Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2011-04-18 City Council Minutes Approved G8. O ff' Sew'' OOR City Council Minutes—April 18, 2011 At 7:30 p.m. Mayor Maxwell called the regularly scheduled Anacortes City Council meeting of April 18, 2011 to order. Roll call found present: Eric Johnson, Nick Petrish, Erica Pickett, Brad Adams, Bill Turner, Cynthia Richardson and Brian Geer. Roll call was followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. Minutes of Previous Meeting Mr. Petrish moved, seconded by Mr. Adams, that the minutes of April 4, 2011 be approved as if read. Vote: Ayes— Petrish, Pickett, Adams, Turner, Richardson, Geer and Johnson. Motion carried. Citizen Hearings No one present wished to speak on any item not already on the agenda. Mayor/Council Communication Mayor Pro Tem Brad Adams announced new City Council committee assignments following the resignation of Ward 3 councilmember Kevin McKeown. For the remainder of 2011 Mr. Johnson will replace Mr. McKeown on the Public Safety Committee and the Parks and Recreation Committee, Mr. Adams will replace Mr. McKeown on the Personnel Committee, and on the Finance Committee Mr. Johnson will serve as a primary member and Mr. Turner will serve as an alternate. Mayor Maxwell announced that the National Guard postponed its April 9 work party due to budget constraints. He thanked the community members who nevertheless turned out to volunteer at Washington Park including K Kids Zoe Hill, Grace Hill, Ava Martin, and Clare Martin; K Kids parents Sarah Hill and Steve Martin; and Friends of Washington Park George and Sue Mehler, Ann Dursch and Kathleen Flanagan. Mr. Petrish announced that due to health issues he would not run for re-election to his Ward 1 City Council seat. His term expires December 31, 2011. Mr. Petrish recalled some of the many accomplishments of the City and the Council during his fourteen years in office. Mr. Petrish thanked his past and present colleagues on the City Council, the mayor and the department heads for the city's smooth operations and sound fiscal management. Mayor Maxwell thanked Mr. Petrish for his longtime service. Mrs. Pickett announced that Anacortes was named a Tree City USA for a tenth year by the Arbor Day Foundation. She reminded the community of the TreeKeeper endowment fund set up to provide for pruning and maintenance of the city's street trees. Mrs. Pickett thanked the mayor and Parks Department for maintaining service levels, thanked community members for past contributions and thanked Evergreen Islands for a recent$250 donation to the TreeKeeper Fund. Mayor Maxwell noted that a tulip tree (liriodendron tulipifera) was planted in Causland Park on Arbor Day. Consent Agenda Mr. Geer moved, seconded by Mr. Turner, to approve the following Consent Agenda items. Vote: Ayes— Pickett, Adams, Turner, Richardson, Geer, Johnson and Petrish. Motion carried. Approval of Vouchers/Cancellation of Warrants Council voted unanimously that the following vouchers/warrants audited and certified by the City's Auditing Officer (Finance Director) and subsequently reviewed and approved by the Council Finance Committee on April 7, 2011 and April 14, 2011 are approved for payment as of this date April 18, 2011. Anacortes City Council Minutes April 18, 2011 1 Claims Warrants April 2011: Warrant Numbers 59859 through 60048 in the total amount of $2,232,238.96 EFT April 2011: Warrant Numbers 59848 through 59858 in the total amount of$2,973.53 Payroll for April 5, 2011 in the total amount of $888,562.38 Warrant Numbers 35774 through 35814 in the total amount of$40,945.97 Direct Deposit Numbers from 39229 through 39430 in the total amount of$582,360.18 EFT Numbers from 1261 through 1266 in the total amount of$265,256.23 Cancellation of Warrants April 2011: Warrant Number 58153 in the total amount of$96.50 SR-20 Billboard Lease with Bill Woodinq Planning Director Ryan Larsen advised that the Anacortes Chamber of Commerce has been working for nearly two years to put up a billboard on SR20 to promote Anacortes business. He said WSDOT rules and City code do not allow new billboards but do allow using an existing one. Mr. Larsen said the existing billboard at the old drive-in movie theater on SR20 meets WSDOT standards. He said the property owner, Bill Wooding, has agreed to let the City and Chamber use the sign with a 50-year lease for$1 per year. Mr. Larsen said the sign would need some upgrades to ensure stability. He said the City will sponsor the sign location and the Chamber will be responsible for upkeep and maintenance. Mr. Larsen asked Council to move to allow staff to