City Council

TUMWATER CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES OF HYBRID MEETING MARCH 5, 2024 Page 1 CONVENE: 7:00 p.m. PRESENT: Mayor Debbie Sullivan and Councilmembers Peter Agabi, Michael Althauser Joan Cathey, Leatta Dahlhoff, Angela Jefferson, Eileen Swarthout, and Kelly Von Holtz. Staff: City Administrator Lisa Parks, City Attorney Karen Kirkpatrick, Finance Director Troy Niemeyer, Fire Chief Brian Hurley, Community Development Director Michael Matlock, Transportation and Engineering Director Brandon Hicks, Water Resources and Sustainability Director Dan Smith, Transportation and Engineering Assistant Director Mary Heather Ames Economic Development Program Manager Austin Ramirez, Planning Manager Brad Medrud, Communications Manager Ann Cook, Housing and Land Use Planner Erika Smith-Erickson, and City Clerk Melody Valiant. PROCLAMATION: Councilmember Swarthout read a proclamation declaring March 2024 WOMEN'S HISTORY as Women’s History Month. The proclamation urges people to take MONTH, MARCH actions against gender bias and inequity and join in recognizing 2024: women’s contributions to culture, history, and society. Councilmember Cathey commented on the strides women have achieved with the support of both men and women except in the area of equal pay. Continued inequity in pay affects a woman’s income level and retirement income. PUBLIC COMMENT: There were no public comments. CONSENT a. Approval of Minutes: City Council, February 20, 2024 CALENDAR: b. Approval of Minutes: City Council Strategic Priority Discussion, February 24, 2024 c. Payment of Vouchers d. Resolution No. R2024-006, Surplus Property e. Interlocal Agreement with Thurston County, Cities of Lacey & Olympia for 2024 Thurston Climate Mitigation Collaborative Regional Initiatives f. Grant Agreement with the WA Dept of Commerce for the City Hall Solar plus Storage Feasibility and Design Project g. Grant Agreement with the WA Dept of Commerce for the Tumwater Library Solar plus Storage Feasibility and Design Project h. Forestland Response Agreement Amendment No. 1 with the Department of Natural Resources MOTION: Councilmember Dahlhoff moved, seconded by Councilmember Swarthout, to approve the consent calendar as published. The TUMWATER CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES OF HYBRID MEETING MARCH 5, 2024 Page 2 motion carried unanimously. Mayor Sullivan reviewed the items approved on the consent calendar. PUBLIC HEARINGS: RESOLUTION NO. Assistant Director Ames presented the proposal to amend the 2024- R2024-003, 2029 Six-Year Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). The Six- AMENDING THE Year TIP process serves as the foundation for transportation funding 2024-2029 SIX-YEAR within the state each year when each jurisdiction/city prepares a list of TRANSPORTATION transportation projects for the next six years serving as the local TIP. IMPROVEMENT The lists are submitted through local planning organizations (Thurston PROGRAM: Regional Planning Council {TRPC}) to the state. The state bundles all local TIPs to form the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP). The current TIP was approved by the City Council in June 2023 covering the period of 2024 through 2029. Approval of the amendment following the public hearing will enable submittal of the new TIP to TRPC to forward to the state. The proposed amendment adds a project to enable the City to accept potential funding for a project. The project is the Somerset Hill Fish Passage Barrier Removal. Staff submitted an application for $4 million in PROTECT funding. Similar to a previous project, the project site sits within Percival Creek with high salmonoid potential but with less than ideal conditions. The entire creek has many fish passage barriers, high stream temperatures, lack of large woody debris, and a lack of habitat. The project addresses those factors in a location at Somerset Hill Drive. The existing culvert is listed as a partial barrier to fish-passage because of flow velocities. The stream currently passes through corrugated metal culvert five-feet in diameter and 103 feet in length creating a barrier because of velocity. As a result of a bankfull width survey completed in January 2023, the need for a 24-foot wide crossing was identified totaling four times more than the existing culvert width. In June 2023, a consultant evaluated three crossing types and recommended a 60’ to 100’ prefabricated bridge as the preferred option. After funding is secured, design will begin and the specific size of the bridge will be identified. Construction is planned to begin in 2028. If the grant, Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative Efficient and Cost-Saving Transportation (PROTECT) is approved, the funds would cover the cost of the project. TUMWATER CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES OF HYBRID MEETING MARCH 5, 2024 Page 3 Following the public hearing, staff recommends adoption of Resolution No. R2024-003, amending the 2024-2029 Six-Year Transportation Improvement Program. Councilmember Cathey asked whether the bridge option creates more disruption at the project site as the bridge must be anchored on both sides of the bank. Assistant Director Ames advised that the design of the bridge would be a wider span of at least 60 to 100 feet dependent upon the final design. The bridge location is outside of the bankfull width and avoids any disruption. The bankfull width is the width a stream requires to meander and flood during high flows. The stream requires a minimum of 24 feet and any width larger than 24 feet would provide the stream with sufficient room to function. Bridge construction only occurs outside of the fish window to avoid disruption to the creek. Councilmember Dahlhoff inquired as to how the purchase of a prefabricated bridge supports the City’s Green Team and environmentally preferred purchasing. Assistant Director Ames responded that in this instance, the project must meet the City’s environmental requirements as well as the requirements from the funding source, such as buying American requirements and limitations on how the funds are expended. Mayor Sullivan opened the public hearing at 7:17 p.m. There was no public testimony. Mayor Sullivan closed the public hearing at 7:18 p.m. MOTION: Councilmember Swarthout moved, seconded by Councilmember Cathey, to adopt Resolution No. R2024-003, amending the 2024- 2029 Six-Year Transportation Improvement Program. A voice vote approved the motion unanimously. COUNCIL CONSIDERATIONS: RESOLUTION NO. Planner Smith-Erickson presented the Hazards Mitigation Plan for the R2024-001, HAZARDS Thurston Region Fourth Edition. MITIGATION PLAN FOR THE The Plan for the region includes strategies to reduce the risks of THURSTON REGION natural hazards of earthquakes, landslides, severe storms, floods, FOURTH EDITION: wildland fires, volcanic events, and other hazards causing lengthy disruptions and damage to communities. The Plan’s goals, policies, and actions minimize losses and protect the people and community assets from future disasters. To manage risks, contain costs, and promote sustainable communities, the federal government enacted the TUMWATER CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES OF HYBRID MEETING MARCH 5, 2024 Page 4 Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000. Local governments are required to adopt a federally approved Hazards Mitigation Plan to apply for and receive federal hazard mitigation assistance funds. The Plan’s mitigation strategy includes regional actions serving as the Core Plan to improve multiagency coordination, build mitigation capabilities, and strengthen the resiliency across Thurston County. Additionally each participating jurisdiction produces an Annex prioritizing actions to minimize losses within each jurisdiction. The City’s Annex identifies City-specific projects designed to mitigate the impacts of hazards that could be completed in the future depending on funding, direction, and need. The Plan must be updated every five years. The Core Plan contains regional mitigation initiatives. The City has identified 20 initiatives, such as public outreach, development regulations, hazard damage reduction, and critical facilities and replacement retrofits. The City Annex must contain at least one initiative for each mapped hazard of earthquakes, landslides, severe storms, floods, wildland fires, and lahar. Planner Smith-Erickson reviewed the format of a mitigation initiative, the City Annex development process, mitigation strategies, mitigation initiatives, and the prioritization process. A new Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) requirement requires the Plan to document all work and sources for all mitigation initiatives. Staff will frequently review and track the status of initiatives through the Capital Facilities Plan update, tree and vegetation code update, the 2025 Development Code Periodic Update, adoption of the Washington Wildland-Urban Interface Code, and the 2025 Comprehensive Plan Periodic Update. The Hazards Mitigation Planning Work Group initiated meetings in February 2022. For the last year several years, the meetings were facilitated by TRPC serving as the lead agency for creating the regional plan. The City’s Annex and the Core Plan were forwarded on November 27, 