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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1997-11-10 Committee of the Whole MinutesTUKWILA CITY COUNCIL November 10, 1997 Tukwila City Hall 7:00 p.m. Council Chambers CONVENE: OFFICIALS: CITIZEN'S COMMENTS: None PUBLIC HEARINGS: COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING MINUTES Council President Haggerton called the Committee of The Whole Meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. and introduced Recording Secretary Valerie Gow, who will be providing transcription services for future Committee of the Whole Meetings. COUNCILMEMBERS PRESENT: Council President Jim Haggerton, Councilmembers Joe Duffle, Joan Hernandez, Steve Mullet, Pam Carter and Pam Linder. Excused Absence: Councilmember Allan Ekberg. Mayor John Rants, City Administrator John McFarland, Assistant City Administrator Rhonda Berry, Administrative Services Director Viki Witschger, City Clerk Jane Cantu, Public Works Coordinator Doug Micheau, Legislative Coordinator Lucy Lauterbach, Finance Director Alan Doerschel, Parks and Recreation Director Don Williams, and Recording Secretary Valerie Gow. PETITION TO VACATE A PORTION OF OLD MACADAM ROAD: Council President Haggerton opened the public hearing at 7:10 p.m. Coordinator Micheau reviewed the staff report concerning the vacation request from Mickey Wheat. The vacation request involves a portion of old Macadam Road south of S. 144 Street between 51 Avenue S. and SRS. Staff has determined through review with local utilities, that there are no utilities located in the area of the vacation request. Staff will continue to contact other utility companies to insure no other utilities exist. Staff has reviewed the request and recommends Council's approval of the vacation request to include a ten -foot City easement along S. 144 and 51 Avenue S to allow for future roadway expansion. The customary 50% percent payment of the appraised vacated portion would also apply. Coordinator Micheau said he assumed the ten -foot easement would allow room for a future sidewalk. Responding to a question regarding public notification, five parcels abutting 51 Avenue were not notified as they are no longer in existence. Although not required, additional hearing notifications were mailed to several parcels surrounding the proposed street vacation. Anna Bernhard, 14241 59 Avenue South, Tukwila, was sworn in by Mayor Rants. Ms. Bernhard spoke in favor of the vacation request and indicated the area Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes November 10, 1997 Page 2 Consensus: SPECIAL ISSUES: NON REPRESENTED EMPLOYEE SALARY STUDY: had become somewhat of an eyesore and hoped the vacation request would result in improvements to the area. There being no further public testimony, Council President Haggerton closed the public hearing at 7:20 p.m. Councilmembers discussed the request and agreed the vacation request should be approved. Councilmember Linder suggested the staff report include the names and identity of those persons who do or do not object to the vacation petition. Several of the forms included in staffs report were blank Councilmembers agreed to schedule the vacation petition action for approval at the November 17 City Council meeting. Director Witschger distributed copies of current resolutions concerning non- represented salary wage plans and benefits. The resolutions outline the City's current philosophy regarding non representative employee salaries and benefits. She said it was important to review the documents and determine if the resolutions are still the Council's compensation philosophy.. Employees have expressed concerns that no updates to the non representative employee wage and benefit plans have occurred since 1993. Director Witschger referred to Resolutions Numbers 1241, 1270, and 1272 and reviewed present language in Resolution 1271 concerning the intent of the system, competitive positions, employment, salary classification, salary and benefit mix, and optional benefits. She said the Council might want to update the language in view of the recent salary study conducted in early 1997. Resolution 1272 refers to the salary schedule and includes a five -step system with a five percent increase between each step. An annual cost of living increase is included which encompasses 90% percent of the Consumer Price Index -W, Seattle /Tacoma for the period of July to July, for a minimum of 2 percent and a maximum of 8 percent. Director Witschger recommended Councilmembers review and revise the language, if necessary, to coincide with present day Council direction and philosophy regarding non representative employee salary and benefits. Director Witschger said the three resolutions were implemented in 1993 and were based on existing Council policy and philosophy. Major changes at that time, consisted of removing pay increases tied to performance criteria. Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes November 10, 1997 Page 3 Council President Haggerton referred to the recently completed Fox Lawson salary study and said although some of the elements of the study would probably not be implemented, he felt that it was a good starting point to development new philosophy and guidelines. He said the study was well documented and provides a good base to expand on. Councilmember Hernandez said she tends to favor a system that employs more than five steps for each salary grade. Councilmember Mullet referred to the resolutions and indicated non- representative employees have received COLA increases each year. He said he favored retaining the language and indicated not every employee will be satisfied with any newly adopted pay system and that some employees even said they wouldn't be happy if the bonus plan was implemented. Director Witschger said employee feedback concerning the salary study reveals they prefer to retain the current salary structure, adjust salaries based on the market, include a COLA, and review a performance based salary increase system for possible implementation in the near future. Councilmember Mullet said the salary study contained substantial information concerning market positions and whether a COLA should or shouldn't be retained. He suggested the current resolutions needed some minor adjustments such as updating the five -step pay system, but overall the resolutions provided the basic policy philosophy. The issue concerns the long -term pay and benefit program and if a short-term solution can be resolved so the long -term policy can be developed and implemented. Councilmember Carter said she prefers to see more steps included in the pay plan, especially as it relates to the job position level and appreciates the difficulty in transitioning the old system to the new system. The basic philosophy hasn't changed. Councilmember Linder said employees involved in the review of the Fox Lawson study were representing different departments thereby making it difficult for them to speak for all department employees regarding the study results, Councilmember Linder said salary and benefits is a tough issue and agreed with Councilmember Mullet's recommendation to implement a COLA increase during the transition process and asked Director Witschger what her perspective was on the salary study. Director Witschger said she empathizes with employees concerning salary and benefit changes but believes the current system is outdated and not effective. Some of the concerns expressed by employees relate to their feeling that there is incorrect market data or incorrect job placement within the bands. She referred to page five of the study regarding market disparity which suggested that particular Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes November 10, 1997 Page 4 positions may have retention and recruitment problems once the market has been established and the position has been placed in the appropriate band. If there is a 15% percent disparity, an adjustment may be needed to increase the salary until the situation rectifies itself. On page seven of the study, human resource tools are mentioned for managing the pay system. The study also noted that the current pay system does not allow for monetary compensation for superior job performance and that inflated job duty descriptions can most likely result to cover the pay performance deficiencies. She said the study indicates that if a manager cannot reward an employee through a merit increase or other incentive award, the only other avenue is to manipulate the system by inflating job duties to justify the increase or promoting the employee to a higher job classification level. A salary plan that incorporates a performance system allows for management of the entire salary structure. She indicated the appraisal process should be reviewed with perhaps some modifications. She mentioned the study's recommendation to implement training positions to allow for recruitment of individuals who may not have the necessary experience but would be acceptable for City employment if a training program were in place. Director Witschger said she personally would like to see a change in the present system and that the City needs to examine the intent of conducting a salary study in 1997, if no changes were to result. She indicated there would be internal equity questions concerning specific positions, but the issues could be worked during the transitional period. Councilmembers and Director Witschger continued discussion on methods of modifications to the current pay system without discarding the present system and costs for implementing changes. Councilmember Hernandez suggested implementing market adjustments and awarding a COLA based on the inflation rates for 1998. That would give staff time to recommend structural changes to the current program which incorporates desired components of the Fox Lawson study for Council's consideration and action. Councilmember Mullet asked if anyone would lose salary if a market adjustment were done. Director Witschger said no one would lose salary as a result of a market adjustment. Councilmember Mullet concurred with Councilmember Hernandez's recommendation. Director Witschger recommended further review of some positions that don't fit in with the market adjustment. She expressed concern that staff wouldn't have adequate time available to review position bands and market disparities prior to the first of the year Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes November 10, 1997 Page 5 Mayor Rants referred to his recommendation of using the existing schedule to base COLA increases on and to move positions into the new salary schedule with the recommendation that the new salary schedule gradually be implemented. Councilmember Mullet reiterated his suggestion to move quickly on the market rate adjustment for the majority of the employees and then deal separately with the positions that don't fit within the study categories. Councilmembers and Director Witschger continued discussion on the existing schedule and the study's schedule and which