Thank you for reading Monroe This Week.

This week’s edition includes details on: serving on a City Board, Commission, or Committee; Halloween safety tips; the new series of wayfinding signs coming next week; help for businesses affected by the Bolt Creek Fire; how ARP funds are supporting local veterans; keeping our storm drains clean; and a summary of the October 25 City Council meeting. 



Please contact me with any and all feedback regarding the articles below. I can be reached at GThomas@MonroeWA.gov.

Yours in Service,

SERVE ON A BOARD, COMMISSION, OR COMMITTEE

Are you looking for ways to serve the community you live in? The City of Monroe is currently recruiting for current and upcoming vacancies on multiple boards, commissions, and committees. We are currently recruiting for the following positions:

1 – Civil Service Commission (6-year term ending 9/2028)

2 - Community Human Services Advisory Board (4-year term ending 12/2026)

5 - Economic Development Advisory Board (two mid-terms ending 12/2024 and 12/2025 respectively, and three 4-year terms ending 12/2026)

1 - Lodging Tax Advisory Committee (one hotelier position mid-term ending 6/2026)

2 - Park Board (4-year term ending 12/2026)

1 - Planning Commission (4-year term ending 12/2026)

2 - Salary Commission (two 3-year terms ending 12/2025)

• The Civil Service Commission assures that police officers are recruited through open competition, are hired and promoted on the basis of merit, and oversees civil service examinations and certifies eligibility lists.
• The Community Human Services Advisory Board advises myself and City Council on work program, policy issues, and related budget issues; and provides non-binding recommendations on how to assist community members experiencing homelessness, who are at risk of becoming homeless, or who are experiencing poverty or are adversely impacted by a crisis.
• The Economic Development Advisory Board provides a forum for the coordination of information among entities identified as having economic development roles; recommends priorities, and establishes a means to monitor progress on goals, and provides such other advice and guidance with furthering Monroe’s economic development strategy.
• The Lodging Tax Advisory Board reviews award applications and makes recommendations to City Council regarding allocation of local lodging tax funds. Reviews and comments on any proposed imposition of lodging tax, increase in the rate of lodging tax, repeal of an exemption from lodging tax, or change in the use of revenue received from lodging tax.
• The Park Board advises the City Council on the management, supervision, improvement, and budgeting for parks and recreation facilities and programs; reviews the comprehensive park and recreation plan, assists with new park sites, and advises the City Council on capital projects in city parks.
• The Planning Commission reviews and makes recommendations to the City Council concerning land use issues including zoning, code changes, and revisions to the comprehensive plan.
• The Salary Commission reviews and establishes the salaries of the Mayor and City Councilmembers.

For more information on the duties of each board or commission, please visit our Boards, Commissions, and Committees page. You can apply directly here, but we request that you download the document and fill it out to avoid any technical errors. 

HALLOWEEN SAFETY TIPS

We are three days away from Halloween! The Monroe Police Department would like to remind everyone to brighten up those costumes so that children are more visible to cars and traffic. Some tips include:

• Carrying glow sticks or flashlights
• Using reflective tape or stickers on costumes

Be safe, be seen, and have fun this Halloween!

MORE WAYFINDING SIGNS COMING NEXT WEEK

Next week, the City will begin installing another series of wayfinding signs downtown. The work will be in the sidewalk areas of Main Street at each of the intersections of Blakeley, Lewis, and Ferry streets. It will also include installing foundations for the future signs and directories in the historic downtown area of Monroe. The City’s contractors will need to occupy some of the parking spaces while conducting the work. We appreciate your patience during construction!

For more information on the project please see our Gateway and Wayfinding Signs page.

BUSINESSES AFFECTED BY THE BOLT CREEK FIRE

The City is working closely with Snohomish County, Washington State, and the Sky Valley Chamber of Commerce to identify businesses impacted by the Bolt Creek Fire. At least five businesses within Snohomish County must have suffered an economic injury to qualify as a "disaster area". If your business has suffered economic injury due to the fire, please contact Economic Development Specialist James Palmer at JPalmer@MonroeWA.gov for more information and to request a one-page Economic Injury Worksheet. This process is not an application for aid, but is a prerequisite for aid becoming available in the County.

ARP FUNDS SUPPORT LOCAL VETERANS

In recent editions of Monroe This Week, I’ve shared information about the American Rescue Plan Act funding, and how the City is partnering with local organizations to respond to needs in the community created by the COVID-19 pandemic. This week, I would like to highlight an organization that was awarded funds to implement a program offering unique support services to our Monroe veterans. The Scooter’s Place Veterans Program was awarded $100,000 to support our local veterans and their unique needs. Scooter’s Place is a 55-acre facility located just outside the Monroe city limits. The atmosphere there is extraordinarily serene. Executive Director Jeanine Judkins shared that at Scooter’s Place they take care of people and horses with special needs. They also strive to be a peaceful escape for the whole family.

