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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1993-08-23 Committee of the Whole MinutesAugust 23, 1993 7:00 p.m. CALL TO ORDER COUNCILMEMBERS PRESENT OFFICIALS SPECIAL PRESENTATION Healthcare reform. APPOINTMENTS PROCLAMATIONS OF THE MAYOR. CITIZEN'S COMMENTS TUKWILA CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MINUTES Tukwila City Hall Council Chambers Council President Lawrence called the Committee of The Whole Meeting of the Tukwila City Council to order and led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance. STEVE LAWRENCE, Council President; JOE DUFFIE, JOAN HERNANDEZ, DENNIS ROBERTSON, CHARLIE SIMPSON, ALLAN EKBERG, STEVE MULLET. JOHN MCFARLAND, City Administrator; LINDA COHEN, City Attorney; LUCY LAUTERBACH, Council Analyst; DON WILLIAMS, Parks Recreation; VIKI WITSCHGER, Administrative Services; RON WALDNER/ROSA KROWS, Police; NICK OLIVAS, Fire. Mr. Paul Tucker, Administrator, Highline Community Hospital, gave a presentation in support of Washington State Health Care Reform Law. He stated that under the new law, all Washington residents will have health insurance coverage for a uniform benefits package designed by the new Washington Health Services Commission and approved by the state legislature. No one will be denied coverage for the package because of employment of economic status, or a pre- existing health problem. This universal access will be phased in over six years starting in 1993. Informational brochures were distributed. Chief of Police Ron Waldner introduced new Police Officer, Daniel J. Sheill and Mayor Rants administered the Oath of Office. Linda Rasmussen, Executive Director of Domestic Abuse Women's Network (DAWN), Post Office Box 1521, Kent, WA 98035, introduced one of the Program's staff members, Diane Tatum. Tatum presented a Certificate of Appreciation and thanked the Mayor, Council and staff for making it possible for women and children to escape life threatening violence in the South King County area. Mack McDonald, 4246 South 146th, commented on a problem located at 42nd Avenue at 146th in the southwest corner. Cars are being repaired in the area and the clutter is growing increasingly worse. Committee of The Whole Meeting Minutes August 23, 1993 Page 2 Citizen's Comments (Con't). PUBLIC HEARING Six -Year Park Open Space Plan. City Administrator McFarland responded that the matter is being looked into presently and that the area should be cleared of all vehicles by the end of the month. Shawn Munford, 4235 South 144th, voiced a complaint about the Tukwila fire trucks being a bit noisy in her neighborhood. She said the firemen are constantly running their sirens, trucks, and they leave the fire truck doors open with the radios turned up very loud. This allows radio transmissions to be heard of not only Tukwila's but other districts as well. Munford says she had spoken with fire staff regarding this matter, however the person in charge at the time was very rude and responded, "I became a fireman so I could blow my horn." She says she has also discussed this issue with the Fire Chief but has gotten no results. Assistant Fire Chief Nick Olivas responded that he will discuss this situation with all the different shift workers in an effort to eliminate the noise problem as well as any undesirable behavior. John Maclntire, 4458 South 160th, commented on the South 160th Street Improvement Undergrounding. He stated that he lives on the City Light side of the street (the north side) and that he had received notice he had 90 days to convert. The notice Also included specifications and costs. Based upon that information he tried his hand at digging a trench for which to lay the conduit himself. He was then informed that City Light would have to use their crews to bring in wire and to make the final connection. He would then be billed for $752, cash up front. Maclntire said the costs are beyond his reach and informed the Council that Puget Power charges are much lower. Mayor Rants stated he will check into this matter immediately. Jackie Dempere, 4033 South 128th, commented that she had experienced similar problems with Seattle City Light. She said the City of Tukwila should actively seek some type of resolve with City Light for the sake of its citizens. Council President Lawrence opened the public hearing at 7:50 p.m. Ellen C. Ryan, 13727 Macadam Road South, encouraged the Council to approve the proposal submitted by the Parks Commission regarding the River Bend property. Nadine Morgan, 5190 South 166th, Vice President, Duwamish Valley Committee of The Whole Meeting Minutes August 23, 1993 Page 3 Public Hearing Open Space Plan DVNPC (Con't). Neighborhood Preservation Coalition presented a proposal that would add the Beaver Bend Park to the Park Plan (previously called the River Bend Park). Morgan stated that the Coalition had met with various members of the Administration and staff, and the Parks Commission and was grateful for the advice and support they had received. She said the Allentown community had been studying this property for about two years and they have looked at it both from a housing perspective and from the Parks Proposal. The property is triangular in shape and is located on east side of Poverty Hill. She stated that the primary value of this property is to provide a green belt buffer zone between the residential community of Allentown and the commercial area around it. They are proposing to use part of the Park as a unifying segment for a bicycle commuter trail. Right now the prices of commercial property such as this one are the lowest they've been in years. However, sewers are scheduled to go into the area in the near future which mean there is a chance the property will double in price at that point. The potential benefits for buying the property now are that DVNPC's current tax exempt, non -profit organization