HomeMy WebLinkAbout1998-05-18 Regular MinutesMinutes of 5/18/98
TUKWILA CITY COUNCIL
May 18, 1998, 7:00 p.m.
Tukwila City Hall Council Chambers
REGULAR MEETING MINUTES
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CALL TO ORDER: Mayor Rants called the Regular Meeting to order and led the audience in the Pledge of
Allegiance.
ROLL CALL: Joe Duffie, Joan Hernandez, Pam Linder, Council President; Pam Carter, Steve Mullet, and
Dave Fenton.
OFFICIALS: John Rants, Mayor; John McFarland, City Administrator; Bob Noe, City Attorney; Lucy
Lauterbach, Council Analyst; Jane E. Cantu, City Clerk; Ron Waldner, Police Chief; Rosa Krows, Records
Manager, Tukwila Police Department; Gina Chatterson, Tukwila Police Department; Brian Shelton, City
Engineer; and Keith Haines, Acting Police Chief.
Citizen's Comments: Roy Thistle, 3226 S. 130 Tukwila said he was speaking on behalf of Norma Luen,
his sister -in -law and also his neighbor. Someone dumped 14 tire with wheels in a creek adjacent to her
property. She removed the tires from the creek, called King County for removal, and was directed to contact
Tukwila. Tukwila informed her that the tires were located on private property. Mr. Thistle said the property is
City right -of -way and he requested the City pick up and dispose of the tires. It is too cost prohibitive for his
sister -in -law to dispose of the tires.
Administrator McFarland asked for Mr. Thistle's telephone number and assured him the City would take care of
proper disposal of the tires.
SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS
Update on "Problem Solving" Robbery Grant, new records manager program and crime analysis: Chief
Waldner noted the grant the Department received from the federal government was a partnership grant co-
sponsored between the Police Department and the Highway 99 Action Committee. The grant focuses on crimes
involving robbery along the Highway 99 corridor. The objective is to foster community partnerships to reduce
crime and to identify and develop necessary tools to analyze crime in Tukwila. The grant offers the opportunity
to build a partnership foundation and develop the tools to analyze all types of crime in Tukwila.
Chief Waldner said the Department responds to more than 36,000 calls for police service every year and in some
years, the calls exceed 40,000. Of that, over 11,000 calls result in a criminal report of some type. He
emphasized that not all responses involve Tukwila citizens. For each crime report filed, someone has suffered
some type of personal loss.
Chief Waldner referred to a chart highlighting the crime of robbery and its impact on the community. He
described robbery as the taking of property by a person with a threat of a weapon or force. Victims are citizens,
store clerks, and motorists who are affected personally by the crime.
Minutes of 5/18/98 Page 2 of 8
Chief Waldner reviewed some of the charts statistics and noted the correlation of reduced robberies to increased
human service agencies and the implementation of "community- oriented policing" starting in 1992 through
1997 and how these partnerships along with community resources have effectively reduced the number of
robberies occurring in Tukwila this year.
Assistant Chief Haines reviewed the model the Department is using to effectively analyze crime and defer crime
from occurring. Community policing involves the community partnership aspect as well as problem solving
strategies. Problem solving is the most important strategy involved in community policing and will be the tool
that most effectively results in positive changes in the community.
Assistant Haines said all police officers have recently reviewed the problem solving training module of the
S.A.R.A. program model. S.A.R.A. is an acronym for scanning, analysis, response and assessment. Scanning
is defining the problem. A problem consists of two or more incidents that are similar in nature and are causing
harm to a community and are of concern to the community and City. The next phase is analysis. Analysis is
something most police departments have not actively pursued. They don't effectively audit and analyze the
underlying causes of crime or ask questions about what is it that they need to know about a particular problem,
who can provide answers, and who are the stakeholders that would be willing to work with the police
department on a particular problem.
