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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022-12-19 City Council Minutes Draft Anacortes City Council Minutes -December 19, 2022 Call to Order Mayor Matt Miller called to order the Anacortes City Council meeting of December 19, 2022 at 6:00 p.m. Councilmembers Jeremy Carter, Ryan Walters, Anthony Young, Christine Cleland-McGrath, Carolyn Moulton, Bruce McDougall and Amanda Hubik were present. Pledge of Allegiance The assembly joined in the Pledge of Allegiance. Announcements and Committee Reports Mayor Miller shared an update regarding a winter storm warning with 2-8 inches of snow possible, adding that public works crews will commence road clearing work at 4 am. He continued by announcing he had attended the ribbon cutting for the Anacortes Housing Authority for Birch Tree Village. He then mentioned the Civil Service Commission opening for an Alternate Commissioner and concluded by announcing there would be caroling on Commercial Avenue starting at the Visitors' Center on December 21st at 5pm sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce. Mayor Miller presented Councilmember BruceMcDougall with his five-year pride in service award. He then announced that City Hall would be closed on December 26 and there would not be a regular City Council meeting on December 27, 2022. Confirmation of Reilly Wynn as City's Human Resources & Labor Relations Director Mayor Miller introduced Reilly Wynn and asked the Council to confirm her appointment as Human Resources and Labor Relations Director. Ms. Wynn addressed the Council. Mr. Walters moved, seconded by Mr. Young, to confirm Reilly Wynn asHuman Resources and Labor Relations Director. The motion carried unanimously by voice vote. Historic Preservation Board Re-appointments for Bunny Heiner and Carolyn Suryan Mayor Miller asked the Council to confirm the re-appointment of Bunny Heiner and Carolyn Suryan to the Historic Preservation Board.Mr. Walters moved, seconded by Mr. McDougall, to confirm the re-appointment of Bunny Heiner and Carolyn Suryan to the Historic Preservation Board. The motion carried unanimously by voice vote. FinanceCommittee Mayor Miller announced that there was no Finance Committee meeting. Public Works Committee Ms. Moulton reported from the Public Works Committee meeting held earlier in the evening. The topics discussed included the Capital Facilities Plan Transportation Improvement Project for the Commercial Avenue corridor improvement between 11th and 13th Streets, associated funding sources, advocacy with state legislators and the importance of continued communications with relevant state agencies. She then mentioned the 9th Street and Q Avenue sidewalk project completion and a quarterly public works update to the full Council and the public. Housing Affordability and Community Services Committee Mr. Walters reported from the Housing Affordability and Community Services Committee meeting held on December 15th. The topics discussed included an interview with Leslie Symonds, Director-Community Lifestyle & Memory Care for the Milestone Retirement Communities, about adult day care in Anacortes and a potential new site for the Gentry House through Community Action, a report from Community Action on the Recovery Navigator Program that will be open for referrals on December 27th, a discussion of the Community Development Block Grant cold weather shelter program that will commence on or about December 20th and hopefully continue through April 2023 (contact Nina at the Anacortes Family Center for details). Mr. Walters then detailed upcoming committee work in 2023, including a directory of services, the Housing Action Plan, an Anacortes City Council Minutes -December 19, 2022 1 option for tiny houses on church property, and sustainable cold weather shelter funding. He concluded by announcing that the next meeting of the committee would be Thursday December 22nd where they would discuss the utility discount program. Economic Development Committee Mr. Young reported from the Economic Development Committee meeting held the previous week. The topics discussed included strategic planning for 2023 with the Economic Development Alliance of Skagit County for economic recovery and development, which would involve steering committee meetings to identify relevant issues for various stakeholders to determine where the committee can focus its efforts. The main goal is to determine how to best concentrate available resources to address focus areas such as human resources, health care, senior care, arts and culture, housing, and education workforce training. He then detailed the committee's approach to the issues including Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) analysis of each topic area, progress measurement and tracking, goals, objectives and strategies, a possible Town Hall meeting in the second quarter of 2023, and a draft plan to address needs specific to Anacortes and how they fit in to the regional frame. Public Comment Mayor Miller 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 Mr. Carter moved, seconded by Ms. Hubik, to approve the following Consent Agenda items. The motion carried unanimously by voice vote. a.Minutes of December 12, 2022 b.Approval of claims in the amount of $711,566.14 The following vouchers/checks were approved for