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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2010-08-23 Committee of the Whole MinutesCITY OFFICIALS Tukwila City Council Committee of the Whole Meeting City Hall Council Chambers August 23, 2010 7:00 P.M. CALL TO ORDER/PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE MINUTES Acting Council President Quinn called the Tukwila City Council meeting to order at 7:02 p.m and led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance. OFFICIALS Present were, De'Sean Quinn, Acting Council President, Councilmembers Joe Duffie, Joan Hernandez, Allan Ekberg, Verna Seal, and Kathy Hougardy. Council President Robertson was not present. Steve Lancaster, City Administrator; Shawn Hunstock, Finance Director; Peggy McCarthy, Deputy Finance Director; Stephanie Brown, Human Resources Director; Bruce Linton, Police Commander; Bob Giberson, Public Works Director; Mary Miotke, Information Technology Director; Derek Speck, Economic Development Administrator; Kimberly Matej, Council Analyst; Melissa Hart, Acting City Clerk. CITIZEN COMMENTS Joanne McManus, 5610 South 133` Street, expressed concern about a possible funding reduction relating to Youth and Senior programs. She feels these types of programs are essential to the community. SPECIAL ISSUES a. Recommendation for use of City Property. Acting Council President Quinn indicated this item was discussed at the Finance and Safety Committee meeting on August 17, 2010. The committee members forwarded this item to the Committee of the Whole meeting for discussion Steve Lancaster, City Administrator, explained that at the April 19, 2010 Council Meeting, the Tukwila Historical Society asked the Council to consider allowing the old City Hall /former library building located at 14475 59 Avenue South to be used as a heritage and cultural center for the community The Council asked City Administration to remove the subject property from the surplus property list and report findings for the potential use of the property to the Finance and Safety Committee The Administration has completed the analysis, and recommends the building be made available for community use subject to future approval by the City Council. Since the building is listed on the National Historic Register and the overall lot is zoned Low Density Residential (LDR), the building use is conditional and limited Acting Council President Quinn asked that the Finance and Safety Committee be provided the update that was presented to the Community Affairs and Parks Committee earlier this evening. Joan Meryhew, 4431 South 148 Street, explained she is in favor of the old City Hall /former library building becoming the Tukwila heritage center. Ms Meryhew provided a brief history of Tukwila, and she feels the addition of a heritage center would greatly benefit the community. Louise Jones Brown, 2001 5 Avenue South, Des Moines, explained she has been in contact with 4Culture, and they have indicated they will provide grant writing assistance to the Tukwila Historical Society, once they receive facility use approval from the City Council. She explained there is one grant available for facility upgrades that would greatly benefit the organization. Tukwila City Council Committee of the Whole Minutes August 23, 2010 Page 2 of 4 Pat Brodin, 4304 South 178 Street, SeaTac, Public Works Operations Manager and member of the Tukwila Historical Society, encouraged the Council to consider the proposal to preserve such an important City icon. He stressed that the building is registered as a historical site, and a heritage center would be beneficial for the community. COUNCIL CONSENSUS EXISTED TO FORWARD THIS ITEM TO THE SEPTEMBER 13, 2010 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING. b. Tukwila Village next steps. Derek Speck, Economic Development Administrator, explained the Council is being asked to provide direction on the next steps for Tukwila Village. In June 2010, Tarragon, the City's developer for Tukwila Village, withdrew from the project. Staff has also contacted the second choice for the development, and due to the current state of the economy, they are no longer interested in developing the site Mr. Speck reviewed the following options: 1 Issue a new Request for Qualifications (RFQ). 2 "Soft market" the site. 3 Hold property until the economy improves. 4. King County Library System constructs a stand -alone building of the library on a portion of site as the first phase 5. Sell the entire site. Mr. Speck explained that if the Council continues to support the vision for Tukwila Village and is willing to wait for a better development environment while continuing to invest resources in the project, he suggested the Council remove option 5 from the list. Bill Ptacek, Director of King County Library System (KCLS), explained that KCLS is very interested in expanded library services in the City of Tukwila. Since the closure of the Tukwila Library, the use at the Foster Library has increased. During the Tukwila Village discussion, KCLS was very supportive of the development and, because of the status of the project, they would like to explore other options The idea of participating in the project with a new developer would benefit the project and KCLS by creating the desired commons and gathering areas the community requested. This would allow the library to design a facility with more usable space. They feel that a new larger facility along Tukwila International Boulevard would broaden the exposure of the library and be a benefit to the City. They would like to explore constructing a new 10,000- square -foot stand -alone facility on the Tukwila Village site. He explained the construction climate is very good, KCLS has the funding now for a new facility, and they would like the Council's support for this proposal. Pam Carter, 4115 South 139 Street, explained that she feels the most important decision before the Council is to keep the project moving forward, even a partial project. She explained she would support a stand -alone library, with caveats about future development being able to tie into the proposed facility seamlessly. She stated one of the main concerns is that the development must have a gathering place and meeting rooms as specified by the people during the public outreach meetings. Chuck Parrish, 4430 South 150 Street, explained his wife, Marie