HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-22-2001 - MinutesMEDINA CITY COUNCIL
STUDY SESSION MINUTES
October 22, 2001 Medina City Hall
4:00 PM 501 Evergreen Pt Rd
CALL TO ORDER
Mayor Becker called the Study Session of the Medina City Council to order at 4:10 p.m.
ROLL CALL
Present: Council Members Paul Demitriades, Suzanne Cohen, Steve Preston, Mary Odermat, Thomas Morgan,
James Lawrence and Mayor Dan Becker
Staff Present: City Manager Doug Schulze, City Attorney Kirk Wines, Police Chief Michael Knapp, Public Works
Superintendent Carl Burris, City Clerk Caroll Wedlund and Planning Consultant Joseph Gellings
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Mayor Becker announced the following:
• He met with Representative Jay Inslee at a First District Mayors' meeting, where safety at the local level was
discussed. Council member Demitriades indicated some resources were being made available through FEMA,
and agencies such as the King County Department of Health were also involved. When asked about
redistricting, Representative Inslee was of the opinion Medina should work through the local redistricting
committee. Mayor Becker stated Medina and Clyde Hill sent a joint letter expressing their desire to remain in the
First District. Representative Inslee also discussed airplane safety as well as pipeline safety.
• Both Mayor Becker, on behalf of the Council, and the Planning Commission sent letters to the Washington State
Department of Transportation regarding the draft 1-405 Program EIS.
OTHER BUSINESS
Agenda Re -ordering — Mayor Becker stated he was removing the Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan from
the agenda, to be discussed at a later meeting.
Discussion of State Accreditation Standards for Police Department — Chief Knapp announced the Police
Department wanted to provide the Council and the citizens of Medina with an organization accountable to them, along
with the best service in the most cost-effective way possible. He indicated state accreditation standards included over
150 required criteria, and promised by the end of 2001, the department would have met those standards. He continued
in the spring WASPC would award full accreditation to the Medina Police Department, to join the other 63 officially
recognized departments within the State. Chief Knapp noted accreditation would also reduce the City's liability, and
indicated once achieved, this status would be recertified every three years.
Chief Knapp introduced Lou Lei, Director of Washington Cities Insurance Authority (WCIA), who voiced support for
police department accreditation. Mr. Lei noted accreditation would enable WCIA to successfully defend itself in police -
related litigation. He emphasized police work was risky business, and whenever cities practiced risk management,
WCIA usually won in court. Chief Knapp added accredited agencies were not sued as often as those who had not
attained accreditation status. He noted WCIA had given the Police Department $1,000 to begin the accreditation
process, and would provide another $1,000 upon completion, so this was obviously an important issue for them. Chief.
Knapp stressed another important value of accreditation was holding the Police Department to a standard the
community could grasp.
Discussion of Structural Lot Coverage Recommendations — Planning Consultant Joseph Gellings reviewed the
Planning Commission's recommendation, summarized the history of the proposed site coverage ordinance, and
requested direction from the Council. He provided some graphical displays to illustrate the most recent
recommendations from the Planning Commission to the Council concerning structural lot coverage. Planning
Consultant Gellings noted in particular recommended policy changes regarding structures such as decks and pools, as
well as changes in height measurement from finished grade.
Planning Consultant Gellings suggested the existing R-16 Committee deal with the 25-foot height rule; rather than
include it in the lot coverage ordinance.
Following discussion, the Council instructed City Attorney Wines to draft an ordinance for the November 13, 2001
Council meeting to include the following in lot coverage calculations:
• Site features over 30 inches above original grade: decks; patios, sport courts, driveways, walkways, pools and spas;
• Fences, walls and retaining walls that exceed 12 inches in thickness;
Mechanical equipment in front, side, shoreline or private lane setbacks not permitted; placement in rear setbacks
permitted to no less than 15 feet from the property line;
Pools and spas may intrude into rear setbacks if less than 30 inches above original or finished grade.
Discussion Regarding Reinstate of Planning Commission Authority to Hear Conditional Use Permits — Council
Members Cohen, Odermat and Demitriades were opposed to reinstating Planning Commission authority to hear
conditional use permits. The Council decided to hold a public hearing on November 13 to consider this issue. They also
requested Medina's Hearing Examiner attend to discuss Washington case law.
Ordinance No. 723 Amending Medina Municipal Code Section 17.44.020 Relating to Consultant Costs — City
Manager Schulze explained Ordinance No. 723 would allow the City to include staff time as part of the pass through
charges. The Council requested Ordinance No. 723 be moved forward to the November 13 Council meeting.
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business, the study session was adjourned at 6: 0
aniel . Becker, Mayor
Attest:
Caroll P. Wedlund, City Clerk