payment: EFT numbers: 105022 through 105071 and 105094, total $624,365.70 Check numbers: 105072 through 105093, total $71,509.45 Wire transfer numbers: 314727 through 315191, total $15,690.99 c.Amendment #3 Interlocal Agreement IL267 for Basic Life Support (BLS) Ongoing Training and Evaluation Program (OTEP) Training Course for Anacortes Fire Department Training Hub d.Contract Award: Water Treatment Plant Castilleja Bluff and Rockridge Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) Upgrade #22-286-WTR-001 e.Contract Award:Water Treatment Plant Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) Sampling Plan Support and Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR) Gap Analysis #22-285-WTR-001 f.Contract Award: FortiNet Firewalls Purchase and Support Services #22-283-ITS-001 Other Business Housing Action Plan Presentation Director of Planning, Community and Economic Development, Don Measamer, introduced the general intent of the Housing Action Plan, which was to encourage planning for and construction of additional affordable and market rate housing in a greater variety of housing types at prices that are accessible to a wider range of income levels, eventually increasing the number of residential units in the city. He added that the Housing Action Plan would be brought back before the Council in January 2023 in a public hearing and adoption by resolution. He then introduced Bob Bengford, Partner, and Scott Bonjukian, Associate Planner and Urban Designer, of Makers Architecture, Planning and Urban Design,and Andrew Oliver of Leland Consulting Group, who presented the Housing Action Plan referring to a slide presentation that was added to the final packet materials for the meeting. Implementation Priorities Ms. Moulton asked if there were limits to the size of a single-family residence that could be built on any size of Anacortes City Council Minutes -December 19, 2022 2 lot. Mr. Bengford responded that there is a limit if only building height and setbacks are considered, adding that a maximum floor area ratio was considered as a planning tool during the code revision process, but was scrapped due to being overly complex. Ms. Moulton followed up by asking for the maximum sized single- family home that could be built on a 7,500 sq ft. lot. Mr. Bengford responded that it could be well over 4,000 square feet. Mr. Measamer responded that you can build a 5,000-6,000 square foot home under current regulations. Ms. Moulton asserted that this should be considered when discussing whether to permit duplexes and of what size. Mr. Measamer then discussed limiting single-family construction in high-density areas. Mr. Walters mentioned referringto these slides in the Planning Committee and wondered if this is the correct approach to the problem, in that on a standard-sized lot someone can build a large home. He wondered if an alternative approach would be to regulate the width facing the street,depth and height of the structure on the lot and not regulate the number of families allowed to reside therein and call it 'residential', to achieve the desired outcome. Mr. Young agreed with the concept of what is trying to be achieved, but there is no perfect solution. He averred that there must be some regulation to provide a benchmark, and that this is the beginning of the effort to solve the problem. Mr. McDougall asked if there were a single structure, would there be a limit on the number of units ineach structure? Mr. Walters responded that there should be an upper limit on units along with height, width and depth, and that the solution that Makers is proposing is in line with the current code, and suggested that the City should consider changing the approach to add height and increasing density. Mr. Bengford mentioned that the limiting factor to the approach proposed by Mr. Walters is the availability of parking with an increased number of units on each lot, unless the City were to not require off street parking. Mr. Walters pointed out that the City could not achieve a full housing option ordinance by April 1, 2023 due to associated complexities, but if there were simple initiatives that could be accomplished quickly, he would be open to proceedingwith those. Public Comment Mayor Miller invited the public to comment on the agenda item. No one present wished to address the Council on the agenda item. Conclusion Mr. Young offered that other alternatives should be considered to this plan, including development on additional land outside of the city limits, including South Fidalgo Island and Guemes Island. He continued, adding that partnerships with stakeholders outside of Anacortes must be leveraged to achieve a solution. He clarified that he is not suggesting building on Guemes Island, but not to rule out consideration of any alternatives just because they are considered to be taboo. Mayor Miller asked who has proprietary ownership of the calculator that predicts unit shortfall in a particular zone. Mr. Measamer mentioned that he would bring the plan and a resolution back before the Council in January and asked that public comments be submitted to him via email. Mr. Walters declared that all the ideas in the plan are good ones worthy of discussion, but does not support all of them. He sought Council acknowledgement that the resolution stated that the Housing Action Plan would be adopted