foreign
ER the January 5th city council regular
meeting and ask all of those who would
like to join my myself and the council
and the pledge of allegiance to please
stand
I pledge allegiance to the flag of the
United States of America
to the Republic for which it stands one
nation under God indivisible with
liberty and justice for all
our first order of business is audience
comments
citizens comments are an important part
of the public process
we take them seriously and Factor them
into the decisions that we make
anyone from the public who wishes to
comment will have the opportunity to do
so when recognize please come to the
lectern speak into the microphone state
your name address and relationship to
the city
please limit your comments to five
minutes if you have written comments
please submit those to the city clerk
personal attacks obscene language
derogatory remarks and disruptive
behavior will not be permitted
the speaker is out of order the mayor
will direct the speaker to return to his
or her seat if the speaker does not
comply I will ask him or her to leave
the council chambers against citizens
comments written in verbal or an
important aspect of the public process
process the study takes those seriously
and we thank members of the public for
taking the time to address US during our
meetings
with that I would ask if anyone has
signed up to speak
so no one has signed up to speak is
there anyone in the audience Desiring to
speak
would you please
come to the microphone and state your
name address in relationship to the city
please
hello my name is Joanne Doherty and I'm
a resident of Issaquah I live up in the
Issaquah Highlands area I live in West
Highland Park near Swedish Hospital
I purchased a home there two years ago
in West Highland Park and it's a nice
view lot on the rim my home is the only
home that does not have a deck I asked
my Builder why they wouldn't add a deck
and they said well they forgot to put it
on the permit and they told me they were
not going to add it anytime soon they
were just going to build the home as is
and that I could put it in aftermarket
so I thought fine a little bit of a
hassle but I'll do it so I started my
quest this year in April to find out
what the process is to get a permit
approved to add the stack
well I went to the City of Issaquah
planning department and I found out that
I have a building set back in my very
small 14-foot yard they told me that I
could only place deck footings at four
feet from the building structure
I could not cantilever the deck because
it would cast a shadow on the critical
slope or critical area they told me it's
a nature issue Environmental
um I was pretty surprised because my
backyard is just simply a set of
Rhododendron bushes and a fence there's
really no environmental hazards that I'm
aware of or that I would damage anything
so after being told by numerous folks
there that there's really nothing they
could do to help me I hired an attorney
someone familiar with this type so these
types of issues and he basically told me
that
know that there shouldn't be any
restriction like that that would prevent
you from cantilevering that the setback
may have some issues with it however I
found out according to the attorney that
the City of Issaquah allowed a huge
retaining structure in the setback
already because the Builder asked for
that privilege they moved it on the plan
I have documents that I can leave with
you I've already filed these with the
clerk by the way
also there's an asphalt Trail going
through the critical area which should
not be allowed because it's a critical
area it should be gravel should be no
concrete so I have found that the
City of Issaquah inspector to approve
this without
really any evidence of why they did and
I got an email from the planning
department that they have no idea why it
was approved or why all this was allowed
but they allowed it and this is a major
intrusion to me it's my driveway that
sits here for the house so all I want to
do is put deck footings in about eight
feet from my home eight to ten feet
within this little backyard
well I went through this process of
trying to get the correct information
for months the attorney said I'm very
expensive you should you know see a
consultant who can help and speak to the
city in code terms and help figure out
what's going wrong well I did that and
they spent several weeks months working
with the planning department and being
told many different stories and avenues
of what they could do they were told
that we could file an administrative
modification and we could go to the
Issaquah Highlands Community
organization first and gain their
approval we did all this you know about
seventy five hundred dollars later
we take this to the planning department
and they tell me no I cannot move the
deck posts any further than indicated
but then we found out that they
originally had quoted me a code for a
wetland I don't have a wetland in my
backyard I have three Rhododendron
bushes and a fence
so they were incorrect on numerous
occasions and I found out I can place
one footing at seven and a half feet but
the other one has to be at five feet and
all I'm asking for them to do is to
kindly use common sense and look at the
situation there is no danger to me
there's no safety issue which they went
from telling me that I was casting a
shadow on a wetland that didn't exist
to now I'm in danger I'm in severe
danger of getting hurt in my backyard by
putting a deck post next to my fence
which I don't think is true I have
examples of other Decks that the city
seems to approve that are very scary and
I wouldn't want to be barbecuing on
those myself because the footings are on
steep inclines such as this I know you
can't see these but I'll leave them if
you are interested
thank you that's pretty much my story
and I'm kind of at my wits end with it
because I can't
I don't want the city to protect me I
don't need protection in in this
situation there is no danger and I feel
that the builders and the city inspector
have different standards or rules for
themselves that a citizen doesn't have
that's my story and I'm sticking to it
bring that uh let us take another look
at that okay make sure
we understand the information that you
have presented and okay see see what we
can do to address your
they have a full copy of all these
things so this is just a sample of the
pictures and you guys know where I am so
if you want to get in touch and advise
me before I go too crazy how I might
resolve it
thank you uh is there anyone else in the
audience Desiring to speak this evening
anyone else in the audience desire
desire speak
final call anyone Desiring to speak
seeing no one then audience comments are
closed and we will move to a committee
and Regional reports beginning with
council member Milligan thank you Mr
Mayor I have no report tonight
council member Paulie thanks
um I have two things to or three I guess
uh first is the as Chamber of Commerce
liaison in 2014 the last board meeting
of the chamber was on December 18th and
there was a few items that I wanted to
just quickly share with that but also to
let the council know that Nina Milligan
councilmember Milligan will be
fulfilling that role through 2015.
