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19840611 City Council MinutesJune 11, 1984 - Special Monday Meeting - Work Meeting The special meeting -of the Edmonds City Council was called to order at 7:03 p.m. by Mayor Larry Naughten in the Plaza Meeting Room.of the Edmonds Library. All present joined in the flag salute. PRESENT ABSENT Larry Naughten, Mayor Laura Hall Jo -Anne Jaech Lloyd Ostrom Steve Dwyer Jack Wilson John Nordquist Bill Kasper Brian Stewart, Student Rep. CONSENT AGENDA STAFF PRESENT Pat LeMay, Personnel Director Bobby Mills, Actg. Pub. Wks. Supt. Jim Adams, City Engineer Jim Jessel, Property Manager Dan Prinz, Actg. Police Chief Art Housler, Finance Director Mary Lou Block, Planning Director Jackie Parrett, City Clerk Scott Snyder, City Attorney Shirlie Witzel, Recorder Items (D), (E), (G), and (H) were removed from the Consent Agenda. COUNCILMEMBER JAECH MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER KASPER, TO APPROVE THE BALANCE OF THE CONSENT AGENDA. MOTION CARRIED. The approved items on the Consent Agenda included the fol.lowing: 1 • rw 404. • June 11, 1984 - continued (A) Roll Call. (B) Approval of Minutes of June 5, 1984. (C) Passage of Resolution 589 commending Brian Stewart. (F) Acknowledgment of receipt of claims for damages from Jerry B. Thompson ($125.59) and Margaret Lerfald ($557.46). PROPOSED RESOLUTION 590 MODIFYING MEADOWDALE MORATORIUM [Item (D) on Consent Agenda] Councilmember Jaech asked City Attorney Scott Snyder to explain the proposed change to the resolution. Mr. Snyder explained that the last sentence of the resolution as orginally drafted contained an involved procedure for furnishing copies of the resolution and original ordinance to permit appli- cants as well as maintenance of a log of the applicants' receipt of the information. A simpler method was determined, to use a stamp on the face of the building permit application noting the provisions of the moratorium. COUNCILMEMBER JAECH MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER KASPER, PASSAGE OF RESOLUTION 590 MODIFYING MEADOWDALE MORATORIUM, WITH THE NOTED CHANGES. MOTION CARRIED. PROPOSAL TO RESTRICT SUNSET AVE. TO RESIDENT VEHICLE TRAFFIC ONLY ON FOURTH OF JULY FROM 6:00 P.M. TO 11:00 P.M.[Item (E) on Consent Agenda] Councilmember Kasper objected to closure of Sunset Ave. He said the fireworks should not have been shut down and people should certainly not be precluded from watching the displays in Kingston and on the Sound. The time of closure extends to 11:00 p.m., well after the Kingston fireworks. Mayor Naughten said the proposal was the result of a request from.residents on Sunset Ave. Acting Police Chief Dan Prinz noted that the restriction applies only to vehicle traffic and does not affect foot • traffic. COUNCILMEMBER JAECH MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER DWYER, TO APPROVE THE PROPOSAL TO RESTRICT SUNSET AVE. TO RESIDENT VEHICLE TRAFFIC ONLY ON FOURTH OF JULY FROM 6:00 P.M. TO 11:00 P.M. MOTION CARRIED WITH COUNCILMEMBER KASPER VOTING NO. PROPOSED ORDINANCE 2434 AUTHORIZING CONDEMNATION OF CERTAIN PROPERTIES NECESSARY TO THE LAKE BALLINGER SEWER UPGRADE [Item (G) on Consent Agenda] Councilmember Jaech noted that she had not received enough information on this item and asked City Engineer Jim Adams for an explanation. Mr. Adams said the ordinance had been prepared by the City .Attorney and related to the proposed condemnation of properties for the Lake Ballinger sewer up- grade. The matter was referred to the City Attorney when the Engineering Department was unable to negotiate an easement through these properties which lie within Mountlake Terrace. The property owners were willing to grant the easements when first contacted; however, when the easements were prepared, they had changed their minds and at that point it was referred to the City Attorney. Access through the properties is necessary because the PUD is unwilling to grant the City an ease- ment through their substation. He added that most of the City's sewer easement lies within the traction right-of-way which belongs to the PUD. Mr. Snyder added that the citizens of Mountlake Terrace do not understand what is being done. However, the City does have the power under State statute to condemn easements outside the City for sewer lines. He said he anticipates that the cost of acquisition may outweigh what the City will pay for them. He added that the property owners have indicated that.condemnation is the avenue that