The third part of the model is response and determining what a tailored response is going to be to a particular
problem. These strategies are often in a form of a goal or goals to eliminate or reduce the problem so the
detrimental impact to the community can be reduced. The last element of the model pertains to assessment
determining if the goals that were established accomplished the mission. Assessment is the most neglected
action by police departments and police officers. However, it is an important aspect of the problem solving
process in that it evaluates the results to determine if the actions were affective.
With the problem solving policing technique, the overall problem becomes the basic unit of police work instead
of just focusing on an individual case or incident call. The problem becomes a group of incidents or a pattern of
crime. The Department will be involved in addressing problems that are more than just a quick fix by
addressing the conditions that create the problem. Police officers must thoroughly investigate problems before
solutions can be implemented.
Assistant Haines chairs a problem solving task force resulting from the grant and is working on Tukwila's
robbery problem in the Pacific Highway and surrounding area. Currently, the task force is in the analysis phase
of the S.A.R.A. model.
Rosa Krows, Records Manager for the Police Department reviewed the software system purchased from the
grant funds and reviewed the different components of the system.
Manager Krows reviewed crime statistics for different types of crimes that have occurred in Tukwila in 1997.
The information included the following:
Calls for service 36,248
Case reports 11,596
Violent Crime 601
2 murders
20 rapes
Minutes of 5/18/98
68 robberies
82 aggravated assaults
429 simple assaults
Property crimes 3,521
10 arsons
349 burglaries
2,700 thefts
392 auto thefts
Citations /Infractions Issued 4,872
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Tukwila has been reporting crime statistics to the state since October 1994 and was one of the first cities to do
so. The reporting, known as Washington State Incident -Based Reporting consists of submitting data on the type
of crime and identified data elements related to each crime. The FBI has recently mandated that jurisdictions
that submit crime data are required to complete 54 specific data elements related to each incident beginning in
1999. Additionally, Washington State has added another 49 data elements. This much data collection will
effectively analyze crimes quickly. In addition to the basic eight classifications of crimes, there is now 52
potential Class A crimes classifications.
Manager Krows explained that her Department is responsible for translating the information received from a
police report and inputting it in the reporting element component of the software. The software program
purchased, "Computerized Law Enforcement Management," was developed by a company based in Florida and
consists of an open architecture design to accommodate upgrades. The program is easy to customize to fit any
department's specific needs. Manager Krows provided a computer demonstration of the different data element
screens and used a recent robbery to emphasize what type of information is necessary to report.
She displayed the element containing the Department's personnel records and explained the system incorporates
digitized photos of personnel and criminal suspects. The department currently has two digital cameras. The
system provides ready access to photographs of suspects at all computer stations located in the Police
Department.
The Department started entering data on May 1 and by June, analysis of the data can begin. The next phase of
the process includes coding and mapping. The Police Department has collaborated with the Department of
Community Development and Public Works to purchase one mapping system for the city to be shared between
all departments.
Chief Waldner emphasized the benefits of the system and how crime reporting will benefit problem- oriented
policing. The system is a relational database written in architecture that allows comparison of virtually anything
with anything. He indicated Tukwila is one of the first cities to use the system and that the department will be
working with other departments as they come on line.
Chief Waldner referred to "restorative justice" and said it has become the national buzzword and that it partners
well with the community -based policing philosophy. Restorative justice is not about locking up criminals; it is
about relieving victim and community fears and providing the community with some sense of satisfaction that
they are part of the process of improving their community. Sometimes it is referred to as "community justice."
It is redefining criminal justice, as we have known it for the last 40 50 years.
Minutes of 5/18/98 Page 4 of 8
Gina Chatterson of the Police Department was introduced by Chief Waldner and provided an overview of some
statistics relating to robberies in 1996, 1997, and 1998. She indicated the study area is comprised of reporting
districts number 240, 270, 280, and 290 (Highway 99 corridor and surrounding area). She displayed a map of
Tukwila's 24 reporting districts. She indicated mapping is done manually to identify crimes and indicated the
mapping will be computerized once the software system is purchased. This will allow for quick identification
of crime locations.
