20180619 City CouncilEDMONDS CITY COUNCIL APPROVED MINUTES
June 19, 2018
ELECTED OFFICIALS PRESENT
Dave Earling, Mayor
Michael Nelson, Council President
Kristiana Johnson, Councilmember
Thomas Mesaros, Councilmember
Adrienne Fraley-Monillas, Councilmember
Diane Buckshnis, Councilmember
Dave Teitzel, Councilmember
Neil Tibbott, Councilmember
1. CALL TO ORDER/FLAG SALUTE
STAFF PRESENT
Phil Williams, Public Works Director
Carrie Hite, Parks, Rec. & Cult. Serv. Dir.
Shane Hope, Development Services Director
Mary Ann Hardie, HR Director
Dave Turley, Assistant Finance Director
Jeff Taraday, City Attorney
Scott Passey, City Clerk
Jerrie Bevington, Camera Operator
Jeannie Dines, Recorder
The Edmonds City Council meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Mayor Earling in the Council
Chambers, 250 5t' Avenue North, Edmonds. The meeting was opened with the flag salute.
2. ROLL CALL
City Clerk Scott Passey called the roll. All elected officials were present.
4. PRESENTATIONS
PROCLAMATION HONORING GEOFF BENNETT
Mayor Earling read a proclamation honoring Geoffrey Bennett, Assistant Principal, Edmonds-Woodway
High School, and thanking him for his commitment to the education and wellness of the people of Edmonds
and encouraging all residents to join in extending their gratitude and appreciation to Mr. Bennett for his
years of service.
Mr. Bennett thanked the City Council for the proclamation, saying Edmonds-Woodway High School is a
fantastic place and he loves going work/school every day. A lot of changes have occurred at Edmonds-
Woodway High School over the years; there are now 44 different languages spoken and 1650 students. He
introduced members of his family who were present.
3. APPROVAL OF AGENDA
COUNCILMEMBER TEITZEL MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER FRALEY-
MONILLAS, TO APPROVE THE AGENDA IN CONTENT AND ORDER. MOTION CARRIED
UNANIMOUSLY.
2. HOUSING SNOHOMISH COUNTY PROJECT REPORT
Mark Smith, Executive Director Housing Consortium of Everett and Snohomish County (HCESC),
explained HCESC has approximately 50 member organizations, 25 are non-profit affordable housing
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Page 1
developers, owners and operators such as Housing Hope, YWCA, Housing Authorities, Compass Health,
Cocoon House, and the other 25 are business members such as banks, architects, general contractors, etc.
About 18 months ago, HCESC launched "Housing Snohomish County; the results of Phase 1 are in this
report. He offered to deliver a hardcopy of the report to Councilmembers on Friday, noting the report is
also available on their website.
Mr. Smith explained the purpose of Phase 1 was to create an affordable housing inventory, total household
income cannot exceed a certain amount to qualify for this housing and then residents only pay 30% of their
income for rent. That inventory is available on their website and includes information by city as well as
aggregate totals by income, etc. The second part of Phase 1 was to establish the need. The total number of
units in Snohomish County is approximately 20,000, 15,000 units of housing and 5,000 vouchers. Need
was defined as households should pay no more than 30% of total income for housing and related utilities.
A third piece of Phase 1 was policy and funding recommendations due to the staggering need. HCESC
vetted over 50 different recommendations in terms of feasibility, the biggest bang for the buck, etc. The
report includes seven policy recommendations and three funding recommendations to increase the stock of
affordable housing in Snohomish County or make it easier and cheaper to build.
Mr. Smith presented:
• Brian: "If [housing] were cheaper," said Brian, "we could have paid the power bill; my mom would
have insurance and tabs on the car. We would actually still be in an apartment - not my mom in
the car, my sister staying at Cocoon House, and me staying at a friend's house."
o Typical statement of homeless or housing insecure
■ Snohomish County has:
0 1,128 students living in motels, in shelters, or on the street
■ Edmonds has 82 homeless students
0 41,597 households paying more than half their income for housing
0 28.4% rental increase from 2013-2016
0 2.9% wage decrease from 2013-2016
• Edmonds
Affordable Ho sing Invento
0-30% AMI 31-50% AMI
Total
0 1 138
138
Affordable Housing Need
Category
0-30% AMI
31-50% AMI
Total
Total Low -Income Households
2,062
1,961
4,023
Cost -burdened
363
8976
1,260
Severely cost -burdened
1,220
605
1,825
Total cost -burdened, % of bracket
77%
77%
77%
What do we do?
o Housing is the foundation
■ A stable, affordable home is the foundation for a better life. Having a home gives residents
the opportunity to:
- Find consistent employment
- Encourage consistent school attendance for their children
- Access reliable health care
- Live a healthy lifestyle
■ Without a home, this becomes difficult or impossible.
o Laying the foundation
■ Apply site and population appropriate parking standards
- Edmonds has lowest parking standards in Snohomish County
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- Hwy 99 Plan gives Development Services Director discretion to reduce parking based
on the population served and the site
➢ Suggest extend to other areas of City
■ Use public land for affordable homes
■ Reduce or waive fees
➢ Reconsider amount of connection fee
o The Story of Pleasant Valley
■ Located in beautiful Snohomish County, Pleasant Valley is a multi -family development
consisting of 50 very low-income homes.
■ Thanks to the courage and foresight of the local council and planning agency, Pleasant
Valley saved:
- $525,000 through site -appropriate parking standards
- $437,080 through impact and utility fee reductions
- $1,250,000 through acquisition of public land
- In total, Pleasant Valley saved $2,212,080. They put this money into their next project
and were able to build more homes than they had initially budgeted for.
* Local funding for local solutions
o 100 Housing Levy: $11.8 million/year*
■ 650-750 new affordable homes
■ Housing options for 400-500 homeless students
■ Cost to homeowner: $34 per year
* The median assessed home value in Snohomish County in 2017 was $336,000
o 0.1 % increase of mental health and chemical dependency sales tax
■ $9 million annually for affordable homes with services
■ Serves highly vulnerable people and households
■ Real Change for Real People
o "Most of these families are very capable -they just need that foot in the door... If they could
get into something that they could afford on their own, it's gonna change generations."
Amy Perusse, McKinney-Vento (KIT Program) Facilitator, Categorical Programs
* If not now, when?
o We need your help. We are asking you to:
* Revise codes, plans & fees to facilitate construction of affordable homes
■ Advocate for your most vulnerable citizens
■ Embrace housing and homelessness as community issues which require community
solutions
o Please invite us to participate with any of the above. We are here to help.
Councilmember Mesaros relayed a report on King 5 news this morning that said Snohomish County has
the tightest housing market in western Washington, which reinforces the information Mr. Smith shared. A
tight housing market drives up cost of housing. He thanked Mr. Smith for the information, noting the City
needs to be cognizant and responsive.
Councilmember Fraley-Monillas commented on the importance of continuing to educate all elected
officials. The explanation about 30% makes it clearer for a lot of people and illustrates what a tragic
situation it is for people working minimum wage jobs. She recalled reading in the newspaper renting a 2-
bedroom apartment in Edmonds required a wage of $32/hour. She noted it would be impossible for a single
parent with kids working a minimum wage job to live in this area. She thanked Mr. Smith for all he does
and urged him to continue educating City Councils.
Councilmember Buckshnis commented it appeared the Phase 1 report will be very helpful. She asked how
HCESC interacts with Affordable Housing Alliance (AHA). Mr. Smith said he attends their meetings
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regularly and is in frequent communications with Program Manager Chris Collier as well as HASCO which
houses AHA and HASCO's Executive Director Duane Leonard is on the HCESC Board. They share
information but are doing different but complimentary things. AHA is looking to launch its own affordable
housing fund; they received $500,000 from Snohomish County which must be expended by June 2019, a
short timeline. HCESC is not trying to build its own fund but to promote countywide solutions/strategies.
Councilmember Buckshnis agreed it was important to ensure all jurisdictions understand the epidemic
occurring regarding affordable housing. She relayed her understanding AHA was structuring their plans
after A Regional Coalition for Housing (ARCH) and asked if he works with AHA on finding public land,
donors, etc. Mr. Smith answered AHA is still in the formative stage; it was initially established to provide
smaller cities technical expertise with their GMA housing plans, not to create its own fund.
Councilmember Tibbott observed Mr. Smith works with a number of cities and Snohomish County and
asked what other cities like Edmonds, that are largely built out, are doing to carve out lots/spaces for
affordable housing. Mr. Smith said Everett is donating land to Catholic Housing Services who is building
65 units for the chronically homeless. Councilmember Tibbott agreed Edmonds should go through its
inventory of public land to see what was available. He referred to larger lots in the City such as 5 acres that
were surrounded by single family residential and asked what other cities are doing to accommodate more
multi -family housing. Mr. Smith answered non-profit affordable housing developers are not interested in
putting a 25-50 unit building in the middle of a residential neighborhood because that is a poor location.
