HomeMy WebLinkAbout1998-05-26 Committee of the Whole MinutesMinutes of May 26, 1998 Page 1 of 5
TUKWILA CITY COUNCIL
May 26, 1998, 7:00 p.m.
Tukwila City Hall Council Chambers
COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING MINUTES
CALL TO ORDER: Council President Linder called the Committee of the Whole Meeting to order and led the
audience in the Pledge of Allegiance.
COUNCILMEMBERS PRESENT: Council President Pamela Linder, Councilmembers Joe Duffie, Joan
Hernandez, Dave Fenton, Pam Carter, Steve Mullet, and Jim Haggerton.
OFFICIALS: John Rants, Mayor; Assistant City Administrator Rhonda Berry; Doug Micheau, Public Works
Coordinator; Brian Shelton, City Engineer; and Lucy Lauterbach, Legislative Coordinator.
CITIZEN'S COMMENTS:
Nancy Lamb, 4251 South 139 Street noted that the Foster Community Club is meeting on Tuesday, May 27,
at 7:00 p.m. at the Foster Library. The agenda includes a farewell to Police Chief Ron Waldner and a
presentation from members of the school board on a recent trip from Senegal.
SPECIAL ISSUES:
City Hall Parking Lot Expansion: Mayor Rants referred to his memo dated May 21, 1998 regarding City Hall
parking lot expansion. Mayor Rants said initial work should begin with selecting a consultant to begin the
design work. He cautioned that although there is no budget for the project, Council needs to consider moving
ahead with the project and include the project in the 1999 budget. He noted that parking is not adequate at City
Hall. Additionally, the expansion would still preserve future building options for City Hall.
Councilmember Carter concurred that parking is no longer adequate at City Hall. The issue was reviewed
during a Transportation Committee meeting. It was emphasized that the project is only a study to determine the
costs and the extent of the project. Two other businesses have expressed interest in working with the City to
expand parking. The Transportation Committee recommended forwarding the request to COW for further
consideration. Although, no budget is available for the project, some miscellaneous revenue is available to
cover the costs of an engineering study.
Engineer Shelton said Finance Director Doerschel has advised that a budget transfer for the engineering study
would not be necessary and that it would remain in the 303 fund as a new line item. The engineering study
would consist of additional survey information to lay out parking lot schemes that satisfies the City's and
Xerox's parking needs along with potential spaces for King County Housing Authority and Minolta.
Engineer Shelton described the present parking lot configuration and current entrances into the parking area.
Discussion ensued between Engineer Shelton and Councilmembers concerning possible new entrances into the
parking area.
Councilmembers concurred to include the engineering project as an agenda item at the June 1 Council meeting.
Minutes of May 26, 1998 Page 2 of 5
FAST Corridor Memorandum of Understanding: Councilmember Carter said a memorandum of
understanding is requested to reflect the partnership commitment to the FAST Corridor Program. State and
federal funds are available for the project. A united partnership increases the likelihood of receiving state and
federal funds.
Councilmember Carter said the Transportation Committee suggested the Burlington Northern access bridge also
be included. However, the FAST Corridor Program has elected not to include it for several reasons. Staff
continues to promote the project. Costs appear to be consistent with past costs.
Engineer Shelton provided some background information concerning current and future freight and street traffic
at the 180 Street project location. He indicated approximately $600,000 of funding has been tentatively
secured for preliminary design work. A tri -party agreement between the county, Tukwila, Renton, and the Port
of Seattle needs to be executed. In addition, an application for TIB funding of $500,000 was also submitted. If
TIB funding is approved, it will be used for design and environmental right -of -way work that would position the
project in a positive way to receive federal funds. The FAST Corridor Program is seeking approximately 75%
of the total funding from state and federal sources. The railroads and the port would fund approximately 15%
with 10% of the funding to be supplied between local jurisdictions. If the TIB funding is approved, Tukwila's
FAST Corridor Program financial obligation would be partially funded.