um
at the chamber meeting they talked about
some of their plans for next year which
will focus on a membership drive and an
Outreach they have a new some a new
leadership it's chair Alan Finkelstein
and vice chair David blyvice
their board meeting times are switching
from to Friday at 7 30 in the morning on
the fourth Friday of the month and some
of their highlights from 2014 were a
focus on tourism a very successful
salmon Days festival with a lot of new
ideas
a lot of involvement from the board
and their other Focus for 2014 was
looking at the electrical
electrical supply issues and a
transportation Focus
um the next thing I want to talk about
was Landon Shore the landed Shore
committee for 2015 has three new members
I'll be the chair council member
Milligan and council member Barber are
the other two members of the committee
there will be no meeting in January and
the next scheduled meeting in February
the date will be announced at our next
council meeting
also I got appointed as an alternate for
SCA for 2015 to the growth management
policy board they will also not be
having a meeting in January and I'll
announce their February meeting at our
next council meeting
thank you council member Martz
Mr Mayor and I will be taking over
services and safety from council member
Barber and I'm very excited about it she
is going to be staying on with services
and safety and council member Cher is
joining us we are also canceling our
January meeting and moving our meetings
to the second Thursday at 5 30 each
month which means that our next meeting
is going to be Thursday February 12th in
the eagle room and the time again will
be 5 30. and I will add in terms of
appointments for the year I continue on
on the sca public issues uh committee
and in addition I'm now on the regional
law and social justice so
thank you council member Sheriff thank
you mayor and good evening to members of
the viewing public the council
infrastructure committee will meet
tomorrow evening that will be at 5 30
p.m in the Pickering room of City Hall
Northwest off 12th Avenue and on the
agenda we have one single large item
which is a continuation of our
transportation concurrency discussion
a welcoming our council president and
Deputy president as members of that
Committee in 2015.
Additionally the Eastside Transportation
partnership will be meeting this Friday
at 7 30 in the morning at the Bellevue
school district office which is off
Northeast 1st Street near downtown
Bellevue and on the agenda we have a
2015 legislative discussion with
with these government relations manager
to talk about the upcoming legislative
session as well as the governor's 2015
biennial budget proposal and King
County's legislative priorities we're
going to do some in-house business uh
review our legislative agenda and
statement
we have a planning committee report
officer selection and other reports
scheduled for that meeting which is due
to a last about an hour and a half so if
you're one of the new alternate members
of ETP
um hope to see you there on Friday
morning
council member Barber no report
Polly and I will be the representatives
this year on the Eastside fire and
rescue board and there is a meeting this
Thursday at four o'clock a board meeting
at headquarters
thank you
thank you council member Goodman council
president winterstein thank you
it's a reminder to the council that we
have
committee work session a week from
tonight
many
view might prefer to watch the
college football championship game
excuse me
guys
so we have one item on the agenda it is
going to be the continuation of our
discussion about concurrency and our
current plan is to take plan on the
concurrency bill
after two weeks from tonight that's the
current plan but as council member chair
already mentioned it will be part of the
agenda for infrastructure tomorrow and
then the work session on
from tonight
where's my report thank you for the
mayor's report there will not be an
executive session meeting this evening
uh we had our Washington State audit
exit conference on December the 17th I'm
happy to report that we are financially
healthy and there were no material
weaknesses or in internal controls or
for non-compliance
I attended the sound cities Association
uh North and Snoqualmie Valley Caucus
meeting on December the 18th mayor Dave
Baker from Kenmore and mayor Amy Whalen
from Kirkland were elected by the caucus
to the sound cities Association board
those present identified Transportation
package streamlined sales tax and
lifting the one percent property LED as
the top three issues for 2015 during a
general discussion of those attending
that meeting
at the South Transit board meeting on
December the 19th a board updated the
regional long range plan setting the
stage to begin working this year
in shaping a sound transit 3 ballot
measure that will identify the specific
projects that would be included in a st3
ballot measure
finally we had a special counsel meeting
this morning to discuss issaquah's
legislative agenda with Senator mullet
and representatives Rodney Clayburn
