City Council

Oak Harbor City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes January 24, 2024 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 Wright called the workshop meeting to order at 2:00 p.m. ROLL CALL City Council Present: Staff Present/Videoconference Mayor Ronnie Wright City Administrator Blaine Oborn Mayor Pro Tem Tara Hizon Deputy City Admin. & Finance Director David Goldman Councilmember Jim Woessner Public Works Director Steve Schuller Councilmember Bryan Stucky Development Services Director David Kuhl Councilmember Shane Hoffmire Parks and Recreation Director Brian Smith Councilmember Eric Marshall City Engineer Alex Warner Councilmember Christopher Wiegenstein Fire Chief Ray Merrill Councilmember Barbara Armes Police Chief Tony Slowik Senior Planner Dennis Lefevre Building Official Ginger Pennington Economic Development Coordinator Steve McCaslin Detective Sergeant Jenn Gravel Finance Manager Chas Webster Executive Services Administrator Sabrina Combs Executive Assistant Macalle Finkle City Clerk Julie Nester Also in attendance: City Attorney Hillary Evans of Kenyon Disend, PLLC MAYOR Mayor Wright welcomed all in attendance. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT a. Economic Development Update. City Administrator Oborn introduced Economic Development Coordinator McCaslin and thanked the Council for funding the position a year ago to help in driving economic development. Coordinator McCaslin reviewed the City’s economic development activities and as well as providing details of his networking and both internal and external tasks to achieve City objectives from January 2023 to present. His update included his participation and roles in the following: Workshop Meeting Minutes January 24, 2024 Page 1 of 5 Island County Broadband Action Team Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) Central Development Area (CDA) Property development, purchase or sale Business Retention and Expansion IDEX relocation North Industrial Area (NIA) Investigating grant opportunities to extend sewer/water to Ault Field Rd on Oak Harbor St Working with Grant Coordinator to provide economic development information as needed for RCED (Rural County Economic Development) grants CERB (Community Economic Revitalization Board) grants And applicable EDA grants Whidbey Task Force New and Existing Businesses Development New Leaf Boeing Skookum Attended 29 of the 31 business ribbon cuttings in 2023 Working to create an incubator program Work with Economic Development Council and their start up program Work with Oak Harbor School District, Skagit Valley College, and other stakeholders Workforce Development The second most important requirement for a company to stay or move here is a trained or trainable workforce Improve the quality and skills of our workforce Provide channels for businesses and workers to connect Working to identify Workforce Development Task Force Met with Dave Paul (SVC) twice to begin our discussions on a good approach Met with Grand Canyon University to discuss teaming approach Established an MOU with WorkSource to utilize their resources Meet next with Oak Harbor School District, Embry-Riddle, UMass Global, Columbia College, WSU Ext - Coupeville, local general contractors, and trade businesses Working to address: Affordable Housing Community Engagement and outreach Creation of a Economic Development Strategic Plan in concert with the updates to the City’s Comprehensive Plan Councilmembers Stucky, Marshall, Wiegenstein, and Mayor Pro Tem Hizon provided their respective questions and comments. DEVELOPMENT SERVICES a. Flood Damage Prevention Code Amendment Senior Planner and consultant Lefevre reviewed proposed amendments to OHMC Chapter 17.20, which pertains to floodplain management in the City of Oak Harbor. He explained that as a community partic- ipating in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), periodic meetings with the WA Department of Ecology (DOE) are required to review the city’s flood development activities and current local flood man- agement regulations. These meetings are called Community Assistance Visit (CAV) and occur every few years. The City of Oak Harbor participated in a CAV on January 26, 2023. Staff from DOE and the City’s Development Services Department (Planning and Building) attended the CAV. A review of Workshop Meeting Minutes January 24, 2024 Page 2 of 5 floodplain development permitting, floodplain code regulations, and the community rating system were discussed. In addition to a review of recent floodplain development permitting, the DOE has provided a checklist of mandatory and recommended amendments OHMC Chapter 17.20 which pertains to floodplain manage- ment in the City of Oak Harbor. The City of Oak Harbor, as a component of the NFIP, has adopted special flood hazard areas identified in “The Flood Insurance Study of Island County and Incorporated Areas for the City of Oak Harbor”, dated March 7, 2017. These areas are identified on a Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM). Development or re-development that occurs within the floodplain shown on the FIRM are subject to the regulations in OHMC Chapter 17.20. Floodplain management in Washington State was intensified by the issuance of a biological opinion (BiOp) from the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). The BiOp required changes to the imple- mentation of the National Flood Insurance Program in order to meet the requirements of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in the Puget Sound watershed. A major component of the BiOp requires develop- ments within the floodplain to prepare a habitat assessment to ensure compliance with the ESA. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), as part of BiOp implementation, offers several options to meet this ESA requirement. Referred to as “Doors”, these options are: • Communities may adopt a model ordinance to revise their floodplain regulations to be consistent with the requirements of the BiOp (Door 1); • Demonstrate to FEMA that existing community ordinances meet the requirements of the BiOp (Door 2); or, • Review each floodplain development proposal individually to ensure compliance with the BiOp and ESA (Door 3). Currently, the City of Oak Harbor is complying with the BiOp through Door 3. However, in an effort to reduce development costs, reduce flood insurance premiums and for permitting conformance, the City secured Perteet to prepare a citywide habitat assessment. This document, completed in October 2023, will provide a programmatic approach for establishing conformance with ESA requirements and create a more streamlined development process within the floodplain. This will also help the City shift from the individual review approach (Door 3) to the more streamlined Door 1. With adoption of these Chapter 17.20 amendments, the City will also pursue implementing the commu- nity rating system. This program, administered by FEMA, is intended to reduce the annual premium for flood insurance for homeowners and businesses within the floodplain. The Planning Commission is currently reviewing these amendments during the month of February and will submit their recommendation in March. Staff will bring additional information to the Council’s Febru- ary workshop and anticipates a public hearing at a Council meeting in April. Councilmember Woessner provided his respective questions and comments. Senior Planner LeFevre and Building Official Pennington responded to questions. PUBLIC WORKS a. Public Works Update Public Works Director Schuller and City Engineer Warner provided updates on ten overall topics. City Engineer Warner provided an overview of the first four items as follows: Workshop Meeting Minutes January 24, 2024 Page 3 of 5  1. 2023 Key Capital Projects – Completed Flintstone Park Portland Loos NE 9th/NE 10th Sewer Rehabilitation Fakkema Access Road Transportation Benefit District Paving – NW Quad West Whidbey Ave Utility Replacement and Paving 2. 2024 Key Capital Projects – Upcoming NE 7th Ave Reconstruction Ault Field Pump Station Electrical Upgrades & SCADA Watermain Replacements with TBD-funded Paving - SW 4th Ave, SE 4th Ave, SE Glencoe St, and NE Regatta Heller St and Swantown Ave Paving - Interagency w/Island County 3. Water Supply and Transmission The water supply for Oak Harbor comes from the Skagit River via transmission mains from the City of Anacortes. The older, 10” main is 80 years old. The 24” main us 50 years old Oak Harbor’s Central Development Area (CDA) contains the City’s oldest infrastructure 4. Navy PFAS Chemicals - Groundwater Update PFAS stands for Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances. The Navy sent postcards to all residents, but the information only pertains to those not on City water. They are holding an open house on February 1, 2024 and will update effected users on the results of groundwater testing and reme- diation efforts. Director Schuller reviewed the following items: 5. Organization Chart - Seven Divisions within Public Works Department The seven divisions of Public Works are: Clean Water Facility, Water, Wastewater Collection/Sanitation, Solid Waste, Central Services, and Engineering. 6. Budget Overview The 2023 budget for Public Works was $53.9 million, the largest portion of which was for wastewater operations. 7. Attracting the Next Generation of Staff Staffing trends and needs. The working age population under the age of 18 has decreased by 1.07 million, while the age 65 and over working population has increased by 15.5 million for the period of 2010-2020. Areas of need are skilled trades, engineers, high technology employees. Public Works lost 15% of their workforce in the past year, with some leaving for other local busi- nesses or government offices. 8. Infrastructure Lifecycle As noted, Oak Harbor’s oldest infrastructure includes the areas of the Downtown, Marina, Mid- town/CDA, as well as the City’s water supply. The costs to maintain or improve these is increas- ing as they age. 9. Clean Water Facility (Planning for the Year 2030) The CWF membranes are scheduled for replacement in 2030. This will need to be a budgeted expense. Workshop Meeting Minutes January 24, 2024 Page 4 of 5 10. Next Steps: New Grant Award! - Central Development Area and the Second Generation of Infrastructure Options for Redevelopment and the vital role of infrastructure – - Return to Rural Infrastructure – Low Cost – Low Service - Redevelop the City Infrastructure – Low Cost – High Service - In the Middle – conflicting decisions – High Cost – Low Service There have been a number of redevelopment plans in each of the last three decades. A plan is needed that includes the needs and desires of area residents, businesses and local leaders. An example of having a consistent strategy is the update last year to System Development Charges for Sewer and the Clean Water Facility. Director Schuller reviewed commercial development area zoning, transportation and parking, and wa- terfront access and provided examples of how other cities have addressed these topics. In closing he reported briefly on the Connecting Washington Investments: State Route 20/Oak Harbor to Swantown Roundabout project. The City has submitted a letter to Representative Dave Paul to request to manage the project, which the State has identified as necessary due to the anticipation that future growth will cause intersection failure by 2025. In closing, Director Schuller noted the City’s Pioneer/Bayshore Property. The City received a $200,000 brownfields grant from the State Department of Ecology for environmental investigation and integrated planning, rendering, and analysis. Staff will bring consultant agreements to the Council in February and March. Councilmembers Stucky and Woessner provided their respective questions and comments. City Admin- istrator Oborn also provided additional input. ADMINISTRATION a. City Administrator’s Report City Administrator Oborn noted his monthly report was in the meeting packet. In the interest of time, rather than review highlights, he requested any questions of comments from the Council. Councilmember Stucky requested information on the percentage attributed to Parks and Recreation in the billing from the City Attorney. City Administrator Oborn will follow up on the request. CITY COUNCIL Mayor Wright called for any additional comments from the City Council. Mayor Pro Tem Hizon requested an update or progress report from the City’s legislative lobbyist and noted the upcoming National League of Cities Conference. She inquired if a second trip should also be considered. Mayor Wright noted a meeting with the lobbyist is scheduled for January 31st to discuss a scheduled visit to the Army Corps of Engineers. He stated he will provide an update at a Council meeting or workshop in February. ADJOURN There being no further business, Mayor Wright adjourned the workshop at 3:33 p.m. Certified by Julie Nester, City Clerk Workshop Meeting Minutes January 24, 2024 Page 5 of 5