plan for spending. Mr. Turley said most of the questions he gets and the work he does is related to the General Fund. The landmark project would have little impact on the General Fund. If the City were to purchase the property, it would be from bond money or something like that with bond payments only for a few years. He said he was getting out of his comfort zone as he was not directly involved with the landmark project, but did not think the intent was to buy the property and own it for the next 30 years. He assumed the intent would be to buy it and be a partner in developing it and likely sell it at a profit to a developer in a few years once the City had an opportunity to participate in the concepts and development. It has relatively little impact on the General Fund in the next couple years. Councilmember Olson observed bond payments would be a General Fund expenditure. Mr. Turley answered not necessarily, it could be from BEET, impact fees, etc. Councilmember Nand asked if there were any dates/time in the budget season calendar to discuss the RFA contract and potential annexation. Mr. Turley said that is not built into the calendar. The resolution was sent to the RFA last Wednesday and he has not heard from them. The ball is in their court to tell the City their next course of action. Councilmember Chen thanked Mr. Turley for the timeline and offering to work one-on-one with councilmembers. He asked about carryover, recalling in 2023 there were carryover budget amendments in March that increased spending by over $4 million. He asked how that would be handled in 2024. Mr. Turley answered that would be 2024 budget amendment question which is outside the scope of the 2024 budget. He was confused by Councilmember Chen's question because in the past he has been concerned about the beginning fund balance changes, but tonight he was asking about the magnitude of carryforwards. He Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes October 3, 2023 Page 21 suggested that was a topic better left to when the council has more time to discuss it since it is outside the scope of the 2024 budget. Councilmember Chen said there can be different approaches in developing the 2024 budget, one is incorporating carryover into the 2024 budget. The traditional approach has been not to consider the carryover and then in March/April spending would possibly be increased $4-5M and council will be back in the same situation related to the reserve policy. The estimated General Fund balance will be below the $8.9 million requirement at $6.6 million. A good effort is been made to bring it back by the end of 2024; it looks good now, but if March budget amendments add $4-5 million, it is back to square one, dipping into reserves again. He asked what approach is being taken with regard to carryover. Mr. Turley answered the carryforward budget amendment is supposed to be for capital projects, not operating; therefore, the carryforward amendments almost exclusively affect non -General Fund items such as closing out sewer projects, parks projects, etc. Last year some labor contracts were settled in late December/early January which had a terrific impact on the General Fund. Steps have been taken this year to ensure that doesn't happen and there has been more effort to get everything into the budget to avoid any surprises. Councilmember Chen observed there was also the unexpected South County Fire $2 million increase later in 2023. Councilmember Paine commented this is an exciting time. She was glad to hear everything had been considered and it will be up to the council to look for other revenue opportunities. When the City hears from the RFA and they are interested in talking with Edmonds, she requested a solid timeline for that process. She recognized that would not solve the problem in 2024. Mr. Turley said anything that happens with the RFA will not affect the budget until 2025. Councilmember Paine looked forward to meeting with Mr. Turley and looking at other ideas. Councilmember Teitzel observed much of the budget was driven by assumptions. He asked if Mr. Turley would be willing to prepare a one page summary of budget assumptions such as inflation, estimated timing of the RFA transition, etc. Mr. Turley agreed, commenting that was the nature of the things he would like to discuss with councilmembers when he meets with them individually. Councilmember Buckshnis asked what percentage was included in the budget for salary increases. Mr. Turley said he did not have that off the top of his head. Councilmember Buckshnis said it was important to share that with the public. She suggested slowing down related to the 1% property tax and banking and using banked capacity. From the schedule it seems very fast; there needs to be time to explain to the public the concept of banking property tax increases. She envisioned that would be a very good revenue source, observing the City had several years banked. Mr. Turley advised November 21, 2017 was the last time the council approved a 1% increase, so there has been a less than 1% increase in property tax revenue since then. The amount of inflation since November 21, 2017 was 25%. 