will have to be pursued. COUNCILMEMBER KASPER MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER NORDQUIST ADOPTION OF ORDINANCE 2434. A ROLL CALL VOTE WAS TAKEN WITH COUNCILMEMBERS WILSON, NORDQUIST AND KASPER VOTING YES; COUNCILMEMBERS JAECH AND DWYER VOTING NO. Later in the evening, the City Attorney pointed out that the required majority vote of the Council would require four yes votes; therefore, the motion did not pass. The motion was later recon- sidered; see below. APPROVAL OF UPDATING THE TELEMETERING ALARM SYSTEM AND SEWAGE LIFT STATIONS Item H on Consent Agenda . • Councilmember Kasper asked how the original budget amount of $35,000 was being used and if this item were included. Acting Public Works Superintendent Bobby Mills replied that the $35,000 was for lift station renovation. The updating of the telemetering alarm system was planned two years ago but was not budgeted at that time. He said they wish to install the system at this time, making it all compatible and adding a graphics chart to the lift station. He said the same cabinet could be used, at a savings of $1,000; however, the complete system would be unmonitored for over three weeks. He said the City could not afford to have an unmonitored system for that length of time. Councilmember Kasper said he thought there was other work for which the $35,000 was intended. Mr. Mills said this item has a higher priority and the other work would be pushed into 1985. COUNCILMEMBER KASPER MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER JAECH, APPROVAL OF UPDATING THE TELEMETERING ALARM SYSTEM AND SEWAGE LIFT STATIONS. MOTION CARRIED. Mayor Naughten introduced. Bonnie Allsworth of the Edmonds Arts Festival. Ms. Allsworth described the 27th annual Arts Festival. She thanked the City staff for their enthusiasm and support. In addition, she noted that Council and Mayoral support had been evidenced by the purchase awards made during the past three years. The Council and Mayor were invited to be guests of the Arts Festival at the Patrons Party on Thursday, June 14, at 7:30. She also invited them to become Patrons if they wished. In connection with Ms. Allsworth's comments, COUNCILMEMBER KASPER MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER WILSON, THAT THE COUNCIL MAKE ANOTHER PURCHASE AWARD FOR 1984. Councilmember Jaech indicated that an amount should be stipulated. Finance Director Art Housler said $1,000 had been budgeted for a purchase. MOTION CARRIED. Mayor Naughten read the resolution commending Brian Stewart for his participation as a Student Representative on the Edmonds City Council. The meeting was.recessed for 15 minutes, reconvening at 7:38 p.m. 08 June 11, 1984 - continued MEETING WITH EDMONDS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE • Dave Earling and Chris Matt were invited to join the Council at the table provided. Mr. Earling reported that the Downtown Development Assistance Task Force had met twice, with a third meeting scheduled for June 15. Of the six recommended actions, two areas have been chosen for immediate attention. First, Port District involvement in the renegotiation of the ferry dock lease with the State Department of Transportation. The Chamber is interested in the recommendation from the D-DAT team regarding rechanneling traffic, changing the holding lane, expansion of the ferry dock to contain an entire holding lane, moving a second holding lane south of Dayton (freeing much of the concrete and asphalt now existing. between Main St. and Dayton St.), and providing better access between the waterfront and the downtown area. Mr. Matt distributed a letter to the Council that had gone to the Port Commissioners, asking them to consider the.D-DAT recommendations. A second item for consideration by the Task Force involves zoning, parking and height. The Task Force has agreed to look at current zoning even though they realize it will be a long.process. A third recommenda- tion of the DDAT team was formation of the Task Force, which has been accomplished. Councilmember Jaech asked if the Task Force will be looking at increasing building heights. Mr. Earling said the entire package would be examined not singling out any one item as more important than others. The general thrust of the D-DAT recommendation was to scale down the size of the business zone and, as a result, see what impact height would have. Councilmember Kasper noted that the example he had seen of the business zone was one block back from Dayton, one block