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HomeMy WebLinkAbout041210CITY OF PORT TOWNSEND MINUTES OF THE WORKSHOP OF APRIL 12, 2010 CALL TO ORDER ROLL CALL Councilmembers present at roll call were David King, Laurie Medlicott, Kris Nelson, George Randels, Catharine Robinson, Michelle Sandoval, and Mark Welch. Staff members present were City Manager David Timmons, Public Works Director Ken Clow, Development Services Director Rick Sepler, City Attorney John Watts, and City Clerk Pam Kolacy . TRANSPORTATION PLAN A presentation regarding the City's draft Transportation Functional Plan was given by Public Works Director Ken Ciow, City Manager David Timmons and John Pascal of the consultant Transpogroup. Mr. Clow noted that the work has been in progress for several months. The plan builds on elements of the Comprehensive Plan so that implementation can begin and the Council now can deal with the process for adopting the plan and discussing funding options. Mr. Sepler spoke about the planning process elements. He stated there is enough information to start the SEPA process and go foward with the Department of Commerce 60 day Growth Management Act review. He noted the plan will not modify the Comprehensive Plan but will implement the Plan. He suggested that the public process should include at least one public open house and end with a public hearing before the Council. In response to a question from Mr. Randels, Mr. Sepler stated that only a substantial change to the plan would require subsequent review; he is confident that while the Council may want to change some portions of the plan, none would be likely to affect the broad environmental issues. Funding and concurrency are not environmental issues. Ms. Nelson noted that the Council has a very full work plan; Mr. Clow agreed but stated the Transportation Plan must be moved forward before the information is too dated. Mr. Timmons said in regard to final adoption, the Council must first have funding options in place. Once the plan is in place it is a benchmark with which to judge any development. He suggested that the Council may want to refer funding options to the Council Finance and Budget Committee and policy aspects to the General Services Committee, then bring those recommendations forward to the full Councit. There was consensus that this was acceptable to the Council. City Council Workshop Apri] 12, ?010 Page 1 of 3 It was noted that all activity would be parallel, with Committee reviews taking place at the same time as the SEPA review. There was general agreement that an open house for the public should be held fairly soon so that the Committees can use that information during their discussions. FIRE DISTRICT ANNEXATION East Jefferson Fire Rescue Commissioner Rich Stapf and Fire Chief Gordon Pomeroy were present for the discussion. Mr. Timmons reviewed prior discussions, noting that we are one of the last communities in the state to address fire district annexation. He outlined the process and general effect on the City's levy rate and general fund. Mr. King stated that from the taxpayer's perspective, what is on the table now if the EMS levy passes in both the city and the district, and the Fire levy passes in the district, then people in the district will have both rates go up but people in the city will see only the EMS increase. If annexation then passes, the citizens of the city would see a corresponding increase in their fire levy for 2012. The corresponding amount of money in the general fund that would no longer be earmarked for fire could be used for streets or the capacity to collect that money could be banked for an indeterminate period of time. Ms. Nelson asked what advantage a city resident would receive if annexation took place. Mr. Timmons stated a key benefit is direct voter representation on the Fire Board and participation in a broader, rather than a restricted tax. He explained the EMS levy is earmarked and can only be used for one purpose whereas funds raised by the general levy may be used for a broader range of services. The Council discussed the effect of the County's property assessment schedule which results in unequal property values. Some parts of the district will always have a higher burden during their assessment year; however there could be an interlocal preceding annexation that addresses this issue. Mr. Timmons and Mr. Stapf agreed that an equalization factor agreement could be anticipated. It was agreed that the scheduled May 6 Town Meeting will take place no matter what happens in the current election. Discussion ensued about "banking" the capacity for the general fund levy increase and whether the Council should specifically earmark those funds for streets. One option would be to bank capacity until equalization occurs in 2014. This would also give a good time frame for public education about effects of the annexation. It City Council Workshop April 12, 2010 Page 2 of 3 was generally felt that a stated priority for funds is desirable. A future meeting schedule was agreed upon including the May 6 Town Meeting, a joint workshop on May 10 hosted by the City, and a joint workshop on May 12 at the District. A representative from Poulsbo will be invited to one or more of the future meetings as that jurisdiction has recently been through an annexation process. COUNCIL COMMITTEE REPORTS The following updates were presented. Finance & Budget Committee (David King) Information and Technology Committee (Mark Welch Jefferson Transit activities (Catharine Robinson) HUD loan update and Health Department "Our Kids, Our Business" campaign (Kris Nelson) LTAC and Community Development/Land Use Committee (George Randels) Parks Survey, Governor's visit (Michelle Sandoval) ADJOURN There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 8:50 p.m. Attest: ,= ~ ~ i_ ~' Pamela Kolacy, MMC -' City Clerk City Council Workshop April 1? 2010 Pagc 3 of 3