proceed working with the Chamber to implement the proposed billboard and negotiate with Mr. Wooding for the lease. Mr. Larsen displayed samples of the planned billboard message and images which would change every four months. He said a sliding portion of the sign would allow advertisement of festivals and other events as appropriate. Mrs. Pickett asked if the festivals would be charged for that advertising. Mr. Larsen said no. Mr. Petrish asked the size of the sign. Mr. Larsen said 8' x 20'. Mr. Johnson asked there has been public discussion on the notion of a billboard there. Mr. Larsen said the proposal came from the Chamber and that the current municipal code allows this existing billboard to be used. Mayor Maxwell reminded that when the City annexed March Point it of necessity grandfathered the signs currently in place. Mr. Johnson observed that there is currently some unsightly storage at the sign location and asked if the site will be cleaned up so it doesn't reflect poorly on the sign. Mr. Larsen said Mr. Wooding has agreed to remove the fence line, mow the blackberries, and move other items further up the lot but said Mr. Wooding currently leases the site for storage. Mr. Geer said he was confident Mr. Wooding would work with the City as he has in the past and said the sign will bring revenue to the City. Mr. Geer moved, seconded by Mr. Johnson, to approve. Mrs. Pickett said many people had hoped the SR20 corridor would eventually be free of billboards and called it disappointing that this sign has no landscaping. She warned it could look tacky if the area is not enhanced. Mr. Larsen said staff can work with the Chamber to enhance the site. Mr. Turner said he liked the idea but asked if there was any stipulation on billboard content. Mr. Larsen said that can be considered as staff drafts agreements with Mr. Wooding and the Chamber; the City could possibly require staff pre-approval of messages. Mr. Petrish asked what the sign says now. Mr. Larsen said it is blank. He noted that the sign will be moved slightly for better visibility from SR20. Mrs. Richardson explained for the audience that the other signs in the corridor such as car dealer signs are business signs on the premises of the business being advertised and are regulated by the Anacortes sign ordinance but billboards are related to something other than the property they are on and so are regulated differently. Mr. Adams praised the proposed signs as eye catching but without too many words. He warned not to make the signs so complicated that they become a driving hazard. Mrs. Pickett strongly encouraged landscaping around the sign. Mr. Larsen said he would work with Chamber on that. Vote: Ayes—Adams, Turner, Richardson, Geer, Johnson, Petrish and Pickett. Motion carried. Anacortes City Council Minutes April 18, 2011 2 Development Regulation Amendments Proposed by City Council Mr. Larsen presented three development regulation amendments proposed by Mrs. Richardson for the 2011 amendment cycle. He reminded that last year Council asked that any amendments proposed by councilmembers be reviewed by both the City Council Planning Committee and then the full City Council. He said the Planning Committee had reviewed the three amendments proposed by Mrs. Richardson and asked that they be presented to the full Council. Mr. Larsen said the proposed amendments would affect Anacortes Municipal Code chapters 16.12.020.E, 17.34.050 and 17.34.060. He said staff recommended including these three items in the 2011 amendment process. Mr. Adams questioned what if any action was required by Council at this point. Mayor Maxwell said the intent was to make sure the public and press know that proposals by an individual councilmember did not necessarily reflect the views of the rest of the Council, the mayor or staff. Mr. Turner agreed with Mr. Adams that it should make no difference who proposed an amendment but that it was important to clarify that for the public. Mr. Geer said part of the goal was to make sure discussions in committee were communicated to the full Council. Mr. Turner and Mr. Adams agreed. Mrs. Richardson observed that unlike most years, in 2011 the City does not have lots of public proposals for development regulation amendments but the process is the same as in the past and that as always the full City Council decides, per the published timeline, which proposals will be part of the docket. Mr. Johnson asked when these prior discussions took place. Mr. Larsen said he would provide that information. Mr. Turner moved, seconded by Mrs. Pickett, that Mrs. Richardson's three proposed development regulation