HomeMy WebLinkAbout2018-12-17 City Council Minutes Approved City Council Minutes—December 17,2018
At 6:00 p.m. Mayor Laurie Gere called to order the regular Anacortes City Council meeting of
December 17,2018. Councilmembers Eric Johnson,Ryan Walters,Brad Adams and Liz Lovelett were present.
Councilmembers Anthony Young and Matt Miller were absent. Councilmember Bruce McDougall participated
in the meeting via telephone. The assembly joined in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Announcements and Committee Reports
Reappointments to Boards and Commissions:
Mayor Gere requested Council's confirmation of the following reappointments:
•Gunnar Christensen to the Historic Preservation Board for a three-year term that expires December 31,
2021
•Marty Laumbattus to the Anacortes Forest Advisory Board for a five-year term ending in November of
2023
•Libby Walgamott and Lewis Jones to the Museum Advisory Board for four-year terms that expire
December 31, 2022
Mayor Gere requested Council's confirmation of the following appointment:
•Deane Brazas to the Museum Advisory Board,to replace retiring James Taylor,completing the last year of
the term to expire December 31, 2019
Mr. Johnson moved, seconded by Ms. Lovelett,to approve the slate of appointments as presented. The motion
carried unanimously by voice vote. Ms. Lovelett and Mayor Gere thanked all the volunteers for serving.
Mayor Gere announced the following reappointments:
•Laura Hamilton and Karla Locke to the Anacortes Arts Commission for terms that expire on December 31,
2021
•Tanna Baker to serve another 5-year term on the Anacortes Housing Authority Board that will end
December 2023
City Attorney Darcy Swetnam reported from the December 10,2018 meeting of the Joint Legislative Task
Force on Water Supply. Ms. Swetnam reminded that the group had been tasked with gathering information to
assist the legislature in developing solutions to water challenges in the Skagit River Basin. She said the group
focused outside Skagit County in 2019,will focus on Whatcom County in 2019 and Skagit County in 2020. She
reported on Skagit County Commissioner Lisa Janicki's report to the task force on the county's plan to mitigate
for permit exempt wells. Ms. Swetnam said Commissioner Janicki encouraged the task force to ensure that the
agriculture community has the resources it needs to continue. Ms. Swetnam also reported on the DOE's report to
the Task Force on current research projects.
Mayor Gere observed the passing of Terry Christiansen who died November 27,2018. The Mayor shared a
synopsis of Mr. Christiansen's many years of public service including 12 years of service on the Anacortes City
Council. Mr. Walters thanked Mr. Christiansen for his extensive efforts on the city's municipal code.
Public Comment
No one present wished to address the Council on any topic not already on the agenda.
Consent Agenda
Mr. Johnson removed Item 5b,Approval of Claims, from the Consent Agenda. Mr. Adams moved, seconded by
Mr. Johnson,to approve the following Consent Agenda items. The motion carried unanimously by voice vote.
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a. Minutes of December 10,2018
c. Contract Modification: On-Call SCADA&PLC Services at the WWTP 15-009-SEW-001
d.Amendment#1 to Interlocal 259 with Skagit Conservation District
e. Contract Award: Prosecution Services 2019
f. Amendment#1 to Interlocal with Skagit County for Senior Activity Center
The following vouchers/checks were approved for payment:
EFT numbers: 91554 through 91598 and 91656 through 91668,total $103,104.19
Check numbers: 91599 through 91658 and 91663 through 91672,total $477,319.59
Wire transfer numbers: 242056 through 242221,total $1,263.16
b.Approval of Claims
Mr. Johnson noted two invoices for holiday street lights totaling nearly$8,900. Mr. Johnson observed that
this expense,which was formerly absorbed by the Anacortes Chamber of Commerce,would cover 180
days of motel vouchers for the homeless. He suggested that in 2019 the city consider using LTAC funding
to support the street lights that attract visitors to Anacortes and spending the city funds to provide for
homeless children and families. Mr. Johnson moved, seconded by Ms. Lovelett,to approve Consent
Agenda Item 5b. The motion carried unanimously by voice vote.
