Loading...
09/23/2008 City CouncilEDMONDS CITY COUNCIL APPROVED MINUTES September 23, 2008 Following a Special Meeting at 6:45 p.m. for an Executive Session regarding labor negotiations, the Edmonds City Council meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Mayor Haakenson in the Council Chambers, 250 5th Avenue North, Edmonds. The meeting was opened with the flag salute. Approval of 1. Agenda ELECTED OFFICIALS PRESENT Gary Haakenson, Mayor Michael Plunkett, Council President Peggy Pritchard Olson, Councilmember Steve Bernheim, Councilmember D. J. Wilson, Councilmember Dave Orvis, Councilmember Ron Wambolt, Councilmember ELECTED OFFICIALS ABSENT Deanna Dawson, Councilmember APPROVAL OF AGENDA STAFF PRESENT Al Compaan, Police Chief Duane Bowman, Development Services Director Stephen Clifton, Community Services Director Brian McIntosh, Parks & Recreation Director Noel Miller, Public Works Director Rob Chave, Planning Manager Frances Chapin, Cultural Services Manager Jen Machuga, Planner Sandy Chase, City Clerk Jana Spellman, Senior Executive Council Asst. Jeannie Dines, Recorder COUNCILMEMBER WAMBOLT MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER OLSON, TO APPROVE THE AGENDA IN CONTENT AND ORDER. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. 2. CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS COUNCILMEMBER WAMBOLT MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER OLSON, TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. The agenda items Roll call approved are as follows: A. ROLL CALL Approve 09-16-08 B. APPROVAL OF CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES OF SEPTEMBER 16, 2008. Minutes C. APPROVAL OF CLAIM CHECKS #106906 THROUGH #107057 FOR SEPTEMBER 18, Approve 1 2008 IN THE AMOUNT OF $883,108.06. APPROVAL OF PAYROLL DIRECT DEPOSIT Claim Checks AND CHECKS #45679 THROUGH #47311 FOR THE PERIOD OF SEPTEMBER 1, 2008 THROUGH SEPTEMBER 15, 2008 IN THE AMOUNT OF $803,856.35. DOE Grant / D. AUTHORIZATION FOR MAYOR TO SIGN GRANT AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE Hall Lake, Hall Creek, WASHINGTON STATE DEPARTMENT OF ECOLOGY (ECOLOGY) AND THE CITY etc. OF EDMONDS ON BEHALF OF THE GREATER HALL LAKE, HALL CREEK, CHASE LAKE, ECHO LAKE, LAKE BALLINGER, MCALEER CREEK WATERSHED FORUM (THE FORUM). Strategic Action Plan / E. AUTHORIZATION FOR MAYOR TO SIGN A PROFESSIONAL SERVICES Hall Lake, AGREEMENT WITH OTAK, INC. FOR DEVELOPMENT OF A STRATEGIC ACTION Hall Creek, PLAN ON BEHALF OF THE GREATER HALL LAKE, HALL CREEK, CHASE LAKE, etc. ECHO LAKE, LAKE BALLINGER, MCALEER CREEK WATERSHED FORUM (THE FORUM). Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes September 23, 2008 Page 1 Grant for Resource Conservation F. APPROVAL OF THREE -YEAR PSE GRANT CONTRACT FOR RESOURCE Manager Software CONSERVATION MANAGER SOFTWARE AND SERVICES. Five Corners I G. AUTHORIZATION TO CALL FOR BIDS FOR THE FIVE CORNERS BOOSTER PUMP Booster Pump STATION UPGRADE IMPROVEMENTS PROJECT. Station Adopt -a -Dog 3. ADOPT -A -DOG Charles Greenberg recalled an Adopt -a -Dog presentation at a previous Council meeting was a resounding success and Comet, a 10 -year old lab was adopted that night. He commented on the serious problem of euthanasia, pointing out if everyone did their part, the problem could be reduced and even eliminated in the future. He explained Old Dog Haven in Arlington seeks foster and permanent homes for older dogs that are either abandoned or their owners are unable to provide care for them. A representative of Old Dog Haven presented Rory, a 1.0 -year old male toy poodle in excellent health, microchipped, affectionate, gentle, trained, gets along well with people, dogs and cats, and loves to be walked. Mr. Greenberg encouraged anyone interested in further information regarding Rory to contact Council President Plunkett or him at 425 -774 -0138. He commented a study in Albuquerque, New Mexico, found pets shown at televised City Council meetings had a nearly 100% adoption rate. Public Service 4. PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT - TEAM PEGGY. Announce- ment re: Team Peggy Pat Greenstreet, Team Captain, Team Peggy, a group supporting Councilmember Olson, announced that there will be a 5 -mile Walk to Defeat ALS on September 27 at Seward Park. She advised participants could register at the special Team Peggy table at the event or online at www.ALSA- EC.org. She advised 80 members of Team Peggy planned to participate in the walk; their goal was 100. She challenged Councilmembers to participate, noting Councilmember Bernheim was the first Councilmember to register and provide a generous donation. She announced the U.S. Senate passed the ALS National Registry Act today. She explained this effort had been underway for two years; it was defeated by 12 votes