Questions/objections re: March 21, 2005 VMICC General Meeting

1:05 PM, Sunday, March 20, 2005

Title: Objection to any vote at March 21 VMICC Meeting RE: Vashon Watershed Plan; Why are VMICC website agenda listings, meeting location and time, list of directors, etc. out of date and obsolete?; inconsistencies in three different published meeting times, etc.?

NOTICE: I object in advance to any plan to vote on anything concerning the "Vashon Watershed Plan", in case that is your intent, at the March 21, 2005 VMICC meeting.

LEGAL GROUNDS: Failure to unambiguously comply with Washington state Open Meetings Act ( RCW 42.30.080) to give adequate notice that any decision making on this matter will occur at that meeting; conflicting and ambiguous information on purpose and even time and location of meeting.

Item: you don't plan to actually vote on an unvetted "Vashon Watershed Plan" that is still only in "draft" form (incomplete and dated next month at that), on March 21 do you? What are you going to do at that meeting, and at what time on the agenda? Where is the current agenda at your website? Questions, questions...

Subject: Lack of notice re: Vashon Watershed Plan to be discussed at March 21, 2005 Vashon Maury Island Community Council ("VMICC") meeting; out of date and obsolete posting of agendas at VMICC website (the latest shown is April 21, 2003!); incomplete "Draft April 2005" Vashon Watershed Plan document; etc.

Open Letter To: Vashon Maury Island Board of Directors (see complete list below, "Attachment A")

CC's to: Members of "Groundwater Protection Committee" with published email addresses (Jay Becker and John Gerstle), local press, certain land-use attorneys, various Seattle print and radio media, hundreds of concerned property owners on Vashon, the Citizens Alliance for Property Rights email list, and posting(s) to appropriate and related public "blogs".


From:
ayousoufian@comcast.net
To:
"Jim English" Jim_English@amerifresh.com, "Jolene Lamb" nbr1@earthlink.net, "Marilyn Omey" marilynomey@peoplepc.com , Jack Barbash" ahimsafirst@earthlink.net, "Joan Sells" joanvash@aol.com, "Terry Gaskill" terrygaskill1@yahoo.com, "Floyd Williams" floyd_wi@msn.com, "Drew Carleton" acarleton@aol.com, "May Gerstle" jamger@comcast.net

CC:
"Jay Becker" , "John Gerstle" JHGerstle@comcast.net, "Allison Arthur" , "Lee Ockinga" , "Anna Brinkmann" , "Marie Browne"

Dear Members of the VMICC Board of Directors (see addressee list, not what is at your website, which appears to be an obsolete list):

According to the insert in the March 2, 2005 Beachcomber and LOOP newspapers, there is an ambiguous indication that something of potentially enormous land use consequence will be considered at the March 21, 2005 VMICC General Meeting.

Namely, according to that insert: "This plan is to be discussed for endorsement at the March 21, 2005 Vashon Maury Island Community Council meeting, 7 p.m., at Courthouse Square on Vashon Highway SW.

What is this notice of? That you are going to have a discussion of the "Vashon Watershed Plan" that was the subject of what turned out to be a non-public testimony opportunity this past Wednesday night, at which copies were available of a "draft" document dated next month? But no vote? Only discussion? Of what? The discussion that took place at the March 16 meeting?

A meeting at which it was agreed there needed to be at least two more meetings to finish explaining the "Vashon Watershed Plan", answering questions about it, and then finally taking required public testimony on it, before anyone could possibly consider how to vote on it?

A meeting at which we were told at the outset by a King County official running the meeting that the plan was set up by Dow Constantine to "sail through", even before we'd had a chance to read it and comment on it?

A meeting at which we were told by a King County official running the meeting that it would be the "only public meeting, we're done", only to back down later and admit more meetings were needed?

A meeting at which we were given a 58 page copy of the plan, marked "Draft" and dated "April 2005", which we were seeing for the first time?

A meeting at which there were so many questions that we were there until an hour past the scheduled ending time and people still had unanswered questions such that it was agreed there needed to be at least two more meetings?

A meeting at which many of us indicated a distrust of King County, only to be told this is not a King County plan, only to notice that the only public officials there were all with King County (Sharon Nelson, Susan Oxholm, James Simmonds, and one other) and that the "Draft April 2005" plan has King County's name on every single one of 57 of its 58 pages?

A "Draft April 2005" plan that has an "Appendix A" cover page, but no Appendix content whatsoever?

A "Draft April 2005"plan that has a section "4.9 Pesticides" that merely says: "More info to be added soon."? And which we learned Wednesday night was incomplete because the volunteer responsible for that section got busy with other things?