PUBLIC HEARINGS
Public Hearing: Ordinance 3033: Adopting the 2019-2024 Capital Facilities Plan
Finance Director Steve Hoglund recalled that the public hearing on this item was opened on November 5,2018
and that the CFP had been discussed at several subsequent City Council meetings. He presented the final draft
CFP which balanced to the approved biennial budget. Mr. Hoglund recommended approval of the CPF as
presented. Mr. Johnson observed that the same chart of expenditures by department appeared on both pages 19
and 20;he asked that the second copy instead reflect revenue by source as had been requested the prior week.
Mr. Hoglund agreed to make that correction in the final published CFP.
Mayor Gere invited members of the audience to comment on this agenda item.No one present wished to address
the Council.At approximately 6:15 p.m.the mayor closed the public hearing.
Mr. Johnson moved, seconded by Ms. Lovelett,to adopt Ordinance 3033 adopting the 2019-2024 Capital
Facilities Plan with the one correction of the graph on Page 20 as noted. Vote: Ayes—Walters,Adams, Lovelett,
McDougall and Johnson. Motion carried.
OTHER BUSINESS
EDASC 2019 Work Plan Presentation
Economic Development Alliance of Skagit County Chief Executive Officer John Sternlicht provided an update
on the Alliance's work in the county and for Anacortes. Mr. Sternlicht's slide presentation was added to the
packet materials for the meeting. He introduced EDASC staff Kathryn Bennett,Cindy Brooks, and Sean
Connell. Mr. Sternlicht summarized EDASC's work plan for 2019 including business retention and expansion,
business attraction and capacity building. He elaborated on the types of businesses currently being courted,
citing LAVLE and Breedt Precision Tooling as recent wins. Mr. Sternlicht then summarized the types of
services provided by EDASC to help retain and expand existing local businesses and listed several examples. He
responded to councilmember questions about opportunity zones. Mr. Walters noted the valuable service EDASC
had provided to support Anacortes's application for such a zone. Mr. Sternlicht alerted Council on upcoming
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events at EDASC including NextExec, Economic Forecast Night, Spotlight on Skagit, and the EDASC golf
tournament.
Mr. Johnson thanked EDASC for hosting a recent forum on childcare,noting that a scarcity of child and infant
care is discouraging families from moving to Anacortes. He asked how else EDASC might be able to further
that effort. Mr. Sternlicht described the need for both increasing availability of childcare and training childcare
workers and said EDASC has been connecting parties such as United Way, Skagit Valley College, and regional
employers to address the need. Ms. Lovelett thanked Mr. Sternlicht for his service on the Population Health
Trust and for serving as a conduit between the business community and the public health organization. Mr.
Adams asked Mr. Sternlicht how the dues paid by Anacortes in 2018 had directly benefited Anacortes. Mr.
Walters asked why Skagit County was no longer reimbursing cities for their EDASC dues. Mr. Sternlicht
explained the origin of the Skagit County dues reimbursement program following the 2008 recession and said
EDASC calculates rates for each city using the same formula established by the Skagit Council of Governments
(SCOG). Mr.Walters agreed with Mr. Sternlicht that each city benefits from economic development anywhere
in the county. He supported continuing Anacortes's support of EDASC and also advocated urging Skagit
County to direct .09 funds to EDASC. Mayor Gere suggested that EDASC present its work to Council on a
regular basis,to remind the community of EDASC's work for the community between high profile success
stories such as LAVLE. Mr. Sternlicht agreed.
Mayor Gere invited members of the audience to comment on this agenda item.No one present wished to address
the Council.
Mr. McDougall's telephone connection with the meeting was lost at this point.
