City Council - Committee Of The Whole

okay bring us back to order here it is now 1:30 and we are entering community of the whole we've got a couple items here this afternoon first one is an ordinance establishing a shelter protection area immediately adjacent to the way station located at 1500 North State Street within which certain activities and that adversely affect the operations and residents of the way station and the adjacent area are prohibited in public spaces and um council president protm will read the summary statement since I forgot my reading glasses today okay summary statement is uh seeking approval of an ordinance that will establish a shelter protection area around the future Way Station project located at 1500 North State Street the facility is owned by wam County and is undergoing a substantial renovation after the remodel is complete the building will offer a number of services to unhoused individuals and Families provided in Partnership by unity Care Northwest the opportunity Council and PE Peace Health Services include medical and Behavioral Health Services restrooms shower and laundry services case management and a medical respit program for unhoused individuals being discharged from the hospital and here to take us through are a number of of um folks from Unity care and as well as um Alan Mariner our City attorney yeah thank you uh I think first uh i' I'd like the mayor to uh she has some introductory uh comments that she' like to share thank you I just wanted to um to help the community

understand what we're talking about kind of bring us up to a 50,000 foot view in case anyone who's listening isn't familiar with what a shelter protection area is and Facilities within shelter protection areas provide services to members of our community who are dealing with some very sensitive issues including addiction mental health challenges and individuals who may be experiencing homelessness shelter protection areas are essentially a buffer designed to reduce certain activities around these facilities that could adversely affect the people and operations within the protection area service providers seeking protection and supports for their clients have asked the city for assistance and this is one tool that a city can provide the shelter protection ordinance places parking loitering and congregating restrictions around a facility and provides the city and the provider with the authority to address some of those issues in closer proximity to the shelter however our intent is always to provide education and warnings of the shelter protection area before taking any enforcement actions and with that I'll turn it over um so we're talking about a specific shelter protection area uh which was requested by The Operators of the way station uh to help for to address the issues that the mayor brought up and to protect their clients so will be using the way station and um also to help mitigate the impacts of the way station on uh surrounding businesses and Residences um the

location and size of the proposed uh area is shown on your overhead it's the exhibit a to the ordinance um it's my understanding and we'll get into that a little bit but the the boundaries were uh reviewed by uh The Operators of the way station and uh they discussed uh the boundaries with surrounding businesses and uh apartment buildings uh but they're here to answer those questions um the ordinance will Pro prohibit several behaviors specifically most importantly in that area lying down sitting down in right public rights ways in other public areas and also put some restrictions on uh living in vehicles on uh City permitted parking areas um the city is providing it's important for notice to people to provide signage the city is providing the signage that will be posted to to explain what the boundaries are and uh the prohibited behaviors um but the actual day-to-day uh patrolling of the area will be done by representatives of the providers maybe RSU um it will not be City police City police will respond as appropriate but it really requires and most of the the the effectiveness of the area is just that daily Patrol and just reminding people what are the allowed behaviors within the area um the city has looked to we have a similar uh shelter protection area around base camp uh that we put in place and and I think the the lighthouse Mission has been responsible for most of that patrolling um but has found that it has helped uh both their clients and uh surrounding businesses

and Residences um and just just to point out the the base camp uh protection area is nearby but is this Council has already pass an ordinance I believe last fall um or maybe earlier this year that will automatically resend that that area it just goes away when we issue the um permit for occupancy of the lighthouse missions new facility in Oldtown um so and and at that time there will be a new protection uh shelter protection area established around that new facility so this is separate and distinct and will remain in place until Council if Council were to adopt it until Council took action to resend it um and so here today and I'm sure Council may have some questions about exactly what is the way station going to be doing what services are going to be provided we have Steen brockner neelson from Unity Care Northwest and uh Marissa ship niik from the uh uh opportunity council's hot team and they're available to answer any questions I I believe uh Steen could answer any questions about how did they arrive at the actual boundary which uh in Council does have the ability to adjust that boundary this would be the time to do it um the other thing that I want to emphasize is the reason we're here today is we're hoping for a first and second reading on the ordinance this evening uh and third and final on September 30th the idea there would be to get this area in place uh in time for when uh the way station opens in mid October and so with that I'll turn it back for questions we do