and not be endorsed by the Council. Then, subsequent to adoption, the Council would to implement. Mr. Young emphasized that the Council should not be limited to consider which parts of the plan the ideas contained in the Housing Action Plan and to consider partnership with other entities. Contract Award: Roll-Off Solid Waste Truck ERR5000 Replacement #23-026-ERR-001 Public Works Director, Henry Hash, introduced contract #23-026-ERR-001 Roll-Off Solid Waste Truck ERR5000 Replacement with Dobbs Peterbilt of Marysville. Mr. Walters mentioned that it would be cheaper to buy them now rather than wait because of the considerable maintenance costs associated with the existing truck. RYAN WALTERS moved, seconded by BRUCE MCDOUGALL, to authorize the mayor to sign a purchase order for the replacement of the Roll-Off Solid Waste Truck ERR5000. Vote: Ayes -JEREMY CARTER, ANTHONYYOUNG, RYAN WALTERS, CHRISTINE CLELAND-MCGRATH, CAROLYN MOULTON, BRUCE MCDOUGALL, AMANDA HUBIK. Nays -None. Result: Passed Anacortes City Council Minutes -December 19, 2022 3 Contract Award: Frontload Solid Waste Truck ERR5001 Replacement #23-027-ERR-001 Public Works Director, Henry Hash, introduced contract #23-027-ERR-001 Frontload Solid Waste Truck ERR5000 Replacement with Dobbs Peterbilt of Marysville. RYAN WALTERS moved, seconded by AMANDA HUBIK, to authorize the mayor to sign the purchase order for a replacement Frontload Solid Waste Truck, ERR5000. Vote: Ayes -JEREMY CARTER, ANTHONY YOUNG, RYAN WALTERS, CHRISTINE CLELAND-MCGRATH, CAROLYN MOULTON, BRUCE MCDOUGALL, AMANDA HUBIK. Nays - None. Result: Passed Resolution 3101: Authorizing Execution of 2023 Tourism Promotion Fund Contracts Directorof Planning, Community and Economic Development, Don Measamer, introduced Resolution 3101: Authorizing Execution of 2023 Tourism Promotion Fund Contracts, mentioning that 31 applications were considered, of which 25 were approved for a total of $492,893 of which $50,000 would be for capital repairs to the public restrooms by the Heart of Anacortes. Mr. Young mentioned that all applications were considered, though not all could be selected due to funding limitations, and he invited applicants who were not selected to re-apply by showing how their program would benefit the city. Ms. Moulton wondered about the Anacortes Outdoor Exposition, and how the conversation surrounding the proposal went. Mr. Young replied that the goal was to limit how much funding was expended. He mentioned that the proposal's proof of concept needed to be more succinct, and he suggested that this proposal be re-submitted. Ms. Moulton then asked about the Visitor Information Center budget proposal, specifically the rent, utilities and cleaning fees, and expressed uncertainty about whether this was an appropriate expenditure for this type of funding. She specifically asked about the public restrooms and asked how often or how long they are open. She then mentioned that the Anacortes trail for one business. Mr. Measamer responded that maps are sold by local businesses and should not be subsidized the law allows for a municipality to fully fund a visitors center and that the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee (LTAC) recommendation to the Council can only be revised by the City Council returning the recommendation to the LTAC for a 45-day consideration period before returning a possibly revised recommendation to the Council for approval. Mr. Measamer proposed that LTAC fund recipients provide a presentation and added that public restrooms by the Heart of Anacortes and Visitors Information Center are open from dawn to dark. Ms. Moulton said she would welcome presentations by all organizations that receive LTAC funds. Mr. Young asserted that this committee is no different than others within the City Council and that the issues that are brought up would be better addressed within the committee. He then mentioned the efforts of the Chamber of Commerce to bring attention to Anacortes, including local media features and social media marketing campaigns. Mr. Walters pointed out that LTAC recommendations do not comply with the code that was implemented earlier this year. He asked that the contract between the City and the Visitor Information Center specify how long the center would be open and when the restrooms would be open. Mr. Measamer responded that staff could bring a contract before the Council that specified those details. Mr. Walters then proposed that the Council could evaluate that contract. Mr. Measamer said that the resolution could be approved and then staff could bring back the Visitor Information Center contract for consideration. Mr. Young expressed that he was struggling with the attention paid to the funding details of LTAC recommendations, and that any concerns should be brought to Mr. Measamer, concluding that the task before the Council is to consider the work of the committee, whichhad performed due diligence on all submitted funding proposals. Mr. Walters moved to approve Resolution 3101 with the following additional line, "the mayor is authorized to execute contracts to fund contracts on projects 1-10 and 12-25 at the amounts described in the resolution. Mayor Miller expressed uncertainty that the motion was in accordance with the RCW, as it singledout a line item. Mr. Walters responded that it does comply, as it authorizes