previously and after numerous contacts to Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell who both supported the Act, the Act passed the Senate today. It now goes to the House of Representatives where it was expected to be ratified and become law. She explained while at the Saturday Market for the past 12 Saturdays raising money and awareness about ALS, they have met numerous families currently affected by ALS. She questioned the accuracy of the statistic that ALS affected 1 -2 people in 100,000 if they were meeting this many people at the market. With the adoption of the ALS Registry ACT, physicians will be mandated to write ALS on the death certificate as the cause of death for anyone who dies of ALS; presently the death certificates say pneumonia, heart failure, respiratory arrest, etc., thus there is no reliable way to track ALS cases. The ALS Registry Act will assist in providing reliable numbers which is important because better numbers attract more research dollars and an eventual cure to this disease. Ms. Greenstreet announced the first meeting of the Snohomish County Support Group for ALS patients and caregivers at Stevens Hospital on Monday, October 13 from 10:00 - 11:30 a.m. Anyone interested in attending was invited to contact Mary Rebar at the ALS Association at 1 -866 -STOP ALS. The meetings will be held on the second Monday of each month from 10:00 - 11:30 a.m. at Stevens Hospital. She expressed the community's gratitude to Stevens Hospital for co- hosting the support group. She also announced Team Peggy's next benefit for the ALS Association, a movie night with Peggy Pritchard -Olson on Monday, October 20 at the Edmonds Center for the Arts. The featured movie is "State of the Union," a 1948 film about the presidential race, starring Spencer Tracy, Katherine Hepburn Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes September 23, 2008 Page 2 and the current national spokesperson for the ALS Association, Angela Lansbury. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. and the movie starts at 6:30 p.m. Admission is by donation. The event is co- sponsored by Edmonds Center for the Arts and Walnut Street Coffee who is donating desserts for intermission. Mayor Haakenson asked how people could donate without participating in the walk. Ms. Greenstreet responded the website www.ALSA -EC ,or had a button for making a donation. Mayor Haakenson expressed his thanks to Team Peggy for their support of Councilmember Olson and their dedication to the cause. 5. PROCLAMATIONS IN HONOR OF ARTS & HUMANITIES MONTH AND EDMONDS READS MONTH OCTOBER 2008. Arts & Mayor Haakenson read a proclamation in honor of Arts & Humanities Month and encouraged Edmonds Humanities Proclamation citizens to participate in one of the many cultural events taking place during October. He presented the proclamation to Arts Commissioner Rick Bader and Cultural Services Manager Frances Chapin. On behalf of the Arts Commission, Mr. Bader thanked the Mayor and Council for their support of the arts. Edmonds Mayor Haakenson read a proclamation in honor of Edmonds Reads Month, October 2008 and urged all Reads Proclamation citizens to participate in the many community -wide reading events in Edmonds. He presented the proclamation to Managing Librarian Lesly Kaplan who thanked the Mayor and Council for their support. Ms. Kaplan provided several quotes regarding the importance of libraries, books and reading. She commented the newspaper would include a calendar of events including renowned Seattle author Ivan Doig at the Edmonds Library on October 3 at 7:00 p.m. 6. AUDIENCE COMMENTS Request for George Everett, Edmonds, read a resolution he wanted the Council to adopt, calling for an independent Resolution re: international investigation into the causes and circumstances surrounding events in the United States on 9/11/01 Investigation September 11, 2001. The resolution listed several reasons in support of this action. The resolution also urged everyone over age 1.8 to sign petitions at www.ae91. Itruth.org and www.firefi btersfor911 truth.org. Snohomish County 7. PRESENTATION BY STEVE THOMPSON, DIRECTOR OF SNOHOMISH COUNTY Corrections CORRECTIONS. Presentation Police Chief Compaan recalled several months ago he attended a presentation by Snohomish County Corrections Director Steve Thompson regarding the availability of jail space in Snohomish County in the future. He noted one of the City's largest partners with regard to jail expenses was Snohomish County. He noted Mr. Thompson had 31 years of experience at King County Corrections and 5 years at Snohomish County Corrections. Mr. Thompson explained State law mandates that each county provide jail services to local courts and law enforcement agencies for all individuals arrested and booked for