The Mountlake Terrace City Council at its May 2 business meeting discussed a final draft of its work plan that lays out the council’s long-term vision and goals. The high-level work plan will help guide city officials and staff in municipal planning and upcoming budgeting efforts moving forward over the next six years.

It features the following stated vision: “Mountlake Terrace is a dynamic, engaged, innovative and welcoming city with a vibrant Town Center providing jobs, services, entertainment and activities, surrounded by safe, connected and sustainable neighborhoods with a variety of housing choices for all, pride in their network of parks and recreation programs that support active lifestyles, and celebrate arts, culture and diversity.”

The plan identified nine categories of high-level goals for the community including:

– An informed and engaged community

– A vibrant Town Center and economic vitality that provides jobs, services and activities

– Sustainability and environmental stewardship

– Events that celebrate arts, neighborhoods and culture

– Housing choices for all income levels

– Active and passive parks that provide a variety of recreation opportunities for all ages and abilities

– Feeling safe and welcome throughout the community

– Multi-modal connections to all neighborhoods

– Responsible government

Each of those goals include various planning strategies identified to help focus the city’s efforts in pursuing and carrying out actions to achieve the desired outcomes stated.

The city council’s visioning subcommittee has been developing and refining the work plan over the past couple of years. Those efforts included regularly gathering feedback and holding further discussions about updating the document including at the council’s retreat special meetings – such as the one held in March of this year.

It was “fashioned by identifying community values first,” City Manager Scott Hugill said, “because you want to know what’s important to the community so that’s what you pursue,” then “framing goals to mirror those values and then coming up with some objectives or strategies to demonstrate what that is.”

He noted that the various actions and tasks detailed in the work plan listed were all tied to an existing municipal policy or plan already in place and they also identify the city department responsible, including if pursuit of a task requires that it go before a City of Mountlake Terrace board or commission. “So nothing is new, it’s all been vetted through a broad community process over the years,” Hugill told the council.

Several councilmembers said they were excited to implement the work plan and also thanked members of the visioning subcommittee and city staff who had helped in developing it. Next steps in that process will include a council vote on formally adopting the high-level summary presented Monday night as their vision and goals.

Hugill also noted of the document, “It’s not static, it will continue to change over time as things emerge, priorities change,” and decisions are made by the city council and community. He added, “It’s going to change so stay attuned to this being a living document that you can modify,” during regularly scheduled reviews each year of the council’s workplan and goals.

In other business, the council proclaimed May as Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

More than 10% of Mountlake Terrace’s population is Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) according to data from the United States Census Bureau. The proclamation celebrates “the achievements and contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders that enrich our history, society and culture.” It also acknowledges the existence of “a darker aspect of the AAPI experience in America — structural discrimination, prejudice and injustice that most recently manifested itself in racist attacks on Asian Americans related to the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The statement highlights that the AAPI population is made up devoted community members who have distinguished themselves throughout time as leaders in a variety of professions and public roles including “war heroes who defended our country from fascism; and peacetime health care heroes currently on the front lines of the pandemic.”

Mayor Kyoko Matsumoto Wright read aloud and signed the city’s proclamation that also encourages all local residents “to learn more about the positive contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and strive to combat racism and xenophobia as we recognize this month.”

With the U.S. Postal Service announcing it has to move out of its post office located in Mountlake Terrace Town Center by February 2023, Hugill said that “staff is working to identify locations that may meet the ability to continue having a post office here in Mountlake Terrace after the (current) lease ends.” He added, “We are talking to the Postal Service about options for that — we know that’s key to our identity.”

Hugill also noted that Gov. Jay Inslee has officially rescinded the proclamation that prohibited local government bodies from holding their public meetings in person. The proclamation also waived and suspended laws and rules concerning the Public Records Act and the Open Public Meetings Act that hindered conducting those public meetings remotely.

In March 2020, as COVID-19 began to spread throughout Washington state, Inslee declared a public health emergency that included placing restrictions on public gatherings to help limit the spread of the virus. Local governmental proceedings were required to be held remotely and government agencies had to provide both the public and government officials with an opportunity for attending, listening and commenting at meetings remotely. Since then, the proclamation has been periodically extended a number of times by the Washington State Legislature, some of which contained additional modifications and guidance regarding the waivers, suspensions, and prohibitions it provided.

Earlier this spring, local governments throughout the state began returning to holding their public meetings in-person and many have also continued to provide options for remote attendance and participation.

However, the City of Mountlake Terrace has been holding its various public meetings remotely via Zoom as more time was needed to finish preparations necessary for holding in-person public meetings inside council chambers at the new Mountlake Terrace City Hall. The council previously discussed targeting a date in May for a return to holding those meetings in person.

“Effective June 1, unless we continue our own emergency proclamation, the state’s prohibition on meeting in person will be lifted,” Hugill told the council Monday night. “So we’ll continue those discussions this month as we continue making some final corrections, improvements, finishing touches on City Hall and making way to get you back” to holding meetings in-person.

When a return to in-person meetings occurs, the city will continue to provide ways for the public to view and participate in those proceedings remotely, although it has not yet determined which online platform will be utilized.

As part of Monday night’s consent calendar, the council unanimously voted to approve an ordinance amending the municipal code regarding councilmembers’ remote attendance at meetings. Moving forward, councilmembers will be able to attend public meetings remotely – regardless of an emergency being declared.

There is no limit to the number of times that a councilmember can attend meetings remotely and no limit to the number of councilmembers who may participate remotely. In addition, their remote attendance will be considered an appearance toward a quorum.

Any councilmember who plans on attending a meeting remotely must provide notice to the city clerk by noon on the day of the gathering to allow adequate time for preparing the associated logistics.

Doing so will not require prior approval from the mayor for councilmembers to attend meetings or work/study sessions remotely. And it doesn’t require the mayor to publicly state the reason for a councilmember’s remote attendance. Historically, if a councilmember is not present, the reason for their absence is not read into the public record due to safety precautions.

Previously, municipal code had allowed councilmembers to attend one meeting per calendar year by telephone and doing so required them to provide at least three working days’ advance notice. In addition, the code specified that the telephonic attendance of a councilmember did not constitute a quorum of the city council.

— By Nathan Blackwell