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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2018-09-24 City Council Minutes Approved City Council Minutes—September 24, 2018 At 6:00 p.m. Mayor Laurie Gere called to order the regular Anacortes City Council meeting of September 24, 2018. Councilmembers Eric Johnson,Ryan Walters,Anthony Young,Brad Adams,Liz Lovelett, Bruce McDougall and Matt Miller were present. The assembly joined in the Pledge of Allegiance. Announcements and Committee Reports Personnel Committee: Ms. Lovelett reported from the committee meeting earlier in the day. She said staff had provided an overview of new positions being considered for the 2019/2020 biennial budget including public works and firefighter/paramedic positions.Ms. Lovelett added that the committee had also begun discussing staffing options for the fiber network. Planning Committee: Mr. McDougall reported from the committee meeting earlier in the evening at which staff reported on the development regulations updates. Mr. McDougall said Planning Commission review of Divisions 1-6 was nearly complete and that staff hoped to bring a draft to Council for review in November and December. Mr. Walters emphasized the importance of completing the updates by year end and said councilmembers were committed to meeting that timeline. Public Comment John Morgan, 1110 27th Ct#4B, advised the Parks Department that the faucet was leaking in the men's room at the Depot. Mr. Morgan also commented on the very high noise levels at the Oyster Run over the weekend,noted that the loud noise was problematic for PTSD sufferers, and quoted from Skagit County Code Chapter 9.50 regarding Noise Control. He suggested holding a classic car show instead, or possibly moving the event to La Conner. Consent Agenda Mr. Walters removed Item 5c from the Consent Agenda. Mr. Johnson removed Item 5e from the Consent Agenda.Ms. Lovelett moved, seconded by Mr. Adams,to approve the following Consent Agenda items. The motion carried unanimously by voice vote. a. Minutes of September 17,2018 b.Approval of Claims in the amount of: $450,691.37 d. Street Fair Application: Anacortes High School Homecoming Parade The following vouchers/checks were approved for payment: EFT numbers: 90660 through 90706,total$201,011.99 Check numbers: 90707 through 90738,total$248,345.11 Wire transfer numbers: 237877 through 238224,total $1,428.34 c. Contract Award: City Hall Windows 17-054-FAC-002 Mr. Walters opposed spending$90K on windows in a building that is still seismically vulnerable. Mr. Johnson asked about the seismic study that staff had previously indicated was in process and suggested deciding on the windows with that information in hand. Ms. Lovelett reported that staff had previously shared a consultant report describing what could be strapped together for$100K but that the likely effectiveness of that work in the event of an earthquake had not been determined. Mr. McDougall noted that energy efficiency and reduced utility costs were cited as justification for the new windows. He requested quantification of the ROI and said if it could not be quantified he was not inclined to spend this money on City Hall. Mr. Young suggested waiting to approve the contract until hearing back from Public Works. Mr. Miller was not convinced by Mr. Walter's objection on Anacortes City Council Minutes September 24,2018 1 seismic grounds and noted that Council had approved$50K for the windows in the 2017/2018 budget. He asked why the windows cost$40K more than budgeted. Mr. Miller observed that realistically staff would be in the current building for many more years and it needed to be maintained. Mr. Adams said he was inclined to support installing the energy efficient windows but noted that there was only one bidder for the subject contract;he suggested looking at the ROI. Ms. Lovelett said she was not averse to replacing the windows. Mr. Walters said that window replacement has a very low ROI. He listed many factors indicating that more and better configured space was needed at City Hall and repeated his longstanding position that Council needed to begin planning to replace the building and stop spending on upgrades without such a plan. Mayor Gere said she would bring the contract back for consideration the following week with additional information. e. Contract Modification: WWTP Incinerator Repair Project 18-065-SEW-001 Mr. Johnson referred to the project description in the agenda bill for this item and asked why only a portion of the heat exchanger tubes were being replaced and if all the tubing could be replaced at once to avoid future mobilization costs. Mayor Gere said she would bring the contract back for consideration the following week with additional explanation from Public Works staff. OTHER BUSINESS Skagit County EMS Services System Delivery Agreement City Attorney Darcy Swetnam updated Council on progress made since its September 17, 2018 meeting on the Skagit County EMS transition to a fire-based model. Her slides were added to the packet materials for the meeting. She recognized Skagit County Commissioner Ron Wesen and Skagit County Emergency Medical Services Director Jeff Sargent for attending the meeting. Ms. Swetnam observed that the oral board process for hiring CVAA staff was set to begin October 1 so that conditional offers could be made by October 16. She advised that insurance provisions and other final details of the agreement were still under revision so it would come back to City Council for action at the October 1,2018 meeting. Ms. Swetnam summarized key features of the agreement including duration,termination terms, quality improvement plan, dispute resolution, subcontracting and records access. She responded to councilmember