felony offenses from anywhere in the county and misdemeanants arrested in unincorporated areas of the county. The county was not responsible or obligated to accept municipal prisoners from cities. The county may also enter into agreements with local municipalities to provide secure jail services for compensation. He cited RCW 39.34.180, Each county, city, and town is responsible for the prosecution, adjudication, sentencing, and incarceration of misdemeanor and gross misdemeanor offenses committed by adults in their respective jurisdictions, and referred from their respective law enforcement agencies, whether filed under state law or city ordinance, and must carry out these responsibilities through the use of their own courts, staff, and facilities, or by entering into contracts or interlocal agreements under this chapter to provide these Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes September 23, 2008 Page 3 services. He clarified each city must have its own Police Department, City Attorney, prosecutor, judges, court and jail or cities can enter into contracts with other cities or the county. Snohomish County has offered contract services for many years and currently 19 municipalities in Snohomish County use some level of security jail services from Snohomish County. The current contracts expire December 31, 2009. He recently sent a letter to cities suggesting the group that negotiated the 2004 contracts convene to develop a new contract prior to the budget process in 2009. Mr. Thompson explained what drove jail costs for cities were the number of bookings, the fee for bookings, the average length of stay for prisoners and fees for maintenance. He provided a comparison of Edmonds' felony and misdemeanor bookings at Snohomish County Jail for years 2000 through 2008 YTD. He compared 2000 when there were 177 misdemeanor bookings to 2007 when there were 611 bookings and 472 in 2008 YTD. He pointed out a substantial increase in misdemeanor bookings occurred between 2005 and 2006, with 127 more bookings in 2006; it was likely something happened at that point to increase the number of bookings. Mayor Haakenson commented it may have been a different judge. Mr. Thompson noted jail populations were more a function of public policy than demographic pressures. Mr. Thompson provided a comparison of Edmond' average length of stay at the Snohomish County Jail, pointing out in 2004 the average length of stay was 6 days compared with 8.7 days YTD in 2008 and 10.4 in 2007. Assuming the City continued with an average stay of 8.7 days and bookings remained constant as projected at 700, the average number of prisoners in custody for Edmonds would increase by slightly more than 5 prisoners per day; at current fees, the cost was $100,000. He concluded one way to control costs was controlling lengths of stay. He provided a historical review of the average Edmonds daily population in the Snohomish County Jail 2000 - 2008 (including felons) and the misdemeanor (billable) average population. He pointed out of the 2008 total average daily Edmonds population of 41.2, only 17.8 were misdemeanor (billable). He also provided a percentage of the average daily population that was misdemeanor, highlighting the increase since 2000 from 28.8% to 43.2% in 2008. He explained booking fees charged to Edmonds for use of the Snohomish County Jail in the past ten years ranged from $75.80 to $102.35; the current booking fee is $90.72. Daily fees charged to Edmonds have ranged for $51.98 to $64.22; the current daily fee is $59.77. He provided a comparison of fees versus average daily population 2000 to 2008, pointing out in 2006 Edmonds had 16.5 prisoners per day in custody in the Snohomish County Jail, a 54% increase over the previous year and the booking fee and maintenance fee only increased 2.25 %. He emphasized Edmonds monthly costs for incarceration of prisoners in Snohomish County Jail was driven more by the utilization of the jail than by fees. He provided a graph comparing booking fees, daily fee and billable average daily population for Edmonds, highlighting the growth in average daily population. He concluded the total Edmonds average daily population increased 74.6% between 2005 and 2008, misdemeanor average daily population increased by 66.4 %, the daily fee and booking fee charged to Edmonds increased by 6.7 %. Mr. Thompson explained most of the prisoners in custody from Edmonds were DUI with license suspended. Edmonds is the only city in Snohomish County with a no -bail policy on DUI. He clarified this was not a criticism, but was an example of a public policy made by Edmonds that affects prisoners and fees. Recent projections indicate the Snohomish County Jail will run out of space for discretionary prisoners by 2015 with all beds filled with