City Council

Next Ordinance No. 1951 Next Resolution No. 01-2025 www.burlingtonwa.gov CITY COUNCIL AGENDA City Hall, 833 South Spruce Street 7:00 p.m. February 13, 2025 MEETING TO BE HELD IN-PERSON & REMOTELY ZOOM WEBINAR LINK: https://zoom.us/j/97859681042 ZOOM DIAL-IN: +1-253-215-8782 WEBINAR ID: 978 5968 1042 COUNCIL WORKSHOP: February 13, 2025 @ 6:00 PM - Ward 2 Councilmember Selection CALL TO ORDER: MINUTES: City Council Meeting of January 23, 2025 AUDIT OF BILLS: PUBLIC COMMENTS: MAYOR’S UPDATE: COUNCIL COMMENTS: COMMITTEE & BOARD REPORTS: OFFICER’S REPORTS: PROCLAMATIONS: PRESENTATIONS: 2024 Year-End Report- Friendship House/First Step Center New Phone System – NW Tech CONSENT AGENDA: 1) Appointment of Student Representative on Art Commission _______ INTRODUCTION/DISCUSSION/ POSSIBLE ACTION ITEM: ______ ACTION ITEMS: EXECUTIVE SESSION: An Executive Session may be held to discuss Personnel, Litigation, and/or Land Acquisition. ADJOURNMENT: MEETINGS: 1) AUDIT & FINANCE COMMITTEE: Thursday, February 13, 2025, 4:00 PM Telephonic Meeting 1-774-777-7588 Conference ID# 589-8786 Next Regular Council Meeting: Thursday, February 27, 2025, Americans with Disabilities Act Accommodations Provided upon Request WORKSHOP MATERIALS  ITEM #: 1 CHECK ONE: DISCUSSION ACTION X WORKSHOP AGENDA ITEM Council Date: February 13, 2025 Subject: Appointment to Open Council Seat Submitted By: Greg Young, City Administrator Leif Johnson, City Attorney Attachments: Ward 2 Councilmember Application Materials; Public Hearing Required: YES ( ) NO (X) 2025 Ward Map; Councilmember Appointment Info; Rules of Procedure - Section 8; Interview Questions HISTORY AND SUMMARY City Councilmember Keith Chaplin has left his City Councilmember position, effective January 23, 2025, and therefore the City of Burlington may now seek a new Councilmember for Ward 2. Based on recent Council vacancies, City staff have published the Council seat opening across numerous media channels including the newspaper, City website, City social media accounts, and other outlets beginning on January 15, 2025. The City has received applications from interested citizens which are included in your packet, and you will have the opportunity to interview each candidate and potentially make a selection for one of them to serve out the remainder of the term. In their application materials they answer a number of questions. Included in your packet are 7 example questions that you may ask in-person at the meeting, or you may craft your own question. Normally, it is customary to ask each individual the same questions but feel free to ask follow-up questions that are sparked by an answer to any one of the standard questions. ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED 1  Council has basically three options – 1) interview and/or select one of the applicants, 2) interview and/or decline to appoint anyone to the position opting to open the City to further applicants, or 3) decide to not fill the open seat. This last option has a time limit, however, that is discussed in the Legal Review section of this report. CURRENT AND FUTURE BUDGET RAMIFICATIONS Since the annual budget anticipated and funded all Council positions, there are no noteworthy current or future budget ramifications, other than de minimis advertising costs and staff time dedicated to coordinating the appointment process. LEGAL ASPECTS – LEGAL REVIEW Statewide, open council positions are a common occurrence – this can be for reasons of resignation, death, or someone moving and no longer being qualified to hold office in the city. As a result, the legal process of filling an open Council seat is well established. Within 90 days of the vacancy (January 31, 2025), the City Council needs to solicit and appoint a successor who then serves for the remainder of the unexpired term, or until December 31, 2027. Should the Council decide not to fill the position within the 90-day timeline, it loses the authority to do so, and the appointing responsibility moves to the County Commissioners, who then have an additional 90 days to appoint someone. In turn, should they fail to act, the Governor may make an appointment. State law also requires that whoever is appointed to the position must obtain open government training within 90 days of assuming office. It is worth noting that the person that fills the vacancy may run for the position during the next general election, should they choose to do so. An interesting quirk in the law is that when someone is appointed during mid-term of an existing term, as is expected here, then another person wins at the next general election, the