Better locations in Edmonds include along the Hwy 99 corridor, Westgate, Firdale Village, etc. where there
is easy access to public transportation, grocery stores etc. HCESC is not advocating for and cities are not
looking to do the types of things being done in Seattle such as up -zoning. When he first joined HCESC five
years ago, he was ready to pursue that but learned it's not appropriate in Snohomish County.
Mr. Smith explained site control and acquisition of land is one of biggest early hurdles that a non-profit
developer has to overcome. If the 5-acre lot Councilmember Tibbott referred to is surrounded by residential
on three sides and the fourth side is a minor or major arterial, there may be a way to develop something
smaller such as 2 stories that doesn't impact the single family residential. For example, Housing Hope
recently constructed a 2-story building with 40 units in Marysville that has a relatively low impact to the
surrounding area.
He referred to the efforts of Edmonds Lutheran Church, noting he was on the board of Good Shepherd
Baptist Church Housing Project that now has 30 units of housing for extremely low income for seniors. The
faith community is entering into partnerships with non-profit affordable housing developers, either donating
property or selling it at a reduced price. For example, United Methodist in Shoreline sold a substantial piece
of property at a lower rate to Compass Housing, allowing them to renovate their church, provide affordable
housing, a food bank and a services center.
Mr. Smith said he is planning a one -day housing summit for the faith community in the fall to explore
creative partnerships. A lot of faith communities in Snohomish County were founded in the 50s with the
idea they would grow, but are discovering they are not growing and realizing part of their faith -driven
mission is to perhaps consider doing something with land they no longer need. Councilmember Tibbott
summarized appropriate sites for affordable housing include located on a transit route, one of three sides
having multi -family and close to jobs/employment centers, grocery stores and services. He referred to an
editorial in the Everett Herald over the weekend regarding affordable housing.
Councilmember Teitzel relayed Edmonds' development code does not allow detached accessory dwelling
units (DADU) which he believes may be part of the solution. He asked if other cities in Snohomish County
have pursued DADU policies and are attracting additional affordable housing via those policies. Mr. Smith
said Everett and Lynnwood allow DADUs; they fill a niche for affordable housing, particularly for a senior
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who wants to remain in their house and generate some income, but it has a very limited role overall in the
supply of affordable housing particularly for 0-30% income range because rents for ADUs are still too high.
ADUs can helps with 40-60% income range. He said it is one of the recommendations in the Phase 1 report
although it was not highlighted in his presentation.
Councilmember Fraley-Monillas asked if the code could establish a limit on the amount of rent charged for
an ADU. Mr. Smith answered no, no form of rent control is allowed under the constitution of Washington
State. Affordable housing that receives a tax credit includes a 50-year affordability covenant which requires
the units remain affordable or the project is subject to numerous penalties. The only way to control the rent
in an ADU would be if the code included an income structure that required ADUs be rented to people in a
certain income range and the rent could be no more than 30% of their household income. That would require
staff to review, manage and enforce. Most cities are not equipped to do that; Seattle does that but is a fairly
onerous burden.
5. AUDIENCE COMMENTS
Mindy Woods, Edmonds, explained she has experienced homelessness twice in this area due to the lack
of affordable housing. In 2010 she and her son had to evacuate their home due to secondary mold poisoning
and when they were unable to find anything in their price range, they ended up in their car. They couch -
surfed for four months before ending up at the YWCA. After a four month stay, they got into a transitional
apartment which became their permanent apartment. After 3'/z years, the landlord decided he now longer
wanted to participate in the Section 8 program and they received their legal 20-day notice. When she was
unable to find affordable housing, her son went to a friend's house and she couch -surfed for eight months
until she found a landlord in Edmonds whose rents were affordable, and she liked long-term tenants. She
summarized she is not human waste as an Edmonds resident stated last week at the Planning Board that all
homeless people are. She is hard working and educated, but due to medical issues and circumstances, they
became homeless, but it was not due to a lack of trying. She encouraged the City to look into more
affordable housing and low-income housing because a lot of residents are hanging on by a thread.
Carolynne Harris, Edmonds, said she has recently taken in three homeless teenage boys; she has been
working with them for four years and after they were evicted, their mother asked her to take them in. The
boys are very wounded from living in cars, in one room together, in hotels, etc. She worked hard to get the
family into an apartment, but the mother is mentally ill and the children suffered because of it. The schools
in the Edmonds School District have saved them. They are in a good situation and she is working with
Compass, taking them to multiple doctor's appointments due to wounds from being homeless. She is
exhausted but loves them and is happy she is able to do this for them. There are many children like these
who are lost in the system. She recalled calling DSHS and being yelled at and hung up on. Her church and
another church are willing to provide property for housing, but zoning is a problem in one area. She
expressed the churches' willingness to work with the City to provide housing like Edmonds Lutheran did.
Ann Wormas, Edmonds, said citizens living in Edmonds must address the concerns of the present; housing
accessibility, housing stability, and housing affordability are pressing needs in Edmonds. When some of
her neighbors who previously held jobs important to the community are feeling desperate about what will
happen to them, where they can go next, it is time to consider changes. When the retired librarian, someone
working in hospital, a woman in -home healthcare and an entry-level teacher and many others cannot be
secure in their housing and live in the community in which they are employed, new solutions must be
considered. For years she resisted the idea of increased density, but she began volunteering with a charitable
organization that helped people with shelter and housing expenses. When she visited the home of a young
mother with two children, she was moved and disturbed by the frightening struggle and anxiety the woman
experiences every month. Edmonds not seen continued building of more house in a modest range for many
years. This undersupply of housing impacts middle income housing and has diminished housing in those in
the lower range. Some people who ask for assistance are working or on limited incomes, and would not
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need to ask for assistance if there were more housing. She hoped people in Edmonds would study, question,
listen, learn and seek solutions for the housing issue. Changing times call for different ideas of what a
community should be.
Kaleb Nichols said since the last Council meeting, he and Stephany Janssen have been working on a youth
commission and contacting interested teens. He reported it was easy to find people who are interested. He
reiterated why a youth commission was important to him; he believed getting teens involved in local
government can be beneficial in countless ways such as providing an opportunity for teens to experience
and learn about building a strong community.
Mwangi Payton, a IOt' grader at Edmonds-Woodway High School, said a youth commission would be
very beneficial for the community. It will draw youth together in a time where so many beliefs are polarized,
and people do not feel a sense of community. He was shocked when someone told him recently that a youth
commission was not important because social issues such as sexism, racism, homophobia, and bigotry do
not exist in Edmonds. A youth commission will provide awareness and the realization there are different
people all around us — immigrants, people who speak different languages or have different religions — and
pull the community together and make Edmonds like a family.
Alissa Berman, a sophomore at Edmonds-Woodway High School, expressed her belief that everyone
deserves a voice in their community, including teenagers. Real issues like Mwangi mentioned affect them
every day and they need to stand up for themselves and represent themselves; a youth commission would
allow them to do that. It is essential that teenagers are given the opportunity to participate in government
because it gives them a voice and helps develop life long passions. Teenagers are essential members of
society and its important they have a voice. She urged the Council to vote to create the youth commission
and give teenagers a voice in the community.
Muhamad Faal, a recent graduate of Edmonds-Woodway High School, commented on the importance of
being involved in the community as youth. In high school, no one likes history class, but he learned every
important moment in history and every drastic change, every new idea, every revolution, was led by youth
people. If youth have a voice, they will be able to make change. If it were not for the younger generation,
women's right to vote in 1920 would not have been possible and the civil rights movement in the 50s and
60s likely would not have occurred. Progress can only be made if youth are given a voice. He did not
discredit the work of older generations, they were seeking change when they were young. With this voice,
youth can do great things. Teenagers are the future leaders of the world; a youth commission can truly make
a difference.
Brooklyn Moore, a student at Edmonds-Woodway High School, said having a youth commission will
allow teens to grow as individuals. The best way to learn is with hands on experience. A youth commission
will allow teens the opportunity to have a voice and truly experience what it's like to speak their own
opinions and be part of group that matters and has the ability to make a change.
