HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014-08-25 City Council Minutes Approved City Council Study Session Minutes—August 25, 2014
At approximately 7:00 p.m. Mayor Laurie Gere called the regularly scheduled Anacortes City Council
study session of August 25, 2014 to order. Roll call found present City Councilmembers Eric Johnson,
Ryan Walters, Erica Pickett, Brad Adams, Liz Lovelett, John Archibald and Matt Miller.
2016 Comprehensive Plan Update
Senior Planner Libby Grage provided a quick update on the Comp Plan process and upcoming meetings
scheduled for September. She reported that the Community Advisory Committee (CAC) has been busy
collecting data, then developing proposals for priority issues and concepts to address those issues
through the Comprehensive Plan. Ms. Grage said the CAC would be refining this work with consultant
Makers and staff and eventually presenting a preferred plan to the Planning Commission and City
Council. She advised that two joint workshops with Council and Planning Commission had been
scheduled to take place during the regular City Council study sessions on September 8 and 22, 2014.
She said the workshops were intended to introduce the CAC's work to the two bodies, engage them in
discussion and obtain feedback to help refine the CAC's recommendations for a preferred plan. Ms.
Grage advised that Council would be receiving voluminous materials in preparation for the workshops;
she listed items that were already available on the City website and those that would soon be distributed.
She concluded with reminders of upcoming Comp Plan events for the next two months.
Mr. Archibald asked how citizens could provide MJB waterfront workshop feedback if they were unable to
attend that meeting. Ms. Grage said comments on that or any aspect of the Comp Plan Update could be
submitted to CompPlan2016@cityofanacortes.org. Ms. Lovelett asked if staff would be creating a survey
geared towards MJB priorities as another way to hear from citizens who could not attend the workshop.
Ms. Grage said that was being considered. Mr. Walters asked if the draft vision statement would be
coming back to Council. Ms. Grage said yes, probably on September 22. In response to a question from
Mr. Walters she mentioned that key CAC findings to date included the need for workforce and low income
housing, the need to plan for the initial population target from Skagit County, the need to support and
grow existing economic clusters, developing a 21s1 Century industrial base, and development of design
guidelines.
Council Objectives for the 2015 Budget
Mayor Gere invited councilmembers to continue the discussion on this topic begun at the August 18
regular meeting.
Ms. Pickett said the proposed resolution was not a bad idea but was perhaps too late for the 2015 budget
and suggested putting off the exercise until early 2015 for the 2016 budget. Mr. Johnson said he felt
Council could take action on some of the proposed objectives but that an in house City Attorney and cost
of living adjustments might require more information. Mr. Adams said this would be a good exercise each
year but that he would be comfortable endorsing only three of the objectives without more discussion:
using cash reserves for one time purchases, funding pavement maintenance, and full funding for 2015
CFP projects. Mr. Walters stated that the proposed resolution from the Finance Committee was a list of
items in descending order of priority, that not all of them might be possible, and that if Council failed to act
it would be presented with a budget that was constructed without Council input. He said Council has until
the end of the year to adopt a budget and discussed at length some of the proposed objectives that he
felt were already quite likely to occur. He urged more discussion of items A, B, D and I and encouraged
his colleagues to weigh in and adopt something. Ms. Lovelett agreed that there needed to be a process
for Council and the public to get involved with the budget development. She urged creating a mechanism
for better input. Mr. Johnson said mayor and staff input should happen earlier as well to give Council
more information about what is achievable. Mr. Walters said that none of the proposed priorities were
impossible and presented his analysis of the potential savings of hiring an in house City attorney. Mr.
