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05/23/2006 City CouncilMAY 23, 2006 The Edmonds City Council meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Mayor Pro Tem Dawson in the Council Chambers, 250 5th Avenue North, Edmonds. The meeting was opened with the flag salute. ELECTED OFFICIALS PRESENT Deanna Dawson, Mayor Pro Tem Peggy Pritchard Olson, Council President Pro Tem Michael Plunkett, Councilmember Richard Marin, Councilmember Mauni Moore, Councilmember Dave Orvis, Councilmember Ron Wambolt, Councilmember ELECTED OFFICIALS ABSENT Gary Haakenson, Mayor 1. APPROVAL OF AGENDA. STAFF PRESENT Tom Tomberg, Fire Chief Gerry Gannon, Assistant Police Chief Brian McIntosh, Parks & Recreation Director Dave Gebert, City Engineer Sandy Chase, City Clerk Jana Spellman, Senior Executive Council Asst. Jeannie Dines, Recorder COUNCILMEMBER MARIN MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER MOORE, FOR APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. 2. CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS COUNCILMEMBER MARIN MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER MOORE, FOR APPROVAL OF THE CONSENT AGENDA. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. The agenda items Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes May 23, 2006 Page 1 approved are as follows: (A) ROLL CALL Approve 5i16ro6 Minutes (B) APPROVAL OF CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES OF MAY 16, 2006. Approve (C) APPROVAL OF CLAIM CHECKS #88052 THROUGH #88192 FOR MAY 18, 2006, IN THE claim AMOUNT OF $644,187.30. APPROVAL OF PAYROLL DIRECT DEPOSITS AND CHECKS checks #42980 THROUGH #43054 FOR THE PERIOD MAY 1 THROUGH MAY 15, 2006, IN THE AMOUNT OF $688,404.05. street Overlay (D) REPORT ON BIDS OPENED MAY 9, 2006, FOR THE 2006 STREET OVERLAY PROGRAM Program AND AWARD OF CONTRACT TO WILDER CONSTRUCTION COMPANY ($443,098.50). Edmonds its Festival (E) AUTHORIZATION FOR THE MAYOR TO SIGN THE CONTRACT WITH THE EDMONDS ARTS FESTIVAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE 2006 EDMONDS ARTS FESTIVAL. 76` Ave W 75 " PI w (F) AUTHORIZATION TO ADVERTISE FOR STATEMENTS OF QUALIFICATION FROM alkway ENGINEERING CONSULTANTS FOR THE 76TH AVENUE WEST /75TH PLACE WEST WALKWAY PROJECT. Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes May 23, 2006 Page 1 Senator 3. PRESENTATION BY DARLENE FAIRLEY, STATE SENATOR, 32ND LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT Darlene Fairley State Senator Darlene Fairley reported it had been a very successful supplemental session, explaining this year's supplemental budget had enough money to put additional funds into affordable housing, children's initiatives, and set aside a billion dollars for the next two years. She explained Streamlined Sales Tax (SST) passed the Senate but did not go anywhere in the House. She explained the Speaker of the House stopped SST and did not bring it to committee; he has promised that will be the first thing up next year. Senator Fairley advised there were no bills passed this session regarding gambling but she continued to watch the issue carefully. She supported local control over siting and allowing cities to determine whether they wanted gambling within their boundaries. She referred to a bill that was proposed and not passed that would have frozen the number of gambling establishments in Washington, commenting gambling interests did not like the bill and stopped its progression. She noted the bill would actually benefit existing gambling establishments because freezing the number of establishments would create a monopoly. She assumed that bill would eventually pass. As a former Councilmember of Lake Forest Park, she pointed out the importance of receiving email from Councilmembers, commenting she read and responded to her own email. Councilmembers from Shoreline and Lake Forest Park emailed her with ideas for bills and as a result a new law was passed regarding mortgage brokers as well as a law regarding judges. She is currently the Chair of Financial Institutions, Insurance, Housing and Consumer Protection. Although she was not on the transportation committee, the staff from the transportation budget was formerly her staff members. She was able to allocate funds in the budget for buildable lands as a result of a request from Suburban Cities. Senator Fairley commented she was only one of a few Senators who voted against RTID. The compromise that was reached would require RTID and Sound Transit to be on the same ballot and both must pass for either to be approved, a situation that was nearly guaranteed to defeat both measures. She remarked half the people are for Sound Transit and the other half are for RTID. In the 32nd Legislative District, Edmonds was the only city that supported Sound Transit; Kenmore, Lake Forest Park and Shoreline opposed Sound Transit. Councilmember Marin, Sound Transit Board Member, expressed support for both Sound Transit and RTID. Senator Fairley advised an additional $24 million was put into affordable housing. She pointed out the benefit of Edmonds having both the 32nd and 21St Districts representing Edmonds, advising both Senator Ruth Kagi and she received the Champion for Children Award and the Champion for the Environment award, Senator Kagi received the Champion for Education Award and she received the Housing Hero Award. She