City Council Committee Agendas

Mount Vernon Finance Committee Parks & Enrichment Services Committee Minutes January 26, 2022 Councilmember Hudson called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. Present: Mayor Boudreau, Councilmembers Beaton, Brocksmith, Carías, Hudson, Hulst, Molenaar and Morales 1. Meeting minutes from October 27, 2021, were approved. 2. Finance Update Finance Director Volesky gave an update on the following: a. Library Commons Project i. Mayor Boudreau provided Council information on the project sequencing as of this date. The Mayor also provided information regarding a Federal funding plan provided by the Johnston Group as well as other possible funding options becoming available in 2022 and in 2023. ii. Director Volesky then presented a current funding overview of the project. At this time, it is estimated that the City will have up to $23M in funding. The remaining amount needed for a $48M project is approximately $23.3M. iii. Financing options, using the City’s LIFT award and matching funds, were discussed including asking for Council approval to move forward with a Federal loan application utilizing the Transportation Infrastructure Finance Innovation Act (TIFIA). The project qualifies for this funding and a comparison of facts and benefits comparing this loan with a bond financing was provided. Council gave their approval to move forward with the loan application. The first step is for the City to complete and submit a letter of interest to the Build America Bureau of the Federal Department of Transportation. b. Agenda Request i. The Finance Department is current keeping very busy with year-end processing and preparing for the 2021 financial statements. The Department is also in the process of implementing the OpenGov Budget and Workforce Planning, HR, Payroll, and Financial modules. With all the current financial tasks, staff presented a renewal of a consulting services agreement with Dowell Consulting for a use as needed basis. Staff will be requesting approval at the Council meeting following committee. ii. Staff will also be requesting approval of an agreement with the Skagit Watershed Council where Councilmember Brocksmith will abstain from the vote due to his interest as an employee of the Skagit Watershed Council. c. 2022 Sales Tax  i. The new 2022 sales tax jurisdiction distribution was presented to Council. The sales tax rate increased from 8.7% to 8.8% with the inclusion of the passing of the HB1590 affordable housing sales and use tax. d. Council was informed that January sales tax collection came in 8.9% higher than it did for the same month last year. 3. Parks and Enrichment Services Update Parks and Enrichment Services Director Berner gave an update on the following: a. Edgewater Park Playground i. Edgewater Playground remains closed, staff cleaning out the surfacing material due to the silt that was built up from the flood. Staff is getting quotes on replacement material. b. Kiwanis Salmon BBQ Lodge Rental i. Kiwanis Organization is offering their Salmon BBQ this year after a two-year hiatus. They are requesting a reduction in fees from what they paid in 2019. ii. Staff reviewed the new facility rental fee structure and proposed charging the $45 per hour rate (mid-week rate to offer them a discount) for the 15 Friday, Saturday, and Sundays they will be using the facility. This totaled $6,750, the same amount they paid in 2019. iii. Council discussed the proposed option and directed staff to move forward with this rental rate proposal. c. Review of Park Code Update i. The Parks and Enrichment Services Director will be reaching out to Council members to discuss the updates to the Park Code and will bring it back to Council in February for adoption. ii. The top five changes are: 1. Defined park hours 2. Better defined language regarding illegal dumping and unauthorized use of park property 3. Distinct language regarding prohibited use of marijuana in parks 4. Added unlawful use or abandonment of vehicle section to the code 5. Added posting of signs prohibited to the code 4. Miscellaneous, for the good of the order None. The meeting was adjourned at 6:56 p.m. Submitted by: Doug Volesky Doug Volesky