IV. PRESENTATION

Jay Hamlin presented a database that he created with Airtable using the data provided by the King County Office of Performance, Strategy and Budget in its Annexation Area Databook. He showed how he took the information in the text document for each Potential Annexation Area (PAA) and orphan road and converted it to an updatable database format with visual information such as maps and multiple dynamic views for users to select. He demonstrated the features of the database to the members and answered their questions. Several members expressed how impressed they were with the database and how helpful it could be for interested parties in a variety of applications. Jay Hamlin agreed to share the database with the members and post it to the Board’s Box account. Shelby Miklethun informed the members that she could put data from the database on the Board’s website. The members supported that idea.

V. ADMINISTRATION

A. Chair's Report.

Chair Felt shared that he had not been able to obtain additional information regarding the Washington State Association of Boundary Review Boards (WSABRB) Conference in October. Jay Hamlin stated that he had discussed the conferenced with other WSABRB officers and that it was his understanding that more information would be forthcoming by the end of August including an agenda and a conference fee rate. Chair Felt added that a list of confirmed speakers needed to be included in the information provided by the WSABRB. Stephen Toy mentioned that the WSABRB conference will be held the same week as the APA Washington Chapter Conference this year and will conflict schedule-wise. Mary Lynne Evans echoed the conflict.

Chair Felt then informed the members that there was an issue raised relating to the Board’s Instructions for submitting a Notice of Intention (NOI) and that this issue could affect the Board’s consideration of revisions to its Organization and Rules of Practice and Procedure (ORPP.) Ms. Miklethun shared the Board had recently received two NOIs that did not include copies of the petitions referenced therein. However, these NOIs did include copies of the certifications relating to those petitions. She relayed that she then reviewed the Instructions and found that the Instructions requested a copy of the certification relating to a petition but did not explicitly list the petition itself as requested. She stated that the Instructions also generally need updating for logistical information such as current contact information. She asked members if they would prefer issues like issues like this to be clarified in an update to the Instructions or if they would prefer that the Board add these items to the ORPP. She further added that this was not discussed at the Steering Committee meeting of 6/30/22 wherein the Committee recommended other ORPP changes.

Marlin Gabbert stated that he felt that the Board needed to explicitly state what it requires. Board Counsel Robert C. Kaufman provided his advice to the members. Chair Felt pointed out that additional content would need to be added to the ORPP to include required submittal criteria. Mary Lynne Evans asked if such a process would hinder the processing of the NOIs at hand. Ms. Miklethun responded that such a process would not delay those NOIs as the submitting agency had already supplemented the NOIs with copies of the petitions at her request and that the files were moving forward. Stephen Toy added that if we know about this issue, we should update the ORPP to reflect the required criteria. Jay Hamlin asked if there was a pressing need to approve the ORPP in September, and Paul MacCready asked if another Steering Committee meeting would be necessary to consider additional ORPP revisions. The members discussed these questions and decided to call another meeting of the Steering Committee in order to consider further ORPP revisions. 

B. Committee Reports.

1. Budget Committee

Committee Chair Claudia Hirschey relayed that the Budget Committee has been briefed that it can expect to receive feedback from the King County Budget Office in the last half of August. She stated that it was her understanding that departments have been asked to review their historical variable spending to see if they can make cuts. She added that for the Board, one area it can likely cut based on historical spending is shipping and postage as the Board is no longer mailing out the volume of material as it did in past years.

2. Legislative Committee

Chair Felt shared that he attended a Road Map to Washington - Phase III (RM III) Taskforce subcommittee meeting on annexations. He stated that annexations are one of eight areas that the Taskforce has taken up for potential revisions to the Growth Management Act (GMA) and that the Taskforce produced a topic sheet for annexations. Chair Felt stated that Consultant Clay White chaired the committee, and it focused on two items: 1) the cost of annexations; and 2) a sales tax credit incentive for annexations that is no longer available. Chair Felt relayed that there was a lively discussion of those two topics and that attendees focused on the required census relating to annexation cost and idea of reinstating the sales tax incentive program on a more broad basis than in the past. Chair Felt reported that Karen Meyering attended the meeting on behalf of King County and that she very clearly explained the effectiveness of the sales tax incentive program and also shared the value that boundary review boards bring to the annexation process. Chair Felt addressed the members’ questions regarding the meeting and the members further discussed his replies. These questions included the State Office of Financial Management’s position on the census requirement, the potential overlap of service providers, and the differing perspectives of cities and special purpose districts regarding service provision. The members also discussed how Jay Hamlin’s database will help the Board with discussions regarding population/taxation impacts and annexations. Ms. Miklethun later added that there is a survey on the Taskforce website with related reference materials in case members wish to participate.

3. Personnel Committee

Committee Chair Sylvia Bushnell shared that Angelica Velasquez has been reclassified to a Program/Project Manager II, and the members and attendees congratulated her. She then shared that the Personnel Committee will need to meet to discuss performance appraisals. She explained that the Committee will need to choose between the performance appraisal form it has historically used and an updated alternative form now offered by King County. Last, she stated that the Committee will need to decide whether or not it wants to undertake a three-month performance appraisal for Ms. Miklethun or if it wishes to only do the six-month performance appraisal that is required in mid-December 2022.

C. Executive Secretary’s Report

1. BOARD VACANCY

Ms. Miklethun thanked Claudia Hirschey for her assistance in helping recruit potential members for the Board’s vacancy. Ms. Miklethun shared that Claudia Hirschey found an excellent candidate and that she sent a recap of the candidate’s qualifications and experience to the Washington Association of Sewer & Water Districts for its consideration.

2. WEBSITE UPDATE

Ms. Miklethun thanked members for submitting updates for their bios for the website. She asked members to continue to send her updates and ideas for website content and added that she may undertake an effort to simplify the format of items such as Board agendas for future ease of posting on the website.

3. MEETING SCHEDULING

Ms. Miklethun reminded members that the regular September 8, 2022, Board meeting will be canceled and that Chair Felt will be calling a special meeting on September 22.

D. Correspondence:

General Correspondence/Articles of Interest - None