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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026-07-13 City Council Minutes ApprovedAnacortes City Council Minutes - July 13, 2026 1 Anacortes City Council Minutes - July 13, 2026 Call to Order Mayor Ryan Walters called to order the July 13, 2026, Anacortes City Council meeting at 6:23 p.m. Councilmembers Marcia Hunt, Luke Currier, Anthony Young, Christine Cleland-McGrath, Carolyn Moulton, and TJ Fantini were present. Councilmember Bruce McDougall was absent. Pledge of Allegiance The assembly joined in the Pledge of Allegiance. Mr. Fantini moved, seconded by Ms. Hunt, to amend the agenda to add item 7.a. Executive Session per RCW 42.30.110 (1)(g) to Evaluate the Qualifications of an Applicant for Public Employment and to move item 6.a. Fire Chief Confirmation to item 7.b. The motion carried unanimously by voice vote. Announcements and Committee Reports Mayor Walters announced the 4th of July Parade winners for best marching group (Anacortes Twisted Pixies) and best float (Cabalgantes Del Northwest) and presented representatives of the winning groups with certificates. He then made announcements regarding openings on the Arts Commission, Anacortes Housing Authority Board of Commissioners, and the Library Board of Trustees (information and application instructions available on the city website), and National Night Out at Storvik Park on August 6th from 6 to 8 pm, referring to slide presentations that were added to the packet materials for the meeting. Information Technology and ACCESS Anacortes Fiber Internet Committee Mr. Fantini announced that the Information Technology and ACCESS Anacortes Fiber Internet Committee did not meet as scheduled. Port/City Liaison Committee Ms. Cleland-McGrath reported from the Port/City Liaison Committee meeting held July 7th. The topics discussed included the successful opening of the Depot Plaza expansion and the possible addition of another event for next summer that would use that space, the port putting out a request for proposal for a hotel on the current temporary downtown dog park site as detailed in an Anacortes American article, the port's Northwest Basin development project, and possible planning grants for development at Pier 61. Mr. Young added that there should be an acknowledgment of the multicultural history of the land when creating the Event Center development area. Mayor Walters noted that the city had raised this point with the Samish Indian Nation at the most recent quarterly meeting. Mr. Currier requested an update for the council regarding the Event Center project. Mayor Walters agreed to provide an update in the near term, adding that anyone can access information about the Event Center project and all other city projects on the city's project page. Ms. Hunt thanked staff for their efforts over the past weekend during a successful Kids R Best Fest in Storvik Park. Public Comment Mayor Walters invited the public to comment on any item not on the agenda. Public comment was given as follows: Martha Schoenthal of Schooner Drive in Anacortes spoke in favor of Mannix McDonnell as a candidate for Fire Chief. Anacortes City Council Minutes - July 13, 2026 2 Dale Kimber of Anacortes spoke against Mannix McDonnell as a candidate for Fire Chief. Dean Shelton of 16th Street in Anacortes spoke in favor of Mannix McDonnell as a candidate for Fire Chief. Kathy Pittis of A Avenue in Anacortes spoke in favor of Mannix McDonnell as a candidate for Fire Chief. Brian Wetcher of Forest Park Lane in Anacortes spoke as a member of the Anacortes Community Forest Lands Board, asking the council about the process of choosing a fire chief in light of consideration of a candidate's wild land fire management experience. Scott Ely of Skyline in Anacortes spoke in favor of Mannix McDonnell as a candidate for Fire Chief. Betsy Braun of Oakes Avenue in Anacortes spoke in favor of Mannix McDonnell as a candidate for Fire Chief. Qben Oliver of Hummingbird Lane in Skagit County spoke in favor of Mannix McDonnell as a candidate for Fire Chief. Richard Higgins of Skyline in Anacortes spoke in favor of Mannix McDonnell as a candidate for Fire Chief. Consent Agenda Ms. Hunt moved, seconded by Mr. Young, to approve the following Consent Agenda items. The motion carried unanimously by voice vote. a. Minutes of July 6, 2026 b. Approval of claims in the amount of $919,678.91 The following vouchers/checks were approved for payment: EFT numbers: 16 through 47, total $861,901.17 Check numbers: 116030 through 116047, total $55,392.80 Wire transfer numbers: 1 through 15, total $2,384.94 c. Contract Modification: APD Employee Mental Wellness Program #24-045-APD-001 Other Business Presentation of Final Downtown Streetscapes Plan Planning, Community, and Economic Development Director John