have uh our providers here to answer questions committee council member list I really don't have any questions on about the way station I remember the way station ID being talked about in the homeless strategies work group I don't know 6 eight years ago uh so really fills in a very necessary Gap in Services um who are experiencing homelessness short of actually getting them into housing um very important so I have no problems with that uh as Mr merer pointed out this will be our third uh protection area the one currently run a base camp the new one that will take effect at the Lighthouse Mission when it opens and this is a third one um I think they're pretty good tools but I'm wondering and I'm actually now going to be looking maybe you to You Blake or somebody else about um Lessons Learned in the protection area around base camp uh I drove by there just yesterday and I noticed some people sitting down I mean like you know you're still allowed to sit down um but I think it creates an enforcement tool but are there lessons learned about that that protection area because it seems to have been very effective but did it become more effective with time and if so can we apply those lessons thank you and yes Blake L director of planning Community Development um It's always important to Think Through the lessons learned and I think the mayor's comments earlier touched on a little bit of that is the education and information piece being the early components in the early kind of

informing the Outreach efforts that are are being done the other part that I will mention uh is the size of the protection area is also a lessons learn one of the challenges that we've had is that as you start to think about where those uh perimeters are one of the concerns is if they get too large as uh Alan mer Mariner mentioned is that they become harder to do that day-to-day patrolling and enforcement piece of that so in part what you're seeing here and what's being proposed is kind of keeping that boundary in around the facility to help protect those that uh are within the facility but not extending it exceptionally far becomes hard to patrol ready c m Stone um so with respect to the area that's been designated by those um through the outline I guess you can see on the map one question was was whether the other parking lot I think it was syringe Services that's next to Walton Place like does that need to be specifically articulated or not um but the other thought is that at the at the way station in particular thinking about the comparison with base camp I guess at base camp there's a large outdoor right area that's fenced at this time um but in this location I'm just wondering about that transition zone right for people who are receiving services at the facility and or residents you know upon leaving as Council lius was mentioning right people's ability to sort of sit down and gather yourself as you're right transitioning in or out of um the facility or accessing

Services how that right how that's handled or we're thinking this could be handled in this location if the protection zone is in place um without having sort of a large outdoor area that people could utilize as part of the the facility itself does that make sense I don't yeah I can I can take that um so Unity provides laundry and shower Services which is obviously an attractive service to um to the homeless Community um our staff will use this protection area as a tool um to ensure that our neighbors um don't feel um burdened by people camping outside our areas but is also um at base camp you will still see people sit on the sidewalk so it's it's up I think it's up to the operator to find the level that works for our clients as you pointed out if you come do your laundry you may have to wait half an hour um but we are going to enforce that we don't want people lingering around our facilities for hours or camp out at night because they want to be the first one to have a shower um so it we up to Unity care we have um we have staff um on site part of of of their job is to ensure that the perimeter around the building is um safe and clean so it's not we don't see it as black and white just you know we don't see it as you could never sit um on the sidewalk I hope that answers your question I mean I follow I guess there's a certain amount of discretion though also right from um law enforcement as well as um you know operators there on site and so yeah I think that's that's part of

life right that there's some discretion but wanting to make sure that um the community right is also knowledgeable when you're thinking about right enforcement wanting to make sure that we're very clear in those expectations so that people aren't um yeah caught off guard or aren't um in compliance but when they're actually trying to you know utilize services so I don't want this to be a hindrance to members of our community in accessing Services either right committee further questions council member um Anderson then cotton thank you um I'm assuming that the city will be placing signs up as part of the educational tool correct um similar to what we have around the lighthouse Mission um so just wanted to verify but I I wanted to State I do support this I think it's a good tool I know um members of our community sometimes think that um it could be punitive but I see it as really uh an opport opportunity to uh be uh supportive of the businesses and residents around the area but also being supportive of the um community members who will be using these services and we will be having people who are um exiting the hospital who will be staying there for care and I want to make sure that they have um a good environment in order to be able to receive that care along with the staff so um there may be more questions but I'm going to to move approval um so we can move this along second motions made by council member Anderson second by council member Williams council member cotton great um

