HomeMy WebLinkAbout95-080Resolution No. 95- ~0
RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PORT
TOWNSEND SUPPORTING THE EFFORT TO REFER INITIATIVE 164
TO THE VOTERS (REFERENDUM 48)
The City Council of the City of Port Townsend, Washington, finds and resolves as
follows:
WHEREAS, Initiative 164 proposes to restrict the ability of municipalities to regulate
all aspects of construction and land use permitting, development, and planning; and
WHEREAS, Initiative 164 is vague and ambiguous, and inconsistent with numerous
legislative mandates, including the laudable progress made toward regulatory reform in HB
1724; and
WHEREAS, the City has an obligation to protect health, welfare, and the environment
through reasonable regulation of private property including such actions as zoning, planning, and
licensing. Initiative 164 will impede the City's ability to fulfill this obligation; and
WHEREAS, the requirement included in Initiative 164 that an :'economic impact study"
be prepared for any regulation or restraint on private property use will impose significant delays
and staggering costs on the review of even routine building and development applications,
slowing building permit and development review substantially; and
WHEREAS, the cost of preparing economic impact statements will need to be passed
on to either project applicants or to the public, resulting in steep increases in application fees
and/or steep increases in municipal charges and taxes; and
WHEREAS, Initiative 164 will impose upon the City of Port Townsend an unacceptable
decision of whether to accept the financial risk associated with compliance with numerous
statewide and federal regulations, including the State Environmental .Policy Act, the State
Shoreline Management Act, the Growth Management Act, as well as a myriad of other federal
and state legislative requirements necessary for the protection of the health, welfare and safety
of the public, and the protection and preservation of the natural and built environment; and
WHEREAS, Initiative 164 prohibits imposing upon building and development permit
applicants the requirement to provide studies, maps, plans, or reports used in determining
appropriate restrictions on use of the property as a consequence of a particular application,
severely limiting the City's ability to obtain information necessary to review health, safety and
environmental impacts of development proposals and requiring City ratepayers and taxpayers to
finance these studies in order to meet state and federal regulatory requirements, thereby resulting
in probable steep increases in rates, user fees, and local taxes; and
WHEREAS, Initiative 164 will eliminate predictability in the acquisition and
development of property within the City of Port Townsend and materially restrict the ability of
the City to regulate property uses which are detrimental to the public health, welfare and safety
and damaging to Port Townsend's fragile historic character and marine environment; and
WHEREAS, the Washington State Legislature chose not to refer this important
legislation to the voters; and
WHEREAS, the City Council finds the mandate contained in Initiative 164 to be of such
compelling interest to the public at large that it should be referred to the voters, as contemplated
by Referendum 48,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the City Council for the City of Port
Townsend as follows:
The City Council supports efforts to place Initiative 164 on the ballot, for full
debate and consideration by Washington State voters.
on this
ADOPTED by the City Council of the
l ~ ~"'fiay of June, 1995.
and signed by the Mayor
Jl M. Clise, Mayor
Attest:
~~lerk
/
./
Approved as to Form:
.... Ti~~cMa~~ty
.,~%,OTe~c
Attorney
06/19/95 [95-103] CA§Res\Init1641.doc}
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