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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026-07-06 City Council Minutes ApprovedAnacortes City Council Minutes - July 6, 2026 1 Anacortes City Council Minutes - July 6, 2026 Call to Order Mayor Pro Tempore Christine Cleland-McGrath called to order the July 6, 2026, Anacortes City Council meeting at 6:00 p.m. Councilmembers Marcia Hunt, Luke Currier, Carolyn Moulton, and TJ Fantini were present. Councilmembers Bruce McDougall and Anthony Young were absent. Mr. Currier moved, seconded by Ms. Hunt, without objection to excuse the absence of Mr. Young and Mr. McDougall. Pledge of Allegiance The assembly joined in the Pledge of Allegiance. Announcements and Committee Reports Mayor Pro Tempore Cleland-McGrath made announcements including the reading of a statement from Mayor Walters apologizing for the fiber internet outage over the past weekend and outlining next steps to address the root causes of the outage and improve communication during future outages, the town photo taken during the Fourth of July celebration over the past weekend being available for download on the website, and the upcoming Kids R Best Fest on July 11th at Storvik Park from 10am–2pm, referring to a slide presentation that was added to the packet materials for the meeting. Finance Committee Ms. Hunt reported from the Finance Committee meeting held June 26th. The topics discussed included year-to- date sales and lodging tax numbers, with the former being up and the latter being down considerably over the prior year, the ongoing fiscal year 2025 annual audit that should yield results sooner than the prior year, the first phase of the ongoing Tyler Enterprise Resource Planning software implementation, with the utility billing module scheduled to be implemented in the second half of this year and the human resources and payroll modules scheduled for early 2027. The committee also discussed the new Plan-It Capital Facilities Plan software implementation, which will be used by staff this summer in preparing the coming Capital Facilities Plan update that will likely be considered by the council in late August and September as part of the 2027 budget planning process, and the new Finance department SharePoint site. Ms. Hunt commended the department for keeping business moving seamlessly through all the long-awaited transitions. Housing Affordability and Community Services and Planning Committee Ms. Moulton reported from the Housing Affordability and Community Services and Planning Committee meeting held July 2nd. The topics discussed included a presentation from Amber Lang, Development Director of Family Promise of Skagit County, on their programs that work with faith communities to shelter entire families and operate a zero barrier homeless prevention and diversion program that includes year-round, cold weather, and transitional shelters that are supported by Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Sedro Woolley and grants from Skagit County and other funding organizations. Ms. Moulton reported that Ms. Lang communicated a desire to open a similar transitional shelter in Anacortes and announced that there will be a multi-chamber ribbon cutting for the tiny home project in Sedro Woolley on July 24th at the Bethlehem Lutheran Church. The committee also discussed the recently completed Anacortes Family Center Landing project that was funded with the affordable housing sales tax, and is one of three affordable housing projects funded by the levy in addition to the Olson Building and Plum Tree Village. Ms. Moulton reported that due to increased project costs resulting from the COVID pandemic and subsequent inflation, the Anacortes Family Center is asking the city to consider funding the projects beyond the initial amount of $3 million per project with staff currently reviewing the proposal that will be brought before the full council in the near term. Anacortes City Council Minutes - July 6, 2026 2 Public Works Committee Mayor Pro Tempore Cleland-McGrath reported from the Public Works Committee meeting held earlier in the evening. The topics discussed included an increased role in the upcoming Kids-R-Best Fest with a garbage truck, street sweeper, and excavator on display for children to view and learn about the department's community roles and responsibilities, a possible 10% voluntary reduction in water use, as the flow of water in the Skagit River reaches reduced levels during the summer months, a $250,000 grant to assist with the planning and design for the 12th Street and K Avenue intersection project that will fund the project through 30% design and evaluate what makes the most sense for traffic improvements, and the 12th Street and Commercial Avenue intersection project, for which the equipment to be installed currently is being assessed by the Washington State Department of Transportation. Public Safety Committee Ms. Hunt reported from the Public Safety Committee meeting held June 30th. The topics discussed included updates to regulations for e-bikes and e-scooters that should be coming before the council at the next regular meeting and the possible purchase of new equipment that will allow officers to analyze suspected controlled substances without opening the packaging, thus limiting personnel's exposure to harmful substances. Association of Washington Cities Annual Conference Mr. Fantini and Mayor Pro Tem Cleland-McGrath reported attending the Association of Washington Cities annual conference with Mayor Walters from June 23-26 in Spokane. The topics discussed included infrastructure, housing, clean water, the use of artificial intelligence to help workers do their jobs more efficiently, transportation grants, addressing fiscal challenges, and outreach strategies to younger people. Mr. Fantini was re-elected to be the District 14 representative to the Association of Washington Cities. Public Comment Mayor Pro Tempore Cleland-McGrath invited the public to comment on any item not on the agenda. No one present wished to address the Council on any topic not already on the agenda. Consent Agenda Ms. Hunt moved, seconded by Mr. Fantini, to approve the following Consent Agenda items. The motion carried unanimously by voice vote. a. Minutes of June 22, 2026 b. Approval of claims in the amount of $909,254.38 The following vouchers/checks were approved for payment: EFT numbers: 115970 through 116009, total $878,821.91 Check numbers: 116010 through 116029, total $20,956.68 Wire transfer numbers: 390744 through 391121, total $9475.79 c. Special Event: Bike MS - Deception Pass Classic d. Special Event: Anacortes Half-Marathon & 5K e. Special Event: Halloween 2026 f. Special Event: Anacortes Veterans Parade Events of 2026 g. Special Event: Elves Night Out h. Special Event: Walk with Santa Parade Other Business Community Action of Skagit County - Midyear Update Community Action of Skagit County Chief Strategy Officer Sandi Phinney spoke about the organization's activities year-to-date at the Anacortes Resource Center, referring to a slide presentation that was included in the packet materials for the meeting. Discussion topics included: Anacortes City Council Minutes - July 6, 2026 3 • FPL = Federal Poverty Line • The energy assistance program process. o Is fiber internet included? • Expanding hours for the Anacortes Resource Center. • Puget Sound Energy grant funding increase and how distribution works. o Community Action takes on the screening process and conducts outreach. o A mobile service unit will be operational in August to assist with outreach efforts. • Financial qualification for energy assistance is 80% of the area's median income. • Community Action is the sole outreach organization for Puget Sound Energy. Mayor Pro Tempore Cleland-McGrath invited members of the audience to comment on this agenda item. No one present wished to address the Council. Adjournment There being no further business, at approximately 6:37 pm, the Anacortes City Council meeting of July 6, 2026, was adjourned.