Resolution 4168 - Laserfiche WebLink

27. Public Safety - The Everett City Council reviewed the SEPA determination of the subject property as part of the appeal of the MDNS issued by the lead agency for the environmental review. As a means of reviewing the environmental impact resulting from public safety, the City Council passed Resolution #3981 in order to obtain additional information on possible public safety impacts of the proposed facility. The Resolution mandated that a questionnaire be submitted to law enforcement agencies throughout the State of Washington to obtain information with regard to records of police activity stemming from juvenile facilities. Also, information with regard to requests for police assistance and other information was sought. The response to the questionnaire was poor. The questionnaire, as developed, was well intentioned but did not provide adequate information for the denial or approval of the proposed facility. The information provided by the questionnaire (summarized on pages #8, #9, and #10 of exhibit#1) was overly broad. From the information, it cannot be determined if the facilities that were the subject of the responses were similar to the proposed facility; where the facilities were located in relation to other parts of the cities in which they are located; the type of facility; the number of sleeping units in the facility; the purpose and use of the facilities that were the subject of the response; and other data. In addition, because none of the information was documented, it is impossible to ascertain if the information on activity at the facility was similar to the activity of the proposed facility. 28. With the restrictions for the development of the site and the restrictions for the internal operations of the site, the proposed development will not impact public safety. There will be implementation of security measures required as part of the SEPA and MDNS decision by the City. With the implementation of these security measures; the assistance of a community advisory committee consisting of staff and neighborhood residents that will screen potential applicants for placement at the proposed facility; and the internal operations of the facility, the proposed impact to public safety will be minimal. 29. Neighborhood Compatibility - As part of its SEPA review, the City Council also requested that letters and questionnaires be mailed to 269 residents who lived in close proximity to ten juvenile facilities throughout the State of Washington. Forty-two responses were made to the questionnaire. The responses, however, cannot be used as the basis of the grant or denial of the proposal. The responses appear to be anonymous, and there was no proof that the respondents fully understood the questions that were submitted, or why they were submitted. Further, all of the responses are hearsay because none of the respondents provided testimony at the hearing. Although petitions, surveys, and questionnaires can be admitted into evidence, their credibility goes to the weight of the evidence. It has not been shown that the responses to the questionnaires are relevant to the proposed project. 10