Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2013-10-07 City Council Minutes Approved o Y of4, cOR„ City Council Minutes—October 7, 2013 At 7:00 p.m. Mayor Dean Maxwell called the regularly scheduled Anacortes City Council meeting of October 7, 2013 to order. Roll call found present: Eric Johnson, Ryan Walters, Erica Pickett, Brad Adams, Bill Turner, and Brian Geer. Cynthia Richardson was excused. Executive Session At approximately 7:00 p.m. Mayor Maxwell announced that he, City Council and the City Attorney would convene in executive session for approximately twenty minutes to discuss 1) collective bargaining agreements per RCW 42.30.140(4), 2) a potential real property transaction about which public knowledge regarding such consideration would cause a likelihood of adverse pricing per RCW 42.30.110(1 b/c), and 3) performance on a publicly bid contract per RCW 42.30.110(1d). At approximately 7:20 p.m. the executive session concluded and the regular meeting reconvened. The assembly recited the Pledge of Allegiance. Minutes of Previous Meeting Mr. Johnson moved, seconded by Mr. Geer, that the minutes of September 16, 2013 and September 23, 2013 be approved as if read. Vote: Ayes—Walters, Pickett, Adams, Turner, Geer and Johnson. Motion carried. Citizen Hearings No one present wished to speak. Mayor/Council Communication and Committee Reports Mayor Maxwell announced that Civil Service Commissioner John Gronholt passed away on October 2, 2013. The mayor noted that Mr. Gronholt had served on the commission since January 2010 and thanked the Gronholt family for his service. Mayor's Budget Message to Council: Mayor Maxwell read his 2014 Budget Message, the complete text of which is included at the end of these minutes. Appointment of Library Director Sheri A. Miklaski: Mayor Maxwell requested that Council confirm his appointment of Library Director Sheri A. Miklaski who began her assignment on October 1, 2013. The mayor indicated that the Library Board of Trustees, Councilmember Richardson and staff participated in the interview process and advised the mayor on his final selection. Ms. Miklaski introduced herself to Council and thanked the community for its warm welcome. Mr. Geer moved, seconded by Mr. Turner, to confirm the appointment of Library Director Sheri A. Miklaski. Mr. Walters objected to confirming the appointment of an appointee who had already taken the position. Mayor Maxwell advised that the appointment was not confirmed until confirmed by Council. Vote: Ayes— Pickett, Adams, Turner, Geer, and Johnson. Nays— Walters. Motion carried. Mrs. Pickett reported on the recent Skagit Conservation District awards banquet where many Anacortes volunteers were recognized including Jane Billinghurst, Linda Zielinski, Lin Folsom, Jim and Kathy Crone, Robert Knowles and Beverly Dresen. Mr. Geer announced that the Rotary auction the past weekend raised over$90,000 for the local community and that Improv would be performing November 1,2013 to support Angel Faces camp. Mr. Turner reported that he attended the popular Oktoberfest on Saturday and found visitors came from as far away as Olympia. Mr. Johnson reported that Rabanco would not like residents to tie down lids on recycling bins and instead encouraged residents to put recyclables in clear plastic bags inside the bins. Anacortes City Council Minutes October 7, 2013 1 Unfinished Business -AWC Retro Pool and Drug &Alcohol Consortium: City of Anacortes Performance Report Brian Bishop from the Association of Washington Cities (AWC) reported on the AWC Retro program and Drug and Alcohol Consortium. He explained the Workers' Comp retrospective rating program and said Anacortes is a stellar performer in the program, noting that$51,496 of premiums had been returned to Anacortes since 2008 due to its safety record and strong return to work program. Mr. Bishop then described the Drug and Alcohol Consortium that keeps cities in compliance with federal regulations regarding random drug testing including "reasonable suspicion" supervisor training. Consent Agenda Mr. Johnson moved, seconded by Mr. Adams, to approve the following Consent Agenda items. Vote: Ayes— Adams, Turner, Geer, Johnson, Walters and Pickett. Motion carried. Approval of Vouchers/Cancellation of Checks Council voted unanimously that the following vouchers/checks audited and certified by the City's Auditing Officer(Finance Director) and subsequently reviewed and approved by the Council Finance Committee on September 19, 2013, September 26, 2013 and October 3, 2013 are approved for payment as of October 7, 2013. Claims: Check Numbers 69897 through 70104 in the total amount of$991,568.57 EFT: Check Numbers 69894 through 69896 in the total amount of$51,046.17 Payroll for September 20, 2013 in the total amount of$589,157.88 Check Numbers 38807 through 38841 in the total amount of$28,120.94 Direct Deposit Numbers from 50794 through 50987 in the total amount of$349,280.11 EFT Numbers from 1586 through 1590 in the total amount of$211,756.83 Resolution 1872 : Collective Bargaining Agreement, Non-Commissioned Police 2014 Human Resources Director Emily Schuh presented the Non-Commissioned Police Guild collective bargaining agreement for 2014, a one-year contract that would