and thank you for coming today um uh I guess my first question is is this Zone already covered by this in the central business district restriction it is not for the the daytime Central B uh in chapter 10:24 I would I would have to look at track down a map for the central bu business district to see whether there's some overlap okay um and then my my second followup I guess is maybe about the underlying chapter and I see the default fine is set at $100 and for maybe people experiencing homelessness I wonder if a lower fine would probably have the same deterrence effect um and I I guess I'm curious if we know the history of that or if we could potentially have a conversation about revisiting if that's the appropriate amount before third and final yeah so I I uh thank you for raising those questions and and um the actual default penalty is in is in a section of our code that this ordinance is referring to um but that section of the code also provides if somebody lacks the ability to pay that they can actually do community service that the court could order that it also uh um requires before somebody can be receive a citation that they have been warned by the police of that they can't do whatever Behavior they're engaged in so it requires a warning not just from um The Operators the way station but it requires the police response where they is where they warn before they can actually issue a citation uh the last thing I want to say is I know Don H walked in uh Deputy Chief and

he may have some additional information about uh the questions that you asked this morning or I guess this weekend about uh enforcement history I I assume you referring to the base camp uh uh shelter protection area um but my understanding is the day-to-day activity there is the providers reminding people the the rules rarely do the police get involved and even more rare do the police actually take any enforcement formal enforcement action through issuing a citation and I don't know um whether uh deputy chief has anything to add to thaty Chief Polie sorry I was going to just use a projection it goes through State Street so not the yeah turn the microphone on okay sorry sorry what is what City attorney Mariner has said factually yeah that's generally how it goes generally how the shelter protection Zone I hesitate to use the term enforcement but how that usually goes is providers usually uh they educate folks first say hey we want to create this kind of harmonious thing to where as referen before the residents the businesses of the neighborhood everyone's working cooperatively hey you're going to have these services in no way shape or form is this a barrier to the services but this is in place and generally that that gets them compliance it usually is a good positive interaction too with regards to expectations and things rarely If Ever I can think off the top of my head there was like a four-month data study I was looking at I think we went like two times to where it's just

like no hey this this is an actual Rule and we oh okay kind of thing if they I don't want to say called a bluff but like we'll have the police talk to us uh I'm doing a data search right now to give you hard numbers if there was any enforcement action taken my first blush reaction is going to be a a no because uh like I said generally the providers and and those people uh providing the services use it as an engagement tool to talk with folks you want to follow up um no go ahead HFF thank you um so four years ago when we first voted on a shelter protection area around base camp it was pretty controversial at that time because I think it was the first time we had done it um and so I had a lot of similar questions uh particularly about enforcement how would this be enforced um does a fine for somebody that probably doesn't have very much money makes sense um and I think that during that time one of the things that was particularly compelling to me was the the fact that the protection area is really being asked for by the staff of base camp um to use as a tool uh for pro protecting their their guests in particular um knowing that there were people who had were potentially fing fleeing domestic violence or were in recovery um that they wanted to be able to tell people who were maybe didn't have the best of intentions that they had to they had to move along they had to leave um to protect the folks that were that were inside so um that you know and then and then I guess seeing how

it has been enforced over these years and that it really did unfold the way that we expected that it is a tool that's used mostly by staff um pretty effective just to be able to say it's not allowed um but then also having the second option of being able to say it's not allowed and if you continue to do that I might need to call the police and I don't want to do that um which is a tool that I use in my line of work pretty effectively too um not having to take that next step of calling the police but having it there if it's needed um and and then I think the other um element that is important to consider with within um an Ordnance like this is that we need more programs like was station we need more shelters uh we need more options and um and one way that we can uh help the community accept more is to make sure that some of those negative um negative impacts are are prevented um to the best of our ability in a reasonable way um or that there are ways to address some of those negative impacts um and so I think I think that perhaps seeing the effectiveness though maybe not as effective of some people might hope but the effectiveness of the shelter protection area around base camp um might lead might have led us to more acceptance of the way station and might lead to more acceptance of of other shelters and other programs like this in the future um so I will be I'll be supporting the ordinance as well C Stone then uh City attorney Mariner then council member list so one of my