Archibald said that the proposed list of objectives was not ready for action since councilmembers did not
all agree on all of the items. He listed several he would not include without knowing more. Mr. Miller said
he would be looking at everything in the proposed budget, not just a list of specific objectives. Mr. Walters
reiterated his objection that Council was not following the process stated in the 2014 budget. He
acknowledged that the Mayor was responsible for developing her proposed budget and could choose to
Anacortes City Council Study Session Minutes August 25, 2014 1
ignore all Council requests but said that unless Council takes action to establish objectives it has lost its
opportunity to provide input as a body. He said he did not want to be told during the scheduled budget
study sessions that it was too late for Council changes to be incorporated. Mr. Miller argued that the
current process provided sufficient Council oversight on the budget and that if he did not agree with the
budget he would vote against it. Ms. Lovelett said the point was to get Council's objectives in writing. Mr.
Archibald countered that there are better ways to get things accomplished and that he was confident that
the mayor would propose a great budget which Council would respond to when it was presented. Mr.
Adams said most of the items on the proposed list of objectives were being accomplished and that
Council could see how the list compared to the Mayor's budget when it was proposed. Mr. Miller
supported letting the Mayor propose her budget and then responding. Mayor Gere said the proposed
objectives were being used as a guideline by staff and that while some of the items would not be able to
be funded given finite resources she applauded the effort. She added she would like to have more
discussion on Council's desired level of cash reserves, noting that she is fiscally prudent and cautious
about touching reserves except in case of dire need. Mr. Walters said his focus was on governance
issues and Council's statutory role and ability to express its collective will. He said he was perplexed by
the resistance to take action and that if it does not express its collective will Council is simply an advisory
committee. Ms. Pickett observed that the budget is very complex and that fixed expenses have to be
worked around. Mr. Adams said he liked Section 2 of the proposed resolution and would like to see that
type of information included in the 2015 budget. Councilmembers generally nodded in agreement. Mr.
Walters argued that the proposed objectives were policy issues and that Council's job is to set policy. He
indicated that study sessions don't work for governance and that in the end Council's only option would
be to vote for or against the budget when it gets to regular session. Mr. Miller did not see a problem with
that. Ms. Lovelett encouraged creating a more line-item type process that would work for future budget
cycles. Ms. Pickett said she trusted the mayor and staff to present a sensible budget so the proposed
resolution was redundant. Mr. Walters emphasized the need for two fully functional branches of
government including a Council that as a body offers input into the budget. Mayor Gere observed that
Council's discussion of governance policy would be ongoing but that she and staff would continue to
develop the draft balanced budget to present to Council for input and action for 2015. Mr. Johnson
reiterated that Council should determine if page 17 of the current budget book reflects its desired policy.
Mr. Adams agreed. Mr. Archibald urged changing the policy about study sessions to allow
councilmembers accomplish something during those meetings. Mayor Gere thanked councilmembers for
the good discussion.
Community Development Block Grant(CDBG) 2013/2014 Consolidated Annual Performance &
Evaluation Report(CAPER)Announcement of Public Comment Period
Interim Planning Director Don Measamer advised that the City's CDBG year concludes on June 30 and
that within 90 days of the end of each grant year the City is required to provide a report of all the activities
accomplished under the grant during the previous year. He said the City is also required to hold a 15-day
comment period to allow the public to examine and comment on the report. Mr. Measamer said that for
the 2013/2014 CAPER the comment period had been advertised in local media and would open on
September 2 and close September 16. He said the draft report was included in the evening's Council
packet and was also available for viewing on the City website, at the Library, and at the Anacortes
Housing Authority. Mr. Measamer summarized the list of activities completed as described in the CAPER.
He invited public comments between September 2 and September 16 to Joann Stewart in the Dept. of
Planning, Community and Economic Development at City Hall or via email to
joanns@cityofanacortes.org.
Mr. Johnson inquired if the Council Finance Committee could rework the proposed budget objectives
incorporating the evening's feedback and place it on an agenda in the near future. Mayor Gere said that
would be appropriate.
There being no further business, at approximately 8:10 p.m. the regularly scheduled Anacortes City
Council study session of August 25, 2014 adjourned.
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