winner of the election begins immediately, rather than waiting for the expiration of the term. In other words, they would start as soon as the election results are certified, or possibly earlier, rather than waiting for January. STAFF RECOMMENDATION The Council has some latitude as to how it goes about deciding on a preferred candidate. The interviews, debate and vote must be in open session. Other than those basic requirements, Council may choose to a) ask each individual questions, b) adjourn to Executive Session to “evaluate the qualifications for a candidate for appointment to elective office” and then, c) return to open session to make your decision. It is the strong suggestion of staff that any vote, including so-called “straw polls” must occur in an open meeting. Council may request, but cannot require applicants to wait outside Council chambers while other candidates are being interviewed, since this is a public meeting. It is advisable for Council to avoid asking any questions that may be seen as “protected”, such as questions that are related to age, gender, race, familial status, religion, national origin, pregnancy, disability, military service/veteran or genetic information. A candidate may feel free to volunteer such information if they wish, but Council should not ask. 2 Some examples of potential questions that Council may ask include, but are not limited to the examples provided in the ‘Ward 2 – Open Council Seat Interview’ document. The choice to include an Executive Session is yours to make – if you want, you may forego an Executive Session and simply vote to choose the successor immediately or following the interviews. If Council wishes to hold an Executive Session pursuant to the authority of RCW 42.30.110(1)(h), please make a motion to do so, using the language below, when convenient. The eventual vote for Council must be by majority of the Council present, assuming a quorum is achieved. The Mayor may break a tie, should one occur, but is not required to do so. At any time, any Councilmember may make a motion to appoint the candidate of their preference, using the language below. The new Councilmember must be sworn in. Staff may be available to perform this function at the meeting. If not, the new Councilmember should contact Chris Summers at City Hall as soon as possible in order to complete this process, and to set up their open government training. If your preference is to have their appointment effective at our next meeting, we would administer the oath of office at the beginning of our next Council meeting (February 27th) and then proceed with the meeting. Once sworn in, the new Councilmember may immediately assume the rights and responsibilities of their office. If no candidate achieves majority support, please direct staff to re-open the application period, to be further considered on or around the March 27, 2025 regular meeting. Language for such a motion is below, for your convenience. SUGGESTED COUNCIL MOTION LANGUAGE For an optional Executive Session: “I move to conduct an executive session pursuant to RCW 42.30.110(1)(h) in order to evaluate the qualifications of a candidate for appointment to elective office. However, any interview of such candidate and final action appointing a candidate to elective office shall be in a meeting open to the public.” For Council Appointment: “I move to appoint candidate (name) to fill the remainder of the vacant Ward 2 Council position effective tonight, February 13, 2025 or (insert alternate date).” If no candidate receives majority support: “I move to re-open applications for the position of Ward 2 Councilmember, to be further considered on the March 27, 2025 regular Council meeting.” 3  -·- 'VIII ,, GEAR ROAD en I en Ii ��0 I J: JOSH WILSON ROAD I� z I Cl ..I N (PVT) COUNlY SHOP LN NW NE w s s Cl <( 0 er: er: � Cl � Cl 111 d z E Mseti_��- FI HER � LANE 3 (PVT) J: a:: w > ..I MAYOR :, BILL ASLETT 1726 SUNSET DR OFFICE: 360-755-0531 ll. FASHION PVT. W . cCORQUEDALE RD I CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS ! AS OF 02/26/2024 j l *MEETS 2ND & 4TH THURSDAYS - 7:00 PM /' 223 / BENNETT RO SCOTT K. GREEN E. ORANGE AVE 936-494-9610 WARD 1 WARD 2 VACANT ELIZABETH 130 WARD 3 360-421-0064 TURMAN-BRYANT S. ANACORTES ST 1111 JAMES STAVIG 360-428-0410 S. SPRUCE ST 948 JAMIE WEISS 805-914-8971 HOMESTEAD DR 1487 JESUS PEREZ-LINARES E. RIO VISTA AVE 360-333-0038 714 JOE DEGLORIA KODIAK DRIVE 360-757-2456 *ALL MEETINGS ARE HELD IN THE HOAG ROAD CITY HALL COUNCIL CHAMBERS @ 833 S. SPRUCE ST. REV: 01-14-2025 CITY OF BURLINGTON CITY OF BURLINGTON _soo 1000 150 I •• , ........... . l'�.,:,� 2025 COUNCIL WARD MAP SCALE: BURLINGTON GIS MAPPING �..15==-  Councilmember Appointment Information Voting: A new Councilmember may only be appointed by a majority vote. In other words, four votes of the body are required to appoint, no matter how many Councilmembers are in attendance. The Mayor may only vote in the event of a 3-3 tie, but is not required to do so. The Mayor may not nominate a candidate or second any nomination. See RCW 35A.12.100. 