HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019-06-24 City Council Minutes Approved City Council Minutes—June 24, 2019
Mayor Laurie Gere called to order the Anacortes City Council meeting of June 24, 2019 at 6:00 p.m.
Councilmembers Eric Johnson,Anthony Young,Ryan Walters,Brad Adams, Carolyn Moulton and Bruce
McDougall were present. Councilmember Matt Miller was absent.
The assembly joined in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Announcements and Committee Reports
Mr. Walters reported that the Planning Committee meeting scheduled for earlier in the evening had been
cancelled.
Ms. Moulton reported on the Skagit County Homeless Housing Plan Task Force meeting earlier in the day,
following up on community meetings around the county.
Mayor Gere reported that earlier in the day she and Planning Director Don Measamer had attended a meeting
with Skagit County regarding HB 1406-Encouraging investments in affordable and supportive housing.
Public Comment
Pat Robinson, 1304 I Avenue, asked if anyone in the county had visited Seattle or Lake City to see the effects of
their homelessness policies. Mr. Robinson spoke about Seattle's no tent law, said no Anacortes residents wanted
tents in the right of way in front of their homes, and urged Council to put a no tent law in place. He said that
homelessness increases crime in a community.
Consent Agenda
Mr. Adams moved, seconded by Mr. Johnson,to approve the following Consent Agenda items. The motion
carried unanimously by voice vote.
a. Minutes of June 17, 2019
b. Approval of Claims in the amount of: $642,750.54
The following vouchers/checks were approved for payment:
EFT numbers: 93637 through 93666,total$449,772.55
Check numbers: 93667 through 93714,total$191,756.80
Wire transfer numbers: 251614 through 251898,total $1,187.49
OTHER BUSINESS
Samish Indian Nation Land Reaffirmation Act
Leslie Eastwood, General Manager of the Samish Indian Nation,requested Council support of HR 2961 to
reaffirm the NW Regional BIA Director decision on November 9, 2018 to take 6.7 acres of land at Campbell
Lake South into trust on behalf of the Samish Indian Nation. Ms. Eastwood's slides were added to the packet
materials for the meeting. Ms. Eastwood noted that the property in question is outside Anacortes city limits and
said Skagit County had submitted a letter of support. She reported that the Swinomish Indian Nation had
appealed the BIA decision.
Mayor Gere invited members of the audience to comment on this agenda item. Kathleen Lorence-Flanagan
requested clarification of the map displayed by Ms. Eastwood,which Ms. Eastwood provided.
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Mr. Johnson moved, seconded by Mr. Young,to authorize the mayor to sign a letter from the city to Senators
Cantwell and Murray and Representative Larsen showing support for HR 2961 following the drafts in the
Council packet. Mr. Walters announced that as an employee of the Samish Indian Nation,he would abstain from
voting on the motion.Vote: Ayes—Young,Adams,Moulton,McDougall and Johnson. Abstain—Walters.
Motion carried.
Municipal Fiber Update
Municipal Broadband Business Manager Jim Lemberg presented the first regular monthly update to Council on
the municipal fiber project, establishing a format for future reports. Mr. Lemberg referred to his slide
presentation included in the packet materials for the meeting. Councilmembers requested additional information
in future reports including:percent of annual budget expended(to compare to year%complete); fiber-related
expenditures in BARS accounts other than 001.260 accounts; a breakdown of professional services
expenditures;bar or line graphs comparing forecast to actual revenues, expenditures, and subscriber counts by
month; bar or line graphs comparing number of residences passed and subscriber counts(reflecting take rate);
and a color coded map showing which services are available in each part of town.
Administrative Services Director Emily Schuh advised that the proposed reconfiguration of the Finance
Department to accommodate offices for the Fiber staff would be paid for with$50K budgeted for that purpose in
the fiber budget. Mr. Walters requested an update on CDBG funding that had been allocated for ADA accessible
counters in the Finance Department in light of the fiber expenditures for that purpose.
Contract Award: Fiber Network Engineering Consultant#19-112-FBR-001
Mr. Lemberg requested Council consent to issue a contract to Sound Computing Solutions, Inc. in the amount of
$140,000.00 to perform as a Network Engineering Consultant. He explained the purpose of the contract was to
have readily locally available network engineering expertise during the startup phase of the fiber project. Mr.
Lemberg responded to councilmember questions about the contract terms and about how the consultant had
been selected.