encouraged Councilmembers to email her regarding what the Council and City of Edmonds wanted. Mayor Pro Tern Dawson commented whenever she has had an issue, Senator Fairley was one of the most responsive representatives. Even when she disagreed with what the City wanted, Senator Fairley had a good reason and was willing to be very straight and give the reasons why. She thanked Senator Fairley for her hard work on SST. Councilmember Moore thanked Senator Fairley for providing an update, noting Edmonds was represented by five legislators in the House and Senate and she was the only one who consistently provided a report to the Council before and after the session. Senator Fairley commented when she was on the Lake Forest Park City Council she never met the representatives. She recalled an instance when the Council passed an ordinance specific to Lake Forest Park that the legislature changed the next year. Councilmember Moore referred to Suburban Cities, a powerful organization in King County, explaining a similar organization was being started in South Snohomish County — South Snohomish Cities — that consists of Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes May 23, 2006 Page 2 the eight cities south of Everett and the Port of Edmonds. Council President Pro Tem Olson, Chair of South Snohomish Cities, advised the group was in the process of identifying 2 -3 issues the eight cities had in common that could be presented to the Legislature. Senator Fairley asked if the issues would be the same or different than Suburban Cities' issues. Council President Pro Tem Olson answered the intent was to identify issues that impact the majority of the south Snohomish County cities. Senator Fairley remarked Suburban Cites was often at odds with the City of Seattle. Council President Pro Tem Olson advised the group was just getting started and may have the same experience. Senator Fairley commented on the importance of testifying regarding the bills that would affect cities. She advised of a hearing tomorrow in Olympia regarding gambling that included a panel of cities. She was hopeful that Edmonds' viewpoint was represented. Councilmember Moore asked Senator Fairley to alert the City when any issues of interest to south Snohomish County arose so that the other cities in the South Snohomish Cities organization could be alerted. Senator Fairley inquired who was Edmonds' government liaison. Mayor Pro Tem Dawson encouraged Senator Fairley to contact her. Councilmember Wambolt complimented Senator Fairley for providing an update to the Council, recalling she made similar presentations to the Woodway Town Council when he lived in Woodway. So. county 4. PRESENTATION REGARDING SOUTH COUNTY SENIOR CENTER FINANCES Senior Center Farrell Fleming, South County Senior Center Executive Director, introduced members of the Senior Center who were present including President Jeannette Wood and Board Member Ron Baleau. He explained the purpose of his presentation was to clarify the nature of the financial partnership between the City of Edmonds and the South County Senior Center, a non -profit 501(c)(3) and 2), and to demonstrate that the partnership provides the City with significant financial benefits. Mr. Fleming provided a background of senior centers, explaining for over 100 years cities have considered providing parks and recreation services to their citizens a civic responsibility. Parks have always been for all ages, but recreation services are increasingly defined by age groups — preschool, youth, teens, adults, and seniors. Since the late 1960's the dominant model for providing recreation services to seniors has been the senior center. Mr. Fleming explained there are three basic organizational models for senior centers, 1) city owned and managed, 2) non - profit owned and managed, and 3) partnership between city and non - profit. City owned and operated are the most expensive for cities with the other two being less expensive. He explained in Snohomish County there were three city -owned and managed senior centers — Everett ($500,000 annual contribution by the city), Lynnwood ($200,000 annual contribution by the city) and Marysville ($100,000 annual contribution by the city). There are two non -profit owned and managed centers — Stillaguamish Senior Center in Arlington and Stanwood Senior Center — both have sizeable low- income senior housing units on site. Cities that have city /non -profit partnerships include Edmonds, Monroe, Mountlake Terrace, Snohomish as well as others. The County has defined five large non - profit senior centers as regional centers: South County, East County (Monroe), Northshore (Bothell), Stillaguamish and Stanwood. These centers each receive $60,500 annually through the Long Term Care and Aging Division of the Human Services Department. Mr. Fleming described the early history of the South County Senior Center, explaining the center incorporated as a non - profit in 1967. The City was an active player through its Parks & Recreation Department. In 1968 the senior center achieved 501(c)(3) charitable status, moved onto its present waterfront site and hired its first staff.. In 1972 the non - profit center obtained a $300,000 HUD grant to purchase the existing waterfront property. The Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes May 23, 2006 Page 3 terms of the