As the election season wore on, I was becoming more confident that Joan could win DJ Wilson’s seat. It is amazing what Joan has done with just short of $5000.00 in contrast to Mr. Wilson’s overflowing treasure chest of $35,000.00. The hand-made signs have won people’s hearts and minds. I shake my head over the deluge of mass-produced campaign signs that have littered the city’s right-of-ways. I have noticed that Mr. Wilson has, in many instances, installed two signs in the same location.

I was happy to have the opportunity to have been a part of the campaign. I have met many wonderful people while working on Joan’s campaign.

Joan has done a great job in her run for city council. She has door belled, attended many events, and gained endorsements from a variety of organizations. If Joan wins, and I think she will, it will be a statement that not every election can be bought.

Mr. Wilson assumes that what a person thought four years ago should be consistent with what one believes today. I respectfully disagree.

Sincerely,
Barbara Tipton

I wish you the best on your endeavors. Your message of stewardship is a needed effort in Edmonds.

I can’t help but think of all the tax dollars that were wasted on payment to Ogden Murphy Wallace in legal fees as well as numerous staff hours fighting my husband and me with our attempt to acquire a single family building permit for a lot we purchased in 2007 at 9330182th PL. S.W. for $220,000.

Ogden Murphy Wallace was successful in advising us to appeal staff interpretation of storm water management requirements for development of our lot as our only viable alternative to keep our permit application active. We had just paid $1,800 for a building permit application with the promise of acquiring a meeting with city staff to discuss the project and the unreasonable requirement to divert storm flows from the city’s drainage piping system out in the street onto our lot as a condition of building permit issuance.

However, the meeting was cancelled the day before it was to occur, and we were instead advised to appeal staff interpretation for storm water mangement to the Hearing Examiner as our only means of continuing the permit process. The letter we received from the city said, “staff would not talk to us outside of the appeal process.” Unfortunately, I took the bait.

Ogden Murphy Wallace and the city staff used their expertise in navigating the court system and the difference given to the city within the legal system, and ultimately placed a burden on our lot that we must divert storm water from the city’s storm drainage conveyance system and onto our lot as a condition of acquisition of a building permit. Wow, this is storm drainage from a surrounding 6.5 acre urbanized drainage basin including city streets, house rooftops, and driveways. This is absurd, but the city can abuse the legal system to obtain absurd results if they so choose. I have experienced first hand.

The party line that city council heard from staff and legal council was, “We keep telling the Breske’s what to do they just won’t do it.”

Gary, this is code speak for We placed an unreasonable burden on development. No one on the council ever thought to question, hey the Breske’s paid $220,000 for a building lot, it they have been given a reasonable requirement they would have built on the lot.

It is up to the City Council and the Mayor to provide direction to staff and the legal council and how they want their city run. In the city of Edmonds it is not, when you will get a building permit, it is if you will get a building permit.

By the way, I still own the lot and continue to pay property tax on a lot which for all effective purposes is a regional detention facility for the city. If the city wants to lot for regional storm drainage managment, why don’t they just buy it from me.

Sincerely,

Donna L. Breske, P.E.
donnabreske@comcast.net
Phone: 425-334-9980

Thanks for your thoughtful comments. You have referenced the work load of the Development Services Department. Here is a link to the annual land use application report: http://www.ci.edmonds.wa.us/CityDepartments/PlanningDept/Edmonds_120-day_report.pdf

As you have said, the number of land use applications has decreased significantly since 2002, when there were 188, with only 8 of those being “miscellaneous staff decisions.” In 2010, there were 64 land use applications, with 38 of those being “miscellaneous staff decisions.”

When I went to find this chart, the first link I clicked on had only the years 2001, 2002, and 2003. A later link led me to this. My point is that this information was not easy to find.

The wiki information suggestion is a good idea, but will take a lot of time for someone to scan paper documents and upload information. The city of Edmonds does now have a good online system for finding information discussed at council meetings as well as Hearing Examiner proceedings, with links to applicable documents. It is a good system. Maybe the city can expand this system already in place to encompass all public records, not just those discussed at City Council meetings and in front of the Hearing Examiner.

Also, the city can quickly and easily follow the lead of Snohomish county in the below area.

1. Snohomish County now takes only one set of paper documents for submittal for permit applications and then scans all documents into their system. They thus save paper at the time of submittal, and they also streamline the review process by putting it in an automated electronic form. Maybe the city of Edmonds staff should take a tour of Snohomish County and look at how the county streamlines their permit submittal system? If the city of Emdonds scans all permit information at the time of submittal, and subsequently all information during the life of the permit review, issuance, and constrution, it seems they can post it to the internet just like they now do with the city council meeting and Hearing Examiner Information. Additionally, just like with Snohomish County, scanning will result in the elimination of all those paper copies now needed at the time of submittal.

Another example from Snohomish county the city can easily and quickly incorporate is:

1. Snohomish County makes public records requests much more personal and attainable. A person can simply go to the Planning Division Counter receptionist, request to look at a file, say for a development project. They are then given the entire file, a comfortable place to sit down to look through the file, and mark those pages for which copies are requested. Copies are then made, you pay for them and you go on your way, all this in less than 30 minutes! It seems the city of Edmonds should have the staff available to do this. Edmonds is the only jurisdiction I know of that has not laid off any staff since the recession, despite a significant decrease in permit activity and workload. (Now instead of one inspector which is all that is needed, the city often sends out two to active construction projects. Perhaps a public records disclosure is needed on how often the city uses two inspectors instead of one?) In any event, city staff certainly has more time now than two to three years ago due to a significant decrease in permit applications. If there are to be no layoffs, which would help to balance the city’s budget, then perhaps those extra employee hours can be used to scan in public documents instead of doubling up on building inspectors, which can be viewed as a form of harrasment to those investing money into the city of Edmonds Economic Development.

Sincerely,

Donna L. Breske