Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout1999-09-13 Committee of the Whole MinutesTUKWILA CITY COUNCIL September 13, 1999 7:00 p.m. Council Chambers City Hall CITY COUNCIL OF WHOLE COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES CALL TO ORDER: Council President Dave Fenton called the meeting to order and led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance. COUNCILMEMBERS PRESENT: Council President Dave Fenton, Councilmembers Joe Duffle, Joan Hernandez, Pam Carter, Steve Mullet, Jim Haggerton, and Pamela Linder. OFFICIALS: John Rants, Mayor; John McFarland, City Administrator; Don Williams, Director of Parks Recreation; Alan Doerschel, Finance Director; Public Works Director Jim Morrow; Mike Alderson, Assistant Fire Chief; and Lucy Lauterbach, Council Analyst. CITIZEN COMMENT /CORRESPONDENCE: Joanne McManus. 5610 S. 133". Tukwila, requested the City's assistance in changing her zip code, as she does not receive the Voter's Pamphlet for the City of Tukwila. She spoke with several people who have indicated they are not voting, as they do not know what they would be voting on. She requested the City's assistance in obtaining one zip code for the City of Tukwila. Administrator McFarland reported the City has attempted unsuccessfully in the past to obtain one zip code for the City and spoke of the difficulty in pursuing a change in zip code. Council President Fenton asked staff to consider the request. Anna Bernhard. 14241 51 Street, Tukwila. asked how she could obtain a residential sign for her neighborhood informing drivers of the 25 MPH speed limit. Councilmember Mullet indicated the request would be referred to the Finance and Safety Committee for review and consideration. Ms. Bernhard referred to the Silver Dollar searchlight and requested the City only allow one more 10 -day permit. Councilmember Mullet said the issue is scheduled for future review by the Council. SPECIAL ISSUES: a. Interlocal Joint Purchasing Agreement with the City of Tacoma for purchase of new alphanumeric paging service Councilmember Linder, reported that the Finance and Safety Committee reviewed the request at the August 23 Committee meeting. She briefed the Council on the low price for AlphaNumeric Pagers, which are superior to the pagers currently used by fire personnel. By entering into an interlocal agreement, the City could purchase better pagers through Tacoma, at a $5.81 per unit monthly cost. This is lower than the current cost. City of Tukwila Page 2 of 6 City Council of Whole Meeting Minutes September 13, 1999 Assistant Fire Chief Mike Alderson reported research began approximately two years ago through ValleyCom to seek additional ways to send pages to individuals within the fire service that ValleyCom serves. Numerous East Coast departments have integrated their paging with their Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system to send messages simultaneously to the paging system. Disadvantages with the current radio system is that it is limited to range and is subject to the terrain and location when transmitting. The AlphaNumeric Paging system covers the majority of western Washington and can be extended for eastern Washington or Idaho, if traveling out of town. The current system is a numeric system that provides only number messages. The AlphaNumeric system provides the name, address, and type of call and can store up to 20 messages for retrieval. The system also has the capability of Internet paging. The basis price of the AlphaNumeric Paging system is $4.95 per month per pager as opposed to $6.95 for the current pagers in use. Initially, the Fire Department will purchase 10 paging units for fire prevention and administrative staff. The union has expressed an interest in establishing a joint agreement with the Fire Department to pay for half the monthly cost of each pager and supplying pagers to all fire personnel. Councilmembers expressed support for the new pagers and agreed to move the Interlocal Joint Purchase Agreement with Tacoma to the next regular Council meeting for approval. b. Briefing on proposed water rate increase Councilmember Carter indicated the Council approved setting the public hearing date for the proposed water rate increase for September 20, 1999. Previously, businesses have expressed their unhappiness with the City setting water rate increases in December, after businesses have already established their next year's budget. Based on this, the Utility Committee is requesting the Council act quickly on the proposed rate increase. The proposed rate increase includes a pass through increase plus an additional increase to account for inflation and provide a financial cushion if there should be additional charges from the City of Seattle related to the Endangered Species Act (ESA) or the Habitat Conservation Program (HCP). The Utility Committee is recommending a 10% water rate increase. Director Morrow answered questions from Councilmembers and indicated the ordinance would be amended to reflect the correct water rate increase approved by the Council. Councilmember Mullet indicated the 10% rate increase includes the 6% pass through increase from the City of Seattle, a 2% increase for inflation and operating costs, and 2% in anticipation of future charges due to HCP or ESA requirements. City of Tukwila Page 3 of 6 City Council of Whole Meeting Minutes September 13, 1999 Discussion followed on how the additional 2% increase in water rates would be used by the City in the event no additional charges result from ESA or HCP. Director Morrow indicated the additional 2% increase represents only $54,000 in revenue for the City. c. Public Works remodeling proposal Director Morrow asked for Council support and approval of a remodeling effort in the engineering and permit development areas of the Public Works Department. The remodeling will dovetail with the reorganization the Council previously approved and adopted. In addition, the current working environment is not conducive for the tasks required of the department. New modular workstations would allow the department to be more productive. Director Morrow referred to the workstation layout diagram and reviewed how the layout would accommodate currently approved positions and future growth. Additionally, the workstations can be moved and reconfigured to accommodate any changes that may occur within City Hall in the future. Council President Fenton moved the remodel request to the next regular Council meeting for action. d. An ordinance adopting the Six -Year Foster Golf Links Plan Council President Fenton