Jeff Bender

This document provides an assessment of the City of Auburn's housing needs and characteristics, supporting its Housing Element Update and Comprehensive Plan. It evaluates population demographics, household economics, housing inventory, and affordability, identifying current and projected housing needs. The assessment addresses racially disparate impacts and displacement risks, and analyzes land capacity against regional growth targets, ultimately recommending zoning and density adjustments to accommodate future housing development, particularly for lower-income households.

The City Council study session included discussions on budget adjustments, capital project budgets, and new budget authority for an onion program. Key topics involved realigning revenue sources, carrying forward unspent expenditures from 2019, adjusting capital project budgets with grant funding, and addressing the impact of the new state's minimum wage on the parks department. Also reviewed was the Planning Commission at land use legislative process.

The meeting included appointments to the Junior City Council and a police promotional ceremony, where Sergeant Josh guson was honored. A 30-year service pin was awarded to Chief Mark CER. Proclamations were made for Peace Officers Memorial Day, Professional Municipal Clerks Week, Affordable Housing Week, and Asian-American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

The council held a study session that included a financial update for Q2 2022, covering revenues, expenditures, sales tax, property taxes, utility tax, and building permits. The council also discussed a resolution supporting comprehensive reproductive health care and marriage equality, as well as protections through Washington state and federal legislative actions.

The meeting was convened to address the process of filling a City Council vacancy, including a review of the legal requirements and procedures from other municipalities. The council discussed the creation of an application, public outreach strategies, and application screening procedures, including a blind application process. The ad hoc committee recommended the top five candidates for interviews. The council agreed to send out letters to the five applicants for the interview process and decided that each council member would submit two questions based on their committees by January 20th.