study would be used to base the market rate adjustments on and how the COLA increase would be factored in. Discussion continued on issues relating to the position pay disparity and potential impact to present and future employees. Councilmember Mullet expressed concern that however the issue is resolved, current employees don't lose what they have gained in a market rate adjustment. Administrator McFarland referred to some positions that may cross job definitions due to the nature of the work and that it's important to employees to have an standardized salary and benefit program that treats all employees equally, respective of their position. He spoke of some concerns regarding relational aspects of positions within the structure bands. Most of the concerns are generally resolved once the employees understand the positions and its related job duties /responsibilities. He reported that Tukwila is also not staffed to capacity in comparison to other cities of comparable size. Administrator McFarland said there would be necessary adjustments that will be worked through by staff and employees. Director Witschger reviewed the financial impact for market rate adjustments as per the salary study. The amount anticipated to bring positions up to the market is approximately $57,789. The Finance Department has already included the 3.1% percent COLA adjustment in the 1998 Budget. The Mayor estimated total cost of $120,000, including the COLA, based on his recommendation with an additional 1 /2 percent ($13,000) for long term disability for employees. Director Williams requested clarification as to which salary schedule will be used to base the market rate adjustment on. He indicated he served on the advisory committee tasked with reviewing the salary study. The committee reviewed the Lawson salary schedule along with recommended market adjustments to the existing positions. At that time, the committee recommended to Mayor Rants that the current non representative salary structure remain in place with some market rate adjustments applied along with a COLA and minor adjustments to some specific positions. The committee was not in favor of the Lawson salary schedule. After some discussion regarding the apparent confusion over which schedule was being used, the discussion turned to budget ramifications involving the COLA and Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes November 10, 1997 Page 6 Consensus: market rate adjustment. It was determined that the Lawson schedule and the COLA adjustment recommendation were not one and the same. Director Witschger said she would work with whatever schedule the Council prefers. Considering a COLA and the market rate adjustment, increases will amount to approximately 5.5% percent. The costs will be similar for either schedule. Council President Haggerton said he was leaning toward the adoption of the Lawson schedule with minor adjustments for five or six positions to correct the possible market disparity. Councilmember Hernandez said she assumed the direction of the Council was to use the new schedule and apply market rate adjustments. She didn't realize employees weren't supportive of the schedule. She cautioned that before proceeding with any market rate adjustment, the five or six positions with market disparity need to be resolved. Director Witschger reiterated that there wasn't enough staff time to do a full blown review for each position classification before year end and cautioned the Council that if they wished to implement the increases soon, disparity issues with some of the positions might not be resolved in time to coincide with the market rate increases slated for the first of the year. She recommended working first with the disparity issues then follow with the overall adjustments. Councilmembers reached consensus on implementing the Fox Lawson market rate adjustments and a COLA with further review of positions with salary disparities. Councilmember Carter referred to comments resulting from the advisory committee in respect to the Fox Lawson salary study and explained some of the concerns addressed by employees concerning future COLA increases, merit increases and performance standards. Councilmember Mullet clarified his intent and said he based his recommendations on the market rate adjustments as proposed in the Fox Lawson market study and that by leaning in that direction, the ultimate goal would be to transition into the Lawson salary schedule. Director Witschger referred to employees who are currently above mid -point of the salary schedule and asked how to handle immediate step increases due to some employees. She indicated step increases are awarded on the employee's hiring date anniversary. To move beyond the mid -point level of a grade, the employee needs to be performing at a superior level. Councilmembers and Director Witschger discussed budget impact and possible resolution to the step increase issue. Council President Haggerton said there doesn't seem to be a problem, as the increases have been included in the budget. The main issue concerns how to handle step increases beyond the mid -point of the grade without having a performance factor included in the program. Director Witschger warned Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes November 10, 1997 Page 7 there might be one -time adjustments, which may have to be made once the final schedule is adopted. Councilmember Mullet suggested that Director Witschger draft a policy to address the issue of step increases for employees currently above