felons or prisoners from unincorporated Snohomish County, which raises the question of what should be done on a regional basis. He commented while at King County the Executive and Council directed him to renegotiate a contract with cities that eliminated all municipal Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes September 23, 2008 Page 4 prisoners from the jail by 2012 (recently amended to 2014) and the County made a policy choice to remove themselves from the municipal jail service. Snohomish County has not given him any such directive; they plan to renegotiate cities' contracts. He noted options for jail space include short term efficiencies such as diverting offenders to community correction programs (electronic home monitoring and work crews), adding capacity under the current model where Snohomish County serves as a regional provider, cities can join together to create a regional municipal jail, or cities can provide their own jails. He noted Seattle and Bellevue were considering a combined jail, Federal Way was considering building their own facility, 4 -5 cities in southeast King County were considering construction of a regional municipal jail, and several eastside cities were considering whether to build a jail or partner with King County. He anticipated the total investment for separate municipal jails would exceed a centralized model. However, there may also be difficulties with the structure of governance for a regional facility. Councilmember Orvis commented court costs for DUI offenses could be recovered and asked if the cost of incarceration could be recovered. Mr. Thompson responded in his experience most prisoners arrived with very little money and often were not meeting their current obligations such as child support. It was then a policy decision whether to recover court costs and costs associated with incarceration or for the suspect to pay their child support or living expenses. He noted collecting those costs was very challenging; in the past King County charged a booking fee to offset costs and found they spent more money collecting the fee than was generated by the fee. Councilmember Orvis inquired about the City's no bail policy. Mr. Thompson explained there was a bail schedule for all felony and misdemeanor charges for each city and county. For example if the bail was $500, the prisoner was identified and booked and if they could make bail, they were released with the assurance they would show up for court. Cities can establish their own bail schedules and can make a decision that there be no bail for certain charges until the person has their first court appearance. Mayor Haakenson asked whether a judge could order bail set for a DUI suspect and if he made bail, have him held on home monitoring. Mr. Thompson answered Snohomish County did not currently provide electronic home monitoring service; cities could contract with Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs' (WASPC) vendor at a cost of $10 /day. He concluded a judge could do that and the city could manage the program without any involvement by Snohomish County or contract with another city such as Mountlake Terrace who has a home monitoring program. Mayor Haakenson clarified if a Snohomish County judge released a suspect on bail, did Edmonds have the ability to place them on home monitoring via the city's municipal court. Mr. Thompson answered yes. Councilmember Bemheim referred to the comparison of misdemeanor and felony bookings and the increase from 170 misdemeanor bookings in 2000 to 600 in 2007 and 150 felony bookings in 2000 to 260 in 2007. He asked for a list of the charges for which these individuals were incarcerated. Mr. Thompson answered he could only provide a snapshot; they did not track specific offenses by city. As an example, today Edmonds had 25 bookings; 1 for Assault 4, 1 for Assault 4 DV, I for attempted theft, 3 for license suspended, 10 for DUI, 1 hit and run, 1 minor in possession, 1 obstructing a police officer, 1 underage consumption, 1 reckless driving, 1 supplying liquor to a minor, 2 theft, and I violation of no contact order. He summarized this was a fairly accurate representation of offenses, primarily traffic offenses. Councilmember Bernheim asked Chief Compaan if details regarding the 611 misdemeanor arrests in 2006 were available from the City. Chief Compaan answered it would require a significant amount of analysis. He explained bookings were not only police officers bringing suspects to the jail but also commitments by the court. The City's officers try to be judicious about booking suspects because they are aware that they take up jail space and cost the City money. Observing the City contracted with Lynnwood for jail services, Mr. Thompson assumed some of the prisoners brought to the Snohomish County Jail were suffering from mental health or medical issues that Lynnwood may not be prepared to address. Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes September 23, 2008 Page 5 Councilmember Wambolt asked who made the decision not to allow bail for DUI in Edmonds. Mr. Thompson stated it was a public policy made by the City Council, Mayor, City Attorney, prosecutor and court. Councilmember Wambolt observed no bail for DUI was costing the City a substantial amount of money. Mr. Thompson agreed that was the City's predominant jail cost. Councilmember Wambolt noted no bail may be the appropriate policy for Edmonds but it was also an appropriate subject for review. Councilmember Wilson observed Snohomish County recently built a new jail, yet would be out of space soon. Mr. Thompson explained projections were that the jail would be out of space as early as 2015; possibly a year or two more with some efficiencies. Councilmember Wilson asked why more capacity was not constructed. Mr. Thompson replied jails were costly to operate and difficult to site. Everett allowed Snohomish County to site the jail but limited the number of beds irrespective of the projected demand. He recalled when he was first hired, after two levy failures, the County Council requested he develop an emergency plan because they wanted to close the old jail as there was not enough money to operate it. He suggested lowering fees to bring cities back from Eastern Washington and contracting out space to Department of Corrections to generate revenue to cover the jail. This was done; however, the local population continues to grow, reducing the capacity to contract out space and reducing revenues. Councilmember Wilson recalled a levy was pulled from the November ballot. Mr. Thompson explained that was related to construction of a new Justice Center that would contain space for the courts, prosecutors and Sheriff's Office and did not contain any additional jail capacity. Councilmember Wilson . recalled prior to expansion of the jail, prisoners were housed in Eastern Washington jails. Mr. Thompson answered Snohomish County contracted with Yakima and Benton County. Some cities still have contracts with Okanagan, Chelan, and Yakima. For Councilmember Wilson, Mr. Thompson explained when the new jail facility was activated and populations acquired via various contracts, they reduced their net operating costs by 30 %. Councilmember Wilson asked the total amount in the Snohomish County budget for criminal justice. Mr. Thompson answered 71 % of the General Fund goes toward the criminal justice system which includes the Sheriff, the jail, prosecuting attorney's office, district court, prosecutor, and office of public defense. Out of that 71 %, $39 million goes to the jail, the second largest portion of the criminal justice budget, exceeded only by the Sheriff. Councilmember Wilson asked the cost to construct the jail. Mr. Thompson answered the capital cost was $68 million for 760 beds. Mayor Haakenson pointed out the municipal court judge would set the DUI bail and asked whether for a suspect that made bail, the judge could then order home monitoring. Mr. Thompson answered yes, via either a contract with another jurisdiction or directly contracting with a vendor. With regard to how the no bail policy was set, Mayor Haakenson explained in nine years as Mayor and four years on the Council, there had been three municipal court judges and he had never had a conversation with any of the judges regarding the no bail policy. He summarized this may be an issue the Council wants to discuss. He planned to inquire with the municipal court judge tomorrow regarding who created that policy. Councilmember Wilson asked if consideration had been given to a regional jail facility. Chief Compaan answered there was discussion as recently as last Friday's Snohomish County Sheriff and Police Chiefs meeting. He acknowledged a regional jail was a possibility; the questions were how to fund it and where to site it. Various options with regard to jail services would need to be considered in the future. He noted the increased need for jail space was also due to the increased population of Snohomish County. Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes September 23, 2008 Page 6 Couneilmember Wilson asked whether there was any preference among the Chiefs in South Snohomish County for a centralized approach similar to the Snohomish County Jail versus a decentralized facility. Chief Compaan commented Lynnwood may have an interest as they already operate a jail although they have limited ability to expand at their present location. Marysville has an interest and the former Indian Ridge Correction Center in northeast Snohomish County that is owned by the State is also an option. Community Sustainability 8. Element of the Comprehen- sive Plan WORK SESSION WITH THE CLIMATE PROTECTION COMMITTEE AND THE PLANNING BOARD ON THE COMMUNITY SUSTAINABILITY ELEMENT OF THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN. Mayor Haakenson recalled when the Climate Protection Committee (CPC) last reported to the Council, the Council asked to have a joint meeting with the Planning Board to discuss next steps, the direction the Council wanted to take with regard to green policies, etc. This was an opportunity for the City Council to dialogue with the Planning Board and for the Planning Board and CPC to share their thoughts. Planning Manager Rob Chave explained the intent to create a new Community Sustainability Comprehensive Plan element. He explained one of the common definitions of sustainability was development that "meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." He emphasized the effort was not focused solely on environmental sustainability, but the connection between environmental, economic, and social factors that contribute to a sustainable community. Mr. Chave identified existing Comprehensive Plan elements - Land Use, Transportation, Parks, Capital Facilities, Utilities, Housing, and Culture & Urban Design - elements that are mandated by the Growth Management Act (GMA) with the exception of Culture & Urban Design. This would be a new Sustainability element, not required by GMA, that would address climate change, community health and environmental quality. He pointed out community health was a critical factor in sustainability. He identified topics that would be addressed in the Sustainability element: Climate Change - US Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, inventories & reduction targets, risk assessment & risk mitigation, strategic plan for allocating city resources & operations. Community Health - Healthy Communities Initiatives, links to other Comprehensive Plan elements, energy, education, local economy, food & local markets, disaster preparedness. Environmental Quality - environmental regulation, incentive programs, education programs and community character. He emphasized the importance of economics in sustainability, something the City needed to consider in its budget decisions. He recommended a broad, holistic look at sustainability. Decision points for consideration at this evening's meeting include: 1. What process to follow? — Council- driven or Planning Board driven? 2. Does the overall approach and organization make sense? — Framework and `fit' within existing plan 3. Are the subjects on target? — Important subjects not on the list? — Subjects you don't want on the list? Planning Board Members Michael Bowman, John Dewhirst, Judith Works, Dan. Henderson, John. Reed and Jim Young, Climate Protection Committee Members Linda Carl, Carolyn Chapel, and Hank Landau, Councilmembers and staff introduced themselves. Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes September 23, 2008 Page 7 Planning Board Vice Chair Michael Bowman commented after reading the outline draft, he found the scope mind boggling. He recalled when this was first considered by the Planning Board, his concerns were the scope, how to pay for this effort in the current tight budget and who would drive the process. Planning Board Member Judith Works agreed the scope was very broad and recommended establishing some priorities with regard to what issues to address first. She agreed cost was also an important consideration and suggested consideration be given to how some of the work could be accomplished without extra cost. Planning Board Member Dewhirst commented his concern was everything seemed to have equal weight, therefore, some prioritization would be necessary. Councilmember Bernheim suggested the following priorities: car reduction, implementation of green zoning for planning as well as energy conservation, use of green energy by the City, and promoting conservation programs. He supported having a Council- driven process over the next decade, commenting if the intent was to reduce greenhouse gases, the necessary programs needed to be established. CPC Member Carolyn Chapel agreed when this was presented to the CPC it appeared to be a broad structure. She felt it could reference when making decisions regarding purchases or developing regulations. CPC Member Hank Landau agreed the draft was a very comprehensive program, noting it was difficult to keep abreast of all the development occurring with regard to climate change. He suggested learning from others, noting one of the largest efforts was the Governor's appointed Climate Action Team who developed preliminary recommendations in ten areas related to climate change. Those recommendations are being finalized and will be presented