Coleman introduced Principal and Urban Designer Jason Graf of First Forty Feet, who presented the final Downtown Streetscapes Plan, 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. Ward MacKenzie of Anacortes and the Chairperson of the Downtown Anacortes Alliance spoke about the project and presentation as the culmination of a five-year project, pointing out that many of the ideas contained in the plan had come from the community through the Comprehensive Plan process, and that the resulting report is exactly what was envisioned. Brian Wetcher of Forest Park Lane in Anacortes asked if the presentation would be available on the city website. Elizabeth Freeland asked about restrooms being part of the plan. Anacortes City Council Minutes - July 13, 2026 3 Discussion topics included: • Public restrooms. • Restoring the sidewalk on 7th Street • Affordability of 'The Pit' property. • Re-evaluating priorities based on the lack of fiscal resources and current economic reality. • The Economic Development Committee's role in the process. • Finding grant funding for projects. • Opportunity for a council work session to further discuss the report and come up with a work plan. • Appreciation for the list of actionable items and what is possible. • The document is a guide to how the city can work with downtown community stakeholders. • One-way east-west streets to increase available street parking. • Public gathering space. • Turn sidewalk benches to face businesses. • Share the presentation and ideas with the community. At 8:01 pm, Mayor Walters placed the council on a brief recess. At 8:14 pm, Mayor Walters called the meeting to order. Resolution 3222: Adopting a Public Participation Plan for the Periodic Update to the Critical Areas Regulations Planning, Community, and Economic Development Director John Coleman introduced proposed Resolution 3222 that would adopt a public participation plan for the periodic update to the Critical Areas Regulations, 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. Marcia Hunt moved, seconded by Anthony Young, to adopt Resolution 3222 adopting a public participation plan for the periodic update to the Critical Areas Regulations update as presented. The motion carried unanimously by voice vote. Resolution 3223: Ratifying the Declaration of Emergency and Contract #26-206-WTR-001 for the 34th Street Water Main Replacement Project Public Works Director Logan Lee introduced proposed Resolution 3223 that would ratify Mayor Walters' June 26, 2026, Declaration of Emergency and the accompanying contract #26-206-WTR-001 for the 34th Street water main replacement project, referring to a slide presentation that was added to the packet materials for the meeting. Discussion topics included: • The infrastructure is aging, and this project is part of the plan to replace a failing section of water main. TJ Fantini moved, seconded by Christine Cleland-McGrath, to approve Resolution 3223 as presented. The motion carried unanimously by voice vote. Ordinance 5032: Repealing AMC 10.38 "Motorized Scooters" and Replacing it with New Chapter AMC 10.38 "Personal Transportation Devices" Police Chief Dave Floyd introduced proposed Ordinance 5032 that would repeal Anacortes Municipal Code Anacortes City Council Minutes - July 13, 2026 4 Chapter 10.38 "Motorized Scooters" and replace it with new Chapter 10.38 "Personal Transportation Devices", referring to a slide presentation that was added to the packet materials for the meeting. Discussion topics included: • The goal is to be the least restrictive as possible while keeping the community safe. • Personal transportation devices on shared use trails in parks. • Means for allowing other riders / pedestrians to be aware of the presence of personal transportation devices, such as a bell. • Penalty enforcement and warnings. • Responsibility of parents for minors. • Inclusion of Parks Department staff and park users regarding the use of shared use trails. Mayor Walters invited members of the audience to comment on this agenda item. Brian Wetcher of Forest Park Lane in Anacortes spoke in favor of the ordinance, and pointed out that the language regarding multi-modal trails that allow internal combustion engines and e-bikes in the Anacortes Community Forest Lands (ACFL) Plan should be incorporated into the ordinance to enable enforcement in the ACFL. Mary Jo McArdle of M Avenue in Anacortes recounted unsafe encounters as a pedestrian with e-bikes on sidewalks and the Tommy Thompson trail, specifically mentioning that class 3 e-bikes are difficult to recognize and should not be allowed on multi-use trails and only on public streets in designated bike lanes. She asked what the process would be regarding educating the public on the legislation, and said that there should be a consequence for violators. Mayor