1 Selection: Council may but is not required to adjourn to executive session in order to discuss the , narrowing down of the candidates or otherwise, occur during the executive session. Nominations, voting and selection of the candidate must occur in the open public meeting. Term: The candidate that is selected will need to take the oath of office. If staff is available, it may be possible to accommodate that during the meeting, but more likely, the candidate will be sworn in at City Hall at a later date, then assume their seat thereafter. The selected candidate should contact the City Legal Department as soon as possible to arrange a convenient date. According to Skagit County’s Elections Department, an election for this position will be held during the November 2027 general election. The elected candidate may take the position as soon as the 2 Ward 2 - Open Council Seat Interview Councilmembers may select interview questions from the provided list or ask their own. As much as possible, Council should ask the same questions of each candidate. 1. What previous community involvement have you had in Burlington or another city? 2. Based on what you know about city government, what do you see as top priorities for the City of Burlington and why? 3. What would you say are your two greatest strengths? How do they relate to this position? 4. What is your approach to handling controversial and complicated issues? 5. What would you say your biggest weakness is and how do you try to improve on it? 6. What is your style of communication and please give an example of it. 7. Serving on the City Council requires a significant time commitment, usually 2-4 meetings a month, as well as reading prep prior to meetings. How will this fit in with your other commitments? Return to Agenda  FUTURE COUNCIL AGENDA AD = Administration - Mayor/Administrator LG = Legal - Leif PW = Public Works - Brian/Travis/Don PD = Police - Kevin FR = Fire/EMS – Rob CD = Community Development - Brad ES = Enrichment Services – Sarah CT = Municipal Court - Marina FN = Finance – Joe HR = Human Resource – Kristen February 20, 2025 Council WORKSHOP – 6PM AD/ES Creation of Enrichment Services Department and Reorganization of Park Events Coordination February 27, 2025 Council Meeting CONSENT Appointment to Planning Commission FN January 2025 Financial Results - INFORMATION PK Boerner Park Replacement Playground – Great Western Recreation – DISCUSSION/ACTION AD Potential 2025 Council Retreat – DISCUSSION/ACTION AD Transportation Benefit District – Use of Funding – DISCUSSION PD Review of Potential Police Station Remodel – DISCUSSION CD Non-Motorized Transportation Study Update – DISCUSSION LG City Code Revision Regarding Land Use Appeals to City Council - DISCUSSION AD Enrichment Services Reorganization & Change to Non-Represented Wage Grid – ACTION PW Design Contract – Safe Route to School Grant – ACTION PW Authorization for Purchase of Replacement Library Door Actuators - ACTION AD Authorization for Non-Represented Salary Survey RFP - ACTION AD Resolution Declaring Ambulance Surplus - ACTION FR Donation of Surplus Ambulance to Children’s Museum – ACTION  March 13, 2025 Council Meeting AD Transportation Benefit District – Use of Funding – DISCUSSION AD Carnegie Library Lease - DISCUSSION AD NORA Land Lease Renewal – DISCUSSION/ACTION CD Proposed City Council Ward Boundaries – DISCUSSION PW Engineering Design Contract – 2026 WWTP Improvements – ACTION PW Resolution Declaring Sole Source Vendor – Submersible Pump for WWTP LG City Code Revision Regarding Land Use Appeals to City Council - ACTION PK Boerner Park Replacement Playground – Great Western Recreation – ACTION March 27, 2025 Council Meeting AD Presentation – Solarize Skagit – Mary Wohleb, La Conner Councilmember AD Presentation – Northstar Program – Monica Negrila FN February 2025 Financial Results - INFORMATION PK Skagit River Park Irrigation Update – DISCUSSION AD Transportation Benefit District – Use of Funding – DISCUSSION AD Carnegie Library Lease - ACTION Return to Agenda Return to Agenda Return to Agenda ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT  City Administrator’s Report City Council Meeting of February 