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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1993-03-01 Regular MinutesMarch 1, 1993 7:00 p.m. CALL TO ORDER ROLL CALL OFFICIALS APPOINTMENTS Oath of Office Appointment to Tukwila Tomorrow Committee Paul Seely CITIZENS COMMENTS TUKWILA CITY COUNCIL *TIE VOTE 3 -3 MINUTES ROLL CALL VOTE: DUFFIE NO HERNANDEZ YES LAWRENCE NO SIMPSON YES EKBERG NO MULLET YES Tukwila City Hall Council Chambers Mayor Rants called the Regular Meeting of the Tukwila City Council to order and led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance. JOE DUFFIE; JOAN HERNANDEZ; STEVE LAWRENCE, Council President; DENNIS ROBERTSON; CHARLES SIMPSON; ALLAN EKBERG; STEVE MULLET. LINDA COHEN, City Attorney; JOHN McFARLAND, City Administrator; ROSS EARNST, Public Works Director; RON WALDNER, Chief of Police; VIM WITSCHGER, Administrative Services Director; LUCY LAUTERBACH, Council Analyst. Chief of Police Ron Waldner introduced Tukwila's newest police officers. Mayor Rants administered the Oath of Office to Jonathan Harrison and Douglas Johnson. Mayor Rants asked for Council's concurrence of his appointment of Paul Seely to the Tukwila Tomorrow Committee as a representative of the business community. Councilmember Robertson asked to withdraw because both he and Mr. Seely are Boeing employees. Robertson sited his concern regarding the possible appearance of a conflict of interest in this matter. Council was divided on whether or not to add a committee member at such a late date when the group's final report would be out in six months. Some of the councilmembers felt the Tukwila Tomorrow committee members should make the decision on the appointment. Mayor Rants reminded Council that the committee needs to have a broad representation. MOVED BY HERNANDEZ, SECONDED BY MULLET, THAT COUNCIL ACCEPT THE APPOINTMENT ON THE CONDITION THAT THE COMMITTEE APPROVES.* Stating that he opposes the precedent the motion sets, Council President Lawrence explained that the committee represents the City and can't be given veto power over who can or cannot join the committee. In his opinion, the Mayor should make the appointment and Council should confirm or not confirm. MOVED BY LAWRENCE, SECONDED BY DUFFLE, TO CONFIRM THE APPOINTMENT OF PAUL SEELY TO THE TUKWILA TOMORROW COMMITTEE. MOTION CARRIED. Al Pieper, 17083 53rd Ave. So., stated his concern that the City has no procedure for pursuing illegal or roadside dumps. He suggested Council enact an ordinance that spells out the violations and fines associated with the illegal disposal of trash on public property. Pieper also chastised the Council and administration for not responding to a letter he had distributed to each one of them regarding what he considered excessive waste relative to the budget. Council President Lawrence apologized for the oversight and informed Mr. Pieper that although he had not responded to the letter, he had spoken with the city administrator regarding some of the concerns referenced in his letter. Lawrence added that he intended to look at Mr. Pieper's Tukwila City Council Regular Meeting March 1, 1993 Pge 2 Citizens Comments OLD BUSINESS Salary Survey of Non represented Staff JAL( budget concerns further during the budget cycle this summer. Both of issues were forwarded to the Finance and Safety Committee for further review. CONSENT AGENDA a. Approval of Minutes: February 1, 1993 b. Approval of Vouchers: 3/1/93 Nos.63321 through 63534 in the amount of $203,783.53 c. Budget transfer in the amount of $100,000 to fund RCAA Legal Defense Fund for 1993 d. Accept as complete 17th Fairway Pump Station project with T.F. Sahli Const.; authorize release of retainage e. Accept as complete Crestview Park Improvements project with RAM, Inc.; authorize release of retainage f. Accept as complete Foster Park Addition project with JLR, Inc.; authorize release of retainage g. Authorize Mayor to accept right -of -way dedication adjacent to Gateway Drive for sidewalk and street purposes h. Authorize Mayor to accept 30 ft. wide easement for public water main extension in private drive south of S. 147th St., (Carlos C. Macri property) Councilmember Duffie requested item (b) be removed; Councilmember Robertson requested item (f) be removed. Both items were forwarded to Old Business for