2023 to the Washington Emergency Management Division, which completed its review in January 2024. Subsequently, FEMA notified planning partners of one minor required revision. Each Annex must reference and adopt regional mitigation initiatives. On February 8, 2024, FEMA notified TRPC of its tentative approval to forward a letter of adoption. Planner Smith-Erickson asked the Council to adopt Resolution No. R2024-001, Hazards Mitigation Plan for the Thurston Region Fourth Edition. TUMWATER CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES OF HYBRID MEETING MARCH 5, 2024 Page 5 Councilmember Swarthout asked about the membership of the work group. Planner Smith-Erickson advised that the planning work group included other jurisdictions, Thurston County, The Evergreen State College, local fire districts, and school districts. The work group worked closely with the Washington Emergency Management Division and pursued public outreach efforts. MOTION: Councilmember Swarthout moved, seconded by Councilmember Von Holtz, to adopt Resolution No. R2024-001, Hazards Mitigation Plan for the Thurston Region Fourth Edition. A voice vote approved the motion unanimously. AGREEMENT WITH Manager Ramirez advised that Resolution No. R2024-005 would be THE DEPARTMENT included within the briefing. The two grants are for inventorying, OF ECOLOGY FOR characterizing, assessing, and conducting a range of planning INTEGRATED activities to assist the City in developing clean-up plans and PLANNING GRANT: community engagement in the two project areas of the Brewery District and Capitol Boulevard corridor. A $500,000 grant was received from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and a $200,000 grant was received from the Department of Ecology. The timeline of the EPA grant is through September 30, 2027 with funds expected to be spent before the deadline. The Department of Ecology grant, a site-specific grant for the former Washington Department of Transportation site on Capitol Boulevard, has a shorter spending timeline of June 30, 2025. Approximately 60% of the Department of Ecology grant will fund environmental work with $20,000 dedicated to clean-up feasibility and $60,000 for planning activities to identify uses for the site, as well as a smaller portion for grant administration. The EPA grant is intended to support environmental work. Approximately $430,000 is dedicated for environmental work, $12,000 for community engagement, $50,000 for planning activities, and approximately $9,000 for grant project administration. The majority of the funding will fund an environmental consultant with any remaining funds for staff resources and grant management. The City’s internal selection committee reviewed Requests for Qualifications and tentatively selected a consultant subject to the Council’s approval. Next steps include working with the consultant team to develop a scope of work for review by the General Government Committee and the City Council. Staff has initiated steps for grant implementation with most efforts beginning this spring when the consultant is contracted. TUMWATER CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES OF HYBRID MEETING MARCH 5, 2024 Page 6 Manager Ramirez cited the two separate requests to approve the Department of Ecology and the EPA Community-Wide Assessment Grant. MOTION: Councilmember Dahlhoff moved, seconded by Councilmember Von Holtz, to approve and authorize the Mayor to sign the grant agreement with the Department of Ecology (Ecology) for a $200,000 Integrated Planning Grant (IPG). A voice vote approved the motion unanimously. RESOLUTION NO. R2024-005, AGREEMENT WITH THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY FOR BROWNFIELD ASSESSMENT GRANT: MOTION: Councilmember Von Holtz moved, seconded by Councilmember Dahlhoff, to adopt Resolution No. R2024-005, approving the terms and conditions of an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Cooperative Agreement and accepting a $500,000 Brownfield Community-Wide Assessment Grant. A voice vote approved the motion unanimously. COMMITTEE REPORTS: PUBLIC HEALTH & The next meeting is on Tuesday, March 12, 2024 at 8 a.m. SAFETY: Peter Agabi GENERAL The next meeting is on Wednesday, March 13, 2024 at 8 a.m. GOVERNMENT: Michael Althauser PUBLIC WORKS: The next meeting is scheduled on Thursday, March 7, 2024 at 8 a.m. Eileen Swarthout The agenda includes a review of the Barnes Lake Management District (BLMD) 2024 Budget and Work Plan. BUDGET AND The next meeting is scheduled in April 2024. FINANCE: Debbie Sullivan TUMWATER CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES OF HYBRID MEETING MARCH 5, 2024 Page 7 