The Mountlake Terrace City Council held a work/study session on June 11 to discuss coronavirus relief efforts and updates to city business ahead of their next meeting on June 15 at 7 p.m.

Councilmembers continued to deliberate specific priorities for the city’s distribution of the funds it receives from the federal CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security) Act. The city anticipates receiving $647,000, which will be available on a reimbursement basis from the State of Washington as long as the expenses are directly connected to the COVID-19 pandemic. It expects to allocate approximately $400,000 of those funds to efforts that can assist city residents and small businesses. The remaining balance will be used to help cover city expenses.

Councilmembers had previously expressed, at their June 1 meeting, an interest in channeling relief funds to three main areas: community health and safety, supporting constituencies in need, and reigniting the local economy. Ideas included helping residents with utility bill payments, food bank contributions, small business grants, business rent relief and assistance with personal protective equipment (PPE) and supplies.

Based on the input received from the council and after surveying how several other cities in Snohomish County are allocating their CARES funding, city staff drew up a draft proposal for $100,000 to be directed toward residential payment relief and support for food banks. Grants for small businesses and business rent relief funds would each total $150,000.

“We’ve tried to get it to cover as broad an area as possible with the food, businesses and bills,” City Manager Scott Hugill said, adding that additional conversations with organizations in the community about reimbursement are still needed.

Hugill informed the council that any relief provided to individuals, businesses or organizations would have to be used for bills, and those receipts would then have to be provided to the city in time to submit them to the state by the end of October. Additionally, the funds can’t be used for utilities that the municipality owns (such as water or sewer), so the city would only be able to potentially provide direct help with electric bills.

Councilmember Steve Woodard said there are a lot of opportunities for win-win partnerships and outcomes in the community, but added he wasn’t prepared to vote on any of the proposed relief measures on Monday. Woodard explained that he wanted adequate time to receive more input from residents about their concerns and ideas for the funds before moving forward.

Hugill said that he was looking for an affirmation from the council about the three areas of proposed relief avenues for the funding, and that specific contracts would be brought up for their approval at a later date.

Councilmember Erin Murray agreed that the council needed to solicit the opinions of more local constituencies to better understand their needs. “I would love to see us really push to get both our business community and residents involved in the process so we really can make informed and educated decisions,” she said.

The idea of ensuring that seniors and people who are homebound would be able to receive deliveries of any meal contributions was also discussed. “The money is here, we want to get it spent and we want to get everybody helped out,” Mayor Kyoko Matsumoto Wright said. The mayor added that philosophy was also why she thought distributing masks throughout the city is a good idea to help target a greater share of the population with assistance.

Hugill suggested that considering of two rounds of relief efforts to allow for adequate discussions that would help shape the programs. Several councilmembers expressed a willingness to consider the option, while still stressing the need to act in a timely fashion.

Assistant City Manager Stephen Clifton added that possibly the small business grants and rent reliefs categories could be combined into one fund. That would then allow both business owners and the city more flexibility in how the reimbursement funds could be used and distributed.

Information about how to submit public comments and either view or listen to the next City Council meeting can be found at www.cityofmlt.com/469/Meetings.

Councilmembers were also briefed about the city’s efforts to adopt a resolution that would authorize the use of electronic signatures for city business. City staff has recommended the new policy as a means to save both money and time by decreasing the reliance on physical signatures and records. It would authorize the city manager to adopt rules and regulations determining acceptable uses for electronic signatures and records concerning city affairs.

Public Records Officer Kory Atcuson told the council that determining which elected officials and staff members would be authorized to use the signatures, and what types of documents would be allowed in this format, would be an ongoing process. “There will be a lot of adaptability and changes as we get this off of the ground,” he said.

If the resolution is approved by the council — on the consent agenda at its June 15 meeting — the city would still have to purchase software from a third-party vendor that processes the electronic signature verifications. Atcuson didn’t present councilmembers with current cost estimates but said, “I don’t think it’s going to be a break-the-bank cost by any means.”

In other business, the council reviewed an amendment for additional costs to the agreement with ARC Architects for redevelopment of the Mountlake Terrace Civic Campus. Clifton informed members that the increased expenses of $3,405 were for additional geotechnical engineering work addressing excavation and drainage issues that had already been completed on the project. The council’s approval at its next meeting would then allow the city manager to sign the amendment to the services agreement.

The June 15 meeting will begin at 7 p.m. via Zoom and you can see the full agenda here. If the public would like to listen in via telephone, the call-in number is 1-253-215-8782. To watch the meeting over the internet, follow these steps:  1) Go to https://zoom.us/join; 2) Enter meeting ID (845 9240 9033) and click “join” (you will be prompted to install the Zoom application if you do not already have it); and 3) Enter password (06 15 2020). To submit public comment, please email your remarks to cityhall@ci.mlt.wa.us or mail them to City Hall, 6100 219th Street SW #200, Mountlake Terrace, WA 98043. Written public comment must be received by 4 p.m. on the day of meeting to be acknowledged that night.

— By Nathan Blackwell