19841030 City Council Minutes13
October 30, 1984 - TOWN HALL MEETING
The Town Hall meeting of the Edmonds City Council and the Meadowdale area residents was called
to order at 7:08 p.m. by Mayor Larry Naughten at the Meadowdale Community Club, 68th and North
Meadowdale Road. All present joined in the flag salute.
PRESENT ABSENT STAFF PRESENT
Larry Naughten, Mayor Lloyd Ostrom Bobby Mills, Acting Public Works Superintendent
Jo -Anne Jaech Art Housler, Administrative Services Director
Steve Dwyer Jack Weinz, Fire Chief
Laura Hall Jackie Parrett, City Clerk
Bill Kasper Mary Lou Block, Planning Director
John Nordquist Steve Simpson, Parks & Recreation Director
Jack Wilson Jim Adams, City Engineer
Suzanne Adams, Student Rep. Pat LeMay, Personnel Director
Scott Snyder, City Attorney
Peter Hahn, Community Services Director
Robin Hickok, Assistant Police Chief
Jerry Hauth, Hydraulics Engineer
Alice Brown, Recorder
Councilmembers Kasper and Nordquist arrived at 7:35 p.m.
Mayor Naughten thanked everyone at the Community Club for attending, and stated this was the
fourth Town Hall Meeting (the second one in the Meadowdale area), and the purpose is to inform
is the
public of.what is going on in the area and the city, and to improve relationships between
the Council and the citizens. He stated that if answers to any questions were unavailable dur-
ing the evening, the staff would get back to the person in the near future. He cited the
expenditure of $130,000 on the walkway project from 76th and Olympic View Drive on Meadowdale
Beach Road, as well as the development of the 23-acre recreational site to the south in cooper-
ation with Snohomish County, Lynnwood and the School District, as an outgrowth of just such a
town meeting and input from the community.
Mayor Naughten stated the ground rules for the meeting, asking that persons who desired to
speak introduce themselves and provide their address,.adding that Gordon Rosier will represent
the Community Club and will read any questions aloud for anyone wishing to submit a question to
the Council. He added that the meeting will take a break at 8:00 p.m. for refreshments, then
reconvene for more questions and answers, and dismiss at 9:00 p.m.
The Mayor spoke of the appointment of Jan Phillips, a Meadowdale resident, to the Planning Advis-
ory Board; he introduced the Webelos from the Seaview Cub Scout Pack who were attending the
meeting to work on earning their citizenship badges; he also introduced Bruce Agnew, Snohomish
County Councilman.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
It was MOVED BY COUNCILIAEMBER HALL, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER JAECH, TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF
OCTOBER 23, 1984. MOTION CARRIED.
AUDIENCE
Mayor Naughten called on Stu Murdock, head of the Edmonds Volunteer Firemen, who presented the
City of Edmonds with "blue buttons" purchased by collecting aluminum cans and newspapers at
various locations, such as Edmonds Lumber, Station #2 at Five -Corners, and now at the Five -
Corners Exxon Station.- The cost of the buttons was $2,100.00, and they will be used to mark
each fire hydrant in the City. Because it is so dark in outlying areas of the City, these
markers with the reflector will be placed 6" from the center line, and any fire vehicle's
headlights will pick up on the button's reflection and know that there is a hydrant right
there, saving valuable time and putting water at the scene of the fire. The Street
Department will install these in the near future, and the Meadowdale area will hopefully be the
first place they are installed. The Mayor and audience commended the volunteers for this
gesture.
Mr. Adams gave a brief update on the Meadowdale area, stating that the final bills are not
entirely in on the Tri-State construction, but that.we are well within the budget. The City is
in the process of selecting a consultant, and also.will have a geological engineer to better
qualify and assess the properties. He requested that if there are "spots" that any of the
local people feel were missed, to call the Street Department, as it will be part of the street
maintenance program. If all goes as planned, the figures should be out and the assessment rolls
prepared by the first of January, at which time a notice will be sent showing what the fair
share of the sanitary sewer and subdrainage,costs will be. When.asked how long the property
owners have before they must hook up to the sewer, Mr. Adams stated that when the sewer is
available, they have 60 days to hook up. The City prefers that they do so as soon as possible.
Mike Lantz, 14227 - 47th W., an attorney, spoke on behalf of property owners in the Meadowdale
area. He stated that one main concern was whether property owners could develop their individ-
ual lots, plus concerns about,surveys, soils, and taxes. If they are unable to build on their
lots, will, the assessment attach. Of further concern, if there is -no increase in the valuation,
then the fact is that there will be a decrease in the property value.