MAYOR/CITY City Administrator Parks reported on April 9, 2024, the Council is ADMINISTRATOR’S scheduled to participate in a City Council/Planning Commission REPORT: housing tour as a component of the 2025 Comprehensive Plan Periodic Update. The Washington Surveying and Rating Bureau rated the City of Tumwater from a Class 4 to a Class 3. The Community Protection Class Program from the Bureau is how insurance companies rate communities to assess and price fire protection insurance policies. The rating is reviewed every five years and is comprised of an evaluation of the City’s water system, Fire Department operations, fire safety control, and the dispatch center. The improvement in the City’s rating is generally attributed to investments over the last several years in staffing and equipment, as well as fire safety control programs of fire inspections and public education programs. The evaluation also identifies areas for future improvement to be addressed during the Fire Department’s strategic planning process. Building permit activity is experiencing a significant increase in application submittals. The State of Washington adopted an updated Energy Code effective March 15, 2024. The updates add complexity and costs to building construction, which is causing the construction industry to vest in projects under current energy codes. Permitting timelines will likely experience an increase from the time of permit application to issuance. Currently, a single family building permit application requires approximately four weeks to issue. The timeline will likely extend over the next several months. The City’s lobbyist has advised that the City’s budget request of $2 million to assist the City in purchasing habitat mitigation land was included in the final compromised budget before the Legislature. The budget bill has not passed at this point, but it appears the funds will be awarded to the City. Mayor Sullivan reported on February 21-22, 2024, she participated in the Association of Washington Cities (AWC) Mayors Forum along with 50 other city mayors from the state. During the forum, the program included a tour of the Brewery District. Manager Ramirez assisted in highlighting the Brewery District to many other city mayors. Hosts of the forum included the mayors from the City of Olympia, City of Lacey, and the City of Tumwater. Mayor Sullivan acknowledged with appreciation the attendance of the Council to the recent Council retreat on February 24, 2024. On February 28, 2024, Mayor Sullivan attended the Emergency TUMWATER CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES OF HYBRID MEETING MARCH 5, 2024 Page 8 Management Executive meeting along with Councilmember Dahlhoff and Fire Chief Hurley. Mayor Sullivan participated in a signing ceremony on February 28, 2024 for the Teamsters contract. She acknowledged the work and support by Administrative Services Director Michelle Sutherland and staff in their efforts with the unions to finalize contracts. The next meeting of the Intercity Transit Authority is on Wednesday, March 6, 2024. Intercity Transit hosts a Bus Buddy Program comprised of volunteers who assist individuals who have never used public transit. On Saturday, March 16, 2024, Intercity Transit is hosting a Bus Buddy Program recognition event at the Olympia Transit Center from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Councilmember Cathey asked about any takeaways from the other mayors participating in the AWC forum and tour. Mayor Sullivan said there were some takeaways acknowledging how a one-size mythology is not effective for most jurisdictions in terms of Eastern versus Western Washington and urban versus rural communities. Another discussion topic was tracking the impacts and costs of state legislation and state decisions. All jurisdictions experience struggles and achievements. The forum provided a good opportunity to network with other mayors. Approximately one-third of the mayors were women. COUNCILMEMBER REPORTS: Angela Jefferson: At the February 21, 2024 Emergency Medical Services Council meeting, the discussion focused on the shortfall of paramedics in Thurston County reflecting a nationwide trend since the pandemic. The shortfall creates stress on the workforce with many teams experiencing overtime. An eighth medic unit is needed in the community as it expands. However, meeting the timeline is problematic, as the shortfall of paramedic applicants has created an expensive solution in the future. Today, recruitment benefits include travel expenses for qualified out-of-state candidates to participate in EMS testing on April 10-11, 2024. Individuals submitting applications prior to