Walters mentioned that there are enforceable trail use provisions for the ACFL in the recently adopted Ordinance 5029 that are now codified under AMC Chapter 8.10, and that the school district will assist the city with educating students on appropriate use of personal transportation devices. Discussion topics included: • Challenges of identifying class 1, 2, and 3 e-bikes. • Prioritizing the safety of pedestrians and minors. • Giving APD the tools to enforce the regulations. • Seizing the device if a minor is misusing it until the parent comes to collect it. • Non-pedaled two-wheeled vehicles are not allowed on the Tommy Thompson Trail. • Allowing e-bikes on multi-use trails. • The ordinance's application to the ACFL. • Gas-powered and electric-powered motorcycles are treated as being the same. Mayor Walters announced that the ordinance would be brought back before the council at the July 27, 2026, regular meeting. Resolution 3224: Updating the Unified Fee Schedule Finance Director Steve Hoglund introduced proposed Resolution 3224 that would update the unified fee schedule to reflect an increase in admission fees for the W.T. Preston. Anthony Young moved, seconded by TJ Fantini, to approve Resolution 3224 updating the Unified Fee Schedule. The motion carried unanimously by voice vote. Anacortes City Council Minutes - July 13, 2026 5 Ordinance 5033: 2026 Second Quarter Budget Amendment Finance Director Steve Hoglund introduced proposed Ordinance 5033 that would amend the 2026 Budget to include several items identified that were not included in the 2026 Budget that city staff desire to work on in fiscal year 2026. Items included are related to the North Star Project, Water Treatment Plant Northline repair, staffing cost alignment, using cash reserves for library funding after funding normally received from Skagit County was discontinued, and an emergency waterline repair, referring to an electronic draft copy of the proposed ordinance that was included in 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. TJ Fantini moved, seconded by Luke Currier, to approve Ordinance 5033 as presented. Vote: Ayes — Carolyn Moulton, Anthony Young, Christine Cleland-McGrath, TJ Fantini, Luke Currier, Marcia Hunt. Nays - None. Abstentions — None. Result: Passed Executive Session Evaluating the qualifications of an applicant for public employment per RCW 42.30.110(1)(g) At 9:05 pm, Mayor Walters announced that City Council, would convene in Executive Session per RCW 42.30.110 (1)(g) for approximately 30 minutes to evaluate the qualifications of an applicant for public employment. Councilmembers TJ Fantini, Anthony Young, Christine Cleland-McGrath, Carolyn Moulton, Luke Currier, and Marcia Hunt attended the executive session. City Attorney Darcy Swetnam, Human Resources and Labor Relations Director Kendall Moyle, and Interim Fire Chief Mannix McDonnell also attended the executive session. At 9:35 pm, Assistant City Clerk Greg Francioch announced that the council would extend the executive session by an additional 20 minutes. At 9:55 pm, Mr. Francioch announced that the council would further extend the executive session by 20 minutes. At 10:15 pm, the council returned from executive session with no final action having been taken. Fire Chief Confirmation Ms. Moyle introduced the confirmation of Mannix McDonnell as Fire Chief for the city. Discussion topics included: • Time needed to process information related to Interim Chief McDonnell's professional history. • Effect on the Fire Department of delaying the vote. • Social media video. • The full council is not present, but there is a quorum. • Timing of the confirmation vote. • Community feedback on the appointment. • The hiring process. Luke Currier moved, seconded by TJ Fantini, to postpone the vote on Fire Chief confirmation for two weeks. Vote: Ayes — Anthony Young, TJ Fantini, Luke Currier. Nays — Carolyn Moulton, Christine Cleland- McGrath, Marcia Hunt, Ryan Walters. Abstentions — None. Result: Failed Luke Currier moved, seconded by TJ Fantini, to delay consideration of the vote on Fire Chief confirmation for Anacortes City Council Minutes - July 13, 2026 6 one week. Vote: Ayes — Anthony Young, Luke Currier. Nays — Carolyn Moulton, Christine Cleland-McGrath, Marcia Hunt, TJ Fantini. Abstentions — None. Result: Failed Marcia Hunt moved, seconded by Christine Cleland-McGrath, to confirm the appointment of Mannix McDonnell as Fire Chief for the City of Anacortes and authorize the mayor to sign the employment contract as presented. Vote: Ayes — Marcia Hunt, Anthony Young, Christine Cleland-McGrath, Carolyn Moulton. Nays — Luke Currier, TJ Fantini. Abstentions — None. Result: Passed Adjournment There being no further business, at approximately 10:53 pm, the Anacortes City Council meeting of July 13, 2026, was adjourned.