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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2/25/2021 - City Council - City Council Meeting Minutes - Jerrilea Crawford 2-25-2021 Council Workshop Minutes Page 1 of 3 CITY OF EAST WENATCHEE 271 9th Street NE * East Wenatchee, WA 98802 Phone (509) 884-9515 * Fax (509) 886-6233 City Council Workshop Zoom Meeting East Wenatchee City Hall 271 9th St. NE East Wenatchee, WA 98802 Minutes Tuesday, February 25, 2021 In attendance: Mayor Crawford Josh DeLay, Finance Director Councilmember Sterk Trina Elmes, Events Director / PIO Councilmember Raab Tom Wachholder, Proj. Development Manager Councilmember Tidd Josh Toftness, Street Manager Councilmember Magdoff Devin Poulson, City Attorney Councilmember Johnson Lori Barnett, Community Development Director Councilmember Hepner Garren Melton, Natural Resource Specialist Trina Elmes, Events Director/ PIO Maria Holman, City Clerk 5:30 p.m. Council Workshop. Councilmember Magdoff opened the meeting. 1. Community Development Director Lori Barnett initiated a presentation regarding potential councilmanic imposition of a sales and use tax as authorized by House Bill 1590 to fund Homeless/Housing and Support Services. Wenatchee Councilmember Linda Herald spoke to the Council regarding a proposal for a low-barrier shelter project to serve unsheltered individuals. She also spoke regarding the limited options that local governments have to enforce camping restriction on the homelessness without low-barrier shelters in place. City of Wenatchee’s Grant Programs Coordinator Sandra Van Osten presented information to the Council regarding the financial and environmental impacts of homelessness and explained how low-barrier shelters could lower COVID-19 transmission, reduce non-reimbursable healthcare costs for hospitals and clinics and decrease negative law enforcement interactions. City of Wenatchee’s Chief of Police Steve Crown spoke to the fact that a low- barrier shelter is not an end all, however it is very useful to law enforcement to move homeless individuals off the street to a safe place until they become sober -in some cases- and have services available to them in the morning to aid with homelessness. 2-25-2021 Council Workshop Minutes Page 2 of 3 Grant Programs Coordinator Sandra Van Osten presented information about House Bill 1590 and allowable uses and eligible population. This is a councilmanic option to address housing and homeless services. A project description was provided as Phase 1, based on a sleep center model similar to programs that have been implemented in Walla Walla and Moses Lake. These sleep centers are weatherproof to withstand wind, rain, and snow, are heavily insulated but not heated. Local health care providers would have an opportunity to provide an onsite service, there would be case managers on-site during the day to help clients access services and transition into permanent housing. There would also be an overnight security guard. Staff provided recommendation to the Council asking the City of East Wenatchee to convene a public hearing to take testimony, deliberate, and take action on the potential of enacting the House Bill 1590 sales and use tax, using the revenue generated to pursue strategies in: Phase I: Development of a new low-barrier sleep center targeting unsheltered and chronically homeless clients. Phase II: Expansion of existing homeless services to support sleep center clients in transitioning to permanent housing and supporting the development of permanent housing and other affordable housing options. Comments provided by City of Wenatchee Chief of Police Steve Crown, City of Wenatchee Community Development Director Glen Devries, City of East Wenatchee Community Development Director Lori Barnett, Councilmember Hepner, Councilmember Tidd, Mayor Crawford, Councilmember Raab, and Councilmember Johnson. 2. Project Development Manager Tom Wachholder presented information on current street preservation funding, pavement condition and alternative revenue sources for the City’s Transportation Benefit District that could replace the current $20 car tab fee. Mr. Wachholder provided information from other jurisdictions that have successfully implemented the sales tax option as a replacement for the car tab fees to support their Transportation Benefit District. It was noted that this funding source broadens the population base paying for street preservation projects to everyone who travel on the streets, not just city residents. Council requested staff to contact the various cities that have successfully passed the Sales and Use Tax to fund Transportation Benefit Districts and learn more about their campaign strategies. Additionally, the City Council asked staff to look into someone to poll the community to learn how the public would respond to this ask and possibly reach out to the City of Wenatchee to see if they have any interest in pursuing the same funding option. Comments provided by all Councilmembers, Community Development Director Lori Barnett, Mayor Crawford, and City Attorney Devin Poulson. 3. Finance Director Josh DeLay presented a 2020 yearend Financial Report. No comments were provided by the Council.