HomeMy WebLinkAbout2017-05-15 City Council Minutes Approved City Council Minutes—May 15,2017
Mayor Laurie Gere called to order the regular Anacortes City Council meeting of May 15,2017 at
6:00 p.m. Councilmembers Eric Johnson,Ryan Walters,Erica Pickett,Brad Adams,Liz Lovelett,Bruce
McDougall and Matt Miller were present. The assembly joined in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Announcements and Committee Reports
Committee Appointments: Mayor Pro-Tem Walters announced that following the resignation of
councilmember John Archibald and the appointment of councilmember Bruce McDougall,he would like
to appoint Mr. McDougall to the committees on which Mr. Archibald previously served. Ms. Lovelett
moved, seconded by Mr. Miller,to approve the appointment of Bruce McDougall to the Planning,
Finance and Personnel committees. The motion passed unanimously by voice vote. Mr. Miller observed
that Mr. Archibald had also served on the Traffic Safety Committee which was scheduled to meet the
following morning.
Public Safety Committee: Mr. Miller reported from the committee meeting the previous Tuesday at which
the members discussed the volunteer firefighter program. Mr. Miller expressed that he was generally
happy with the volunteer program but that Council needed to look at the value proposition of the program
in light of the$50K budget amendment proposed by Fire Chief Richard Curtis to support it. He also
reported that all was reported well at the police department. Ms. Lovelett added that the group had
discussed the challenge of retaining trained volunteer firefighters given the higher rates of volunteer pay
in surrounding jurisdictions.
Public Works Committee: Ms. Lovelett reported from the committee meeting earlier in the evening at
which the members discussed a long list of topics including the storm utility outreach campaign in the
June utility bills,the fiber optic project, Cartegraph asset management software, sidewalk projects, intake
water screen replacement at the water treatment plant,the wastewater treatment plant outfall and
incinerator scrubber projects, and the seasonal paving projects already underway. Mr. Johnson added that
WSDOT would not be paving SR20 spur into and through Anacortes as planned in 2017 because the bids
came in too high. Councilmembers expressed concern about the delay in the much needed repairs to the
heavily traveled roadway. Mayor Gere said WSDOT might still put the project back out to bid in
September and indicated that staff would convey Council's concern to WSDOT.
Mr. Miller reported from the Skagit County Law and Justice Task Force meeting the prior Wednesday at
which it was reported that hiring was going well for the new jail and the facility was expected to be
staffed and operational in August. He added that the new jail did include secure space for mental health
and drug treatment programs. Mr. Miller said electeds may be invited to tour the facility in July. He also
reported on a presentation about a new program in Mount Vernon serving the homeless.
Mayor Gere reported on the successful free spring clean up held on May 13 which served 398 vehicles
and filled three dump trucks. She thanked public works staff for working that Saturday morning and
thanked citizens for cleaning up the town.
Mayor Gere announced the Anacortes Community Task Force stakeholder meeting scheduled for May 16,
2017 at 7:00 p.m. in the City Council chambers. The mayor advised that the task force was formed in
2014 in response to concerns about the negative effects of drugs and alcohol in the community and aimed
to help children and families promote healthy choices,build awareness about drugs and alcohol, and
develop a safe place for kids and teens. She added that the latest Healthy Youth survey results would be
reviewed at the meeting.
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Public Comment
No one present wished to address Council on any topic not already on the agenda.
Consent Agenda
Mr. Walters removed Items 5a and 5d from the Consent Agenda. Ms. Lovelett moved, seconded by Mr.