noted for the record a letter received from Dorothy Wynn, Captain of the Foster Women's Golf Club. Councilmembers expressed approval of the Six -Year Foster Golf Links Plan and stressed that fees should be kept as low as possible for Tukwila residents. Council President Fenton moved approval of the ordinance to the next regular Council meeting. e. Foster Golf Course Maintenance Facility bid award Administrator McFarland requested this items be stricken from the agenda. REPORTS: a. City Council Councilmember Duffle reported recent attendance at the retirement ceremony of the Commanding Officer for the Washington National Guard. The new commanding officer is a U.S. Air Force Brigadier General. City of Tukwila Page 4 of 6 City Council of Whole Meeting Minutes September 13, 1999 Councilmember Hernandez attended the Suburban Cities Association Membership meeting on September 8, hosted by the Port of Seattle. Three Port Commissioners provided presentations on the Port of Seattle. Councilmember Hernandez has received information concerning I -695 (copies previously distributed to the Council). There was a question and answer session and information was shared concerning deadlines for enacting ordinances for increases before the 1 -695 becomes law, if passed. Councilmember Hernandez reported on a two -day training opportunity for up to two people who might become the Census Community Coordinator for Tukwila. She indicated the individual most likely to become the community coordinator is assuming the AmeriCorp volunteer position beginning on October 1. The volunteer will be working with the Equity and Diversity Commission. Unfortunately, the volunteer is not available until October 1 and the training takes place on September 22 -23, 1999 in Portland. Administrator McFarland indicated staff would follow up on the training opportunity. Council President Fenton reported on a telephone call from Roberta Nelson, who will be coordinating the City's United Way Campaign effort. She asked for input from the Council regarding the City's participation in the campaign. Mayor Rants reported that in the past, Rhonda Berry has coordinated the City's United Way campaign effort. Councilmember Carter suggested that it might be appropriate for the Council to recognize the City department with the highest percentage of contributors. Council President Fenton said he would coordinate the City's effort with Ms. Nelson. Council President Fenton reported the receipt of feedback from other Councilmembers concerning lodging accommodations for the Council retreat and announced that lodging accommodations would be at the Channel Lodge in La Conner on January 21 -23, 2000. Councilmember Mullet attended a Part 154 Study meeting at Boeing Field earlier in the day. He reported on agenda items discussed at the last Community Affairs and Parks Committee meeting. Councilmember Haggerton reported attendance at a September 8 Suburban Cities Association Membership meeting. Mr. Haggerton also attended the Green/Duwamish Watershed Steering Committee meeting at the Tukwila Community Center on September 9. He attended as an observer and remarked on how well attended the meeting was. Councilmember Duffle reported that volunteers would be stenciling all of the City's drains with information concerning salmon and fish habitat. City of Tukwila Page 5 of 6 City Council of Whole Meeting Minutes September 13, 1999 Councilmember Linder also attended the Suburban Cities Association meeting and indicated there was some confusion regarding the deadline date for jurisdictions to pass ordinances for rate increases or budget changes if I -695 should pass. She recommended using December 6 as the deadline instead of December 31, 1999. The Human Services Roundtable Legislative meeting is on Monday, September 20, from 7:45 to 9:15 p.m. b. Mayor Mayor Rants referred to the WRIA -9 meeting and indicated the group is comprised of two forums the Near Shore Forum representing Burien, Des Moines, Normandy Park, and Seattle; and the Green River Forum representing cities along the Green River plus the Washington Environmental Coalition comprised of tribes, Trout Unlimited, and anyone who wants to have a say or stake in what will happen with salmon. The volunteer group (WRIA) has no legislative authority and no ability to handle money. Mayor Rants said he submitted a recommendation that by interlocal agreement, the Green River Forum would be the legislative branch that would handle funding, especially if matching funding is required for any grants. Mayor Rants received a copy of the City of Kent's resolution in support of Tukwila's position concerning Sound Transit. He read the content of the resolution and suggested the Council send a thank you letter. Mayor Rants indicated that after the Suburban Cities Association meeting he asked Port Officials to partner with the City of Tukwila on the livability of the City's Dwamish area, specifically removing 1,200 trucks off City streets and partnering on economic development to increase freight mobility. He indicated that the Port has contacted him regarding the north access truck issue and indicated a willingness to assist. He said he would involve the Port on the committee tasked to resolve the Burlington Northern access issue. c. Staff Administrator McFarland met with Airport Cities (not to be confused with the Airport Communities Coalition) to discuss issues in common, related to the impacts of the SeaTac Airport. He indicated the meeting resulted in good dialog and involved issues other than the ongoing debate regarding the third runway. d. Miscellaneous Councilmember Carter suggested that in lieu of recent information concerning I -695, the Council should set a date for a public hearing either at the end of September or in early October for a resolution that she intends to propose. Mayor Rants indicated staff would compile information on potential impacts to the City and contact representatives opposing and supporting 1 -695. City of Tukwila Page 6 of 6 City Council of Whole Meeting Minutes September 13, 1999 Parks Recreation Director Don Williams requested the City, on behalf of many citizens, consider becoming a Wildlife Habitat Conservation City. His department is sponsoring a meeting to gauge community volunteer interest on September 21 at the Tukwila Community Center at 7:00 p.m. (8:15 p.m.) Council President Fenton adjourned the meeting and convened executive session. A r David Fenton, Council President „Ai IY. ka/R Robert H. Baker, CMC, Deputy City Clerk for Valerie Gow, Recording Secretary Date Minutes Signed: /0 2 /99