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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1998-09-14 Committee of the Whole MinutesTUKWILA CITY COUNCIL September 14, 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 Duffle, Joan Hernandez, Jim Haggerton, Dave Fenton, Pam Carter, and Steve Mullet. OFFICIALS: John Rants, Mayor; Rhonda Berry, Assistant City Administrator, Alan Doerschel, Finance Director; Don Williams, Parks Recreation Director; Lucy Lauterbach, Council Analyst, Evelyn Boykan, Human Services Coordinator; Al Frank, Recreation Supervisor, and Bruce Fletcher, Assistant Parks and Recreation Director. SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS Briefing on Ikawa visit: Sarajane Rants provided a review of the Ikawa Sister City delegation visit. She indicated all of the Sister City Committee members had previously visited Ikawa and were treated royally during their visit. This year's delegation consisted of 45 individuals comprised of 15 students and 30 adults. Mr. Rants visited many schools in an attempt to secure host families. Twenty -six host families provided host homes to the delegates. All host families reported success with the experience and some families hosted up to three students. Several of the host families thanked the Committee for giving them the opportunity to participate in the hosting experience. Ms. Rants said everyone was pleased with the quality and amount of events scheduled during the delegation's visit. All of this is attributed to the hard work of the Committee. Ms. Rants thanked City staff who gave their time in assisting with planning Eleven Thunderbird convertible cars greeted the delegation upon their arrival at SeaTac. A member of the Toyokoshima press accompanied the delegates along with two tour guides. Ms. Rants said the Committee tried to secure local press coverage of the event, but were not as successful as they had hoped. Ms. Rants said everyone was pleased with Dr. Michael Silvers' participation. He provided a tour of three Tukwila schools Cascade View, Showalter, and Foster and provided personalized Tukwila School District tote bags to each visitor. The delegates were very impressed with the local schools during the tours. As the school district's representative to the Committee and as Chairman of the Committee, Ms. Rants said she is working with Cascade View Elementary and Showalter Middle School to continue developing a strong relationship between the school district and Ikawa. This program promotes educational interest in students and provides educational and travel opportunities to students, as well. City of Tukwila City Council of Whole Meeting Minutes September 14, 1998 Ms. Rants recommended three actions to improve the program. They include: 1. The Sister City Committee should obtain a 501 -C non profit status for donations /contributions. Many sponsors asked if the Committee was non profit so they could claim their donation as a tax deduction. 2. Increase the allotment for the Sister City Committee for scholarships, gifts, and visits. 3. Provide a permanent display case at the community center to house some of the gifts received from Ikawa. The next visit of Tukwila delegates to Ikawa will occur in 2000. Page 2 of 14 Councilmember Haggerton suggested the Sister City Committee develop a list of recommendations regarding the scholarship program. Ms. Rants said guidelines had been developed in previous years. Students held a contest at the Showalter Middle School consisting of an essay entry. Six students received scholarships to attend Ikawa. Councilmember Carter said it would be helpful to provide funding information to the Council concerning how many scholarships and the amount of each scholarship. She indicated she was excited to hear the next trip is in 2000 and she would like to see information published announcing the opportunity for residents to become one of Tukwila's delegates to Ikawa in 2000. Information concerning the anticipated cost of the trip should also be included. She suggested starting a campaign next spring to announce the program's trip opportunity to students. Council President Linder suggested referring the display case request to the Arts Commission for their review and recommendation. Mayor Rants shared the Ikawa budgets a fund over a two to three year period to finance one half of the costs for 25 students to visit Tukwila during a Sister City visit. The number of adult delegates is also determined at the same time and financial assistance is also provided to them. Ms. Rants said because so many students applied to visit Tukwila, Ikawa conducted a lottery to select this year's student delegates. Ms. Rants said a host family party is scheduled at the Community Center on October 1. All committee members and host families are invited to attend and share their hosting and delegate visit experience. Councilmember Carter said one citizen revealed that although she enjoyed the experience of hosting, she also enjoyed getting to know other Tukwila citizens during the week of events. Briefing on King County Airnort issues: Metropolitan King County Councilmember Dwight Pelz shared recent developments occurring at King County Airport and some results of recent negotiations with Boeing. Boeing Field is required by FAA to adopt a 20 -year Master Plan to outline plans regarding leases over the next 20 years. This requirement provided an opportunity to examine airport noise mitigation issues. Mr. Pelz said he sought the chairmanship of the Commerce Trade and Economic Development Committee (CTED) because of the Committee's oversight of Boeing Field and his desire to work on issues affecting improvements to the surrounding areas. Because of FAA approach and takeoff requirements, the cities of Tukwila and Magnolia are primarily affected. Mr. Pelz said the most comprehensive and best package of noise mitigation to date will be voted on by the Committee and then forwarded to King County for their review and approval. Funding has been secured for $5 million to construct a 'hush house.' The