grant required a 25% local match which the City provided for a total of $400,000 and the property was purchased. As a result the City came to own the property with the understanding it was a permanent home for the senior center. Not only did Edmonds acquire a senior center but the City acquired a regional park with beach access and parking. He envisioned if the property had not been purchased by the senior center and the City, it would likely have been sold to a developer who would have built multi -story condominiums. Mr. Fleming explained the City helped fund the operations of the senior center with an annual operating grant defined by a recreational services agreement; in 2006 the amount of this grant was $55,000. The senior center's annual cash budget is approximately $500,000. Thus the senior center leverages the City's grant almost 10 times. In contrast, the City of Lynnwood operates a small storefront senior center with a much smaller program at an annual cost to the city of $200,000. One of the benefits of the partnership was that the non -profit had a number of possible funding sources that were not available to cities such as grants from other public entities (the County and other cities), the United Way, small and large foundations, and the center's own fundraising events including donations, memberships, related businesses such as the thrift store, fees for service, etc. A second advantage is that the senior center pays non - profit sector salaries; it would be much more expensive for the City to maintain the center at its present rate of operation. He summarized a lot of services were delivered for the $55,000 cost to the City. Mr. Fleming commented on annual maintenance costs, explaining all of the basic occupancy costs — light, heat, water and sewage, garbage, elevator maintenance — were paid by the non - profit which included garbage generated by the park. The City sets aside some funds, approximately $5,000 per year, for materials in its facilities maintenance budget for upkeep of the senior center. In recent years not all of this has been spent. City staff provide maintenance work as their schedules or budgets allow. This includes lighting, locks, some plumbing, and lawn and parking lot maintenance. Mr. Fleming explained the City has begun doing senior center rehabilitation projects in the last two years. The first of these was in 2004, replacement of older windows ($30,000). The second, to be completed in 2006, is to upgrade the elevator ($150,000). He emphasized these projects were fully funded by Community Development Block Grants, a federal grant process overseen by the County's Planning and Development Department. No City operating funds were used in these projects other than the City's engineering staff provide project oversight, project management and reporting for each of the projects. The grants are applied for through the city's Parks & Recreation and Cultural Services Department. Since 2002 senior center staff has written all the grants and assisted in the negotiations with the Planning and Development Department. The City received Community Development Block grants in 2003, 2004 and 2005. Projects funded but not yet completed include roof repairs ($32,000 — summer 2006), fire alarm upgrade ($35,000 — summer 2006), kitchen remodel ($50,000 — 2006), structural study of the building ($35,000 — half from Community Development Block grants, summer 2006), front entrance remodel ($150,000 — summer 2007), and patio door replacement ($5,000 — 2006). The largest of the three block grants was $200,000 in 2005. His interpretation of the language in the agreement commits the City to maintain the low - income benefit requirement for 15 or 20 years. Councilmember Moore asked if there was any restrictions on the original 1972 HUD grant that was used to purchase the property. Mr. Fleming answered he did not know but could attempt to find out. Councilmember Moore referred to the requirement to maintain the low income benefit requirement and asked if that required that the senior center be located in a specific place. Mr. Fleming answered the grant was for a structure and the intent was not to have the center accept the funds and sell the property for a profit shortly after. The low income benefit was granted to seniors because seniors as a group were assumed to be low income. Councilmember Moore referred to a comment by City Attorney Scott Snyder that the City would be required to pay back a large amount if the senior center were moved. Mr. Fleming answered the two grants, the first Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes May 23, 2006 Page 4 $126,000 and the second $130,000 committed the City to 15 years. His understanding was the discussion about demolishing the senior center occurred several years ago during the timeframe when the grant funds were being utilized and the assumption was that a prorated portion would need to be repaid. Councilmember Moore asked why that discussion arose several years ago, and whether it was due to the building's condition. Mr. Fleming answered it was in the mid- 1990's and the building's condition was one of the reasons the issue was raised although he was not certain. Councilmember Moore inquired about the current condition of the building. Mr. Fleming acknowledged it was an old building; one of the reasons for the structural study was to gather information regarding the foundation. It appears the original 2 -story brick building was an old mill. He acknowledged there were issues with keeping the first floor level, the building was constructed on fill and the floors were downwardly uneven. Councilmember Moore asked when the structural study would be completed. Mr. Fleming answered it would be completed in late summer. 