Councilmembers present: Alan Kiest, Carolyn Armanini, Dwight Thompson, Mary Jane Goss, Nate Herzog, Roger Olstad, Ed Sterner

Staff present: David Hutchinson, Mayor; Doug Jacobson, City Administrator; Michael Ruark, City Attorney; Dennis Peterson, Police Chief; Kristen Anderson, Municipal Court Judge pro tempore; John Hawley, Finance Director; Ty Peterson, City Planner; Sarah Phillips, Community and Government Affairs; Frank Zenk, Director of Public Services; Linda Page, Secretary to Police Chief; Gayle George-Sackett, Human Resources; Susan Stine, City Clerk

Others present: 45 visitors

The regular meeting was preceded by an open house at 6:30 p.m. with Arai-Jackson Architects regarding city hall programming and space needs analysis and a reception at 7 p.m. to welcome the new police chief Dennis Peterson.

CALL TO ORDER

OATH OF OFFICE

Hutchinson said that Dennis Peterson will be formally sworn in as the city’s new police chief, and he welcomed family members and guests from the City of Marysville who were present for the ceremony.

The oath of office was administered to Police Chief Dennis Peterson by Municipal Court Judge pro tempore Kristen Anderson.

Peterson thanked his family and friends for their support. He said he looks forward to serving the city of Lake Forest Park as police chief and commended the professionalism and responsiveness of the police department. He noted that he continues to be impressed by the city and its citizens as he gets acquainted in the community.

PUBLIC HEARING

Resolution 597/Adopting Revised Six-Year Street Plan

There being no comments, the public hearing was closed at 7:41 p.m.

PUBLIC COMMENTS

Toni Potter, 19548 47^th Ave. NE, urged the city and the architect to design and build an energy-efficient city hall. She noted that the city must look at the long-term maintenance costs rather than just the construction costs for the new city hall.

Ron Ricker, 18987 Forest Park Dr. NE, asked what the city intends to do with the present building at the site for the new city hall.

City Administrator Doug Jacobson said that the present proposed design and cost estimates indicate that it may be easier and cheaper to take down the existing building rather than to remodel and add to the structure.

CONFIRMATION CALENDAR/Final Confirmation

Cmbr. Armanini moved to confirm the appointment of Jodi Waltier to the Parks and Recreation Commission, Position 4, for the term ending March 31, 2002. Cmbr. Thompson seconded. The motion carried unanimously.

ADOPTION OF AGENDA

Thompson noted the presence of several commission and committee chairs and requested that their work plan presentations be taken out of order following the consent calendar.

Armanini noted that Bruce Ellison of Arai/Jackson is in attendance and requested that second reading calendar item 7, Approve Schematic Design, Authorize Architects to Proceed with City Hall Design Development, be taken as the first item of the second reading calendar.

Armanini also requested that the first three items of the second reading calendar—1) Resolution 593/Adopting Lyon Creek Waterfront Property Master Plan; 2) Resolution 597/Adopting Revised Six-Year Street Improvement Plan; and 3) Resolution 599/Establishing a Public Art Program for City-Owned Facilities and Spaces, Establishing a Public Arts Advisory Committee be taken after items 4) Resolution 600/Placing Parks and Open Space Bond on Ballot—Retention of Interim City Hall Property for Community Center; 5) Resolution 601/Placing Parks and Open Space Bond on Ballot—Parks and Open Space Acquisition and Development; 6) Resolution 603/Placing an Operation and Maintenance Levy on Ballot—Interim City Hall Property for Community Center, provided that it is not after 11 p.m.

Thompson moved adoption of the agenda with the suggested amendments. Olstad seconded. The motion carried unanimously.

Thompson moved that first reading calendar item 2) Resolution 603/Placing an Operation and Maintenance Levy on Ballot—Interim City Hall Property for Community Center be accepted and advanced to second reading for discussion on this agenda.