north of Main St., to 6th and down to the water front. Mr. Earling said the D-DAT team proposal was a result of trying to interconnect the downtown area and the waterfront. However, many parts of the proposal will not be implemented by the Task Force or as those parts work their way through the system. Councilmember Jaech expressed concern for businesses which may not be within the core area designated. She said some type of grandfathering clause would have to be considered. In response to Council - member Dwyer's question, Mr. Earling said the Task Force is aware of the sensitivity of the community to the question of building heights. He noted that the Task Force has just agreed to look at the areas of zoning, parking and heights, nothing has been done to date. Mr. Earling continued that the Mayor, Mr. Matt, Ms. Block and he had spoken at the Washington State Downtown Association.regarding the D-DAT visit to Edmonds. In regard to the Main Street Program, Mr. Earling said $90,000 had been appropriated by the Legislature to fund a state office. Selection of five cities for participation in the program will be made this summer and he indicated that Edmonds is in a good position for selection. Funding should be in place for a local office and to hire a Main Street Director. In response to a question from Councilmember Dwyer, Ms. Block said the State departments and organizations that will have representation on the selection committee have been indicated; however, no specific individuals are yet known. She suggested that letters of support are important to let the selection committee know that the entire community is behind the program. The time for the support will be when the application is received. Mr. Earling said minutes of the Task Force meetings will be kept beginning at their next meeting and will be furnished to the Council. The Task Force meets at 7:00 a.m. the second Friday of the month and at 7:30 p.m. the fourth Thursday of the month. Mr. Earling said the Edmonds brochure will be ready on June 18. Events coming up include the Fourth of July and the Taste of Edmonds. Chris Matt reported that the Taste of Edmonds is 60-70% full. He estimated 60% were Edmonds businesses. The event will be held on August 11-12. To date everything has gone smoothly and they are working with the City Attorney to obtain the necessary permits and agreements. He added that interest has been very good and anticipates a larger attendance than last year. Mr. Earl.ing expressed the Chamber's support in development of the Civic Center Playfield and the Woodway athletic fields. He said the Civic Center playfield will provide a nice park for youth activities in addition to jogging and walking trails for adult use, and a good place for community gatherings such as concerts. Councilmember Jaech commented that the Council had unanimously liked most of the concepts of the Civic Center playfield and the other recommendations of the committee which pprepared the report, with the exception of the pool. She noted that one important point, when the proposal goes to the people for a vote, will be unanimous approval. She said the Council would be asking the Chamber for their support of this concept. Mr. Earling said the Committee, of which he was a member, had spent part of 2-3 meetings discussing.ways of organizing community support. He said if the Council is thinking of doing something this fall, it is already almost too late to start the education process. Councilmember Jaech said discussions have also included next February as a ballot time. Councilmember Kasper indicated that he is actively opposed to doing away with the Civic Center Playfield as it stands. In response to a question from Councilmember Dwyer, Mr. Earling said the pool was a negotiable item. He said something needs to be done to make it more attractive to a wider cross section of people. He likes the idea of a passive park, and a place where a focus may be placed on community events. Councilmember Kasper said he understood the Plaza area had been built for this purpose. RECOMMENDATION (CONTINUED) TO CONVERT COPIER SYSTEM ($22,600) Finance Director Art Housler explained that the subject was introduced on April 24. The reasons for the proposal to convert from the Savin copiers to the Minoltas were to save money and meet the needs of the City. There are features on the Minolta that are.not available on the Savins; such as reduc- tion of copy, enlargement of copy, and the quality of the reproduction. The