Caitlin Carroll, a sophomore at Edmonds-Woodway High School, said integrating the voices of the future
into the Edmonds community via a youth commission is vitally important, especially considering the youth
commission intends to tackle issues directly affecting teens. Their feedback could be used to authenticate
adults' perspective of teens, the struggles they face, and their opinions regarding community issues. Youth
voices are not always valued or not heard; a youth commission is a microphone that will ensure their voices
are heard loud and clear, so they can establish themselves as active members in the community
Stephanie Farmer, a 1 Ott' grader at Edmonds-Woodway High School and dancer at Olympic Ballet, said
she has seen the effect art has on teens firsthand in Edmonds. A friend who lives on Bainbridge Island
drives two hours and takes a ferry every day to come to Edmonds for dance. This passion for expression is
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the same passion as the teens in the audience have for a youth commission. These teens have taken time
from studying for their third period final tomorrow to be here. Teens want expression; they want their voices
to be heard. A youth commission will also tie together the loose bond between adults and teens. Teens
complain to each other, but the students here tonight are done with just complaining and are ready to create
change. Teens want to become involved adults that know how the City Council works. Many adults do not
express their opinions because they were not taught as teens how to become part of the government. High
school is teaching teens how to be adults and that should include learning how the community functions.
Kira Augustamar, a sophomore at Edmonds-Woodway High School, said she supports the formation of a
youth commission because she feels like she doesn't matter at her school. She has been verbally harassed
for being a black woman and because of that, she and her friends have created safe spaces including creating
a club where people who are sexually harassed can talk to others. There is also a Black Student Union at
Edmonds-Woodway High School to uplift students of color. Her freshman year was difficult because she
did not expect to be harassed due the color of her skin. She joined ASB and at a conference a speaker said,
kids are brave enough to go to school and make revolutions. If she were on the youth commission, she
would make a revolution, she would help those who feel they don't matter.
Stephany Janssen, a student at Edmonds-Woodway High School, said the presentation regarding
affordable housing was incredibly impactful. She was fortunate to grow up in Edmonds; however, there are
problems and many of them affect teenagers. Simultaneously, teens are a group that does not have a voice.
A youth commission will help teens find their opinions and advocate for them as well as take action and
create ways to improve the community for everyone. A youth commission gives teens an opportunity to
have change in their own hands. She believes in a youth commission as well as in the people who believe
in a youth commission, all the teenagers in the audience who came tonight even though they are in the
middle of finals week, teens who take the time to talk to her and Kaleb or contact them on social media.
These teenagers truly believe in the youth commission because they know if they had an opportunity to be
part of it, they can make change. She commented on seeing and experiencing sexual harassment, and
hearing her friends talk about racism or homophobia they experience, watching teens experiencing
depression, anxiety and being suicidal and feeling they do not have the necessary resources. She quoted
from President Kennedy's inaugural address, "Ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you
can do for your country." The teens are present tonight because they think they have something to offer.
The outcome and the benefits of the youth commission are immeasurable; they desire to create a lasting
impact. She urged the Council to approve the formation of a youth commission.
6. APPROVAL OF CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS
COUNCILMEMBER MESAROS MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER FRALEY-
MONILLAS, TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.
The agenda items approved are as follows:
1. APPROVAL OF COUNCIL RETREAT SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES OF DUNE 9, 2018
2. APPROVAL OF COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES OF JUNE 12, 2018
3. APPROVAL OF COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES OF JUNE 12, 2018
4. APPROVAL OF CLAIM CHECKS AND WIRE PAYMENT
5. ACKNOWLEDGE RECEIPT OF A CLAIM FOR DAMAGES BY FRONTIER
COMMUNICATIONS (AMOUNT UNDETERMINED)
6. APRIL 2018 MONTHLY FINANCIAL REPORT
Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes
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Page 7
7. JOB DESCRIPTION - BUILDING INSPECTOR (UPDATED)
8. JOB DESCRIPTIONS (UPDATES) - WATER/SEWER & STREET/STORMWATER
MANAGER
9. JOB DESCRIPTION - SENIOR ACCOUNTANT (FINANCE)
10. DEVELOPMENT SERVICES FEE ADJUSTMENTS
11. AUTHORIZATION FOR MAYOR TO SIGN A SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENT WITH
STANTEC CONSULTING
12. UTILITY EASEMENT FOR A NEW GROUND WATER MONITORING WELL AT 16116
72ND AVE
13. AUTHORIZATION FOR MAYOR TO SIGN A SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENT WITH
MURRAYSMITH FOR THE FIVE CORNERS RESERVOIR RECOATING PROJECT
14. FINAL ACCEPTANCE AND REPORT ON FINAL CONSTRUCTION COSTS FOR THE
2017 SANITARY SEWER REPLACEMENT PROJECT
15. SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENT WITH KBA FOR THE 76TH AVE AND 212TH ST
INTERSECTION IMPROVEMENTS PROJECT
16. 238TH ST. SW NO PARKING ORDINANCE
7. PUBLIC HEARING
1. PUBLIC HEARING ON PROPOSED URBAN FOREST MANAGEMENT PLAN
Development Services Director Shane Hope introduced Ian Scott, Davey Resource Group. She explained
the Comprehensive Plan called for developing an Urban Forest Management Plan (UFMP) and the Council
approved a budget for its creation. Staff sought a firm that had experience with UFMPs and selected Davey
Resource Group. No decision is requested tonight; this is an opportunity to hear about the plan and hear
public comment. The draft UFMP is being presented substantially in the form it was introduced other than
some minor amendments. The plan includes 21 objectives; the estimated cost in the plan have been replaced
with a restaurant -review type dollar sign estimate. She emphasized the draft UFMP is not yet a final product.
When/if it is approved, it is still a plan and will require implementation of the recommendations and
suggestions in plan.
Mr. Scott reviewed:
UFMP Development Process
o Stakeholder interviews
o City webpage updates
o Press releases and news articles
o Tree Board meeting for early input (5/4/17)
o Public open house (6/22/17)
o Planning Board for early input (7/26/17)
o Online community survey (June -Sept 2017)
o Tree Board meeting on draft plan (4/5/18)
o Planning Board meeting (4/11/18)
o Planning Board Public hearing (5/9/18)
Structure of the UFMP
o The Urban Forest
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■ Public property trees
■ Private property trees
o City Staff
■ Development Services
■ Public Works and Utilities
• Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services
o The community
■ Tree Board
■ Volunteers
• Non-profit groups
What Do We Have? The Urban Forest Asset
o What we have?
■ Urban Tree Canopy (30.3%)
■ Theoretical maximum canopy (57.4%)
o Where it is?
• 83% canopy on private property
• 4% commercial property
■ 13% public property
o GIS Tools created a map of -
Planting priorities
Forest fragmentation
o Software tools
• UTRACE — Urban Tree Resource Analysis and cost estimator
• iTREE (www.ireetools.org)
o Municipal Resources —Activities and Estimated Time
City Services
Common Urban Forestry Related
Estimated
Activities
Hours/Week
Permit Intake and Review
Development plan review for compliance
2
with tree protection codes
Public inquires online, phone and counter
Code Enforcement & Complaint
Investigating and resolving tree complaints
2
Investigation
Investigating and resolving infrastructure
damage complaints
Tree planting and establishment
40-60
Parks & Public Tree
Maintenance
Structural pruning on smaller trees
Inspection and identification of hazardous
trees
Contract M mt.
Managing contract tree crews
1
Emergency Response
Community Service requests, Response
Not measured
Management
Comprehensive (long-range)
UFMP stewardship
<1
Planning
Federal, state grant procurement
Tree City USA applications
Community Education Action
Volunteer events, coordinated tree planting
1
and Outreach
Neighborhood association support
Website content and public education
Tree Board Meetings
Addressing public issues related to trees
1
o Municipal Resources - Spending
* In 2017, the urban forestry expenditures were $7.74 per capita
■ Minimum $2 per capita for Tree City USA designation
Urban forestry Items Expenditures 2017
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Tree Planting and Initial Care
$4,848
Tree Maintenance
$79,779
Tree Removals
$37,565
Management
$62,771
Volunteer Activities
$134,579
TOTAL
$319,542*
Budget Per Capita
$7.74
UTC Estimate of Benefits
$1,567,000
Trees Planted
348
Trees Pruned
31
Tree Removed
24
*Higher than normal as includes the UFMP project
■ National Average - $7.50 (National Arbor Day Foundation)
o Community Resources
■ Already engaging
— The Tree Board
— Tree City USA Status
— EarthCorps
■ Other non-profit resources
— WA DNR
— Forterra
— MRSC
— Futurewise
— UW Restoration and Ecology Network
+ What do we want? Community outreach
o Stakeholder Interviews
o Open House
• Opinion boards — discussion _
o Community Survey
175 responses
— 40.9% (The Bowl)
— 15.2% (Seaview)
— 29.3% (other neighborhoods)
o Virtual Open House
o Summary of survey results
■ Trees are important because...
— Valuable for air quality and wildlife
— Beautify the City
■ The City should...