CONSENT CALENDAR

Thompson moved to pull item 6) ZTA 00-01Accept Planning Commission Recommendation for Denial of Request for Multi-Family Senior Housing in Single-Family Zones by Conditional Use from the consent calendar.

There was no objection to Armanini’s request to pull item 1) July 13, 2000 Council Regular Meeting Minutes from the consent calendar.

Thompson moved adoption of the amended consent calendar as follows:

July 27, 2000 council regular meeting minutes;

August 10, 2000 council regular meeting minutes;

August 24, 2000 finance committee report covering warrants 37868 through 37943 in the amount of $114,296.69 drawn from the Claims Clearing Fund and warrants 19508 through 19572 in the amount of $104,303.20 drawn from the Payroll Clearing Fund.

July 13, 2000 Council Regular Meeting Minutes

Armanini noted that the July 13, 2000 council regular meeting minutes, Page 12, lines 9 and 10 reflect the outcome of a vote on Ordinance 788 that is different from her recollection. She said that she recalls that the outcome of the vote was not announced, and there was some confusion before the council agreed to consider it again at its July 27, 2000 regular meeting.

Armanini moved to amend the July 13, 2000 council regular meeting minutes as follows:

Page 12, lines 9-14: "The motion did not carry 1-6 (Aye—Kiest; Nay—Thompson, Armanini, Goss, Herzog, Sterner, Olstad.)

There was no objection to Thompson’s request for reconsideration of Ordinance 788 at the next council meeting.

Before the vote on the motion was announced, it was the consensus of the council that further discussion and action on this matter would be postponed until their next meeting."

Thompson moved adoption of July 13, 2000 council regular meeting minutes as amended. Armanini seconded. The motion carried unanimously.

ZTA 00-01/Accept Planning Commission Recommendation for Denial of Request for Multi-Family Senior Housing in Single-Family Zones by Conditional Use

Emily Lavin, 22930 106^th Ave W, Edmonds, said she is here to speak regarding the application of Don Udhus for a zoning code text amendment to allow multi-family senior housing in single-family zones by conditional use.

Lavin said the city has no criteria for review of this application, and therefore, it was impossible for the applicant to know what to address in the application.

She strongly urged the council to keep the issue of senior housing alive by following through with implementation of a plan to address this need.

In response to a question from Cmbr. Sterner, Lavin said she would like to see a zoning code amendment to allow such options for senior housing and would like the city to be receptive to ideas to address senior housing needs.

Thompson moved to accept the recommendation of the Planning Commission and to deny the request for an amendment to the zoning code to allow multi-housing for seniors in single-family zones by conditional use.

Sterner said he supports the motion; however, he encouraged staff to do more research on this issue and to pursue development of a process for responding to such proposals.

Armanini concurred and noted that this is addressed in the commission’s findings and conclusions.

Olstad said he agreed with Sterner and Armanini and said he would like to see this be a starting point for further study of this issue.

Kiest said the commission’s record reflects a commitment to review this issue, and he said it would be appropriate to be part of the comprehensive plan update process.

Goss expressed her disappointment that this cannot be addressed currently and said that criteria should be established quickly so that housing can be provided for seniors.

The motion to accept the recommendation of the Planning Commission and to deny the request for an amendment to the zoning code to allow multi-housing for seniors in single-family zones by conditional use carried unanimously.

Environmental Quality Commission chair Dave Peterson said that nothing will change how the city does business more than the salmon issue and the requirements of the Endangered Species Act. He said the commission would like to help facilitate the application of the requirements.

He noted that the commission supports the work of Streamkeepers and the urban forestry committee.

In response to a question from Kiest, Peterson said the commission would be a resource for information and would be willing to provide a report or analysis of the information for staff use in responding to applications.

Human Services Commission

Human Services Commission vice-chair Carolyn Riley-Payne said the commission’s goals are related to supporting the needs of youth, seniors and families and responding to housing and transportation needs for citizens.

In response to a question from Kiest, Riley-Payne said the commission would appreciate the council’s help in developing a dialog with the Shoreline School District regarding the "It’s about Time for Kids" assessment program.