Contract Award: Sanitary Sewer Storage Study—Phase 1 Planning- 10% Design 18-179-SEW-001
Public Works Director Fred Buckenmeyer presented this contract for approval, following the detailed
presentation the prior week. He noted that the agenda bill and contract had been revised per councilmember
requests from the December 10,2018 meeting. Mr. Buckenmeyer recommended approval of the contract. Mr.
Adams acknowledged that the project was necessary but asked Mr. Buckenmeyer to explain the benefits of this
very expensive project. Mr. Buckenmeyer explained that in the past the city had experienced CSO events within
the allowed limits but that staff was concerned that such events were becoming more frequent and that current
I&I reduction efforts were not addressing the problem quickly enough so, like many other stormwater utilities,
Anacortes needed to provide additional storage for combined sewage during storm events. Ms. Lovelett and Mr.
Walters supported directing budgeted I&I funding towards this more comprehensive and effective project.
Councilmembers questioned Mr. Buckenmeyer on the expected total cost to design and construct. Mr.
Buckenmeyer explained that due to the huge number of variables, cost estimates were not possible until
alternatives were proposed and evaluated and a preferred alternative established. Ms. Lovelett noted that there
would be opportunities for public participation as the alternatives were developed and selected.
Mr. Walters moved, seconded by Mr. Johnson,to approve the contract as presented. Vote: Ayes—Adams,
Lovelett,Johnson and Walters. Motion carried.
Guemes Channel Trail: Process Update
City Attorney Darcy Swetnam updated Council on recent Guemes Channel Trail discussions and a process for
moving forward,referring to her slide presentation included in the packet materials for the meeting. Ms.
Swetnam reported on staff meetings with Sierra Club representatives on October 31,2018 and with Evergreen
Islands,the Mount Baker branch of Sierra Club, and Skagit Audubon Society on November 14. She said that at
the November 14 meeting staff had presented a proposed public participation plan but that Evergreen Islands
had rejected that plan and demanded that the City proceed with full Environmental Analysis and an
Environmental Impact Statement for the entire trail.
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Ms. Swetnam then presented a public information plan to provide an overall Guemes Channel Trail page on the
City website to allow the public to easily find information on the various phases,previous processes, and
upcoming opportunities to participate. She said staff recommended turning that page live early in 2019,before
any additional trail processes continue.Ms. Swetnam then shared slides outlining features of the previously
proposed public participation plan.Next she described the Environmental Assessment(EA)and EIS requested
by Evergreen Islands, estimating the cost for such work to range from$100K to $500K over more than a year.
Ms. Swetnam concluded with staff's recommendations to proceed with the website development first,then come
back to Council to consider appropriate next steps. She shared contact information for herself, Bob Vaux and
Jonn Lunsford for members of the public who had questions or suggestions.
Mr. Walters reiterated his previous suggestion that the city develop a formal public participation process for the
project including defining its goals, establishing community consensus, and achieving Council endorsement of a
written plan. He urged environmental review of the entire project but said such a review was not yet appropriate
since only routes under consideration needed to be reviewed and no potential routes had yet been selected. Mr.
Adams noted the significant cost of SEPA and asked how that would be funded. Ms. Swetnam said the city's
current grant funding would not cover SEPA review but allowed that other grant funding sources may exist.
Mayor Gere invited members of the audience to comment on this agenda item,beginning with those who had
signed up prior to the meeting.
Tom Glade, 210 Mansfield Court,representing Evergreen Islands, said EI's position had been misunderstood.
Mr. Glade said EI was only concerned currently with the trail's impacts on Ship Harbor as EI's core values
include protection of the Ship Harbor preserve. Mr. Glade read from his prepared remarks which were added to
the packet materials for the meeting. He clarified that EI had not asked for an EIS for the entire trail at this point
but agreed with Mr. Walters that cumulative impacts of the various trail phases needed to be addressed. He
asked the city to issue a Determination of Significance which requires an EIS. Ms. Lovelett clarified with Mr.