— Maintain its current level of service
— Take care of hazardous trees
— Plant more trees in public spaces
— Limit regulation of private trees
— Improve website resources
— Improve public outreach (displays and brochures)
e How Do We Get There? Urban Forest Goals
Plan Goals Actions/Outcomes
o #UA1 — Maintain Citywide Canopy o Adopt Canopy Goal of 30.3% (no net loss in
Coverage canopy)
o #UA2 — Identify key areas to increase o Assess UTC in 10 years
canopy
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o #UA3 — Manage tree population age o
distribution for diversity
o #UA4 — Plant suitable trees and schedule o
phased replacement for unsuitable species
o 4UA5 — Manage for species diversity o
o #UA6 — Conduct an inventory to 0
Have a working inventory of public trees
Identify areas to plant trees and improve net
benefits (eg. Stormwater, air quality, wildlife)
Plant the right trees in the right places
Plan and proactively manage tree removals
document tree condition and risk
o 4UA7 — Document the ecosystem services
provided by public trees
• How Do We Get There? Urban Forest Goals — Municipal Goals
Plan Goals Actions/Outcomes
o 4M1 —Maintain a routinely updated UFMP o Sets policy that includes routine
o #M2 — Perform a periodic review of tree o
ordinances
o #M3 — Train staff to maintain expertise and o
professional qualifications
o #M4 — Plant trees annually 0
o #M5 — Update Street Tree Plan o
o #M6 — Create a dedicated Urban Forester/Arborist o
staff position
o #M7 —Establish a formal interdepartmental
working team
o #M8 — Update development regulations to ensure
appropriate language for protecting trees and/or the
tree canopy as part of the development process
• How Do We Get There? Community Goals
Plan Goals
o #C1 —Establish a Tree Bank (Fund)
training of staff and routine updates to
ordinances and planning documents
Ensure funding for trees is part of
capital projects
Have a tree planting and replacement
plan for City managed projects
Establish tree inspection cycles
Provide consistency in tree
management decisions
Annual work plans and improved
budget forecasting
o #C2 — Provide outreach to arborist businesses licensed in
Edmonds
o #C-3 — Coordinate efforts of the City, Edmonds Citizens'
Tree Board, and other interested groups to participate and
promote good urban forest management and urban forest
management events
o #C4 — Maintain a Citizen's Tree Board
o #C5 — Establish a Heritage Tree Designation
o #C6 — Formalize relationships with organizations that
share common vision
0
• How Are We Doing? Adaptive Management.
o Adjust
■ Modify Actions Strategies
Actions/Outcomes
o Establish tree planting fund
mechanisms for both public
and private properties
o Develop relationships with
businesses in landscaping or
arboriculture
o Develop outreach materials
about trees and the urban forest
o Deliver an annual Tree Board
report
o Use Heritage Trees as a tool for
public education and
community building
o Pursue urban forestry awards
or grants
o Build partnerships
Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes
June 19, 2018
Page 11
o Evaluate
0 Community Satisfaction Surveys
o Plan
■ 5-10 Year Plan Updates (2023?)
■ Revise Plan Goals
o Implement
■ Annual Action Strategies
o Monitor
■ Urban Forest Reports
Next Steps
April 5 Tree Board meeting
April 11 Planning Board meeting
April 19 Open house
May 9 Planning Board public hearing
May Minor revision to draft
June 19 City Council public hearing
June 26 City Council discussion*
July 3 City Council potential action*
*tentative dates
Councilmember Buckshnis commented the report hasn't been changed much; two of the largest parks
included in the report are in Snohomish County, not Edmonds. She said the Tree Board has received many
comments. Ms. Hope advised all the parks are within the City but two are county -owned.
Councilmember Teitzel commented there was no discussion in the plan about bees; bee populations
nationally and locally are declining. He asked if there were any trees that would help with bee repopulation.
Mr. Scott answered he was not qualified to comment on that. In his experience there have not many cities
or urban forest related activities related to improving the bee population. The plan includes flexibility
should that emerge as something the City should be reacting to. Insects and diseases were introduced in the
plan to raise awareness of potentially catastrophic diseases and pests. A strong diversity in the tree
population will help manage potentially catastrophic pests.
Council President Nelson commented 21 goals was way too many. He understood it was a laundry -list of
items with different priorities and costs. He was skeptical because a lot of cities have been doing urban
forest management for some time and lot of the suggestions in the plan are similar to other cities' plans
throughout the country. However, a study published by Nowak and Greenfield in 2012 found of 20 cities
they examined, 19 were losing tree canopy. The report they published in May 2018 found 39 million trees
are being lost per year. If 39 million trees per year are being lost using these same policies and 89% of the
City is private property, he did not see how this plan would contribute to the process. This report seems to
indicate the City is relying on 13% of the property to achieve these goals which he did not find achievable.
Ms. Hope said one of the assumptions in the plan was recognizing the City has a role in taking care of
public properties as effectively as possible. In addition, there is a need to do more on private lands.
However, there is a balance between private property rights, people need places to live, park, play, etc. that
aren't woods. The goal was to find that balance and focus on, 1) things in the code that could be amended,
and 2) ways to educate people about what they can do and make more possible and provide the tools to
encourage people to do more with trees; the Tree Board is doing some of that.
Council President Nelson emphasized the need to think outside the box, ways to encourage private citizens
to consider how their private property can contribute in a meaningful way such as providing incentives.
Education alone will not achieve that. He recommended bold incentives, for example, Hawaii has had a
Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes
June 19, 2018
Page 12
tree program since 1975 that provides a $3,000 tax credit for every tree of a certain size that a resident
maintains. He suggested thinking along the lines of, "if you're willing to save trees, we want to save you
money." Incentives may encourage property owners to preserve trees; health reasons, climate reasons, and
other benefits of trees are not convincing property owners to retain trees.
Councilmember Mesaros referred to the GIS map with planting priorities, observing the red areas on the
map are areas where more planting is needed. Mr. Scott answered the red areas are where the value of a
tree would be maximized theoretically due to the slope, minimizing urban heat island effect and forest
fragmentation. Further information is available in the Urban Tree Canopy Assessment Report.
Councilmember Mesaros referred to the 33.3% coverage and the theoretical maximum of 57.4% and asked
if there was any city in the United States with the maximum. Mr. Scott answered no, the maximum provides
context and bookends for the potential. He is working with a number of cities, for example, the urban tree
canopy assessment in Sammamish found they have 48% tree canopy. Individual cities establish goals that
are meaningful to them; there is no perfect number.
Councilmember Mesaros referred to the earlier presentation regarding affordable housing and asked about
the impact on the tree canopy of fulfilling GMA objectives related to adding more affordable housing and
market rate housing. Mr. Scott responded the canopy layer developed with this plan is a tool the City can
use to consider the impact of future rezones or other urban planning. Another option is creating a Tree
Bank/Fund that allows trees to be planted offsite.
Councilmember Mesaros agreed with Council President Nelson's comments about looking at different
ways to accomplish the goals and how to incentivize the 83% of the canopy that is privately owned. Mr.
Scott referred to the iTREE software that describes the value and benefits of trees.
Councilmember Buckshnis said the City could not plant trees in the county -owned parks in Edmonds via a
tree bank/fund. She found this report very weak, noting she is not even an expert. She suggested being very
specific about pests in the Edmonds area and the Pacific Northwest/Seattle, and including more discussion
regarding tree diversity. The Council never gave direction that the UFMP should focus only on public
property, she preferred to look at all property, consider incentives, and there are too many objectives. She
commented WRIA 8 recently funded a tree bank for Redmond. She found the GIS map of planting priorities
humorous because residents will not plant trees below 9th Avenue. She supported thinking outside the box;
many people don't like trees in their view. She summarized the report needed to be more Edmonds specific.
Councilmember Johnson said she has a number of concerns; her biggest concern is the unintended
consequence that resulted from the last tree survey discussion at the Planning Board. She noted there have
been at least a dozen Douglas Fir trees cut down within 1000 feet of her home. This area was originally
forested with cedars, Douglas Fir and Hemlock and was extensively logged. She did not see the UFMP
addressing those species; it was more about broadleaf deciduous trees that would be planted along a street.
She was concerned with the native trees that are being lost as they provide the most benefits of carbon
sequestration and they grow magnificently in this climate. She recognized those species grew best in
groups/clusters/forests but wanted to encourage stream and wildlife corridors that use native vegetation.
Mayor Earling opened the public participation portion of the public hearing.