building houses various companies who test airplanes. By contrast, the annual budget for the airport is $8 million. The revenues received by the City of Tukwila Page 3 of 14 City Council of Whole Meeting Minutes September 14, 1998 airport from various airport operations fund airport operations. The airport is prohibited from profiting from such operations. An agreement has also been reached to construct a noise wall between the airport and Georgetown along with a designation of a corridor for access to the Georgetown steam plant; a local resource which could become a working museum in the future. Additionally, there has been a lot of discussion concerning the 800 -foot extension of the runway. The FAA has determined the south 800 -feet of the runway is too close to the freeway and other developments. The FAA is requiring the airport to condense the runway by 800 feet closest to the freeway. This would reduce the runway from 10,000 feet to 9,200 feet, which would affect airplane landing operations. Consequently, the runway is being extended towards Allentown to compensate for the 800 -foot loss at the other end of the runway. Negotiations are underway to require planes to land on the 9,200 runway, as long as they are capable of doing so. Mr. Pelz said the FAA strictly controls operations at any airport across the country and congress has limited local jurisdictional control. Throughout the process of mitigating noise reduction, ideas have been suggested which would have amounted to a win -win solution for both sides. Unfortunately, FAA has veto power to disapprove of solutions. The FAA also requires a Part 150 Study, a process which involves recommending noise mitigation solutions to the FAA. A timeline and workplan are required as part of the process. One mitigation measure seriously being considered is an FAA approved home insulation program. A similar proposal is being pursued for SeaTac. It is scientifically determined who is eligible to receive this assistance. A Part 150 study is required to pursue this option. Mr. Pelz said he has been negotiating with Boeing Company and cargo operators, and, as a result, many mitigation measures are included in the package. He said the proposed mitigation alternatives will be a benefit to Tukwila and other local jurisdictions and he is committed to reducing airport impacts on the surrounding communities. He cautioned however, operations at Boeing Field would increase. He indicated 55% of airport revenues are from the Boeing Company and they can be difficult negotiators. Additionally, their political influence is substantial. Fortunately, the committee has received support on the noise mitigation package from the Boeing Company and Mr. Pelz said this approval is necessary in securing approval from King County. Councilmember Duffle noted several Tukwila schools are directly in the flight path to the airport and asked what noise mitigation measures were planned for the schools. Mr. Pelz concurred with Councilmember Duffle's concerns but indicated noise mitigation for schools are not included in the recommendation. He said he would pursue mitigation for schools in the very near future. Councilmember Hernandez asked if the noise complaint hotline would remain in operation. Mr. Pelz responded and said the hotline will continue in operation and explained how the airport has devices in place to confirm an airplane's flight path and whether it deviated from its approved approach. Councilmember Mullet said one aspect of the Part 150 Study SeaTac is considering is the impact of noise created by both SeaTac and the King County Airport. He recommended Mr. Pelz include this consideration in their Part 150 Study. Mr. Pelz said one of the recommendations in the noise reduction package is to integrate flight paths with Sea -Tac Airport to reduce noise levels. Councilmember Carter remarked the roundtable purposely excluded representatives from the City and Tukwila was informed they would be involved through other avenues outside of the roundtable process. Mr. Pelz said City of Tukwila City Council of Whole Meeting Minutes September 14, 1998 the roundtable was an advisory body and the jurisdiction's ultimately review the resulting recommendations and deliberations to ascertain whether to support or not support the recommendation of the roundtable. Mr. Pelz indicated the target for completion of the Part 150 Study is by September 2000. Discussion continued on which Tukwila schools are affected by noise from the airport. Mr. Pelz suggested installing noise monitors at the various schools to begin documenting noise impacts. Councilmember Haggerton said the hush houses are effective in reducing airport engine noise during testing operations. He expressed some concern with air quality and asked if air quality monitoring has been implemented. Mr. Pelz said a permanent air quality monitoring program is under development for the airport. Councilmember Haggerton asked about the potential increase of cargo plane operations. Mr. Pelz said three main cargo carriers; UPS, Airborne, and BN Air are the main cargo carriers and he anticipates increased operations as a realty due to the nature of their respective business. Mayor Rants referred to the recent Appeals Court decision regarding Burlington Northern and Auburn. The decision allows BN free reign over its operations. BN has all the power and local jurisdictions do not. CITIZENS' COMMENTS Anna Bernhard 14241 59th South, Tukwila, said she has attended City Council meetings for many years and notices numerous uses of acronyms in the Council agenda. She said she is not familiar with many of the acronyms and would appreciate if the City could provide a listing of acronyms with definitions. Councilmembers concurred a problem can arise if one is unfamiliar with the acronyms and discussed ways to handle the issue. PUBLIC HEARING Page 4 of 14 Potential services /nroiects funded by CDBG funds to be received in 1999: Council President Linder opened the public hearing on potential services /projects funded by CDBG funds to be