Jeanine shared a story about a young man in the Army. He found Scooter's Place and it has helped him reacclimate after trainings and decompress. As he continues trainings and deployments, he also continues to use Scooter's Place to help him transition between service periods and civilian life. The Veterans program is one day a week, with lots of contacts in between to help support clients remaining engaged. The program also offers outlets for veterans to serve together by doing special maintenance projects at the facility.

Thank you, Scooter's Place, for applying for and utilizing these funds to administer this important program. I will continue to share stories of how ARP funds are impacting our community in future issues of Monroe This Week.

KEEPING STORM DRAINS CLEAN

As the leaves continue to fall and the rain starts, please show your storm drains some love! By raking leaves and debris away from drains, it prevents them from becoming clogged and causing flooding. In addition to preventing flooding, it also helps prevent surface water pollution as all materials that make it into a storm drain ultimately drain to our creeks and rivers. Your help is greatly appreciated.

OCTOBER 25 CITY COUNCIL MEETING SUMMARY

The City Council met in a Regular Business Meeting on Tuesday, October 25. The following items were discussed and acted upon during the meeting:

Public Hearing:

• Anita Marrero, Senior Planner, introduced Ordinance No. 027/2022 and provided a history of the interim zoning definitions and explained that the current interim ordinance will expire November 10, 2022. This ordinance will extend the interim zoning definitions for an additional six months to allow Council time to review the proposed amendments before final adoption.

• Council adopted Ordinance No. 027/2022, extending for an additional six-month period the Interim Zoning Regulations originally adopted under Ordinance No. 014/2022, providing for the continuation of interim definitions for certain zoning and land use terms in Chapter 22.12 of the Monroe Municipal Code (MMC), Definitions.

• Becky Hasart, Finance Director, stated that nothing was changed since the public hearing presentations on October 11, 2022 and October 18, 2022 related to the 2023-2024 Mayor's Recommended Budget. Ms. Hasart also stated that no public comments were received at either of the public hearings. Ms. Hasart offered to answer questions related to the 2023-2024 biennial budget. There were no questions.

Consent Agenda:

• Minutes of 10/18/2022.
• AP/ACH through 10/25/2022.
• Waive Council Rules of Procedure section 3.1.3 to allow for final action to be taken at a study session; and to hold a Business Meeting and Study Session on Tuesday, November 1, 2022.
• Resolution 2022-017 repealing Resolution 007/2020 and establishing updated standards and procedures for the City of Monroe Community Human Services Advisory Board.
• Authorize myself to sign the letters to Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell opposing the inclusion of S. 4295, the Financial Data Transparency Act of 2022, to the National Defense Authorization Act.
• Authorize the purchase and acquisition of a police drone and associated equipment detailed in Advexure Quote #53493, with such minor revisions as deemed necessary. Said purchase is authorized in one installment, totaling $35,580.10.

Staff Reports: 

• Police
• Finance

New Business:

• Accepted as first reading, Ordinance No. 029/2022, fixing the amount of real and personal property taxes to be levied by the City for calendar year 2023.
• Accepted as first reading, Ordinance No. 028/2022, adopting the Biennial Budget for the fiscal period beginning January 1, 2023 and ending December 31, 2024.
• Accepted as first reading, Ordinance No. 026/2022, amending the Capital Facilities Element of the Monroe Comprehensive Plan; adopting a revised and updated six-year Capital Facilities Plan for the years 2023 through 2029 concurrently with the City's 2023-2024 Budget.

Mayor/Administrative Reports:

• City Administrator Deborah Knight reminded Council that the Monroe Chamber of Commerce is hosting the Snohomish County Chamber of Commerce Mega Mixer on November 17, and that State Representatives will be at the November 8 Monroe Chamber of Commerce meeting.

• I reported on projects I’m working on and recent meetings and events I have attended, including interviews for a Government Affairs consultant, work on the branding project, and meetings with State Legislators.

Final Action:

• Adopted Ordinance No. 030/2022B, adopting interim zoning amendments pursuant to RCW 36.70A.390 and RCW 35A.63.220; amending Chapter 22.24 MMC, Tourist Commercial Zoning District to eliminate various government facilities as permitted uses within such zone. 

The City Council will next meet in a Business Meeting/Study Session on Tuesday, November 1. The meeting will be held in a hybrid format; members of the public may participate in Monroe City Council meetings both in-person at City Hall and remotely via the Zoom remote meeting platform. Participation information will be posted with the November 1 agenda, which can be accessed by clicking the button below.