05/08/2007 City CouncilEDMONDS CITY COUNCIL APPROVED MINUTES
May 8, 2007
Following a Special Meeting at 6:30 p.m. for an Executive Session regarding a legal matter, the Edmonds
City Council meeting was called to order at 7:11 p.m. by Mayor Haakenson in the Council Chambers,
250 5th Avenue North, Edmonds. The meeting was opened with the flag salute.
ELECTED OFFICIALS PRESENT
Gary Haakenson, Mayor
Peggy Pritchard Olson, Council President
Michael Plunkett, Councilmember
Richard Marin, Councilmember
Mauri Moore, Councilmember
Deanna Dawson, Councilmember
Dave Orvis, Councilmember
Ron Wambolt, Councilmember
STAFF PRESENT
Gerry Gannon, Assistant Police Chief
Duane Bowman, Development Services Director
Stephen Clifton, Community Services Director
Noel Miller, Public Works Director
Rob Chave, Planning Manager
Stephen Koho, Treatment Plant Manager
Dave Gebert, City Engineer
Debi Humann, Human Resources Manager
Don Fiene, Assistant City Engineer
Scott Snyder, City Attorney
Sandy Chase, City Clerk
Jana Spellman, Senior Executive Council Asst.
Jeannie Dines, Recorder
1. APPROVAL OF AGENDA.
COUNCILMEMBER MARIN MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER MOORE, TO
APPROVE THE AGENDA IN CONTENT AND ORDER. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.
2. CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS
Councilmember Wambolt requested Item. S be removed from the Consent Agenda and Councilmember
Orvis requested Item R be removed.
COUNCILMEMBER MARIN MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER WAMBOLT, TO
APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. The agenda items
approved are as follows:
Approve A. ROLL CALL
A/17/07
Minutes B. APPROVAL OF CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES OF APRIL 17, 2007.
Approve Claim C. APPROVAL OF CLAIM CHECKS #95684 THROUGH #95851 FOR APRIL 19, 2007 IN
Checks
THE AMOUNT OF $460,190.72, AND #95852 THROUGH #95982 IN THE AMOUNT OF
$1,075,608.03 FOR APRIL 26, 2007. APPROVAL OF PAYROLL DIRECT DEPOSITS
AND CHECKS #44725 THROUGH #44774 FOR THE PERIOD OF APRIL 1 THROUGH
APRIL 15, 2007 IN THE AMOUNT OF $817,207.71.
Approve
Additional D. APPROVAL OF CLAIM CHECKS #95983 THROUGH #96130 FOR MAY 3, 2007 IN THE
Claim Checks AMOUNT OF $322,745.75. APPROVAL OF PAYROLL DIRECT DEPOSITS AND
CHECKS #44775 THROUGH #44829 FOR THE PERIOD OF APRIL 16 THROUGH
APRIL 30, 2007 IN THE AMOUNT OF $854,047.18.
Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes
May 8, 2007
Page 1
Claim for
Damages
E.
ACKNOWLEDGE RECEIPT OF CLAIM FOR DAMAGES FROM STEPHEN PIERCE
Community
($630.82).
Services Dept.
Report
F.
COMMUNITY SERVICES QUARTERLY REPORT - APRIL 2007.
Transportation
G.
RATIFICATION OF EMPLOYMENT OFFER TO TRANSPORTATION ENGINEER.
Engineer
H.
AUTHORIZATION TO ADVERTISE REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS FOR THE
Medical
MEDICAL PROGRAM DIRECTOR FOR THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.
Program
Director
I.
AUTHORIZATION FOR THE MAYOR TO SIGN ADDENDUM NO. 6 OF A
Remedial
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT FOR A REMEDIAL ACTION PLAN AT
Action Plan at
8th Ave &
8TH AVENUE AND WALNUT STREET WITH LANDAU ASSOCIATES.
Walnut St.
J.
AUTHORIZATION FOR MAYOR TO SIGN ADDENDUM NO.3 TO THE
Treatment Plant
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT WITH BROWN & CALDWELL FOR THE
Electrical
Improvements
ELECTRICAL IMPROVEMENTS PROJECT.