3. YEAR IN REVIEW / DECISION PACKAGE PRESENTATION Administrative Services Department Deputy Administrative Services Director Kim Dunscombe explained Administrative Services staff work backstage and it is not always readily apparent what they do. She reviewed: • Department of Administrative Services Overview Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes October 3, 2023 Page 22 c 0 n a u N Finance Division (8 FTE) o Budget and Reporting ■ Management and preparation for annual city budget, including 33 individual funds ■ Oversee General Fund and other "Managed Funds" ■ Responsible for preparation of annual financial report, monthly reports, and all accounting functions of the city o Audit ■ Annual Financial Audit ■ Annual Grants Audit ■ Annual Accountability Audit ■ Other miscellaneous audits: Sales Tax Audit, Use Tax Audit, Payroll Tax Audit, etc. o Accounts Payable ■ 3,825 - Checks issued year to date ■ 7,940 - Invoices paid year to date ■ 4,070 - Active vendors o Payroll ■ 2022 - 6,512 Pay checks processed ■ 2023 - 4,705 Pay checks processed year to date ■ 50 - New employees ■ 18 - Employee off boarding o Business Licenses ■ 3,574 Active licenses In -City ■ 2,627 Active licenses Non -Resident o Other Managed Funds ■ Non -Departmental ■ LEOFF Medical & Firemen's Pension Funds ■ Debt Service Funds ■ Contingency Reserve ■ Technology Rental Fund ■ ARPA Fund (Accounting Portion) ■ Employee Parking o Utility Billing (2 FTE) ■ Utility Customers - 14,000 for water, sewer, and storm drain ■ 2022 - $27,504,192 billed - 543 closing bills/escrow/ownership transfers ■ 2023 - $19,227,366.59 billed to date - 379 closing bills/escrow/ownership transfers to date Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes October 3, 2023 Page 23 ■ Phone Automation - Allows our customers to make their payments 24/7/365 - With this new phone system, we can spend more time with our customers that have billing questions, ownership changes, setting up auto pay etc. o Reception Desk (1 FTE) ■ Phones - In 2023 approx. 1,000 calls a month from January through September - Estimate about 12,000 calls per year ■ Parking Permits - 538 Parking permits to local businesses - 1129 Parking permits to City residents o Public Records Division (2 FTE) ■ 1,095 Total number of requests received ■ 1,001 Total number of requests fulfilled ■ 839 Total number of requests fulfilled within 5 business days ■ 17 Requests currently open for more than 6 months o Information Services Division (6 FTE) ■ Help Desk - 683 - Tickets Opened YTD - 642 - Tickets Closed YTD ■ Fix It Edmonds - Released a citizen reporting app that connects people directly to staff. - Through the app, citizens report issues like potholes, vegetation issues etc. ■ Carbon Black, anti-malware tool - This software was installed on all systems; PC's, servers, and networks. - It monitors for illicit activity as a result of viruses or un-authorized individuals. ■ Washington SAO Tech Audit - State Auditor performed a comprehensive technology systems audit for the City. - This is half -way complete with their recommendations already being implemented. ■ Police Dept laptop upgrade - All 49 of the Police Dept's mobile patrol laptops have been upgraded. - Laptops are configured on a new exclusive first responder network from ATT o City Clerk's Office (2 FTE) ■ Public Meetings - 80 Meetings year to date - - 103 public meetings in 2023 - Includes regular, special and all committee meetings ■ Digital Archives - 436 video files ( 200.14 GB) transferred - 2,576 records being prepared for transfer ■ Records Dispositioned - 47 Bankers boxes - - 292 pages of records ■ Laserfiche Content Management System (CMS) - 2,758 uploaded or modified documents - 100,536 uploaded document pages - Document types: Ordinances; Resolutions; Minutes/Agendas/Packets from Council and Boards, Committees, & Commissions; Interlocal Agreements; Contracts; and Public Notices ■ Research Requests - From staff - 112 Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes October 3, 2023 Page 24 Ms. Dunscombe reviewed the Administrative Services Department's Decision Packages, advising decision packages associated with Non -Departmental will not be presented tonight: • #310-24002 (Finance) o Description Increase the transfer from the General Fund to Fund 009 Medical Insurance Reserve Fund. o Justification The LEOFF Medical Insurance Fund was created in 1995 to establish reserves to cover the long-term health care and other related obligations of LEOFF I retirees. Fund 009's fund balance is analyzed each year to determine if the current transfer amount is sufficient. The actuals for 2022, the year-end estimate for 2023 and the budgeted 2024 expenditures, which are approved by the Disabilities Board, exceed the transfer revenues and are decreasing fund balance. o Funding Source General Fund o Amount $25,000 • #311-24001 (IT) o Description Increase the number of connection licenses from 25 to unlimited for Weblink o Justification Weblink is the public facing interface of the website server providing access to the City Clerks records library and Development Services property files. The city is currently only licensed for 25 simultaneous users, that includes the public and staff. Log -in errors occur when more than 25 individuals are accessing the system. Increasing to an unlimited number of concurrent users will eliminate the resource contention o Funding Source General Fund $13,663 or 91% Water Fund $292 or 