She explained how the 104 data elements will improve analysis and provided some examples of different
robbery scenarios and how they can be analyzed and correlated using the new system. More and more the
analysis is revealing that more robberies are occurring inside buildings (commercial and homes) versus on the
street. She indicated that in 1997 police officer foot patrols in conjunction with bike teams have effectively
reduced street robberies. The analysis now shows that more focus is needed to prevent commercial robberies.
Councilmember Haggerton asked if there was any correlation between the surveillance cameras and the increase
in commercial robberies. Ms. Chatterson said that the cameras might have had an impact in increasing inside
robberies.
Chief Waldner concluded the presentation by indicating he wanted to share the information with
Councilmembers before his retirement. Assistant Chief Haines chairs the task force and they are beginning to
analyze the data pertaining to victims, offenders, and the location of the robbery. Every crime has three
elements a victim, an offender, and a location. By influencing any one of those elements, crime prevention
can be accomplished.
Council President Linder noted that the cluster of robberies occurring in the Highway 99 corridor area peaked in
1996 and have continued to reduce in occurrence and asked if the program could provide answers on why
robberies are occurring less frequently. Chief Waldner said teams consisting of various sizes and comprised of
stakeholders, technical assistance, management, and police officers will be assembled to analyze and identify
crime patterns and problem areas.
Chief Waldner noted that the digital camera referred to earlier in the presentation was purchased by a previous
police block grant awarded in 1996.
Manager Krows responding to a question from Councilmember Fenton regarding what surrounding
communities are using, responded and described some of the different programs Kent, Renton, Seattle, and
Spokane police departments are using.
Police Department staff continued to answer questions from Councilmembers concerning juvenile reporting,
robbery task force members, and the ability to share information between neighboring jurisdictions using
different reporting systems.
Chief Waldner provided a brief review on the future use of computer laptops for police officers and how the
laptop will increase police officer effectiveness in reporting and querying capabilities to obtain instantaneous
crime information and identification of suspects.
CONSENT AGENDA
a. Approval of Minutes: 4/20/98
b. Approval of Vouchers: Nos. 204989 through 205257 for $744,493.20.
Minutes of 5/18/98 Page 5 of 8
Moved by Hernandez, seconded by Linder, to approve the consent agenda as submitted. Motion carried
(7 -0).
BID AWARD
Award a contract to Mowat Construction Company in the amount of $6,105,676.20 for the Pacific
Highway Bridge Replacement project: Councilmember Carter indicated the project had previously been bid.
However, due to a technical omission in the low bid, the bid was not accepted. With some value engineering
and a favorable climate for bids, the project was approved for a second bid process. An acceptable bid was
received. The bid is higher than the engineer's estimate but with anticipated additional funding from the state
the project cost should balance with the budget. Councilmember Carter cautioned the contingency fund will be
on the conservative side, but the Committee felt the time was right to move ahead on the project. Additionally,
the contractor needs to order steel, which will not be available until February 1999. The Committee
recommends approval of the bid award to Mowat Construction Company for $6,105,676.92 for the Pacific
Highway Bridge Replacement project.
Moved by Carter, seconded by Duffle, to award a contract to Mowat Construction Company in the
amount of $6,105,676.20 for the Pacific Highway Bridge Replacement Project.*
Councilmember Haggerton asked how the City would fund the budget difference if state funding were not
approved. City Engineer Brian Shelton responded and said the state, although not officially, has indicated they
will approve the additional funding. The paperwork has been submitted to the state in the format they have
requested.
Councilmember Haggerton said he believes in abiding by budget estimates and indicated if the majority of the
projects are coming in over budget, could there be concern that the engineer's estimates are not correct.
Engineer Shelton said ideally, the preference is for the engineer's estimate to be between the low and the high
bidder. Quite often, this has proven to be the case. Unfortunately, this time it was not. Additionally, bridges
are difficult to estimate due to the degree of structural work required.