Mike Echelbarger, Edmonds, said this plan represents major change in Edmonds; there is nothing in the
plan that recognizes the importance of views. It is a cookie cutter plan that he believed came from the forest
service and the consultant is from San Luis Obispo, California where it is hot spring, summer and fall,
similar to Omaha; Waco, Texas; Nashville, Tennessee; and Washington D.C.; not like Edmonds. Edmonds
does not a tree canopy covering its streets. He was not opposed to trees, acknowledging they look pretty
Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes
June 19, 2018
Page 13
but this area has a different climate than most of country. Days like today where it is 80 degrees are not
normal; people are not usually looking for shade, they are looking for sun. He recalled suggesting early in
the process that the City look at Clyde Hill's tree plan titled, "Trees, Views and Sunlight," which he found
to be a balanced plan, unlike the proposed plan. He circulated page 8 of the UFMP, an aerial photograph of
the area north of 196th/Puget, west of 9", the area of Northstream Lane and Ocean Avenue, noting there are
not many trees, but every house has a view. If a bunch of trees are planted, they would not have a view or
sunlight. The Planning Board Chair and Vice Chair voted against forwarding the proposed UFMP to the
Council. At their last meeting, the Planning Board also talked about housing. Saving trees at all costs means
less density as required by the GMA. The proposed housing plan talks about affordable housing like tiny
houses. He summarized here are no costs in the plan; the plan needs to revised so that it is a balanced plan
that considers trees, views and sunlight.
Killy Keefe, Edmonds, said she purchased her house 3 years ago because it has beautiful trees; they started
with 14 and now have 19. She supported having more regulations on the removal of trees on private
property. As indicated, 83% of trees are on private property; if the property owners cut half those trees, the
results would be noticeable and horrible. There is nothing to stop property owners from doing that; there
are not enough protections to ensure trees are retained. She acknowledged the argument about private
property rights, but trees and their benefits are a hugely important community asset. When trees are
removed, more than a view is gained, it is a loss to the entire community. Laws, regulations and ordinance
are created to protect the community. Losing trees is a danger and a detriment to the community. Residents
may want a view, but everyone needs shade, clean air and wildlife habitat.
Danielle Hurst, Edmonds, commented see has a great deal of development since returning to Edmonds,
for example the property near Hickman Park and cemetery, previously covered with trees, was developed
with homes. When they learned of the plans for the development, they provided public comment expressing
concern about removal of trees and were assured by City staff that the developers would only remove the
trees that were necessary. The developer subsequently clear-cut the entire lot. The existing regulations do
not provide protection for trees; she supported having incentives to encourage developers to retain trees or
replant with native trees. She supported having some kind of UFMP that included incentives and protection
for trees on private property, noting there was no way reach to reach the canopy goals if not private property
was not included.
Ross Dimmick, Edmonds, said he has 30 years of experience in environment consultant, primarily in the
development of environmental impact studies. He submitted written comments to the Council on May 2
based on the March version of the plan which has not changed. Although a page of text regarding the
challenges of the urban forest was added, it did not change any of the analyses or conclusions in the
document. The longer he spent reviewing the plan, the more frustrated he became both as a scientist and a
taxpayer; the plan is dumbfounding in its lack of objectivity, its reliance on weak science and its lack of
transparency that defeats the most basic fact checking of the validity of its analyses. He reiterated his initial
impression that the plan was a cut and paste of prior generations of plans prepared for cities around the
country, lacking in relevance to the unique Pacific NW climate, tall confers, spectacular mountain and
Sound viewshed. He has spent approximately 100 hours reviewing the plan, reading the scientific
documentation that formed the foundation for this relatively new field and trying to find the basis for the
numbers. For example, on Page 30 of the May version regarding the $1.2 million of benefits from
stormwater runoff intercepted by trees, 76% of Edmonds' total monetary benefit shown in the plan. This is
calculated from stormwater modeled as intercepted by Edmonds' tree canopy that is not draining to Puget
Sound, valued at about 2.8 cents/gallon.
Mr. Dimmick said according to the Davey's model, that is three times higher than any other region in the
Western U.S. and seven times higher than San Francisco. He asked Davey representatives about the source
of this number and they do not know. The last response he received was an email saying basically trust us
Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes
June 19, 2018
Page 14
because a lot of people use our model. He believed the number came from an unreferenced 2002 report
covering western Washington and Oregon by the Center for Urban Forest Research, 2.779 cents per gallon.
That report references a 2001 stormwater management cost analysis prepared by the Washington
Department of Ecology, however, that number does not appear in the DOE report. The report only addresses
requirements for new construction which shows 80% of the ongoing stormwater management cost is for
cleaning storm drains and catch basins and street sweeping, costs directly related to leaves, needles and
other detritus from trees. That is not a benefit from trees; it is a cost of the City having trees. If this report
is where the number came from, it is an egregious error in logic to include it as a benefit. This supposed
stormwater benefit is also the driving factor behind the priority finding area map on page 32 developed
based on return on investment which shows trees should be planted through view areas of the Edmonds
Bowl. He urged the City Council to reject this plan and hold the contractor accountable for producing a
scientifically valid and transparent analysis.
Kathleen Sears, Edmonds, said she loves the views as well as the trees and lives on property with both.
Speaking for the trees, she added the importance of wildlife to the earlier comment about trees, views and
sunlight. If the loss of trees due to development continues, she anticipated a tragic reduction in wildlife.
With regard to the type of trees that can be planted in the Edmonds Bowl that will attract wildlife, she
suggested small trees such as lilac. She described a singing sparrow that sits in her lilac tree. She agreed
with Councilmember Johnson's concern about Douglas Fir trees being cut, noting their average lifespan is
1000 years. People often cut trees out of ignorance without knowing what a special resource and asset they
are. She agreed with the idea of incentivizing the retention of trees and agreed the focus on only public
property is not enough. She noted 70% of Edmonds has no tree canopy; 13% of the canopy on public
property is only 4% of the overall land in Edmonds. She referred to a house under construction on 9"
Avenue where there is not a square inch of property that could be used to grown anything. She urged the
City to find ways to get property owners and developers to keep trees.
Carmen Rumbank, Edmonds, said she lives near Perrinville and the county park and often talks to birds
outside her kitchen window. The house next door was sold to a flipper who cut down four large trees and
three smaller pine trees. Five species of bird left due to the noise and only one has returned. She has to
accept that the person flipping the house next door has more rights than her enjoyment of the birds and that
his motive for cutting the trees to provide more sunlight and generate more money was of greater value
than the birds because that is the law.
Eric Sol], Edmonds, Edmonds was incorporated in 1890. Tree inventory on private property was managed
without any government oversight for the first 120 years of Edmonds existence as witnessed by the lush
canopy in many residential neighborhoods. The UFMP calculated the tree canopy has been reduced from
32.3% to 30.3% from 2005 to 2015. Not a surprise to anyone because legislative mandates require Edmonds
to develop more residential assets and the City is nearly fully developed. Not only are property taxes and
rents too high, property owners experienced the largest property tax increase in recent memory, and
traditional government functions are not being done in a timely and efficient manner. Edmonds is currently
spending more than the average American city per capita on tree maintenance. Edmonds should focus on
the following basic activities pertaining to tree maintenance: removal of dead and dangerous trees on public
property and prioritization of limited future tree planting that have positive impacts, planting a limited,
predetermined number of trees per year to prevent erosion on a priority basis with strict budgetary
guidelines.
Mr. Soll suggested Heritage Tree Programs on private property should be strictly voluntary with the cost
borne by the property owner, developing tree regulations that are easily understood by tree professionals
and residents, rely the non-profit sector to provide educational information about the importance of trees to
private property owners, the City devote educational resources to proper ecological maintenance of property
to encourage the resurrection of the bee population, a voluntary financing mechanism with accolades for
Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes
June 19, 2018
Page 15
those who wish to contribute to increasing the City's tree canopy in public locations. The percentage of
trees on public property is only 13% of the entire City. He referenced the Old Testament where Joseph
counseled the pharaoh to set aside wheat during the good times because bad times were on the horizon.
Similarly, the Mayor's 2018 budget message stated although all is well now, we must remember we are in
the ninth year of sustained economic recovery since the 2008 recession and although revenues continue to
be strong, expenses continue to grow.
'Margie Fields, Edmonds, spoke on behalf of trees, noting most would agree trees are very important
regardless of the climate; humans need them to breathe and the planet needs them to survive. She was
concerned trees on private property were not regulated and how the 30% canopy could be retained when
the City did not have any control over most of the trees. She supported the idea of incentives and agreed
with requiring the retention of native trees. She hoped the City would develop a good solution.
Mike Shaw, Edmonds, said where the consultant lives has nothing to do with his ability to create a good
report. The Council has an interesting job of finding a balance between developers and the UFMP. He liked
Council President Nelson's idea about incentives. Edmonds is a different than when he was growing up,
especially the tremendous loss of canopy. He would hate to see Edmonds go the way of Kirkland; he did
not like their waterfront and did not want Edmonds to look that way. He agreed the UFMP could use some
further work, but it is a marvelous tool to integrate with the Climate Action plan. He urged the Council to
move forward with the UFMP with some tweaks and find a good balance for Edmonds residents.