Mayor sent a memo pointing out some additional savings that could be realized with conversion which were not addressed in the first proposal. The additional savings amounted to $3,000 per year. This savings added to 1 1 • n LJ 1 n LJ 4n9 • June 11, 1984 - continued the original $13,600 results in a savings of $16,600 annually. Mr. Housler reviewed the proposal. He said .Minolta will finance the $23,763 at 1% provided it is paid the first week of January 1985, thus providing no budget impact during 1984. He noted that the difference between the figures of $38,775 for total expenditure.and the budgeted amount of $23,640 leaving a required appropriation of $26,763 for 1985 includes the maintenance contract cost. * Councilmember Kasper stated that he had opposed the original proposal since he felt it was an integral part of the reorganization and should have been addressed in December for the 1984 budget. The original reorganization move was a part of this change and some of the cost should have been charged against that cost. However, he said he believes it is a good move even though some of the .costs have not been set out in the proposal. In light of the fact that there is no 1984 budget impact and the machine selected is excellent, COUNCILMEMBER KASPER MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER DWYER, THAT THE COUNCIL ACCEPT THE PROPOSAL TO CONVERT THE COPIER SYSTEM. Councilmember Nordquist asked if other machines had been evaluated and if other Minolta dealers had been contacted. Property Manager Jim Jessel said he had evaluated the needs.of the City and the Minolta most nearly met those needs. He said there are two Minolta dealers, Associated Business Machines and William Dierickx Company. Mr. Jessel said the 1% financing would be carried by the Minolta Company. There is a one year warranty and the maintenance contract carries an unlimited warranty. In response to a question from Councilmember Wilson, Mr. Housler said the experience of Reid, Middleton, with the same copier, has revealed no difficulty with having everyone operate the machine; therefore, there is no plan to have one person responsible for operation. Councilmember Nordquist asked the City Attorney if re- quirements for dealing with minorities and women are included in City contracts. Mr. Snyder said it is his understanding that the terms referred to apply only to construction contracts but he will verify that. MOTION CARRIED. DISCUSSION OF PUBLIC DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENTS City Attorney Scott Snyder noted that Councilmember Kasper had raised questions regarding requirements • of Chapter 1.14 and the State Public Disclosure provisions. The chart provided to the Council indicates that the State Act contains a number of restrictions and provisions that are more than or different from those required by City ordinance. Councilmember Kasper said there have been several challenges over what the Code contains and a system.has not been devised to update any State changes on an annual basis._ He said the Council should adopt the State requirements or record state dis- closures in the City. Councilmember Nordquist recounted the history of the Public Disclosure portion of.the code. -He said the.Council could rescind the requirement by the City and then a copy of the State disclosure could be filed with the City.. COUNCILMEMBER NORDQUIST.MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER WILSON, THAT THE COUNCIL RESCIND CHAPTER 1.14.030 OF THE EDMONDS COMMUNITY CODE BASED ON THE FACT THAT A PUBLIC DISCLOSURE STATEMENT IS FILED AT THE STATE LEVEL WHICH IS AVAILABLE TO ALL CITIZENS OF THE. CITY OF_EDMONDS. Councilmember Dwyer asked for a clarification of the motion. In discussion of the ;portions of the Code covered by the motion, it was discovered that pages were missing from the information.provided the Council. Councilmember Nordquist withdrew his motion and Councilmember Wilson withdrew his second. COUNCILMEMBER JAECH MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER KASPER, TO MOVE THIS ITEM TO THE JUNE 26 AGENDA FOR FURTHER DISCUSSION. MOTION CARRIED. PERSONNEL COMMITTEE MEETING (A) EMPLOYEE SUGGESTION PROGRAM:, Councilmember Nordquist raised a point of order. He questioned why the Council should become involved in an employee suggestion program since that should be an administrative matter. Mayor Naughten replied that this item was before the Council because there is expenditure of money, it is a personnel item and a new program. Councilmember Jaech asked if the provisions of the program could not be incorporated in the Employee Handbook rather than being placed in the City Code. Personnel Director Pat LeMay interjected that City Attorney Mark Eames had advised the program should be adopted as an ordinance and codified in order that the provisions would be available to everyone. Consensus -of the Council was that the Employee Suggestion Program should be incorporated in the Employee Handbook. . .