follow-up questions regarding the penalties that um council member cotton raised was I did note the community service right in Le of monetary penalty with respect to the Civil infraction but my understanding right reading through that section of the code is that on a third or subsequent offense then that's designated as a misdemeanor with a maximum rate penalty Financial penalty of $1,000 or imprisonment not to exceed 90 days and I just wanted to confirm that um when something is then designated as a misdemeanor that's outside the scope of sort of our ability to to make any adjustments to what that penalty would be right community service is not an option at that at that point is that is that true I think the municipal court judge would have the discretion to to do something lesser than the the the fine that's specified for Mr meter or any kind of jail time so the SP U Municipal Court Judge has a lot of discretion on what kind of uh penalty they're going to impose and then we and to that end then do you know within our code is that something though that we could I mean as a community specify that that's the right preference that in someone's inability to pay that that could be um sort of more clearly articulated and maybe as a separate right item for consideration by the council specific to this section it could be it would require an amendment to that that ordinance okay I wanted to add one other thing um there is some overlap between this proposed um shelter protection area

and this uh Central business district area um but it does not include the way station at s and also I know because the signage is being generated for this protection Zone uh I I'm I'm not aware in my walking through downtown that similar uh notice and signage is this for the central business district which is pretty important for being able to enforce C little question well actually my comments now will very much Echo what uh council member Huffman said your spoton I when this first came up it was kind of viewed backwards that this is something that is supposed to make it difficult for homeless people actually it's there to protect the homeless people who are the clients to give them a zone of safety they don't have to run a gamut of people who often pre on homeless people or prey on someone who's in recovery and that's where a drug dealer would hang out or if someone is having a a conflict with a person maybe restraining order or domestic violence this is a Zone where there is an extra level of protection that someone can't hang out and wait for that other person so this is a service a safety zone which can be uh enforced by the service providers and ultimately by the police if necessary so you have to kind of deal it the opposite way around this isn't anti-homeless it's actually Pro the clients who happen to be homeless and this is one of the ways we can help protect them to get the services uh that they so need C Williams thank you uh to from everything I've heard the

world that I came out of we used to call this Progressive discipline meaning if you want to change Behavior you start at the lowest impact and then if things continue and deteriorate um you have options and from everything I've heard from um deputy chief Almer and and council member Huffman that seems to be the approach that these things are are enforced you start at the lowest level and if the behavior continues you obviously have to deal with that at maybe a little higher level so um given the history and the uh what I've heard um this seems like a reasonable a reasonable approach to this and I don't has has anyone ever been incarcerated for this from any of the other zones no has anyone ever been fined for breaking the rules in any of the other zones do we know that we know of okay no getting the okay chief Almer will follow up I'm trying to get the on that okay so um I'm just having a hard time understanding what the concerns are for this so okay thank you counc m Williams counc M Stone and I'm going to move us along here over time so I just had a question with respect to enforcement and whether through the contract that the city has with RSU if this area is currently being patrolled through that contract or would be or if this would be um with respect to the protection Zone if this would fall squarely and solely under BPD I I can't comment about rsu's zone for patrolling but it would the the the primary responsibility would be the providers and provider staff for

patrolling and reminding people of the rules in the area um not BPD they would be certainly the police would respond if they received a call of somebody repeatedly uh doing engaged in conduct that's not appropriate in the area any further questions okay I've got a couple items real quick and I we need to move along here we're well over time now I'm going to ask the providers do you have um staff capacity to do patrols uh during your uh business operating hours so un Unity care will operate from 7 to three every day um we have adequate staff um that's trained to patrol okay so in the affirmative yes okay yeah we do I can also confirm that we will have staff capacity along with training and it is actually built into my operations to be able to have scheduled walk arounds to be able to have um scheduled smoking times for anybody that's a tobacco user that doesn't want to accept smoking sensation um and that we also built it in to go around the clock um we're also going to be dependent on watching cameras we're going to stay in contact with our partners in the building so if they see anything and maybe it's connected to one of the people that is staying with us we'll go out check everything out we also um I've worked in a no visitation policy for those that stay at the on the medical respit side so unless you are a partner provider a case manager someone that's actually coming in to help someone work towards their recovery goals whether that's physical mental health so forth and