Discussion ensued on the bid and the difficulty associated with matching engineer estimates to bids and how
some projects have come under budget while others are somewhat higher than budget. The first bid, rejected
because of a technical omission, was approximately $200,000 more than the final bid.
*Motion carried (7 -0).
NEW BUSINESS
Authorize Mayor to sign an Interlocal Agreement with King County for Joint Development and
Cooperative Use of the Green River Trail Bridge Addition: Councilmember Carter indicated the
Transportation Committee tentatively approved the agreement at its April 14 meeting contingent on no major
changes resulting in the final agreement. Staff is seeking approval of the agreement to forward to King County
for their approval and funding share.
Moved by Carter, seconded by Mullet, to authorize the Mayor to sign an Interlocal Agreement with King
County for Joint Development and Cooperative Use of the Green River Trail Bridge Addition.
Minutes of 5/18/98
Page 6 of 8
Councilmember Carter noted an error on the Interlocal Agreement on page 4, first sentence of item 17 that
reads, "...the completion of the improvements covered in paragraph 20 below." The correction should reflect
the following, "...the completion of the improvements covered in paragraph 23 below." Engineer Shelton noted
the correction would be made to the final agreement Mayor Rants signs.
*Motion carried (7 -0).
REPORTS
Councilmember Duffle reported he attended the Wellness Fair sponsored by the City and thanked City
employees and volunteers who coordinated the event.
Councilmember Hernandez attended the Senior Fashion Show at the Community Center on Sunday, May 17.
On Wednesday, May 13, she attended the REACH meeting. She distributed minutes from the previous meeting
to Councilmembers and the Mayor for their information.
Six crews have been organized for the Paint Your Heart Out program. Four applications have been submitted
from Tukwila for the painting service and the target is to select two from each jurisdiction.
Sunday, May 17 Hernandez attended the Symphony at Foster High School.
Council President Linder attended the Highway 99 Action Committee. Linder will also be attending the
Human Services Roundtable on Thursday, May 21. She has reviewed the agenda with Evelyn Boykan to get her
perspective on the agenda items.
Councilmember Mullet recently attended the Cascade Water Alliance meeting. The meeting focused on the
Interlocal Agreement between Seattle and Cascade Water Line. The interlocal agreement between Cascade and
Tukwila is currently being negotiated.
Councilmember Carter attended the Transportation Committee meeting on May 12. Items reviewed included
the Pacific Highway Bridge contract and contracts for construction inspection and supervision services. On
Wednesday, May 13, Carter attended the Suburban Cities meeting. One of the topics discussed during the
meeting involved a proposed amendment to change the number of representatives from small cities and towns.
Currently, cities with a population of fewer than 10,000 are authorized to have two representatives. Medium
cities with a population between 10,000 to 30,000 are entitled to three representatives. Larger cities with a
population between 30,000 to 60,000 are authorized three representations. Large cities with a population of
over 60,000 are entitled to three representatives. Tukwila has three representatives.
Carter attended the Showalter Culture Fair on Friday, May 15. She said the fair was well represented by cultural
groups. On Tuesday, May 19, Carter will attend the SCATBD meeting. Agenda items include a discussion on
establishing a South County Transportation Plan that will be used to obtain some funding.
Councilmember Haggerton attended the Finance and Safety Committee meeting. Of the three items on the
agenda, one included a request by staff for clerical assistance in the Public Works Department. Public Works
has budgeted $16,000 for an additional labor position for the last three years. The position has been utilized as a
clerical position that has experienced a high turnover rate within the last several years. This has had a negative
Minutes of 5/18/98 Page 7 of 8
impact on the Department resulting in additional training and disruption to the work environment. Staff has
requested that a regular half -time clerical position be converted from the labor position at a rate of $16,700 per
year (part -time with benefits). The Committee approved the request and has forwarded it to the COW for
review.
Another agenda item concerned the Emergency Services Plan. The Committee has been working on developing
an elaborate Emergency Services Plan for Tukwila. The existing plan is administratively implemented versus
adoption and implementation by a City ordinance. The plan outlines emergency operations the City would
follow during times of disasters.
