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Home My WebLink About12 December_NewsletterNewsletterNewsletter DECEMBER CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS: December 2022 A Note From Mayor David Faber A Li�le More on Housing Here I go again... To those of you who wish I would speak about something other than housing in my column, be�er luck next �me! To me, Port Townsend’s affordable housing crisis is the #1, #2, and #3 most urgent issue facing Port Townsend, so I hope you will bear with me (and our community) as we con�nue to focus so much of our efforts on addressing this problem. I want to focus this month’s column on some of the specific exci�ng things that City Council has recently approved in the a�empt to make concrete progress on our housing crisis. On November 14th, the Port Townsend City Council heard and adopted—or at least took ini�al ac�on on—a series of measures affec�ng housing and housing affordability: City of Port Townsend 250 Madison Street (360)385-3000 www.cityofpt.us 12/05/22: Business Mee�ng 12/12/22: Workshop Mee�ng 12/19/22: Mee�ng Canceled City Closures: 12/23/22: City Offices Closed 12/26/22: City Offices Closed Mee�ngs are subject to change. Please view our website calendar for an up-to-date mee�ng schedule: www.cityofpt.us/calendar Consider applying to be on a City Advisory Board or Commission. Visit our website for descrip�ons, applica�ons, and mee�ng schedules: www.cityofpt.us For more informa�on, contact the City Clerk’s Office at (360) 379-5083. The following Boards and Commissions have current and upcoming vacancies: • Climate Ac�on Commi�ee• Lodging Tax Advisory Commi�ee• Planning Commission These measures are in addi�on to the various other measures already approved this year (rapid progress on Evans Vista, residen�al tenant protec�ons, and others). As I said in our Council mee�ng on the 14th: this is the first year since being elected to City Council where staff, council, and the community all seem to be trying to solve our affordable housing crisis. I could hardly be more excited or proud! More to come! (1) Port Townsend started work with Thomas Architectural Studios on the master planning for Evans Vista, the City’s 14-acre parcel off Sims Way & Rainier, with the goal to create 150 affordable housing units, including 50-100 units of “workforce” housing for people earning 80-120% of our area median income. (2) We approved first reading of the 2023 budget, which includes two new job posi- �ons specifically focused on housing: (i) a Long-Range Planner, whose job will be to plan for targeted, �med, and impac�ul zoning code changes to unlock and inspire affordable, dense, quality infill development, and (ii) a Housing Grants Coordinator, to seek resources that can be leveraged to make affordable housing a reality. (3) Council reduced the number of off-street parking spaces required for someone to build an accessory dwelling unit (“ADU”) to zero, opening up new opportuni�es for people to create ADUs on their property where before it might not have been possible, and generally reducing the costs to build new ADUs. This ordinance also allows credi�ng of an on-street parking space in place of an off-street parking space where street design allows for it, and reduces the required off-street parking for small homes of 1,200 square feet or less to one parking space. (4) We adopted our 2023 Legisla�ve Agenda—our “ask” of our State government for the 2023 legisla�ve session—with a strong focus on housing, including a request to (i) expand key �me limits for ci�es to build residen�al capacity, (ii) expand eligi- bility for housing grants to provide workforce housing to people & families earning up to 150% of area median income; and (iii) allow Port Townsend (and other local governments) to adopt affordable housing impact fees; among other housing-cen- tric requests. (5) Lastly, but certainly not least, the City Council authorized the City Manager to hire SCJ Alliance—a consultant with significant experience with affordable housing policy—to help Port Townsend take quick, effec�ve ac�on to amend our zoning rules in order to build residen�al capacity and create more equitable housing outcomes. City of Port Townsend • 250 Madison Street • (360) 385-3000 • www.cityofpt.us I might be jumping the gun just slightly, but I expect the City Council will adopt the 2023 budget on December 5. Our work began almost a year ago, with an assessment and report of 2021. Then a half-year ago, department directors and City Council members workshopped our strate- gic 2023 workplan at an all-day retreat. A�er that, we engaged in a ton of teamwork to figure out how to sustainably fund our priori�es and proceeded through a number of state statutory requirements. Finally, we held a public hearing on the proposed budget last month when Council Members asked good ques�ons about the numbers and signaled general support. I gave a preview of where things were headed in my October column, but it feels good to have it finished and head into 