Johnson,to approve the following Consent Agenda items. The motion passed unanimously by voice vote.
b. Approval of Claims in the amount of. $373,960.53
c. Contract Modification: WWTP Sewage Sludge Incinerator Scrubber Improvement Project
(15-032-SEW-002)
e. Street Fair Applications: Anacortes Waterfront Festival/Majestic Glass Corvette Club and
Anacortes Jingle Bell Dash
The following vouchers/checks were approved for payment:
EFT numbers: 84883 through 84929,total$55,180.17
Check numbers: 84930 through 84963,total$206,612.93
Wire transfer numbers: 215622 through 216272,total $115,644.45
a. Minutes of May 8,2017
Regarding the Historic Preservation Board annual report on page 2 of the draft minutes,Mr. Walters
asked to amend the minutes to add that his great great grandparents had built the Sage home which was
awarded the 2017 Preservation Award. Mr. Walters moved to approve the minutes of May 8, 2017 with
that addition. The motion passed unanimously by voice vote.
d. Interlocal Agreement with Skagit County: Mutual Assistance on Minor Projects
Mr. Walters disclosed that as a fixed salary employee of Skagit County, one of the contracting parties to
the agreement,under RCW 42.23.040 he had a remote interest in the agreement and for the city to enter
into the agreement his vote could not be counted. Ms. Lovelett asked for a summary of the revisions
between the proposed contract and the prior version. City Attorney Darcy Swetnam said that the prior
version of the agreement in place since 2014 had anticipated the city obtaining services from Skagit
County and that the proposed 2017 agreement included reciprocal provisions for services that might be
provided by the city to the county, as well as revised indemnification language. Mr. Walters confirmed
with Public Works Director Fred Buckenmeyer that there was no specific project planned for which the
city would provide services to the county. Ms. Lovelett moved, seconded by Mr.Adams,to approve the
interlocal agreement with Skagit County for mutual assistance on minor projects. The motion passed
unanimously by voice vote with Mr.Walters abstaining.
PUBLIC HEARINGS
Community Development Block Grant(CDBG): Review and Approve 2017/2018 Action Plan
Planning, Community and Economic Development Director Don Measamer advised that the present
meeting concluded the public hearing and comment period on the 2017/2018 Action Plan and reported
that no comments on the plan had been received and only two applications for funding had been received,
as described in the draft plan. Mr. Measamer said that CDBG funds for 2017/2018 had now been
approved by Congress but not yet distributed by HUD. Staff had been told that Anacortes could expect
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funding at a similar level to 2016/2017, likely to be distributed in September, and had also been instructed
that Council could adopt the Action Plan as presented so that it could be submitted to HUD as soon as
funding was distributed. Mr. Johnson confirmed that the funding allocations presented in the draft plan
would be adjusted proportionally depending on the final funding from HUD.
Mayor Gere invited members of the audience to comment on this agenda item before the close of the
public hearing.No one present wished to address the Council. Mayor Gere closed the public hearing.
Mr. Johnson commended Joann Stewart for so skillfully managing the complex CDBG grant. Mr.Adams
moved, seconded by Mr. Miller,to adopt the CDBG 2017/2018 Action Plan as presented.Vote: Ayes—
Walters,Pickett,Adams,Lovelett,McDougall,Miller and Johnson.Motion carried.
OTHER BUSINESS
Northwest Career and Technical Academy Update by Director Lynette Brower
Lynette Brower,Director of the Northwest Career and Technical Academy(NCTA),updated Council on
the many programs offered and students served by the NCTA. Ms. Brower's slide presentation was added
to the packet materials for the meeting. She explained that NCTA is one of sixteen skills centers across
the state devoted to preparing students for high demand,high wage,regionally specific careers. Ms.
Brower emphasized that the NCTA was part of the K-12 education system and so was entirely free to
students who earned credits toward high school graduation as well as college credit for their half-day
participation in its programs. She summarized the many partners in the NCTA including all six school
districts in Skagit County, Skagit Valley College, and Meridian and Bellingham school districts in
Whatcom County. Ms. Brower described the different programs offered at the Academy's five campuses,
its state of the art facility in Mount Vernon, and how the academy offerings fit into the series of K-12
options for students to explore future careers.Ms. Brower responded to councilmember questions about
how service clubs and the city might further the services offered to students by NCTA,noting that the
programs were free to students but that the Academy's funding depended on enrollment so increasing
awareness of the program's offerings and benefits would serve all students.