Kiest also expressed his approval of the city’s work regarding domestic violence.

In response to a question from Olstad, Riley-Payne said the commission chose to identify all of its goals as high priority at this time.

Parks and Recreation Commission

Parks and Recreation Commission chair Mamie Bolender expressed her appreciation of the council’s confirmation of the appointment of Jodi Waltier to the commission. She also said that staff member Tema Nesoff provides a wonderful link to the city.

Bolender reviewed the commission’s objectives as they relate to its mission. She discussed various activities of the commission related to its stated objectives.

She noted that the commission looks forward to council action on the resolution proposed by the commission regarding the establishment of a public art program.

Kiest asked the commission to provide technical assistance regarding improvements for city parks if voters approve the proposed bond measure.

Web Team

Web team chair Dennis Barnes said the team continues to broaden and deepen the website content and specifically noted the plan to post board and commission minutes. He noted that the team would like to develop additional site volunteers and understands the level of training needed for staff.

Barnes said he envisions the website being a valuable tool in the comprehensive plan update process.

Barnes reported that a section is being planned for the website related to the history of Lake Forest Park.

Armanini expressed her appreciation of the development of a history section and noted the work of Beverley Smith and Diane Yates on the historic homes inventory and walking tour.

Kiest thanked Barnes for his work related to the establishment of the domain name for the city’s website.

Economic Development Committee

Economic Development Committee chair Jeff Weissman said the committee is not requesting any funding in the 2001 budget.

He said the committee will review the comprehensive plan and will work with the Planning Commission in the development of business-related sections, and he noted the committee’s interest in developing more information regarding home businesses.

Weissman said the committee plans to review the implementation of the new sign code amendments.

A five-minute recess was called for at 8:37 p.m.

The meeting was resumed at 8:43 p.m.

SECOND READING CALENDAR

Approve Schematic Design, Authorize Architects to Proceed with City Hall Design Development

Bruce Ellison of Arai/Jackson said the schematic design represents six weeks of work by their firm and noted that tonight was the third open house and public comment opportunity regarding the plans.

He said the plans have been reviewed and analyzed, and his firm and the construction manager agree that the present structure should be demolished and a new facility constructed, based on their analysis.

Ellison said current cost estimates are approximately $2.15 million, and he said they are confident that the budget of $2.1 million can be achieved. Ellison said he would like council approval of the schematic design and authorization to further develop the design.

In response to a question from Armanini, Ellison said the design was intended to partially balance the footprint on the site, and the staff has had an opportunity to comment on the design.

Jacobson said that the reception area and planning and building were placed on the first floor because of the number of visitors. He said some aspects of the design are not ideal; however, there are some limitations due to the site.

In response to a question from Kiest, Jacobson said specifics regarding audio-visual equipment in the council chambers will be addressed in a later phase of design development.

In response to questions from Kiest, Ellison discussed design issues related to glazed areas and compatibility with the Towne Centre setting. Kiest noted that he believes that the drawings make the proposed structure appear massive.

In response to a question from Olstad, Ellison confirmed that it is less expensive to demolish the current structure and construct a new building on the site.

In response to questions from Thompson, Ellison noted that the budget limits the window options and discussed planning for growth areas.

In response to a question from Goss, Ellison said additional digging for basement storage might not be cost effective and noted the tender balance between design and budget. In response to a request from Thompson, Ellison said he can provide a cost estimate regarding additional excavation.

In response to a question from Goss, Ellison said the schematic design represents an early stage of the design process, and more detail occurs during the design development stage.

Sterner said he approves of the schematic design and believes the architect is heading in the right direction. Jacobson noted that the design is fairly fluid during the next two months.

Goss said it is important to inform the public that the concept has changed. Jacobson supported the idea of providing information to citizens.

Armanini said she is comfortable taking action on the schematic design and noted that this would be a bigger concern if the budget increased. She agreed that it is important to keep citizens informed.

Ellison said he can make information available for posting on the city’s website.