I ask because there is no mention of any vote in the March 2 notices in the Beachcomber and LOOP. And that assumes those "inserts", which many mistook for an advertising insert and tossed out, qualify as a notice, which I question as complying with applicable law, regulations, etc. In fact, I've been told by people who would know that the insert does not conform to legal requirements for notices required under the Washington state Open Meetings Act, which the VMICC is required to comply with.

I ask because I see nothing at the VMICC website under the "Agenda". (Which, by the way, lists as the most recent agenda that for April 21, 2003. Why is the agenda available at the VMICC website nearly two years old?)

What are the legal implications if there is no notice to the community in the only adjudicated newspaper of record (the Beachcomber), nor at the VMICC website, of what you are up to if it's something a lot of people actually care about?

When is the meeting this Monday night? The March 2, 2005 "Vashon Watershed Plan" document states it is at 7 PM. Your website home page states 7:15 PM. The calendar your website links to says 7:30 PM. Which is it?

Finally, see "Attachment B" below, for what came up when I clicked at the two different places at the www.vmicc.org website to view the agenda of the next meeting. Something doesn't seem right that what comes up would be two years old. Also, the VMICC website still lists the old location for meetings.

Please advise on all these issues.

Armen Yousoufian

Attachment A:

Jim English, President Jim_English@amerifresh.com
Jolene Lamb, Treasurer nbr1@earthlink.net
Marilyn Omey, Secretary marilynomey@peoplepc.com
Jack Barbash ahimsa_first@hotmail.com
Joan Sells joanvash@aol.com
Terry Gaskill terrygaskill1@yahoo.com
Drew Carleton <acarleton@aol.com>
Floyd Williams floyd_wi@msn.com

Attachment B:

Vashon-Maury Island Community Council

Agenda
for the VMICC General Meeting, April 21, 2003
at Chatauqua Multipurpose room (9303 SW Cemetery Rd), 7:30pm
7:30 WELCOME (Call to Order):

· APPROVAL of PREVIOUS MEETING MINUTES (March and February minutes this time).
· ADDITIONS/CHANGES to the AGENDA.
· Treasurer’s Report.
· INTRODUCTION of GUESTS (as appropriate).
· Announcements/Acknowledgements.

7:40 COMMITTEE REPORTS:

Standing Committees and Ad Hoc Committees:

Diversity INACTIVE
Heavy Metals Remediation May Gerstle
Governance & Policy Marilyn Omey
Transportation Lifeline (TLC) Sally Fox & Mike Sudduth
Sustainable Practices Jack Barbash
Land Use & Natl. Res. Yvonne Kuperberg S
ave Our Ships (SOS) Dean Katz & Chuck Knudson
Outreach Gayle Sommers & Allison Jones
Public Safety Fred Hansen
Transportation Sally Fox
Youth Advisory Eve Susskind

7:50 OLD BUSINESS: Motions, Etc. To Be Voted Upon
- Council confirmation of Joan Sells’ appointment to the VMICC Executive Board.
- By-Law amendment formalizing the VMICC Sustainable Practices Committee.
- Emergency Motions:
o Council position on installation of a “traffic light” in downtown Vashon.
o Council position on a Voice of Vashon’s (VoV) request for a Letter of Support to help it convince the FCC to allow a transmission power increase so it can better provide critical, time-sensitive information during emergency/disaster conditions “near” island-wide.

8:00 PRESENTATIONS:

8:00 – 8:25 Visit/Q&A with DOW CONSTANTINE, Vashon’s King County (KC) Councilmember
8:25 – 8:50 King County’s “Green Works Program” – a “FREE County Solid Waste program to help BUSINESSES reduce solid waste” – Alexandra Scott, KC Solid Waste. (likely cancelled)

8:50 NEW BUSINESS

· New Motions (Note: If you propose a motion, please be sure the Council Clerk receives a legibly written copy that evening, along with your name, phone number, and name of your “second” so it can be properly recorded for “discussion/vote” at the next General Meeting. Thank you.)
· Questions, Constructive Comments, Suggestions, Etc.

9:00 ADJOURN

(To be on the VMICC distribution list, send an email to: dans@islandimage.net)


Accessible. Reasonable accommodations provided upon request.
Please call Dan at (206)463-5423

Seattle Times today:More Vashon passenger only ferry options? With King County Metro?

Monday morning, March 14, 2005

Subject: More possible passenger only ferry options for Vashon, per article in today's Seattle Times.

Dear Fellow Vashon/Maury Islanders,

Interesting information re: more possible passenger only ferry options via King County Metro. See the article below in today's Seatle Times.

