VASHON-MAURY ISLAND COMMUNITY COUNCIL
DRAFT MINUTES AUGUST 15, 2005

Minutes: July minutes will be considered at the September meeting
Treasurer:  checking=$941, accounts receivable=$644.35, accounts payable=0, budgeted 2005 funds remaining=$5,865.65

Announcements 
* Jolene Lamb is inviting the Island to her 50th birthday party August 20 at 3 PM at the Eagles Hall. The band Loose Change will play from 4-8.
* VMICC board vacancy due to resignation of Terry Gaskill. Letters of interest should be emailed to Jim English at jim_English@amerifresh.com by September 5. Rory Brice and Mark Meyers have expressed interest to date.
* VMICC will co-sponsor with the League of Women Voters an Island Candidate’s Forum approximately two weeks prior to the general election in November.
* Next VMICC Board meeting moved to September 8 to avoid the Labor Day holiday. Meeting is 7:15 at Courthouse Square. 

Committee Reports
* Governance and Policy: will bring motions to the next VMICC meeting. Their next committee meeting is Thursday Aug 18, 7, McMurray Library.
* Sustainability: Successful Cascadia Conference, over 40 people attended. Overview forthcoming, all handouts available from Jack Barbash either in collected format or individually while they last. Next Sustainability meeting is September 1 (first Thursday as always) 7:30, Land Trust Building.
* Land Use and Natural Resources: No meeting in August. Next meeting focusing on affordable housing and its relationship to Island diversity: September 21, 7, Land Trust Building.
* Transportation:  Last meeting attended by representatives from Metro who met with the Bicycle Task Force and VYS. Next meeting Aug 22, 7, McMurray Library to discuss the environmental impacts of cuts in the passenger-only ferry and Metro services for those displaced by the service reductions. Since Vashon has only one member on the Ferry Task Force, Ed McMurray has stepped aside and Joe McDermott has taken his vacant seat.
* Heavy Metals: Next meeting is September 2, 3:30, Vashon Library
* Communications: 3 to 4 weeks until start-up of the community channel. Bids for equipment purchase for Comcast CWT’s ???
* Restroom Task Force: needs a convener
* Spokespeople: (Formerly Bike Task Force) next meeting at Café Luna, time TBA. Committee is working with King County re placement of “share the road” signs and improvement of road patches. Bikers volunteering for disaster communication work. 

Disaster Preparedness Presentations

Rick Wallace gave a presentation on the history of earthquakes in this region, their magnitudes, and the probable effects of upcoming major earthquakes in the Pacific Northwest. Vashon could be without ferry service and any assistance from the mainland for days or weeks, resulting in the need for shelter and thousands of meals for the homeless and stranded.

Joe Ulatotski described how the Vashon preparedness planning has evolved: The community prepared a response plan, developed an organization to implement the plan, and is now creating operations groups that will go into action in the event of a disaster. (CERTs) The planners still need volunteers who are willing to check on their neighbors and report to the fire department if assistance is needed. The Vashon group is coordinating with King County via VEMA, a legal organization responsible for Vashon disaster planning.

Chelo Gable is coordinating the Neighborhood Emergency Response Organizations, whose purpose is to mitigate the effects of a disaster at the neighborhood level. Contact Chelo to help get your neighborhood organized. She will meet with your group and outline what to do now to prepare against disaster. There are now 18 NEROs, and Vashon should have 150. Contact Chelo on her cell phone, 579-8132, email cgable@windermere.com. 

Mike Cochrane and his wife Catherine are coordinating the Vashon Community Emergency Response Teams. We are fortunate to have free CERT training through FEMA free here on Vashon, sponsored by the Vashon Fire and Rescue. So far over 50 Islanders have gone through this rigorous course, and more trainings, scheduled to be as convenient as possible, are coming up. See the VMICC website for the schedule and links to Mike and Catherine to register.

To learn more, go to www.VashonbePrepared.org. In the event if disaster, the Voice of Vashon will broadcast information.

Motions:

Note: Jim English, chair, requested that those wishing to submit motions to VMICC please follow the format outlined in the document “Submitting a Motion at a General Council Meeting”. He also noted that the “not appropriate to VMICC” vote response will no longer be accepted, since no record of its adoption can be found. The chair will no longer ask for vote abstentions.

