City Council

Oak Harbor City Council Regular Meeting Minutes August 19, 2025 This was both a physical meeting location and a virtual meeting. Meeting was viewable via YouTube at www.youtube.com/cityofoakharbor, on Facebook, and on Cable Channel 10/HD 1090 following the meeting. CALL TO ORDER Call To Order and Native Lands Acknowledgement - Mayor Wright called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. He included the acknowledgement that the meeting was being held on the ancestral lands of the Coast Salish people and paid respect to those past and present. Invocation – Led by Pastor Mark Bahr, Redeeming Grace Church. . Pledge of Allegiance – Led by Mayor Wright ROLL CALL City Council Present: Staff Present/Videoconference Mayor Ronnie Wright City Administrator Sabrina Combs Mayor Pro Tem Tara Hizon - absent Public Works Director Steve Schuller Councilmember Jim Woessner Police Chief Tony Slowik Councilmember Bryan Stucky Fire Chief Travis Anderson Councilmember Eric Marshall Fire Marshal Paul Schroer Councilmember Christopher Wiegenstein City Engineer Alex Warner Councilmember Barbara Armes Finance Manager Chas Webster Councilmember James P. Marrow Harbormaster Alyce Henry Capital Project Manager Phillip Esqueda Fire Service Analyst Angela Braunstein Grants Administrator Wendy Horn Communications Officer Magi Aguilar Executive Services Coordinator Macalle Finkle City Clerk Julie Nester Also in attendance: City Attorney Hillary Evans of Kenyon Disend, PLLC Others in attendance included members of the Oak Harbor Fire Department EXCUSE ABSENT COUNCILMEMBERS Mayor Wright greeted all in attendance He noted Mayor Pro Tem Hizon had asked to be excused and called for a motion to excuse her. Motion: Councilmember Marrow moved to excuse Mayor Pro Tem Hizon, seconded by Councilmember Marshall. The vote on the motion passed unanimously. 1. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Regular Meeting Minutes August 19, 2025 Page 1 of 7 Mayor Wright requested any changes to the regular agenda. Hearing none, it was approved as pre- sented. 2. PRESENTATIONS a. Oak Harbor Fire Department – Oath of Office and Badge Ceremony Fire Chief Anderson introduced new Firefighter Jesse Strinden and administered his Oath of Office. Chief Anderson noted Firefighter Strinden came to the City with eleven years of experience, and that he was among the new hires he was most excited about. Chief Anderson conducted the Oath of Office and badge ceremony and called upon Firefighter Strinden’ s wife to apply his pins. Chief Anderson explained that Firefighter Josh Fikse was promoted to Lieutenant in May or this year but was unable to attend the Council meeting as scheduled due to a serious injury. Chief Anderson conducted his Oath of Office and badge ceremony. He noted Lieutenant Fikse scored 1st on his exam after being out late the night before responding to a fatal fire, which spoke to his dedication and prep- aration. He called upon Lieutenant Fikse’s wife and children to apply his pins. Mayor Wright congratulated Lieutenant Fikse and Firefighter Strinden and announced a five-minute break to allow for photos and congratulations from the Council. BREAK 5:39 p.m. to 5:44 p.m. b. Communication Interns Presentation Katelyn Upson and Nolan Saltonstall presented their experiences as Communication Interns this sum- mer, working with Communication Officer Aguilar on a number of outreach projects and tasks to assist City Administration. Each talked about specific projects they had worked on and things they had learned, noting it was a great introduction to government, and thanked the City for the opportunity. Mayor Wright thanked Katelyn and Nolan for their work and their interaction with each other and with City staff. 3. PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD Mayor Wright noted members of the public could comment on Consent Agenda items or subjects of interest not listed on the agenda at this time and there would be an opportunity to comment on the remaining agenda items during the meeting as appropriate. He explained the public may also visit the City’s website prior to meetings for methods to submit public comments, or contact the City Clerk, Julie Nester, by phone or email. When submitting comments, please include your name and address. Public comments sent anonymously or from a non-verifiable address will be shared with the Mayor and Coun- cil but will not be displayed. Comments on public hearing items will be taken during the public hearings portion of the meeting. The City received two new public comments since the last regular meeting. Comments were received from: 1. Bill Weinsheimer of Oak Harbor, commending the City Council for their decision to support a B&O Tax to fund maintenance and repairs at the Oak Harbor Marina. 