questions regarding terminology used in the agreement. She then reviewed each of the exhibits to the agreement, including the scope of work and service area map. In response to councilmember questions, she explained that the service areas varied in shape and size but that the parties had attempted to make them comparable to allow each service provider to achieve its target response times. She explained the compensation structure outlined in Exhibit B and responded to councilmember questions in that regard. Mr. Johnson reiterated his request for a pro forma analyzing the financial impact of the agreement. Ms. Swetnam concluded with an overview of the termination and insurance provisions of the agreement,noting that the insurance terms remained to be finalized pending review by WCIA to which all the participating cities belong. Mr. Walters asked why the agreement was multilateral rather than separate agreements between Skagit County and each provider. Ms. Swetnam explained that the providers have contractual responsibilities to one another, not just to Skagit County. Administrative Services Director Emily Schuh responded to councilmember questions about certification levels of CVAA paramedics. Mayor Gere invited members of the audience to comment on this agenda item.No one present wished to address the Council. Mr. Walters echoed Mr. Johnson's query about the overall financial impact of the transition on Anacortes. Finance Director Steve Hoglund replied that assuming the increased$1.3M in annual EMS levy funding, four new paramedics for the March Point station, and equipment costs for three ambulances,the city would incur an additional $300K of expense annually over the current EMS budget. Mr. Hoglund and Mayor Gere observed Anacortes City Council Minutes September 24,2018 2 that the additional expense would provide Anacortes will additional firefighting capacity and 24/7 staffing at the March Point station due to the additional staff. Mr. Miller reminded that Council had previously adopted Resolution 1946 acknowledging the goal of increasing firefighter/paramedic staffing. He noted that Skagit County had reduced its EMS reserve funds to provide more cash to the cities during the transition. Mr. Johnson inquired about alternative potential funding sources for the shortfall. Mr. Hoglund suggested that the current tax revenue streams would be sufficient as long as the economy was growing and that Council could consider implementing additional alternative funding sources when that changed. Mr. Young urged considering those options sooner rather than later. Mr. Walters urged that the final agreement carefully distinguish between "provider"and"providers"as appropriate. Ms. Lovelett asked that Exhibit B clearly state that the revenue forecast was for the entire 6-year levy cycle. She noted that Anacortes Fire Department staff supported the agreement. Ms. Swetnam invited councilmembers to email her with any other specific corrections or concerns, noting that the agreement would need to be finalized by September 26 when it would be presented to City Councils at the other providing cities for action at their regular meetings. Parks Department Updates Parks&Recreation Director Gary Robinson advised that he had been working with his managers in preparation for his departure at the end of the year. He invited each of them to share updates on their respective projects. Nicole Johnston,Recreation Coordinator,updated Council on Storvik Park operations,referring to her slides in the packet materials for the meeting. Ms. Johnston described the continued high usage at the park and displayed the 2018 water costs at the park following the construction of the popular new spray pad. She summarized the ongoing work with the neighbors of the park to address their concerns about lights and noise during operating hours. Mayor Gere observed that the relatively quiet neighborhood park is now one of the most popular parks in the region since the addition of the spray pad which had been an adjustment for both staff and neighbors. Ms. Johnston described the sections of the park that were available for future reconfiguration to welcome new activities. Ms. Lovelett and Mr.Young suggested specific exercise equipment that could be incorporated to meet the needs of aging and mobility restricted community members. Bob Vaux,Washington Park Manager, shared a slide presentation updating Council on the boat launch, restroom upgrades and revenue patterns at the park. His slides were added to the packet materials for the meeting. Mr.Vaux discussed potential reconfiguration of the boat trailer lot. He observed that if the parking stalls were widened to national standards, 25 of the 100 slots would be lost and that expanding the lot would require cutting trees.He suggested potential realignment of the ramp approach to ease the launching process. Mr. Vaux responded to councilmember questions about parking cost and parking demand for the boat lot and the limited potential for overflow trailer parking in Lot B. Councilmembers generally concluded that there was not significant unmet need nor economic harm under the current configuration and noted the very good value of the parking rates for boaters. Mayor Gere reminded councilmembers that the Maritime Strategic Plan interviews had repeatedly identified the Washington Park boat launch as being essential to the community. Mr. Vaux next thanked Council and Mayor Gere for supporting the upper restroom remodel. He shared photos of the refurbished facility and its improved security features. Mr. Vaux concluded by summarizing 2018 park revenues through August compared to the prior year,noting significant increases. Mr. Young requested usage statistics to accompany the revenues.Mr. Vaux