Mr. Johnson moved, seconded by Mr. Walters,to authorize the Mayor to sign contract 19-112-FBR-001 with
Sound Computing Solutions,Inc. in the amount of$140,000.00 to perform as a Network Engineering
consultant. Vote: Ayes—Walters,Adams,Moulton,McDougall,Johnson and Young. Motion carried.
Ordinance 3045: Amending Section 13.08.110(D) and Adding New Chapter 13.50
City Attorney Darcy Swetnam presented Ordinance 3045 for second read following its introduction at the
June 10, 2019 City Council meeting. Ms. Swetnam explained the purpose of the ordinance and summarized its
provisions. She recommended adoption of the ordinance. Mr. Walters confirmed with Ms. Swetnam that
Council had not currently delegated its contracting authority for receivables service agreements such as those
anticipated by proposed AMC 13.56.030.
Mr. Walters moved, seconded by Mr. Young,to approve Ordinance 3045 as presented.
Mayor Gere invited members of the audience to comment on this agenda item.No one present wished to address
the Council.
Vote: Ayes—Adams,Moulton,McDougall,Johnson,Young and Walters. Motion carried.
Resolution 2050: Unified Fee Schedule Update: Add Fiber Fees
Finance Director Steve Hoglund presented Resolution 2050 updating the Unified Fee Schedule to establish fiber
internet service fees as first presented at the May 20,2019 City Council meeting and as reviewed during Mr.
Lemberg's presentation earlier in the evening. Mr. Hoglund said the revised Unified Fee Schedule also
introduced a$2/month utility bill credit for any city utility customer enrolled in both City Autopay and paperless
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billing. Mr. Walters reported that the Finance Committee recommended the utility credit. He asked that the
wording in the fee schedule and in all promotional materials make it very clear that only City Autopay via ACH
by the city qualified for the credit. Ms. Moulton asked that the fee schedule clarify when the credit would go
into effect.
Mayor Gere invited members of the audience to comment on this agenda item.No one present wished to address
the Council.
Mr. Walters moved, seconded by Mr. Young,to approve Resolution 2050 adopting new fiber optic internet
service fees and the $2 utility bill credit,with the change to note that the $2 utility bill credit is available only for
City ACH Autopay and paperless billing. Vote: Ayes—Moulton,McDougall,Johnson,Young,Walters and
Adams. Motion carried.
Resolution 2042: Authorizing Tourism Promotion Funds to Heart of Anacortes Summer Concert Series
Mr. Hoglund introduced Resolution 2042 presenting the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee recommendation on
a mid-year request from the City of Anacortes Parks and Recreation Department for funding for the Heart of
Anacortes 2019 Summer Concert Series. Mayor Gere,Parks and Recreation Director Jonn Lunsford, and
councilmembers discussed the LTAC's recommendation to fund only a portion of the requested amount and
recognized that the remainder of the actual cost would be borne by the Parks Department budget. Mr. Walters
reminded that the RCW only allowed Council to accept or deny the LTAC's recommendation,it did not allow
Council to award a different amount.
Mayor Gere invited members of the audience to comment on this agenda item.No one present wished to address
the Council.
Mr. Walters moved, seconded by Mr. Johnson,to approve Resolution 2042 as presented.Vote: Ayes—
McDougall,Johnson,Young,Walters,Adams and Moulton. Motion carried.
At approximately 7:40 p.m. Mayor Gere called a five minute break. At 7:46 p.m. the mayor called the meeting
back to order.
Purchasing Practices
Mr. Hoglund reported on departmental purchasing practices in response to ongoing councilmember questions
about online purchases. His slide presentation was included in the packet materials for the meeting.
Councilmembers engaged in extended discussion of the effects of purchasing from local and distant vendors and
the state laws governing purchasing by municipalities. Several councilmembers suggested implementing
centralized purchasing as a means of achieving cost savings. Ms. Moulton suggested a flow chart to guide staff
in making efficient purchasing decisions in the local marketplace. She requested that Mr. Hoglund update his
FY 2018 Purchasing Statistics slide with the percentage of local purchases in addition to the percentage of
Amazon purchases. Ms. Moulton and Mr. McDougall supported a longer term effort to address the vitality of
local cities in the global marketplace.
There being no further business, at approximately 8:40 p.m. the Anacortes City Council meeting of
June 24, 2019 was adjourned.
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