Lift Stations
K.
AUTHORIZATION FOR MAYOR TO SIGN ADDENDUM NO. 2 TO THE
7 te g
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT WITH HDR ENGINEERING, INC. FOR
Integration
THE LIFT STATIONS 7 AND 8 INTEGRATION AND REHABILITATION PROJECT.
Yellow Cab
Taxicab
L.
APPROVAL OF 2007 TAXICAB OPERATOR'S LICENSE FOR YELLOW CAB OF
License
WASHINGTON.
Res# H 44 - M. RESOLUTION NO. 1.144 - AUTHORIZING THE CITY OF EDMONDS TO ENTER INTO
Revised Mutual A REVISED MUTUAL AID AGREEMENT WITH THE CITY OF EVERETT AND
Aid Agreement
OTHER SNOHOMISH COUNTY WATER AND SEWER UTILITY PROVIDERS.
Res.# H45—
N.
RESOLUTION NO. 1145 - STATING THE INTENT OF THE CITY COUNCIL TO
Intent to vacate
Portion of 8th
VACATE A PORTION OF 8TH AVENUE NORTH NORTH OF SPRAGUE STREET
> >
Ave. N.
ESTABLISHING THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR SUCH VACATION AND
STATING THE INTENT OF THE CITY COUNCIL TO VACATE SUCH RIGHT-OF-
WAY UPON FULFILLMENT OF THE CONDITIONS.
Ord# 3640 —
August Johnson
O.
ORDINANCE NO. 3640 - DESIGNATING THE AUGUST-JOHNSON HOUSE FOR
House/Register
INCLUSION ON THE EDMONDS REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES, AND
of Places Historic
Places
DIRECTING THE COMMUNITY SERVICES DIRECTOR OR HIS DESIGNEE TO
DESIGNATE THE SITE ON THE OFFICIAL ZONING MAP WITH AN "HR"
DESIGNATION. (FILE NO. HP-06-54 / APPLICANT: SUSAN BAUER AND STEPHEN
BERNHEIM.
Ord# 3641—
Amend City
P.
ORDINANCE NO. 3641 - RELATING TO PUBLIC RECORDS; AMENDING SECTIONS
Code Related to
1.20.010 THROUGH 1.20.040 OF THE EDMONDS CITY CODE, ADDING A NEW
Public Records
SECTION 1.20.045 DECLARING THE MAINTENANCE OF AN ALL-INCLUSIVE
INDEX OF EVERY PUBLIC RECORD TO BE UNDULY BURDENSOME, AS
REQUIRED BY CHAPTER 42.56 RCW.
Ord4 —
Approve
Approve
Q.
ORDINANCE NO.3642 - APPROVING THE REZONE OF CERTAIN REAL PROPERTY
Rezone at
LOCATED AT 24310 76TH AVENUE WEST FROM NEIGHBORHOOD BUSINESS (BN)
24310 76th Ave
TO COMMUNITY BUSINESS (BC), AND ADOPTING FINDINGS OF FACT AND
West
CONCLUSIONS OF LAW.
Building Safety
Week
T.
PROCLAMATION IN HONOR OF BUILDING SAFETY WEEK, MAY 6-12, 2007.
Proclamation
Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes
May 8, 2007
Page 2
Day of Prayer
Proclamation U. PROCLAMATION IN HONOR OF DAY OF PRAYER, MAY 3, 2007.
7.P. Patches
Day V. PROCLAMATION IN HONOR OF J.P. PATCHES DAY, APRIL 26, 2007.