(B) REVIEW OF PERSONNEL NEEDS IN PLANNING DEPARTMENT: Planning Director Mary Lou Block asked that the Council authorize use of Council Contingency funds to retain a planner on a personal ser- vices contract to provide long-range planning services to the Planning Board. This item was approv- ed in the budget and $1.0,000 placed in the Council Contingency Fund during December 1983. A ,question was raised by'Councilmember Jaech regarding. the $5;000 budgeted for Planning Board use. Ms. Block explained that the $5,000 is in the Planning Department budget. The requested funding is in the Contingency fund and would also benefit the Planning Board. The position would-be hired on a contract basis and would not include any benefits. The current activity in the department precludes handling the. long-range planning projects. Ms. Block also addressed the need for code enforcement assistance. Enforcement is a time consuming process. Certain uses such as.sandwich board signs, flashing trailer signs, and inappropriate residential uses require constant surveillance and enforcement action. The existing staff cannot provide this high level of enforcement. Mr. Snyder interjected that violation of the sign code costs $25.00 a day for a non -conforming sign. To prove a case for continuing violation and charge the violator $25.00 a day for each day the illegal sign is in place requires log entries and testi- mony that the sign was in that location on each and every day being charged. He added that business license enforcement.could also be handled by the code enforcement person. Ms. Block provided data from other cities which.pointed out the personnel shortage that exists in the Edmonds Planning Department at present. Councilmember Jaech indicated her wish to wait until the Community Services Director is in place before hiring any other personnel. Councilmember Kasper said the Planning Department needs help at this time and the City can't let these things go. He does not favor hiring any full-time people, but does believe contract people should be hired to accomplish what is being demanded from the Department. He said hiring a full-time enforcement person would have to come in the 1985 budget. * See June 19, 1984, minutes 4 U. June 11, 1984 - continued • However, that can be handled by using contract workers for part-time back up, freeing the present staff to do.the enforcement. Ms. Block said the salary for the code enforcement person is based on the lowest salary range of the building inspector position. Ms. Block indicated it is difficult to determine which items could be worked on by the contract planner since it would depend on how quickly the Planning Board acted on a specific item. She said the $5,000 already in the budget plus another $7,000 should be sufficient for the planner position. As.to the code enforcement person, there are a variety of code items that need to be reviewed as well as the business licenses and could be funded from all departments affected. Mayor Naughten said the Council had allocated a total of $15,000 in the, budget placing $10,000 in Council Contingency.Fund until Ms. Block had prepared her plans for the planner. Now, he said, there are five items on which the City must provide the Planning Board information. In response to.questions from Councilmember Dwyer, Ms. Block said any of the $5,000 would be spent only with the concurrence of the Planning Board. In response to questions concerning use of a temporary person in the Community Services Building, Acting Public Works Superintendent Bobby Mills said_the person acts as a floater for the entire building and was hired through the Public Works. Department and Administration. Mr. Mills said an additional high school student was hired last week for the three summer months. He said the floater is just that'and the Planning Department needs someone dedicated to that department. Councilmember Jaech said she sees a.practice in the City that bothers her. Temporary help is hired to cover for