13, 2025 Greetings All For me, the thing about snow is that I hate when it arrives and then I wish we would get a lot more. Years ago, I moved to Anchorage (her name is Gretchen) and during my first winter, we got about 12 feet of snow. My job was to shovel the snow from the entry of the 4-plex to the parking area. As the winter progressed, the pathway got narrower and narrower, and the snow of either side got higher and higher. I was relieved in March when I left to attend Grad School in Phoenix! Anyway, I hope everyone is enjoying the winter weather to the extent you can. We will begin next Thursday at 6PM for interviews and deliberations possibly leading to your choice for our newest Councilmember. We received two applications, and it is good to see that our citizens are willing to volunteer their time to make our community even better. Following the new councilmember selection process, we will begin the regular meeting with two presentations. First, we will hear from Jonathan Kline from the Friendship House covering the 2024 operations down at the First Step Center. The Center continues to fulfill their charge of providing temporary housing for those in need and Jonathan will go over the statistics for last year. The next presentation will be from NW Tech – they are in the process of replacing our aging phone system with web-based Teams-compatible phones. The biggest change for our employees will be the removal of nearly all of the desktop phones. Someday, new employees will ask why there are holes cut into the corners of our desks! With many employees having cell phones and your computers (desktop, laptop, or other) all having phone capabilities, we will be putting in place a state-of-the-art phone system for a fraction of the cost of replacing our existing system with another similar arrangement. All our phone numbers will remain the same. Following these presentations, we will move into the meat of the agenda. In your packets I’ve put three pieces of miscellaneous information. First are the Sales Tax numbers for January (November sales) and what a way to start the year – not only were sales tax nearly $100K above January of 2024 but it was by far the strongest January on record. To add to this, every category of sales tax showed strong year-over-year growth. If you look at the “Sales Tax by Sector” graph, you will see a large uptick in the All Other category which is made up of on- line sales amongst other purchases. We also continue to see growth in the Building and Construction category. The other two items are the corrected Councilmember term expiration sheet from our web site (we had incorrectly put that some terms end in 2028 when it should have been 2027) and a sheet reflecting the various labor agreements we have in place, their Agreement expiration dates, and the number of employees in each group. I hope this gives you a better idea of the relative size of the bargaining groups. There is one more piece of miscellaneous information that was not ready for the Packets but will be handed out Thursday night – the preliminary 2024 financial results. Joe and his crew continue to make the final year-end adjustments so these numbers will not be final but very close as we do not expect large changes to be necessary. Next will be the appointment of a student member to the Art Commission. I’m sure you have heard recently of their increased activity and by adding this student to the mix, we hope they will continue to bring even more new forms of art to our City. City Administrator’s Report City Council Meeting of February 13, 2025 Page 2 As of this writing, there will be no need for an Executive Session following the meeting so hopefully we can work our way through the agenda and dispense with the people business in a timely manner, leading to an early adjournment. See you at 6PM Thursday night. Return to Agenda Sales Tax Info Return to Agenda COUNCIL INFORMATION Return to Agenda MINUTES  CITY OF BURLINGTON, WA January 23, 2025 Mayor Bill Aslett called the City Council meeting to order at 7:01 p.m. with the Pledge of Allegiance following a 6 p.m. workshop. Councilmembers present: Keith Chaplin, Joe DeGloria, Scott Green, Jesús Pérez-Linares, James Stavig, Elizabeth Turman-Bryant and Jamie Weiss. Staff present: Sewer Supervisor Don Erickson, City Attorney Leif Johnson, Accounting and Payroll Supervisor Katrina Kallio, Police Commander Jeremy Kramer, Court Administrator Marina Martinez, Public Works Director Marv Pulst, Streets/Facilities Maintenance/Parks Supervisor Travis Schwetz, Finance Director Joe Stewart, Police Chief Kevin Turner, Library & Parks Director