Proclamation
Ord# 3643 - ITEM R. ORDINANCE NO.3643 — APPROVING THE REZONE OF CERTAIN REAL PROPERTY
Rezone Certain LOCATED AT 23012, 23014, 23028, 23100, AND 23110 EDMONDS WAY, 9133 - 232ND
Property on STREET SW, AND A VACANT LOT LOCATED AT THE NORTHWEST CORNER OF
Edmonds Way 232ND STREET SW AND EDMONDS WAY, FROM MULTIPLE RESIDENTIAL (RM-
1.5) TO MULTIPLE RESIDENTIAL-EDMONDS WAY (RM-EW), AND FROM
COMMUNITY BUSINESS (BC) TO COMMUNITY BUSINESS-EDMONDS WAY (BC-
EW), AND ADOPTING FINDINGS OF FACT AND CONCLUSIONS OF LAW.
Councilmember Orvis explained he pulled this item in order to vote no.
COUNCILMEMBER MARIN MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER
WAMBOLT, FOR APPROVAL OF ITEM R. MOTION CARRIED (4-3), COUNCIL
PRESIDENT OLSON AND COUNCILMEMBERS MARIN, WAMBOLT AND MOORS
IN FAVOR; COUNCILMEMBERS ORVIS, PLUNKETT AND DAWSON OPPOSED.
Non -
Represented ITEM S. NON -REPRESENTED COMPENSATION ORDINANCE AMENDING ORDINANCE NO.
Compensation 3611.
Plan
Councilmember Wambolt indicated his intent to vote no on this item, referencing his previous comments
regarding the proposed Non -Represented Compensation (NRC) Plan. He acknowledged the proposed
Plan would address employees who have reached the top of their pay range and were no longer eligible
for a salary increase, pointing out this was the result of the ranges having a spread between the top and
bottom of only 25% rather than the customary 50% and some ranges that were set too high. He pointed
out the extent of the modifications to the current plan made the proposed NRC too costly and
unacceptable to him. He reiterated two of his major objections; first, some of the proposed increases were
too large - five of the nine bands would be increased by more than 20% and one increased 45.6%. He
acknowledged employees would not receive these increases at one time but over time their salaries could
increase by that amount. Second, of the 41-42 positions that the NRC applied to, only two would be
surveyed and the findings of the survey used to adjust the pay scale for the remaining positions. He
acknowledged it was an easier process but would likely result in many salaries set at inappropriate levels.
Councilmember Wambolt pointed out Human Resources staff did not have compensation expertise and
were generalists. He cited the need to hire a compensation consultant to provide the necessary expertise
as well as the impartiality necessary to develop an objective policy. He noted funds were budgeted for a
compensation study and anticipated using a compensation consultant would result in a better policy as
well as provide a learning experience for staff. He hoped a new policy would emphasize merit pay,
noting the current and proposed plan were not structured around pay for performance. He acknowledged
a new salary plan may result in better compensation for a few positions; this was acceptable to him as
long as the plan was rational and fair to employees and taxpayers. He cited his qualifications to make an
independent assessment of the City's salary plan, noting he was a retired corporate executive with over 25
years experience administering employee salaries.
COUNCILMEMBER MARIN MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER DAWSON, FOR
APPROVAL OF ITEM S.
Councilmember Moore asked staff to respond to Councilmember Wambolt's comment regarding the
increases being too large, particularly the 45.6% increase, and the length of time it would take for the
increases to escalate that much. Human Resources Manager Debi Humann responded she was unsure
Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes
May 8, 2007
Page 3
how Councilmember Wambolt had calculated that percentage. She noted the difference between the top
and the bottom was not a percentage but a flat dollar amount between bands.
In response to Councilmember Wambolt's comment that only two jobs would be surveyed, Ms. Humann
explained one of the difficulties with the previous L5 compensation plan was the lack of internal
evaluation; all evaluations were done via outside benchmarking. One of the improvements via the NRC
was the addition of an internal component. She agreed outside benchmarking would only be done for the
top paid job and the lowest paid job; the remainder would be internally evaluated and banded by
responsibility level. She disagreed with Councilmember Wambolt's comment that the compensation plan
was not related to merit increases, noting employees were eligible to receive a 1-5% merit increase based
on performance and goals defined in the previous year's evaluation.
Councilmember Moore inquired about the compensation expertise of staff versus a consultant. Ms.