received in 1999. Coordinator Boykan explained the purpose of Community Block Grant Funds as funds received by the City by the federal government to use in assisting low or moderate income residents. The funds can be utilized in three areas. They include: (1) infrastructure needs such as housing and parks, (2) planning and administration, and (3) public and human services. The funds are allocated by certain percentages for different projects. Typically, a review begins the process of how the funds will be allocated for 1999. Coordinator Boykan referred to the proposals for allocating CDBG funds and said the proposal does not include any unspent funds from 1998. The proposed spending recommendations are presented for review and discussion. Several new spending areas are proposed for 1999. One, is the proposed project for Riverton Park. The project is new, although other park projects have been completed with CDBG funds several years ago (Crestview Park). The second new project is the Minor Home Repair Program. This is classified as a capital project and the purpose is to maintain the City's philosophy of preserving existing housing. There are several requests received through the office of Human Services which do not qualify for the King County Housing Repair Program because they are too small in cost to consider. Minor housing repair typically consists of repairing leaky faucets or replacing locks. The remaining projects are those programs which have been historically funded by CDBG funds. City of Tukwila Page 5 of 14 City Council of Whole Meeting Minutes September 14, 1998 Coordinator Boykan referred to the REACH Program and indicated planning is continuing for the program. The program has been in existence for a year. The REACH Program looks at regional affordable housing issues. Recommendations are also included to continue public service funds in two programs administered through the Tukwila Community Center the nutrition coordinator and the youth programmer. Also recommended is the reduction of funds to the King County Housing Repair Program due to slow usage of funds in 1998. The Utility Connections Program has unspent funds of $25,000 remaining for 1998. Many people are not taking advantage of the program because they are hesitant to enter into a lien agreement on their house to participate in the program. Coordinator Boykan said she checked with the Public Works Department regarding the status of new construction related to utility connections. As the result of the information, the proposed funding has been reduced to $20,000 to fund up to five existing households, who may elect to connect. If any funds remain from 1998, staff will recommend options for other capital projects to use the funds. Council President Linder asked if an area formed a LID (Limited Improvement District) and individuals qualified under the Utility Connection Program guidelines, would they qualify for the funding. Coordinator Boykan said they would qualify to receive the funds. Council President Linder asked if there was a way to promote this program when soliciting LIDs. Councilmember Mullet responded and said staff is very knowledgeable about the process and they do a good job of getting the information out. Coordinator Boykan said more coordination could also be accomplished with the Public Works Department to inform residents about the program when they apply for permits. Councilmember Mullet said currently, the funding has only been used for side sewer connections on private property. He said it is conceivable to develop a program to include road connections, as well as private connections to use CDBG funds. The City would have to pursue this option through the granting authority. Coordinator Boykan said the City is required to notify the county if an increase or decrease in CDBG funding is anticipated. She referred to the memorandum outlining staffs recommendations regarding what funds would be decreased if a decrease were recommended and what funds would be increased if an increase were requested. She explained the utility connection program has been historically under utilized, it is the first program to target for a decrease in funding. King County wants to know which capital projects should be increased or decreased and what public service projects should be increased or decreased. Once the allocations are determined for each program, Council can, at its discretion, reallocate funding to another program provided a public hearing is held. However, some funds cannot be shifted, specifically, additional money cannot be added to Planning and Administration or Public Services Programs. Council President Linder noted no residents had signed up to speak. Councilmember Haggerton asked when was the last time an applicant applied for a utility connection loan. Coordinator Boykan indicated between March and July, five applicants had applied. A total of $16,000 has been spent from the initial program budget of $40,000. Another applicant has recently indicated an interest in taking advantage of the program. City of Tukwila Coordinator Boykan said residents with moderate income (up to 80% of median income) are eligible to participate in the Housing Repair Program. Page 6 of 14 City Council of Whole Meeting Minutes September 14, 1998 Councilmember Carter asked if the Housing Repair Program also required a lien. Coordinator Boykan said in most cases a lien is required with the exception of some emergency grants, particularly for mobile home owners. If an emergency public safety situation exists, emergency grants between $1,500 to $2,00 can be issued. Councilmember Duffie asked how citizens could learn of the program. Coordinator Boykan indicated the Hazelnut Newsletter has been used to promote the program along with including some information in the Tukwila Community Center brochure. King County is also distributing some posters to jurisdictions to promote the program to the public. She admitted it is sometimes difficult to get the word out to the community about the various programs. Information is