Engineer Shelton said staff would learn this week if the TIB grant has been approved. Based on that, the project
will proceed with existing funding. During June, it is anticipated that the City will receive notification from
Renton if they are contributing $50,000 as part of the tri -party agreement. The commitment by Renton is based
on an agreement in 1987 concerning the boundary adjustment between Tukwila and Renton. In the agreement,
both jurisdictions agreed they would fund 50% of a local match. When Tukwila asked Renton to provide a
letter of support for the TIB application, Renton responded that they would obligate $35,000 and Kent should
provide $35,000. Engineer Shelton noted that Kent was never part of the original agreement. Apparently,
Renton volunteered Kent to offset their commitment. Tukwila had agreed with the proposed commitment but
will not pursue the issue unless the TIB grant is awarded.
Councilmembers concurred to forward the FAST Corridor Memorandum of Understanding to the June 1, City
Council meeting.
Part -time Public Works Clerical Assistance: Councilmember Haggerton reported on the request from the
Public Works Department for a half -time Administrative Clerk position. He reviewed some of the past issues
the department has undergone regarding high turnover rate of personnel assigned to previous clerical positions
and the department's need for a reliable and stable support position to provide critical administrative support.
The request involves upgrading the position to an Administrative Clerk level which would increase the budget
from the current $16,000 to $16,770.
Councilmember Haggerton said the Finance and Safety Committee concurs with the request and recommends
City Council approval.
Councilmembers concurred to forward the request to the June 1 City Council meeting for approval.
Consultant Evaluation of Existing Residential Solid Waste Services: Councilmember Mullet said the item
relates to hiring a consultant to address the costs and benefits of the City providing solid waste services. The
Minutes of May 26, 1998 Page 3 of 5
City's solid waste franchise agreement expired in October 1997 and an evaluation should be completed before
the end of July or early August to allow sufficient time for an RFP for contracted services.
Coordinator Micheau reviewed some history surrounding the City's past solid waste service agreement and
regulatory requirements of the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission. Micheau asked for
Council's consideration regarding the selection of a contracted service arrangement or if the Council preferred
to relinquish the City's authority to WUTC to regulate on a tariff basis.
Coordinator Micheau said staff has been working closely with the community to obtain feedback on current
service levels, opinions on self -haul, and the potential closure of the Bow Lake Transfer Station. Overall, the
response from citizens indicates service provided by SeaTac Disposal has been satisfactory.
Coordinator Micheau said another aspect of the consultant study is to provide information to staff regarding
ramifications in terms of costs and administrative time to the City if contracted services are implemented. He
said conducting a thorough assessment of existing services and determining costs and administrative impact to
the City are the next steps in the proposed project. After the information is obtained, staff will report to Council
on the results. Timing is a critical factor. In order to consider a contracted arrangement (if Council approves),
request for proposals would need to be sent out by September to allow adequate time for response and
contractual arrangements for 1999 service. Coordinator Micheau indicated if the Council approves the
preliminary study, a letter will be sent to WUTC informing them of Tukwila's plans.
Councilmember Mullet responded to a question from Councilmember Duffie concerning notification to the
public regarding possible service changes and noted the survey will be sent out to the public before any decision
is made regarding future solid waste service. The public process also includes three public meetings.
Coordinator Micheau said the survey should be completed no later than July 31, 1998. Councilmember Mullet
reviewed some of the survey questions and what types of comments are anticipated.
Councilmember Duffie expressed concerns with the fast track progress of the project and the fact that the survey
will be conducted during a time of year in which many families are on vacation and have other priorities.
Councilmember Carter said the consultant would make recommendations concerning the most effective form of
conducting the survey.
Councilmember Duffie said it is imperative that the City knows the status of the Bow Lake Transfer Station
closure issue before any decision regarding future solid waste service is made.
Coordinator Micheau said he would report on the status of the Bow Lake Transfer Station closure.
Coordinator Micheau said staff would provide additional information concerning the funding issue at the next
regular City Council meeting.
Councilmember Mullet reiterated the Council Utilities Committee's approval for staff to begin researching
different solid waste service options.
REPORTS:
Minutes of May 26, 1998 Page 4 of 5
Councilmember Duffie attended the 75 anniversary celebration of the American Medical Response
organization and toured the building.
Duffie attended the Community Affairs and Parks Committee meeting earlier. Discussion focused on adopting
a new building code for Tukwila's Municipal Code. Under the guidelines of the state, Tukwila either has the
discretion of adopting the state's code or adopting its own code, which can be more restrictive. The code is
reviewed every three years. In 2001, all codes will be consistent throughout the state.