Mayor Earling closed the public participation portion of the public hearing.
Councilmember Buckshnis asked what staff expected from the Council. Ms. Hope said tonight was an
opportunity hear the presentation and hear from public, but no action was required. They will take the
comments into consideration and return the UFMP to Council in the future. Councilmember Buckshnis
agreed with the public comments, the plan needs to be rewritten and focus on Edmonds and the views. For
example, planting trees below 9t' Avenue and on the waterfront is not logical. With the City paying
$130,000 for this report, it needs to be a good report.
Councilmember Teitzel referred to the existing 30% canopy coverage, noting the goal of the plan is no net
loss. He asked whether the Council should accept 30% or should it be increased to 35 or 40% and if so, is
that realistic and attainable. Ms. Hope said every % added represents the addition of hundreds of trees. Even
if a canopy goal is established, how to get there is another issue. The plan identified the current canopy
cover and how to maintain or perhaps increase without establishing a goal that is not doable. She noted
approximately 25% of the City is streets and sidewalks, plus commercial, parking lots, etc. means there is
not a lot of easily available land for trees. An incentive offers opportunities, but it may be difficult to identify
a tree canopy goal without more experience. Mr. Scott said in discussions with the community, no net loss
is a reasonable goal to pursue. If there is a desire to add 2% canopy, what value the City is trying to achieve
should be considered. There was no indication in the public outreach that the community wants more trees;
they want trees in the right place and fewer trees cut down. The goals in the UFMP are designed to build
consensus around how the City's urban forest is managed.
Councilmember Buckshnis referred to the community survey, pointing out 30% were from the Bowl, 25%
from Seaview and the rest are outside the view area. She summarized the survey results do not really say
what the citizens of Edmonds want. Mr. Scott said the survey was released to the public; the vast majority
of respondents were from the Bowl and Seaview areas. From the beginning, residents who were engaged
in the process were from those areas. Councilmember Buckshnis said there is more to Edmonds than the
Bowl and the view areas and the report does not address those areas. She acknowledged the people who
will participate in the process are those who are concerned about their property rights and views. The Tree
Board is working on a brochure regarding small trees.
Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes
June 19, 2018
Page 16
Mayor Earling declared a brief recess.
8. ACTION ITEMS
1. ORDINANCE APPROVING THE VACATION OF UNOPENED RIGHT-OF-WAY
ADJACENT TO THE SOUTHERN BOUNDARIES OF 10410 AND 10430 231ST ST. SW
(PLN20170052)
Mr. Williams explained this is the final step in a long process for an Edmonds homeowner who submitted
an application and petition to vacate an unopened right-of-way behind several homes on 2315t Street SW.
Staff reviewed the application and determined there was no current or future need for the property and
recommended it move forward to a public hearing which was held March 20. The Council passed a
resolution with notice of intent to vacate, establishing two conditions that have both been met, 1) the City
received payment of $28,800, half the appraised value of the property, and 2) the applicant, met with the
school district to work out an easement which has now been recorded. Staff recommends approval of the
ordinance to finalize the vacation.
COUNCILMEMBER FRALEY-MONILLAS MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER
MESAROS, TO APPROVE ORDINANCE NO. 4114, AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF
EDMONDS, WASHINGTON, VACATING THAT PORTION OF UNOPENED RIGHT-OF-WAY
ADJACENT TO THE SOUTHERN BOUNDARIES OF 10410 AD 10430 231ST STREET
SOUTHWEST AS SET FORTH IN THE RESOLUTION OF INTENT NO. 1405. MOTION
CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.
2. JOB DESCRIPTIONS - PUBLIC WORKS SENIOR ACCOUNTANT
Public Works Director Williams explained the job description was presented to the PSPP Committee on
June 12, 2018 who recommend it be referred to the full City Council for consideration. It was also briefly
introduced to PPW Committee and Finance Committees on the same night. He reviewed:
• The Public Works Senior Accountant, under the supervision of the Public Works Director, performs
professional accounting activities and functions for the Public Works Department. Responsibilities
include:
o Departmental project and grant accounting
o Management of utility rate studies, rate calculations, and comparative rate analyses
o Participating and acting as a financial advisor to the Director and Departmental Managers in
the development of the City's Capital Improvement Program, Transportation Improvement
Program, and Comprehensive Plans for Water, Sewer and Stormwater Divisions.
o Organizing and participating in the preparation of the Department's annual budget and financial
reports
o Developing the Public Works Department long-range financial planning inputs to the Finance
Department
o Consistently applying Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), Government
Accounting Standards Board (GASB) principles, guidelines established by granting or
contracting agencies and City financial policies
o Understanding and applying the Washington State Budgeting, Accounting and Reporting
System (BARS)
o Ensuring accuracy and confidentiality of information
o Provides leadership, procedural support and guidance to staff working with capital projects and
grants
Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes
June 19, 2018
Page 17
o Works closely with PWD Managers (6) to help develop annual budget submittals, estimate
revenues, track budget performance, identify deviations from expected performance as early as
possible and develop budget amendments when necessary.
o Provide data and evaluation for updating Public Works capital asset records, including
recording and documenting Public Works asset dispositions and trade-ins.
o Responsible for preparing grant agency invoicing and reimbursements to ensure grant and
contract work is reimbursed to the City in a timely manner.
Mr. Williams displayed a graph of City capital program 2008-2017 for Sewer, Storm, Water, Parks,
Facilities and General Fund, illustrating the increase in capital projects. He reviewed:
■ PWD is managing over $45 million in approved expense budgets in 2018. The City's General Fund
is approximately $43 million with 9 staff focused primarily on general government revenues and
expenses. PWD has no staff with either formal training or extensive experience in financial theory,
principles, processes or regulations. +/- 85% of PWD budgets are something other than general
governmental dollars (taxes).
• Cost of the position
o Total cost (assume step 4) $7,201/month or $86,421/year
0 40% average benefit costs
o Estimated hire date of September 1, equals $40,325 in 2018, $120,976/year after that plus 3
additional steps in any awarded future COLA.
o A precise breakdown of this expense will be brought back in a budget adjustment next week if
this position is approved
+ Bottom line: The PWD needs at least one senior level financial professional to be part of our
management team. As the Director, I need to be able to task this position on a daily and weekly
basis to meet the needs of this department. We have always worked well with Finance and that will
continue. This position will work closely with Finance to ensure our Department complies with all
applicable policies and standards and is a great steward of public funds.
Councilmember Buckshnis said in June 2017, the Finance Committee (Councilmember Teitzel and she)
noticed grant billings were not being submitted because Public Works did not have time to do it As a result,
a position was created that was 60% Finance and 40% Public Works, a total of 1 FTE. This is now a request
for another FTE. Her research did not find any other city with a senior accountant in their Public Works
Department. Mr. Williams responded there are a variety of different job titles such as financial manager of
utilities, financial analysist, etc.
Councilmember Buckshnis observed those positions were paid less than a senior accountant. She relayed
her understanding that Mr. Williams and Finance Director Scott James were unable to reach an agreement
on a person to fill the position. Mr. Williams responded there wasn't a disagreement over the person; when
the amount of assistance Public Works needs was combined with the Finance Department's expectations,
it did not fit into one position and the skill sets were different. Public Works is looking for someone who
has worked on utilities and infrastructure rather than general governmental accounting. Mr. James is
strongly supportive of a senior accountant in Public Works.
Councilmember Buckshnis observed Mr. James would support it because it gives him another 40% of a
senior accountant. Mr. Williams said that assumed the 40/60 split covered all the needs; neither he nor Mr.
James believe that is the case. Councilmember Buckshnis did not think Public Works needed a senior
accountant position, noting the job description and qualifications was almost the same as the Finance senior
accountant. Mr. Williams agreed they were similar. Councilmember Buckshnis preferred to see what
happened with the senior accountant position that the Council approved. Mr. Williams pointed out the job
description for the senior accountant in Finance that was approved on the Consent Agenda had been
Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes
June 19, 2018
Page 18
modified to remove the Public Works functions. If the Public Works senior accountant job description is
not approved, that job description will need to be modified to include the Public Works duties.
Councilmember Buckshnis anticipated other departments would want their own senior accountant; she
found it unusual that there would be a senior accountant in Public Works. She could see a utility manager
or something like that, noting this was splitting hairs over a name. Mr. Williams said Public Works needs
a person with the technical skills, the accounting skills, the formal training and the extensive experience
that allows them to speak the same language as Finance but someone that has the skill set and can become
an expert on Public Works' business. The Public Works Department is a $45 million business; it seems like
a good idea to have someone to manage that money. Councilmember Buckshnis expressed concern Council
approved the original job description for a senior accountant that included Public Works duties, but those
duties were omitted from the job description that was approved on the Consent Agenda.