put the non-commissioned and commissioned police contracts back onto the same timetable. Ms. Schuh said the agreement provided for an overall 2.5% increase in two phases during 2014 and summarized the other provisions of the agreement. Mr. Geer moved, seconded by Mr. Johnson, to approve Resolution 1872 authorizing execution of a collective bargaining agreement by and between the City of Anacortes and the Anacortes Non-Commissioned Police Guild. Vote: Ayes—Turner, Geer, Johnson, Walters, Pickett and Adams. Motion carried. Resolution 1873 : Collective Bargaining Agreement, Teamsters Local 231 2014 2015 2016 Ms. Schuh presented a three-year collective bargaining agreement with Teamsters Local 231. She reported that the agreement was ratified by the Teamsters with 90% approval. Ms. Schuh said the agreement provided for a net 7%wage increase spread over three years and summarized the other provisions of the agreement. Mr. Walters said Article 21 regarding drug and alcohol testing is not clear enough regarding marijuana and said the commissioned police contract which references the CFR is more clear. Ms. Schuh advised that the City's personnel policies specifically reference the CFR. Mr. Walters also suggested that Section 20.04 regarding provision of free coffee and tea to public employees should be eliminated in future contracts. Mr. Johnson moved, seconded by Mrs. Pickett, to approve Resolution 1873 authorizing execution of a bargaining agreement by and between the City of Anacortes and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 231. Vote: Ayes—Geer, Johnson, Walters, Pickett, Adams and Turner. Motion carried. Closed Record Review: Fidalgo Pool Addition Conditional Use Permit (CUP-2013-0003) Senior Planner Libby Grage presented Conditional Use Permit application CUP-2013-0003 submitted by Fidalgo Parks and Recreation District to construct an approximately 1875 SF addition to its existing building located at 1603 22nd Street in the R3 zone. Mr. Turner advised that he had not been a Pool Commissioner for over a year and did not think there was any conflict. Ms. Grage described the project and demonstrated Anacortes City Council Minutes October 7, 2013 2 the site and surrounding area on the overhead. She described how the project met code and addressed coordinated parking among adjoining properties, landscaping, and building design. Ms. Grage reported that the Notice of Application and Public Hearing was posted on site, published in the paper and mailed to all neighbors within 300 feet of the property and no comments were received in response, nor were any comments received at the neighborhood meeting on August 15, 2013 nor after the City issued a mitigated determination of non-significance on August 16, 2013. Ms. Grage concluded that the Planning Commission held a public hearing on the application on September 11, 2013, received no comments, and recommended approval of the application subject to conditions. Mr. Geer moved, seconded by Mr. Adams, to approve the conditional use permit subject to the recommended conditions in the Planning Commission's Recommendation and direct staff to prepare City Council's Findings of Fact, Conclusions of Law and Decision for Council review and approval. Vote: Ayes—Johnson, Walters, Pickett, Adams, Turner and Geer. Motion carried. Ordinance 2911 : Weaverling Road Parking Restriction Public Works Director Fred Buckenmeyer presented an ordinance to prohibit parking on Weaverling Road east of the Tommy Thompson Trail between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. to avoid late night disturbance to Fidalgo RV Park guests. Mr. Buckenmeyer said the issue had been reviewed by the Traffic Safety Committee, the Public Works Committee, tribal leaders and the City Attorney and all agreed on the proposed course of action. Mr. Adams asked if parking could be available starting at 5 a.m. rather than 6 a.m. Mr. Buckenmeyer and other councilmembers agreed. Mr. Walters requested a follow up report to find out if the ordinance solves the problem. Mr. Geer moved, seconded by Mr. Johnson, to adopt Ordinance 2911 regarding parking restrictions on Weaverling Road with the change from 6 a.m. to 5 a.m. Vote: Ayes—Walters, Pickett, Adams, Turner, Geer and Johnson. Motion carried. Ordinance 2910 : Angle Parking Code Revision Mr. Buckenmeyer presented an ordinance to require back-in angle parking on two additional City street segments: the north side of 4th Street from 0 Avenue to R Avenue and the north side of 3rd Street from Commercial Avenue to 0 Avenue. He noted that striping is already in place on 4th Street but the ordinance will allow enforcement. Mr. Buckenmeyer said the ordinance was reviewed by the Traffic Safety Committee, the Public Works Committee, the Port/City Liaison Committee, Dakota Creek, and the City Attorney. He concluded that the new configuration would add about 14 parking spots to the downtown area. Mr. Turner moved, seconded by Mr. Geer, to approve Ordinance 2910 amending Chapter 10.12.085 of the Anacortes Municipal Code regarding back-in angle parking. Mr. Johnson suggested lengthening the stalls in future locations to accommodate longer vehicles. Vote: Ayes— Pickett, Adams, Turner, Geer, Johnson and Walters. Motion