so on or if somebody's coming to be able to support with transportation to get someone to an appointment that they need to go to other than that it's basically quote unquote a lockdown idea the clients can leave as needed during the day and what have you but again we're going to ask for check-ins checkouts we're going to monitor what's going on with everyone thank you m Chipman okay motion's been made by council member Anderson and second by council member Williams to approve the ordinance as uh written the packet I at this time I'll be making um an amendment to the motion to include the um uh subject property at 1510 North Forest uh which is real property otherwise known as Elanor apartments and it's at the lower part of the slide that we're that we're viewing right now um and I'll entertain a second if there is one second motion been made by the um by the chair and second my council member Williams and per protocol we will vote on the amendment first any staff feedback any other feedback customer cotton yeah I'd just be um curious to know if uh providers were consulted and if they have any concerns about that or we have the thumbs up no I have not consulted with with providers would that um add burden to patrol that extra triangle property I would say no it would not okay is that safy your question okay further questions to the amendment so I just want to make sure so we're drawing in the Triangular block that includes the Elanor apartments and putting that in the zone also

that's correct okay question go ahead C little question yeah so exactly at which side of the sidewalker line that was one of the things I think that was carefully drawn on the original map is to decide whether it's going through you know on the far side of the RightWay or whatever so in this case out it's being drawn right now it doesn't include The Far Side the right away on Ellis which I think is probably fine I'm just I just want to come to clarify which where in the right of way the line for that triangle would be right I guess my intention is to include the The Pedestrian um components of that subject property so the sidewalks so where people are are walking essentially so the near side of the rideway rather than The Far Side you you could put the put the line right down the middle of Ellis and East chestna and that would satisfy the what what I'm going after here C more cotton thank you just before third and final I wonder if we can just check in with Lydia place and maybe plan Parenthood for any feedback or concerns if we're including yeah adjacent areas yeah yeah that definitely I appreciate that comment um Planned Parenthood is to the right U from this orientation um of that that added red line that um our planning director just added and so there might be further consideration of including that subject parcel as well but at this point I want to um address the Elanor Apartments specifically um Walton places within that uh perimeter so there's another um subsidized

housing facility that has vulnerable seniors um that we've heard some um comments back from so further discussion of the amendment all right SE on all those in favor signify by saying I opposed uh all right recusals um carry 70 all right let's go to the main motion which is to pass the ordinance as it's written here in the uh in the packet further discussion on that one seeing none all those in favor signified by saying I I opposed abstentions recusals motion carries so I'm just confirming I mean that's with it as amended as amended as amended yeah we have to do the it's like a two-part just the way that has to go so thank you for clarifying uh that motion carries 7-0 okay okay thank you for the presentation today and thanks for being here being part of this process appreciate it okay okay we'll move us along here um we have another item here and this is a resolution go to the page here a resolution opposing the proposed merger of Albertson and Kroger um council president proam would you care to read the subject sure summer statement yes can do that uh concerning the proposed merger of Albertson and Kroger this resolution cites concerns over reduced competition potential price hikes reduced food access and impacts to unionized grocery workers including job losses this proposed resolution would formally oo oppose the merger and transmit copies of the resolution to the Federal Trade Commission Washington State Attorney General and the CEOs of Kroger and Albertson's okay and

here to take us through is council member Jace cotton um yeah first of all I just want to um thank uh United uh Food and Commercial Workers Local 3000 uh as well as our fantastic policy analyst Iris not for uh a lot of work um to bring this forward um the concerns are um that a more concentrated grocery market and um potential um store closures will jeopardize and undermine good union jobs and imp perel food access um as well as potentially lead to higher prices for consumers at the checkout line um and we'll be joining um several other cities and a broad Coalition of uh labor and consumer organizations and um raising concerns over this merger um and impacts to communities like ours um so with that I'll um I'll move approval second motion has been made by council member cotton seconded by council member huthman discussion council member list so I really appreciate the intent behind this but I am concerned about some of the wording um I mean fewer and fewer and larger and larger grocery change just it moves into the land of monopolies monopolies are illegal at a federal level at least because they are harmful to Consumers because they are harmful to employers um because they uh destroy what might otherwise be corrective mechanisms that are built into a free Market where employers and employees have you know good power to represent their own interest so I really get the idea why this merger is threatening um but I have worries about some of the words so for example on the first