2. Mitch Anderton of Oak Harbor, regarding a new, non-refundable $500 administration fee charged by rental agencies in Oak Harbor, considering it unethical and questioning its legality. The comments were displayed. Mayor Wright asked if there were any members of the public present who wished to speak to any other items not listed on the agenda or on the consent agenda. He noted Regular Meeting Minutes August 19, 2025 Page 2 of 7 the Clerk would call on speakers in the order in which they signed in to speak and asked speakers to step forward to the microphone, state their name and address, and to limit comments to three minutes. 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: City Council Meeting of August 6, 2025 b. Approval of Payroll and Accounts Payable Vouchers c. Resolution 25-22 Maritime Administration Port Infrastructure Development Grant Program Application (PIDIP) d. Purdue/Sackler Family Opioid Settlement Participation e. Midway Boulevard Improvement Project – Local Agency Agreement Mayor Wright called for any changes to the consent agenda. Hearing none he called for a motion for approval. Motion: Councilmember Marrow moved to approve the consent agenda. Councilmember Armes se- conded the motion, which passed unanimously. 5. MAYOR & COUNCIL COMMENTS a. Mayor’s Comments Mayor Wright provided the following comments: • Observing a Moment of Silence: We join the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office and the entire law enforcement community in mourning the tragic loss of a Spokane County Sheriff’s Office Sergeant, killed in the line of duty when struck by a motorist while assisting with a large traffic hazard on eastbound Interstate 90 on August 9, 2025. Our deepest condolences are with the Sergeant’s family, friends and colleagues. Please join me in observing a moment of silence in honor of their service, dedication and sacrifice. • Representative Rick Larsen Visits: The City of Oak Harbor Marina was pleased to provide a tour to Representative Rick Larsen on August 6th. Representative Larsen has been a wonderful supporter of the City’s grant applications, and the City appreciated his time learning about the Marina’s needs. Rep- resentative Larsen was very complimentary of City leadership and the direction of the City. • City Administrator Combs attends Summitt and Conference: City Administrator Sabrina Combs just returned from the Washington City Managers and Administrators Conference and a first ever Northwest Women’s Leadership Academy Women’s Summitt in Walla Walla, hosted by the Walla Walla Police Department. Sabrina was part of a panel on being a City Manager or Administrator. • Charging Stations: The City’s two electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in downtown Oak Harbor on Dock Street will now have a modest fee for their use. This comes at the request of the community and downtown businesses who observed non-electric cars parking in these spaces, or EV’s parking without charging, which limits their use by others. The City used LTAC funds to upgrade them in 2023, and the City Council approved the $2.00 per hour after 2 free hours on the last Master Fee Schedule update. We are going to be putting up signs letting users know that after 2 hours of free charging, they will be charged $2.00 an hour thereafter. The revenue will go back to the General Fund for charging station upkeep and power costs. Regular Meeting Minutes August 19, 2025 Page 3 of 7 • Upcoming Community Events: There are a number of upcoming events in our community pictured here, including our next Wright Blend this coming Friday, August 22nd downtown, during the Main Street Association’s Buskers on the Corner event. Please join me and my special guest, NASWI Com- manding Officer Captain Nathan Gammache at the corner of Pioneer and Dock Street at 4:00 p.m. and stay for live music at 5:30 p.m. • All Staff Meeting – Office Closure: City offices will be closed for an All Staff meeting on Thursday, August 28, 2025 from 10:45 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. This closure may affect utility payments, garbage, recy- cling, and yard waste schedules. Thank you for your patience. • Advisory Board Vacancies: We still have openings on several of our City Advisory boards and com- missions. See the City’s website for information on how to apply and requirements for applicants. • Stay Connected: Stay connected to City information and activities at any time by visiting our website and our Facebook page. b. Councilmembers Mayor Wright called on the Councilmembers for their comments. Councilmembers Stucky and Woessner provided their respective comments. Councilmember Stucky stated he wished to publicly thank Mayor Wright for his communication regarding the Tsunami alert. Councilmember Woessner thanked summer interns Katelyn and Nolan for “making it fun”, noting that came across in everything they did. 6. PUBLIC HEARINGS & MEETINGS a. Ordinance No. 2028: Oak Harbor Municipal Code (OHMC) Section 5.01.030 Update – Busi- ness Licenses Finance Manager Webster provided a review of the