Councilmember Tibbott refer to the bar graph that illustrated the growth in capital projects and asked if Mr.
Williams expected that level of growth to continue. Mr. Williams did not anticipate having the capacity to
deliver projects greater than the level shown on the graph. He noted the number of projects has increased
and the projects are larger and many have federal and state grants which makes the accounting financial
documentation more difficult. Councilmember Tibbott said when he saw this graph, he was concerned there
may not be enough financial accountability and analysis in Public Works. If the intent is to maintain that
level or increase it in the future, it will be helpful to have a financial person in Public Works. He asked if
having a financial person in Public Works would free up engineers and other staff to do other things. Mr.
Williams said Public Works spends money every year on consultants to do revenue requirement analyses;
this year will include a full rate study. The use of consultants would not be entirely discontinued, but less
would be spent on consulting if the department has a person who can lead that effort.
Councilmember Tibbott relayed his understanding some engineers are currently doing financial work. Mr.
Williams engineers do financial work, the senior utilities engineer does most of the bond work,
administrative assistants are doing accounting on grants; although not a disaster, it is a not a good fit for
staff. He summarized the financial function has been divided between several staff members, none of whom
have a formal financial training or background. Councilmember Tibbott summarized they would be freed
up to do other tasks.
Councilmember Fraley-Monillas referred to the job description for a senior accountant in Finance that the
Council approved tonight, a position that was created to work part-time for Public Works. If the council
approves a Public Works senior accountant, the senior accountant in Finance does not need to be full-time.
She was satisfied with one senior accountant position, noting the addition of two positions at approximately
$200,000/year total was a lot of money. She understood Public Works' need for a finance person but
questioned the need for 40% more for a senior accountant in Finance. Councilmember Buckshnis reiterated
Council approved one FTE, 40% for Public Works and 60% Finance. Suddenly staff has disregarded what
Council approved and now there is a new FTE in Finance and a new FTE in Public Works.
Councilmember Fraley-Monillas asked if Council would have approved a position if they had known it
would not provide assistance to Public Works. Councilmember Buckshnis said the delay in grant billings
was the reason for the request to hire a senior accountant who would do 60% Finance and 40% Public
Works; now suddenly there is a request for 2 FTEs at approximately $120,000 each. Councilmember
Fraley-Monillas understood the need for a senior accountant in Public Works but was concerned with
adding another 40% FTE to Finance.
Councilmember Mesaros said having a finance person imbedded in a department, especially one as large
as Public Works, is common outside municipal government. Having worked in senior management in
healthcare for several years, the largest departments often have an imbedded accountant helping them with
Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes
June 19, 2018
Page 19
their operations budget and need for staffing as well as capital budgets. When this was discussed by the
PSPP Committee, it seemed appropriate due to the size of the Public Works Department and Mr. James
made a good case to the committee for the senior accountant in Finance. He took issue with Councilmember
Buckshnis characterizing this as staff disregarding what Council approved; staff followed the correct
procedures to present this to Council via the committee and the committee forwarded one job description
to the Consent Agenda and the new position to full Council. He expressed support for the Public Works
senior accountant.
Council President Nelson asked if the Council had approved the position or the job description. Mr.
Williams explained the Finance senior accountant was approved and funded in the 2018 budget. The job
description on tonight's agenda was changed to remove the Public Works elements. He and Mr. James have
been unsuccessful in combining all the job duties in one position. The job market is competitive and there
is also a capacity issue in having all those tasks done by one person, even a very qualified candidate. He
assured staff was not trying to pull a fast one; Council approved the position and staff tried to make it work
but have been unsuccessful and are now asking for additional help.
Council President Nelson said he was persuaded Public Works needs their own finance person, but he was
not persuaded it needed to be a full-time position. Assistant Finance Director Turley explained many
departments have one foot in one department and the other foot in another department. For example, HR
does a lot of payroll work; the City Clerk's Office does billings for licensing. In King County, his former
employer, any division with a budget of more than $10 million/year has their own finance person. He
recalled when he first started in Edmonds being introduced to WWTP manager and was surprised to see
her working on depreciation which is senior accountant work. Last year the person that does grant billings
for Public Works was out on extended leave so the city engineer, a person earning $60-$70/hour, was doing
grant billing. He pointed out the bigger issue of who is running the wastewater treatment while the manager
is working on depreciation. He summarized there are a lot of capacity needs in Finance and Public Works
to justify a senior accountant in both departments. The City is in the midst of an annual audit, the biggest
areas of concern are project accounting and capital assets. Staff can muddle along the way they have but it
is underserving. He concluded a position is needed in both areas.
Councilmember Fraley-Monillas relayed the PSPP Committee was not told that 40% of the Finance senior
accountant was supposed to be Public Works. She agreed it was perhaps appropriate to have an FTE in
Public Works, but she was struggling with it being a senior accountant.
COUNCILMEMBER FRALEY-MONILLAS MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER
BUCKSHNIS, TO RECONSIDER #9, THE JOB DESCRIPTION FOR SENIOR ACCOUNTANT,
ON THE CONSENT AGENDA.
Councilmember Teitzel said he heard from both Mr. James and Mr. Williams about the need for support;
the graph displayed tonight illustrates the workload is growing dramatically and there is similar growth in
Finance. He concluded a case had been made both departments that a full-time FTE was appropriate.
Councilmember Fraley-Monillas raised a point of order, stating Councilmember Teitzel was not speaking
to the motion. Mr. Taraday said the Consent Agenda was already approved, the motion was to reconsider
it, not pull it from the Consent Agenda.
Councilmember Teitzel said an FTE was approved for the Finance Department due to the significant growth
in the workload in that department. For that reason, he will vote against the motion.
Councilmember Mesaros said Councilmembers have a valid concern about the job description. He did not
support reconsidering it because if this position is approved, there will be 1.5 FTE dedicated to Public
Works. For that reason, he will vote against the motion.
Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes
June 19, 2018
Page 20
Councilmember Johnson asked for clarification; the item on the Consent Agenda approved the job
description and funding for the position. Mr. Turley advised the position and funding was approved with
2018 budget. Councilmember Johnson observed the distribution of the position was changed from 60/40 to
100% Finance. Mr. Turley agreed changing the job description did not change the budget for it.
Councilmember Johnson explained the Council approved one FTE and are now being asked to approve two
FTEs because staff was unable to hire one FTE. The request is not for two half-time FTEs, but two full-
time FTEs. Mr. Williams explained there were two issues, the first was staff was looking for a person with
a certain skill set in municipal finance and a slightly different skill set for Public Works. It was originally
believed that could be accomplished with one FTE and specific tasks were identified in the job description.
He did not recall that it was a 60/40 split in the hours, only that there were Public Works -related tasks in
the job description that Council approved with the budget. Second, staff tried to find a person with both
skill sets, but in reviewing the departments' needs, it was determined to be too much for one person. He
summarized those two issues, capacity and skills, resulted in a request for two positions. Mr. Turley
explained in interviewing candidates earlier this year, staff was unable to find a person that fit both
departments' needs. Staff then began tweaking the job description and when they realized how much
assistance each department required, it was agreed it needed to be two positions.
Councilmember Fraley-Monillas clarified the motion is to reconsider the senior accountant (Finance).
When that position was approved, it was .5 Public Works and .5 Finance. Now the .5 that Council authorized
for the Finance position is no longer needed if a full-time finance person is hired for Public Works.
Councilmember Mesaros said though he could see Councilmember Fraley-Monillas' intent, he did not
believe voting to reconsider would accomplish that intent because it would recreate the position as it was
previously described with half Finance duties and half Public Works duties.
COUNCILMEMBER BUCKSHNIS MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER TEITZEL, TO
EXTEND THE MEETING FOR 20 MINUTES. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.
Councilmember Buckshnis concurred with Councilmember Fraley-Monillas. Although she supported the
Finance Department, she did not feel Finance had demonstrated the need for a full-time FTE and Mr.
Williams has demonstrated the need for a full-time FTE. She suggested reanalyzing the senior accounting
position in Finance.
MOTION CARRIED (6-1), COUNCILMEMBER TEITZEL VOTING NO.
Councilmember Fraley-Monillas suggested Mayor Earling reach a solution that was agreeable to all. Mayor
Earling said he has watched the evolution of the position, trying to satisfy two different needs with a 50/50
or 60/40 split. He reminded the City is becoming more sophisticated in needs, there are broader descriptions,
and disciplines need to interact. He listened to staff s request and pushed back hard on the need for two
positions but was convinced two positions were needed. Public Works has been doing some sophisticated
bookkeeping with unsophisticated personnel. Due to the tight labor market, he was unconvinced there was
any way to satisfy both departments' needs with one person. He was willing to discuss this at the staff level
again, but assumed staff would return with a request for two positions.