2% Storm Fund $84 or 1% Sewer Fund $961 or 6% o Amount $15,000 • #311-24002 (IT) o Description Increase the number of licenses to security log monitoring across the entire organization o Justification Log management is used to trace the processes that transpire when there is a security breach. Our current Technology Security Tool only logs events on required servers. These new licenses would allow us to provide security to all servers and endpoints thereby reducing security vulnerabilities. o Funding Source General Fund $2,277 or 91% Water Fund $49 or 2% Storm Fund $14 or 1 % Sewer Fund $160 or 6% o Amount $2,500 • #311-24003 (IT) o Description Replacement systems including, desktops, laptops, and networking equipment o Justification The city implemented to replace equipment on a specified life cycle. Desktop computers are replaced on a 5-year cycle and laptops are replaced on a 4-year cycle. Networking equipment is replaced when new feature sets are required or when models are no longer covered under patching. This replacement procedure ensures maximum user availability. o Funding Source Technology Rental Fund o Amount $102,500 Municipal Court Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes October 3, 2023 Page 25 Municipal Court Judge Whitney Rivera advised the court did a state of court presentation in April so they will not be providing a year in review presentation. She and Court Administrator Uneek Maylor reviewed: • Decision package 230-24001 o Passport Expenditure Updates ■ Due to increased passport processing, Edmonds Municipal Court is asking that the bars account for communications (postage) and for rental/lease (printing) be increased - Increase bars account for communications to $10,000 - Increase bars account for rental/lease to $8,500 ■ Paused passport processing in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic ■ Restarted passport processing at the end of 2021 using an appointment system ■ In 2022, EMC processed 128 passports ■ In January 2023, transitioned to walk-in passport processing Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. ■ Estimate that EMC will process more than 1,800 passports in 2023, which will generate approximately $65,00 in revenue ■ Expect that passport demand will stay strong in 2024 • Decision Package 23-24002 o Pretrial Monitoring ■ Request a new bars account in the amount of $20,000 for pretrial monitoring of defendants - Electronic Home Monitoring (EHM( EHM with Victim Notification Technology (EHMVNT) Secure Continuous Remote Alcohol Monitoring (SCRAM) Portable Alcohol Monitoring (PAM) GPS Tracking o CrRLJ 3.2 governs factors to be considered by a Court when an accused person is released from custody while a case is pending. o If released, the Court may impose conditions that a defendant must follow, including pretrial monitoring o Devices for pretrial monitoring are not operated by the Court, but by private agencies o Reimbursement from the State for indigent defendants on EHM-VNT through Tiffany Hill Act 0 2019 Pretrial Reform Task Force Report repeatedly reiterated that costs for pretrial services should not fall to the defendant o Reduce jail costs Councilmember Paine was fascinated the court was processing so many passports. She observed the revenue was nice, but it was not enough to pay for another clerk. She asked about the fee that comes back to the court for processing passports. Ms. Maylor answered the court charges $35/passport that is retained by the court. Year-to-date revenues from passport processing are $41,321. The $35/passport is currently receipted to the City; one of the court's decision packages is funds to pay for the postage and printing. The $35 fee is set by statute. Councilmember Paine asked if that was state or federal statute. Ms. Maylor said she was uncertain. Councilmember Olson observed even though there has been a higher volume in passport processing, those funds do not go to the General Fund, it stays with the court. Ms. Maylor answered when she writes a check to the City every month, the funds generated by passport processing are included in that remittance. The court collects $35/passport and at the end of the month, she sends a check to the City's finance department which she assumed was deposited into the General Fund. Councilmember Olson observed the court's decision package was asking for funds for postage. Ms. Maylor agreed. Councilmember Olson observed the court was advertising for staff. She recalled there had been a court reorganization and due to the City's lean budget for 2024, she requested the court look at their organization Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes October 3, 2023 Page 26 to see if they could do without any positions. If that was a possibility, she requested the court staff communicate with the mayor and finance director. Councilmember Olson observed the absence of a domestic violence coordinator had been an issue for the judicial system. She invited the court to tell the council and the public the good news about that. Judge Rivera explained the domestic violence coordinator is part of the Edmonds Police Department. It was her understanding that position has been filled. The prosecuting attorney's office has to make contact with alleged victims immediately; when someone is arrested on a domestic violence