status would allow the development of the three homes on the property for first -time home buyers. The City has thus far given DVNPC a grant of $4000 for purposes of doing an appraisal on the property which has been matched by King County and the Local Initiative Support Corporation, giving them a total of $20,000 which will be used to study the site and do preliminary work. Morgan stated the money will not be used unless the City is interested in buying all of the park property because to develop only the three homes on such a large piece of property is not economically practical. She said the property owners will likely sell the entire parcel (including the portion with the homes on it) for approximately $250,000. She asked the City to do two things: 1) Buy the park portion of the parcel now before sewers go into the area; and, 2) She would like the City to take the lead in coordinating future development of a bicycle trail in the Airport Way area to the north. Councilmember Duffie inquired if Morgan had mentioned purchasing the Pea Patch for a soft ball field during her presentation. Morgan responded, no. Councilmember Robertson asked for clarification on the City purchasing the proposed park space and what would be the approximate date of appraisal. Committee of The Whole Meeting Minutes August 23, 1993 Page 4 Public Hearing Morgan responded that to purchase the entire parcel Open Space Plan which includes the homes would cost approximately (Con't). $250,000. She was not sure of the value that had been placed on the individual parcels. With regards to the appraisal, she stated that if the City indicates they are interested in the park property, she would commence the appraisal immediately. 1 Councilmember Hernandez expressed being at a slight disadvantage because she did not know this issue was going to be discussed tonight. Though she had read the packet of material provided to the Council earlier, she didn't recall it going through the normal channels that issues such as this usually go through. One question she had and was hoping for clarification before it got to this point was on where the housing concept ended and where the park concept began. Morgan pointed out the area in question on the map for Hernandez's benefit. Robertson clarified that the proposal suggests cutting out three normal size parcels for the houses and leave the rest for the park. Morgan responded, yes. Mullet asked were the lot parcels between the property and the river? Lawrence responded that the homes faces towards the river across the street, they are closer to the river than the rest of the property. Robertson stated that an easement would have to be provided for path access. Morgan stated that one house faces the street, the other homes are way back on the property. Lawrence stated it appears that this is more of an open space proposal with a path through it for the bicycles or for pedestrians to walk through. Morgan responded that they envision taking advantage of the existing wide shoulder on the road which is basically designated for bicycles that goes up 42nd Avenue South; and there is another one that goes down 115th. She said she would propose that there be a rest stop there, basically, for bicyclists and pedestrians. It's currently being heavily used by a lot of people in the business area nearby who walk during the noon hour. Committee of The Whole Meeting Minutes August 23, 1993 Page 5 Public Hearing When Lawrence inquired as to the kind of equipment Open Space Plan for the area, Morgan suggested a couple of picnic (Con't). tables and maybe a shelter. Mayor Rants commented that during the Comprehensive Plan process there is going to be a recommendation from staff that that piece of property be zoned R -1 because it is surrounded by R -1. He said we can logically rezone without being accused of spot zoning during a Comprehensive Plan change. The Mayor said DVNPC did meet with him about two months ago and discussed their proposal. He said he informed the group at that time he could not support a position of the City purchasing that piece of property (it was $330,000 at that time) because of priorities and because it was wetlands. He felt that wetlands would be preserved as such by the City's SAO. He stated he still thinks that's a valid assumption. To add open space to our Park and Open Space Plan is a good idea. The question is where would it be added. Bill Burwell, 13535 127th NE, Kirkland, John Neller, 1300 South Eagle Ridge, Renton, Wa; and the Redmond Trails Advisory Committee were in attendance and in support of the City's Parks Master Plan. Mr. Burwell informed the Council that he and this committee have been working with the City of Renton in improving access for the pedestrians, bicyclists and others who use non motorized vehicles. He said they are interested in trying to tie together as a network through the communities in the valley and around the east side of the lake so that those who commute by bicycle and /or jog, etc would have a consistent pattern of transportation. Burwell's recommended the City include in its plan a tie between Allentown and Airport Way as a key link in the future of this community and the neighboring communities in providing transportation corridors. Councilmember Robertson informed Mr. Burwell that the Council agrees with him that the Allentown /Airport Way link is a good one, and that it has been placed in the City's Transportation Plan for discussion. Connie Hoffman, 3924 South 114th; Tim Dunn, 16238 49th Avenue South; Tim O'Brian, 6420 Carleston Avenue South, Georgetown, Board Member of DNVPC; and Penni Cocking, 8206 8th Avenue South, Seattle, Wa, Secretary of DVNPC; were all in support of DVNPC's proposal. Arthur Burrington, 12244 45th Avenue South, inquired if the City had ruled out the Pea Patch area as a possible site for a Community Center. Council President's answer was no. Committee