page the whereas says that this approval merger would almost certainly lead to store closures I don't know if what almost certainly or not maybe maybe some experts have already done the analysis and that's true and if so great I don't know if it's almost certainly and so I worry about adopting an ordinance with what appears to be a factual assertion I don't know to be true that's the concern right that there will be store closures so that is a central point and so at this point I would say it's a high risk but I don't ow it as a certainty and then similarly on the the resolution portion section one says we oppose the we oppose the proposed merger again I have great concerns but it's not about the idea of a merger but what a merger could do so the way I would have worried is something like the city council opposes any merger proposal that would lead to store closures right the point is the store closures and the unfair market so it's not the intent but I worry about the wording if no one else shares my concern and this is just word smithing but I would like to get it right because this is in black and white um I don't know if the rest of the wants to consider this or is in the mood to advance this quickly or whether or not there's some time to consider language council do you have a motion you'd like to propose I I will wait to hear the sense of the council before I make a because I'm I'm word smithing as it goes if there's any interest then I can word Smith I've already kind

of half done it council member C thanks for those comments council member lqu and I think because this resolution is mostly hitory and um the the language is uh strong on purpose I think the claim is usually that these kinds of mergers will not lead to store closures or the negative effects I mean I think that's part of the um contestation that we'd be entering here is to um make the the assertion that these do pose severe risk to our community and none of us have a crystal ball but I think it is um uh I don't think it's a leap to say that um any merger of the size would have um negative consequences um including you know those to Consumers and workers um but I'm I'm not allergic to uh amendments if there are some that would make you more comfortable committee further questions CER loquist I'm going to propose two amendments uh the first one is to the last the wear ass Clause at the bottom of the page so the last recital and and I would move that we substitute the words most likely in place of the words almost certainly and so the recital would then read um whereas approval of this merger would most likely lead to store closures Etc second okay motion's been made by council member list and seconded by council member Anderson further discussion to the amendment is that the only amendment council member well no I propose one to the what's the procedure for multiple amendments do we do just the one first then the next I would do each one separately okay so we would vote on this

one and then we would have a new Amendment before we vote to the main motion is that correct I think that simplifies things keeps it clear thanks okay motion's been made by council member list and uh second by council member Anderson to change the last whereas in the um resolution to uh read approval of this merger most likely would lead to store closures did I get that correct would most likely would most likely okay and Etc and the rest has it's written is that correct okay any objections to that sorry I think my context only out of my eye um all those in favor signify by saying I opposed abstentions recusals motion carries 70 um and now if you have another amendment go ahead counc mquest I'd like to propose a second amendment to section one of the resolution uh which instead of saying opposes the proposed merger of Albertson and Kroger would instead read opposes any merger proposal between uh of Albertson and Kroger that would lead to store closures comma and um say that again could you say that again yes strike the words uh the proposed merger of Albertson's and Kroger and substitute the words any merger proposal of Albertson and Kroger that would lead to store closures I will second it and the reason why I'm seconding it is because it does give us a little bit of a blanket should they amend their current proposal um and change it slightly um because we would assumingly propose or oppose any um merger so I can see the value in keeping a a slightly broader lens than just

the current proposal Mar um thanks I I I won't support this motion I think simply because there are broader concerns than just store closures um undermined bargaining power for workers potential um increasing market share leading to higher prices so so um I don't support that motion I think I I see the intent but um yeah I um would vote not on that Council council member huthman please uh I agree with council member cotton I think that the proposed merger there more consequences negative consequences to the merger than just the store closures and so I think keeping it less specific uh is probably um what I would favor okay motion's been made by council member lillquist and second by council member Anderson go ahead council member Williams um council member cotton um why do you think this would weaken it yeah well um right now um the workers can um basically point to contracts bargained at other stores to um put you know push push forward hire um wages and uh working conditions at their own and so when that concentration is yeah uh increases there's there there's less bargaining power for workers with with these words there's less bargaining power any any merger would reduce bargaining power for you know I and we could forward this question to UFCW 3000 um I'm but yeah I I guess I just don't see the the reason to narrow the language little question I'm going to vote against my own Amendment okay amendments were made to change the language in the in section one of the um the be