discussion. MOVED BY DUFFIE, SECONDED BY MULLET, TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA AS AMENDED. MOTION CARRIED. Administrative Services Director Viki Witschger presented a list of nine comparable cities to be used in the non represented employee salary study. The nine cities, as recommended by the Finance and Safety Committee, included Renton, Kirkland, Kent, Redmond, Auburn, Edmonds, Lynnwood, Puyallup, and Bothell Criteria used in developing the list were population, square miles, assessed value, and staff size. Councilmember Robertson objected to using Kent in the study because that city is larger on every scale than Tukwila. Robertson cited Kent's financial difficulties as another reason to eliminate them from the comparable cities list. Councilmember Simpson responded that the committee felt it important to remain consistent and use the same comparable cities as are used for other city bargaining units. Ms. Witschger added that from a credibility standpoint, if different cities are used in this study than the comparables used for other City bargaining units, there could be some consideration on the non -rep's part as to the fairness of the review. In conclusion, Ms. Witschger stated that for the past 5 years, the cities of Renton, Kent, Auburn, Redmond, and Kirkland have been used consistently in bargaining studies by both the unions and the City. MOVED BY SIMPSON, SECONDED BY DUFFIE, TO APPROVE THE NINE CITIES AS COMPARABLES AS SUBMITTED. MOTION CARRIED WITH ROBERTSON VOTING NO. MOVED BY EKBERG, SECONDED BY DUFFIE, THAT THE PROPOSED RESOLUTION BE READ BY TITLE ONLY. MOTION CARRIED. City Attorney Linda Cohen read A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF TUKWILA, WASHINGTON, AMENDING RESOLUTION 1217 TO ALLOW GREATER FLEXIBILITY IN CONDUCTING SALARY STUDIES. Tukwila City Council Regular Meeting March 1, 1993 Page 3 Old Business (con't) Vouchers (from Consent) Accept as Complete Foster Park Addition Project NEW BUSINESS Water and Sewer Comp Plan Policies MOVED BY EKBERG, SECONDED BY DUFFLE, TO APPROVE RESOLUTION NO. 1241 AS READ.* To clarify the intention of the amended Section 4, Council President Lawrence explained that the analysis will still be done by Council unless it's turned over to a consultant for analysis. Lawrence stated he felt it inappropriate for staff to do an analysis of their own salary schedule. Councilmember Robertson stated was opposed to the amendment. MOVED BY ROBERTSON, SECONDED BY LAWRENCE, TO AMEND SECTION 4 OF THE PROPOSED RESOLUTION TO READ AS FOLLOWS: EVERY THREE YEARS, BEGINNING IN THE SPRING OF 1993, THE CITY SHALL CONDUCT A WAGE ANALYSIS FOR THE PROPOSE OF BRINGING THE NON REPRESENTED WAGES INTO COMPLIANCE WITH THE CITY'S COMPENSATION POLICY. SUCH A STUDY MAY HAVE THE FACTS AND DATA GATHERED BY STAFF OR A CONSULTANT. BUT THE ELECTED CITY OFFICIALS SHALL PERFORM THE ANALYSIS. Councilmember Simpson explained that it was the intent of the Finance and Safety Committee to have staff provide answers to their questions but not to make any recommendations. Finance and Safety would provide a recommendation to the whole council. Councilmember Mullet concurred. Councilmember Duffie voiced his opposition to the amendment. *MOTION CARRIED WITH DUFFIE VOTING NO. *MOTION CARRIED AS AMENDED. Council President Lawrence requested Council's approval to have Finance and Safety re- examine Resolution No.999 which states that the City shall pay at levels of average to upper mid second quartile. Lawrence explained that Council needs to decide whether they still want to pay above average wages. Council concurred. Ms. Witschger cautioned that to reconsider the resolution at the same time that Council is doing a salary study for non represented employees could send a message to those employees that is different than has been regarding the five bargaining units that have just settled their contracts. Councilmember Simpson commented that as a member of the Council that approved Resolution No. 999, he continued to stand by it. Councilmember Duffie explained that at the time he reviewed the vouchers for approval, some of them had not been signed by department heads. They have now all been signed. MOVED BY DUFFIE, SECONDED BY HERNANDEZ, TO APPROVE VOUCHER NOS. 63321 THROUGH 63534. MOTION CARRIED. Councilmember Robertson noted