vacations and illness. In other businesses, people are cross -trained to cover for. these vacancies, and the extra expense is not incurred. Mr. Mills said they are woking short-handed to begin with, if they were at full staff they would not have to cover these vacancies. Ms. Block said most of their people are cross -trained and they do cover other positions.all the time, other- wise they would not be able to get the work done. Mayor Naughten said there had been other personnel requests that have not been presented because.of • the imminent hiring of the new Community Services Director. Use of part-time personnel has been preferred until the situation can be analyzed by the new Director. However, there are some areas that are short and the need in the Planning Department is for a part-time person. COUNCILMEMBER WILSON MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER KASPER, TO APPROVE THE PLANNING DIRECTOR'S REQUEST FOR LONG- RANGE PLANNING STAFF ASSISTANCE IN THE AMOUNT OF $10,000 TO CARRY OUT DEPARTMENTAL GOALS OF HER FEBRUARY 24 MEMO TO THE COUNCIL.AND TO ALSO USE THE MONEY.FOR CODE ENFORCEMENT IF POSSIBLE AS PER MEMO OF JUNE 11 TO THE COUNCIL. A ROLL CALL VOTE WAS TAKEN WITH COUNCILMEMBERS DWYER, WILSON, AND KASPER VOTING YES; COUNCILMEMBERS JAECH AND NORDQUIST VOTING NO. MOTION CARRIED. (C) MERIT ADJUSTMENT APPROVAL PROCEDURES FOR DEPARTMENT HEADS: Personnel Director Pat LeMay reviewed the reasons for this item being before the Council. He said if the Council no longer wants to approve merit increases of department heads but wants the Mayor to make the decision, they should direct the City Attorney to delete that provision from the salary ordinance. Mayor Naughten said the money for the merit increases is already budgeted. In the past, the Council had requested to see the merit increases; when that was done last time, the Council indicated it was not necessary. 'However, the present salary ordinance requires Council approval. Councilmember Nordquist said there had been questions concerning merit increases being fairly applied in past years and concern that department heads were not being evaluated and thus not being rewarded. Therefore, the Council had requested that merit increases be brought before them for approval. He indicated that a memorandum from the Mayor would be sufficient now. Councilmember Kasper said the practice should continue for the balance of the year since the Mayor is new to the position. In answer to a question from.Councilmember Dwyer, Mayor Naughten said he would only be evaluating four people under the new organizational chart. COUNCILMEMBER KASPER MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER WILSON, THAT APPROVAL OF MERIT ADJUSTMENTS CONTINUE TO BE REVIEWED BY THE COUNCIL FOR THE BALANCE OF THE YEAR AND THE COUNCIL REVIEW BE REMOVED FROM THE 1985 ORDINANCE. Mr. Snyder said he would drop that sentence pertaining to Council review from the Salary Ordinance for. 1985 if the motion is passed. ,MOTION CARRIED.-" • Having voted on the" -prevailing side, COUNCILMEMBER KASPER MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER WILSON, TO RECONSIDER THE PREVIOUS QUESTION ON THE LAKE BALLINGER SEWER UPGRADE. MOTION CARRIED WITH COUNCILMEMBER NORDQUIST VOTING NO. To further clarify the issue, COUNCILMEMBER KASPER MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER NORDQUIST, TO RECONSIDER ITEM (G) PROPOSED ORDINANCE 2434 AUTHORIZING CONDEMNATION OF CERTAIN PROPERTIES NECESSARY TO THE LAKE BALLINGER SEWER UPGRADE. MOTION CARRIED. City Engineer Jim Adams explained the background of the question concerning the Lake Ballinger Sewer upgrade. He noted that the property to the east of the substation is higher than the proposed property on the west side. The City currently holds a 10' easement through the substation; however, there is a pipe running through the middle of that easement and there is not enough room for the new pipe. He added that the PUD is not willing to grant any additional easements through their property. Mr. Adams stressed the importance of getting the proceedings started as soon as possible to be able to accomplish construction during this season. If the upgrade is not completed, he said, raw sewage will be dumped into the lake until.it is. Mr. Snyder indicated that condemnation proceedings would be started since negotiation had already been attempted. He described the easements that are being sought, a 10' service easement that would be buried on the edge of the property and a temporary 20' easement to do the work which would.be extinguished as soon as the work is done. COUNCILMEMBER KASPER MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER NORDQUIST, ADOPTION OF ORDINANCE 2434. MOTION CARRIED. MAYOR Mayor Naughten presented an application for a liquor license from Romeos Pizza House, 21124 76th Ave. W., a class AC license. COUNCILMEMBER DWYER MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER KASPER, THAT THE COUNCIL RECOMMEND APPROVAL AND THE APPLICATION BE FORWARDED TO THE STATE FOR CONSIDERATION AND APPROVAL. MOTION CARRIED. 