amendments move forward through the process as part of the 2011 cycle. Mr. Petrish raised concerns about the potential impact of the proposed amendments on his neighborhood. Mr. Geer suggested that in the future the Planning Committee send development regulation amendments proposed by councilmembers forward to a study session rather than to a full council session so Council and the public can be informed but no action is taken. Mr. Adams emphasized that Council was neither supporting nor denying the proposed amendments at this meeting, simply stating that they can be moved forward as part of the annual development regulation review cycle. Mr. Adams also clarified that City Council committees are strictly advisory committees where no decisions are made, a quorum of City Council is never present at committee meetings, and decisions are only made by the Council as a whole. Vote: Ayes—Turner, Richardson, Geer, Johnson, Petrish, Pickett and Adams. Motion carried. Ordinance: Amending Animal License Fees Finance Director Steve Hoglund introduced an ordinance updating dog license fees. He reported that the first dog licensing ordinance in Anacortes was enacted in 1896. He said the present proposed ordinance would clean up the municipal code to match actual practice, noting that the city does not charge a fee to license service dogs and also requires a kennel license in addition to individual dog licenses for any home with more than four dogs. He noted that the proposed kennel license language had been updated since the version included in the Council packet. Mrs. Richardson clarified that service dogs are required to be licensed like all other dogs but the fee can be waived on request. Mr. Hoglund concurred. Mrs. Pickett clarified that the kennel license is in addition to individual dog tags. Mr. Hoglund said yes, and it requires approval of the Animal Control Officer. Mr. Turner moved, seconded by Mr. Geer, to approve Ordinance 2852 amending that certain portion of Ordinance No. 1717 on Animal Licensing Fee Requirements previously amended by Ordinance No. 2693. Vote: Ayes— Richardson, Geer, Johnson, Petrish, Pickett, Adams and Turner. Motion carried. Resolution: Updating Petty Cash and Change Funds Mr. Hoglund explained the distinction between petty cash and change funds. He observed that the use of City credit cards has diminished the amount of petty cash transactions. Mr. Hoglund proposed a resolution to transfer some funds from Finance Department petty cash funds into Finance Department change funds to facilitate efficient transactions when customers pay with large bills early in the day. Mr. Turner moved, seconded by Mr. Adams, to approve Resolution 1821 updating petty cash and change funds and amending Resolution No. 1817 dated February 7, 2011. Vote: Ayes—Geer, Johnson, Petrish, Pickett, Adams, Turner and Richardson. Motion carried. At 8:09 p.m. Mr. Geer stepped away from the Council Chambers momentarily. Anacortes City Council Minutes April 18, 2011 3 Ordinance: Updating the City's Auditing Officer Mr. Hoglund introduced an ordinance to clean up outdated references in the municipal code that refer to the City Manager or Mayor serving as the Auditing Officer. Mrs. Richardson moved, seconded by Mr. Turner, to approve Ordinance 2853 amending Ordinance No. 1520 designating the City's Auditing Officer. Vote: Ayes—Johnson, Petrish, Pickett, Adams, Turner and Richardson. Absent: Geer. Motion carried. Ordinance: Updating Procedures for the Payment of Claims Mr. Hoglund explained the difference between warrants and checks and said the City is moving to using checks rather than warrants since all bank accounts are now interest bearing. He noted that the City will have the same level of security but will simplify daily processes by switching to checks. Mr. Geer returned to the Council Chambers. Mrs. Pickett recalled that during the Great Depression banks would not cash warrants issued by the City of Seattle and noted that checks offer more reliability for vendors. She endorsed the change. Mr. Hoglund noted that staff has timed this switch to coincide with the need to order new check stock so no warrant stock will be wasted. Mr. Adams moved, seconded by Mr. Johnson, to approve Ordinance 2854 amending Ordinance No. 2232 providing procedures for auditing and payment of claims against the City. Vote: Ayes— Petrish, Pickett, Adams, Turner, Richardson, Geer and Johnson. Motion carried. There being no further business, at approximately 8:15 p.m. Mayor Maxwell adjourned the regularly scheduled City Council meeting of April 18, 2011. Anacortes City Council Minutes April 18, 2011 4