We're just waiting for the mayor to log in to start the meeting.

Yeah, I had to get to his computer looking.

There.

I I think our clerk thought maybe I shouldn't participate.

We are recording.

Thank you.

We do not need to do roll call, but I will acknowledge that we have a full quorum.

And with that, we will go to council business.

There is one item, which is the interim ordinance number 4389 regarding the six-month extension of uh the um of the moratorium.

And I will turn it to Mike and or Brad.

Thank you.

Uh Mike Cluxton, uh Planning Development Department.

Um and so this afternoon, thank you for taking a little bit of time to uh take a look at this uh extension.

Um as you know, uh last week you had a public hearing on this.

Um there were a few comments um to support the extension of the uh landmark tree uh ordinance that's currently in effect.

And um staff would like to extend uh that for another six months.

Um and there's a draft ordinance in your packet in attachment two that would do that.

Um the uh tree code work obviously got off to a bit of a slow start due to just lack of of staff and and financial resources.

So um we didn't really get started on this work until January of this year when um Deb Powers started back up with the city.

Um since that time though, we've made uh very good progress on uh the code update.

And so um the goal is within another six months, uh right around early October, we should be able to land this, um, take it all the way through planning board, have some touches with the tree board, um, and then bring it to council uh in the summertime for your review.

Um and so extending the uh landmark tree um ordinance would continue those protections that you approved last year, right?

For those uh landmark trees that are greater than 30 inches in diameter.

So um there'd be no change.

That would just continue for another six months.

Staff would continue to work on uh the tree code update and the intent again would be to land all this um in early October.

So uh if you have any questions, um we can definitely talk about that otherwise.

Um yeah, we would ask your extension or your approval of the extension of the ordinance that's in uh attachment two.

Can't hear you.

Council member Payne, you're first.

Thank you.

Um I'd like to make a motion for an ordinance of the city of Edmonds, Washington extending by six months the interim regulation establishing by ordinance um number 4389 to prohibit the removal of certain landmark trees.

Is there a second?

Uh discussion maker of the motion.

I'm just really pleased to see that we have this extension um happening before one a whole week before the deadline and also uh commemorating um that this is also a day before Earth Day when we um adopted it a year ago.

It was um it was that same week.

And so really appreciate everyone's support and everyone's um enthusiasm to see this um work plan get done.

So I want to thank staff and then all my council um colleagues as well.

Thank you.

Councilmember Holson.

Yeah, I'm in favor of the moratorium being extended.

Um I did just want to remind staff that on the initial um uh project list for the permanent tree code that we were um looking for a full um delve into the takings laws and how that would um segue and be um affected by landmark tree protections and to make sure that that is um you know done thoroughly and um that information provided to council um when the permanent one is being proposed or or along the way um if that's maybe better to get that assess that information ahead of time.

Thank you.

And certainly we'll work with city attorney to uh make sure you do get that, whether it's with the the um you know code language that the planning board recommends or before that, um it'll be part of the packet at some point.

Thank you.

Are there other questions or comments on the motion?

Uh Councilmember Chen.

Thank you, Maya.

So I support the extensions of the moratorium, but uh I want to comment the moratorium in general is not a good way to govern.

Uh, but I realize that we have staff shortage and uh resources.

So I think this is uh necessary so that we can uh devolve more time and energy of the stab expert and uh resources into this have uh a much better uh tree call come out of it.

So really appreciate uh the telephone is the go into this.

Uh council council president.

Thank you.

And I'm heading back here.

Um yes, I support this and and thank you for everyone uh because actually thanks to our community uh for we move this up a week um due to there being a slight uh potential um overlap that that that would have happened had we waited uh until next week.

So uh I appreciate everybody uh coming in uh for this.

Um and again I support this as well to get the good work done.

I really want to thank uh the team, the staff, everybody that's uh working on this.

And then I'd also echo uh council member Olson's um uh point on the um legal review of of the takings when this came forward originally, and I'd reached out also um so about that being a big piece of it and informing a lot of of uh of this.