also disseminated to seniors through the senior program at the community center. Brochures are also available at City Hall. Community meetings are also a good way to outreach the pubic about the programs. Coordinator Boykan said program brochures along with refrigerator magnets were given out during Tukwila Days. Councilmember Duffie acknowledged Coordinator Boykan's assistance with a newly arrived resident who did not have a place to stay. Mayor Rants said he would be concerned about the effectiveness of the program promotion if no names were on the waiting list from one year to the next. The waiting list indicates residents are receiving information on the program. He conceded there are additional ways to increase public awareness of the different programs. Coordinator Boykan cautioned more outreach is needed because the present waiting list is still utilizing previous year's funds and some funds are still unspent from 1998 funding. Coordinator Boykan said the REACH program has been very successful in Seattle and Renton. Tukwila is evaluating their model and will downscale and implement a pilot program using the existing structure Tukwila has with REACH. Council President Linder asked what repair perimeters are covered under the Housing Repair Program. Coordinator Boykan stated the program covers roof, foundation, plumbing, and structural repairs up to a maximum of $13,500 per household. There are other options available through the program for repairs exceeding the ceiling which provide low interest loans (1 -2 The City receives a listing each quarter of participating households and the specific repair. Responding to a inquiry from Councilmember Hernandez regarding how the Minor Home Repair Program would be administered, Coordinator Boykan said procedures have not been developed regarding how funding would be allocated to homeowners as the program has not been officially approved. She recommended Councilmembers provide some suggestions concerning how the funds should be distributed, either through loans or grants. Coordinator Boykan said other smaller programs such as smoke detectors and deadlocks have been administered through grants. She explained the follow -up for smaller loan programs versus grants is too labor intensive to track and not beneficial in terms of staff -time use. Councilmember Fenton cautioned that as water rates continue to increase, the City should anticipate more requests for plumbing assistance regarding water flow devices and processes. City of Tukwila City Council of Whole Meeting Minutes There being no public testimony, Council President Linder closed the public hearing. SPECIAL ISSUES Page 7 of 14 September 14, 1998 Councilmember Fenton asked if the county tracked how REACH funding is spent. Coordinator Boykan said they track the use of the funds. Parks Recreation Denartment reorganization: Councilmember Duffle said many people attended the earlier meeting of the Community Affairs and Parks Committee meeting. The Committee supports the reorganization. Mayor Rants referred to the opening of the community center last year and several issues remained somewhat undetermined regarding staff assignments and what the total costs relating to personnel and operations would be. The community center was not established as an enterprise fund and the City has never expected it to fund itself Actual operating costs have been determined and have been shared with the Committee. Director Williams has suggested a reorganization to improve accountability and control personnel costs. Too many personnel are used in part-time positions. The reorganization request would consolidate some of the part- time positions into full -time positions and augment personnel costs with either increased City funding or through increased park and recreation revenues. The key to the success of the community center is adding a Facilities Coordinator position. Director Williams announced Bruce Fletcher is the new Assistant Director and recognized Recreation Supervisor Al Frank as an important member of the Parks and Recreation staff. Before the opening of the community center, staff reviewed operations of the new expanded facility. A plan was developed which incorporated the hours operation and all of the new challenges faced with a new facility. Director Williams said staff has had some growing pains and some communications issues with citizens and rental groups. Overall, however, staff has done an outstanding job with the increased hours of operation and additional workload responsibilities. Director Williams complimented part-time staff for their efforts but indicated it was becoming a revolving door. He indicated with the volume of new software programs and operating procedures to manage the community center, part-time staff became over whelmed and subsequently moved on to other jobs. Part-time staff continue to leave to pursue other opportunities. Based on a re- evaluation of operations and staffing, the department is recommending a reorganization of Park and Recreation Department staff. The recommendation includes eliminating a 3 /4 FTE position which coordinates the Pride Pak program. That program would then mainstream into the existing youth programs. Revenues have surpassed budget projections for 1998. Director Williams said the re- organization is recommended for implementation as soon as possible and he would prefer recruiting for the new positions before the end of the year. The Mayor has reviewed and approved the request for a new Facilities Coordinator. The new position would relieve some of the responsibilities from existing staff so they can focus on programming. A second element of the reorganization reviewed by the Committee concerns the Parks Crew Chief position. The proposal is to upgrade the title and increase the salary. Administrative Services has reviewed the request. The employee is assuming more responsibilities and an increase in salary and title is justified. City of Tukwila Page 8 of 14 City Council of whole Meeting Minutes September 14, 1998 Director Williams