Humann agreed she was a generalist, noting with only two staff members in the Human Resources
Department, they handled every aspect of human resources for all employees. With regard to her
experience in compensation, she cited her common sense and experience in applying the L5 policy and
previous salary plans. She has a background in compensation but was not a specialist. She cited reasons
against the use of a consultant including that the $50,000 - $100,000 for a consultant to develop a plan
would result in limited funds to implement the plan. The NRC was developed with the assistance of the
Directors and the Mayor and was a plan that worked for everyone and a plan that the City could afford.
Councilmember Moore asked whether other cities conducted similar surveys. Ms. Humann answered
approximately 50% of other cities were not happy with their compensation plan that functioned like the
L5 due to the difficulty finding similar jobs during surveys. She noted surveys strive for a 70% match
which was difficult for Edmonds because so many of the City's positions were unique due to the way the
City was staffed.
Councilmember Wambolt commented the City's compensation plan was clearly not merit based, pointing
out for an employee who received a 5% pay increase, 4% was a cost of living adjustment (COLA) and 1%
was merit pay. Conversely employees paid via a merit -based plan did not receive a COLA. With regard
to the 45.6% increase, he referred to jobs in Band C that were currently paid as low as $76,421 and the
new top salary of $11.1,247 - the difference between the two was 46.5%. He agreed although there were
some differences in jobs between cities, but did not anticipate it would be difficult to find a 70% match
between the City's positions and another city.
Using Assistant Police Chief Gannon as an example, Councilmember Dawson commented if it came to
the Human Resources staff s attention that the salary for that position was increasing or decreasing, staff
could do a benchmark survey for that position and/or make an adjustment to the NRC Plan. Ms. Humann
agreed periodic benchmark assessments would be necessary to avoid the loss of employees.
Councilmember Dawson commented although a survey would be done of only the highest and lowest
paid positions, there would be periodic verification of other positions to ensure the salary ranges were
competitive. Ms. Humann agreed.
Councilmember Dawson asked if the merit increase was in addition to a COLA. Ms. Humann stated yes,
noting that it was less than the increases in L5. In L5, employees received a COLA as well as a 0-5%
merit based on performance. Under the NRC, the merit increase was 0-3%; only a few outstanding
employees would receive a 4-5% merit increase. Councilmember Dawson summarized the NRC had both
a merit base and COLA. Ms. Humann explained all employees received a COLA in January; on their
anniversary date, they received a merit increase unless they were at the maximum in the range.
Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes
May 8, 2007
Page 4
Councilmember Dawson asked whether it was typical for governmental entities to have both a COLA and
merit based component to their salary plans. Ms. Humann answered yes, noting several cities had a
provision whereby employees at the maximum level could earn additional pay; Edmonds did not have
such a provision. She emphasized the last L5 survey for non -represented employees was conducted in
2005, therefore, their salaries were based on 2005 salary ranges plus the 2007 COLA. She noted non -
represented employees were key managerial staff and the union employees they supervised received
annual increases as well as longevity pay and overtime which often results in a serious salary compression
issue where supervisors would soon earn less than the employees they supervised.
Councilmember Dawson inquired about Ms. Humann's discussion with other cities regarding the NRC
Plan. Ms. Humann stated several cities were interested in the Plan as it contained the basic components
they were interested in such as outside benchmarking, internal evaluation, banding jobs by responsibility
levels and was easy to administer. Councilmember Dawson acknowledged the NRC plan may/may not
require correction in the future and agreed it was time to move forward with the proposed NRC Plan.
Council President Olson agreed with Councilmember Dawson, emphasizing the L5 plan no longer
worked. She was interested in trying the NRC plan and making adjustments as needed in the future. She
concluded the NRC was definitely better than L5.
Councilmember Moore expressed her support for the proposed NRC due to the amount of work staff had
put into developing the plan, the ability to administer the plan by the City's 2-member Human Resources
staff, and to ensure non -represented employee's salaries kept pace with the employees they supervised.
