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(Edmonds, WA) Mayor Nelson announced Tuesday that he has engaged the services of the Center for Public Safety Management (CPSM) to conduct a performance audit of the Edmonds Police Department.

Mayor Nelson stated, “To help assist our next Police Chief in leading our Police Department into the future, I have authorized a performance audit of the Police Department. This audit will enable the person selected as our next Chief to fully understand what the department – and more importantly the community – need and desire from police services in Edmonds.”

This study will do a deep dive into the Police Department’s service calls and responses, as well as look at all facets of policing and how they impact the community. The study will involve the following:

• Conduct a data-driven forensic analysis to identify what is driving overtime, workloads, and service demands and any potential gaps in patrol coverage.
• Identify and recommend appropriate staffing and deployment levels for every operational and support function in the department.
• Examine the department’s organizational structure and culture, including the qualitative aspects of patrol.
• Perform gap analysis, including operational readiness, comparing the “as is” state of the department to the industry’s best practices.
• Recommend a management framework to ensure accountability and improved performance.
• Evaluate the implementation of community policing, in quantifiable and anecdotal terms, and identify improvement opportunities where appropriate.

Resulting from this analysis, the study will create a short- and long-term strategic plan which will help the City to determine its future service levels, including performance management and the department’s basic ability to carry out its mission.

Center for Public Safety Management (CPSM)

The Center for Public Safety Management (CPSM) was launched by the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) to provide support to local governments in the areas of police, fire, and emergency medical services.

The Center also represents local governments at the federal level and has been involved in numerous projects with the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security. In 2014 as part of a restructuring at ICMA, the Center for Public Safety Management (CPSM) spun out as a separate company and is now the exclusive provider of public safety technical assistance for ICMA.

CPSM’s local government technical assistance experience includes workload and deployment analysis, using a unique methodology and subject matter experts to examine department organizational structure and culture, identify workload and staffing needs, as well as industry best practices.

CPSM has conducted over 346 such studies in 43 states and provinces and 246 communities, ranging in population from 8,000 (Boone, IA) to 800,000 (Indianapolis, IN).

International City/County Management Association (ICMA)

The ICMA is a 103-year old, non-profit professional association of local government administrators and managers, with approximately 13,000 members located in 32 countries. ICMA advances the knowledge of local government best practices with its website, www.icma.org, publications, research, professional development, and membership.

media release

(Edmonds, WA) The following is a statement from Mayor Mike Nelson to the people of Edmonds in advance of the upcoming Martin Luther King Day holiday:

This year, more than ever since the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement, as we approach Martin Luther King Day 2021, it’s important for us to reflect on our actions as individuals, families, a community, and a nation with regard to the basic human rights of all our fellow members of society.

This past year has been particularly difficult. Not only have we all been worn down by the COVID-19 pandemic, but we have also been rocked as a nation by senseless violence against Black people that has continued unabated across the country. Many have risen up and protested, marched and pushed back, yet systemic and institutional prejudice and racism are deeply embedded. It will take unwavering and sustained, collective effort to overcome and reverse.

Dr King’s legacy suggests that this collective effort starts at home – among each and every one of us, our families, friends and colleagues. Lasting, effective systemic change must rise from a grass-roots foundation that requires each of us to be informed, act and urge others to act to combat racism.

For Martin Luther King Day 2021 there are many ways we can both honor the legacy of Dr. King and become more informed in order to act, despite not being able to gather in person as in past years.

At Noon on Monday, January 18 the locally based Lift Every Voice Legacy, in partnership with the Communities of Color Coalition, will present a FREE virtual event: “Becoming Brave – a Tribute to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr,” intended to inspire a beloved community in song, spoken word, and dance. The free virtual event will be available to the public at www.beloved4all.org, and for those who register at this website a preview will be available on Sunday Jan 17. Donations will be accepted. The event will also be available at www.edmondswa.gov/diversity-commission-home.

I would also encourage you to watch one or more of the many great documentaries and movies about the life and legacy of Dr. King, such as:

• Martin Luther King Jr for Kids (short documentary at: https://youtu.be/SZ5BgcFWTbo)
• In Remembrance of Martin (trailer: https://youtu.be/inbVOgQom9M)
• King in the Wilderness (trailer: https://youtu.be/aVGRg89DbyM)
• Free at Last – Martin Luther King Jr (trailer: https://youtu.be/UhkVmeIkrRk)
• Dr Martin Luther King: A Historical Perspective (trailer: https://youtu.be/LSGZwc7BssU)
• King: Man of Peace in a Time of War (trailer: https://youtu.be/7Gp0JcsERSU?list=PLeNv8lXW6dUQpfeuoW2oQgHt7kbGktXIJ)
• King: A Filmed Record…Montgomery to Memphis (trailer: https://youtu.be/vIDGX-TIZ9I)

 

Lastly, now more than ever, the legacy of Dr King must be remembered and acted upon, not just this one day, but it must serve as a source of continued work throughout the year.

In our city I am pursuing systemic change within City government to eliminate institutional bias and discrimination, aided by a series of upcoming recommendations from my Equity and Justice Task Force. The City’s Diversity Commission is also doing important work to help address issues of equity and inclusion throughout our community.

In closing I wish you all a safe and memorable Martin Luther King holiday and encourage us all to continue to engage in collective efforts to fulfill Dr King’s legacy every day.

media release

Flags are at half-staff in honor of fallen U.S. Capitol Police Officers Brian Sicknick and Howard Liebengood, and all Capitol Police Officers and law enforcement across the Nation.