Councilmember Haggerton said Tukwila has removed the requirement to obtain a building permit to re -roof a
building.
Duffie noted another agenda item concerned a resolution regarding naming city -owned property and a
discussion on recreation fees.
Councilmember Hernandez attended the Foster Library Board meeting. Representatives from the King
County Library System shared results of the library service survey. Two highpoints of the survey revealed
patrons of both the Tukwila and Foster Library are very pleased with library staff and find the services such as
reference material and books to be adequate. The survey also revealed longer hours of service is desired by
patrons and reduced hours would not be a popular choice with the public.
Hernandez attended the dedication of the remodeling of the Nike Residential Community. The community
consists of 31 homes located on more than 10 acres. The four partnerships include Highline -West Seattle
Mental Health Center, St. Stephen Housing Association, South King County Multi- Service Center, and the King
County Housing Authority. Funding assistance was provided by the cities of Auburn, Des Moines, Federal
Way, Kent, Renton, and SeaTac, as well as King County, Washington State, The Federal Home Loan Bank and
the McEachern Foundation. The community is located south of the freeway interchange near Des Moines.
Hernandez also attended the 75 anniversary celebration of the American Medical Response organization and
toured the building. She said they located to Tukwila from Seattle due to availability of parking in Tukwila
versus none in Seattle.
Hernandez also attended the Community Affairs and Parks Committee meeting. Director Williams indicated a
review of the 6 -year Parks Plan would be presented to Council in September.
Council President Linder shared two items of interest from the Human Services Roundtable meeting. One
deals with the concern that the Executive Committee of the Roundtable was overly represented by north and
east side county representatives, whereas the south end of the county was not represented. The Executive
Committee agreed to seat Terry Anderson as the representative from South King County.
The other issue dealt with a survey that the roundtable is compiling concerning a profile of demographics and
data for all cities represented in the roundtable. She distributed a copy of the survey to Councilmembers and
requested Council input. Linder said the data derived would be important information that will be useful for all
jurisdictions.
Linder referred to a letter from Union Gospel Mission confirming Linder as a member of the Community
Advisory Council. Of the 12 members, four are from Tukwila. They are Mike Fowler, President, Foster
Community Club, David Livermore, and Carla Siezter. The first meeting is scheduled for June 11.
Minutes of May 26, 1998 Page 5 of 5
Councilmember Carter attended the SCATBd meeting last week. She referred to the list she distributed
earlier of all state sponsored transportation projects located in Tukwila. She pointed out the different categories
of projects and how the categories of projects are funded in relation to available revenue.
The Transportation Committee meeting scheduled for May 27 has been cancelled due to the event at the Foster
Community Club.
The hazardous waste mobile will be located at Larry's Market on May 29, 30, and 31.
Carter also attended a meeting on the local option gas tax. She referred to the memo distributed earlier and said
the Council needs to make a decision concerning its position of whether Tukwila favors or opposes the local
option gas tax. She requested that the issue be included as an agenda item at the June 1 Council meeting.
Councilmember Haggerton attended the ACC meeting on May 20.
Haggerton referred to Community Affairs and Parks Committee meeting and noted that during other
intergovernmental committee meetings different operating perspectives are revealed which is important in
providing a benchmark to Tukwila staff and Councilmembers. Haggerton complimented Director Williams on
the quality of his presentation on recreation fees during the Community Affairs and Parks Committee meeting
and said Director Williams provided good background material regarding the issue.
Haggerton noted that he will miss a few committee meetings due to vacation time and appreciated other
Councilmembers attending the meetings in his absence.
MISCELLANEOUS:
Hernandez referred to Deputy City Clerk Celia Square's recent retirement from the City. She said she served
the City well and she will miss her.
Carter said the invitations for the appreciation night for the school district should be mailed out soon. Three
retiring staff members will be honored along with the Volunteer of the Year nominees. Volunteer of the year
will be announced at the event.
ADJOURNMENT:
MOTION: Councilmember Duffie moved, seconded by Councilmember Carter to adjourn the meeting
at 8:20 p.m. All in favor. Motion carried.
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Pamela Linder, Council President
Valerie Gow, Recording Secretary