of The Whole Meeting Minutes August 23, 1993 Page 6 Public Hearing Daniel Aragon, President, DVNPC, 4610 South 124th, Open Space Plan commented that he had done an informal survey of some (Con't). of the residents, bicyclists, walkers, joggers, Boeing personnel and others. They all support DVNPC's proposal. He encouraged the Council to do the same. Public Hearing closed. The Mayor introduced a letter from Dr. Michael Silvers, Superintendent, South Central School District. The Letter expressed support of including the Showalter Middle School site for the Park and Open Space Plan. Don Williams reported that the Planning Commission had review the draft of the Park and Open Space Plan when they held their Public Hearing. The Coalition made a presentation at that hearing. The Planning Commission's recommendation was not to add to the Plan at that time, to defer any recommendation to the Parks Commission because the Parks Commission (per TMC) reviews acquisitions and development of parks. The Commission felt it wasn't expedient to take action neither for nor against the Plan. He said that the Parks Commission met with the DVNPC last week. The Parks Commission submitted the following Motion: "We endorse the efforts of the Duwamish Valley Neighborhood Preservation Coalition to preserve the wetland, rehabilitate the housing, develop commuter trails and add to the area's open space for the Beaver Bend acreage. We recommend the City take a leadership position and allocate additional funds to the Park budget to partially fund this program." Council President Lawrence closed the public hearing at 8:46 p.m. Lawrence explained that the deadline for passage of the Park and Open Space Plan is September 7 in order to qualify for certain grant fundings. Robertson highlighted forthcoming events as they relate to finalizing the Parks Plan: a new comp plan and zoning map; a proposal coming from Tukwila Tomorrow Committee; a review by the Planning Commission; then on to the Council. He thinks it's very important for the Administration to make recommendations. However, he thinks it's inappropriate for the Council to discuss a zoning change for a particular piece of property in advance of public hearings and the property owner having a reasonable opportunity to plead his/her case. Committee of The Whole Meeting Minutes August 23, 1993 page 7 Public Hearing (Con't). For the Council to make a decision now on what might be the outcome on a matter such as this is inappropriate. Lawrence inquired of Williams if matching funds could be had through the County or State for the property in question. Williams explained that it's hard to predict which projects will qualify for grants because grants are awarded based on the size, uniqueness, and opportunity, and it is always a competitive situation. Hernandez asked how successful would it be to obtain future easements to extend the property? Hernandez inquired of the property's size. Williams responded there might be some problem in dealing with the railroad. However, if we could pull together a coalition of the Cascade Bicycle Club, the Renton Trails Committee, we possibly could work together with a bit more clout. He also asked the Council to keep in mind that the property is located on the east side of the Seattle Firing Range property which raises another concern with regards to safety. After much discussion, Robertson proposed that $150,000 dollars be added for the acquisition of the Beaver Bend open space and park with the intention that we take the money first out of whatever money is left over from acquiring Tukwila Pond. He said acquisition of this property means we're not only acquiring open space, we're materially helping in the preservation of three single family homes that are unlikely to be preserved otherwise. Additionally, it seems we are being very responsive to a real responsible citizens' group. Lawrence (referring to Table 13 -Park and Open Space Capital Improvement Plan) suggested moving the Ryan Way Park Project to the year 1997 and replace it with the Beaver Bend Park for acquisition and development in 1994 for $150,000 for the open space portion only. Morgan replied the property is approximately four acres including the city streets. After a very lengthy discussion, it was the consensus of the Council to add $150,000 to the Beaver Bend Park acquisition and development for 1994. The Council also agreed to add the improvement Showalter Middle School's base ball field to 1995 schedule of the Park and Open Space CIP Plan at a cost of approximately $80,000. Committee of The Whole Meeting Minutes August 23, 1993 Page 8 Public Hearing (Con't). Recess 9:15 9:35 SPECIAL ISSUES Non- represented salary issue. Council President Lawrence called the meeting back to order with those present as noted above. As the Council concluded this segment of the review, they requested that the page numbers be readable in the next document, and that another meeting be scheduled for August 31, beginning at 5:30 p.m to continued discussion of Parks and Open Space Plan. The Council continued review, editing and revising of the Park Plan. Williams emphasized that the we are looking at completing a non motorized trails plan and the elements of that will be in the City's Transportation Plan. He said at some future date an appendix to the Park and Open Space Plan will have to be adopted that does identity recreational trails. It's a requirement by the State. Council President Lawrence provided an overview of the non represented employees salary structure. He stated that last year the Council decided it would have a study of the salary structure (internally, every three years) in comparison with other cities of comparable size. The Finance and Safety Committee would work with Personnel and the Finance Director to analyze all the data collected from other cities, then come up with recommendations for any readjustments