carried. Ordinance 2906 : Truck Route Ordinance Mr. Buckenmeyer presented an ordinance to clarify the truck routes through the city, based largely on similar code from the City of Woodinville. He said the ordinance had been reviewed by the Traffic Safety Committee, the Public Works Committee, the Anacortes Police Department, the City Attorney and extensively by Councilmember Richardson. Mr. Buckenmeyer summarized the new code. He noted that Section 10.24.070.G, which appeared in the draft ordinance included in the Council packet, should be deleted in the final version. Mr. Buckenmeyer addressed questions from councilmembers regarding signage and fines. Mr. Johnson moved, seconded by Mr. Turner, to approve Ordinance 2906 amending and replacing in its entirety Chapter 10.24 Truck Routes; establishing motor truck routes within the city limits; prohibiting the operation of motor trucks upon residential streets; setting forth limited exceptions; imposing penalties for violations; providing for the installation of advisory signage; providing for severability; and establishing an effective date; with the deletion of Section 10.24.070.G. Vote: Ayes—Adams, Turner, Geer, Johnson, Walters and Pickett. Motion carried. Contract Award: Excavate Ponds at Water Treatment Plant Mr. Buckenmeyer requested approval to award a contract to excavate the sediment from one pond at the Water Treatment Plant. He explained that each year one of the three settling ponds is excavated and said that this year the excavation will be used on site for fill. Mr. Buckenmeyer reported that the City solicited five bidders using the Small Works Roster process and received two bids, the lowest being from Fisher Excavating in the amount of$34,948.60 including sales tax. Mr. Buckenmeyer said staff recommended Anacortes City Council Minutes October 7, 2013 3 awarding the contract to Fisher Excavating. Mr. Turner moved, seconded by Mr. Johnson, to award the contract to Fisher Excavating in the amount of$34,958.60 including sales tax. Vote: Ayes—Turner, Geer, Johnson, Walters, Pickett and Adams. Motion carried. Approval of Final Chance Order for WTP Improvement Project Mr. Turner requested more information about the contractor's ongoing construction claim and moved to table the agenda item until Council received more information, seconded by Mr. Johnson. Vote: Ayes—Geer, Johnson, Walters, Pickett, Adams and Turner. Motion carried. There being no further business, at approximately 8:45 p.m. the regularly scheduled Anacortes City Council meeting of October 7, 2013 adjourned. **************************************************************************************************************** MAYOR'S BUDGET MESSAGE October 7, 2013 Honorable City Council and Members of our Community: Consistent with my budget for the past 20 years, I am pleased to submit another balanced preliminary budget for review, comment, and action that does not rely on general fund reserves and provides a high level of service for our community. The proposed 2014 budget of$45,644,071 increases our levels of service and adds about$1.8 million from the current adjusted 2013 budget of$43,841,175. Finally, after five years of decreasing revenues requiring continuing budget austerity, revenues are increasing this year. Comparing January through June 2013 receipts, City sales tax revenues increased 16% over 2012 levels; this increase was led by residential construction. Residential construction also positively impacts our water and wastewater utilities through building permit general facility charges that are restricted for capital uses to benefit those utilities. Forecasts project revenues to maintain, or increase slightly over the next year, which is reflected in the proposed budget. A number of elements warrant the budget increase. The fire department budget includes $300,000 to complete public safety communication systems throughout Skagit County. The information services budget includes $50,000 to address the loss of technical support by Microsoft for the Windows XP operating system in April; $20,000 is allocated to upgrade many City computers to Windows 7, and $30,000 is allocated to purchase a cash receipting module for the general ledger that currently runs on Windows XP and will not function on Windows 7. The City's ongoing commitment to maintaining and improving our infrastructure is reflected in the proposed budget with $800,000 for an overlay of the Q Avenue corridor; $221,000 to continue the Safe Routes to School grant project, and $837,500 for the Guemes Channel Trail. Also, $33,500 is included for planning multiple street projects, $100,000 for additional City sidewalks and ADA ramps, and $25,000 to extend sidewalks on Glasgow Way. An allocation of$395,000 is budgeted to prepare for the update to the Comprehensive Plan update required in 2016. There are capital budget increases in the solid waste fund, as the City transitions to an automated waste pickup system; $375,000 is budgeted for new cans that will be provided to utility customers and $750,000 will purchase and replace two sanitation trucks. The new and automated solid waste system will save the City over $1 million in capital and operational costs over the next 10 years and will be