Sarah Ward, and City Administrator Greg Young. Mayor Aslett announced that the first item on the evening’s agenda was an Executive Session. EXECUTIVE SESSION: City Attorney Leif Johnson recited the following: an executive session will be held pursuant to RCW 42.30.110(d) to review negotiations on the performance of publicly bid contracts when public knowledge regarding such consideration would cause a likelihood of increased costs. Because the topic is related to public defense, the City Attorney is prohibited from participating in the executive session, due to RCW 10.10.040, since the City Attorney manages the City’s prosecution contract. Outside Counsel Drew Pollom of Ogden Murphy Wallace will conduct the executive session. City Attorney Johnson expected the meeting to last 20 minutes. Council proposed to re-organize the agenda schedule so that Presentations would be first in the agenda order, followed by the Executive Session. PRESENTATIONS: 2023 DOE Wastewater Outstanding Performance Award Sewer Supervisor Don Erickson shared with Council the news of the 11th consecutive Department of Ecology Wastewater Outstanding Performance Award received by the Wastewater Treatment team. Don Erickson credited the support of the Public Works Director Marv Pulst, and the Sewer team acknowledging their contributions to the success of the Wastewater Treatment Plant. Erickson introduced the team, their job titles, and certification levels. Burlington Historical Society – Carnegie Library Tim Loving presented on behalf of the Burlington Historical Society. The organization outlined ideas to utilize the Carnegie Library building, owned by the City of Burlington, as a museum and 1  CITY OF BURLINGTON, WA January 23, 2025 community resource. There were accompanying materials to support the presentation included in the Council Agenda Packets. EXECUTIVE SESSION: City Attorney Leif Johnson announced the start of the Executive Session at 7:15 p.m. which was expected to last for 20 minutes until 7:35 p.m. An extension was made to add 10 minutes to the session until 7:45 p.m. Council resumed regular session at 7:46 p.m. Councilors Green/Chaplin made a motion to add an item to the agenda as Action Item #7 for the topic of Contract Agreement for Indigent Defense Services. All in favor; motion carried. MINUTES: Councilors Green/Turman-Bryant made a motion to approve the January 9, 2025, City Council meeting minutes. All in favor; motion carried. AUDIT OF BILLS: Councilor Scott Green updated Council on the Audit & Finance meeting wherein the committee reviewed the City invoices and expenses. Expenses of note included: $560K for the E-W Connector Project and $100K to Skagit 911. A motion was made by Councilors Green/Chaplin to approve Accounts Payable Invoices to be paid as of January 23, 2025, in the amount of $198,763.43; Open Period – Accounts Payable Invoices Paid as of December 31, 2024, in the amount of $1,235,956.03; and Payroll Expenses for Pay Period ending December 31, 2024, in the amount of $708,610.12. All in favor; motion carried. PUBLIC COMMENTS: No Public Comments. Members of the public may submit comments or questions by mail to City Hall at 833 S. Spruce Street, ATTN: Greg Young, or by email to badministration@burlingtonwa.gov. Contact information for all the City Departments is available at www.burlingtonwa.gov. MAYOR’S UPDATE: 2  CITY OF BURLINGTON, WA January 23, 2025 In addition to the message included in Council Packets, Mayor Bill Aslett commended the Finance Department on the successful annual audit which received great feedback from the auditors. COUNCIL COMMENTS: Councilor Pérez-Linares appreciated the variety of resources available at the Burlington Public Library including many bi-lingual book options plus activities and services available for patrons. Councilor Chaplin commented that the road construction work being done along SR-20 included the installation of new fire hydrants, appreciated the year-end police report, and complimented City staff for the newly published City Newsletter. Councilor Stavig noted that it was Councilor Chaplin’s last City Council meeting and thanked him for many years of service with the City of Burlington. COMMITTEE & BOARD REPORTS: Councilor Turman-Bryant shared an update from the Parks & Rec Board meeting wherein a new tractor purchase, the Portland Loo, an RFQ for a natural playground, and P&R sponsorship catalogue were discussed. The board also voted on new members. Councilor Pérez-Linares reported on the Public Safety meeting in which both Chief Toth and Chief Turner shared annual reports for the Fire and Police Departments. Pérez-Linares