Cleburn and send from the 5th and 41st
districts
we talked about headlines we would like
to see at the conclusion of the next
legislative session and just about
everyone present picked
Transportation package passing the
legislature as the headline that they
would like to see
uh with that that concludes my report
moving now to the consent calendar there
are a number of items on the consent
calendar this evening the first is the
accounts payable in payroll uh dated
January uh fifth the minutes of our city
council regular meeting of December the
15th 2014 agenda Bill 6891 amending IMC
3.78.010 inmate Health and Welfare
account booking fee agenda Bill 6938
King County Waste reduction and
recycling Grant agenda Bill
6939 hazardous local hazardous waste
management program Grant and finally
agenda Bill
6904 The Walk and Roll Issaquah action
strategy
uh
as any council member desire to pull any
of these down to regular business
council member share thank you mayor um
I didn't necessarily want to pull it
down to regular business but I would ask
that agenda bill
6891 which is the booking fee be
referred back to the February Services
committee meeting for recommendation at
that time okay well we'll pull that down
to regular business and have a
discussion uh on on that uh any other
bills that council members desire to
pull down
have the accounts payable and payroll
been reviewed yes they have and uh what
is your uh pleasure
for the consent calendar council
president winterstein yeah I move that
we approve the consent calendar as
amended second moved and seconded any
discussion
seeing none then all those in favor of
approving the consent calendar as
amended signify by saying aye aye oh
suppose that carries unanimously
moving now to regular business
we pull down
agenda Bill
68.91 amending the IMC
3.78-1.010 inmate Health and Welfare
account booking fee that is coming
back to the council from services and
safety uh
and Eileen uh that's coming back from
your committee I believe
you're succeeding that council member
Cher had a addition that he would like
to put into this and
um would you prefer to present this or
should I read this for you for Josh
I'd be happy to just mention the basis
for for having it come back to committee
is to take a look at the discretion of
the court in either being able to waive
or reduce the fee now there may be and
I've been told
um from a couple different sources a
couple different state laws that may be
applicable here one in RCW title III and
another in title 10
that may be applicable and so I'm not
100 sure as we sit here regarding that
and actually as I was referred to those
rcws then another question came to mind
which is making sure that that cost is
wholly recoverable by the city and
whether we needed any sort of special
language in there that
emphasizes that it's a reimbursement of
a cost incurred by the city in the
prosecution of the case which would then
exempt us from having to pay the state
some portion of that fee uh again that
may be covered by existing state law but
as I sit here I don't know the answer so
I'm hoping that a couple of these issues
can be addressed through a committee
level discussion which frankly shouldn't
take very long so it sounds like uh
is there a motion to refer this back to
services and Safety Committee at their
next meeting
we can I can make that motion if that's
what the committee would like I'd like
to make a motion at this moment to refer
agenda Bill
6891 back to services and safety
committee meeting for their February
meeting second moved and seconded any
discussion on the motion
seeing none that all those in favor of
referring agenda bill
6891 back to the services and Safety
Committee uh for discussion bringing it
back to the full Council
mayor may I ask that the chief is with
us this evening I just want to make sure
that this is not impacting something
that's time sensitive okay
thank you and I'm seeing uh uh a nodding
of heads indicating no so this would
come back at the council meeting
following uh the services and safety
committee meeting
so all those in favor of that motion
signify by saying aye
aye those opposed that carries
unanimously
moving now to our
next item uh good of the order is there
any one present who has anything for
good of the order council member
Milligan thank you Mr Mayor I just
wanted to share with the public that
we're looking forward to seeing you at
Blakely Hall this Saturday meet the
mayor at Blakely Hall in Issaquah
Highlands at 10 A.M and the highlands
council is really happy to be hosting
you and we're trying to bring out all
our friends to come down and visit with
you about issues and questions that they
may have about dealings
so I am excited at that announcement and
uh you can assure all all of our our
residents up in the highlands and
throughout the city that I'm looking
forward to that uh that meeting also so
thank you for that announcement uh
anything else for good of the order this
evening
uh seeing none then there is no
executive session uh
we are adjourned at
7 23.