distributed a copy of the Parks and Recreation Department's revenues and expenditures reflecting totals for years 1995 through year -to -date 1998 with projections for 1999. Councilmember Hernandez said the figures reflect the department can support the reorganization. The public would be better served with additional staff; in addition, revenue could increase as a result of improved efficiencies. Director Williams said staff's efforts at the community center and citizen's use of the facility has increased greatly. A larger percentage of revenue has been generated as a result. In addition, the units of participation have increased substantially. This summer youth program attendance averaged 125 versus a budgeted projection of 100. The Department's programs are priority at the center. Director Williams said the budget figures do not include grounds maintenance or building costs, they are for budgeted, citywide recreation programs from Tukwila Days to youth programs. The new line item contained in the revenue line item (Activity Fees) for 1997 pertains to a new requirement to pay sales tax on fitness room, racket ball, and gymnasium drop -in fees. Donations reflect fluctuations from year -to -year; and the projection of $12,280 in 1998, is from the local Rotary for youth scholarships. Each year, the percentage of self support is identified. From 1995, self support has increased from 28.5% to approximately 50% this year. The 1999 estimates include building custodial and utility costs with self support revenue projected to be approximately 38 Councilmember Haggerton pointed out the projected figures for 1999 also represent the implementation of the reorganization plan. Councilmember Fenton asked if the Facilities Coordinator position would be filled internally or would outside recruitment be required. Director Williams said the position would be advertised within the community along with the two administrative clerk positions. Councilmember Fenton asked about the status of the new software program. Director Williams said software has already been selected and installed, however, the company promised an interface between credit cards, rentals, and program class registrations, which turned out to be inaccurate. Tukwila was the first purchaser of the software program and other cities have programs to process class registrations and credit card separately. Tukwila was seeking to integrate the entire process. The software has created nothing but problems which have almost led to a lawsuit. The company has agreed to provide extra training and maintenance services to rectify the problem. A recent upgrade of the software was completed in August, which improved its performance. Part of the problem related to the ability of staff to manage and transfer data to reconcile daily receipts. There are no plans to purchase other software at this point, as the software updates have solved some of the earlier problems. Councilmember Fenton said the community center is a first class operation and when a facility of this caliber only has one opportunity to make a good, first impression. The City promotes that opportunity. He concurred with the reorganization and stated it can only improve the situation. Councilmember Haggerton said the Committee supports the reorganization plan and Director Williams has recommended recruitment efforts for the recreation coordinator position be started immediately. He said the reorganization will be a good step in solving some of the problems which have occurred at the center and staff has become over burdened with too many part-time employees needing continual training. City of Tukwila Page 9 of 14 City Council of Whole Meeting Minutes September 14, 1998 Councilmember Carter asked what the acronym 'DRC' means. Director Williams explained the Development Review Committee (DRC) meets every Thursday to review development proposals within the community. Director Williams and Mayor Rants discussed action required by Council to approve the reorganization with Mayor Rants clarified he would approve hiring two administrative clerks immediately and would delay the hiring of the recreation coordinator position until the first of the year. Recruitment, however, would begin in mid November. Councilmember Carter questioned the differences between the existing organizational chart and the proposed reorganizational chart and said there appears to be more positions added under the reorganization than what has been requested. Director Williams explained he included all part-time positions in the reorganizational chart to reflect how many employees it takes to accomplish the Parks and Recreation mission. Councilmember Carter questioned the elimination of the staff person to the PRIDE Pax program and asked for clarification on what the program consisted of and what affects the program would have without assigned staff. Director Williams said the program is not being eliminated, only the staff person. PRIDE Pax started several years ago for children at risk. Children experiencing problems in school are referred to the program by counselors. Through specialized support by recreation staff, and police departments, school counselors hope to enrich and help them succeed and improve self esteem. The program also requires parental support and participation. The program is a nationally recognized problem and staff received training in Oregon. The first few years the program was very successful. As the program continued, some registered students did not always participate, as well as some parents. The program requires the participation of parents and is free to children and their parents. Program costs amounted to approximately $35,000 for staffing the position and another $11,000 for a part-time position and supplies. The program attendance averaged eight to 12 students with 25 students registered at any one time. Twenty -five is the recommended attendance. The district did not want the staff position eliminated but staff has assured the school district they should continue to identify students who