She viewed the NRC as a merit plan, acknowledging that although private industry did not do COLA, it
was standard operating procedure in governmental entities.
Councilmember Wambolt clarified he did not say City employees did not deserve a pay increase from
2005 levels; he simply wanted the increase to be the right amount. He pointed out the difficulty of
adopting a plan and making adjustments in the future particularly lowering an employee's salary. He
reiterated the NRC was not a merit -based plan, commenting the apparent lack of understanding regarding
compensation policies reinforced the need for a compensation consultant. He reiterated there was
$75,000 budgeted for a compensation consultant.
Mayor Haakenson commented he had also been involved in the corporate sector, emphasizing the
corporate world was not the same as City business. He pointed out of the 250 City employees, the NRC
affected only 50 employees who were not represented by unions and had no one else to represent them
other than the Council. He emphasized although L5 worked well for a period of time, it did not work now
and it was time to make a change to take care of 20% of the City's workforce. He offered to have Ms.
Humann report to the Council in one year on the experience with the NRC Plan.
UPON ROLL CALL, MOTION CARRIED (4-3), COUNCIL PRESIDENT OLSON AND
COUNCILMEMBERS DAWSON, MOORE AND MARIN IN FAVOR; COUNCILMEMBERS
Ord# 3644 —
WAMBOLT, PLUNKETT AND ORVIS OPPOSED. The item approved is as follows:
Salary
for Non -
Ranges
for ORDINANCE NO. 3644 — AMENDING ORDINANCE NO. 361.1 WHICH ESTABLISHED THE
Represented SALARY RANGES FOR NON -REPRESENTED, EXEMPT PERSONNEL FOR BUDGET YEAR
2007.
Older Americans 3. PROCLAMATION IN HONOR OF OLDER AMERICANS MONTH, MAY 2007
Month
Proclamation Mayor Haakenson read a Proclamation declaring May 2007 as Older Americans Month and presented the
Proclamation to Farrell Fleming, Executive Director, South County Senior Center.
Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes
May 8, 2007
Page 5
Mr. Fleming introduced John Wagner, Board of Directors President, in the audience. Mr. Fleming
commented on the under -utilization of seniors in the community, noting their experience and wisdom was
often under -appreciated and their potential often overlooked. He noted the Edmonds City Council had
two members who qualified as seniors and Mayor Haakenson was approaching that landmark. The age at
which a person became an "older American" varied, HARP identified it as age 50; historically senior
centers define membership at age 55, however, the South County Senior Center no longer had a defined
age. He noted if age 60 was the age at which one became an older citizen, most individuals had 20-30
years of life remaining. Both society and senior centers were exploring what the purpose of one's
remaining years could be, whether it was community service, service to one's family, spiritual growth,
learning new skills, exploring the arts, playing joyfully, or enjoying the simple things in life. He urged
individuals of all ages to make choices that led to a healthier future.
"Swift" Bus 14. UPDATE BY COMMUNITY TRANSIT ON "SWIFT" BUS RAPID TRANSIT
Rapid Transit
Todd Morrow, Director of Public Affairs, Community Transit, referred to an information sheet
regarding routes in Edmonds. He introduced June Devoll, Manager of Strategic Planning; Tom
Pierce, Public Information Specialist, and Barbara Earl, Public Outreach, BETS Consulting. Mr.
Morrow explained they were visiting City Councils along Hwy. 99 to provide an update on Swift Bus
Rapid Transit (BRT).
He explained Swift BRT combined the attributes of a commuter rail system with less expensive and more
flexible rubber -tired buses. BRT systems are operating in Los Angeles, Boston, Orlando, Las Vegas and
Eugene, Oregon. He identified the primary components of BRT:
• Fast and frequent service
• Fewer stops
• Stations versus bus stops
• Advanced technology
• Dedicated lanes
• Train -like vehicles
Mr. Morrow identified the 16.7 mile Swift route from the Everett station down Rucker Avenue,
Evergreen Way and Hwy. 99 to the Aurora Village Transit Center in Shoreline. Currently local service
along that route took 73 minutes; Swift would take 51 minutes, eliminating approximately 31 % of the
travel time. He assured local service on this corridor would continue.