invited Councilmembers to join the Public Safety meeting in February for a tour of Public Safety facilities. Councilor Stavig noted that the Public Works Committee meeting discussed the topics of: E-W connector project final punch list, Skagit Street signal work, grant funding to study railway crossing throughout the City, Pine St. designs, apartment construction projects, and Sewer Department updates. Mayor Aslett extended an invitation to the retirement party of Public Works Director Marv Pulst who was also thanked for his work by Councilor Chaplin. Councilor Weiss stated that the Historical Commission held a meeting wherein historical display plans, a Carnegie Library building plaque, and Greenhills Memorial Cemetery were topics of note. OFFICER’S REPORTS: 3  CITY OF BURLINGTON, WA January 23, 2025 Public Works Director shared a few slides with Council detailing the E-W Connector especially focusing on the value of the right of way donations made for the project. City Administrator Greg Young updated Council on the Ward 2 Vacancy recruitment process and timeline. PROCLAMATION: No Proclamation. CONSENT AGENDA: No Consent Agenda. INTRODUCTION/DISCUSSION/POSSIBLE ACTION ITEMS: No Introduction/Discussion/Possible Action Items. ACTION ITEMS: 2025 County Laserfiche Interlocal for Municipal Court Court Administrator Marina Martinez and Judge Jenifer Howson explained the value and purpose of an electronic document management system with automated workflows, specifically Laserfiche, applied to the Courts processes and system. Judge Howson provided examples of the impacts and benefits on workflow during trials. Jess Boffey, IS Project Manager at Skagit County, shared the history of selecting this IS software option for the County and answered Council questions about costs, alternate options, and features of the software. Skagit County will manage and administer the system as well as provide technical assistance and support for the Laserfiche software to City Courts staff. A motion was made by Councilors Weiss/DeGloria to approve the 2025 County Interlocal Agreement for Laserfiche for use in the Municipal Court. All in favor; motion carried. Maiben Park Natural Playground RFQ Authorization Library and Parks Director Sarah Ward asked for Council approval to advertise for an RFQ for the design of a Maiben Park Natural Playground design per the recommendation of the Parks & Recreation Advisory Board. Council engaged in discussion about other parks projects, the priority of those projects, and the reasons and benefits of having “shovel ready” project designs available when seeking public park funding. 4  CITY OF BURLINGTON, WA January 23, 2025 A motion was made by Councilors Chaplin/Weiss to authorize the Request for Qualifications for the design of the Natural Playground at Maiben Park. Councilors Turman-Bryant, Green, and Pérez-Linares in favor; Councilors Stavig and DeGloria opposed. Motion carried; 5:2. Councilor Stavig stated that his vote was a result of a preference for the prioritization of spending on other parks and park facility projects. 2025 Skagit County Interlocal Drug Enforcement Unit (SCIDEU) Agreement Police Chief Kevin Turner introduced a new contract with SCIDEU for Council consideration. The contract with SCIDEU had similarities to previous years but now included a section to address any funding shortfalls that would be divided amongst participation jurisdictions on a pro-rated share. The contribution of Burlington would not exceed 5%, or in this case, $5K. Council asked a few questions and spoke about the previous year’s contract and presentation giving by the SCIDEU Commander in 2024. A motion was made by Councilors Green/Chaplin to approve the SCIDEU Interlocal Agreement. Councilors Turman-Bryant, Pérez-Linares, Stavig and Green in favor; Councilor Weiss opposed. Motion carried; 6:1. Authorization Tractor Purchase Streets/Facilities Maintenance/Parks Supervisor Travis Schwetz presented a PowerPoint slideshow and provided multiple quotes for tractors that would meet the purchasing requirements for an equipment upgrade. Schwetz noted the old tractor would be kept in rotation for other park tasks. A motion was made by Councilors Green/Weiss to approve the purchase of a new or slightly used 90+ horsepower tractor with a purchase price not to exceed $70K and authorize the Mayor to sign for the purchase. All in favor; motion carried. Combined Inspector Plans Examiner Position City Administrator Greg Young stated that this was a follow-up Action Item from the discussion held at the previous Council meeting and referenced subject materials available in the Council packets. A motion was made by Councilors Stavig/Turman-Bryant to add the two new job classifications to the Non-Represented Wage Grid. All in favor; motion carried. 