5. AUDIENCE COMMENTS E ]ferry Natalie Shippen, Edmonds, advised at the November 2007 election the Edmonds City Council would ask the voters of Snohomish Count to raise their taxes; if a roved the mone would be s ent to build half of a new 5' � pp y p terminal in Edmonds. She posed three questions related to the ballot measure, 1) how much money would voters be asked to approve, 2) exactly what portion of a terminal would that amount buy, and 3) what was the total cost of the complete terminal. She explained these questions were posed to the Edmonds City Council because the project on the ballot was the City's project; the ferry system did not request a new ferry terminal in Edmonds, the City did and RTID put the funding on the ballot at the City's request. As the Council was asking the voters to fund half a new terminal, it was their responsibility to explain the details to the voters. Councilmember Moore advised Community Services Director Stephen Clifton was preparing an answer to Ms. Shippen's questions. 6. MAYOR'S COMMENTS Awc Mayor Pro Tern Dawson urged Councilmembers to attend the AWC Conference in Spokane, pointing out it was conference a good opportunity to have representatives from Snohomish County elected to leadership positions. She suggested the Council discuss a strategy prior to the conference, commenting that Mountlake Terrace Mayor Smith would be running for Vice President and was an excellent candidate and a great voice for the region. She was unable to attend the conference. seashore Mayor Pro Tern Dawson relayed Councilmember Moore's request to be removed as the City's representative on Transporta- SeaShore Transportation forum to allow her to attend the Snohomish County Economic Development Council ion Forum She asked Councilmember Marin if he could attend the SeaShore meeting for the City, noting he already attended the meeting as a non - voting member representing Sound Transit. Councilmember Marin advised he could. snocom Mayor Pro Tem. Dawson reported SnoCom had a potential grant opportunity for $250,000 to fund the interconnect between SnoCom and SnoPak agencies. 7. INDIVIDUAL COUNCIL REPORTS ON OUTSIDE COMMITTEE /BOARD MEETINGS seashore Council President Pro Tern Olson reported the SeaShore Forum had reached a resolution regarding which cities Forum could vote on what issues. She reported the Public Facilities District was on track to open the Edmonds Center Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes May 23, 2006 Page 5 Center for for the Arts in September 2006. She remarked the Edmonds Center for the Arts would be a great asset to the he Arts City. She advised South Snohomish Cities was meeting on May 25. Port Councilmember Wambolt reported at the May 8 Port meeting the Commission agreed to hire a consultant to do Commission a salary survey. He noted that same topic would be presented to the Council Finance Committee at their next meeting. The Port had a workshop to review the various administrative authorities granted to the Executive Director. The Port plans to dedicate the weather station in front of the Yacht Club on June 2. He relayed a report from Commissioner Mary Lou Block on her visit to the Port of Walla Walla and the economic development that Port is involved in. At the May 22 meeting, the Port had a presentation on the Prosperity Partnership and took action to join the group. The Port was also provided a presentation by the Snohomish County Economic Development Council, a presentation he suggested also be made to the City Council. He relayed the Port's appreciation to the Edmonds Police Department for their assistance arresting a suspect involved in stealing outboard motors from the boatyard, a suspect who has been arrested 32 times in the past. FHar_bor___1 Councilmember Wambolt advised of an upcoming meeting with representatives of the Port of Edmonds and square Port of Everett to discuss redevelopment of Harbor Square. He also announced the Waterfront Festival on June 2,3 &4. Mayor Pro Tern Dawson advised she was investigating having the Snohomish County Economic Development Council provide a presentation to the Council. ashiugton Councilmember Moore reported on a presentation made by the Executive Director of Washington. Learns, a beams Governor's initiative begun last year that was charged to develop by mid- November 2006 a final recommendation for dealing with education statewide from pre- kindergarten through higher education. The Governor's desire is to make education from K -12, community colleges and 4 -year colleges a seamless transition. She advised the schedule for the process which includes a public hearing is available on the Washington Learns website, www.washingtonlearns.wa.gov. She advised the steering committee, comprised of 15 people from private industry and government and chaired by Governor Gregoire, will take the recommendations of subcommittees to develop a plan for reforming education in the state. She