VMICC Operating Policy:
Marilyn Omey, representing the Governance and Policy Committee: motion to add, “Avoid partisan political activity that supports or opposes one or more political parties or individuals for public office” to the end of the fourth paragraph of VMICC Operating Policy.

Discussion centered on the VMICC County contract stipulations, and the history of political discussion at VMICC. It was noted that gray areas cannot be eliminated, and Council vote will be used to determine what issues are appropriate for discussion in this forum.

Motion carried 23 to 3.

Monorail
Vickie Mercer, representing the Transportation Committee: 
Whereas, the community of Vashon desires the Fauntleroy Dock to be the main dock for ferry service from Seattle as determined in October of 2004 through a community transportation needs survey and subsequent expressed through unanimously passed resolution. And, whereas, the Washington State Ferry System presented plans to the 2005 Legislature seeking to improve the Fauntleroy Dock and continue using it through the year 2030. And, whereas, the proposed Monorail will bypass the congested West Seattle freeway. And, whereas, Vashon residents need reliable, consistent and on-time transit service to and from work. And, whereas, Vashon residents need an alternate form of travel to downtown Seattle during inclement weather which causes cancellation of passenger only ferry service or for the possible cancellation of future service as threatened by some State legislators. And, whereas, the Monorail will be a non-polluting and quiet form of transportation. Therefore, we, the Vashon Maury Island Community Council request that during the Phase II planning period all consideration be given to extending the Monorail’s Green Line or other light rail or efficient mass transit systems being considered to the Fauntleroy and Endolyne vicinity. (Italicized phrase added by Vickie at the meeting.)

Motion seconded and passed unanimously.

Ad hoc Economic Committee
Rita Schenk moved that:
Whereas, the economic diversity and well-being of the community is essential to preserving island quality of life; and Whereas, recent efforts towards developing economic strategies for community underscore the need for a centralized public forum on economic issues; and Whereas, King County is currently undertaking an effort to develop a rural economic strategy which will be applicable to Vashon-Maury Island, among others; and

Whereas, the role of the VMIVV includes addressing community wide issues, promoting a rural atmosphere and a thriving business community, and being a strong advocate for island issues at all levels of government (county, state, and federal).

Now, therefore, let it be moved that a new ad hoc committee of the VMICC be formed to act as a forum for the island-wide discussion of preferred actions towards the economic well being of the Island; such a committee to be termed the economic committee.

Discussion on how long ad hoc committees continue, the annual review process, and by-law amendment needed to create a standing committee. The purpose of the motion is to give VMICC a presence in the economic work Rita is doing through IERE, and to provide a conduit for VMICC input. It does not imply any VMICC support for IERE or any PUDs that may be proposed through her work.

Motion seconded and passed by accolade.

New Business:

Motion to Create a Property Rights Committee
Whereas, the Vashon Maury Island Community Council (“vmicc”) has policies indicating that the vmicc is to represent a diversity of viewpoints, promote a vibrant business climate on the island, and other similar lofty and noble objectives; and

There is a perception among many on Vashon and Maury islands that the vmicc offers little opportunity for the views of real property owners to be heard even as property rights are under attack by such fiascos as King County’s Critical Areas Ordinance and proposed moratoria on new home construction under the Vashon Watershed Plan’s first draft; and

The existing land use committee appears overly pro-environment in its slant, and scarcely considers the impact on business and job retention, let alone creation, rising real property taxes, Surface Water Management fees, and other economic impacts, and

Real property rights appear to be under assault in King County, and

There are widespread reports of abuse of property owners property rights and civil rights by DDES inspectors in rural King County, with several extremely serious, life threatening incidents involving firearms, and

There is no official means to give voice to a robust defense of property rights on Vashon and Maury Islands at this critical time, and

The sensible solution to this situation is to create a new committee under the vmicc that will specifically deal with property rights issues, and all matters that impact property rights must pass through that committee for consideration and recommendations before going to the full vmicc

Now therefore, the undersigned maker of this motion makes the following motion: MOVE to create an ad hoc Property Rights Committee under the vmicc.

Motion made by Armen Yousoufian, seconded by Bill Smith.  This motion will be discussed at the next meeting.

Meeting adjourned at 9PM                                      Respectfully submitted, Jean Bosch