Mr. Morrow enumerated factors that would improve travel time:
• 14 stops in each direction (compared with 50+ stops on the route currently)
• Off -board fare collection
• Buses with three doors
• Station dwell time reduced to 10-15 seconds
• Buses running every 10 minutes eliminating the need for schedules
Swift would use stations rather than bus stops. He displayed examples of BRT stations, explaining each
would be uniquely designed and would be visible along the corridor via an iconic marker that identified it
as a Swift station versus a local bus stop. There would also be signage to assist first-time users and
identify how Swift connected to local service. Stations would have real time monitors identified wait
times and ticket vending machines. He displayed a drawing of a Swift bus, explaining the Swift vehicle
would be branded with the Swift logo and have many other features not available on standard buses such
as space for riders to stand, wide comfortable seats and automatic stop announcements.
Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes
May 8, 2007
Page 6
Mr. Morrow explained next steps include selection of a bus manufacturer by summer 2007, ongoing
efforts to identify station locations, final stations design, public outreach via four community meetings
held this summer, and a partnership with Everett Transit on stations and operations.
Mr. Morrow summarized Edmonds was an important partner in the Swift BRT project. Former
Transportation Engineer Don Sims participated on the interagency work group and Community Transit
continued to work with City Engineer Dave Gebert, Assistant City Engineer Don Fiene, Development
Services Director Duane Bowman, and Public Works Director Noel Miller. He noted this was a landmark
project for Edmonds, Snohomish County and Community Transit as Swift leads the region into the future
of transportation.
Councilmember Moore commented this was the closest thing to light rail at a fraction of the cost. She
commended Community Transit on their partnership with Everett Transit and for the in-house design of
the Community Transit logo and Swift logo.
5. AUDIENCE COMMENTS
Edmonds - Dave Page, Edmonds, commented on the economic opportunity the City had as the friendliest town in
Friendliest Washington State. He commented on the corruption in many areas of the country compared to the
Town
compassion of the Edmonds community. He recalled comments made at Police Chief Stem's memorial
service about his integrity, noting Chief Stern only knew one way to do things - the right way. He
pointed out everyone knew the right way but may bend the rules to their advantage. He summarized
Edmonds was not only the friendliest town but was also free of corruption, attributes the city should
capitalize on.
Al Rutledge, Edmonds, urged the Council to vote on term limits for the mayor in January, noting term
Term Limits limits would be considered by the legislature next year. Next he suggested the City survey residents with
lCityManager_J regard to a City Manager, pointing out Bothell, Brier, Mountlake Terrace, and Snohomish had City
speakers Managers. He then commented on the loss of the City's Fire Chief I I years ago. With regard to public
Addresses comment, he recommended speakers be required to give their name and address.
G�►� /\•(i77i.YK�7►yi►� 1 �1►(I ry
states Capital Mayor Haakenson reported the State's capital budget contained $1 million for the Edmonds Center for the
Budget Arts via Building for the Arts, $200,000 for the South County Senior Center, $500,000 toward acquisition
of the former Woodway Elementary School and $100,000 toward the purchase of the Shell Creek
property acquisition. In the transportation portion of the capital budget, the Edmonds Crossing received
$4.004 million for right-of-way acquisition and $438,000 for the Puget Drive pedestrian walkway/bicycle
safety program. He advised a ferry work group would be established to implement HB 2358, a bill that
states no terminal projects can proceed until ridership demand forecasts were reconciled and pricing
strategies developed and reviewed, surveys conducted to gather data on ferry users and to help inform
operational and pricing strategies and pre -design studies. He hoped there would be an opportunity on the
work group for the City to participate. He recognized lobbyist Mike Doubleday for his assistance in the
legislature this year.
