City Council

Oak Harbor City Council Regular Meeting Minutes January 3, 2023 This was both a physical meeting location and a virtual meeting. Meeting was viewable live via YouTube at www,youtube.com/cityofoakharbor , on Facebook, and on Cable Channel 10/HD 1090 following the meeting CALL TO ORDER Mayor Severns called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. Invocation – Pastor Matthew Erickson, Hope Church Pledge of Allegiance – Led by Mayor Severns ROLL CALL City Council Present: Staff Present/Videoconference Mayor Robert Severns City Administrator Blaine Oborn Mayor Pro Tem Tara Hizon Finance Director David Goldman Councilmember Beth Munns Public Works Director Steve Schuller Councilmember Jim Woessner Development Services Director David Kuhl Councilmember Bryan Stucky Parks and Recreation Director Brian Smith Councilmember Dan Evans - absent Fire Chief Ray Merrill Councilmember Shane Hoffmire Police Chief Kevin Dresker Councilmember Eric Marshall Communications & IT Manager Sabrina Combs Executive Assistant Macalle Finkle City Clerk Julie Nester Also in attendance: City Attorney Hillary J. Evans of Kenyon Disend, PLLC EXCUSE ABSENT COUNCILMEMBERS Mayor Severns noted Councilmember Woessner was attending virtually, and that Councilmember Ev- ans had asked to be excused and requested a motion. Motion: Mayor Pro Tem Hizon moved to excuse Councilmember Evans. Councilmember Munns se- conded the motion, which carried unanimously. 1. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Mayor Severns welcomed all in attendance and called for any changes to the agenda. Hearing none, the agenda was approved as presented. 2. PRESENTATIONS Regular Meeting Minutes January 3, 2023 Page 1 of 5  a. Proclamations – None b. Honors & Recognitions - None c. Community Presentations – Oak Harbor School District – Superintendent Michelle Kuss-Cy- bula Oak Harbor Public Schools Superintendent Kuss-Cybula addressed the Council and provided a presen- tation regarding the District’s proposed bond measure for the February 14, 2022 ballot. A copy of the presentation was included in the meeting packet. The School District requested support of the bond measure via a resolution submitted to City Council, which was on the Council Consent Agenda for this meeting. Superintendent Kuss-Cybula introduced Assistant Superintendent Dwight Lundstrom, who as- sisted in the School District presentation Councilmembers Woessner, Munns, Hoffmire, Stucky, Mayor Pro Tem Hizon and Mayor Severns pro- vided their respective questions and comments. 3. CITIZEN COMMENT PERIOD Mayor Severns noted citizens may comment on Consent Agenda items or subjects of interest not listed on the agenda at this time. Citizens will have the opportunity to comment on the remaining Agenda items during the meeting as appropriate. Citizens can also visit the City’s website prior to meetings for methods to submit public comment, or contact the City Clerk, Julie Nester by phone or email as noted on screen. When submitting comments, please include your name and address. Public comments sent anonymously will be shared with the Mayor and Council but will not be displayed. The City received one comment since the last regular meeting in regards to the removal of the Bank of America ATM near Haggen’s. The comment was displayed on-screen. Mayor Severns opened the floor for public comment from any audience member present. Hearing no one with a desire to address the Council, the public comment period was closed. 4. CONSENT AGENDA Consent Items a. Approval of Minutes of the December 13, 2022 Council Meeting b. Approval of Payroll and Accounts Payable Vouchers c. Interlocal Agreement – Acceptance of Washington State Military - Department of Homeland Security Grant (#E23-167) d. Resolution 23-01: Endorsing the Oak Harbor School District Bond Mayor Severns called for any changes to the consent agenda. Hearing none, he noted all items were approved as presented. Mayor Severns requested that Councilmember Munns read aloud Resolution 23-01 Endorsing the Oak Harbor School District Bond Measure. Following the reading, Mayor Severns thanked the School District once again for their presentation. 5. MAYOR, COUNCIL & STAFF COMMENTS a. Mayor - Mayor Severns provided the following comments and updates: • Economic Development Coordinator: The City welcomes Stephen McCaslin as its Economic Devel- opment Coordinator. This is Steve’s official first day with the City. Welcome aboard! Regular Meeting Minutes January 3, 2023 Page 2 of 5 • Storm Damage Reporting: Island County Emergency Management shared this post, which citizens can find on the City’s Facebook and Instagram pages. If you incurred damage to your home or business during the most recent king tide event, you may be eligible for state disaster assistance. You can submit an Initial Damage Assessment Form online by visiting the websites displayed on the screen or by calling the Department of Emergency Management. Residents are not filing a claim by providing information. This process is not a guarantee that residents will receive financial assistance from the state. • City of Oak Harbor Storm Damage: Mayor Severns introduced Parks and Recreation Director Brian Smith and Public Works Director Steve Schuller who provided updates on the recent storm damage from the perspective of Parks, Streets, Storm and Flood Water, and Utilities. Parks and Recreation Director Smith reported an overview of the effects of the King Tide damage and provided additional information on King Tides. A one-foot rise in tidal levels is projected over the next thirty years. At the Marina, the log boom failed. Wiring for the fuel dock was damaged but repaired. The Flintstone Park dock was partially submerged and is being inspected. The Windjammer Park bridge is closed for the time being. The Lagoon dock rose off its pilings and there was flooding in the athletic fields. Two sections of the Park path were underwater and three and a half feet of sloped shoreline was scoured out and will need to be refilled. Fortunately, there was no tree loss during the storm event. Staff is meeting with the Department of Fish and Wildlife and will