Thompson noted that the construction manager is providing cost estimates, and he is very comfortable moving ahead with this stage.

Armanini moved acceptance of the schematic design proposed by Arai/Jackson in their submittal dated August 17, 2000 and to authorize the architects to proceed with the next phase of the project design development.

Resolution 600/Placing Parks and Open Space Bond on Ballot—Retention of Interim City Hall Property for Community Center

Resolution 601/Placing Parks and Open Space Bond on Ballot—Parks and Open Space Acquisition and Development

Resolution 603a/Placing an Operation and Maintenance Levy on Ballot—Interim City Hall Property for Community Center

Resolution 603b/Placing a Levy Lid Lift on Ballot—Interim City Hall Property for Community Center

Janice Schaefer, 16738 37^th Ave. NE, commended Community and Government Affairs Coordinator Sarah Phillips for the information she has prepared to inform citizens regarding the city hall process. She noted that the same level of communication for citizens regarding the bond measure is required.

Schaefer said it is wrong to single out one proposed city park for an operations and maintenance levy. She said this represents an additional hurdle for the interim city hall community center proposal. She said it will be a very strong signal for the city to find the money for operation and maintenance if the voters approve the bond measure for the community center. She said the levy for operation and maintenance should be part of the bond if the council believes it is so significant.

Schaefer said she would have difficulty as a taxpayer to vote for bond measures totaling $3.5 million without knowing the facilities and properties earmarked for acquisition and development. Schaefer said she was at a loss as to how to comment since no information is available.

In response to information provided by Herzog, Schaefer said this information appears to be similar to the information in the local government committee report.

In response to a question from Schaefer, Armanini discussed the council’s fiduciary responsibilities related to purchase of property. Schaefer asked the council to consider to what extent it intends to communicate with voters.

In response to a question from Kiest, Thompson noted the city’s five-year projections, the cost estimate for operation and maintenance of a community center facility and the potential impact of initiatives on the ballot and court rulings on a previously-approved initiative. Armanini noted that the proposed community center represents a very different and potentially expensive program for the city.

Herzog said that his concern regarding use of the levy lid lift is that there may be a higher need, given the uncertain future of the city’s revenue streams.

Kiest expressed his interest in additional information from bond counsel. Thompson expressed his concern regarding deadlines related to the November election.

In response to a question from Armanini, Voorhees discussed state law restricting the actions of local governments related to borrowing funds and imposing taxes and a recent law regarding the form and content of ballot titles. He said the council has four resolutions for consideration that are in compliance with state law.

Voorhees discussed issues related to specificity and discretion related to acquisition of properties. He noted that the city would have no authority to use bonds if properties are specified and could not be purchased. He said that parks bonds are usually sent to voters with broader language. Councilmembers discussed additional language to allow for flexibility in negotiations related to properties.

In response to questions from Thompson, Voorhees discussed options regarding the sale of the property. He said that voter approval gives the city the power to issue bonds, but it is not required to do so if votes on the measures are split.

In response to questions from Armanini, Voorhees discussed how school districts have used contingent ballot measures.

In response to a question from Olstad, Voorhees said language in Resolution 600 could be re-worked for more clarity regarding the intent to retain ownership of the interim city hall property. Voorhees discussed the financial relationship between the new city hall project and the city’s present ownership of the interim city hall property.

In response to a request from Sterner, Voorhees said language in the ballot title and recitals in Resolution 603 could be adjusted for more clarity.

Councilmembers discussed various options presented by the proposed resolutions. Goss expressed her concern regarding the proposed operation and maintenance levy limited to the interim city hall property and suggested that the levy should be considered for more general use.

Kiest expressed his concern regarding an operation and maintenance levy limited to one year of funding. He said he believes that the city needs to have a plan with approximately five years of funding to allow the city to ramp up the use of the facility with the goal of a self-sufficient operation.

Armanini said she agrees with Kiest’s remarks. She expressed concern regarding operating the facility on a year-to-year levy, and she noted that the lid lift option allows the city time to plan for use and to explore grants or other funding options.