safer for our employees and help avoid back injuries. The following is a departmental overview of the 2014 preliminary budget. Accounts in the City of Anacortes are organized by fund, each of which is a separate accounting entity, with its own cash, investments, revenues, and expenditures. Anacortes City Council Minutes October 7, 2013 4 GENERAL FUND Administration/General Departments and divisions continue to work cooperatively with me and our finance department and have helped to prepare a budget that provides an appropriate and high level of service for our community within the parameters of Initiative 747, which provides for our use of property tax. My administration uses a fiscally conservative philosophy, maintaining prudent cash reserves when at all possible, particularly in the general fund, our most critical fund. Anacortes remains the lowest taxing City in Skagit County with a 2013 general millage of $1.75 / $1000 of assessed value. Property tax revenues largely fund operations of the city's general government departments, our police, fire, ambulance service, museum, human resources, parks and recreation, legal, courts, library, and street maintenance; essentially all departments except utilities. Legal/Courts The 2014 legal budget includes a contract City attorney, a contract public defender, and a contract prosecuting attorney. State mandated requirements limiting the number of cases a public defender may represent will become effective in 2015. To mitigate the potential impact, the City implemented a diversion program, and more stringent indigent defendant screening. The City continues to comply with all state laws regarding public records requests. In 2012 the City responded to 88 requests for information that totaled 400 hours of staff time. This year to date, we have received 53 requests that have totaled over 100 hours of staff time to complete. Public Safety Police: The police budget reallocates staffing to better reflect the changing needs of the department and our community. An additional civilian community service officer (CSO) will be hired in March and will be dedicated primarily to our crime prevention unit. The CSO will also assist with non-criminal calls for service such as lost and found property, and some neighborhood code enforcement issues. Following a retirement in March 2014, the administrative assistant position will move from full time to part time. Department staff working with technology is already absorbing many of the duties assigned to the administrative assistant, and an existing city employee will assist the department with billing, inventory, training records, and correspondence. The City continues to employ 25 commissioned officers: a chief, 2 captains, a detective sergeant, 2 detectives, 3 patrol sergeants and 16 patrol officers; this includes a full-time detective dedicated to the countywide Drug Task Force. As a result of the voter-approved measure to build and operate a new Skagit County Jail, beginning April 1, 2014, the City will no longer pay a daily bed rate fee for inmates which will result in significant cost savings. The police department will continue to screen inmates for our city work crew as an alternative to jail. A small increase is reflected in the department's training budget for three new recruits we anticipate will be attending the Washington State Basic Law Enforcement Academy. The $3,500 expense per recruit was paid by the state prior to 2013. Fire/Medic: The City employs firefighter/paramedics and EMTs who staff ambulances and fire equipment at our three fire stations. One firefighter/paramedic position is funded through a Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant. The City continues to employee 24 full time staff: a chief, an assistant chief, a division chief, an administrative assistant, 6 lieutenants, and 14 firefighter/paramedics and EMTs. The City is currently engaged in formal discussions with Fire District #13, and the Town of La Conner regarding a potential for consolidation of fire protection and EMS services through a Regional Fire Authority (RFA). The RFA discussion and perhaps recommendations are expected to be completed in early 2014. Anacortes City Council Minutes October 7, 2013 5 The City contracts with the Skagit County Emergency Medical Services Commission to provide ambulance service on Fidalgo and Guemes islands. In addition to funding from the EMS levy, the City provides direct funding in the form of sales tax and property tax. Often over the past several years, operating transfers from the general fund have been necessary to sustain this level of service. The City staffs two ambulances 24 hours a day and one ambulance 12 hours a day. EMS funding is intended to subsidize the costs for two 24 hour a day ambulances; however, the EMS levy subsidy's financial contribution to our City EMS fund only provides about 35% of the operation expenses. We continue to seek additional EMS funding to correct this disparity. Human Resources The human resources department focuses on prevention and training as a risk management strategy and a way to reduce liability. Our director is involved with the Association of WA Cities (AWC) Employee Benefits Advisory Board and WA Cities Insurance