offense, there is a mandatory booking, they have to be placed into custody and there has to be a hearing on the next possible judicial court date. Having as much information from that person presented at the first appearance is vitally important. Without a domestic violence coordinator, that information is often not available. Councilmember Buckshnis observed the court had a $405,000 decrease from the 2023 estimate to the 2024 budget. Ms. Maylor answered that $400,000 decrease was the result of an accounting error. Councilmember Nand asked about the status of human services provided at community court and whether funding via the Blake grants had been affected by state policy such that the City would need to supplement it in the 2025 budget. Judge Rivera answered in the 2023 legislative session as part of SB 5536, the bill related to possession of a controlled substance, there was money for therapeutic courts. The Edmonds Municipal Court received funding for the 2023-2024 biennium in the amount of $133,000. The court is using that money to support community court staffing and direct services. Also as part of that legislation the court is seeing possession of a controlled substance cases come in; those people are also generally served by the community court where there are substance use disorder providers available in the event they choose the route the prosecutor comes up with. There is diversion language in SB 5536 that does not necessarily apply to the municipal court because they do not have recovery navigators as statutory defined but the attorneys have developed a similar program. Councilmember Nand commented it is very fast paced with the changes in policy from the state. She recalled the PSPHSP Committee discussed grant funding and she was curious about the status. COUNCILMEMBER TEITZEL MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER OLSON, TO EXTEND THE MEETING TO 10:30 P.M. MOTION CARRIED (6-1) COUNCIL PRESIDENT TIBBOTT VOTING NO. Councilmember Chen commented it is amazing how hard the court staff work and how many passports they process. He asked if this level of demand was temporary coming out of the pandemic and people have the freedom to travel, or if the demand would continue. Ms. Maylor answered she did not have a magic ball, but her educated guess would be the volume would continue. In 2019 the court generated $22,000 from passport processing. Some courts stopped processing passports due to a lack of staffing which may account for the influx of individuals coming to Edmonds for their passports rather than other courts. Edmonds also does not do appointments like some other courts. When Edmonds did appointments, fewer people applied. The walk-in service Monday -Friday attracts people to the Edmonds location. The Edmonds location is also beautiful, court staff is great, there are great food choices downtown, etc. She envisioned the demand for passports would continue to be strong, but if there was a decrease, she will inform council. Councilmember Chen commented Highway 99 is also very beautiful and he anticipated there would be some demand for passport processing. He asked if that service was offered at the office on Highway 99. Judge Rivera answered there is not a court clerk on Highway 99 to provide that service. That could be considered possibly one day/week. A certification process is required to process passports. Although it was an excellent idea to offer that service on Highway 99, she was unsure it would work logistically with other staffing needs. Councilmember Chen suggested possibly one day/week or even a four hours/week. Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes October 3, 2023 Page 27 4. REPEAL OF ORDINANCE 4079 HIGHWAY 99 PLANNED ORDINANCE SPONSORED BY COUNCILMEMBER BUCKSHNIS COUNCIL PRESIDENT TIBBOTT MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER OLSON, TO MOVE AGENDA ITEM 9.4 TO NEXT WEEK. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. 10. MAYOR'S COMMENTS Mayor Nelson reminded of Perrinville Palooza on October 7 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event will include free pumpkins, food trucks, booths, inflatables and more. 11. COUNCIL COMMENTS Councilmember Teitzel advised he received notice yesterday that the mayor's budget address was online on YouTube. He watched the address and felt it was very well done and included some good ideas that he was excited to come to fruition in 2024. However, he was concerned with a comment Mayor Nelson made during the budget address with regard to the fire district contract and the fact that the cost had increased approximately $4 million over the past 2 years, "We brought this to the attention of the City Council, but a majority of them have refused to take action. Without Council action soon, we risk losing fire and emergency medical services to our community. It is my belief that you, the voters, should have a say on this critical lifesaving service." Councilmember Teitzel took exception to that comment and wanted to correct the record, explaining the council has taken action, approving a resolution to investigate options with South County Fire as well as looking at other options to provide excellent fire and EMS to citizens at the lowest possible cost. The council owes it to the voters to do the due diligence so