14
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October 30, 1984 - continued
Mr. Lantz had received a letter from Mr. Reeves of the Building Department listing the measures
to be taken in order to develop a lot, and if these procedures must be followed, it is certain
to add $3,000-$5,000 to the cost of building. He asked what procedure the City would take to
address the monies it would not be able to collect from properties that are considered as not
buildable. He would like to see these matters addressed to cover all the property owners so
that the property owners would not have to go one-on-one against the City, thereby eliminating
loss of time and money to all concerned.
Speaking in regard to Ordinance #2445, Mr. Lantz stated fie had written the Mayor a letter in
reference to the ordinance, and Mayor Naughten replied that a letter had been sent to him today.
Mr. Lantz said that more than 30 people had unanimously agreed they wish the covenant aspect of
Ordinance #2445 removed. They felt that there is no consideration under the law since there is
a building permit fee, and if they are asked to pay more than what others are asked to pay,
this is discriminatory; it diminishes the value of the property; it is harder to get financing;
and additional insurance costs could also be involved --all due to the covenant contained in
the ordinance.
City Attorney Snyder stated that the determination of the assessment and the assessment rolls
is not yet final, the City has made a step toward hiring an appraiser, and the City cannot
assess the lots greater than the benefits received. There are appeal procedures for each lot
when the final assessment roll is given, and appealing individuals may have their assessments
stayed.
Mr. D. L. Breckner, 15908 - 68th W., had several comments to make such as he (1) was in favor
of development of the recreational project for the area, but was against the block grant, since
he objected to tax money going to block grant money; (2) was surprised the Fire Department was •
not knowledgeable of where the fire hydrants were and that they needed the blue markers for
that purpose; (3) has been paying since Meadowdale has been part of Edmonds (20 years) for
sewer service not received, and objected to that; (4). had a suggestion for the City pertaining
to parking at the Meadowdale Community Club, which was that the City should make a trade or
concession to adjacent landowners to increase the parking area. (Mr. Simpson stated that the
City has entered into negotiations for one lot north of the site which is awaiting final
approval); and (5) wondered.how much of his utility payment goes toward paying for the flower-
ing baskets hanging in the.downtown area, as he objected to paying tax money for those flowers.
Mr. Adams replied that the utility payment goes into the utility fund, and the baskets come
from the general fund.
Mr. Dick Beers, 15306 - 40th W., wished to state that he feels that the city staff deserves
praise as well as criticism, and although it has taken a long time, he has applied for a permit
to build a house in the Meadowdale area, has had some odd requirements to meet, but the house
is now under construction. He further commented that he had not had any problem obtaining
mortgage money, no extra insurance had been required, and he welcomed the assessment because it
enabled him to begin construction.
Mr. Mike Echelbarger, whose business address is 4001 - 198th S. W., Lynnwood, raised the question
of the South Hill rapist who now resides in Edmonds, and if the Police Department is aware of
where he lives, what he looks like, etc. Mayor Naughten replied that it has been a frustrating
experience since there has been no notification of his living in the City, and no terms and
conditions concerning his release. On their own, the staff has investigated and verified the
address, has found out the conditions under which he was released, and has pictures of him.
Councilmember Hall spoke with regard to the Coe situation as Public Safety Chairman, and said
she had checked on Monday, October 29th, at 3:25 p.m., and found that at that very time the
police were checking to see if Mr. Coe was in his residence. Councilmember Dwyer stated that
the Coe situation is a case where Spokane County should have notified the jurisdiction, but
that it is just another manifestation of the mishandling of the entire case.
Mr. Echelbarger's second question concerned how appointments are made by the City for various
boards that by statute are only eligible to elected officials, a case in point being the
Snohomish County Transit System. Councilmember Nordquist replied that in accordance with the
bylaws, and the representation needed recently due to his interim position as Director, that
Councilmember Jaech, as Council President, has served'in his stead. When the position of
Director is filled, Mr. Nordquist will return to the Board of Directors. Mr. Echelbarger felt
that a consensus of agreement should be given in such appointments which would use everyone's
wisdom, and hoped.that inthe future this would be thought through when appointments such as
this one are made. Counci.lmember Hall stated that the point was well taken concerning the
Community Transit, and historically it has been up to the Mayor.
Mr. Don Phillips, 7100 - 156th S. W., hoped the Council and staff members would come up to the
area early in the morning when the traffic from the buses and the 600 children that walk out
on the street could be viewed, as there is no sidewalk. He asked if perhaps it would be
possible to improve the traffic flow from 52nd down to the school area by working with Lynnwood
and the County, since the street is very narrow. He also felt that basketball courts, outdoor
handball courts, etc., would be nice for the recreation area, and hoped that it would not be
limited to baseball fields alone.