Councilmember Fraley-Monillas said the Council's approval of the senior accountant in Finance was based
on half of the position assisting Public Works. If Public Works has their own finance person, the 40% FTE
in Finance was no longer needed.
COUNCILMEMBER FRALEY-MONILLAS MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER
BUCKSHNIS, TO REDUCE THE SENIOR ACCOUNTANT IN FINANCE TO.5 FTE. UPON ROLL
Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes
June 19, 2018
Page 21
CALL, MOTION CARRIED (4-2-1), COUNCIL PRESIDENT NELSON AND COUNCILMEMBERS
FRALEY-MONILLAS, BUCKSHNIS, AND MESAROS VOTING YES; COUNCILMEMBERS
TEITZEL AND TIBBOTT VOTING NO; AND COUNCILMEMBER JOHNSON ABSTAINING.
Councilmember Fraley-Monillas raised a question about a Councilmember abstaining under Roberts Rules
of Order. City Attorney Jeff Taraday said a Councilmember can abstain for any reason; Council can probe
the basis for the abstention. Councilmember Fraley-Monillas recalled her request for Mr. Taraday to
research this because under Roberts Rules an abstention can be considered either a yea or nay vote and is
intended for conflict of interest. Mr. Taraday responded abstention is not only for conflict of interest, it can
also be rendered for a number of reasons including when a Councilmember is unprepared for vote because
a motion was not in the packet for example. He advised he has not done the detailed research regarding
abstention.
COUNCILMEMBER MESAROS MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER FRALEY-
MONILLAS, TO APPROVE THE JOB DESCRIPTION AS PRESENTED BY MR. WILLIAMS.
MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.
Mr. Taraday clarified by adopting the motion to reduce the FTE in Finance, Council is directing staff to
return with budget amendment for the reduced FTE.
3. EDMONDS YOUTH COMMISSION ORDINANCE
Council President Nelson referred to the heartfelt comments from local Edmonds youth about their wish to
make change and have a voice, noting it is clear there need to be more opportunities for young people to
serve the community. Service can take many forms, in schools, churches, clubs, service groups or in City
government. Councilmembers hear a lot about investing in infrastructure, and often rush to fund the
physical infrastructure. What about people infrastructure, the glue that holds the future together, our
children? The City needs to invest in our youth; the best way to prepare the next generation is to have them
be part of our generation. He believed the Edmonds Youth Commission can help achieve that.
COUNCIL PRESIDENT NELSON MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER BUCKSHNIS,
TO APPROVE ORDINANCE NO. 1415, AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF EDMONDS,
WASHINGTON, AMENDING THE EDMONDS CITY CODE, TITLE 10, TO ADD A NEW
CHAPTER 10.55 CREATING A YOUTH COMMISSION.
Councilmember Mesaros asked if there would be a first and second alternate. He also suggested instead of
all members serving two-year terms, having half serve a one-year term so there is some consistency. Council
President Nelson was open to having half serve one year and half serve two years and agreed with having
Alternates 1 and 2. Councilmember Mesaros suggested Position 10 be the first alternate and Position 11 be
the second alternate. Mr. Taraday suggested adding the following sentence to Section 10.55.020(4), that
reads, "If two alternates are present and only one is needed, Position 10 shall be the one intitled to vote."
COUNCILMEMBER MESAROS MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER FRALEY-
MONILLAS, TO AMEND SECTION 10.55.020(4), TO ADD, "IF TWO ALTERNATES ARE
PRESENT AND ONLY ONE IS NEEDED, POSITION 10 SHALL BE THE ONE INTITLED TO
VOTE." MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.
COUNCIL PRESIDENT NELSON MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER FRALEY-
MONILLAS, TO AMEND SO THAT THE ORDINANCE TAKES EFFECT IN 45 DAYS. MOTION
CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.
COUNCILMEMBER TEITZEL MOVED TO TABLE THIS ITEM FOR TWO WEEKS. MOTION
DIED FOR LACK OF A SECOND.
Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes
June 19, 2018
Page 22
COUNCILMEMBER JOHNSON MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER BUCKSHNIS,
TO HAVE ONE YEAR APPOINTMENTS THAT CAN BE RENEWED UP TO THREE TIMES.
Councilmember Johnson said this would provide an opportunity for seniors and incoming freshmen to
participate.
MOTION CARRIED (6-1), COUNCILMEMBER TIBBOTT VOTING NO.
COUNCILMEMBER TIBBOTT MOVED TO ADD A SUNSET CLAUSE TO THE ORDINANCE SO
THE COMMISSION SUNSETS AFTER 4 YEARS TO PROVIDE AN OPPORTUNITY TO
EVALUATE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE COMMISSION. MOTION DIED FOR LACK OF A
SECOND.
Councilmember Tibbott commented there appeared to be a huge role for adults to play, perhaps teachers,
and he did not see any adult supervision or training, coaching, etc. regarding participating in government.
Parks & Recreation Director Carrie Hite said she and Council President Nelson discussed coordination of
the commission. In consultation with Mayor Earling, she has volunteered to take on coordination of the
commission until September, to meet with potential youth commission candidates, begin to frame the
commission and bring a recommendation to Council for staffing, support, etc. for the commission as well
as recommendations for appointments.
Mayor Earling anticipated it would take longer than 45 days to establish the commission. Council President
Nelson anticipated the commission would begin in September.
COUNCILMEMBER BUCKSHNIS MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER FRALEY-
MONILLAS, TO AMEND SECTION 10.55.020(4) TO READ, "AN ALTERNATE COMMISSIONER
SHALL BE APPOINTED TO SERVE IN THE EVENT ANY REGULAR COMMISSIONER IS
ABSENT FOR MORE THAN THREE CONSECUTIVE MEETINGS WITHOUT EXCUSE..."
Mr. Taraday clarified in that situation, it would become a vacant position as a matter of law. Councilmember
Buckshnis recalled the Tree Board had a vacant position and the alternate filled the position. Mr. Taraday
said some boards are set up to have the alternate automatically fill a vacant position and that could be done
for the youth commission. Given the appointment structure, that may not be in keeping with the bigger
picture because if a Councilmembers' appointed position became vacant via non-attendance, it may result
in a Councilmember losing their ability to appoint someone to the position.
Councilmember Buckshnis suggested rewriting 10.55.020(4). Mr. Taraday clarified he understood
"disqualified" to mean temporarily due to a conflict of interest, etc., not the commissioner vacating their
seat.
COUNCILMEMBER BUCKSHNIS WITHDREW HER AMENDMENT WITH THE AGREEMENT
OF THE SECOND.
Councilmember Fraley-Monillas asked for clarification that the members would all be Edmonds residents
and could come from any high school, private school, etc. Council President Nelson answered yes.
Councilmember Fraley-Monillas thanked the teens in the audience.
Councilmember Teitzel thanked the teens for their passion and excitement about engaging with City. He
was hopeful commissioners would be sought from all the schools in Edmonds including Scriber. He
encouraged the teens and Ms. Hite to reach out to other schools.
MAIN MOTION AS AMENDED CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.
Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes
June 19, 2018
Page 23
COUNCILMEMBER MESAROS MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER BUCKSHNIS,
TO EXTEND THE MEETING UNTIL 10:30 P.M. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.
9. STUDY ITEMS
1. COUNCIL 2019 BUDGET GOALS DISCUSSION
Due to the late hour, this item was delayed to a future meeting.
10. REPORTS ON COUNCIL COMMITTEES
1. COUNCIL COMMITTEE REPORTS AND MINUTES
Due to the late hour, this item was delayed to a future meeting.
11. MAYOR'S COMMENTS
Mayor Earling reported it was a wonderful weekend in Edmonds with the Arts Festival and the first
Saturday Market of the year. He had never seen so many people in town; it was a fabulous experience and
he looked forward to the 4" of July.
12. COUNCIL COMMENTS
Councilmember Mesaros commented on the unfortunate situation occurring on the southern border of the
United States where the leadership of the country is not taking responsibility for their actions. He found
what was occurring unconscionable and was hopeful the leadership would admit the strategy and policy
they put in place was not working and needed to be rescinded.
Councilmember Johnson reported summer is coming on June 21Sr
13. CONVENE IN EXECUTIVE SESSION REGARDING PENDING OR POTENTIAL LITIGATION
PER RCW_42.30.110(1)(i)
This item was not needed.
14. RECONVENE IN OPEN SESSION. POTENTIAL ACTION AS A RESULT OF MEETING IN
EXECUTIVE SESSION
This item was not needed.
15. ADJOURN
With no further business, the Council meeting was adjourned at 10:23 p.m.
DAVID O. EARLIN , MAYOR
S PASSEY, OTY RK
Edmonds City Council Approved Minutes
June 19, 2018
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