City Council

Oak Harbor City Council Regular Meeting Minutes November 8, 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 James Sanchez, Life 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 Deputy City Admin. & Finance Director David Goldman Councilmember Beth Munns Public Works Director Steve Schuller Councilmember Jim Woessner City Engineer Alex Warner Councilmember Bryan Stucky Fire Chief Ray Merrill Councilmember Shane Hoffmire Police Chief Kevin Dresker Councilmember Eric Marshall - absent Communications & IT Manager Sabrina Combs Councilmember Christopher Wiegenstein Executive Assistant Macalle Finkle City Clerk Julie Nester Also in attendance: City Attorney Hillary Evans of Kenyon Disend, PLLC EXCUSE ABSENT COUNCILMEMBERS Mayor Severns welcomed all in attendance. He noted that as the first Tuesday of the month was election day, the City Council meeting was held this evening, as approved as part of the 2023 Council calendar. Mayor Severns noted Councilmember Marshall had asked to be excused. Councilmember Munns moved to excuse Councilmember Marshall. The motion was seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Hizon and carried unanimously. 1. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Mayor Severns called for any changes to the agenda. Hearing none, the agenda was approved as pre- sented. 2. PRESENTATIONS Regular Meeting Minutes November 8, 2023 Page 1 of 7  a. Proclamations – None b. Honors & Recognitions – None c. Community Presentations – None 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 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. 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 no new public comments since the last regular meeting. Mayor Severns opened the floor for public comment from any other audience member present. 1. Rachel Oswalt of Oak Harbor spoke regarding Military Mental Health Advocacy and the Center for Military and Veteran Reintegration Hearing no one else with a desire to address the Council, the public comment period was closed. 4. CONSENT AGENDA Consent Items a. Approval of Minutes: Council Meeting of October 17, 2023, Special Council Meeting - Joint meeting with the Planning Commission of October 24, 2023, and Council Workshop of Oc- tober 25, 2023 b. Approval of Payroll and Accounts Payable Vouchers c. Appointment: Park Board, Position 2 – Shane Cardone d. Interlocal Cooperative Agreement with Oak Harbor School District – School Resource Officer for 2023-2024 School Year Mayor Severns called for any changes to the consent agenda. Hearing no changes, the consent agenda was approved as presented. 5. MAYOR, COUNCIL & STAFF COMMENTS a. Mayor - Mayor Severns provided the following comments and updates: • Election Certification: The results of yesterday’s general election will be certified by the Canvassing Board on November 28th. The City appreciates all who ran and staff will be reaching out to newly elected officials. The person elected to the Mayor’s seat and the persons elected to Positions 1 and 2 begin their full terms on January 1, 2024. Regular Meeting Minutes November 8, 2023 Page 2 of 7 Position 4 is a 2-year unexpired term seat and the person elected will be able to take the oath of office as soon as the election is certified. Position 3 is a short and long term seat. Councilmember Marshall, who is serving in and running unop- posed for Position 3 will take the oath of office following certification. Councilmember Marshall will then take the Oath again for his full term beginning January 1, 2024. • Association of Washington Cities Elected Officials Workshop: AWC’s Elected Officials Essentials Workshop is Saturday, December 9th. Registration is open to seated elected officials and unopposed candidates. Newly elected officials can register after the election is certified on November 28th. Please see Executive Assistant Macalle Finkle for registration assistance. • City Offices are closed for Veterans Day: Veterans Day falls on Saturday, November 11th. As this is a federal holiday, the City will observe Veterans Day on Friday. There are several Veterans Day programs and celebrations planned in the community. • Upcoming Events: Upcoming Events were displayed on screen b. Councilmembers Councilmembers Munns, Woessner, Wiegenstein, Hoffmire, and Mayor Pro Tem Hizon provided their respective comments. 6. PUBLIC HEARINGS & MEETINGS a. Ordinance No. 1981: Setting Property Tax Levies for 2024 per RCW.84.52.020 and RCW 84.52.070 Deputy City Administrator & Finance Director Goldman reviewed the proposed Ordinance, which would increase property tax by 1% and authorize the Mayor to sign the 2024 Property Tax Levy Certification. Under RCW 84.55 the City of Oak Harbor is required to address its annual property tax levy. After holding a public hearing, the city must adopt by Ordinance any proposed change to its regular property tax levy. Under current law, the City may levy taxes in an amount no more than the limit factor multiplied by the highest levy of the most recent three years plus additional amounts resulting from new construc- tion and improvements to property, newly constructed wind turbines, and any increase in the value of stated assessed utility