5  CITY OF BURLINGTON, WA January 23, 2025 Replace Vehicle for Engineering Public Works Director Marv Pulst asked Council for approval to replace the Engineering Department’s work vehicle as part of the planned ER&R schedule. Pulst highlighted the regular use and need of a reliable vehicle for City staff to conduct inspections and visit job sites. The new vehicle could also become part of a Citywide fleet available to staff instead of having department specific vehicles. A motion was made by Councilors Green/Stavig to authorize the Burlington Engineering Department to purchase a 2024 Ford Explorer from Dwayne Lane’s Ford Dealership. All in favor; motion carried. ADDED ITEM: Contract Agreement for Indigent Defense Services A motion was made by Councilors Green/Pérez-Linares to approve the Indigent Defense Services contract between the City of Mount Vernon and the City of Burlington. All in favor; motion carried. CLOSED SESSION: City Attorney Leif Johnson recited the following: pursuant to RCW 42.30.140, a closed session will be held regarding the planning or adopting of the strategy or position to be taken by the governing body during the course of any collective bargaining professional negotiations, or grievance or mediation proceedings, or reviewing the proposals made in the negotiations or proceedings while in progress. The topics are OPMA exempt pursuant to RCW 42.30. L. Johnson stated that there would be possible action in the closed session meeting or at the conclusion of the session. There was a 5-minute break announced with the closed session to begin at 9:32 p.m. City Attorney Johnson expected the meeting to last 20 minutes until 9:52 p.m. Executive session closed at 9:52 p.m. A motion was made by Councilors Chaplin/Weiss to approve the Agreement for the Support Personnel of the Burlington Police Department. All in favor; motion carried. ADJOURNMENT: Mayor Aslett thanked Councilor Chaplin for his years of dedication and service to the City of Burlington and adjourned the meeting at 9:54 p.m. 6  CITY OF BURLINGTON, WA January 23, 2025 ________________ _________________ Joseph Stewart Bill Aslett Finance Director Mayor 7 Return to Agenda MAYOR REPORT CONSENT AGENDA  CONSENT AGENDA – February 13, 2025 1. Appointment of Student Representative on Art Commission RECOMMENDATION Motion to approve Consent Agenda Item #1 and authorize the Mayor’s signature on appropriate documents.  ITEM #: 1 CHECK ONE: DISCUSSION ACTION X CONSENT AGENDA ITEM Council Date: February 13, 2025 Subject: Appointment to the Burlington Arts Commission Submitted By: Greg Young, City Administrator Attachments: Application Form: Eunice Zeferino Lucero Public Hearing Required: YES ( ) NO (X) HISTORY AND SUMMARY The City has one remaining vacant student representative position on the Burlington Arts Commission. The following individual has applied: Eunice Zeferino Lucero. An application has been submitted by the aforementioned individual and is included for Council’s consideration. Aspects for Council to consider with relation to the desired criteria of this Commission member are as follows: • Broad cultural perspective; • Commitment to the importance of public art in the community; • Experience in collaborative decision making and consensus building; • Willingness to represent the Commission in public; • Ability to deal with conflict; and • Ability to assess the overall needs of the Burlington community. ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED It is in the best interest of the City to have the committee as fully-staffed as possible; not filling the open positions is an alternative but not one that is preferred. CURRENT AND FUTURE BUDGET RAMIFICATIONS This committee is assigned the task of recommending the expansion of the public experience with visual arts and supporting local artists in creating art for public places; this may or may not have an impact on future budgets.  LEGAL ASPECTS – LEGAL REVIEW City code requires that certain individuals from the community sit on this commission: it is a requirement that they either reside or work in the Burlington-Edison School District. STAFF RECOMMENDATION It appears that this individual is qualified to sit on this committee and therefore, it is staff’s recommendation to approve the appointment. SUGGESTED COUNCIL MOTION LANGUAGE Motion to confirm the appointment of Eunice Zeferino Lucero to the Burlington Arts Commission, effective February 13, 2025. Return to Agenda