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HomeMy WebLinkAbout8/12/2021 - City Council - City Council Meeting Minutes - Jerrilea Crawford, Mayor8/12/2021 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 East Wenatchee City Hall 271 9th St. NE East Wenatchee, WA 98802 Minutes Thursday, August 12, 2021 In attendance: Mayor Crawford Josh DeLay, Finance Director Councilmember Sterk Lori Barnett, Community Development Director Councilmember Tidd Curtis Lillquist, Planning Manager Councilmember Magdoff Devin Poulson, City Attorney Councilmember Johnson Garren Melton, Natural Resource Specialist Councilmember Hepner Mary Beth Phillips, Court Administrator Councilmember Sleiman Maria Holman, City Clerk 5:30 p.m. Council Workshop. Councilmember Magdoff opened the meeting. 1.Natural Resource Specialist Garren Melton presented to the Council that the downtown business owners (Valley Mall Parkway) asked if the City would consider adding a 15-minute loading zone for customer pick up and drop off. The City followed the request with a survey to determine interest in having loading zones designated which would reduce parking spots. The survey resulted in a 42% response rate from business owners. The business owners were given two options and they selected option A, which adds two 15-minute loading zones, one on each side of the street. Garren Melton recommended the Council to consider moving forward with option A. The Council recommended staff bring an Ordinance to Council for consideration. Comments provided by Councilmember Magdoff, Councilmember Tidd, Councilmember Hepner, Mayor Crawford, and Court Administrator Mary Beth Phillips. No action was taken by the Council. 2.Community Development Director Lori Barnett; Housing Programs Coordinator for the City of Wenatchee Oliver Crain; and Community Development Director for the City of Wenatchee Glen DeVries AICP presented a Homeless Housing Interlocal Agreement (ILA) and information regarding the partnering of the City of Wenatchee and the City of East Wenatchee. The discussion included topics such 8/12/2021 Council Workshop Minutes Page 2 of 3 as: ongoing work, research, and coordination supporting the development of a low-barrier shelter to serve unsheltered homeless residents of Wenatchee and East Wenatchee. The week of August 9, 2021, staff and elected officials from the cities of Wenatchee and East Wenatchee visited operating low-barrier shelters in Burlington and Everett to learn from those local governments and their non-profit partners. The draft ILA was presented by City of Wenatchee Community Development Director Glen DeVries and Housing Program Coordinator Oliver Crain. This ILA is necessary to establish the coordination and administration of affordable housing and housing related services between the City of Wenatchee and the City of East Wenatchee in compliance with RCW 43.185C.080 and RCW 82.14.530. This agreement will govern the use of funds collected by both cities for programs designed to assist those experiencing homelessness and reduce the impacts of unsheltered homelessness on the broader community. Of note: I.The Agreement forms a 7-member local homeless housing task force appointed by both Mayors, II.New programs to mitigate homelessness developed by the Task Force will be reviewed in Council Workshops for feedback prior to final funding and implementation, III.The City of Wenatchee will administer the funds in accordance with the direction of the two City Councils and the Task Force, IV.Each year City of Wenatchee staff will convene a joint session of both Councils and the Task Force to report on the activities of the programs and receive direction from elected officials, V.Finally, City of Wenatchee staff will continue to meet with both Councils for input and guidance on the outcomes the Councils seek within their respective jurisdictions. Comments provided by Councilmember Magdoff who requested both Councils meet on an annual basis, Councilmember Sleiman, and Councilmember Hepner. No action was taken by the Council. 3.Planning Manager Curtis Lillquist presented to the Council and explained that he is in the midst of updating the Planning Administrative Code and asked the Council how involved with land and use permitting they wanted to be. Mr. Lillquist provided points for the Council to consider in their decision-making process (e.g., ex-parte contact, delay in the process due to additional review, use of hearing examiner to streamline process). He recommended that the quasi-judicial actions/responsibilities currently in place be moved to the hearing examiner’s authority and in some cases administrative. Councilmembers supported a change that would move the permitting process away from Council involvement to improve land use permitting. Comments provided by Councilmember Magdoff, Councilmember Sleiman, Councilmember Hepner, and Councilmember Johnson. No action was taken by the Council.