property. The City may make a base adjustment to its regular property tax levy using the limit factor of 101 percent or 100 percent plus inflation. Inflation is measured by the change in the Implicit Price Deflator (IPD) published by the Bureau of Eco- nomic Analysis for the most recent twelve (12) month period. The IPD rate for setting 2024 property taxes is calculated at 3.67 percent (3.670%) per MRSC Guidance. With the IPD being above 1%, the process for establishing the city's regular levy does not involve an additional step of adopting a resolu- tion/ordinance of “substantial need” by City Council, as had been sited on occasion where the IPD was lower than 1%. Increasing the regular property tax levy by the State limit of 1% would increase revenues by approximately $74,022. The 2023-2024 Biennial Budget includes the 1% increase to meet opera- tional needs. Mayor Severns opened the public hearing and confirmed no comments had been received from the public. Hearing no one with a desire to speak, the public hearing was closed. Regular Meeting Minutes November 8, 2023 Page 3 of 7 Mayor Pro Tem Hizon and Councilmembers Munns, Stucky and Hoffmire provided their respective ques- tions and comments. Motion: Councilmember Hoffmire moved to adopt Ordinance No. 1981 to increase property tax by 1% and authorize the Mayor to sign the 2024 Property Tax Levy Certification. Mayor Pro Tem Hizon seconded the motion, which carried unanimously. 7. ORDINANCES & RESOLUTIONS None 8. CONTRACTS & AGREEMENTS a. Authorizing the Mayor to sign the Bid Award with Langco NW, Inc. for the Serendipity Lane Con- struction Contract Public Works Director Schuller presented the item and provided background information. The plans for Serendipity Lanne were previously discussed at the May 3, 2022, June 7, 2022, and March 23, 2023 Council meetings. He introduced Margaret Livermore and Greg Lanz from the Mainstreet Association, who were also in attendance. The 2023-2024 biennial budget allocates $100,000 in Council Project Priority funds to enhance Seren- dipity Lane, a pedestrian path that connects Pioneer Way with Bayshore Drive. The goal is to tie the two streets together and provide a protected, inviting, walkable corridor from downtown to the park and shoreline at Flintstone Park. The project will include a new wide concrete path, landscape areas, and pedestrian lighting. The project is a collaboration between the City and the Oak Harbor Main Street Association. Under the collaboration, City staff will: • Remove old asphalt and prepare subgrade to finished grade; • Install conduit for future irrigation or electrical lines; • Install new water service; • Advertise, bid, and hire a contractor to install a new concrete walkway with 3’ by 3’ scoring; • Purchase landscape items and solar lights with remaining funds in coordination with the Main Street Association. Main Street Association will: • Install and maintain landscape boxes, topsoil, irrigation, plantings, artwork, and solar- powered lights and poles. Staff has worked with adjacent property owners to ensure continued vehicular access after completing the pedestrian project. Staff solicited bids for this project on September 2, 2023, utilizing the City’s small works roster managed by the Municipal Research and Services Center of Washington (MRSC). Staff received two (2) bids by the October 6, 2023, deadline. Staff has reviewed the bids and determined that the lowest, most respon- sible bidder is Langco NW, Inc., of Oak Harbor, Washington. If approved, the contractor will have until April 1, 2023, to complete the work. Estimated Expense Breakdown: Budget $100,000.00 Concrete Work (Contractor) $ 50,085.50 Contingency (10%) $ 5,000.00 New Water Service (In-house by City Staff) $ 8,000.00 Regular Meeting Minutes November 8, 2023 Page 4 of 7 New Conduit (In-house by City Staff) $ 16,000.00 Total $ 79,085.50 Remaining funds (estimate) $ 20,914.50 The remaining City funds are proposed to purchase plants, landscape items, and solar lighting. Mayor Severns confirmed no comments had been received from the public. Councilmembers Woessner, Munns, Stucky, Hoffmire and Wiegenstein provided their respective questions and comments. Motion: Councilmember Munns moved to award the bid to Langco NW, Inc. to provide concrete work not exceeding $55,085.50, seconded by Councilmember Hoffmire. The vote on the motion carried unanimously. b. Professional Services Agreement – Davido DCG/Watershed for East Stormwater Outfall Repair City Engineer Warner presented the item. He explained the Harbor East Outfall Repair is one of the necessary projects outlined in the City's Fiscal Year 2023-2028 Capital Projects. The Outfall is experi- encing material buildup at the discharge of the existing pipe resulting in stormwater backup within the City’s storm sewer conveyance system. Stormwater backup within the system coupled with high tides has resulted in localized areas of flooding within SE Bayshore Drive, SE City Beach Street and SE Pioneer Way. The outfall continuously requires maintenance to clear debris. The proposed solution is to extend the pipe 30- 40 feet. DCG/Watershed (formerly Davido Watershed) will provide civil engineering services based on