Thursday, March 21, 2024 will receive travel expenses for participating in the testing process based on the current per diem rate. The next meeting of Tumwater HOPES is on March 21, 2024 followed by a meeting with the HOPES Coalition Leader on March 28, 2024. TUMWATER CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES OF HYBRID MEETING MARCH 5, 2024 Page 9 Councilmember Jefferson participated in a Black History Month event as the keynote speaker on February 23, 2024 at Madigan Army Community Hospital. Councilmember Jefferson said she is pursuing efforts to form a partnership with Army paramedics and Thurston County Medic One, Department of Health, and South Puget Sound Community College to create a medic to paramedic program between Madigan and Thurston County Medic One. Michael Althauser: Councilmember Althauser said he was not able to attend the last meeting of the Regional Housing Council (RHC). Councilmember Cathey attended on his behalf. Peter Agabi: There were no meetings and no report. Joan Cathey: Councilmember Cathey reported on her attendance to the meeting of the RHC. Two groups represent affordable housing and homeless services serving on the RHC committees for submitting recommendations to the RHC. Several individuals were approved to serve as members of the committees. Councilmember Cathey reported on the opening of the City’s Community Development Block Grant to accept applications for funding. A larger segment of the RHC meeting was a discussion on policy generating many comments and different suggestions. The discussion prompted opening the door for other activities the RHC should support and promote. Councilmember Althauser was acknowledged as one of the advocates for seeking other opportunities and convening more discussions on the purpose of the policy group, which could result in broader impacts and more consistency in the Council’s actions and processes. Councilmember Cathey encouraged Tumwater students to participate in the Earth Day celebration at Historical Park on April 20, 2024. Schools with the most student participation will receive $1,000 donation to the Lions Club for student scholarships. The next meeting of the Solid Waste Advisory Committee is scheduled on Wednesday, March 6, 2024. The agenda includes a discussion on issues associated with recycling. Many residents place recycled materials in plastic bags before depositing them in their recycle bin. All recycled items should be placed separately within the recycle bins. Kelly Von Holtz: Councilmember Von Holtz encouraged the community to participate in the City’s annual Easter Egg Dash. TUMWATER CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES OF HYBRID MEETING MARCH 5, 2024 Page 10 Leatta Dahlhoff: At the February 22, 2040 meeting of the LOTT Clean Water Alliance Board of Directors, members welcomed new members. Thurston County Commissioner Tye Menser was elected to serve as President and Councilmember Dahlhoff was elected to serve as Vice President. Thurston County Opioid Response Task Force Prevention Subcommittee members discussed 2024 SMART goals. Two of the goals speak to partnerships with other community groups to expand resources to local communities with an emphasis on pure education and youth led substance use prevention work. Opportunities exist if a meeting is scheduled with the Tumwater School Board to ascertain what is occurring in the community and what other organizations are experiencing and how any efforts could tie to funding from the Thurston County Opioid Response Task Force. Another goal is to expand availability of fact-based drug education and information about harm reduction approaches to substance use for youth, which also aligns with the efforts of other non-profits working closely with the school district and Tumwater HOPES. Eileen Swarthout: During the March 1, 2024 TRPC meeting, members discussed the Growth Management Act housing need allocations report. TRPC has been tasked with approving the housing allocation across the county. Members discussed the allocation and approved the allocation for Thurston County. The next step is scoping the next phase of the project by completing land capacity analysis. The result of the analysis may require revisions to the preferred housing need allocation. Members received a presentation on the Thurston County Economic Journey Current Conditions and Exciting Opportunities from Michael Cade with the Thurston Economic Development Council. ADJOURNMENT: With there being no further business, Mayor Sullivan adjourned the meeting at 8:07 p.m. Prepared by Valerie L. Gow, Recording Secretary/President Puget Sound Meeting Services, psmsoly@earthlink.net