0 • June 11, 1984 - continued The Mayor reported that there were 98 participants in the Name the Park contest for Union Oil Beach. Five local citizens are reviewing the names this evening and the winner will be announced during unveiling of the sign at the park on July 1 at 1:00 p.m. COUNCIL Councilmember Kasper asked the Mayor for a time frame on the reorganization. Mayor Naughten replied that a job description is now being written, a search will be center will be set up to interview the candidates. He added made for candidates, and an assessment that the job description would be .furnished to the Council.as soon as it is completed. At this point, he said he is gathering a modified assessment center for the Police Chief position which has top priority. Council President Jaech received a call from Bruce Agnew of the Snohomish County Council asking for 15 minutes on the next agenda to: discuss the County park property off Meadowdale and the Meadowdale bal.lfield. The Council was agreeable to the request. Council President Jaech asked if any notification had gone out to businesses with nonconforming signs that are affected by the new sign ordinance. Ms. Block said nothing had been done to date. Councilmember Dwyer asked about the appeals on the theater sign, whether the Council should be taking any action rather than just letting them slip off the agenda. Ms. Block had received in- dication from appellants that the appeals would be.withdrawn if the ordinance passed. Mr. Snyder indicated that a written notification from the appellants of their intent would be sufficient. Council President Jaech read a letter from several citizens concerning the proposed all day free parking on Bell St. from 2nd N. to 4th N. The letter indicated opposition to the proposal based on previous experience in 1982. They asked that the present three hour parking from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 • p.m. except Sundays and holidays be continued. Councilmember Dwyer asked that the letter be for- warded to the Planning Board. Council President Jaech noted that the claim for damages received this evening contains a statement by Margaret Lerfald that ommissions in City records contributed to the problem. In addition, the Council had recently heard a similar situation from Betty Mathey. She asked that staff insure that proper controls and procedures are followed in filing and recording when special notations are made. Councilmember Dwyer expressed concern over the two week lag between a Council vote and presentation of ordinances. He asked that any possible coordination to eliminate this lag be undertaken. City Clerk Jackie Parrett explained that direction by the Council on a Tuesday evening to draft an ordinance entails the City Attorney drafting the ordinance and sending it to the Department Head for review. Then the ordinance must be reviewed by the Mayor and reach the City Clerk's office before Friday.noon of the same week to be duplicated and included in the packets for the Council's next meeting. It is a very short time frame. Mr. Snyder said they intend to purchase a modem allowing the word processor in the Attorney's office to interface with the City word processor so the ordi- nance can be typed in the City, eliminating the delivery period. Councilmember Nordquist congratulated Bruce Orwell upon receipt of his degree at the University of Washington. Mr. Orwell, of the Herald, said a new reporter would be covering Council meetings beginning next week. He then reported that Kathy Samels had visited in the Lynnwood office and is recuperating very well. Councilmember Nordquist noted that the grass on the property at Elm St. needs cutting. Councilmember Wilson reminded the Council that they plan to review the art entries following adjournment. Since there was no further business to come before the Council, the meeting adjourned at 9:35 p.m. LARRY S. NAUGHTEN, Mayor