Edmonds

FACT: There is no Community and Economic Relief Fund in the adopted 2020 City of Edmonds Budget. FACT: There are no agreements for services between the City of Edmonds and the Edmonds Chamber of Commerce, Edmonds Senior Center and the Edmonds Food Bank. FACT: City never solicited services for the poor and infirmed. State Law RCW 35A.33.120: Transfers between individual appropriations within any one fund may be made during the current fiscal year by order of the city's chief administrative officer subject to such regulations, if any, as may be imposed by the city council. Notwithstanding the provisions of RCW 43.09.210 or of any statute to the contrary, transfers, as herein authorized, may be made within the same fund regardless of the various offices, departments or divisions of the city which may be affected. RCW 42.24.080 - Municipal corporations and political subdivisions--Claims against for contractual purposes--Auditing and payment--Forms--Authentication and...

Mayor Michael Nelson announces his appointment of Police Chief Lawless subject to the confirmation of the City Council.  The City Council in making this most important decision should follow the policies and procedures as codified in City Code. The Police Chief is an appointive officer. Prior to confirmation, the City Council is required to interview the top three candidates. This requirement may be waived by motion adopted by a majority plus one vote of the full council to interview only two candidates, not one candidate.  Besides the fact, the Mayor's made the decision to contract with a recruitment firm for a national search of candidates for this position without council approval. Also the City has already spent our hard earned tax dollars in this endeavor.  Why doesn't the City follow the policies and procedures in the City Code?  ECC 2.10.005.A:  Appointive Officer. For the purposes of this chapter, “appointive officer” means the following c...

It's been 30 days since Mayor Michael Nelson declared by his Proclamation of a State of Emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic. So, did the Mayor act legislatively by not at soonest available date bring forth a Resolution for City Council approval. I haven't been able to find an approved Council Resolution. Let's talk about what the Emergency Order failed to include: 1. Requiring Citizens to sing Happy Birthday when washing their hands, 2. Calling the virus COVID-19 instead of the Chinese Virus or better yet using the Democratic label the Trump Virus, 3. Requiring Citizens to have only one weeks supply of toilet paper, 4. Giving citizens a tax break instead of cosigning the 2 million dollar loan for the Edmonds Waterfront Center. 5. Outlawing of hand shaking and requiring citizens to sanitize their elbows before and after any  elbow bumping. 6. The Mayor outlawed guns but he forgot to include nunchucks, bear spray and bayonets. I could go on and on but enou...

I follow City government very closely and I am very confused as to what took place on March 22, 2020.  Did Council pass an Emergency Ordinance or did Council pass a public emergency ordinance necessary for the protection of the public health, public safety, public property or the public peace?  Do both require a public hearing with 60 days? I didn’t hear any discussion of the need for a majority plus one vote, so I suspect this is an Emergency Ordinance. ECC 6.60 says that the emergency management organization of the city of Edmonds is created and shall consist of the following: A. The mayor , who shall be the administrative head and have direct responsibility for the organization, administration and operation of the emergency management organization for the city of Edmonds and direct responsibility for the disaster operations of departments in the city; B. The disaster coordinator , who shall be appointed by and be subject to the supervision of the mayor and who...

Pursuant  to State law City of Edmonds shall have a Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan (CEMP). City Council adopted a CEMP on April 14, 2017,  and currently is effective and  therefore should be the planning tool used by the Mayor, City Staff and the City Council in the event of a disaster event.  Instead on Sunday March 22, 2020 the Mayor called an Emergency Council meeting to adopt an ordinance 4177 modifying Edmonds City Code 6.60 Disaster Preparation and Coordination . At no time during this council meeting did the Mayor,  City Attorney mention the CEMP.  Without being fully advised, the City Council passed the modifications to Edmonds City Code that are inconsistent with current CEMP. One of the modifications is to ECC 6.60.035 Emergency management organization making the eliminating the Emergency Management Board which is inconsistent with the effective CEMP.  The new code makes the Mayor in charge instead an trained Disaster Coordinat...

During the March 3, 2020 City Council Meeting, the following took place: Mayor Mike Nelson stated that the “next item on the agenda is approval of the agenda”.  Mayor Nelson then stated: “And before Council approves, I just want to let you know that both Council President and I have pulled item 8.1, which is the Resolution adopting Council Rules and Procedure and updating the Council Code of Conduct because it still needs some updating and review.” After a pause, Mayor Nelson asked: “Is there a motion to approve the agenda?” Council President Adrienne Fraley-Monillas said: “So moved” and Councilmember Luke Distelhorst said “second”.  The Motion carried unanimously.  Nobody made a Motion  TO APPROVE THE AGENDA IN CONTENT AND ORDER AS AMENDED .  The agenda had NOT been amended by vote of the Council.  Instead, Mayor Nelson and Council President Adrienne Fraley-Monillas had pulled an item from the agenda on their own. ...

Somebody other than City Attorney Taraday should review the proposed Council Rules of Procedures and update to the Council Code of Conduct: Chapter 2.05 of the Edmonds City Code can be printed out on  1 piece of paper using a normal sized font .   I would expect all City Attorney candidates to read and comply with Chapter 2.05.  I would hope City Attorney candidates would make sure their proposals are consistent with the City’s laws and ordinances. I would hope all elected officials would require such. If City Attorneys don’t comply with the Code Section that specifically deals with them, why have confidence that they will comply with any part of the ECC or ECDC? I would expect City Attorney candidates to ask for clarity regarding ECC 2.05.020.B.3 which incredibly states the following: Attend all regular and work meetings of the planning advisory board of the city of Edmonds as requested. Obviously either the word “all” needs to be removed or the word...