resolved component of the uh resolution to drop the language the proposed merger to any merger proposal that would lead to store closures that would lead to store closures okay motion's been made and seconded all those in favor signify by saying I opposed no no no no 70 no 07 07 sorry backwards it's opposite day all right all right then let's go back to the go ahead customer you're going back to the yeah we're just going to going back to the main yeah and I guess my question was going to be um I know that right the murder schedule to start date is today which I sense then the urgency there but I know that the lawsuit um from the Attorney General's office and action being started or initiated in January of this year I guess it's as a council um wanting to give thought to when and how we right engaged when when there are things like this right happening either at the state level if we're wanting to Lobby in Olympia or here locally obviously this has a direct impact um in our community here at home um but wanting to be yeah strategic about how we do that and so I'm obviously supportive of you know the um the content of the resolution but wondering if we you know maybe should have taken if we were going to lend our voice and and weigh in um if the timing might have been better suited earlier in the in the process but just for us as a council when these items come forward to to give that some consideration okay motion's been made to pass a resolution as it's included in the packet

uh but it's amended uh with the last whereas Clause uh slightly changed do we have the language on that were you are you good with that Miss gets okay all those in favor signify by saying I I I opposed extensions recusals motion carries 7-0 thank you Council M cot for bringing that forward all right old new business com morone um so one was go back to the sorry was on the consent agenda items Grant agreement that was good it was just a question on so the second consent agenda item for this evening just wanting to um I just had a question about whether the expenses being covered and I don't expect an answer now but just wanted to to flag it um this was a subrecipient agreement with watcom County city of Bellingham and watcom communications center um contract and why I to know if these were sort of routine expenses now being reimbursed or if this was extra money being or extra things that we would be doing right and then receiving reimbursement for later so if this is sort of routine work that we're doing and we're going to be receiving reimbursement which is great right additional Revenue coming in um or if by receiving this if there would be sort of additional work being done on our part in advance that then we're seeking reimbursement for um and an update on if we are um confident and if there's been improvement with respect to reimbursement you know from the county just wanting to make sure on how that's um right how that's put in place and the timeliness with which we

expect to be receiving those funds back um so just to put a pin in that those are all good questions and I'm not prepared to answer them right now so we'll come back with those answers I just didn't want to bring it up to old and new this evening when um it would be later thank you thank you any other items uh for old and new C little question just something short I want express some appreciation for uh the Bellingham Public Library and it's PR Library director there was an event uh that the library uh helped put on at Bellingham high school and it had to do with understanding addiction which uh it the focus is often on the drug addiction that's going through our community but there are other addictions as well which harm lives and it was a really good public event uh numerous agencies came together and I want to express appreciation for the fact that the library took a leadership in that event thank you counc M counc M Anderson I just like to add on to that that um it was a great presentation and there was a wonderful panel that was very um relatable um to hear their stories and it'll be on bt10 and I believe you can go online to to connect to it um in order to be able to watch it and I know um there are community members who perhaps didn't see it live and didn't um attend but I highly recommend um get the laptop out and watch it um especially people in the community who have a hard time relating um to individuals who may be homeless and suffering from addiction it

definitely puts a different um lens and makes people uh more human to hear their voice so I highly encourage the community to watch it for R new okay um oh I'm sorry go ahead C go yeah I just wanted to share um just the brief sub updates on the um draft ordinances to limit exessive fees and residential rentals and manufacturing home communities and provide some uh more notice and options to tenants facing housing instability caused by lease non-renewals no cause lease non-renewals and um and uh uh rent increases um just just to say that um there is a copy of the latest drafts in your inbox and um uh city attorney's office is currently reviewing the drafts and um I think should have that um back um early next week in time for consideration on the thir 30th so um and uh yeah I'll say had uh great conversations honest sometimes difficult conversations with um uh more than a dozen uh landlords and property managers at this point benefited a lot from that as well as great conversations with um service providers like Lydia place and opportunity Council Northwest Youth Services um and legal aid organizations and um really look forward to a rich conversation on the 30th and thanks for your thoughtful consideration over the next few weeks further items are all new thanks uh mayor I wanted to take the time to give an update on some encampments on private property uh specifically the long-standing encampment and stew Road and a growing encampment that's been of concern at the corner of