Glade that EI would not require an EIS for trail segments located outside the wetland buffer.
Marlene Finley, 1410 Kellogg Place, speaking as an Evergreen Islands Board Member,urged Council to move
forward with the public participation process and to direct staff to complete an environmental assessment on a
range of alternatives for Phase II of the Guemes Channel Trail. She also urged Council to protect the SHIP
preserve from development. Ms. Finley described the many important ecological and wildlife habitat functions
performed by wetlands and specifically by the SHIP wetland. Ms. Finley cautioned against path alignments that
would encroach on the borders of the preserve. She noted that the Anacortes community is well educated and
passionate about the environment and that citizen want to see the analysis and the science informing decisions
being made in the public interest, including relating to siting and routing the GCT.
At approximately 7:25 p.m. Mr. McDougall arrived in Council Chambers and joined the meeting in person for
its duration.
Arlene French, 1411 8th Street, said that there is already a perfectly usable bike trail path connecting the
Washington State ferry terminal to Washington Park or to downtown along Oakes Avenue, as safe as any route
on any street in town. Ms. French asked Council to do the right and reasonable thing and put the proposed bike
trail through the SHIP upper wetlands on the back burner. She said that until the current trail segments connect
east to downtown it is a trail to nowhere so there's no purpose for cyclists to be on the Ship Harbor wetland
section. Ms. French said state transportation grant funds should be used to create a state of the art
bicycle/pedestrian path along Oakes Venue,not for a path that goes nowhere.
Brian Wetcher, 814 26th Street,remembered Terry Christiansen as the type of engaged, informed citizen always
working to make the community a better place. Mr. Wetcher then addressed Council as Vice President of
Evergreen Islands. He recalled 35 years of discussing the preservation of Ship Harbor and Evergreen Islands
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spearheading the efforts to create the preserve in the early 1980s. Mr. Wetcher said the eventual settlement
agreement was the controlling document for the preserve. He described the subsequent SHIP advisory
committee and EI's participation in the location and implementation of the current interpretive trail. Mr.
Wetcher concluded that EI is a valid stakeholder in this process and that it looked forward to engaging with the
city as a major stakeholder going forward. He emphasized that EI was particularly concerned with the
stipulations in the settlement agreement prohibiting trails in the wetland buffer and that any portions of the GCT
would need to stay outside the buffer,which in some cases extends into private property.
Katherine O'Hara,4407 Anaco Beach Place, addressed Council as a board member of Skagit Audubon Society
and as a local citizen and frequent user of the trail. Ms. O'Hara read from prepared remarks, saying Skagit
Audubon remains concerned with the speed with which the city wants to push forward the destructive paving
project in the SHIP preserve. She said spending on a website to push information one way while skimping on
environmental analysis that would support fact based decision making is wrong. Ms. O'Hara said the city still
lacks the open and publicly announced process for the trail that Mr. Walters had suggested some time ago. She
said the city seemed to be doing anything to show progress on the SHIP section of the trail without having all its
ducks lined up. She said that until access constraints on connecting the trail east into downtown are resolved,the
trail is still a dead end from a bicyclist standpoint. She asked why the city was in such a hurry to ruin the small
but treasured wetland gem essential to wildlife when doing so would provide no benefit to constituents.
Wim Houppermans, 3412 K Avenue, speaking as a member of Evergreen Islands, said he appreciated the
website idea presented by Ms. Swetnam. He suggested that to be transparent and accurate, it should list all the
stakeholders in the process including the Washington State Ferries,WWU,businesses,private property owners,
EI, and so forth. He also asked for an accurate account of where things stand on that website. Mr. Houppermans
suggested that the website also address the current state of the mitigation process,the results of planting
monitoring, etc.