Mayor Gere invited members of the audience to comment on this agenda item.No one present wished to
address the Council. Mayor Gere thanked Ms. Brower for her presentation and for the Academy's efforts
to prepare students for successful careers.
EDASC Update by Executive Director John Sternlicht
Executive Director John Sternlicht reported on recent developments and accomplishments at the
Economic Development Alliance of Skagit County(EDASC)including progress towards its strategic plan
goals of business retention and expansion,business recruitment and capacity building. His slide
presentation was added to the packet materials for the meeting. Mr. Sternlicht characterized EDASC as
the economic development organization for the entire county which he said was more efficient and
successful than each city and the county supporting its own economic development department. He said
EDASC takes a broad view of economic development including workforce development and described
EDASC's work to support education, affordable housing and childcare to support an abundant and skilled
workforce. Mr. Sternlicht described the Alliance's efforts to facilitate transitions of ownership to retain
businesses as their founders retire. He then outlined its work to recruit businesses that fit Skagit County
locations in terms of size, culture and industry and exploring resources to assist in redevelopment of
brownfield sites,noting that site selection is now virtually all performed on line. Mr. Stemlicht listed
elements of the strategic plan to build economic development capacity in the county including the fiber
optic network,the tourism promotion area,workforce development, and site analysis.
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He then described focused initiatives in Anacortes including work with the Marine Trades Association,
the Port of Anacortes,the Anacortes Chamber of Commerce, and the city on the Maritime Economic
Development Strategy. Mr. Sternlicht outlined the organizational shifts in the organization since his
appointment several years prior and explained the change in its revenue structure to a 50150 public/private
membership based model. Mr. Sternlicht responded to councilmember questions about how EDASC has
inventoried and made Anacortes business sites available for search on its website,how it targets
businesses that fit with business sectors identified by Anacortes as desirable, and how EDASC supports
small businesses.
Ordinance 3004: Amending AMC 19.16
City Attorney Darcy Swetnam introduced an ordinance to amend Anacortes Municipal Code Chapter
19.16. Her slide presentation was added to the packet materials for the meeting. Ms. Swetnam reminded
that development regulations and procedural rules had been adopted in December with the understanding
that revisions would follow to continually improve procedures, including the current proposal which had
been prepared in response to valuable public feedback. She then explained that AMC 19.16 provides
procedures for legislative matters including comprehensive plan updates but exempts the 6-year capital
facilities financing plan(CFP)from the public participation requirements. Ms. Swetnam outlined the
policy issues surrounding the CFP including the public's desire for input, state law governing CFP and
comprehensive plan updates, and the need to allow for more frequent updates than for the rest of the
comprehensive plan. She then summarized the content of draft Ordinance 3004 to specify the
requirements and procedural rules for updating the CFP.
Mayor Gere invited members of the audience to comment on this agenda item.No one present wished to
address the Council.
Ms. Lovelett requested that the ordinance come back to Council for consideration at its next meeting to
provide additional time to review the new material. Ms. Swetnam concurred.
Heart Lake Milfoil and Algae Treatments
Parks&Forestlands Manager Jonn Lunsford introduced a discussion of Heart Lake and possible
treatments for milfoil and algae in the lake. Mr. Lunsford summarized the history of the issue as detailed
in the packet materials for the meeting. He said that if the city wanted to keep the lake open for recreation,
the recommendation from the Forest Advisory Board and staff was to treat the milfoil in the lake with the
herbicide fluridone during summer 2017 and to follow up with an algae treatment using aluminum
sulfate(alum)in the spring of 2018. Mr. Lunsford advised that he had applied to the Department of
Ecology for a permit to apply herbicides at the lake in order to allow Council to exercise that option
during the 2017 season if it chose to do so; he said the lead time for permitting necessitated early permit
application.