responded to councilmember questions about comprehensive planning for Washington Park and the possibility of more pedestrian-only hours on the Loop Road. Jonn Lunsford, Operations/Forestlands Manager, shared a slide presentation responding to prior councilmember questions about alternatives to herbicides in the parks. His slides were added to the packet materials for the meeting. Mr. Lunsford reported that the recent herbicide application to Heart Lake had eradicated the milfoil in the lake but noted that herbicide application within the ACFL is very rare. He described the department's efforts over the years to reduce or eliminate categories of herbicides and select organic fertilizers in lieu of synthetic fertilizers at various parks in response to public demand. Mr. Young encouraged Parks staff to share information with the public about alternative weed control means that prove effective because many citizens are interested in Anacortes City Council Minutes September 24,2018 3 reducing their own use of chemicals. Mr. Lunsford explained that the department found chemical fertilizers work better for areas of high intensity use such as playing fields. He said a mixture of synthetic and alternative fertilizers or no fertilizer at all was found to be effective in other locations. Turning to weed control,Mr. Lunsford said the department had found mechanical control effective in many locations (mowing,hand weeding including with volunteer work parties,mulching) and had applied a number of alternative herbicide to determine which were effective in public spaces and the Pacific maritime climate. He confirmed that all application of herbicides was performed by state-certified applicators per manufacturer directions and that in sensitive areas adjacent to waterways other methods were sought. Mr. Lunsford then shared graphs reflecting glyphosate(aka Round Up)and 2,4D use since 2004 and listed factors such as available volunteer hours and infestations of particular invasive species that affected herbicide usage year to year. He thanked Mary Snyder and Grace Tesch for compiling the data. Mr. Young praised staff's efforts to reduce the use of chemicals in the parks. Ms. Lovelett encouraged concerned citizens to organize or participate in work parties to assist in that effort. Dustin South,Recreation Manager, shared photos illustrating the range of recreation programs offered by the Parks&Recreation Depai tiient to serve the mental and physical well-being of the community. Mr. South highlighted the youth soccer program,the most popular youth sport with over 600 kids participating. He thanked the student recreation assistants, coaches and other volunteers who make the program possible. Mr. South then described the youth sailing program. He said the department had worked with the Anacortes Waterfront Alliance (formerly Anacortes Small Boat Center)to expand the sailing program which included the high school sailing team. He shared video from a recent regatta sponsored by the program. He responded to councilmember questions about advertising and recruitment of participants for the sailing program,noting that participants do not have to be Anacortes residents. He confirmed that scholarships were available through the Anacortes Parks Foundation and the Kiwanis Club for all recreation programs including the sailing program. He praised Mr. Robinson for working to keep registration fees affordable for all programs. Mr. Miller noted that the sailing program is always oversubscribed and asked if the depai talent was seeking to acquire more boats. Mr. South said Parks &Recreation was working with the Waterfront Alliance on staffing assistance to be able to offer more classes with the same boats. Mr. Young encouraged making slots available to a wide range of participants. Several councilmembers noted that the recreation programs fill up very quickly, indicating a high level of demand. Mr. Johnson inquired about instituting a lottery program to distribute slots for popular programs. Mr. South indicated that method had been used in the past for particularly high demand programs and could be considered in the future. Ordinance 3028: Updating AMC Title 5,Business Licensing Finance Director Steve Hoglund presented Ordinance 3028 which would update AMC 5.04 regarding business license requirements and fees. Referring to the explanatory materials including in the packet for the meeting, Mr. Hoglund explained the new state requirements for model language and minimum revenue thresholds. He added that Ordinance 3028 also included an increase in the business license fee from$30 to $40,the first increase since 2006. He noted that because Anacortes issues licenses through the state Business License Service, the city receives only$11 of the$30 currently charged. He said the entire additional$10 would come to the city if the license fee were raised to $40,bringing in approximately another$70K annually. Mr. Hoglund added that other cities in the region charge$40-60 for business licenses so Anacortes would still have a relatively low license fee. Ms. Lovelett asked at what point repeated garage sales required a business license. Mr. Hoglund indicated he would consult with the code enforcement officer and report back. Mr. Walters moved, seconded by Mr. Johnson,to approve Ordinance 3028 updating Anacortes Municipal Code Section 5.04. Mayor Gere invited members of the audience to comment on this agenda item.No one present wished to address the Council.Vote: Ayes—Young,Walters,Adams,Lovelett,McDougall,Miller and Johnson. Motion carried. There being no further business,at approximately 8:23 p.m. the Anacortes City Council meeting of September 24, 2018 was adjourned. Anacortes City Council Minutes September 24, 2018 4