City Council

Oak Harbor City Council Regular Meeting Minutes March 7, 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 David Parker, First United Methodist 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 Parks and Recreation Director Brian Smith Councilmember Jim Woessner Fire Chief Ray Merrill Councilmember Bryan Stucky Police Chief Kevin Dresker Councilmember Dan Evans Principal Planner Cac Kamak Councilmember Shane Hoffmire Grants Administrator Wendy Horn 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 all members of Council were present with Councilmember Woessner attending virtually. 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 a. Proclamations – None b. Honors & Recognitions - None c. Community Presentations – None Regular Meeting Minutes March 7, 2023 Page 1 of 6 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 and that citizens would have the opportunity to comment on the re- maining 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 com- ments, 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 from Sarah Crouch of Oak Harbor in regards to a need for more and improved pickleball courts. Ms. Crouch provided a brief PowerPoint presentation. Mayor Severns opened the floor for public comment from any other audience member present. 1. Pastor David Parker of Oak Harbor also spoke in support of pickleball and observed once the City revitalized the courts on school district property they would be a great asset. Pastor Parker also encouraged the placement of a coffee shop as a permanent location at Windjammer Park. Hearing no others with a desire to address the Council, the public comment period was closed. 4. CONSENT AGENDA Consent Items a. Approval of Minutes of the February 21, 2023 Council Meeting, and the February 22, 2023 Council Workshop b. Approval of Payroll and Accounts Payable Vouchers c. Appointment: Park Board, Position 5 – Tom Jones Mayor Severns called for any changes to the consent agenda. Hearing none, he noted all items were approved as presented. 5. MAYOR, COUNCIL & STAFF COMMENTS a. Mayor - Mayor Severns provided the following comments and updates: • Staff Milestones: Central Services Supervisor Sandra Place recently completed her Master’s Degree in Public Administration, and did so with a perfect 4.0 GPA. Congratulations Sandra. • City Staff Receives Pavement Innovator Award: Construction Inspector Jack Smith and City Engi- neer Alex Warner recently received a Pavement Innovator Award from Pacific GeoSource. The City used an innovative paving solution using a high tensile strength synthetic fiber that reinforces asphalt and results in greater durability and lower maintenance costs. • NAS Whidbey Island: The City joins the community in welcoming home three Surveillance Towed Array Sensor System Crews from Theatre Undersea Surveillance Command Pacific. They provide acoustic cueing to operating and supporting forces and to conduct continuous maritime surveillance for Homeland Security. Regular Meeting Minutes March 7, 2023 Page 2 of 6 • Student News: Oak Harbor High School’s Navy Junior ROTC team finished first in the Northwest Drill and Rifle Conference competition on February 24th. Congratulations! • Boards & Committees: The City has openings on our Salary Commission, Historic Preservation Board, Planning Commission and Parks Board. Please see the City’s website for more details. • Upcoming Community Events: Events were displayed on screen b. Councilmembers i. Mayor Severns called upon the Council for any additional comments. Councilmembers Hoffmire, Stucky and Mayor Pro Tem Hizon provided their respective comments. Councilmember Hoffmire noted the current location of pickle ball courts in Oak Harbor and a desire to see the City invest in putting pickleball facilities in City parks as well as those planned on school dis- trict property. Councilmember Stucky explained that he was mistaken in regard to his statement at a recent public hearing that he had not received a notice about the Sullivan annexation. He noted he had, in fact, re- ceived notification. Mayor Pro Tem Hizon inquired about the monetary commitment the City made to the school district pickleball courts. Members of Council and staff confirmed it was $50,000. Mayor Pro Tem Hizon re- quested staff provide an update on the project. City Administrator Oborn committed to staff providing an update at a future meeting. 6. PUBLIC HEARINGS & MEETINGS a. Resolution No. 23-02: Comprehensive Plan Docket Principal Planner Kamak reviewed the item, which was also presented at the February 22, 2023 Council Workshop. The Growth Management Act limits amendments to the comprehensive plan to no more frequently than once a year. The City has codified the process to amend the Comprehensive Plan in Oak Harbor Municipal Code Chapter 18.15. The process is initiated in October every year with a notice to the pub- lic for potential amendments. Amendments are then compiled into a preliminary docket. The docket items are then discussed with the Planning Commission and the City Council between December and February prior to it being finalized in March. Ongoing Amendments: The City has a few items that are currently on the docket that will continue into 2023. • Implementation of the Housing Action Plan (HAP) – This item tracks the action steps outlined in the Housing Action Plan. Currently the SEPA thresholds are under discussion. The City will be hiring consultants in 2023 to investigate some of the more complex action items. • Joint Planning and Urban Growth Area discussions with Island County. The City has formed a working group with the County to work on this issue. • Active Transportation Plan is underway and will be completed in 2023-2024. The intent of the ATP is to find creative ways to use the existing right-of-way to facilitate active transportation. This can include striping, signage, safety, route designations, on street parking, and include policy recommendations to manage the plan over time. Regular Meeting Minutes March 7, 2023 Page 3 of 6  • Alternate Street Connection Plan – City engineers are looking at street intersections and con- nections within Oak Harbor and finding alternate solutions that can prove beneficial for the network in the long run. An example of an alternate connection would be to connect Scenic Height Road to the Swantown Rd and SR 20 intersection. A closer look at future street connec- tions in the southwest can