the market rate. Council President Haggerton said he wants the employees to know that they are appreciated and Council is working on adopting a salary program, which is fair to all employees. Director Witschger restated Council's direction of applying market rate adjustments to the Fox Lawson salary schedule, adding a COLA, working the individual wage disparity issues, and approving long -term disability for all employees. Council President Haggerton directed that the salary schedule be brought back for another COW review. The Council reached consensus to approve the long -term disability benefit for non represented employees. EMPLOYEE USES OF THE COMMUNITY CENTER: Council President Haggerton said the subject has been before the Community and Parks Committee several times and asked for Councilmembers input. Councilmember Mullet indicated it was the consensus of the Committee to approve the payment of $7,500 to the Community Center for employee use. There was also agreement to allow employees' unlimited use of the center at all hours of the day. Another decision is whether employees who participate in aerobic classes should have to pay an additional charge. Consensus: Councilmember Carter referred to the 1998 Wellness Budget and how the budget was allocated for wellness activities. She said the issue revolved around the discount offered to employees for use of the center and maintenance costs the center incurs from everyday use. Including the annual usage fee in the wellness budget will enable the City to track what the actual costs to the City are for employee use of the center. Discussion continued whether to charge or not charge employees for aerobic classes. Councilmember Hernandez said she thinks $7,500 is the appropriate amount based on employee use and is willing to monitor it for a year to determine actual usage. Councilmember Linder concurred and Councilmember Carter recommended not restricting employee use of the center and revisit the issue in a year. The City Council concurred with the recommendation from the Community and Parks Committee to allocate $7,500 to the Community Center for non- restrictive employee use to include aerobic classes. RECESS: Council President Haggerton recessed the meeting from 9:20 to 9:30 p.m. for a break. Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes November 10, 1997 Page 8 DISCUSSION ON FORMALIZING EQUITY AND DIVERSITY COMMISSION: Councilmember Hernandez reviewed recent activity of the Equity and Diversity Commission and distributed copies of a participant survey. During its recent retreat in August, participants established goals and indicated the need for a formal commission to be established by the City. Currently, the meeting body meets on a monthly basis with no formal positions or membership responsibility. She indicated the current budget of $1,000 would meet the needs of the commission and provided background information on the history of the commission. She recommended that Councilmembers approve formalization of the current commission as a formal City Commission. By formalizing the committee it would instill a sense of duty for the members and promote a recognized structure. Councilmember Duffle supported the request to formalize the commission. Councilmember Mullet said he supports the efforts of the commission but is not in favor of formalizing it as another City commission. He said it definitely needs more grass roots support in increasing its membership and furthering its goals. Councilmember Carter provided some additional background information concerning the commission and its goals. She said she supports formalizing the commission as long as it is jointly recognized as a City and school sponsored effort. She suggested the schools should also provide funding for the commission. Councilmember Hernandez said she considers the commission to be in partnership with the schools and expanded on the school district's current and past support of administrative tasks associated with the commission. Councilmember Linder agreed that the commission needed help and that it's not just a City or school issue, but a community issue that needs help in defining its role and moving forward. She referred to the City's past support of other projects, which resulted in successful conclusion due to the fact that the City was involved. Council President said formalizing a commission wouldn't necessarily insure its success. It takes committed volunteers to make it work. He agreed that a joint partnership was a good concept and that the school district and the City should be working together to jointly accomplish community diversity goals. Mayor Rants referred to his memo in which he addresses his concerns with formalizing the commission. He reiterated his position that formalizing the Commission and appointing officials might close the door to community involvement. He said it should remain as a group of concerned citizens wanting Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes November 10, 1997 Page 9 Consensus: REPORTS: MAYOR: to work and address diversity issues within the community and not as an appointed group of officials. Councilmember Hernandez said her recommendation included all citizens who expressed an interest in serving on the commission, not just appointed city and school officials. Discussion continued on diversity issues, citizen involvement, volunteerism, and involving more cultural diversity in the Tukwila Days parade and celebration. The majority of the Council agreed to formalize the