proposed ordinance. She explained that RCW Chapter 35.90 requires all cities and towns with business licensing requirements follow provisions of a model ordinance that is updated from time to time. The required provisions of the model ordinance were recently updated with one change that affected all cities: the increase of the threshold for out-of- city businesses from $2,000 to $4,000. The Association of Washington Cities (AWC) is encouraging the adoption of this change as soon as possible. The changes to the model license are set to take effect on January 1, 2026. While the state’s deadline to adopt the threshold for Business Licensing System (BLS) cities is October 1 (to provide the required 75 days’ notice of the change before they take effect) due to system upgrades, the state’s BLS team is encouraging cities to complete the task as soon as possible and by August 26, 2025, if feasible. Finance Manager Webster showed an example of how this appears on the state’s business licensing website. The change will affect about seventy-five local businesses and result in an approximately 2%, or $3,700 reduction in revenues to the City. Mayor Wright opened the public hearing and confirmed no comments had been received. He requested comments from those members of the public in attendance. Hearing none, Mayor Wright closed the public hearing and called on the Council for their comments. There were no questions or comments from the Council. Regular Meeting Minutes August 19, 2025 Page 4 of 7 Motion: Councilmember Woessner moved to adopt Ordinance No. 2028: Amending Oak Harbor Mu- nicipal Code Section 5.01.030 “Exemptions”. Councilmember Marrow seconded the motion, which passed unanimously. 7. ORDINANCES & RESOLUTIONS a. Resolution 25-21: Master Fee Schedule – Business License Threshold. Finance Manager Webster provided a review of the proposed Resolution, presented in tandem with the prior Ordinance. She explained that RCW Chapter 35.90 requires that all cities and towns with business licensing requirements follow provisions of a model ordinance that is updated from time to time. The required provisions of the model ordinance were recently updated with one change that affected all cities: the increase of the threshold for out-of-city businesses from $2,000 to $4,000. The Association of Washington Cities (AWC) is encouraging the adoption of this change as soon as possible. The changes to the model license are set to take effect on January 1, 2026. While the state’s deadline to adopt the threshold for Business Licensing System (BLS) cities is October 1 (to provide the required 75-days’ notice of the change before they take effect) due to system upgrades, the BLS team is en- couraging cities to complete the task as soon as possible and by August 26, if feasible. This is the only change contained in the Resolution. All other Business Licenses fees remain un- changed. Mayor Wright noted no public comments had been received. He opened the floor for comments from those members of the public present. Hearing none, he called upon the Council for their questions and comments. There were no questions or comments from the Council. Motion: Councilmember Woessner moved to approve Resolution 25-21: Amending Oak Harbor Master Fee Schedule, Schedule B to updater the non-resident business gross income threshold. Councilmem- ber Marrow seconded the motion, which passed unanimously. 8. OTHER ITEMS FOR CONSIDERATION a. City of Oak Harbor Employee Survey Communications Officer Aguilar noted that as requested by the Council, the City will undertake an employee survey to better understand employee concerns and priorities, as well as highlight strengths and best practices. The survey will aim to identify employee morale, levels of communication, and operations throughout our organization. The survey will be led by City Communications Officer Aguilar, who has formal and extensive training and expertise in survey design, data analysis, and strategic planning. This cost-ef- fective approach allows the City to conduct a professional, data-driven survey without the expense of hiring external consultants. Communications Officer Aguilar is working with the City’s Human Re- sources Director, Emma House, to review the examples of surveys done by other cities. Communications Officer Aguilar explained the survey will seek to collect more actionable insights and employee feedback in order to focus on the data that can be acted upon to facilitate results, including the creation of a Staff Survey Response Team (SSRT). This team will be made up of staff members from each department that will focus on (and have access to) the survey results, ideas for and needed areas of improvement, and creating strategies to maintain staff morale as the highest priority. Regular Meeting Minutes August 19, 2025 Page 5 of 7 Communications Officer Aguilar reviewed a proactive approach in addressing the concerns heard from staff regarding