might benefit from the program. The program requirements will be relaxed concerning the required parent participation and students will continue to benefit from the program. Councilmembers concurred to move the reorganization plan request to the next regular Council meeting for approval. Council President Linder recessed the meeting from 8:54 p.m to 9:05 p.m. for a break. Increase in City Council stipends and allowable benefits: Councilmember Haggerton said the Finance and Safety Committee has discussed the issue and Analyst Lauterbach has also researched the issue and has provided additional material regarding the Council's benefit program. There had been some discussion to increase Councilmembers' salary since the annual COLA is no longer allowed. The last resolution change for Council salary occurred in 1987. The Committee is considering a recommendation to increase Council's salary in the 1999 budget for Councilmembers elected to serve in 2000. The committee is also considering an increase in Council benefits effective for all Councilmembers in 1999. However, upon further checking, it is unclear when the benefit change would be effective under state law. Councilmember Haggerton said samples of other council salaries range from $300 to $700 per month with some councils receiving no benefits. The Committee recommends an increase in Council salary of a base rate between $600 to $650 per month. City of Tukwila Page 10 of 14 City Council of Whole Meeting Minutes September 14, 1998 Councilmember Fenton referred to the list of other council salaries and said cities comparable to Tukwila are Redmond, Kirkland, Federal Way and Auburn. Councilmember Fenton said due to the recent ruling against automatic COLA's, he anticipates other councils will reevaluate their system of council salary and benefit increases. He reminded everyone none of the current Councilmembers would benefit immediately from any salary increases and only those Councilmembers reelected in 2000 would be eligible for the increase. Councilmember Mullet asked about the possibility of establishing a specific salary plan for each year beginning with 2000 through 2004. At the end of the four -year period, Council could review the salary and establish a new plan for another four -year period. Another option is to consider a standard amount per meeting. Councilmembers discussed how the four -year formula would correspond to Council terms and when salary increases would be effective. Councilmember Duffie expressed his concern that staff does not automatically receive an increase in their salaries and Council should not receive automatic raises. Councilmembers said staff receives automatic COLA's each year and this would in affect serve the same purpose for Council. Another option is to consider an increase once every two years. Councilmember Carter said she has reviewed salary information for other jurisdictions from small to large, to high income to low income and with small towns with a limited budget. She concurred with Administrator McFarland's selection of the four cities as comparable to Tukwila. Councilmember Fenton reminded everyone that salaries of other councils will most likely increase between 3% to 5 because of the recent COLA ruling. Discussion ensued on the challenges of a Councilmember actively participating in committee meetings and attending Council and other agency meetings and having to take time off from a paying position to do so. A Councilmember's salary is an assurance that some compensation is forthcoming when time is taken from a job. It also insures a diversity of Councilmembers sit on the Council who represents retired, employed, or non employed citizens. Councilmembers reviewed how to implement the salary plan, what amount the salary should be in 2000, and what percentage increase should occur between 2000 and 2004 and how often. Council President Linder requested a poll of each Councilmember concerning the salary increase. Councilmember Duffie said he is not in favor of raising Council salaries. Councilmember Hernandez noted Tukwila's salary is higher than Kent, SeaTac, Bothell, Burien, and Issaquah. On the high side are Redmond, Kirkland, and Auburn. These cities are larger than Tukwila and only one has a benefit program. Based on this information Tukwila's salary is fairly consistent with other cities. Councilmember Hernandez said she favors a small adjustment and small increments annually which would compensate for the loss of the COLA. She favors increasing the base to $600 in 2000. Council President Linder said she favors an increase to $600 in 2000 and 6% percent increase every two years (2002 2004). Councilmember Mullet said he would increase the salary to $600 and add $20 per month for succeeding years. Councilmember Carter said she supports a salary base of $600 in 2000 with an annual 3% increase rounded up to the nearest dollar. Councilmember Haggerton supports a salary of $600 beginning in 2000 and adding an additional $20 per month for succeeding years. Councilmember Fenton said he would recommend $650 as a base with a 3% increase thereafter. Councilmember Duffie reiterated his concern with increasing Council salary. Council President Linder emphasized current Councilmembers would only receive the increase if they are reelected to the Council. The raise is for the position, not for the individual currently assuming the position. City of Tukwila Page 11 of 14 City Council of Whole Meeting Minutes September 14, 1998 Councilmembers reviewed benefit compensation. The Committee has suggested a benefit increase of the current $1,200 per year to $1,500 per year and a review of whether Councilmembers should receive the same medical benefits employees receive. Councilmember Carter suggested giving Councilmembers a choice of coverage under the employee medical plan or receiving compensation. After review and consideration of benefit options and salary data, Councilmembers concurred to send the issue back to the Finance and Safety Committee for a final recommendation. An ordinance imposing a