City Council Committee Agendas

Mount Vernon Finance Committee Parks & Enrichment Services Committee Minutes February 23, 2022 Councilmember Hudson called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. Present: Mayor Boudreau, Councilmembers Beaton, Brocksmith, Hudson, Hulst, Molenaar and Morales 1. Meeting minutes from January 26, 2021, were approved. 2. Parks and Enrichment Services – Jennifer Berner a. Review of Park Code Revision: i. Chapter 12.32 – Park Code is being amended to incorporate needed changes to help with enforcement and operations. ii. Most Significant revisions include defining the park and trail hours and more descriptive language around trespass in parks and unlawful encroachments and use of marijuana in parks. Additions include information regarding abandonment of vehicles, unlawful posting of signs and use of tobacco products in parks. iii. Discussion items included: 1. 12.32.160 Restriction of animals in parks - concern that we may need to look at additional locations for dogs to be off leash. Staff commented that it could be addressed when we worked through the Parks Comprehensive Plan update this year. 2. 12.32.190 Unlawful use of tobacco products in parks – comment that may want to look at only some areas within parks having no-smoking restriction. City Attorney commented that County already has ordinance that restricts smoking and vaping in public places to include parks, playgrounds, and athletic fields. Council was in agreement to move forward with restricting use in these spaces. b. YMCA Hoag Road Facility Agreement: i. Staff provided Council with brief timeline and history of how we arrived at a discussion on if the agreement is still the best path forward for both entities. 1. Staff asked Council to provide input on ideas of using the remaining balance of $55, 312 due to the City from the initial $100,000 provided to the YMCA in 2019. a. Offer Friendship House and Community Action access to memberships for individuals they are assisting. YMCA does require ID and background check on all potential members so not sure how many would qualify. b. Council asked staff to inquire about potential use of the pool for swim lessons or open swims.  c. Concern was also expressed for moving forward with a termination of the agreement. d. More conversation on this topic in March. c. Parks and Recreation Comprehensive Plan Section Update: i. Staff provided Council with a proposed timeline for the Parks Comp Plan Project. Start solicitation for firms to help with manage the project in April with final selection and award in June and possible completion by December. d. Department Updates i. Park staff working hard on preparing ballfields for the community and downtown for the Tulip Festival and Street Fair. ii. Rec Coordinator and Park Maintenance Staff started this week. iii. New Recreation Guide is on track to be mailed out to residents of MV mid- March 3. Finance – Doug Volesky a. HB1406 and HB1509 Status: i. Update on HB1406 – Local state-shared tax for affordable and supportive housing. 1. This tax is credited against the 6.5% state sales tax so no impact to MV citizens. 2. Approximately $65,000 per year. 3. Will assist Catholic Housing when certificate of occupancy is issued for Martha’s Place and discussed other possible uses for any remaining funds. 4. There was a in depth discussion about the use of approximately $170,000 currently available from these funds. A decision was made to continue this discussion at a future committee meeting. 4. Miscellaneous, for the good of the order None. The meeting was adjourned at 6:59 p.m. Submitted by: Doug Volesky Doug Volesky