HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026-04-06 City Council Minutes ApprovedAnacortes City Council Minutes - April 6, 2026
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Anacortes City Council Minutes - April 6, 2026
Call to Order
Councilmembers Marcia Hunt, Anthony Young, Christine Cleland-McGrath, Carolyn Moulton, Bruce
Pledge of Allegiance
State of the City Address
Announcements and Committee Reports
Plan-It capital facilities planning software purchase to be deployed for the upcoming cycle, an in-house tool for
discussed included a federal grant for the design of the intersection of 12th Street and K Avenue, the Q Avenue
pedestrian crossing project that is now underway, the Guemes Island ferry haulout in May and associated
parking plan, the 29th Street water tank replacement, and the potential replacement of the Skyline water
included duty changes to ensure the same level of service with recent staff reductions, continued growth in
library visits and program attendance, the filling of an open library page position after the retirement of the
incumbent, the new contract with Underwood and Associates for the redesign of desks that is funded by the
Library Foundation, funding for electronic resources through the Friends of the Libr
discussed included how to best use the resources available to make the city according to community wants and
needs, how to target the approximately 2 million motorists who pass through Anacortes annually on the way to
the state ferry terminal, the sense of urgency of making progress in light of the fiscal challenges in the current
economy, the use of the informal survey data collected in 2025 towards achieving those goals, and how to
balance the efforts to achieve growth and development while maintaining the city's integrity. He added that the
committee would eventually bring their ideas to the mayor and council for their consideration.
Mayor’s Announcements
Mayor Walters made announcements regarding the appointment of Nicole Ohana to the Housing Authority
Board, activities such as the Aging Mastery Program at the Senior Activity Center, spring and summer
recreation programs from the Parks and Recreation department, the ongoing public comment period and
th ,
Anacortes City Council Minutes - April 6, 2026
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passenger-only service for the Guemes Island ferry during the 4-17 May scheduled maintenance period. Mayor
Walters also mentioned the Anacortes projects page and the upcoming quarter 1 departmental update at the 13
April regular City Council meeting, referring to a slide presentation that was added to the packet materials for
Public Comment
Public comment was given as follows:
Pat Gardner of Anacortes spoke about attracting motorists who go through town to the ferry with improved
signage.
Mr. Young confirmed that the Economic Development Committee is considering signage as one of several
Consent Agenda
carried unanimously by voice vote.
a. Special Joint North Star Meeting Minutes of March 17, 2026
b. Minutes of March 23, 2026
c. Approval of claims in the amount of $484,674.47
The following vouchers/checks were approved for payment:
EFT numbers: 115202 through 115257, total $386,086.67
Check numbers: 115258 through 115284, total $80,810.98
Wire transfer numbers: 386755 through 387006, total $17,776.82
Other Business
2027-2032 Residential Recyclables and Residential Organics Collection #27-001-SAN-001
for the 2027-2032 residential recyclables and organics collection, referring to a slide presentation that was
included in the packet materials for the meeting. Sustainability Consultant, Hans Van Dusen, and Mr.
Ludemann answered questions from the council.
Discussion topics included:
• Contamination is charged to the city, so the city would then notify and bill the contaminator.
• Organics management with new state legislation.
• The contract term.
• The negotiation of the 15% rate increase. The city oversees the rates, and they will be adjusted
gradually with the consumer price index.
• Shifting the cost of contamination from the provider to the consumer.
• Consider looking at different providers in the future.
• Public education of contaminators and campaigns to educate the public on recycling.
• Packaging in supply streams is not all recyclables. The onus is on the industry to improve the
recyclability of packaging.
TJ Fantini moved, seconded by Carolyn Moulton, to authorize the mayor to sign contract #27-001-SAN-001
with Waste Management for residential recyclables and organics collection from 2027-
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2026 End-of-Legislative-Session Recap from Emily Shay of Gordon Thomas Honeywell
Emily Shay of Gordon Thomas Honeywell provided the 2026 end-of-legislative-session recap, referring to a
slide presentation that was included in the packet materials for the meeting.
Discussion topics included:
• The city is fortunate to receive $515,000 for the event center.
• Next year the city will ask for additional funding for the event center and South Commercial
improvement project.
• Appreciation for the work of lobbying and the reports provided regularly to the council and mayor.
•
Contract Award: Hearing Examiner Services #26-134-LEG-001
134-LEG-001 with Laminar Law to perform hearing examiner services. He pointed out that there are a limited
number of law firms who provide hearing examiner services in the state, that the firm will charge fees on a per-
case basis for land use applications, and the appeal rate of $275 per hour matches with the market rate for these
services. He outlined that Anacortes Municipal Code 2.30.030(A) provides that the hearing examiner is
appointed by the Mayor, with the concurrence of not less than 4 members of the City Council.
TJ Fantini moved, seconded by Anthony Young, to authorize the mayor to execute contract #26-134-LEG-001
with Laminar Law to provide hearing examiner services and that the council concurs with the appointment of
Laminar Law as the hearing examiner for the city.
Vote: Ayes - Carolyn Moulton, Anthony Young, Christine Cleland-McGrath, Bruce McDougall, TJ Fantini,
Contract Award: WTP High Service Pump #1 VFD Retrofit Project #26-069-WTR-001
$353,275.00 with Veca Electric & Technologies, LLC to perform the WTP High Service Pump #1 VFD
Retrofit Project, referring to a slide presentation that was added to the packet materials for the meeting.
Discussion topics included:
• Why there was only one bid for the project.
• The price point is normal for this equipment.
Carolyn Moulton moved, seconded by Anthony Young, to authorize the mayor to sign contract #26-069-WTR-
001 in the amount of $353,275.00 with Veca Electric & Technologies, LLC to perform the WTP High Service
Contract Award: 29th Street Reservoir Replacement – Design #23-238-WTR-002
Engineering, LLC to perform the first phase of design for the 29th Street Reservoir Replacement project,
referring to a slide presentation that was added to the packet materials for the meeting.
Discussion topics included:
• Estimate of the construction cost.
Marcia Hunt moved, seconded by TJ Fantini, to authorize the mayor to sign contract #23-238-WTR-002 in the
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Reservoir Replacement project. The motion passed by unanimous voice vote.
Ordinance 5026: Prohibiting the Feeding of Wild Animals
City Attorney Darcy Swetnam introduced proposed Ordinance 5026 that would prohibit the feeding of wild
animals within the city limits, referring to a slide presentation that was added to the packet materials for the
meeting.
Mayor Walters invited members of the audience to comment on this agenda item. No one present wished to
address the Council.
Discussion topics included:
• Include squirrels in the ordinance.
• The ordinance includes but is not limited to animals mentioned in the ordinance.
• Complaint-based enforcement.
• Education of violators.
Ordinance 5027: Prohibiting Virtual Currency Kiosks
limits, referring to a slide presentation that was added to the packet materials for the meeting.
Discussion topics included:
• Kiosks are currently present in Safeway and The Market grocery stores.
o The kiosks would have to be removed within 60 days of the ordinance going into effect.
• The rise of artificial intelligence and its role in financial scams.
• Does this include non-fungible tokens in addition to AI tokens?
Mayor Walters invited members of the audience to comment on this agenda item.
Kathleen Felker of 37th Street in Anacortes spoke in favor of the ordinance in light of her recent experience as
the victim of a scam.
Dan Maul of Anacortes spoke in support of the ordinance, relating his experiences supporting individuals who
are victims of financial scams as a volunteer for the American Association of Retired Persons fraud watch
Adjournment