Authority's Loss Control Committee as a means of managing these risks. In 2014, the Association of Washington Cities (AWC) Benefit Trust is transitioning to a self-insured model. By moving to self funding the AWC Benefit Trust is able to maintain 2013 rates with a 0% increase for the self-insured medical, dental, and vision plans for 2014. Self insurance allows the AWC Benefit Trust to eliminate several taxes mandatory for fully insured plans included a 2% state tax and a 2%-3% new 2014 federal insurer tax. The City Council approved an interlocal agreement authorizing the City to participate in the self-insured program. In 2013, the City was again recognized as a Well City. This designation provides a 2% discount on medical premiums, which results in significant savings. The City is pursuing the Well City award in 2014 to further contain medical insurance premiums costs in future years. The City is committed to providing a safe work environment. The safety committee is actively engaged in reducing workplace injuries. Since 2010 the City has realized a 45% reduction in our experience factor for Labor and Industries. Our current experience factor is 30% less than Labor and Industries expects of cities of similar size. This focus on safety and prevention provides cost savings to the City and employees in premiums, and more importantly, helps reduce injuries. As of tonight, the City has bargaining agreements in place with each of our bargaining units in 2014. Negotiations will begin in mid 2014 for the successor bargaining agreements with the IAFF 1531 and Fraternal Order of Police (commissioned and noncommissioned.) Museum The 2013 museum website upgrade resulted in increased awareness of the museum's services. From January to September, online patrons viewed nearly 22,000 random historic images and made 44,000 keyword searches. Staff continues to focus on fine-tuning research services, outreach efforts, inventorying museum collections and preserving and digitalizing collections so they are more easily accessible to the public. In June 2013, a renovation of the museum research library was completed with funds from a generous donor. Research files were moved upstairs to make them available to the public on weekends. In 2014, funds have been allocated to assist staff with maintenance on the Preston. Planning/Economic Development& Building The planning and economic development department has several projects scheduled to begin in 2014. Monies are allocated to hire a consulting firm to assist in the preparation and publication of the state- mandated 2016 Comprehensive Plan periodic update. Funding is budgeted to hire a real estate broker or firm to provide marketing services for the Willette Business Park. The budget also continues to benefit from the Community Development Block Grant program. The building department's budget is relatively unchanged from the last several years; however, permit activity has increased. As of September 30, 2013, 63 single-family residence permits have been issued, Anacortes City Council Minutes October 7, 2013 6 compared to 35 in 2012. Overall permit activity through this same time period is relatively unchanged with 352 permits issued compared to 357 through September 2012. The department continues to scan and archive old building files to reduce physical filing space and assist in preserving records. PARKS AND RECREATION The parks and recreation department provides a high level of service to our community with recreational programs for community members of all ages. We provide maintenance for 19 parks including Washington Park, the City cemetery, and 2800 acres of City forestlands, as well as management of the City Depot and new plaza. The hiring of a park maintenance worker was originally budgeted in 2007; this position was not filled at the time due to the economic downturn. In 2014 we intend to fill this position. Included in the budget is $700,000 in state funding to continue work on the Guemes Channel Trail with construction planned from New York Avenue to Georgia Avenue. LIBRARY The library has become a vital community center providing reading materials, DVDs, CDs, information service, free meeting room access, study rooms, and public Internet computers to patrons and visitors. Library staff who are certified as Passport Acceptance Agents are processing an average of 44 passport applications per month. As the only passport agency with Saturday hours, the service draws people to our town from far and wide. Library programs provide education and entertainment to our citizens. To date, the library has hosted 80 adult programs with over 3850 attendees; 517 children and young adults participated in the Summer Reading Program. The library continues to offer technology training to our patrons, and in 2014 there will be an opportunity to have free access to over 400 computer classes through the Microsoft IT Academy, funded by the State Library and Microsoft. Combined usage of downloadable audio and eBooks has more than doubled since 2011. A phone application for the iPhone and Android platforms is available to patrons, allowing access to our library catalog from most mobile devices. The library upgraded its catalog and website early in 2013, greatly