City Manager’s Weekly Report
for week ending Aug. 7, 2020

Emergency Management.  Municipal Research Services Center identified the state of COVID-19 requirements as of August 3: http://mrsc.org/Home/Stay-Informed/MRSC-Insight/August-2020-1/COVID-19-Where-Things-Stand-as-of-August-3.aspx

Local Organizations to Cooperate for CARES Act Distributions. A city business aid program is being developed in coordination with the Seattle Southside Chamber of Commerce and Evergreen Community Financial to provide CARES Act support to Normandy Park businesses. The program will assess the needs of businesses in Normandy Park due to COVID-19 and distributions between $5,000 and $10,000 will be provided to approximately to 10 local businesses. More information will be circulated in the coming month. The distribution of this aid will be completed in October or before. Please note that to be eligible a business must have a current state and local business license. To find out more, contact the Seattle Southside Chamber of Commerce.

Port of Seattle Economic Development Grant. The Port of Seattle has decided that economic development grants, such as the one that is currently re-developing the Normandy Park Economic Development webpage and its relationship to the city website, will focus next year on economic recovery. The support limit for such Port grants is $1 per city citizen or $5000, whichever is greater. https://www.portseattle.org/blog/port-partners-king-county-cities-advance-economic-recovery

Joint Meeting of Planning Commission and City CouncilA joint Planning Commission and City Council workshop is scheduled for August 13th at 6:30pm to discuss 2020 progress and perspectives pertaining to the Comprehensive Plan Amendment Docket, Resolution 953, currently under consideration by the Planning Commission. Public testimony will not be taken at this workshop meeting, as is the norm everywhere for such workshop meetings, but the public can attend. Several public comments have been received requesting removal of the residential area south of 200th from further consideration for commercial up-zoning. Apparently, consideration of the future of this particular area over the last 20 years has been repetitive.

The Comprehensive Plan has a 20-year planning window. By Washington state law, comprehensive plan changes must lead to corresponding zoning changes. Zoning changes might foster private property owner decisions resulting in private investment. Without the incentive created through new land use possibilities, nothing changes except the eventual replacement of current uses with similar uses. The City Council and Planning Commission have been considering ways to enhance the creation of city revenue over the long term in order to maintain city services, particularly public safety service. Without the current excess property tax levy, the current staff of police officers cannot be sustained.

The excess property tax levy raises more than $400K per year for a voted six-year period (two more years of support), which corresponds to the employment of over three police officers. Zoning changes may eventually increase sales tax and/or property tax city revenues, increases which could reduce the excess property tax burden on city taxpayers. Normandy Park’s two shopping areas, zoned Neighborhood Commercial, are privately owned and managed. The city has no control over the current or future use of these or other properties, other than incentives created through Comprehensive Plan land use designations and State-mandated corresponding zoning. So, at the upcoming workshop, the City Council and the Planning Commission are continuing discussion about the long-term possibilities for revenue generation through land use incentives, as well as other Comprehensive Plan Docket issues.

Interim Flood Map Regulations. There will be a public hearing on the interim land use regulation required by FEMA for flood hazard area regulations at the regularly scheduled City Council meeting on Tuesday, August 11th. These regulations are necessary for property owners to be eligible for FEMA Flood Insurance.

Mark E. Hoppen, City Manager
City of Normandy Park
801 SW 174th Street
Normandy Park, WA 98166
(206) 248-8246 (Direct Phone)