local ontion transportation tax on commercial narkinE in the City: Director Doerschel said staff reviewed current parking operations in the City. Combined, they generate approximately $1.6 million in parking revenues. Other smaller operations, such as hotels, include airport parking as an amenity. The total could increase substantially as more parking areas are constructed. Potential revenue to the City could be $83,000 if a 5% tax was assessed or half of that if a $1 per transaction fee was assessed. More revenue would be generated for the City if a 5% tax were assessed opposed to a $1 per transaction fee. Many business members park their vehicles for longer periods due to out -of -town business trips. The longer the trip, the higher the parking bill. However, assessing a percentage tax versus a per transaction fee may have a negative impact on the number of users with many users electing to use parking lots which charge only a $1 transaction fee. Director Doerschel said the projection is based on a car parked for five days based on a 500 parking stall lot rotating 100 cars per day. Tax impacts would target only commercial parking lots and a number of hotel parking lots, which provide long -term airport parking. A major new parking lot is currently going through the permitting process. If the tax is approved, the City could raise an additional $200,000 in revenues when all parking lots are in operation. It would provide revenue for several street projects which have been delayed in the CIP due to lack of funding. Four or five bridges also need work along with improvements on Pacific Highway. These 10 -15 years of street projects could use this additional revenue. Director Doerschel referred to the draft ordinance and pointed out the definitions for a commercial parking business, a commercial parking lot, and commercial parking. The ordinance clearly defines who would pay the parking tax. A resident who pays a parking fee to park in the apartment's parking lot would not be assessed a parking tax. A visitor to a hotel who is charged a daily parking fee during his /her stay would also not incur a parking tax. However, if a visitor is not staying at the hotel and is using the parking lot for extended airport parking due to an out -of -town business trip, a parking tax would apply. Employees, regardless of the parking arrangement with an employer would not be subject to the parking tax. The parking tax for the majority of parking situations only applies to a commercial parking enterprise. Councilmember Hernandez asked if a parking tax would apply to circumstances where a commercial tenant was renting space and required additional space and was charged an additional fee for the extra parking. Director Doerschel said the parking tax would not apply in those circumstances. Councilmember Hernandez requested clarification to that effect to be included in the ordinance Councilmember Fenton suggested including the following language, `Exclusion parking fees covered or other associated with commercial or residential unit rentals in conjunction with the landlord /tenant procedures, building owners where lease arrangements are made for priority parking." Councilmember Haggerton said a public hearing should be held prior to Council action on the proposed ordinance. He indicated he would like an opportunity for hotels, motels, and others who may be affected to speak on the proposal. Councilmembers suggested publicizing who is exempt from the proposed tax with the hearing notice. City of Tukwila Page 12 of 14 City Council of Whole Meeting Minutes September 14, 1998 Discussion continued on a hearing date. Director Doerschel said the proposed tax would not be included in the preliminary Mayor's budget scheduled for review on October 12. If the tax is approved, it would be included in the final 1999 budget to be approved before the end of the year. Bill Arthur, 1800 Andover Park West, Suite 200, Tukwila, believes the definition for a commercial parking lot is not adequately defined. He understands the intent of the language but said additional language is needed in some form to emphasize that parking related to parking lots operating as part of a property lease or office space, apartments, warehouse, or commercial space are not subject to the tax. Director Doerschel suggested revising the definition section in the ordinance and include the definition of a parking lot in with the definition of commercial parking for clarity. Councilmember Mullet asked if RTA would, in the future, charge for parking. Director Doerschel said they have indicated parking fees may be charged in the future. Councilmembers discussed parking tax assessments and the parking scenarios RTA has planned for outlying suburbs. Future parking for AMTRAK was also discussed. Councilmember Mullet said he supports the concept of a parking tax and does not want others to think Tukwila is a cheaper place to park, which would encourage more parking lots. Director Doerschel suggested referring the proposal back to the Finance and Safety Committee for revision and schedule a public hearing for late September or early October. A 10 -day, public notice is required. Councilmembers discussed upcoming scheduled public meetings. Councilmember Carter said the revenue from the parking tax can only be used for transportation projects and not to supplement other City- funded projects or programs. Councilmembers recommended setting September 28 as date for the public hearing on the proposed ordinance. Director Doerschel said he would check with staff to see if there is adequate notice for scheduling the hearing on September 28. If not, he recommended scheduling it on October 12. Councilmembers agreed to consider a 5% tax rather than a transaction fee. REPORTS Councilmember Duffle attended the Community Affairs and Parks Committee meeting. The meeting agenda included a review of changes to the manufacturing and industrial center planning map. Also reviewed was a request to extend the term of the Chairman of the Planning Commission for six months due