improving search capabilities and creating a more user-friendly experience. Streaming music is available through the generosity of the Manieri bequest. A new database, Livemocha, offers free online language courses in 38 languages for those with a library card. Generous donations from the Library Foundation, Friends of the Library, local service clubs, and community members have helped to add new and varied materials to our collection. PUBLIC WORKS Streets/Trails The street maintenance budget contains revenue from accumulated REET, impact fees, and reimbursement from the Port's prilled sulfur loads for a total of$800,000 that will be used for road maintenance overlays, the majority of which will be used on Q Avenue. The City continues to take advantage of grant opportunities and other available resources for projects that enhance our city streets, sidewalks, and utility infrastructure in 2014. The City received a $137,500 grant from the Federal Highway Administration for the design of the next phase of the Guemes Channel Trail and a $700,000 appropriation from the state legislature for the trail's construction. The $221,000 Safe Routes to Schools grant will be used to construct improvements at the intersection of 22nd and R Avenue. We will use the remaining grant funds awarded from the WSDOT City Safety Grant and the Safe Routes to School program. Water Treatment, Transmission, and Distribution Construction of the new water treatment plant was completed in the spring of 2013. The transition to the new plant was seamless and operations are going very well. The first phase of decommissioning the old plant will occur in 2014, with the removal of retired equipment and demolition of the retired sedimentation Anacortes City Council Minutes October 7, 2013 7 basin. Due to series of waterline breaks in 2013, replacing those bad sections of pipe will be added to this year's waterline replacement list. The hiring of a water treatment plant instrumentation maintenance technician will occur in 2014 to meet the needs of the new plant. In 2009, two water treatment plant operator positions were budgeted for but not filled. Wastewater Treatment, Collection, and Conveyance The wastewater budget includes projects funded by a portion of sewer connection fees to improve our wastewater infrastructure. Projects for 2014 include pump station data acquisition system improvements that will simplify the system and make communication between the pumps stations and the plant more reliable; replacement and relocation of the belt filter press pump station to move it to a less corrosive environment, and installation of an incinerator offgas scrubbing system to meet new EPA emissions standards. Energy saving projects and operating efficiency continue to reduce the wastewater plant and pump station electricity budgets. Storm Drainage The storm drain fund accumulates capital cash reserves from general facility charges collected from building permit sales and utility fees. Projects anticipated in 2014 include stabilizing a portion of Beaver Brook near 24th and J Avenue as well as storm drainage improvements along the next phase of the Guemes Channel Trail for slope stabilization. Solid Waste As previously noted, the operating budget includes $375,000 for the purchase of residential and commercial solid waste carts, $20,000 for dumpsters, and $59,000 for upgrading the equipment wash down area along with inventory storage for the new carts. Equipment Rental and Replacement(ERR) The ERR funds maintains the City's fleet and equipment requirements. ERR charges each departments receiving services. The charges are calculated based on the service order costs and the anticipated cost to replace the equipment in the future. Facilities Facility staff perform activities related to maintenance, repairs, and improvements to City facilities and work as our resource conservation element with our staff to produce reports and trends that help us understand our usages and find ways to work with our contracted utilities to find grants and dollars which help us reduce electricity, natural gas, and water consumption at all of our facilities. In 2014, we will be looking at repainting our City hall. Conclusion The increases in our sales tax revenues and in the construction of new single-family homes are leading indicators our economy is improving from the desperate budget times local governments dealt with these past 5 years. I am optimistic the tide of decreasing revenues is finally turning. The ongoing commitment to keeping a balance of fiscal responsibility while adding value to our community and infrastructure will remain a top priority for my administration. We need to continue to be cautious with our expenditures and with taxpayer dollars. It is apparent that prudence is still the order of the day. Our successes and our strengths are reflective of our ongoing commitment to quality infrastructure and our diverse community and business makeup. We are fortunate to have an engaged and collaborative city council, professional staff, and involved citizens who are also committed volunteers. I look forward to your input regarding the 2014 budget. Respectfully, H. Dean Maxwell Mayor Anacortes City Council Minutes October 7, 2013 8