Kathleen Lorence-Flanagan, 2005 10th Street,presented questions of trust. She observed that Ms. Swetnam said
EI had insisted on an EIS for the entire trail but that EI had only requested an EIS for SHIP. She said inaccurate
information does not build trust. She described differing accounts of an October 31 site visit to SHIP and
differing interpretations of a subsequent letter from the Sierra Club. Ms. Lorence-Flanagan suggested that the
website present source documents so the public can interpret for itself. She also asked if the website would
include costs of each phase of the trail,the source of the funds,the costs of purchasing property, delineation of
adjoining property boundaries, and applications to WSDOT for future phases before they are submitted. Ms.
Lorence-Flanagan said Phases I and VII remain problematic in regards to mitigation and other factors and asked
if the website would address those topics as well. She asked if the city could be trusted to present all sides of the
GCT. She said she hoped for more transparency than in the past.
Catherine Houck, 2318 20th Street,thanked the EI members who began the preservation efforts at SHIP 35 years
ago. Ms. Houck described herself as both an ecologist and a bicyclist and said she was concerned about how
much longer it might take to establish a non-motorized route from Anacortes to the ferry. She noted that after 30
years and millions of dollars spent the last 1.4 mile segment of the Burke-Gilman Trail in Seattle remains
unfinished. She urged working together,rather than misquoting one another in public. Ms. Houck said an upper
route for the trail around SHIP in what is now private property could completely protect the wetland buffer and
allow the community to move forward together. She also observed that the current trail, along the shoreline, is in
the very most environmentally sensitive area and suggested that perhaps future discussions would consider
removing some of that trail. She said that looking at the environmental impact of the trail project as a whole
might be more productive and allow the community to come together to achieve a separated non-motorized
public pathway that protects the environment.
Warren Tessler, 1613 6th Street,president of the Anacortes Parks Foundation,thanked Ms. Swetnam for her
update. He heartily endorsed moving ahead with gathering facts, establishing public process,then moving
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forward to address people's concerns and get a survey done of alternative routes so that the range of options is
known. He said that was possible to build a trail that is not just environmentally sensitive but could possibly
enhance the buffer by addressing past logging on the site, invasive species, ad hoc trails, and other such issues.
Mr. Tessler suggested moving forward to see what can be accomplished in compliance with regulations because
the trail could be a terrific resource for the community as well as enhancing both the environment and quality of
life.
Laurie Sherman,4596 Ginnett Road, said she was feeling positive and grateful for the work being done here.
She said the trail could be made better. Ms. Sherman agreed that wetlands are critical and supported EI's request
for environmental assessment to find out what is actually possible. She said questioned investing millions of
dollars along the shoreline in the face of rising sea levels. Ms. Sherman endorsed looking ahead and working
together.
Skip Hawk,4618 Edwards Way, spoke about how important an amenity the current trail is for its neighbors
including his in San Juan Passage,noting that several hundred people recreate there regularly and many are
frustrated that the trail hasn't moved forward more quickly. Mr. Hawk said he was horrified by the idea of
putting the trail along Oakes Avenue, saying it is primarily a walking trail but that all users including some
bicycles share it now. Mr. Hawk said he understood concern about the wetland buffer but said current residents
are responsible for ensuring public access for the future. He suggested that children need to see a wetland and a
buffer so they know what it is they need to protect. Mr. Hawk said he did not support planning the entire trail
before making any more progress, acknowledging that some segments may take a long time to accomplish but
that each added section adds to the recreational opportunities for the public.
Mr. Johnson asked if the proposed website would be interactive,to allow public comment and input. Ms.