to his work on several important issues. The ordinance prohibiting feeding of wildlife was also reviewed along with a discussion on recreation fees. The Committee delayed discussion on sign amortization. Councilmember Hernandez attended REACH and Suburban Cities meetings. Mayor Rants has signed the interlocal agreement with REACH for another year. King County has agreed to be the fiscal agent and will present their portion of the agreement to their Council at the end of September. Hernandez was invited to speak to the SeaTac City Council on behalf of REACH. REACH is advertising a VISTA position. City of Tukwila Linder noted all work for the Council Chamber acoustics is scheduled for completion in October. Mullet also attended the public meeting on the garbage issue. Page 13 of 14 City Council of Whole Meeting Minutes September 14, 1998 A presentation on regional disaster planning was held at the Suburban Cities meeting. September 22 is 'Sound Shake 98.' It is an exercise to inform cities of what weaknesses they have in their respective emergency preparedness plans. Tukwila was scheduled to participate in the exercise; however all of principal staff members involved are scheduled to be out of town. Hernandez indicated Mary Gates, Chair of Suburban Cities Transportation Committee, indicated a caucus meeting is scheduled in October to assess the new bus routes. As part of their obligation to improve transportation routes, METRO is required to provide access to park and ride lots. METRO is soliciting comments from elected officials on the issue. Hernandez informed Ms. Gates of Tukwila's issues regarding park and ride lots and offered to send information. Hernandez requested the inclusion of the Equity and Diversity Commission on the listing of committees and commissions on the agenda calendar schedule. Council President Linder is attending a Union Gospel Mission meeting on Tuesday, September 15, a Human Services Roundtable meeting on Thursday, September 17, and a Legislative Committee meeting for the Human Services Roundtable on Wednesday, September 16. Councilmember Mullet attended a Utilities Commission meeting last week. Seattle may be increasing water rates by 40 This would reflect in a 14% to 15% percent increase to Tukwila users. Also discussed was the installation of transmission lines through Tukwila. Staff has negotiated with the Cascade Water Alliance for compensation on old water. This compensation would help the City balance its water rates as Tukwila transitions into the Cascade Water Alliance. However, if Seattle raises the price on old water, this compensation would be eliminated. The contract with Cascade is an interlocal contract and stipulates a 70% percent participation to become effective. Another issue pending is Cascade could renegotiate the old water buyout rates based on the new rates from Seattle, which would effectively eliminate the compensation to Tukwila. Councilmember Carter will be attending a SCKTBD meeting on Tuesday, September 15, which will include an update on T -21 (previously ISTEA); the regional bus service for RTA and the identification of the major arterial systems within King County. Only one set of routes for the RTA express bus is included for Tukwila (Bellevue to SeaTac possibly Burien). One route would follow Interstate 405 through Tukwila and the other would route near the Long Acres site. Staff has been working with RTA to convince them the multi -modal center would be a better route than the I -405 route. Freeway ramp metering will also be discussed at the meeting along with the Burlington Northern access and pedestrian issues around the high school. Councilmember Haggerton attended the Community Affairs and Parks Committee meeting earlier and is scheduled to attend the Finance and Safety Committee meeting on September 21. Haggerton will also participate in a ribbon cutting ceremony for a new business locating in the Parkway Super Center Zany Brainy Educational Toys. City of Tukwila Page 14 of 14 City Council of Whole Meeting Minutes September 14, 1998 STAFF Director Doerschel reminded Council a budget proposal needs to be forwarded to the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee for their review. In order to maintain the required 45 -day review period by the Committee and meet the budget deadline for the City, Council's proposed budget needs to be formally presented to the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee. Director Doerschel said he has presented the information to the Finance and Safety Committee, but no formal document has been developed to recommend how all of the revenue will be allocated. He said he would like to concurrently present the recommendation to the Finance and Safety Committee and the Council. Nearly all of the information has been reviewed with the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee, however, a complete review of the entire proposed budget allocation needs to occur before they forward their formal recommendation to the Council. If the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee received the information from the Council by October 6, the 45 -day review period could still be maintained to meet the City's final budget adoption of its 1999 budget in December. Councilmember Haggerton suggested including the item during the Finance and Safety Committee meeting and then schedule adoption by the Council at its October 6 regular meeting. Councilmember Carter suggested Councilmembers begin reviewing how the budget review process will be handled. Council President Linder indicated the discussion could occur at the September 21 Council meeting. MISCELLANEOUS Councilmember Hernandez announced the Boeing Employees Community Fund contributed $1,000 to St. Thomas Outreach for the food bank program and they gave similar checks to every food bank from Yelm to the Canadian border, totaling $156,000. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 10:35 p.m. Pamela Linder, Council Preside Tc 130_ Rober H. Baker, Deputy City Clerk for Valerie Gow, Recording Secretary