Go to link below to see article at Seattle Times website, or see text further below:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002206819_metroferry14m.html

Monday, March 14, 2005

King County Metro eyes passenger-ferry service

By Susan Gilmore

Seattle Times staff reporter

Battle looming over Vashon route

King County Metro is considering getting into the passenger-ferry business.

That could be good news for Vashon Island, which will lose passenger-only ferry service if the Legislature doesn't extend operating funds when the money runs out in June.

"Historically, there's been a lot of interest in some form of waterborne transit returning," said Eric Gleason, manager of Metro's service-development section. "There's renewed interest as the highways get more congested."

Earlier this month, Metro held two "stakeholder" meetings, in which dozens of public officials, maritime-industry representatives and others met to consider whether King County should invest in and participate in passenger-only ferry service.

Metro, which plans to issue a report with findings and recommendations in June, is looking at providing passenger-ferry service on Lake Washington and Lake Union and taking over the Vashon Island-downtown Seattle route now operated by Washington State Ferries.

When the state got out of the passenger-only ferry business two years ago, it continued to fund the Vashon route for two years.

Service fell victim to budget cuts

Passenger ferries known as the Mosquito Fleet sailed through Puget Sound in the early part of the 20th century and later were replaced by auto ferries. Now Washington State Ferries has the largest ferry fleet in the country.

In 1986, the state ferries began passenger-only runs between Seattle and Bremerton, using the 270-passenger Tyee, which was sold to Aqua Express and is now being used on the privately operated passenger-ferry route between Kingston and Seattle.

In 1990, passenger-ferry service was added to Vashon Island, and there were plans to expand the state's foot ferries until voters approved Initiative 695 in 1999. The measure cut the cost of automobile-license tabs and carved a huge hole in the state transportation budget, prompting the state to drop the passenger-only ferry service.

Now private operators, such as Aqua Express, have the rights to take over passenger-ferry routes. Another private operator runs a foot ferry from Bremerton to Seattle, and two companies have filed applications with the state to add passenger service between the Southworth area and downtown Seattle.

And the state is proposing adding a new passenger route from Southworth to Vashon to downtown Seattle.

Ferry service on the lakes?

As King County, which already operates the West Seattle water taxi in the summer, explores extending passenger-ferry service, many questions arise: What routes should be developed? Would the county contract with a private operator such as Argosy, which runs the West Seattle boat? How much would it cost and how would it be paid for? What about terminals and parking? How much of a subsidy should taxpayers provide?

The Legislature two years ago gave counties the right to create ferry districts and assess a property tax of 75 cents per every $1,000 valuation of property — or $75 per $100,000. Such a tax conceivably could be used to help pay for the Vashon ferry; it would require the approval only of the Metropolitan King County Council.

Metro also could levy a one-tenth of 1 percent sales tax — an option available for transit — for passenger ferries, but that would require approval by voters.

Fares and possibly advertising also would be sources of revenue.

When Metro was updating its six-year plan, the council asked it to look into waterborne transit, Gleason said.

While Metro is not looking at any specific routes, it is exploring the possibility of a ferry across Lake Washington from Kirkland to the University of Washington and one on Lake Union that would link the University District, Fremont and South Lake Union. And it is looking at Vashon.

According to a study published by the Cascadia Center of the Discovery Institute, Metro in 1988 studied passenger-ferry service on Lake Washington but concluded that the service would be too slow to compete with buses, that it would be hard to build ferry terminals and that the market was questionable.

In 1989, the Port of Seattle studied the idea of passenger ferries on Lake Washington and concluded that dedicated shuttle buses to the ferry terminal would be needed and that the fares should cover the operating costs. It said those fares, as high as $3 each way, would be too high to compete with buses.

Sound Transit also has studied passenger ferries on Lake Washington and determined that ferries could be competitive with buses to the University of Washington, but that speed limitations in the Montlake Cut mean it wouldn't be feasible to provide ferries to downtown Seattle.

The West Seattle water taxi does not pay for itself, Gleason said, and has a subsidy similar to what the buses have: About 25 percent of the cost of running the service is covered by fares. On state ferries, the fares cover about 80 percent of the cost of operations.

If Metro decides to get into the passenger-ferry business, it may look to Kitsap County, which has been successful in promoting public-private partnerships in using federal money to build docks and contracting with private operators to run the boats.

One thing Metro will study, Gleason said, is whether there's new money to be made with passenger ferries: Would people who don't ride the bus ride a ferry instead?

Susan Gilmore: 206-464-2054

Copyright © 2005 The Seattle Times Company