urged the public to be aware of the Washington Learns effort as it would affect everyone. Disability Councilmember Orvis reported the Disability Board had been discussing policies in an effort to streamline the Board processing of claims. Policies discussed included establishing a cap on hearing aids and establishing an exception clause for items that are medically necessary. The Disability Board also discussed a policy related to deductibles; the Disability Board funds health insurance for some LEOFF 1 retirees and is required to fund deductibles in cases where it is medically necessary. Another policy was established to consider assisted living on a case -by -case basis; there are certain instances where retirees could qualify for nursing home care but chose to stay at home; in some instances the Disability Board will assist with funding home care which is less expensive than nursing home care. wRtA a Councilmember Orvis reported on the WRIA 8 meeting which included discussion regarding apportioning funds to King County Conservation Districts; WRIA 8 agreed to change the apportionment so that more would go toward actual on- the - ground conservation projects. WRIA 8 has been experiencing difficulty getting a quorum; this lead to discussion of a new floating quorum system whereby if a member missed three meetings in a row, the member would be de- assigned and would no longer be part of the quorum. The WRIA 8 board recommended staffing remain at 3.5 FTE. Mayor Pro Tern Dawson thanked Councilmember Orvis for changing committees with her and attending WRIA 8. She advised Councilmember Orvis and she serve on the LEOFF 1. Disability Board that serves retirees from the Fire and Police Departments. She advised all the LEOFF 1 employees are retired. Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes May 23, 2006 Page 6 Barking Councilmember Plunkett advised City Attorney Scott Snyder was considering the revisions to the parking code Committee with regard to RV and handicap parking and it would be returned to the Council soon. He reported the Historic Historic Preservation Commission formed a subcommittee to consider nonconforming regulations which would be Preservation reviewed by the Community Services /Development Services Committee soon. Councilmember Plunkett reported his daughter was in graduate school at Boston University and tomorrow he would be leaving to spend seven days in Boston. He would continue to be available via email and telephone although possibly not as quickly. IHealth i Councilmember Marin reported on the disabled lift installed at the Snohomish County Health District. He District advised the public parking was moved to the rear of the building about six months ago where access was via 10- 12 steps. He persuaded the Finance Committee to fund the lift to improve accessibility to the Health District offices. Another success at the Health District was the administration of the Women Infant Child (WIC) program. The State approached the Health District regarding running the WIC program which the Health District was reluctant to do due to difficulties the previous administrator experienced. The Health District staff combined WIC with the First Steps program which has been very effective. He explained First Steps had a nurse and social worker who made home visits to work with young mothers; the home visits have been reduced and mothers bring their children to the Health District in conjunction with WIC. The Everett facility was remodeled to accommodate the programs and remodeling of the Lynnwood facility was recently completed. Com nity Councilmember Marin reported a Community Transit driver, Matt Chomjak, competed in the international bus Transit mudrivers rodeo and won first place. He advised Mr. Chomjak had been competing for five years, the second year was the same year Councilmember Marin, also a licensed bus driver, competed in the rodeo. Puget sound As a follow -up to his report on the Puget Sound Partnership last week, Councilmember Marin relayed a Partnership recommendation that the public dispose of expired prescription drugs by leaving them in the original container and disposing of them in the garbage. Memorial Day Councilmember Marin encouraged the public to attend the Memorial Day program at the Edmonds Cemetery on Ceremony Monday at 11:00 a.m. 6:00 p.m. Mayor Pro Tern Dawson reported the Council would be meeting at 6:00 p.m. on May 30 for the presentation Meeting on from the Edmonds School District that the Council requested. The School Board plans to meet on June 6; May 30 therefore, it was the consensus of the Council to meet on May 30 and possibly take action. She advised the Council may also meet in Executive Session regarding a litigation matter. CTAC I Council President Pro Tern Olson advised the Community Technology Advisory Committee planned to meet on Committee AA— 2 t _+ 7.0n — AL u,.__ +_ a.,,,,,.,., +I, Axe; U; _­*­+ R Councilmember Wambolt referred to a notice from the U.S. Army Corp. of Engineers regarding a public hearing on the double tracks between Edmonds and Everett. The notice indicates the Meadowdale Marina will be totall o y demolished to accommodate the second set of rails. 8. ADJOURN With no further business, the Council meeting was adjourned at 8:01 p.m. Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes May 23, 2006 Page 7