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Home My WebLink About041908 . . . CITY OF PORT TOWNSEND CITY COUNCIL MINUTES OF THE RETREAT SESSION OF APRIL 19, 2008 CALL TO ORDER The City Council of the City of Port Townsend met in a retreat session the nineteenth day of April, 2008, at 9:00 a.m. in the City Council Chambers, Mayor Michelle Sandoval presiding. ROLL CALL Council members present at roll call were Brent Butler, David King, Laurie Medlicott, George Randels, Catharine Robinson, Michelle Sandoval, and Mark Welch. Staff members present were City Manager David Timmons, Planning Director Rick Sepler, Public Works Director Ken Clow, Finance Director Michael Legarsky, DSD Director Leonard Yarberry, Police Chief Conner Daily, Library Director Theresa Percy, and City Clerk Pam Kolacy. LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES A list of seven goals for 2008 (attached) was presented and discussed. Suggestions for further development of the document included: Add action items to the goals; some action items may pertain to more than one goal; Add some description of future critical and "strategic" dates; Develop a running list tracking what is on the agenda and what has been accomplished. In regard to some specific pending projects, Mr. Sepler noted the parking ordinance should be fairly straightforward but completing work on the other interim ordinances will take time; he stated full adoption may not be accomplished until the end of this year or next year. There was agreement that if the process may take that long, there should be some public notice about the projected timeline. Mr. Timmons noted that during the last quarter of the year, the Council will be primarily dealing with budget issues. TOWN MEETING PROCESS City Council Retreat Page 1 April 19, 2008 . . . Mr. Sepler noted the results from the second town meeting will be out soon. It is apparent that there are many misconceptions in the public. Suggestions for implementation of lessons learned from the town meetings included the following: 1) At future meetings, staff should interact more with participants to answer questions and provide information; 2) Frequently Asked Questions should be developed for distribution and posting on web site; 3) 4) 5) Council members should be added to town meeting e-mail distribution list; City Manager's presentation should be video-taped; More effort should be made to attract a wider demographic of participants; 6) Look for opportunities for expanded outreach and make it continuous and ongoing; need to get the message out for those who couldn't attend and would like information; 7) Ask participants to fill out a brief feedback form at the end of the meeting. RECESS Mayor Sandoval declared a recess at 10:05 a.m. for the purpose of a break. RECONVENE The meeting was reconvened at 10:17 a.m. LONG-TERM FISCAL SUSTAINABILlTY INITIATIVE CAPITAL PROJECTS DEVELOPING A MULTI-YEAR WORK PLAN SHORT AND LONG TERM FERRY SERVICE Mr. Timmons noted that Council must allocate time and set out a work plan and agenda based on these areas. He noted that a multi-year work plan is being developed and potential capital initiatives will be discussed at the next business meeting. In light of the many major projects, Mr. Timmons added that he is concerned about keeping up the City's day to day operations; he stated the City needs to look at resource allocations to deal with day to day activities, particularly on the land use side of the budget. City Council Retreat Page 2 April 19, 2008 . . . Regarding long term fiscal sustainability initiatives, the Council needs to consider supporting a voter approved levy for either the Library or Parks. He noted that a simple majority of the voters is needed for levy approval. Ms. Sandoval suggested devoting a study session to each of the possibilities. She also noted she does not want to move forward with any initiative that does not garner complete consensus on the Council with a commitment to work with community groups. There was further discussion on details of the possible initiatives. Mr. Sepler summarized action items from the meeting: Integrate specific actions into work plan items. Make a long term commitment to the community educational process at different scales; for example town meetings, how to get feedback, what sort of information will go out to the public in what forms. Schedule Council workshops in a timely manner to discuss initiatives and specific scenarios regarding funding. Insure broad ongoing communication about the ferry situation and focus on CTED to see if we can get more active assistance from them. Mr. King gave an update on the NW Maritime Center, stating that groundbreaking is scheduled for June and the estimate for construction time is about one year. Mrs. Medlicott stated several minor problems and issues have been ongoing and she would like some level of assurance that these will be cleaned up and not lost sight of because of the numerous larger projects that are ongoing. Staff will create a tracking log for the agendas and get a list together. Mrs. Medlicott expressed concern that the work load is not shared equally among Council members and would like to look at a more equitable distribution. ADJOURN There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 11 :20 a.m. ct~~ Pam Kolacy, MMC City Clerk City Council Retreat Page 3 April 19. 2008 . . . City of Port Townsend DRAFT 2008 City Council Goals Goal 1: Goal 2: Goal 3: Goal 4: Goal 5: Goal 6: Goal 7: Maintain or improve the current level of City services, ensure that all City programs and services help protect or enhance the quality oflife in Port Townsend and assure that the City's financial and human resources are allocated to effectively and efficiently achieve the Council's Goals. Develop and implement a coordinated, multi-tiered economic strategy that encourages appropriately-scaled business activities, is sustainable over the long term and is supportive of local community character. Improve partnerships with other agencies, non-profits and service providers; pool expertise and financial resources to meet shared goals including but not limited to affordable housing, economic development, emergency preparedness, substance abuse prevention, postal, recreation and library services. Expand outreach efforts and engage citizens in community dialogue about goals, priorities, and challenges. Improve the City's disaster preparedness and response capability through expansion of cable and radio systems. Complete the Mid-cycle Assessment of the Comprehensive Plan and revise both the plan and its implementing ordinances (as necessary) to maintain Port Townsend's special small town character. Ensure that the interests ofthe Community are represented in regional transportation processes such as the Keystone - Port Townsend Ferry Partnership, the Hood Canal Bridge replacement Project and the Peninsula Regional Transportation Organization (PRTPO).