Members of the Edmonds City Council took time away from routine council business Friday to immerse themselves in a daylong retreat focused on strategic planning and goal setting.

“I hope you brought your thinking caps as well as your running shoes,” said Council President Neil Tibbott as he kicked off the day’s events in the City Hall Brackett Room.

The council spent the first hour of the day with Edmonds Mayor Mike Nelson and city department directors. First came an an ice-breaker exercise in which councilmembers and staff were asked to talk one-on-one with at least three people in the room, asking about their skills, knowledge and passion. Participants then reported on some surprising things they learned about each other. Among them: Planning and Development Director Susan McLaughlin teaches fitness classes, Councilmember Will Chen is an avid golfer and Parks, Recreation and Human Services Director Angie Feser paints watercolors and runs marathons.

From there, Tibbott asked McLaughlin to read the city’s vision statement, developed through a public process last year, describing how residents want to see the community take shape and grow over the next 20 years.

The City of Edmonds Vision Statement:

Edmonds is a welcoming city offering outstanding quality of life for all. We value environmental stewardship, vibrant and diverse neighborhoods, safe and healthy streets, and a thriving arts scene. We are engaged residents who take pride in shaping our resilient future.

Tibbott then shared a list of city goals he developed, “directly related to what we spend the most money on in the city.” These included public safety, community services, administrative support, infrastructure needs and economic development. He also invited participants to talk about other goals that should be included. One area that generated a significant amount of discussion was ensuring that the city is positioned for grant funding opportunities, and that infrastructure is in place to implement those grants once they are received — and to ensure they are distributed geographically with equity in mind. Several people suggested it would help to have a grants manager position in the city for that purpose.

Following that exercise, councilmembers gathered on one side of the room to develop a list of possible priorities, which after further discussion throughout the day were refined as follows:

— Exploring plans for city services that include development of a police substation or relocation of police station to Highway 99, plus development/relocation of other city services including a new community center, the Edmonds Library and Edmonds City Hall.

— Development a public/private partnership for citywide cleanup activities.

— Continue work on a council code of conduct and rules of procedure.

— Monitor implementation of city financial software.

— Promote conversations with the public about zoning.

— Review Edmonds Housing Commission recommendations.

— Plan and schedule a budget retreat that includes participation from both council and staff.

— Develop a budget timeline through the council finance committee.

— Create an “engagement zone” for councilmembers, possibly by geographic area.

— Develop a plan for a salary commission.

— Promote arts and activities across Edmonds.

— Review staffing as it relates to budgeting.

— Evaluate city revenue with a focus on long-range financial planning.

— Explore annexation ideas with Snohomish County related to Southwest County Park, Perrinville and Esperance. This includes evaluating the cost to the city and the tax impacts of annexation on residents in those areas.

— Improve representation on council by considering council districts, ranked choice voting.

— Prioritize city code update/code rewrite, with involvement of council committees.

— Focus on options for hiring/contracting for city attorney and city prosecutor services.

— Focus on public transparency related to next steps for county-purchased Highway 99 hotel for transitional housing.

— Explore environmental funding to address watershed/erosion issues.

— Explore future of fire station facilities.

— Work on council clarity, direction and communication with city boards and commissions.

— Explore downtown parking needs and options.

— Address aging infrastructure.

After lunch, the council heard from guest speaker Deanna Dawson, a former Edmonds city councilmember who last year was appointed CEO of the Association of Washington Cities, of which Edmonds is a member.

Dawson spoke about a range of topics, including what it takes to be an effective councilmember and how to manage meeting agendas that consistently run too long. She also addressed how councilmembers can best engage with each other.

She said that AWC recently polled the public and included a question regarding “polarization in government and a lack of civility among elected officials.” Survey respondents were asked which they would prefer: A) having elected leaders “treat each other with respect and civility” and work together for the city even if they have political differences, or B) having leaders who “fight for what they believe in and to stand up against those they disagree with.” The result: “85% of people chose option A,” Dawson said. “They want you to work together to get stuff done.”

During a question-and-answer session with councilmembers, Dawson also focused on an area of interest to many — bills in the Washington State Legislature that would allow for multi-family housing in areas that cities have zoned single-family residential.

Dawson noted that state legislators had considered similar bills last year, which AWC adamantly opposed, arguing that cities needed to maintain local control of zoning decisions. As a result, she said, “we got a lot of flak from a lot of folks in Olympia,” who claimed that cities were burying their heads in the sand about the need for affordable housing. In reality, she said, cities felt like legislators didn’t engaged with them on the issue and so this year, AWC decided to proactively work with lawmakers on the topic.

“We had a very robust process over the summer and fall with elected officials from all across the state who all agreed that, yes, there is a huge need for affordable housing in the state, but that there is a role for local government in how this all plays itself out,” Dawson said. AWC then came up with a list of recommendations based on this issue, which some cities have reacted negatively to, believing they take away local control.

“The feeling was, if you don’t come to the table with some significant proposals to move the needle on some of these things, we’re just going to get really run over this year,” Dawson said. “It is going to be a hard-fought battle and I think it’s important to talk with our legislators both about why it’s important to be able to have some local decision-making authority but also to acknowledge that this is a crisis and show what you are doing in your community to address this challenge. Because the feeling is, there are some cities that are not doing enough.”

Dawson pointed to the notion many have “that if you build enough housing it’s going to become more affordable. But I think the challenge to that argument is, there is no capacity for the construction industry to build housing at a sufficient level that it’s actually going to move the needle in that regard.”

Many cities are opposing density because they lack the infrastructure to support it, she added. One solution, she said, is for cities to advocate for more infrastructure dollars at the state level.

After Dawson’s presentation, the council returned to its list of priorities, identifying top issues to be addressed in 2023 and placing them on the calendar. Among them: Next steps for hiring a city attorney, developing a timeline for and scheduling a council/staff budget retreat, and proactively engaging with residents regarding logistics for a transitional housing facility that Snohomish County has planned for the former America’s Best Value Inn on Highway 99.

Councilmember Jenna Nand said she believed the transitional housing issue was especially critical in light of recent community outcry involving the siting of an opioid treatment facility in Lynnwood. Councilmembers agreed that should be prioritized for the first quarter of 2023.

— By Teresa Wippel