Mr. Lunsford responded to councilmember questions about the results of testing with different herbicide
treatments at Heart Lake and elsewhere around the state, about the possibility of dredging the lake as an
alternative to herbicides, about the ongoing expense of continued treatments to keep the lake open for
established recreational uses, and about the relative priority of treating Heart Lake compared to other
identified park capital and maintenance expenditures. Parks&Recreation Director Gary Robinson
emphasized that past public input had favored maintaining the lake to allow boating, fishing and
swimming. He said he proposed to fund the 2017/2018 treatments with$100K of banked quarry revenue
and$100K of cash reserves. Mr. Lunsford added that the city had approximately$34K of DOE grant
funding available that it could apply to the alum portion of the project.
Noting the considerable ongoing cost to maintain the lake for recreational uses,Mr. Walters urged
adopting a five-year program by resolution to ensure that funds are not wasted by not carrying the task to
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completion. Mayor Gere and councilmembers inquired about the timeline for making a decision. Mr.
Lunsford said that the current grant funding was for the 2017/2018 biennium and that the milfoil would
need to be addressed in July or August if Council opted to treat it in 2017. Mr. Adams,who served on the
Heart Lake Master Plan committee, strongly supported rehabilitating the lake for recreational uses.
Mayor Gere invited members of the audience to comment.
Marty Laumbattus, longtime member of the Forest Advisory Board, assured Council that the Board had
discussed this question for a long time and did not take chemical application lightly. He endorsed Mr.
Walters' idea of resolving to keep the lake open for recreation and said he'd like to see city move
forward. Mr. Laumbattus noted that during the summer of 2016 the lake was essentially unusable for
recreation and said the city would need to budget for the long term to manage vegetation in the lake.
Ms. Lovelett asked if there was money in the 2017/2018 budget for this item and Mr. Robinson said no.
Ms. Lovelett asked for a budget for the project in the context of the parks master plan. Mr. Walters said
that Heart Lake should be included in the capital facilities plan. Mr. Johnson suggested that some funding
might also be available from the Parks Foundation. Ms. Pickett asked for more information about how
much it would cost to dredge the lake and how likely that might be to be successful. Mr. Miller agreed
with Mr. Walters and Mr. Laumbattus to adopt a resolution specifying a long term plan. Mr. Johnson
suggested a planning horizon of ten years rather than five given the potential duration of treatments. Mr.
Adams favored authorizing Mr. Lunsford to apply for the DOE permit,then developing an action plan to
adopt by resolution. He suggested that the Parks&Recreation Committee address this question at its
meeting later in the week. Mayor Gere confirmed that the remainder of the councilmembers were
comfortable with that approach. Mr. Lunsford alerted councilmembers that public notice would appear in
the Anacortes American that the city had applied for a permit to apply herbicides at Heart Lake to open a
public comment period. Council could later determine whether or not to exercise the permission granted
by the permit.
Mayor Gere asked if any other members of the audience wished to comment.
Brian Wetcher, longtime member of the Forest Advisory Board,reminded Council that Heart Lake was
designated as a recreational area unlike most of the ACFL which is managed as a natural area.He said the
vegetation in the lake was preventing traditional recreational uses. Mr. Wetcher explained that the city
had already invested years and funds in extensive study,public input and planning to reach the Board's
current recommendation. He said that rising temperatures and increasing vegetation were compounding
the problem each year and said that naturally without intervention the lake would eventually become a
meadow. He warned that toxic algae blooms create a liability for the city.Mr. Wetcher said the time to act
is now and that while the Forest Board had been reluctant to endorse the use of chemicals in the lake alum
and fluridone were more benign than any of the other chemicals proposed and cheaper than hand removal.
He suggested that Herrera Environmental present its findings to Council to convey the results of research
already completed. He reminded that the quarry revenue fund was designed for projects like this.Mr.
Wetcher concluded that the city would be fighting a natural process to keep the lake open for recreational
use but said that's the adopted mandate.
There being no further business,at approximately 8:30 p.m. the Anacortes City Council meeting of
May 15, 2017 was adjourned.
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