they can tell voters they have looked at the numbers and present the best option available. The council is not there yet and is not ready to proceed to the RFA option even though the mayor may believe that is the best option. Council needs to do the work necessary to prove that that is in fact the best option before it goes to the voters. Councilmember Paine thanked everyone who commented tonight on the CIP/CFP and their priorities. She appreciated the priority on pedestrian safety and wanted to ensure the City has a robust pedestrian safety program. The proposed budget tripled the budget for traffic calming which she hoped could be used to enhance pedestrian safety. She expressed appreciation for the community talking about the need to address the climate crisis. It is essential and something the City and residents can work toward together. If Edmonds joins a lot of other small towns, they can have the impact of a large country, recalling someone had indicated the impact could be as large as France. Everyone can have impact and she looked forward to the discussion about the climate action manager position proposed in the budget. Councilmember Chen also appreciated public comment about the CIP/CFP. It is timely to receive the 2024 proposed budget at this time; the Finance Committee and some members of the public are alarmed that the General Fund is dipping into reserves. The reserve requirement was $8.9 million in 2023 and the projection for 2023 shows it decreasing to $6.6 million. There are challenges ahead and he looked forward to working with the finance team, the council and City staff to carefully manage the budget so the City will be financially sound heading into 2024 and beyond. Council President Tibbott referred to the budget schedule and assured that is the best guess of how the deliberations will happen, but it is not set in concrete and is moldable. The council will carefully work its way through the process and adopt a budget at least by December 31. He was confident the council can work diligently through the budget together. Councilmember Olson referred to the mayor's budget address, expressing concern that residents may be stressed by the assertion that the City risks losing fire and EMS to the community as a result of council Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes October 3, 2023 Page 28 inaction. Residents can rest assured that that is not the case; the City's contract with the RFA for fire and EMS expires 7 years from now in 2030. While there is a clause that allows either party to the contract to terminate with two years notice and while the City knows the RFA prefers Edmonds be a member of the RFA rather than providing service as a contracted city, neither Edmonds nor the RFA have issued a notice of termination. Importantly, even if the notice came today, it would put the RFA annexation decision into 2025 after the 2024 comprehensive plan update is complete and that important process has been given its due. Alternatively the RFA may allow Edmonds the grace to come to that process voluntarily in 2025 without using the 2 year notice lever. Either way, the City gets to deal with this complex issue in 2025, better timing than in 2024. What and when things come up in municipal life cannot always be controlled, but this is not one of the times. Edmonds has fire and EMS secured with the same wonderful team from the RFA for the next two years. Councilmember Buckshnis recalled negotiations on the fire contract took three years. She urged the council to be contentious and listen to citizens with regard to joining the RFA because it will be very expensive. Councilmember Buckshnis announced the Halloween Howl on Saturday at 11 a.m. at the dog park with costume judging at 1 p.m. She gave kudos to Windermere's Beers in the Barn that raised $22,000 for the food bank. The Empty Bowl fundraiser for the food bank was also very successful. With great sadness, Councilmember Buckshnis announced the passing of John Osterhaug. She expressed appreciation for everything he did for the Waterfront Center, commenting he was a great guy. She gave a shout out to his family and assured things will get better. Councilmember Nand commented some of the people she met at a political event this weekend were excited to know about the next opportunity to meet candidates. Candidate Conversations with city council and mayoral candidates at the Edmonds Center for the Arts on October 12, cosponsored by My Edmonds News and the ECA. When one looks at what's happening in politics at the national level, especially today, she complimented her colleagues on the council, mayor, staff and audience for modeling democracy the way it is supposed to be; there are diverse views and people may not always agree, but they give each other professional courtesy and grace. She has never seen her colleagues on council boo someone in the middle of a speech which happened today at the U.S. Congress. Although there may be some sharp elbows, the council maintains a level of professional decorum that is important for community members and citizens to see democracy in action. 1141010 1a1e111 711 With no further business, the Council meeting was adjourned at 10:14 p.m. SCOTT PASSEY, CM CLERK Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes October 3, 2023 Page 29