City Council Committee Agendas

Mount Vernon Finance Committee Parks & Enrichment Services Committee Minutes September 25th, 2019 Present: Councilmembers Beaton, Brocksmith, Carías, Hulst, Hudson, Molenaar Staff present: Mayor Boudreau, Doug Volesky, Kevin Rogerson, Bill King, Isaac Huffman, Peter Donovan, Chris Cammock, Chris Philips, and Rebecca Lowell Citizens present: 10 1) Minutes from the August 28th, 2019 committee meeting were approved. 2) Finance Department Update by Finance Director Doug Volesky a) Director Volesky reviewed the City of Mount Vernon’s Projected 2020 Revenues i) Revisited the 2020 budget calendar. ii) Outlined where the supporting documentation and work papers for the 2020 revenue projections are saved within the Cities I drive. iii) Reviewed how the revenue policies impact revenue projections and the resources used assist with the revenue projections. iv) Presented the estimated 2020 revenues by source. v) Reviewed the estimated 2020 tax revenues by tax category. vi) Discussed the 2019 Levy for 2020 property taxes and the estimated levy rates. (1) Included a review of the Levy Rate and Assessed Value correlation vii) Presented the 2019 Sales Tax Rate and Estimates viii) Outlined the 2020 Estimated Governmental Operating Fund Revenues including the estimated balances, difference from estimated 2019 revenues, and a brief explanation of any major variances between the two. ix) Presented the Other Major Revenue 2020 Estimates (1) Noted that REET estimates for 2019 are currently above actual REET taxes for 2019 and an overall increase in 2020 might not happen so a more conservative estimate was used for now. b) Monthly Sales Tax, TBD Revenue, and Real Estate Excise Tax (REET) Review i) Director Volesky presented a brief over view of all three accounts. (1) Sales Tax and TBD Revenue continue to outpace budgeted expectations. (2) REET Tax made up some ground on the prior year but is still below budgeted expectations. City of Mount Vernon Finance Committee September 25, 2019 3) Parks and Enrichment Services. a) Project Update i) Hillcrest Rehab/Park Landscaping Upgrade Project (1) This project has been completed. ii) Bakerview Roadway & Sidewalk Project is Currently Underway (1) Currently on schedule to complete on time. (2) Working on pouring curbs and gutters at this time. iii) Little Mountain Project is currently underway (1) Completed 860ft of rock wall. (2) Had some rainwater runoff issues compounded by site usage that required installation of additional drainage. (3) Meeting engineers to discuss time line updates based on additional work. iv) Urban Forestry Seminar “Protecting Trees During Construction” (1) Staff attended this free training and found we’re observing many of these guidelines. v) Other Park Projects/Issues (1) Ed Lawler transitioning to Waste Water (2) CWP Supervisor Vacancy (3) Vaux House Sewer repair has been completed (4) Edgewater Restroom Repair – Vandalized over the weekend and have been shut down for repairs (5) Pacific Quarry Reclamation Plan Review (6) Self-Watering Flower Basket research completed and expect to purchase a large amount of these as they should pay for themselves in a few years (7) Expanded Security Camera Coverage – Lion’s Park (a) Working with Fiber to install security cameras in the park (8) Fall Downtown Cleanup vi) Upcoming Training – 2019 WRPA Fall Summit “Effective Communication with the Homeless” b) Recreation Update i) Reviewed of some of the programs gearing up for this fall. ii) Thanked all the Volunteers who’ve contributed over 2425.75 hours so far this year. iii) Presented an update on the YMCA Partnership City of Mount Vernon Finance Committee September 25, 2019 iv) Outlined the upcoming events (1) Veterans Day Celebration November 9th, 2019 (2) Breakfast with Santa – December 7th, 2019 (3) Holiday Movie “Jack Frost” at Lincoln Theatre – December 8th, 2019 v) Reviewed the 3 new commissioners for the Arts Commission (1) Jill Gilbert (2) Diane Gage (3) Alexa Grechishkin c) City Work Program Update i) Discussed the Kincaid Cleanup and the day to day challenges these types of cleanups represent. ii) Presented new Park Ranger John “Kevin” Mathis’ upcoming training schedule The meeting was recessed at 6:41 p.m. The meeting was resumed at 8:15 p.m. 4) Affordable Housing Discussion – Continued from September 25, 2019 a) Code Amendments - Ms. Lowell provided a brief review of the Density Code Amendments for single family and multi-family developments. In summary the amendments include: i) 50% density increase in R-1 zones ii) Doubling the density in multi-family zones iii) Doubling density in PUDs (threshold decreased from 10 to 5 acres) iv) Parking reductions and increased height in C-3 and C-4 zones v) ADUs outright permitted use and increased from 900 to 1,000 square feet vi) Duplex and townhouse subdivision code With Council consensus this evening, these amendments should be before Council in mid/late November. b) Single Family Residential Density Bonus Example - Ms. Lowell provided a detailed example of an existing Preliminary Plat in Mount Vernon and provided a plan utilizing existing and proposed density bonus code. Ms. Lowell described in significant detail developer options/flexibility as it related to a menu of alternatives a developer could utilize that include: Duplex, Tri-plex, Quad-plex, Stackable Flats, Townhomes, SFR, and Multi-Family Residential alternatives. City of Mount Vernon Finance Committee September 25, 2019 c) Council Questions – Director Phillips contacted each Council Member prior to the September 29, 2019 to gather pertinent questions and conduct due diligence & research to answer them. Many of the questions were answered were included in the Single Family Residential Density Bonus Example provided by Ms. Lowell. Other questions concerning: SEPA, Conditional Use Permit/Process, Single Family Residential R-1, 3.0 Zoning, Density Transitions & Design Standards, Forested Buffers, Target Audience (80% AMI) for the series of Amendments before Council as it related to the Council approved 2019 Housing Action Plan & the Objectives and Policies contained in the 2016 Council adopted Comprehensive Plan, and General Provisions that relate to the composition, type and location of the Affordable Housing Units within a Preliminary Plat or Planned Unit Development. Council consensus was to continue addressing Affordable Housing issues according to the Council approved 2019 Development Services Work Plan that include the Housing Action Plan. d) 2006 Economic Study Update – Council agreed with City Staff that an updated economic study should be completed as soon as practicable to assist the City Council in future C-2, C-L and Mixed Use Code Amendments. 5) For the Good of the Order Mayor Boudreau and the Council agreed to cancel the retreat to review the proposed code amendments. The meeting adjourned at 10:20 p.m. Submitted by: Chase Kinney Chase Kinney