be done as well. • Capital Improvements Plan (CIP) The city reviews the CIP with the City Council every year and make updates to the plan. • Land Use Changes – In 2022 the Comprehensive Plan was amended to consolidate the Indus- trial Land Uses in one zoning category. This will require a change in zoning designation for properties. This change will not result in any immediate physical changes or impacts on indi- vidual properties nor impact its developability. The consolidation helps eliminate some approval processes thus simplifying the code for all industrial uses. 2022 Additions • Downtown/Marina Expansion Study – The City Council has approved a budget that includes partial funding to study some opportunities to expand and or connect Downtown and the Mari- na. This has been an area of interest to the City for a long time with many ideas and perspec- tives on what the future should look like. It would be wise to spend some time and effort in 2023 to define a pathway forward. The study will begin scratching the surface of the possibili- ties for this corridor. Additional funds may be necessary depending on the scope of what the community would like to see included in the study or plan moving forward. Sponsored Amendments Notices are published every year in October/November for accepting applications for Sponsored Amendments (Land Use Changes). The deadline to file an application is December 1 in accordance with OHMC 18.15.040. No applications were received this year. Mayor Severns opened the public hearing. He confirmed no public comment had been received. Mayor Severns requested any comments from those present and hearing none, the public hearing was closed. Mayor Severns called upon the Council for their comments. There were no questions or comments from the Council. Motion: Councilmember Munns moved to adopt Resolution 23-02 approving the 2023 Comprehensive Plan Amendment Docket items as presented. Councilmember Stucky seconded the motion, which car- ried unanimously. b. Ordinance No. 1972: Budget Amendment No. 1 to the 2023-2024 Biennial Budget Finance Director Goldman explained the purpose of the budget amendment was to appropriate voted fire levy lid lift revenues to fund two new firefighters. The amendment includes funding for estimated salaries and benefits for seven months in 2023 and 12 months in 2024. It also includes funding for fire- fighter equipment and standard contributions to the equipment replacement reserve fund to replace that equipment in the future. Costs beyond 2024 will be included as part of future budget processes. The City of Oak Harbor Adopted Resolution 22-17 on July 12, 2022 submitting a ballot proposition to the voters for a levy lid lift for the 2022 General Election for fire protection response time improve- ments, including the addition of firefighters, equipment, and associated costs. The proposition was passed on November 8, 2022 with 61.23% of the voters voting in favor (50% threshold required). Regular Meeting Minutes March 7, 2023 Page 4 of 6 2023-24 Amendment amount = $406,100 2023 = $159,100 2024 = $247,000 The wage and salary schedule and plan of classification has been updated to reflect 2023 wage rang- es and current positions status. Mayor Severns opened the public hearing. He confirmed no public comment had been received. Mayor Severns requested any comments from those present and hearing none, the public hearing was closed. Mayor Severns called upon the Council for their comments. There were no questions or comments from the Council. Motion: Councilmember Hoffmire moved to adopt Ordinance No. 1972: Budget amendment #1, amending the 2023-2024 Biennial Budget and adopting an updated wage and salary schedule and plan of classification. Mayor Pro Tem Hizon seconded the motion which carried unanimously._______. 7. ORDINANCES & RESOLUTIONS None. 8. CONTRACTS & AGREEMENTS None. 9. OTHER ITEMS FOR CONSIDERATION’ a. AARP Community Challenge Grant Application Grants Administrator Horn reviewed the proposed grant application, with additional input from City Administrator Oborn. The City has been working with Oak Harbor Main Street Association since 2018 to design and con- struct the Serendipity Lane Project. Serendipity Lane will provide a safe, well-lit trail from SE Pioneer to Bayshore Drive, connecting Historic Downtown with the City's waterfront parks, artwork, community garden and Island Transit's main station. The Oak Harbor Main Street Association is fundraising and committing up to $40,000 to the project. The City Council approved $100,000 in ARPA funding for the project. Private in-kind donations of ma- terials and services will be sought, other grants are being pursued and volunteers will do a portion of the work. The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) Community Challenge grants are aimed at mak- ing communities more livable for people of all ages, and to fund 'shovel ready' projects that will make the difference in a community, especially for those persons 50 years old and older. Mayor Severns confirmed no public comment had been received on this item and called for any com- ments from those citizens present. Hearing none, he called for any comments from the Council. Councilmembers Munns noted the benefit of this being a “shovel-ready”. The project will be completed in conjunction with the Oak Harbor Main Street Association. Councilmember Marshall requested more information as to whether the project was indeed “shovel-ready” and ready to go. City Administrator Oborn explained the Mainstreet Association was taking the lead on the project, including planning and Regular Meeting Minutes March 7, 2023 Page 5 of 6 resources to move the project forward. They anticipate local assistance and are confident moving for- ward. Motion: Councilmember Marshall moved to authorize the Mayor to sign the AARP Community Chal- lenge grant application for up to $20,000 in partnership with Oak Harbor Main Street Association to complete the Serendipity Lane Project. Councilmember Evans seconded the motion, which carried unanimously. 10. REPORTS & DISCUSSION ITEMS None. 11. EXECUTIVE SESSION None. Adjourn Motion: There being no further business, Councilmember Munns moved to adjourn, seconded by Councilmember Marshall The motion was approved by a unanimous vote, therefore the meeting ad- journed at 6:31 p.m. Certified by Julie Nester, City Clerk Regular Meeting Minutes March 7, 2023 Page 6 of 6