look into hardscape armoring in the future. Director Smith reported he is working on a temporary site plan and will bring that to the Mayor and Council at a future date. Public Works Director Schuller provided a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) flood haz- ard area map showing the downtown Oak Harbor area. He explained the recent King Tide was 13.4 feet and another king tide of 13.5 feet is expected on Tuesday, January 10th. Director Schuller noted the Public Works role is to keep roads open or close roads that present a danger, and to protect City prop- erty, including Windjammer Park. Private landowners are responsible for their property. While hard ar- moring was a common technique in the past, it is now rarely installed due to ecological and geomorphic impacts. The City may need to move the shoreline back to provide a buffer zone. Councilmember Munns inquired about the Clean Water Facility. Director Schuller explained the infra- structure for the facility goes deep underground and the City has measures in place to protect it. Mayor Severns thanked both Directors for their reports and continued his updates: • Washington State Ferries (WSF) to host Virtual Community Meetings on Service Restoration: Riders and other community members are encouraged to attend upcoming virtual community meetings de- signed to provide updates about the ferry system. There are two events – both covering the same infor- mation: Wednesday, Jan. 11th at 12:30 p.m. and Thursday, Jan. 12th at 6 p.m. WSF staff will discuss the ferry system's service restoration progress, ongoing efforts to address workforce challenges as well as updates on key projects. • Holiday Closure: City Offices will be closed on January 16th in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day • Association of Washington Cities – City Action Days: Mayor Severns, Councilmembers Hoffmire and Woessner and City Administrator Oborn are registered, February 15 & 16 in Olympia. • The National League of Cities Conference will take place in Washington, D.C. March 26-28, 2023. At the request of the Mayor, staff has determined that the budget exists for additional Councilmembers to attend. Councilmembers Stucky, Hoffmire and Woessner will attend the conference. Regular Meeting Minutes January 3, 2023 Page 3 of 5 5.a.1. Councilmember Service to Boards and Committees Mayor Severns reviewed the proposed listing of Councilmember service to Boards and Committees, submitted for Council approval. He noted the proposed list for service in 2023 was unchanged from 2022 except to add the current councilmember participation on the Arts Commission. Councilmember Stucky asked whether alternates could be named for all Councilmembers and whether there had been any consideration to having a board or committee for economic development. Mayor Severns will communicate with Council regarding alternates. He noted an economic development had not been discussed at the administration level, City Administrator Oborn explained the plan is to provide quarterly reports to the Mayor and Council. b. Councilmembers i. Mayor Severns called upon the Council for any additional comments. Councilmembers Hoffmire noted the addition of Coordinator McCaslin was an important step in the goal of intentional economic development. Councilmember Munns provided reported on the Island Transit trip to Palm Springs, California to examine and learn about hydrogen fueled buses. Island Transit is also looking at electric buses, expanding Saturday service and looking to acquire a facility at the south end of Whidbey Island. Many bus schedules were impacted by the large amounts of snowfall in December. 6. Public Hearings & Meetings - None 7. Ordinances & Resolutions - None 8. Contracts & Agreements - None 9. Other Items for Consideration - None 10. Reports & Discussion Items a. Land Use Fees Development Services Director Kuhl provided an update on Land Use Fees as regulated by Oak Harbor Municipal Code Chapter 3.64.501 – General Rules of Application. He explained Sub Chapter 3.64.501(a) requires a fee adjustment every year based on the cost-of-living increase (CPI) change for the Seattle area, as well as a biannual review of all land use development permit application fees to determine adjustments in fee schedules should be recommended. A Financial Table was included in the meeting packet that showed the comparison from 2021 to 2024 relating to total fees and revenues for the Development Services Department. This table shows $1,032,687 expenses not covered by dedicated revenues in 2023. Further this number increases to $1,087,549 in 2024. Director Kuhl explained the purpose of Section 3.64.501 is to provide a consolidated and consistent set of filing fees for all land use development permit applications which will best satisfy the following needs: (a) Provide a single convenient listing of all land use development permit application fees for the general public and city staff. (b) Provide a greater degree of consistency and equity in setting fees for similar types of land use development permits. (c) Collect sufficient revenues to offset a reasonable share of the costs incurred by the city in reviewing and approving each type of land use development permit application. Regular Meeting Minutes January 3, 2023 Page 4 of 5 Director Kuhl provided four suggested options for Council consideration. Councilmembers Munns, Hoffmire, Stucky, Marshall, Woessner and Mayor Pro Tem Hizon provided their respective questions and comments. Finance Director Goldman also provided input. The consen- sus of the Council was not to proceed with the automatic adjustment and to review ways to further study and/or adjust fees. Staff will provide additional information to Council at a later date. 11. Executive Session - None Mayor Severns noted the next Council meeting would be January 17, 2023. Adjourn Motion: There being no further business, Councilmember Munns moved to adjourn, seconded by Coun- cilmember Stucky. The motion was approved by a unanimous vote, therefore the meeting adjourned at 7:27 p.m. Certified by Julie Nester, City Clerk Regular Meeting Minutes January 3, 2023 Page 5 of 5