2023 with a balanced, strategic budget to guide our work. But we’re not stopping there. As I men�oned a few months ago, if we just cruised along year to year, we would start to lose ground on longer-term financial sustainability and the challenges of balancing a budget would only get more difficult. To get a head-start on the more structural and long-term challeng- es we will eventually face, we launched our Financial Sustainability Task Force last month. The Task Force is composed of five Council-appointed community members who have a range of skills and deep service experience, from running businesses to serving as Mayor, and from serving as City staff to serving on boards and commissions. The task force, our finance team, directors from several departments, and our BERK consultants kicked things off with a review of the task ahead, an overview of the City budget, and a discussion of community engagement op�ons. This is precisely why I write about it now – since I want to ensure you’re ready to learn about and engage with us about our collec�ve financial future. A�er all, whether you’re concerned about housing affordability and availability, interested in making investments into our parks and community facili�es, or want to see local streets in be�er shape, the work of this group is fundamental to making any of that happen. Look for surveys and in-person and virtual public engagement events in early 2023 that will help shape a report from the Task Force to City Council in the middle of the year. You can learn more about the Financial Sustainability project here: www.cityofpt.us/bc/page/financial-sustainability-task-force You can review the materials from the first mee�ng here: www.weblink.cityofpt.us/weblink/0/edoc/209666/111822%20Agenda%20Packet.pdf Join us in ensuring our unique and special community is ready for the future! Meanwhile, I hope you and your family and friends enjoy a res�ul and fes�ve holiday season. City Hall Hours Changing A Note From City Manager John Mauro To help us be�er partner with and serve our community, City Hall hours are changing as of December 2. We will be open 9am to 4pm Monday through Thursday and closed on Friday. Modeled a�er other ci�es and organiza�ons, the new hours will help us best serve the public with greater efficiency and fairness recognizing staffing constraints. For instance, front desk staff will work through the backlog of the week's calls and public requests on Fridays and coordi- nate with other City staff on a wide range of tasks that help keep our city moving. The phones will not be answered during closed hours. There are a variety of services available during closed hours, including: • Repor�ng an emergency (call 911) • Repor�ng a concern: www.cityofpt.us/concern • Permit submi�al by dropbox and more electronic op�ons coming soon • City website (Engage PT, report a concern, facility rentals): www.cityofpt.us • Voice message • Email We will be tes�ng this approach for 12 weeks star�ng Friday, December 2 through Friday February 24. A�er this pilot, we will measure, evaluate and report our findings to City Council. Thank you for your pa�ence and understanding – we are very eager to work with you to be�er serve you! City of Port Townsend • 250 Madison Street • (360) 385-3000 • www.cityofpt.us Utility Billing Frequently Asked Questions Ban on Idling Vehicles Port Townsend Public Library With the 2022 holiday season right around the corner, we wanted to offer answers to some frequently asked ques�ons – and a reminder that mail delivery �mes become strained this �me of year! The front desk staff at City Hall processes all payments received during opera�onal hours on the same day they are received (this includes hand-delivered payments, bulk delivery by the United States Postal Service, and items delivered in the outside payment drop box). The only excep�on is payments le� in the drop box outside of normal business hours. Anything le� a�er business hours is processed the next business day. When can I hand-deliver my payment? City Hall is open to the Public Monday – Thursday, from 9am – 4pm. Payments can be placed in the u�lity drop box outside of the front door of City Hall. Payments from the drop box are processed daily Monday – Friday. When are City u�lity bills generated? Bills are generated towards the end of every month and are mailed out on the last business day of the month. When are u�lity bills due? Payments must be received by the 20th of each month to avoid penalty/late fee. What is the late fee amount? $5.00 (flat) or 1.5% - whichever is greater. Why doesn’t my bill reflect my recent payment? In order to meet our last-day-of-the-month mailing deadline, the u�lity billing clerk must begin genera�ng bills slightly ahead of month-end. Because of this, payments received a�er the 25th of the month may not always appear on your bill (due to �ming of genera�ng bills, whether there are weekends or holidays towards the end of the month). If you have ques�ons about your balance, you are always welcome to call (360) 385-3000 and request clarifica�on on your bill amount. Why doesn’t my Doxo account reflect my recent payment? Doxo is updated once a month, when new bills are generated and delivered to their online pla�orm. The balance in your Doxo account does not automa�cally update as payments are made – the balance remains sta�c throughout the month from the �me your u�lity bill posts to your account. You are always welcome to call in (360) 385-3000 and request your current balance. Early this year, the Port Townsend High School Students for Sustainability proposed, and the City Council approved, a ban on idling vehicles for more than three minutes, with some excep�ons. The ordinance, found in Port Townsend Municipal Code Chapter 10.08, bans idling a vehicle for more than three minutes except when stopped in traffic, when needed for health or safety, during extreme temperatures, for law enforcement, for vehicle repair, as recom- mended by the manufacturer, or when needed for auxiliary equipment. While the penalty for viola�on is a civil infrac�on of $50, most of the enforcement is through educa�on and informa�on. The US Department of Energy es�mates that one hour of car idling wastes a third of a gallon of fuel, releases 6 pounds of carbon dioxide, and contributes to ground-level ozone. In the United States, annual personal vehicle idling wastes approximately three billion gallons of fuel a year and generates 30 million tons of carbon dioxide. Encouraging drivers to turn off their engines can contribute be�er air quality and a more sustainable future. www.cleanci�es.energy.gov/files/pdfs/idle_free_cards.pdf (retrieved November 7, 2022) www.afdc.energy.gov/files/u/publication/idling_personal_vehicles.pdf (retrieved November 7, 2022) Sources: 28th Annual Uptown Gingerbread Contest in partnership with PT Main Street. Ready to build some Gingerbread? The Uptown Gingerbread Contest is back! Bring back your wonderful crea�ons between December 1 and 11. This year's juror is Max Grover! Please check out the Library’s website for details on dimensions, due dates and more informa�on about the contest. www.ptpubliclibrary.org/library Ring in the Holidays in Port Townsend! The Port Townsend Main Street Promo�on encourages customers to invest in Port Townsend's economy by patronizing our unique local businesses. Port Townsend Treeligh�ng Celebra�on – December 3, 2022 The fes�vi�es begin at Tyler Plaza under the heated tent from 2:00pm – 4:00pm. Santa is coming to town! Wrap It Up Dec. 10 from 2-4 pm under the Tyler Plaza tent. Members of the Kiwanis/Rotary Youth Clubs will wrap up your locally purchased gi�s with style! Tour The Winter Lights The Port Townsend Main Street Program is ligh�ng up Port Townsend with sparkling white lights decorate the trees in Uptown and Downtown Look for illuminated snowflakes coming to historic Uptown. Find out more informa�on about the Holidays in Port Townsend at www.ptmainstreet.org. Subject to change City of Port Townsend • 250 Madison Street • (360) 385-3000 • www.cityofpt.us Volunteer Spotlight & Recognition PT Main Street - Ring in the Holidays Come Help The Community Plan For The Future We have been volunteering at Kah Tai Lagoon Nature Park for over 20 years. We like volunteering because by planting native plants at the Kah Tai Lagoon Nature Park we will improve the habitat for the wild critters that live there and make the park a more enjoyable experience for those people visiting the park. We plant and maintain native plants, weed out invasive nonnative plants and pick up garbage. - Rosemary Sikes We would like to recognize all of our amazing volunteers. Today we have over 240 volunteers that volunteer at the Library, Police Department, in our Parks and Trails and picking up trash all over the community. The City appreciates every volunteer and all of the �me they put in to make the community a be�er place. This month we are recognizing Ron and Rosemary Sikes who volunteer in our City Parks. THANK YOU RON & ROSEMARY! OPEN HOUSE - GOLF COURSE AND MOUNTAIN VIEW COMMONS CONCEPT PLANNING The City of Port Townsend will host Open House #1 for the Port Townsend Golf Course and Mountain View Commons Concept Planning Effort on Wednesday, January 11 from 5:00-7:00 P.M. at Fort Worden Commons, Ba�ery Way Port Townsend. (childcare op�ons pending - more informa�on soon) Project Background: This planning effort began in early 2020 following the development of the PROS (Parks, Recrea�on and Open Space) Plan which showed community desire to explore different uses for the golf course property owned by the City. In November 2020, City Council unanimously directed staff to engage the community to explore the feasibility of alternate uses, in addi�on to con�nued use for golf. Given the proximity of the Mountain View Commons Campus, it is the City’s interest to explore complementary uses and plan for this site as well. Contact: Carrie Hite, Director of Parks and Recrea�on Strategy | (360) 379-2979 | chite@cityofpt.us Project Website:www.cityofpt.us/envision