that were needed. Councilmember Mullet, Chairperson, Finance Safety Committee, informed the Council that the group started out by targeting similar cities, comparing related jobs. After the surveys were tallied, it was not only somewhat hard to get a handle on what to do, but it also created a lot of additional confusion. From this point, several different options were considered. Based on the results of the survey and the suggested schedules and approaches provided by staff, the Committee favored the five step salary schedule with a 2% increase between each step. The agreement to have no bonus beyond the control point was a 5 -2 majority consensus. The 90% COLA will be provided to all non represented employees appropriately except those who have been redlined. The Council agreed they would discuss what action to take on those redlined at a later date. The Council reviewed Resolution 999, establishing a compensation policy for the City of Tukwila, and made minor changes. Committee of The Whole Meeting Minutes August 23, 1993 Page 9 Non represented salary issue (Con't). An ordinance regulating the disposal of firearms. Facilities disc. It was the consensus of the Council to forward the non represented salary issue to the September 7, 1993 Finance and Safety Committee for further discussion. A discussion followed with the Council making minor revisions. 2 34- Council President Lawrence explained that the Finance and Safety Committee had reviewed the proposed ordinance regulating the disposal of forfeited firearms under the control of the Tukwila Police Department. He stated that the 1993 Washington State Legislature created a new law on the subject of police- custody weapon destruction under RCW 9.41.098. The new State law gives local jurisdictions the discretion and authority to retain, auction, or destroy certain seized and forfeited firearms. It was the Consensus of the Council to forward the proposed ordinance (with amendments) regulating the disposal of firearms to the next Regular Council Consent Agenda. Council President Lawrence commented that previous Council actions of the City's facilities were that the Council had agreed to replace the current fire station in the Allentown area on the current site; and that the current community center is not adequate (alternate site is the Allentown Pea Patch area). Lawrence recommended funding both projects with a councilmanic bond. The Bond would be paid off over a period of twenty years out of the CIP so there would be no increase in taxes. It would have an impact on other programs. There would be a shortfall each year for twenty years of about $220,000. Therefore, it would have to be adjusted to allocate those additional monies that aren't already available in the CIP to fund both these projects for a total of about $10 millions dollars. Lawrence continued that this issue has been debated for some time, now is a real favorable time (in terms of interest), because there is flexibility in the CIP. If we continue to delay, the only way to do bigger projects that aren't currently scheduled will be with voted bonds. At that point we will be in competition with the school district for voted money. Lawrence stated that this isn't a real easy route, but if given a priority, it could be folded into the CIP in September. He said there will have to be some adjustments, but it can be done. It was the consensus of the Council to pursue a proposal for the use of councilmanic bonds to build a new community center and fire station. The Mayor commented that the only thing that troubles him is the impact this total program will have on future councils and future administrations Committee of The Whole Meeting Minutes August 23, 1993 page 10 j) 3 Facilities disc. and their abilities to meet the requirements and (Con't). needs of this City for the next ten to fifteen years. He said we must be sure that when we've developed the CIP we've left enough flexibility to take care of all the needs of this community. Additionally, the City will need to continue to work for economic prosperity, not only for sales tax, but for all of the other developments that come into our City. Citizen comment REPORTS Mayor Rants said he will meet with Williams tomorrow in an effort to develop a process that will include public involvement. Robertson suggested and the Council agreed that an article be place in the Hazelnut soliciting public involvement this fall in deciding on funding, size, contents, and the location of both projects. Roger Baker, 11662 42nd Avenue South, applauded the council in the funding method they chose. However, he said the site that the Council selects will impact the City for many years to come. Therefore, the only site that's suitable, and all the facts point to Allentown. It makes no sense to place a community center among houses. He encouraged the Council to please consider all of the aspects before making their final decision. The Mayor reported he had attended the recent International Trade Exchange held at the Double Tree Suites, sponsored by the Southwest King County Chamber of Commerce. There were 350 people in attendance representing various countries. Their goal this year is to create a foreign exchange zone which give exporters /importers tax breaks. The Mayor said he will be putting together an economic development committee for the purpose of involving the City in this kind of trade and presenting it to the Council at a later date. Mayor Rants read a thank you card he had received from McMicken Heights Elementary on behalf of the students, staff and PTA members thanking the Council and the Mayor for awarding the school $500 from the Vision Tukwila Neighborhood Fund to be used to improve the play area. ADJOURNMENT MOVED BY DUFFIE, SECONDED BY SIMPSON, TO 11:07 P.M. ADJOURN TO THE SPECIAL MEETING. MOTION CARRIED. ,A<).<9 Steve Lawrence, Council President i Celia Squar "Deputy City Clerk