Parrish, who could not be in attendance is in support of the request by KCLS and a partial development of the Tukwila Village site. There was a great deal of disappointment in the community about the recent decision from the developer. The construction of a new library could attract the public and a developer. Dave Fenton, 14201 42 Avenue South, explained that although Tukwila Village is a great idea, he feels that with the current state of the economy the idea for this type of development is no longer feasible. He understands the banks are not loaning any money for this type of construction. Sharon Kidd, 4242 South 146 Street, explained that she supports the stand -alone library facility. She feels the Library Board would also support this recommendation. She asked the Council to consider the request by the King County Library System. Tukwila City Council Committee of the Whole Minutes August 23, 2010 Page 3 of 4 Brian Nelson, 3223 South 136 Street, expressed concern over the proposed size of the facility. He feels if a new library were to be constructed, it should be larger than 10,000 square feet. He feels one stand- alone facility would look better on the site than the empty lot that currently exists The Council reviewed each option provided by staff, exchanged comments and asked clarifying questions of staff After Council discussion, there was consensus to have staff continue with option 2 "soft market" the site) and option 4 (King County Library System constructs a stand -alone building of the library on a portion of the site as the first phase). COUNCIL CONSENSUS EXISTED TO FORWARD THIS ITEM TO THE NEXT REGULAR MEETING. c. A Resolution approving and adopting a Voluntary Separation Program. Councilmember Hougardy indicated this item was discussed at the Finance and Safety Committee meeting on August 17, 2010. The committee members were unanimous in recommending approval The Council is being asked to approve a resolution that adopts a Voluntary Separation Program as an option for employees in lieu of a reduction in force to help address the budget shortfall Participation in this program is voluntary. The intent of the program would be to gain the long -term savings associated with a reduction in force, while minimizing the need for non voluntary layoffs The Councilmembers discussed this issue and asked clarifying questions of staff COUNCIL CONSENSUS EXISTED TO FORWARD THIS ITEM TO THE SPECIAL MEETING THIS EVENING. d. An Ordinance regarding Traffic Concurrency Fees. Councilmember Seal indicated this item was discussed at the Transportation Committee meeting on August 16, 2010. The committee members were unanimous in recommending approval Bob Giberson, Public Works Director, explained this ordinance will amend Tukwila Municipal Code Chapter 9.48 regarding transportation impact fees. Changes include removing the 12 -month vacancy rule when calculating impact fees, modifying the appeal process, and removing the exemptions and vesting sections, as they are no longer applicable. COUNCIL CONSENSUS EXISTED TO FORWARD THIS ITEM TO THE NEXT REGULAR MEETING. e. Microsoft Enterprise Agreement and VoIP (Voice over IP) Telephone System. Councilmember Hougardy indicated this item was discussed at the Finance and Safety Committee meeting on August 17, 2010. The committee members were unanimous in recommending approval Mary Miotke, Information Technology Director, explained staff is seeking Council approval to utilize funds associated with the recent issuance of limited tax general obligation bonds for the purchase of emergency response capital equipment, specifically for the procurement of a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) Telephone System and a Citywide Microsoft Enterprise license. The Councilmembers exchanged comments and asked clarifying questions of staff on the above topic. COUNCIL CONSENSUS EXISTED TO FORWARD THIS ITEM TO THE NEXT REGULAR MEETING. f. An Ordinance adopting King County Animal Control Regulations. Councilmember Hougardy indicated this item was discussed at the Finance and Safety Committee meeting on August 17, 2010. The committee members were unanimous in recommending approval. Shawn Hunstock, Finance Director, explained that in accordance with Section 3(a) of the Interlocal Agreement with King County, the City agreed to adopt the County's animal care and control regulations Tukwila City Council Committee of the Whole Minutes August 23, 2010 Page 4 of 4 contained within King County Code, Title 11. The Council is being asked to approve the ordinance providing for adoption of King County Code Title 11 by reference. The Councilmembers discussed this issue and asked clarifying questions of staff. COUNCIL CONSENSUS EXISTED TO FORWARD THIS ITEM TO THE NEXT REGULAR MEETING. REPORTS a. Mayor The Mayor was not present. b. City Council Councilmember Duffie attended the F -35 flight simulator demonstration at Fatigue Technology on August 18, 2010. He also participated in the August 21, 2010 Tukwila Days event. Councilmember Hernandez attended the South King County Area Transportation Board (SCATBd) meeting on August 17, 2010, where the focus of the meeting was on the Regional Transit Task Force. On August 18, 2010, she attended the Regional Transit Task Force meeting, immediately followed by the special SCATBd meeting. She also attended the Fire Exploratory Committee meeting on August 20, 2010, and she participated in the Tukwila Days event on August 21, 2010. Councilmember Ekberg participated in the Tukwila Days event on August 21, 2010 He asked City Administration for statistics on the emphasis patrol that took place on South 160 Street. Councilmember Hougardy participated in the Tukwila Days event on August 21, 2010 She explained citizens expressed interest in community meetings for citizen input relating to the 2011 -2012 biennial budget. Councilmember Quinn participated in the Tukwila Days event on August 21, 2010. He thanked Ms Matej for all her work in creating the Council booth. c. Staff There was no report. d. City Attorney The City Attorney's presence is not required at Committee of the Whole meetings e. Intergovernmental There was no report. ADJOURNMENT 9:42 p.m. ACTING COUNCIL PRESIDENT QUINN DECLARED THE COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING ADJOURNED TO CONVENE A SPECIAL MEETING. 4 can Quinn, Acting Council President Melissa Hart, Acting City Clerk