the funding amount. Mr. Measamer suggested that the motion might be that the full amount is authorized based on the number of applicants and provide the contract for project 11 to determine the operating hours for the Visitor Information Center and public restrooms. Ms. Moulton pointed out that this is the first time these issues have come before the Council and that this is the appropriate time for consideration. Anacortes City Council Minutes -December 19, 2022 4 Public Comment Mayor Miller invited the public to comment on the agenda item. No one present wished to address the Council on the agenda item. RYAN WALTERS moved, seconded by CAROLYN MOULTON, to authorize the mayor to execute contracts to fund projects 1-10 and 12-25 atthe amounts described in the resolution; a contract to fund project 11 will return to council for additional review to determine operating hours for the Visitor Information Center and restrooms. Vote: Ayes -JEREMY CARTER, ANTHONY YOUNG, RYAN WALTERS, CHRISTINE CLELAND-MCGRATH, CAROLYN MOULTON, BRUCE MCDOUGALL, AMANDA HUBIK. Nays - None. Result: Passed Ordinance 4036: Sidewalk Obstruction Councilmember Ryan Walters re-introduced Ordinance 4036: Sidewalk Obstruction, which the Council previously considered at the regular meetings held on November 21stand December 5th.He detailed the most recentedits to the proposed ordinance including making the penalty for obstruction of streets and alleyways a class 2 civil infraction and allowing for the owner of a registered vehicle to be cited, changed the prohibited times for sitting or obstructing a sidewalk to 8am-8pm, deletion of the escalation provision and added the requirement for a first warning. He added that the parking ordinance would be brought back before the Council sometimein the future. Public Comment Mayor Miller invited the public to comment on the agenda item. Kate Clark of Anacortes commented that it is good to see that the proposed ordinance is more humane and mentioned that the language comes from similar ordinances from other cities and wondered which sources or experts are being consulted, citing the suggestion from a member of the public that different hours prohibit sleeping on the sidewalk depending on the season, and other local experts who could be consulted on similar initiatives such as Helping Hands or social workers. She then mentioned that language is important, citing language like "ordinary people", asking exactly who those "ordinary people" are for whom the legislation is designed. She then remarked that dense downtown spaces provide better security for at risk individuals and asked that the Council not pass the ordinance and consider other experts who may require consultation and ensure that the ordinance meets the needs of all Anacortes citizens. Council Discussion Ms. Moulton expressed appreciation for the changes in light of public comment and other interested parties and comfort with the language as presented. Mr. Walters pointed out that the ordinance prohibits sleeping on the sidewalk during the day in two zones and re-structures the code making it enforceable for blocking a sidewalk by changing the penalty to a civil infraction. He mentioned that further regulatory actions may be necessary, but that the City must focus on helping homeless individuals to get into housing rather than insulate them from all regulation, saying it improves things rather than being an imposition. Mr. Young mentioned receiving Ms. Clark's email, and mentioned that the changes address her concerns that the proposed ordinance does not penalize homeless individuals. JEREMY CARTER moved, seconded by RYAN WALTERS, to adopt Ordinance 4036 as presented. Vote: Ayes -JEREMY CARTER, ANTHONY YOUNG, RYAN WALTERS, CHRISTINE CLELAND-MCGRATH, CAROLYN MOULTON, BRUCE MCDOUGALL, AMANDA HUBIK. Nays -None. Result: Passed Resolution 3105: City of Anacortes 2023 Legislative Priorities Administrative Services Director, Emily Schuh, re-introduced Resolution 3105: City of Anacortes 2023 Legislative Priorities, which the Council previously considered at the regular meeting held December 12th. Ms. Schuh mentioned that it was made a priority to review the legislative priorities of Skagit County, the Anacortes City Council Minutes -December 19, 2022 5 Association of Washington Cities Housing Solutions Work Group. Mayor Miller expressed appreciation for the Council's input on support of the Skagit County Stabilization Center. Mr. Walters mentioned that the additions to the priorities were a combined effort. Mr. McDougall mentioned that he liked the organization of the document and asked if the priority under infrastructure regarding incumbent broadband providers could be clarified. Ms. Schuh agreed to adjust the language. RYAN WALTERS moved, seconded by ANTHONY YOUNG, to approve Resolution 3105 with a change to the 'Infrastructure' section for broadband funding to read, "Allow state funding opportunities for broadband expansion even if it creates market competition." Vote: Ayes -JEREMY CARTER, ANTHONY YOUNG, RYAN WALTERS, CHRISTINE CLELAND-MCGRATH, CAROLYN MOULTON, BRUCE MCDOUGALL. Nays -None. Abstentions-AMANDA HUBIK. Result: Passed Adjournment There being no further business, at approximately 8:20 p.m. the Anacortes City Council meeting of December 19, 2022 was adjourned. Anacortes City Council Minutes -December 19, 2022 6