the re- quirements stipulated by the City. The project will require the following phases: Feasibility/Pre-Design, Preliminary Engineering & Permitting, Final Engineering, and Construction Services. It is understood that the City must authorize the next phase of work prior to commencing and reserves the right not to proceed with the work. The contract for the project is $128,355. The total budget for the project was $375,000 of which $342,990 budget appropriation is remaining prior to this work. Mayor Severns confirmed no comments had been received from the public. Councilmembers Munns, Stucky, Hoffmire, Woessner, Wiegenstein and Mayor Pro Tem Hizon provided their respective questions and comments. Motion: Councilmember Munns moved to authorize the Mayor to execute a Professional Services Agreement with Davido (DCG) Watershed to complete engineering of the East Stormwater Outfall Re- placement, not to exceed $128,355.00, seconded by Councilmember Wiegenstein. The vote on the motion passed unanimously. c. Professional Services Agreement – Crossroads Strategies, LLC for Federal relations advocacy and advisement City Administrator Oborn reviewed the item. In order to maximize the City's federal funding opportunities and seek support for City projects, the City released a Request for Proposals for Government Relations services in August 2023. The City received six proposals by the deadline of August 30, 2023. A committee of council members and staff reviewed and scored all proposals and agreed to interview the top three firms. Presentations by the firms were Regular Meeting Minutes November 8, 2023 Page 5 of 7 completed on October 10, 2023. The committee scored the firms again and chose Crossroads Strate- gies as the first choice. Crossroads Strategies was founded in 2010 by a group of bipartisan advocacy veterans and has worked extensively for Pacific Northwest agencies such as WSDOT, Ports, Tribes, Cities, and Towns as well as Public Utilities. The firm has extensive experience working with the Army Corps of Engineers and with Department of Defense & WA delegations. The proposed 12-month contract is in the amount pf $84,000and would be funded from the City’s Gen- eral Government Fund. The scope of work would include: • Visit Oak Harbor to meet Mayor, Council & Staff • Coordinate visits to Washington DC • Engage with Congressional offices & Federal agencies to highlight and advance City projects and initiatives • Support Oak Harbor in hosting Congressional staff to review priority projects • Monthly conference calls & regular communication with City personnel Mayor Severns confirmed no comments had been received from the public. Councilmembers Stucky, Hoffmire, Woessner, Munns, Wiegenstein and Mayor Pro Tem Hizon provided their respective questions and comments. Motion: Councilmember Wiegenstein moved to approve the Professional Services Agreement with Crossroads Strategies for Federal relations and advisement services. Councilmember Munns seconded the motion, which carried 5-1 with Councilmember Stucky opposed. 9. OTHER ITEMS FOR CONSIDERATION a. Approval of Accounts Payable Voucher – North Whidbey Parks/Recreation Deputy City Administrator & Finance Director Goldman reviewed the item and provided background information. Additional input was asked of and provided by City Attorney Evans. On December 13, 2022, the City Council adopted Resolution 22-26, approving the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee (LTAC) recommended. awards for grant multi-year and single-year applications for grant year 2023. One of the grant applications that was approved and signed by the Mayor was for $37,384.12 for the North Whidbey Pool, Park, and Recreation District for a JVMP Slide. On September 20, 2023, the North Whidbey Parks & Recreation District submitted a reimbursement request to the City for the purchase of the pool slide. Following regular business practices, the voucher was included for payment approval in item 4.b. of the October 17, 2023 City Council meeting packet. During the October 17, 2023 City Council meeting, item 4.b. was removed from the consent agenda and discussed. The determination of City Council was to approve all vouchers except voucher 194667 which was to be brought back to be discussed at a future Council meeting. Mayor Severns confirmed no comments had been received from the public. Councilmembers Woessner, Wiegenstein, Munns, and Mayor Pro Tem Hizon provided their respective questions and comments. Regular Meeting Minutes November 8, 2023 Page 6 of 7 Motion: Councilmember Woessner moved to acknowledge Council’s approval of the LTAC’s recom- mendation and approve Voucher #194667 in the amount of $37,384.42, seconded by Councilmember Wiegenstein. The vote on the motion carried 5-0, with Councilmember Hoffmire recusing himself. 10. REPORTS & DISCUSSION ITEMS None. 11. EXECUTIVE SESSION None. Adjourn Motion: There being no further business, Councilmember Woessner moved to adjourn, seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Hizon. The motion was approved by a unanimous vote, therefore the meeting adjourned at 7:52 p.m. Certified by Julie Nester, City Clerk Regular Meeting Minutes November 8, 2023 Page 7 of 7