Led by Councilmember Diane Buckshnis, the Edmonds City Council Tuesday night decided to revisit and change a just-approved ordinance establishing a new nine-member Citizens Economic Development Commission. The former 17-member commission died after the city council allowed it to sunset at the end of 2015.

Buckshnis said concerns had been raised about one particular area of the new ordinance that could exclude certain segments of the population. The language, which the council agreed by a 4-2 vote Tuesday to delete, said that those appointed to the commission “should exhibit experience in fields such as private or nonprofit business, economics, real estate, finance, development, education, or other similar fields.”

Those suggested qualifications could exclude some talented commission members, and it should be up to those appointing the commissioners to decide who is the best fit, Buckshnis said. (Each councilmember gets to make one commission appointment and the mayor gets two.)

“I just feel this is not the best interest, especially since we just promoted a diversity commission,” Buckshnis said. “I think it’s discriminatory.”

Councilmember Adrienne Fraley-Monillas, who cast the lone vote against the ordinance last week because of that particular language, agreed with Buckshnis’ assessment. “I find that it cuts women out of the process,” Fraley-Monillas said, noting that just 23 percent of women in the U.S. run businesses and women account for just 18 percent of CEOs.

Casting the two opposing votes were Councilmembers Neil Tibbot and Dave Teitzel, who both reiterated that they didn’t feel the language was exclusionary, but was instead aimed at ensuring that the city get the best possible candidates. Teitzel also noted the language in question said “should,” so was not mandatory.

Given that the commission now has nine members instead of 17, “we need to do this right, Teitzel said. “We need to make sure we’re selecting people who are qualified and who demonstrate expertise in marketing, running a business, etc.”

“Male or female, minority or not, anyone is eligible to apply for these positions,” Teitzel said. “All we’re trying to do is screen the applicants so we get the best qualified pool of people for this important position.”

Councilmember Mike Nelson and Council President Kristiana Johnson voted with the 4-2 majority to delete the language. Councilmember Tom Mesaros was absent.

The council also had a chance to see the results of a survey on the temporary Sunset Avenue Walkway project that has been a long-time source of citizen concern.

As has been done at many past council meetings, several speakers during the public comment period expressed concerns about current configuration of the temporary walkway.The council agreed to establish it as a test after nearby residents and visitors raised issues about a bigger project envisioned for the scenic waterfront viewpoint. The idea has been for the city to evaluate users’ feedback before pursuing additional grant money for a permanent configuration.

Public Works Director Phil Williams on Tuesday night presented the results of a survey that was designed to acquire that user feedback. The survey, conducted online from October through December 2015 using the Survey Monkey tool, generated 764 total responses and recorded 1,546 individual comments, Williams said.

Questions ranged from what respondents were using the pathway for, and how often; to their opinions on the amount and type of parking available, including angled parking, to their thoughts on bicycles sharing the pathway with walkers and runners.

Survey highlights included the following:

• Slightly more than half of those surveyed (51.91 percent) said availability of parking on Sunset Avenue is adequate or above adequate. The remainder described it as somewhat inadequate (21.93 percent), completely inadequate (16.62) and 9.54 percent said it should be completely removed.
• Regarding the angled parking on sunset, 44.60 percent described it as “not that difficult to navigate,” while 10.80 percent said it was difficult; 11.77 percent said angled parking should be “moved farther west toward the water if possible,” while 32.83 percent said angled parking should be removed altogether.
• A total of 43.35 percent said they “strongly” agree that they walkway should be made permanent while 13.18 percent “somewhat agree.” The remainder either strongly disagree (32.15 percent) or disagree (6.19 percent).

You can read all the results here.

The City of Edmonds originally received a $159,000 federal grant to plan an expanded walkway along Sunset Avenue; of that, about $80,000 has been used, Williams said. The Edmonds City Council allocated approximately $18,000 in city money to build the temporary configuration, Williams noted.

Now that the survey results have been presented, the next step is for staff is to develop a proposal to come back before council for consideration.

The council also:
– Heard from students who participated in the Edmonds Sister City Commission’s 2015 exchange to Hekinan, Japan.

– Listened to an update on planning for Highway 99. A city webpage has been developed for the planning process and a public workshop will be held March 24 to gather community input.

– Approved for next week’s consent agenda:an amendment to city contract with the Snohomish Public Defense Association; approval of bid results for the Southwest Edmonds – 105th/106th Avenue West storm improvements; a professional services agreement with the Blueline Group for capital projects construction management, engineering and inspection services.

– Received an update on the Edmonds Waterfront Access Study. We have reported on this issue extensively, with the latest update here. You can visit edmondswaterfrontaccess.org and make comments via online open house thru Feb. 12; a third public meeting is likely to occur in late April/ early May with the focus on further refining concepts.

– Heard an introduction to a proposal amending the required number of days for public notice to comply with state law.