The third agenda item related to banking services between Tukwila and US Bank. Periodically, the City
officially renews the service agreement. Currently, the City does not have a valid agreement with US Bank and
US Bank has requested extension of the contract through 1998. Haggerton recommended including the
banking /City relationship and contract agreement in the City's Administrative Policy. Currently, the issue is not
included in City's policies.
Haggerton attended the Juvenile Justice Operational Master Plan meeting held at the Museum of Flight on
Thursday, May 13. He distributed copies of the meeting agenda and a list of meeting attendees. The meeting
format consisted of presentations and breakout discussion groups. The focus of the meeting was to review ways
to completely revamp the current juvenile justice system to insure youths and their families are successfully
reintegrated within the community.
Haggerton also attended the Surburban Cities meeting.
Councilmember Fenton attended the Highway 99 Action Committee meeting on Tuesday, May 12. Fenton
reviewed how the Committee was successful in working as a group and with the City to successfully remove a
long- standing eyesore to the community; the Jesse James Car Sales sign. In addition, the Committee hosted a
going away party for Chief Waldner.
On Wednesday, May 13, Fenton attended the C.O.P. Board meeting. The survey is being refined and is
scheduled to be mailed by June 1.
Administrator McFarland referred to the announcement of the Washington Special Olympics fundraiser for
May 19 at McDonald's. He said Tukwila Police will be serving meals at the 152 Avenue McDonald's
location and urged everyone to attend. Donations will go to the Washington State Olympics.
McFarland referred to Councilmember Haggerton's report on the banking service agreement between Tukwila
and US Bank. He recommended the Council officially extend the contract.
Moved by Haggerton, seconded by Hernandez, to extend the contract between the City of Tukwila and
US Bank for one year for the year of 1998 for City banking purposes. Motion carried (7 -0).
Attorney Noe attended a meeting of city attorneys. Approximately 15 other city attorneys attended. The
meeting convened at the request of Federal Way due to adult entertainment establishments. Federal Way has
passed a moratorium on adult retail sales. Federal Way wants to pursue a mutually agreed to definition of "adult
retail sales" between the jurisdictions to promote concurrence of the moratorium between the jurisdictions in the
event the issue is challenged in court.
Minutes of 5/18/98 Page 8 of 8
Noe indicated he hasn't developed a position paper on the issue and would be reviewing the issue at future
Council meeting.
He referred to a request from Council President Linder to develop a guideline on City Council quasi judicial
matters and distributed a copy of the guideline to Councilmembers.
MISCELLANEOUS: Councilmember Carter reminded interested Councilmembers of the Tukwila Library
Advisory Board meeting scheduled for Tuesday, May 19 at 7:00 p.m.
Councilmember Hernandez noted that during the Suburban Cities meeting, the Mayor and three
Councilmembers attended, as Tukwila was the Host City.
Mayor Rants said he received some telephone calls from citizens questioning the "shutting down of aid cars."
He said he has had several conversations with Chief Keefe regarding overtime and staffing issues and assured
the Council that the City has no plans to eliminate the aid car during any period of time. Councilmember
Fenton said he also received a call from the Fire Department advising him that the aid car would be out of
service for a period of time.
(8:30 a.m.) ADJOURNMENT
Moved by Duffie, seconded by Carter, to adjourn the meeting to an Executive Session on a labor issue
following a 10 minute recess. Motion carried (7 -0)
(8:41 a.m.) RECONVENE TO EXECUTIVE SESSION
(8:54 a.m.) ADJOURNMENT OF EXECUTIVE SESSION
Moved by Duffie, seconded by Hernandez, to adjourn the Executive Session. Motion carried.
(8:54 a.m.) ADJOURNMENT OF REGULAR SESSION
Moved by Duffie, seconded by Carter, to adjourn the meeting. Motion carried.
taf/t A/14e
Joh W. Rants, Mayor
J
Valerie Gow, Recording Secretary
Date Minutes Approved:
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