Swetnam thanked him for that suggestion,thanked the other speakers who had recommended specific types of
information to post, and invited the public to contact the city staff members listed on her final slide with more
suggestions and ideas. Mr. Walters agreed, and suggested a project manager for the effort to ensure
responsibility for timelines,performance and transparency.He reiterated his support for planning and
performing environmental review on the entire trail, including a timeline. Mr. McDougall agreed that an
environmental assessment is absolutely required to extend the trail through the SHIP segment but asked if work
on the website could begin before that. Ms. Swetnam said staff recommended beginning with the website to get
more information out to the public,then determining what environmental process needs to happen. Mr.Adams
supported the public participation plan that was described and said that could run concurrently with other
processes to get the trail completed. He thanked everyone for their comments and said Council was motivated to
make the right kind of progress,noting that the link east from the ferry terminal is vital. Ms. Lovelett suggested
that the website offer the public the opportunity to subscribe to updates and possibly to volunteer. Ms. Swetnam
apologized for misunderstanding EI's position and said that pointed out the need for more discussion and
making sure everyone has access to the same information. Mr. Walters cautioned that documents posted to the
website need to include context so that drafts are not mistaken for final documents and so on. Mayor Gere
thanked everyone present for participating in the conversation and said the city was excited to get to work on the
website and move forward with the next steps.
At 8:11 p.m. Mayor Gere called a 5 minute break. At 8:18 p.m. the mayor called the meeting back to order.
Year End Finance Update
Finance Director Steve Hoglund presented a series of charts summarizing the city's financial picture at the end
of November, 92%through the year. He reviewed tax revenue by type,property tax receipts(at 104%of budget
due to additions to the tax rolls), sales tax by month(18%over prior year, 8%over budget),REET(10%over
prior year), impact fees(126%over prior year,reflecting the new fees effective in 2018), and lodging tax(6.8%
over prior year). Mr. Hoglund then reviewed revenues and expenditures by fund compared to budget and
reported no troubling discrepancies,noting funds for which year end fund transfers were pending and funds
Anacortes City Council Minutes December 17, 2018 6
which reflected higher property tax revenue than budgeted. He concluded that the city's overall financial
position was healthy.
Mayor Gere invited members of the audience to comment on this agenda item.No one present wished to address
the Council.
Ordinance 3034: 4th Quarter Amendment of the 2017/2018 Biennial Budget
Mr. Hoglund presented Ordinance 3034 amending the 2018 budget. Mr. Hoglund explained each line item of the
amendment,referring to his memo which was included in the packet materials for the meeting.He indicated that
2018 reflected the city's first experience with biennial budgeting and that it would inform the method of
projecting expenditures for the 2019/2020 mid-biennium review. Mr. Hoglund,Fire Chief David Oliveri and
Public Works Director Fred Buckenmeyer responded to councilmember questions regarding individual budget
overruns. Mr. Walters asked that department heads submit written explanations to substantiate requests for
budget amendments. Councilmembers discussed with Mr. Buckenmeyer the need to project and possibly
establish replacement reserves for replacement and repair of facilities and major equipment. Mr. Buckenmeyer
explained the project currently under way to add all such assets to the Cartegraph asset management system,
which would eventually allow such projections and inclusion of facilities needs in the CFP. Mr. Buckenmeyer
explained how sidewalk retrofits,paid out of Fund 105, impact street overlay spending,paid out of Fund 104.
Ms. Lovelett suggested revisiting the pavement management resolution to consider allowing TBD funding to
contribute to sidewalk work required to complete an overlay;Mr. Johnson concurred. Ms. Lovelett observed that
expenditures for the firefighter volunteer program totaled approximately $100K,nearly the cost of one full time
professional firefighter. She requested a cost analysis and report on the efficacy of that program.
Mr. Walters moved, seconded by Mr. Adams,to approve Ordinance 3034 amending the 2017/2019 biennial
budget.Vote:Ayes—Lovelett,McDougall, Johnson,Walters and Adams. Motion carried.
Mayor Gere reminded that the December 24,2018 regular City Council meeting had been cancelled and that the
next meeting would be on January 7,2019.
There being no further business,at approximately 9:20 p.m. the Anacortes City Council meeting of
December 17,2018 was adjourned.
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