to the Governor at the end of the year. The Governor will then select the items to be forwarded on to the legislature. He suggested getting in sync with the State and learning from the Climate Action Team's efforts. He noted it was also desirable to research what other municipalities were doing. Mr. Chave suggested addressing the broadest goal -based material first such as was contained in the outline draft. He suggested first determining if the goals in the outline draft were the right goals and then . identifying specific goals to develop further. For example the Council could select certain goals and develop policy statements, programs, etc. and could assign other goals to the Planning Board, the Climate Protection Committee, the Arts Commission, etc. The Council Committees could also work on certain goals. He suggested identifying a set of overall goals and adopting them as the initial step toward a Sustainability element. The next step would be to develop policy statements, etc. for those goals. Board Member Works suggested focusing on 1 -2 issues at a time by having a "year of that could involve citizens such as the year of less emissions or less driving. Mr. Chave commented establishing a set of goals would also establish a structure for citizen feedback. Council President Plunkett relayed the Planning Board's concern with doing a great deal of work on the Sustainability element without direction from the Council. He referred to Mr. Chave's suggestion for the Council to identify the goals before the Planning Board did any further work. Board Member Bowman agreed, commenting the scope was so large it was difficult to envision that much progress could be made in the near future. Because of the City's budgetary constraints, he preferred to identify issues that could be addressed at a low cost. Tn his experience most people wanted to be green as long as it did not cost more or change their lifestyle. Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes September 23, 2008 Page 8 Council President Plunkett invited the CPC's input regarding the process. Committee Member Chapel commented at the last meeting they saw the results of the study that analyzed sources of Edmonds emissions. One of the primary sources of emissions was buildings which was a logical thing for the Planning Board to work on such as whether insulation requirements should be increased, etc. Councilmember Wilson recommended the Community Services/Development Services consider the outline draft and identify tiers of goals and present that to the full Council prior to seeking input from the Planning Board and Climate Protection Committee. He referred to a goal regarding inventorying the urban forests, noting this was a service available via the City's membership in the Cascade Land Conservancy and suggested allocating a small amount in the budget for that effort. Mayor Haakenson commented the CPC had not discussed the process as it was the Council's responsibility to set the policy and determine the direction to take. The CPC mission has been to educate the public, work with other entities about what they are doing, determine the City's carbon footprint and how to reduce it in the future, as well as determining residential carbon footprints. Board Member Don Henderson commented there were two parts to the code, new buildings and renovations. Encouraging a property owner to retrofit an existing building would require financial incentives which may have financial implications to the City. Councilmembers agreed with a Council - driven process, beginning with the Community Services/Development Services Committee working on the goals and bringing them to the Council. With regard to the question of whether the overall approach and organization makes sense, Mr. Chave suggested this question could be revisited after the Community Services /Development Services Committee's discussion. He invited Councilmembers, Planning Board Members and CPC Members to identify any goals that were not included in the outline draft. Councilmember Wilson commented some of the statements in the outline draft were not goals but rather principles, strategies or outcomes. He suggested the Community Services /Development Services Committee reorganize the outline draft into principles, strategies and outcomes. Board Member Dewhirst agreed and suggested it be formatted like the other Comprehensive Plan elements with goals and policies. He also suggested each section also have a preamble. Development Services Director Duane Bowman commented the Sustainability element would also assist the City in meeting the requirements of the federally mandated Phase 2 NPDES Permit. Councilmember Wilson questioned if the outline draft sufficiently addressed affordable housing and suggested it be a standalone