City Council

City Hall City of Olympia 601 4th Avenue E Olympia, WA 98501 Information: 360.753.8447 Meeting Minutes City Council Monday, November 3, 2014 5:30 PM Room 207 Special Study Session 1. ROLL CALL Present: 7 - Mayor Stephen H. Buxbaum, Mayor Pro Tem Nathaniel Jones, Councilmember Jim Cooper, Councilmember Julie Hankins, Councilmember Steve Langer, Councilmember Jeannine Roe and Councilmember Cheryl Selby 2. BUSINESS ITEMS 2.A 14-1045 Community Renewal Area (CRA) Process - Next Steps Mr. Stahley explained the relationships among the Comprehensive Plan, the Downtown Plan, and the CRA Plan. He also provided an overview of the project budget, noting that additional funds would be needed for National Development Council and ECONorthwest. Following Mr. Stahley’s presentation, Council engaged in a discussion of the CRA process and next steps. Councilmember Selby asked for additional clarification on the budget. Mr. Stahley explained the need for additional funding for ECONorthwest and the National Development Council (NDC). Councilmembers Roe and Selby said they had problems with where we are going. Councilmember Selby said the City Council wasn't part of this conversation. She felt we were putting the cart before the horse and we need to step back. She said she felt we should keep the Isthmus off the table because it would be a disaster for the community. Councilmembers discussed the Downtown Plan and the CRA. Mayor Buxbaum said our proposed Comprehensive Plan has several statements about the vision for downtown. The charge to CERC was how to operationalize that and bring all the elements together - good urban planning and joining the private sector into the process. The Mayor pointed out there are two items on the agenda for City of Olympia Page 1 City Council Meeting Minutes November 3, 2014 tonight’s Study Session and asked for Council preference. Councilmember Selby said she was probably not going to be ready to make a decision in the business meeting tonight. The topic was discussed and forwarded to the City Council meeting at 7:00 p.m. November 3, 2014. 2.B 14-1050 Continued Discussion of the 2015 Operating Budget Given limited time, Mayor Buxbaum proposed that Council receive briefings only on the listed topics, with discussion occurring during future Council deliberations on the budget. Councilmembers concurred with the suggestion. Lodging Tax: Councilmember Hankins presented the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee recommendations. Ms. Hankins said she does not recommend funding the City of Lacey request for Operation and Maintenance (O&M) support for the Regional Athletic Center (RAC) absent any policy-level discussion with the Lacey City Council or administration about the RAC and future plans. She noted the Council could appropriate lodging tax money for this purpose any time during the year. Utility Rate Increases and General Facility Charges (GFC): Water Resources Director Andy Haub reviewed the proposed increases and the GFCs. He said the Utility Advisory Committee has been working on this issue since May. Waste ReSources Director Dan Daniels reviewed the proposed garbage/recycling fees. Councilmembers briefly discussed the past practice of “smoothing out” rate increases to avoid spikes. Impact Fees: Parks Planner Jonathon Turlove and Transportation & Engineering Program Manager Randy Wesselman provided an overview of the impact fee formulas and projected income for 2015. Mayor Buxbaum thanked staff for succinct presentations. The topic was discussed and forwarded to the City Council meeting at 7:00 p.m. November 3, 2014. 3. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 6:35 p.m. City of Olympia Page 2