AUDIO OF SULTAN COUNCIL'S JUNE 23, 2007 RETREAT
(9:00 - 1:30 PM - Monroe Library, 1070 Village Way, Monroe, Washington)

Note: Because the Agenda documents do not "match up" very well with the Audio
(i.e., discussions of the meeting), I have "split" them into two separate sections.

NOTES on our recording and digital audio. .Click here if you would like to receive our emailed updates.

 

 

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AGENDA DOCUMENTS:

Opening Remarks

Vision Statement

Economic Development Strategic Plan

Economic Development

Wastewater Plant Update

COMP PLAN AMENDMENTS:

Equipment Replacement

LEVY LID LIFT:

 

 

AUDIO FILES (in MP3):

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES

  • File A (12:06 min., 2.2 mb): Last 12 minutes of part of City Administrator Deborah Knight's presentation/summary of issues ("Budget Themes")
  • File B (12:33 min., 2.2 mb) - City Planner Rick Cisar beings the discussion on "Economic Development Strategy." Mostly he just gives a rough background/summary on the purpose and creation of the LID 97-1 and the 300-acre Industrial Park Master Plan. Mayor Tolson asks Cisar to "clarify" Bart Dalmasso's 2005 amendment to rezone the entire U. S. 2 corridor to Highway Oriented (H.O.) uses. Cisar mentions a "U. S. 2 connection from the Hammer property" which is not on WSDOT's RDP (Route Development Plan) nearing final approval.
  • File C (8:13 min., 1.4 mb) - City Admin. Knight re making Sultan more developer-business friendly; C/M Flower asks abuot Dalmasso's Amendment request and timing; Knight re growth strategies (residential/rooftops v. Ec. Development, or reverse?) and zoning needs. City is currently speding retroactively, rather than proactively. Cisar mentions possible deal re gaining more open space from the Hammer property.
  • File D (13:28 min., 2.4 mb) - General discussions re Ec. Development and how to attract business to Sultan; new excitement and activity in the business community on this issue.
  • File E (17:03 min., 3.0 mb) - Donna Murphy re "active business retention and recruitment." Knight, Blair discuss John Bachman presentation can be heard on one of several good networking/resource websites for businesses. (See Econ. Development document, left.)

COMPREHENSIVE PLAN (start)

  • File F (12:17 min., 2.2 mb) - Consistency between Comp Plan and future strategy Ec. Development plan...update on City status related to GMHB (Growth Mgt. Hrg. Board) Appeals; strong need to make codes and CP consistent ("it's a package"); Police LOS will not be addressed until city gains compliance with its comp plan; possiblity of doing an emergency update to Plan; Knight "We've been doing what's expedient rather than the correctithing." Need to communicate this info clearly to citizens/the public and how it could be done. Knight: All of us need to be ambassadors for communication. Tolson: Changes made to Comp Plan are "painfully slow."
  • File G (17:06 min., 3,9 mb) - General discussions re reasons why CP and zoning changes take such a long time (uses requested changes to Sultan's non-conforming code via the PB as an example). Tolson: City still struggling with "hot button" issues; references to confusion over docketing issues and items; Knight gives her letter re Dyer Road's requested changes (remove cut-thru road) and issues associated with process as a confusion point, also septic v. sewer issues. Frustration and mistrust on both sides of certain issues and long lead times don't help. Some good statements by Blair, Seehuus, Knight and Flower re identification of problems and possible solutions.
  • File H (14:34 min., 2.6 mb) - More general discussion re Econ. Development needs.

BUDGET/ACCOUNTING:

  • File I-1 (14:17 min., 2.5 mb) - Laura Koenig presentation and council Q&A re equipment replacement and acquisitions; the need for appreciation & depreciation schedules for equipment; explanation of need to "set money aside" in separate fund for future needs(!), otherwise known as "reserve funds," etc.
  • File I-2 (13:22 min., 2.4 mb) - Discussion continues: funds and accounts need better "focus" for adequate management; purchase authority of department heads; 3-4 minutes into the file is Laura Koenig statement re "safety issues" of police vehicles (transcription of that statement).
  • File I-3 (7:34 min., 1.3 mb) - Discussion re vehicle funds (schedule for replacement, etc.); reiterating need for reserves; Tolson comments re paying off loans and debt.

LEVY LID LIFT (Ballot Issue)

  • File J-1 (18:17 min., 3.2 mb) - Knight's summary of need for addl. funding; general strategies re timing of ballot and creation of a Levy Lid Lift committee; costs per home; Tolson ruminating on need for possible revisions in law to allow "Police Districts" similar to Fire Districts through which services can be managed and funded independently, etc.
  • File J-2 (14:10 min., 2.5 mb) - Suggestions on how to simplify/better communicate to citizens these complicated issues; a story of how on particular city with a police LOS problem successfully handled their levy; Jim Floewr statement and assessment of how a levy might "fly" in Sultan (transcription is included in above link re Koenig comments);

GOAL PRIORITIZATION EXERCISE occurred at the end of the levy discussions: Everyone at the retreat (including me) participated in allocating priorites using red, orange and green (high, medium, low) circular self-adhesive labels to rate the various topics and possible future actions/acitivities discussed during the retreat. (There was no "formal" end to the meeting; it just sort of trailed off....)
   

NOTES ON OUR DIGITAL RECORDING AND FILES:

  • This audio is accurate and complete. However, we urge that people contact the City directly to obtain the final agenda, and certified minutes, ordinances, resolutions or other documents: City Clerk Laura Koenig 360-793-2231. If you receive the automated message, you can bypass it and go directly to her voicemail by pressing "2" and then the pound (#) sign.
  • As of the October 26, 2006 council meeting, the city began recording meetings using a Morantz MP3 digital recorder, which has records directly from the microphones to the recorder, thus, clearly than the audio we present here, with is captured from "room" sound from a microphone located near the podium. If you wish to secure a copy of the City's audio, contact Clerk Koenig.
  • All of our digital audio files are in MP3 format, playable on Windows Mediaplayer or other MP3-compatible digital device