commission as an officially recognized City Commission. Council President Haggerton said the City is having trouble filling some City committee and commission positions and indicated he has concerns that the newly formed commission has enough volunteers to assume the new Commission positions. Councilmember Hernandez suggested having a staff person assigned to the Commission to get things started. Mayor Rants indicated that an ordinance would need to be developed and passed prior to any staff action. Council President Haggerton directed the development of an ordinance establishing the City formalization of an Equity Diversity Commission to operate under the direction of the Community and Parks Committee. Mayor Rants referred to the animal control statistics distributed earlier and asked if Councilmembers had any questions or concerns regarding the information. Councilmember Carter expressed concern that the 24 -hour phone service was not being staffed, as she had to intercede to help a citizen resolve an animal control issue. Mayor Rants assured the Council that the 24 -hour service was in operation and with the recent hiring of an animal control employee, service has improved considerably. Mayor Rants read a letter from the EDC congratulating and acknowledging Tukwila as a pacesetter for the Commute Trip Reduction Program. Mayor Rants provided a brief status report on City Hall activities and indicated staff has been putting in long hours to meet the needs of the City, the Council, and their normal workload. He described in detail some recent activities involving staff and the short turnaround deadlines on many issues. He said it's been a tough Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes November 10, 1997 Page 10 COUNCIL: two weeks and wanted the Council to know that staff responds to all requests as quickly as is humanly possible. Councilmember Duffle thanked everyone for their support for his recent reelection campaign. He said during his recent campaign doorbelling he received several citizen complaints concerning promised City projects involving streets and other City programs. He said the City and Council needs to find a better method to address citizen's concerns such as conducting satellite Council meetings in different neighborhoods. Councilmember Duffle reviewed Veteran's Day activities held at one of the elementary schools. Ron Sims was one of the featured speakers. Councilmember Hernandez reported on the recent REACH meeting she attended. She distributed a list of organizations interviewed by REACH staff along with presentations made by REACH staff and classes attended by staff Councilmember Hernandez attended the Equity and Diversity Commission meeting which featured a presentation by a guest speaker from the Center of Multicultural House, a local human services provider. Council President Haggerton attended a Tax Advisory Committee meeting at the Museum of Flight. He noted that the museum has facilities available for conferences and meetings. He presented the Committee with a letter from the City Council regarding tourism generating activities and how important it is to hear feedback from the hotel industry concerning tourism activities. He also participated in a conference call with ACC and from there attended the RTA Open House at the Hampton Inn. He said he had a chance to speak to RTA staff and they expressed interest in Tukwila's Community Center. RTA staff said of all the open houses held the Kent Open House was the most attended. The proposal to site the commuter rail station in Tukwila is north of the Expo Center location and north of 1 -405. He said he spoke with RTA regarding some of the proposed sites and expressed concerns with some of the proposed commuter rail station sites. He also suggested the commuter rails should provide extended hours to accommodate riders for sports and other community events. Councilmember Carter reminded everyone to watch Channel 7 news on Tuesday, November 11, for coverage on the Foster High School students concerning teenage slang. She also attended the commuter rail open house. The Transportation Committee approved the selection of a consultant for the South 180 Street grade separation. Staff is authorized to negotiate the contract and price for City Council approval. Also, the contract for the demolition of the old community center has come in with a low bid of $55,000. The original estimate was $220,000. Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes November 10, 1997 Page 11 ADJOURNMENT: Council President Haggerton moved, seconded by Councilmember Carter to adjourn the meeting at 10:35 p.m. All in favor. Motion carried. aggert ouncil President Valerie Gow, Recording Secretary Councilmember Hernandez reported she met with King County airport concerning the proposed airport expansion and indicated it was a very beneficial meeting. Council President Haggerton mentioned that he received a personal card from Ron Sims congratulating him on his re- election. Council President Haggerton said he also agreed to be the spokesperson for the ACC for the Tukwila area service clubs presentations. Mayor Rants provided an update on the activities involving the Moon Rise Motel. A letter has been sent listing violations occurring within the last six months. The City will monitor activity within the next week to see if there is any improvement concerning incidents. Criminal activity has increased by 190% since his meeting with them last year. If no improvement is seen, abatement action will be taken shortly.