City Council Meeting Agenda | March 17, 2020

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Posted on 03/16/2020

THIS IS AN ARCHIVED NEWS STORY FROM 2020 AND THE CONTENTS OF THIS ARTICLE MAY NO LONGER APPLY. FOR THE LATEST COMMUNITY NEWS CLICK HERE.

Originally posted on March 13, 2020. Updated on March 16, 2020.

The March 17 Newcastle City Council meeting will look a little different, as we work to prioritize the safety and welfare of our residents, public officials and employees amidst the COVID-19 outbreak. Councilmembers and staff will meet via video conference. Members of the public will still have a chance to listen, watch and participate. Please see below for details on how to do so.

During the meeting, Councilmembers will consider several ordinances, many of which they have already reviewed at previous meetings. The Council will first hold a public hearing regarding adoption of the updated 20-year Capital Facilities Program, which includes an updated list of potential capital improvement projects. Next, the Council will consider an ordinance that would increase Parks/Trail and Transportation impact fees. Impact fees are one-time charges assessed by a local government against a new development project to help pay for new or expanded public facilities that will directly address the increased demand for services created by that development. The City has not updated its impact fees since 2014.

Next, the Council will consider an ordinance amending the 2020 budget. The proposed amendments include routine fund balance changes based on updated year-end numbers and staffing updates. Finally, the Council will consider an ordinance extending a franchise agreement with Olympic Pipeline.

The regular meeting begins at 7 p.m. Tuesday. View the full meeting agenda packet here.

HOW TO PARTICIPATE IN THE MARCH 17 CITY COUNCIL MEETING

Cities across the region, including Renton, are conducting public meetings via teleconference per King County recommendations to slow the spread of COVID-19. Newcastle joins those ranks on Tuesday, when the City Council meeting will be held via Zoom video conference. Members of the public will still have a chance to listen, watch and participate.

In keeping with the Local Health Officer Order, dated March 11, 2020, the City encourages older adults and individuals with underlying medical conditions (including employees) that are at increased risk of serious COVID-19 not to attend in person the March 17, 2020 Regular City Council Meeting. However, there will be a speaker available for the public to listen just outside the doors of Newcastle City Hall (on the second floor) on the night of the meeting. Still, in the interest of public health, the City STRONGLY encourages all citizens to instead watch and listen from the comfort of their own home.

WATCH AND LISTEN

— Residents can watch and listen to the meeting online by using any web-enabled device to access this link: https://zoom.us/j/835754346. Zoom will walk you through the setup. If you log-in through the Zoom app, it will ask for your name and email address. If you join the meeting from your browser, you will only be asked to submit your name.

— Participants will be placed on mute until any public comment periods, at which point everyone will be given a chance to speak, one by one.

LISTEN

— You can also join the meeting by telephone. Call 1-669-900-9128 and input the Meeting ID 835 754 346 to listen and participate. At that time, you will be prompted to enter a unique participant ID. This will not apply to the general public, so press # to skip.

— Participants will be placed on mute until any public comment periods, at which point everyone will be given a chance to speak, one by one.

WRITE

— Submit your comments to the Council in writing. Email your remarks to [email protected] by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, March 17.

The Newcastle City Council meeting starts at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 17. View the meeting agenda packet here.

City of NewcastleWashington

City of Newcastle