The following letter to members of the Ferndale City Council is provided courtesy of Ferndale City Administrator Jori Burnett. It is regarding the Ferndale City Council meeting agenda for the regular meeting scheduled for 6pm, Monday, June 17th. As noted, there will be a workshop beginning at 5:30pm prior to the regular meeting. The public is welcome to attend both.
Councilmembers –
Your agenda for Monday night is as follows:
Financial Workshop (5:30) – Finance Director Sirke Salminen will hold the second of several Financial Workshops beginning at 5:30. The focus of Monday’s workshop will be the budget calendar for the 2020 budget. This calendar is a required element of the budgeting process, and is vital in order to provide all involved with the ability to contribute to the document and for proper analysis to occur before the budget is formally presented later this fall.
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Item A: Public Comment
Item B: Consent Agenda, including approval of June 5, 2019 minutes, authorization of June 5 payroll, approval of May 2019 claims.
– Resolution: Shoreline Master Program Public Participation Plan – The City is required to update its Shoreline Master Program (SMP) in 2020. As a component of this update, the City is required to establish a public participation plan so as to encourage meaningful public participation. The City proposes to utilize traditional and electronic media to notify the general public and other stakeholders on a continuous basis, including establishing a dedicated SMP link through the City’s webpage. The Planning Commission will be the primary forum through which workshops will be held. The overall process is expected to take approximately one year, with adoption scheduled for June 2020. By adopting the public participation plan via resolution, the Council will establish the general framework for the review and modification of the SMP, thereby complying with State guidelines.
– Resolution: Surplus Vehicles – The Council is asked to pass a resolution allowing the City to surplus three vehicles. Staff has determined that the three vehicles are no longer necessary or useful for City operations. By adopting the resolution the Council will instruct Staff to sell the items at the best available price, or properly dispose of items that it is unable to sell.
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Item C: Brian Enslow, the City’s lobbyist, will update the Council on the recently-concluded legislative session. He will discuss major legislative actions, prospects moving forward, and the impact these issues may have on the City. Councilmembers are invited to submit questions of Mr. Enslow to the City Administrator in advance of the meeting, allowing Mr. Enslow sufficient time to review and provide responses.
Item D: Katy Radder, the City’s Capital Project Manager, will provide the monthly update on current capital projects.
Item E: Shoreline Master Program – Community Development Director Haylie Miller will give an overview of the City’s existing Shoreline Master Program. The majority of the existing program was written in the early 2000’s, and Staff has found that while the program, for the most part, adequately regulates the City’s shorelines, the document itself is cumbersome, contains generic language that does not pertain to Ferndale, and is simply outdated.
Item F: Ordinance: Kope Road Vacation – the City Council is asked to consider an ordinance that would vacate a 40’ x 568’ public roadway west of Rural Avenue and south of Slater Road. The Lummi Nation, owners of the land to the north and south of this roadway, have submitted a formal application requesting that this roadway be vacated. The City Council held a public hearing on the matter on May 20th, and the public hearing has been closed. The accompanying staff report and ordinance addresses the procedural steps and findings necessary for the Council to make its decision. Staff has determined that the applicant has met all requirements, and approval is recommended.
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The City Council should note that the ordinance has been amended slightly from the June 12th Committee to document some of the public benefits that may result from the vacation, as required by the City’s Municipal Code. The appraisal was expected to be included as part of the staff report; however, the City’s appraiser was not able to complete the appraisal by the time the agenda was published. The appraisal will be provided to Council as soon as possible. While Staff has determined that all requirements have been met, the City Council ultimately must determine whether they agree.
Item G: Potential Executive Session – The City Council may enter into Executive Session to discuss the matter if it feels appropriate (RCW 42.30.110 (c)) – Such discussion must be limited to a discussion of “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. However, final action selling or leasing public property shall be taken in a meeting open to the public.”
Item H: Ordinance, Multifamily Tax Exemption (MFTE) Time Frame Extension – The Planning and Land Use Committee recommended that the MFTE timeline for submittals be extended for one year. The program currently has a sunset date of December 31, 2020. The proposal would extend that date to December 31, 2021. Councilmembers in support of the proposal indicated that the program is intended to work in tandem with the City’s Catalyst Program and modifications to zoning in the affected areas, both of which were adopted following the MFTE program. The extension is intended to provide applicants the time necessary to design and submit their projects based on the City’s updated standards.
Items I-L: Mayor, Council, and Department Reports; Committee Minutes
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AdvertisementItem M: Executive Session – RCW 42.30.110(i). An Executive Session to discuss with legal counsel representing the agency in litigation or potential litigation. Action may be taken following the Executive Session.
For next time:
July 15th Financial Workshop: Staff is requesting that the City Council begin thinking about topics of interest that can be incorporated into the 2020 budget. We plan on holding a one-hour workshop on July 15th that will enable Council to share their funding concepts early in the budget process.
Many of the larger, capital projects will already be included in Staff’s budget assumptions, via Council’s adoption of 6-year improvement plans, but in previous years the Council was asked to also create a “Must, Should, Could” list of desired projects. Essentially, this created two competing plans.
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Staff hopes that the July 15th workshop will allow for the Council and Staff to consider 2020 projects or initiatives that would not otherwise be included in these six-year plans. Councilmembers are encouraged to contact relevant department heads in advance in an effort to determine whether or how the concepts can be incorporated into the workplans of the individual departments.
See you Monday – Jori
The public is encouraged to attend City Council meetings. They are held on the 1st and 3rd Mondays of each month at 6pm in Council Chambers at the City Hall Annex at 5694 2nd Avenue.