A recess was called by Mayor Naughten at 8:05 p.m., with the meeting resuming at 8:27 p.m.
Ms. Anne Linge, 7970 - 160th S. W. stated her concerns about North Meadowdale Beach Road at
68th W. It is a blind area, and she requested that the Council and staff keep an eye on the
situation.
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October 30, 1984 - continued
..Ir. Rosier stated that Stanwood had'adopted the Model Conservation Standards, and asked if
Edmonds had looked into adopting these. The staff is to get back to Mr. Rosiers on this.
:fir. Norm Nelson, 15729 - 75th P1. W., stated the new road was the best one since he has lived
tn.the�Meadowdale area. He was bothered by the way people must dedicate 10' of land when they
Develop, as he felt 75th Place was wide enough. Mr. Adams explained that the original plat
asked for 40', and when a comprehensive study was made it was found that a 60' right of way
was needed for development of the roadway to accommodate utilities. Mr. Snyder stated that
there is a specific state statute which provides for dedication of right-of-way in accordance
with the Master Street Plan when a building permit is applied for. In the absence of such
an application, the the City must pay for the land if it is in conjunction -with a specific
project. Councilmember Kasper stated that the City is conscious of this problem and is aware
of areas where some land has been dedicated and parcels next to it have not been.
Mr. Bruce Agnew, 16000 - 75th Place W., thought the town meeting idea an excellent one, compli-
menting the staff on the roads and sewer project, and their cooperation when he had called
the City asking.questions. He thanked the Police Department for their help in responding to
the summer problems, as the problems had diminished, and further thanked the Mayor and Council
on voting for the Meadowdale Park Project. He would like to see input from the neighborhood
as it is developed. He reported that his 4-year old Cockerspaniel was missing, and if anyone
sees it, to please contact him or his wife.
Mr. Lantz asked if the City was going to survey the area to find out where the streets are, and
Mr. Adams felt there was no problem with locating the streets. Mr. Lantz questioned the maxi
mum limit on assessment, and Mr. Snyder replied that the figure would be derived when the
final assessment roll is made. The maximum assessment would be the difference between property
values prior to improvement and assessment after the.improvement. The appraiser would be
• instructed to find the fair market value, and will try to determine what benefit has been
added to the property by virtue of the improvement.
Councilmember Kasper spoke regarding the survey issue, stating that it was discussed at length,
and there was no way it would be funded at that time. this problem is not unique to this area
alone, as it is a citywide and countywide problem. Regarding rights -of -way, the staff and
committee have looked into the rights of way and vacations. Ideally, if the deeds could be
gathered all at once it would work well, but when a building is being built is the only time
that it is possible to do that.
Ms. Jean Linge asked about the covenant, and Mr. Snyder stated that the covenant is imposed by
ordinance, and that the covenant says (1) that the property owner will notify any subsequent
purchasers of their property that the property lies within the landslide area; (2) that they
will hold the City harmless; and (3) if loss occurs because property has been developed, the
property owner will bear that cost. Ms. Linge further asked if the assessment was agreeable
to the property owner, but if others objected to their assessment and it was reduced, would
their's be reduced as well. Mr. Snyder stated that that would be determined at the time the
City approves the assessed roll.
Dr. Robert Anderson, North Meadowdale Road, spoke regarding the covenant issue of which he was
unaware, asking if this ordinance was applicable only to Meadowdale area or if it was citywide.
Mr. Snyder replied that it was one area only--the-landslide area of Meadowdale. Councilmember
Hall stated that the City will be looking into other areas.
Mr_..._.Rosi.er.asaid-he--was unaware of the covenant also, and follows things like that very closely.
He asked again that the Council address the Model Conservation Standards, and was told that
this would be discussed.
• Mayor Naughten announced that the Fire Department is inviting all children to the stations from
6:00 - 9:00 p.m. on Halloween to pick up good, safe goodies at the stations at 250 Fifth, and
at Five -Corners. Also, that the Recreation Department invites all Halloweener's to the Frances
Anderson Building from 6:30 - 7:30 p.m. to participate in the fun and games planned, the cost
for which is $1.00.
The Mayor thanked the Meadowdale Community Club for their participation in the refreshments and
for co -sponsoring the meeting, as the Club provided the cookies and the City provided the coffee.
The meeting was closed at 9:07 p.m.
CQ LINE G. PARRETT, City Clerk LARRY S. NAUGHTEN, Mayor
s