2019-07-22 Finance Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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Finance Committee Minutes July 22, 2019 and that state law does not limit municipal authority to do so. In addition, the RCW acknowledges the International City/County Management Association, the International Association of Fire Chiefs, and the National Fire Protection Association as three entities to be considered for the organization and deployment of resources for fire departments. Other requirements include annual reporting and a written policy statement regarding service delivery and response time objectives. Staff reviewed a summary of the number of calls by type and response times broken out by Fire and EMS between 2014-2018. Future meetings will include a review of how Tukwila's response times compare to those of other agencies. Councilmember Quinn asked for service statistics going back to 2005 or 2006 and would like the Committee to review information previously shared in discussions around Fire. Chair McLeod would like to examine changes in service levels over the last 20 years, sources of revenue, and various specialties/disciplines in the department. Staff will return to the next meeting with the cost and service level jurisdictional comparisons, and to the August 28 meeting with funding options for varying service levels. DISCUSSION ONLY. RETURN TO COMMITTEE. D. Fire Marshal Office Staff presented an overview of the Fire Marshal Office (FMO), including required minimum levels of service, current services, options, and liability. The FMO provides plan review and associated inspections, limited code enforcement, and fire investigation services with five FTEs. There is an imbalance between actual revenues and fees for services for the FMO, and a review of the fees have shown that they have not kept pace with the market and neighboring cities. Staff proposes to return to Committee with a fee update ordinance. Some of the current services provided by the FMO could be done by other departments, such as city addressing, business license reviews, and special event permit coordination. Moving these functions could free up capacity for other services, such as the business inspections which are not currently being performed. Councilmembers discussed the information. Councilmember Seal would like to better understand the rationale behind the 2014 policy change to remove life safety inspections from the suppression crews. Further discussion on service levels and fees will return to Committee. DISCUSSION ONLY. RETURN TO COMMITTEE. III. MISCELLANEOUS Adjourned at 6:49 p.m. (4/1 Committee Chair Approval Minutes by LH