Northwest Drive and West Baker view uh both council members and community members have expressed interests uh and an update and so uh if it's okay I'd like to say that we are actively pursuing actions at these locations and we are monitoring each situation closely and we're very aware of the impacts they have on area residents and businesses and for the people who live there we remain committed to finding long-term solutions that balance Public Safety private property rights and the well-being of individuals experiencing homelessness substance use disorders Andor behavioral health challenges and both the Stewart Road and Northwest Baker view encampments span multiple private properties owned by different people and entities and while the city is responding as quickly as possible within our Authority and our resources it is private property owners who bear their primary responsibility for addressing unauthorized encampments on their land and I think it's important to take a minute to share that the city understands this responsibility as the steward of extensive public properties such as our Parks our trails and our rideways we know firsthand the costs and the complexities involved with upholding these responsibilities we hold ourselves to the same standards of stewardship that we expect from private property owners and we are committed to addressing encampments on public property with diligence and compassion and we hope to serve as a role model for private property owners as

they navigate some SAR challenges we have created an internal team to increase attention to these encampments and with the goal of creating comprehensive Solutions and actions to address the current problem locations and also to prevent new ones some of the actions underway at these two locations include um requested extra police patrols to help deter criminal activity and address the public safety concerns we've heard about we are also working directly with the property owners offering technical assistance through multiple points of contacts both with our police our Public Works planning and legal departments we are creating web pages and other Communications to keep the community informed on our actions and to help Property Owners secure and protect their property we're urging the property the owners of the private properties of these encampments to work together to clean clean up and secure their properties in a coordinated effort I convened a productive meeting with the property owners from the parcels impacted by the Northwest Drive and West Baker View Road encampment and together myself and the City team urged them to take Collective action to secure their properties we also participated council member Stone was present in a community meeting with area residents and local businesses and their employees who are impacted to discuss the encampment we've initiated enforcement and other legal actions to compel Property Owners to act on the public health and safety violations

on their Parcels for example we have issued a criminal citation and two civil infractions to one of the property owners involved with the baker viiew encampment we have been involved in legal proceedings with the owner of the primary property of the Stuart Road encampment include filing a response to a summary judgment motion made by the talwood apartment owners and that is occurring this afternoon we offer and fund extensive programs to help people living unsheltered and are spending time in these encampments for example as was announced last week we expect to provide more than $1.4 million to a new YWCA shelter that will be in service to women and children in our community the city and wam County together invest more than $15 million annually to serve those Among Us in critical need of housing support we understand and share the concerns our community has regarding unauthorized encampments and we remain committed to addressing them with diligence compassion and transparent communication we'll keep the council informed and the community of our progress as we go and you can find more information on the city's website and that's the update thanks mayor any comments questions PR thorough thank you uh I just have a couple quick items um sort of pursuant to council members of Alquist and Anderson's comments regarding um the presentation on addiction those was by Dr Shannon boad from semar excellent um doctor and has um a lot of experience on that subject he will be be in our uh

incarceration prevention and reduction task force Behavioral Health um and legal and Justice systems meeting tomorrow at 11:30 um we invite the public to come that's a county task force but we do a lot of City business along with uh Dr boad there's a um Lisa Marx from the one of the local Carpenters Union she works on on re-entry for folks coming out of Department of Corrections to get them apprenticeship um U opportunities and get them into to track better into to vocational recovery and there also be will be a a presentation from Lake Wacom Center on the vast expansion of their programs uh which include housing and uh treatment uh programs i' like to thank uh deputy chief uh Monson and deputy chief Almer for allowing um Michael lilliquist council member of liist and I to go to the training on Friday um and just have some time meeting with our very value valued uh city employees who are police officers um with us and um there's a lot of new young faces in that uh in that group and we're I'm very excited personally to be able to meet and uh develop relationships with those officers so thank you um uh DC Monson with that let's move to our executive session if there's no further items for old and new um we have we have six items today um the first four our potential property acquisition with stamps uh each for 5 minutes um the fifth item is labor relations to discuss collective bargaining strategy with batty approximately 5 minutes and the last item is Labor Relations review