A 10-minute recess was called for at 11 p.m.

The meeting was resumed at 11:15 p.m.

Janice Schaefer, 16738 37^th Ave. NE, said she believes that the public should be aware that the council has a concrete plan for use of the bonds in the interest of full disclosure.

She expressed concern regarding the limitations of the proposed funding in today’s real estate market. She suggested that $500,000 earmarked for Horizon View Park and the $700,000 for active parks could be used instead for the interim city hall property. She expressed concern that these ballot measures are becoming too complicated, and she would prefer not to have active parks as part of this ballot as presently proposed.

Bob Simmons, 3815 NE 182^nd Street, said he believes that dividing the bond measure begins to divide the community. He said citizens who are working on the bond measure are extremely interested in active parks, and he would hate to see these issues separated. He expressed his interest in somehow providing information regarding the proposed properties and projects to the voters.

Armanini said the council needed to determine the amount of the proposed bond, and the council discussion regarding properties and options helped determine that amount.

Sterner said he believes the bond measure is an opportunity to provide the core funding for a park system for the city ranging for very active use parks to very passive use parks. Sterner said he does not want a ballot measure for either one or the other, and he said the bond measure should be for parks and open space.

Thompson said the art of government is compromise. He noted that his vision is that Lake Forest Park should be a city that has a rich resource of passive parks and more community centeredness. Thompson said the new city hall will be located in the center of the city, but he said he agreed with Parks and Recreation Commissioners that the interim city hall property is a good value. He said it is politically responsible and good fiduciary policy to put this issue to a vote.

Thompson discussed options including moving $700,000 to help fund the interim city hall site or designating the bond issue of $3.3 million for general parks and recreation or deleting active parks altogether. He suggested a compromise of a non-contingent levy lid lift for general parks up to $150,000 annually. He said he is interested in a compromise that would be more palatable to the voters, and there has always been strong sentiment expressed for more recreation for youth. He discussed possible outcomes of a vote. He noted that the city would not be required to sell bonds if approved; the city does not need additional construction funds from the potential sale of interim city hall until summer 2001 for the new city hall project; the city could submit a levy lift to the voters at another time if it failed the first time; and it is possible the administration could come up with a plan.

Armanini said that she reserves the right of defining her own compromise and noted that she has arrived at a willingness to put the interim city hall property on the ballot along with the means of funding its operation and maintenance for five years.

Kiest expressed his concern regarding funding the operation of a community center with a levy created for the purpose of parks and recreation. He expressed concern regarding renting out the facility if a levy for funds to operate it as a park and recreation facility is approved.

Thompson noted that a levy would not be required if the city could easily lease the interim city hall property as suggested by Kiest.

In response to a question from Kiest, Voorhees said the language seems sufficiently broad to allow including a community center in a levy.

Olstad said he believes it would be a big mistake to separate active and passive parks, and he discussed the levy lid lift option for operation and maintenance.

Sterner said he feels strongly that the bond measure should be contingent on the levy.

Thompson said he believes that making the bond contingent on the levy passage is a death knell for both. He believes his proposal is a more palatable option for the voters.

Herzog said the levy should be increased if the funds are to be used more generally for parks.

Hutchinson discussed potential revenue from the use of the interim city hall facility could reduce the amount needed for its operation. This would allow further review of cost estimates for operation and maintenance.

Sterner said he is not persuaded by the argument that exposing the total cost of operating and maintaining the interim city hall as a community center would cause the measure to fail. He said the order of magnitude of operating such a facility is far different than any other part of the proposed park system.

Thompson expressed his interest in making the $150,000 levy proposal broader based to allow use for all parks and non-contingent.

Following further discussion, councilmembers agreed to reconvene in special session on Thursday, August 31, 2000 at 7:30 p.m. at the interim city hall council chambers for the purpose of taking action on Resolutions 600, 601 and 603A or 603B.

ADJOURNMENT

APPROVED:

David R. Hutchinson, Mayor

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