that the figures on the Notice of Completion of Project form didn't add up. Mayor Rants recommended it be sent back to the Transportation Committee for clarification. Public Works Director Ross Earnst led a discussion on the water and sewer comprehensive plan policies as proposed by the Utilities Committee. Earnst noted that the city attorney has recommended another public hearing be held on the policies. Following discussion Council recommended several changes be made to the policies. Tukwila City Council Regular Meeting March 1, 1993 Page 4 New Business (con't) REPORTS Mayor Council MOVED BY LAWRENCE, SECONDED BY EKBERG, THAT SECTION 2 (a) OF THE PROPOSED RESOLUTION ADOPTING A WATER COMPREHENSIVE PLAN BE AMENDED TO READ AS FOLLOWS: "THE CITY BOUNDARIES SHOULD BE THE POTENTIAL WATER SERVICE AREA FOR THE CITY MOTION CARRIED. MOVED BY LAWRENCE, SECONDED BY DUFFIE, THAT SECTION 2 (a) OF THE PROPOSED RESOLUTION ADOPTING A SEWER COMPREHENSIVE PLAN BE AMENDED TO READ AS FOLLOWS: "THE CITY BOUNDARIES SHOULD BE THE POTENTIAL WATER SERVICE AREA FOR THE CITY MOTION CARRIED. MOVED BY ROBERTSON, SECONDED BY LAWRENCE, THAT THE FOLLOWING SECTIONS IN THE PROPOSED RESOLUTION ADOPTING A SEWER COMPREHENSIVE PLAN BE AMENDED TO READ AS FOLLOWS: (f) "THE CITY SHALL, ON A TIMELY BASIS, MONITOR WATER QUALITY IN THE UNSEWERED AREAS OF THE CITY IN ORDER TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF EXISTING ON SITE SEWAGE DISPOSAL SYSTEMS IN THAT AREA"; (g) "THE CITY SHALL CONTINUE TO NEGOTIATE WITH OTHER SEWER SYSTEMS OPERATING WITHIN THE CITY LIMITS TO DETERMINE THE FEASIBILITY, TERMS AND SCHEDULING OF THE TRANSFER OF SEWER SYSTEM FACILITIES. IN ADDITION, SEWER SERVICE PROVIDERS OPERATING FACILITIES WITHIN THE CITY LIMITS WILL BE REQUIRED TO OBTAIN A FRANCHISE FOR OPERATION WHICH DETAILS THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR SEWER SYSTEM OPERATION"; (i) "SEWER RATES SHOULD BE STRUCTURED TO BE SUFFICIENT TO FUND NECESSARY ENGINEERING, ENVIRONMENTAL AND FINANCING STUDIES, ADEQUATE INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT, AND NECESSARY IMMEDIATE REPAIRS TO THE SYSTEM. IN CONJUNCTION WITH ANY RATES STUDY, IMPLEMENTATION OF A GENERAL FACILITY CHARGE AND THE PENALTIES ASSOCIATED WITH UNAUTHORIZED DISCHARGE INTO THE SYSTEM WILL ALSO BE EVALUATED"; (j) "THE CITY WILL ADOPT A UNIFORM SEWER SYSTEM EXTENSION POLICY FOR EXTENSION OF SYSTEMS INSIDE THE CITY LIMITS. THIS DOCUMENT WILL GOVERN ALL NEW DEVELOPER EXTENSION ACTIVITIES AND WILL ESTABLISH MINIMUM AND UNIFORM DESIGN STANDARDS MOTION CARRIED. Council and staff agreed to postpone setting a public hearing on the proposed policies until it was determined who is responsible for reviewing the water and sewer comprehensive plans. Mayor Rants reported that he and Councilmember Robertson participated in a King County sponsored train ride from Seattle to Everett on a commuter route, then south to Tacoma and back to Seattle. Rants explained that the commuter rail, if approved, will cost approximately $280 million and will carry 6 -7,000 passengers per day at a cost between $2 to $3.35 per day per person. Rants reported he was told that Tukwila could have its station any place they wanted it. Rants added that King County's proposal is different than what is being proposed by the Regional Transit Program. Councilmember Duffie shared his "Noon Runners" T -shirt program with Council. Duffie explained that he is sponsoring a physical fitness program that encourages Tukwila Elementary students to earn a t- shirt by running four miles. Duffie said he hopes to have all 360 students wearing a "noon runners" shirt by the end of next year. Tukwila City Council Regular Meeting March 1, 1993 Page 5 Reports (con'tl Councilmember Hernandez announced that she will be attending the National League of Cities conference in Washington D.C. next week. Council President Lawrence announced that three councilmembers would be absent from the COW scheduled for next week. MOVED BY MULLET, SECONDED BY EKBERG, TO CANCEL THE MARCH 8TH COW AND MEET INSTEAD ON MARCH 29TH IF NECESSARY. MOTION CARRIED. Councilmember Robertson announced he would be in Europe until March 25th. ADJOURNMENT MOVED BY SIMPSON, SECONDED BY DUFFIE, THAT THE 8:35 p.m. MEETING BE ADJOURNED. MOTION CARRIED. �I tiA Johji W. Rants, Ma o an E. Cantu, City Clerk