surveys, including concerns regarding low participation and trust. To address staff concerns about privacy: The survey won’t collect identifiable information from employ- ees unless the employee chooses to provide it voluntarily. It is important to note that conducting anon- ymous surveys means that the City, including leadership, will not have the ability to follow up or act on specific issues or concerns with employees of any listed in the survey, unless they volunteer additional information. This is at the employee's discretion. Duplication concerns will be addressed by using a feature in the survey tool that allows one survey per IP address. Employees can use computers, tablets, or smartphones to complete the survey. Addressing low participation and trust by the creation of the cross-departmental staff SSRT to review results and recommend solutions. This process will allow us to be transparent about how the data will be used and what change can come from it. The survey results will be reported back to the Council with findings and recommendations. Mayor Wright confirmed no public comments had been received. Hearing no comments from those members of the public in attendance, he called on the Council to provide their comments. Councilmembers Marrow, Stucky, Woessner and Marshall provided their respective questions and comments. In response to Council questions, Communications Officer Aguilar noted the survey will be launched at the City’s upcoming All-Staff meeting and that incentives for participation would be discussed with the SSRT, with Human Resources Director House involved in the process, the SSRT and the data gath- ered. Communications Officer Aguilar reviewed the purpose of using IP addresses to ensure that an employee can only take the survey once. City Administrator Combs noted the City has just one staff member with the expertise to confirm IP addresses, limiting access to that information. Communications Officer Aguilar will research the last employee survey undertaken by the City and provide it with a summary of actions taken and effectiveness. Communications Officer Aguilar will bring the proposed process, with updates to the survey to reflect Council input provided to the Council, to the August 26, 2025 Council Workshop for approval. b. Approval of Accounts Payable Vouchers – Chamber of Commerce Mayor Wright noted this voucher list contains payment to the Greater Oak Harbor Chamber of Com- merce (Chamber), of which Councilmember Marshall is the Executive Director. He explained that to avoid a conflict of interest, Councilmember Marshall has stated he will recuse himself from a vote on such payments. This voucher list was presented separately. Mayor Wright confirmed no public comments had been received. Hearing no comments from the public in attendance, he called on the Council for their comments. Hearing none, he called for a motion. Motion: Councilmember Woessner moved to approve the Accounts Payable Voucher List for the Greater Oak Harbor Chamber of Commerce as presented. Councilmember Wiegenstein seconded the motion, which passed by a vote of 5-1 with Councilmember Marshall abstaining. 9. EXECUTIVE SESSION Mayor Wright announced the Council would now enter into an Executive Session per RCW 42.30.110 (1) (b) To consider the selection of a site or the acquisition of real estate by lease or purchase when Regular Meeting Minutes August 19, 2025 Page 6 of 7 public knowledge regarding such consideration would cause a likelihood of increased price; and per RCW 42.30.110 (1) (c) To consider the minimum price at which real estate will be offered for sale or lease when public knowledge regarding such consideration would cause a likelihood of decreased price, and per RCW 42.30.110 (1) (i) to discuss with legal counsel, litigation or potential litigation. He stated the anticipated duration of the executive session is fifteen minutes. Action may or may not be taken upon returning to the open session. Executive sessions are not open to the public. The Council entered into executive session at 6:40 p.m. At 6:55 p.m. the Council announced an extension of the executive session for an additional ten minutes to 7:05 p.m. At 7:05 p.m. the Council announced an additional extension of the executive session for two more minutes to 7:07 p.m. At 7:07 p.m. the Council announced one more extension of the executive session for three more minutes to 7:10 p.m. At 7:10 p.m. the Council came out of the executive session and resumed the open session of the meeting. Mayor Wright noted no action would be taken at this time regarding the matters discussed. ADJOURN There being no further business, Councilmember Woessner moved to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Councilmember Marrow. The vote on the motion was unanimous, therefore the meeting was ad- journed at 7:10 p.m. Certified by Julie Nester, City Clerk Regular Meeting Minutes August 19, 2025 Page 7 of 7