section. Mr. Chave stated there was already a Housing element in the Comprehensive Plan. The Sustainability element would not require major revisions to the other elements but was a way to link the elements to ensure they worked together. He envisioned the assessment of the Sustainability element may result in revisions to the goals and policies in other elements. Committee Member Landau clarified it was not his intent that the City get ahead of the State. He envisioned the State would develop mandates; by becoming knowledgeable about the mandates, Edmonds would have an opportunity to influence the mandates. And for the mandates that passed, Edmonds would have an opportunity to get ahead of the curve and possibly identify efficiencies in implementation. He commented another aspect he has considered in his position as a consultant was how businesses could benefit from these changes such as how jobs can be created, how citizens' lives and incomes could be improved and costs reduced in satisfying the requirements related to climate change. Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes September 23, 2008 Page 9 9. COUNCIL REPORTS ON OUTSIDE COMMITTEE /BOARD MEETINGS co,nmunity Council President Plunkett reported Jim Teverbaugh, Snohomish County Federated Health and Safety outreach Network, provided a presentation to the Community Outreach Committee on the Snohomish County Conunittce Youth Council. The Youth Council works with youth on the issues of violence and substance abuse. The Outreach Committee is investigating whether to participate in the Snohomish County Youth Council, establish an Edmonds Youth Council or participate in some other way. Port Councilmember Wambolt reported the September 8 Edmonds Port Commission meeting included Commission discussion regarding their 2009 preliminary budget. The Port expects to lose $250,000 in operations in 2009 which is less than projected in 2008. He reported the reason Jacobsen Marine decided not to construct a new facility at the Port was due to increases in construction costs. S. Snohomish Councilmember Olson provided a reminder about the South Snohomish Cities legislative dinner at the Cities Lynnwood Convention Center on Thursday, September 25. Health Councilmember Orvis reported the Snohomish Health District was facing a $4 million deficit in 2009. He District provided Councilmembers information regarding the revenue each program generates versus the cost of the program. He also provided Councilmembers information regarding services provided by cities. He referred to RCW 70.05.130, 70.46.085 and RCW 70.05.140 regarding counties' responsibility to fund public health. He noted the RCWs did not state how much funding counties must provide for public health services. At the last Health Board meeting, the Board voted to increase fees on restaurant inspections, septic inspections, etc. which raised $900,000 in revenue. This leaves a $3.1 million deficit. Although the Health Officer favored pursuing an initial round of cuts, the Board postponed further cuts awaiting action by the County Council. He noted the County Council did not appear satisfied with the additional $100,000 included in Snohomish County Executive Reardon's preliminary budget and he was hopeful the County Council would provide additional funding. He summarized further cuts would be painful and would affect discretionary programs such as children's programs and disease control. 10. MAYOR'S COMMENTS Neighborhood Mayor Haakenson advised his last 2008 neighborhood meeting will be held Wednesday, September 24 at Meeting Westgate Chapel. Next, he reported although the Council did not typically meet on the fifth Tuesday, due 2009/2010 to the difficulty of the 2009/2010 budget, he would be presenting the preliminary budget a month early at Budget a meeting on September 30. 11. COUNCIL COMMENTS Anti -idling Councilmember Bernheim asked the citizen who called him about the anti - idling ordinance to call him Call again because he lost her number. Fifth Tuesday Councilmember Wambolt commented the Council had met on every fifth Tuesday during 2008 and had Meetings toured the treatment plant on one of those Tuesdays. Team Peggy Councilmember Olson thanked the members of Team Peggy, commenting they were an awesome group of women who were doing amazing things. Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes September 23, 2008 Page 10 Health Councilmember Orvis reported King County found an animal with West Nile Virus, pointing out the District West Nile program offered by Snohomish Health District would be cut if additional funding was not provided. 12. ADJOURN With no further business, the Council meeting was adjourned at 9:00 p.m. Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes September 23, 2008 Page I