The deadline for viewing an online open house and taking a housing policy survey has been extended by three days to January 11. View the Press Release here.

The last online open house and survey from the Edmonds Housing Commission is ready for community engagement and is available through January 8, 2021. View the news release here. To learn about the Housing Commission’s draft recommendations and give feedback, visit www.ECHCOpenHouse.com.

The City of Edmonds Arts Commission (EAC) is offering two, single opportunity grants in 2021 for artists and nonprofit arts and culture organizations based in Edmonds. Applications are now available. The application deadline is January 28, 2021. Projects must be completed in 2021.

The Small Grant Program will have a total of $5,000 available for small grants of $100 - $1,000 for arts-based projects to support creativity, diversity and access to arts in Edmonds through literary, visual or performing arts. Applicants must be residents of Edmonds or organizations located in Edmonds.

"Creating a Future" Large Grant Program has a total of $50,000 available for awards up to $10,000. The purpose of the grant opportunity is to help build and reinforce a diverse and equitable cultural community in Edmonds, recognizing the uncertainty and challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the necessity of changing strategies to create access for all to the arts. Both individual artists and arts and culture organizations based in Edmonds are eligible if they have not-for-profit status either solely or through a partnership or umbrella relationship. Collaborations are encouraged.

Grant program Guidelines and applications for both grants are available on the Arts Commission website http://www.edmondswa.gov/workshops-a-grants.html. For questions contact frances.chapin@edmondswa.gov .

Edmonds Parks & Recreation Marty the holiday mouse

Follow Marty as he visits some of his favorite destinations in Edmonds’ parks.

(Edmonds - WA)

Join Edmonds Parks & Recreation on a family-friendly holiday adventure through three different parks. Follow our story through the eyes of Marty the Mouse as he meets animal friends, avoids predators, and discovers some of what makes winter in Edmonds parks so special. The adventure will be active from December 15^th to January 15^th. Be sure to bring along as a smart phone as location markers include a QR code to enhance learning with additional materials. The adventure includes walking on some unpaved trails, so wear sturdy shoes and dress for the weather before you venture out.

Follow Marty’s story through the Edmonds Facebook page (@EdmondsRecZone), Instagram page (edmondsreczone), and the Marty the Mouse website: http://www.edmondswa.gov/marty-the-holiday-mouse. Be sure to review the story as you move along, so you can find your way to each location.

Signs at each location have a letter noted by a green burst. If you want to play our word scramble game, be sure to write down each letter from the eight location markers and decode the themed word. Once you think you have the themed word decoded, send an email to kim.anderson@edmondswa.gov with your word guess! All submissions with the correct word will be entered into a random drawing for a prize! Post a picture of you on the Marty adventure, and tag our Facebook or Instagram accounts to get one extra entry to the prize drawing. That’s two chances to win instead of one! One entry per person can be entered for the prize drawing. Entries are accepted until January 15^th. The random prize winner will be announced on January 18^th.

Open House - Draft Housing Ideas

The City of Edmonds’ Planning Board will hold a public hearing on the Draft Tree Regulations December 9 at 7 p.m. Information on the Tree Code Update, the Planning Board’s review, and the draft tree regulations are available for review at treecode.edmondswa.gov. (Get background on the tree code here) 

The public is invited to participate in the public hearing via Zoom or by phone at:

• https://zoom.us/s/94704154660
• Via phone by dialing 253-215-8782
• Meeting ID: 947 0415 4660
• Passcode: 251948

Contact the City to get on the first-come, first-served list for distribution

(Edmonds, WA) With more restaurants turning to take-out as the only means of financial survival during COVID-19 restrictions, they are using more compostable to-go containers and gloves which can be costly. Using Federal CARES Act funds, the City has been able to buy various-sized compostable containers and boxes of gloves to distribute to restaurants. These compostable containers are fully approved by Cedar Grove Composting for acceptance at their facility.

“We heard from the restaurant community, which has been among the most impacted by the COVID restrictions, about the challenges of only offering takeout at this time,” stated Mayor Nelson.  “This is one way we can help ease the financial strain, promote take out dining from our restaurants, and help meet our environmental goals of encouraging compostable waste.”

The City will distribute up to 7,350 compostable to-go containers and over 12,000 gloves in prepackaged bundles at the first of two drive-up events. The first will be held on Dec. 7 between 10 am and 1 pm at the Public Works Building north parking lot at 7110 210^th St. SW.

A second distribution event, with an even greater number of items, will take place Dec. 21.

Two selections of packages are available:

Package One will contain:
·         two bags of 9 X 9 food containers for a total of 100 containers,
·         two bags of 6 X 6 containers for a total of 150 containers, and
·         four boxes of gloves for a total of 200 pairs.

Package Two will contain:
·         three bags of 9 X 9 containers for a total of 150 containers, and
·         four boxes of gloves for a total of 200 pairs.

Quantities are limited so please register in advance for a package of containers and gloves, by contacting Megan Luttrell at megan.luttrell@edmondswa.gov by Noon Friday, Dec. 4. Please indicate whether you wish to sign up for Package One or Package Two. She will respond to confirm your space on the list for the 12/7/20 event. If you cannot be accommodated on that day, you will be placed on the list for the 12/21/20 event. Media Release