Strategic Plan Mayor Haakenson referred to the Council's discussion regarding a strategic plan that espoused the
Council's vision for the future, advising staff had begun a six-month effort to study more efficient
operations in each department. He suggested it may be timely for the Council to begin a strategic
planning effort that would occur concurrently with staff s study. Upon completion of both staff s and the
Council's study, the two could be blended for use in the 2009-2010 budget process.
Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes
May 8, 2007
Page 7
Appreciation of Mayor Haakenson offered his thanks on behalf of the City and the Police Department for the kindness and
Kindness and
Sympathy sympathy shown on the untimely passing of Police Chief Stern. He expressed appreciation for the
amazing outpouring of support from neighboring law enforcement, Fire Departments and the community.
7. COUNCIL COMMENTS
Speakers Council President Olson advised the Council would continue not to require speakers to provide their
Addresses address as it was a security issue.
Strategic Plan Councilmember Moore commented she was challenged by someone recently who heard she was not
planning to run for reelection to do something about the strategic plan before she left office. She
suggested scheduling a discussion on an upcoming agenda, noting she had several ideas with regarding to
a strategic plan.
Police Chief
Stem's Councilmember Moore suggested Police Chief Stem's memorial service be aired on Channel 21,
Memorial commenting it was a great story of a man, a family and a community. Mayor Haaken son advised that was
Service
Letter to the Councilmember Moore referred to a letter to the Edmonds Beacon editor that gambling would follow if
Editor/Beacon taller buildings were allowed in Edmonds. Councilmember Moore disagreed with this logic and urged
re: Taller voters not to listen to that type of rhetoric. She emphasized gambling was a dead issue in Edmonds. She
Buildings &
Gambling noted taller buildings had been an issue for the past four years; however the issue was over 36 inches, not
high rise buildings.
Letter to the
Editor re: Pizza Councilmember Wambolt referred to a letter to the editor complaining about the pizza trailer near the
Trailer ferry holding lanes. His observation revealed it looked fine and was nearly hidden from view.
Domestic Councilmember Dawson provided an update on items she was working on with regard to domestic
Viole
nce
violence reporting a bill that made strangulation a felony in the State of Washington had been approved
Legislation as was a bill that made any violation of a no -contact order could be prosecuted criminally.
Police Chief
Stem's
Memorial Councilmember Plunkett thanked those responsible for Police Chief Stem's memorial service,
Service commenting it was a great service to Chief Stern and the community.
With regard to letters to the editor, Councilmember Plunkett commented he enjoyed robust debate. He
encouraged citizens to express their views with regard to gambling, taller buildings, more parks, more
sidewalks, development of a strategic plan, etc.
Snohomish Co. Councilmember Marin reported the Snohomish County Tomorrow Steering Committee unanimously
Tomorrow approved annexation principles that have now been forwarded to the Snohomish County Council. He
SteerinCommittee also reported on the Steering Committee's efforts to encourage Snohomish County staff to develop
standards with regard to Low Density Multi -family Residential (LDMR) projects. County staff
developed numerous changes that were approved by the Steering Committee and would be referred to the
Snohomish County Council. He provided an example of a change that would require 15 feet between
buildings to allow the Fire Department to use a ladder to access an upper story. He expressed his
appreciation to Snohomish County staff for their efforts.
Councilmember Marin displayed a photograph of the tunnel boring machine breaking through in Seattle.
Sound Transit He noted this was not only Sound Transit's tunnel, but the region's tunnel due to the traffic relief that
light rail would provide. He relayed that he had ridden transit a record number of times over the past
week, riding Sounder once and buses 28 times and found riding transit quite enjoyable. He commented
Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes
May 8, 2007
Page 8
with 3.5% inflation, the current $3.33 cost of a gallon of gas would increase to $7.90 per gallon in 20
years. He pointed out the importance of mass transit to the future of the region.
Mayor Haakenson referred to an email he received from a person upset with his support of Sounder and
questioning the ridership on Sounder. Mayor Haakenson asked Councilmember Marin at a future
meeting to describe the original ridership, current ridership and future projections.
8. ADJOURN
With no further business, the Council meeting was adjourned at 8:11 p.m.
Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes
May 8, 2007
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