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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1974-05-22 Special MinutesMay 22, 1974 7:30 P.M. CALL TO ORDER ROLL CALL OF COUNCIL MEMBERS MEETING DISCUSSION TUKWILA CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES 7/1. Tukwila City Hall Council Chambers Mayor Todd called the Special Meeting of the Council to order. He announced the purpose of the Meeting is to discuss the free Tukwila bus and Revenue Sharing monies to fund it. GARDNER, STERLING, TRAYNOR, DAVIS, JOHANSON. MOVED BY TRAYNOR, SECONDED BY JOHANSON, THAT COUNCILMAN SAUL BE EXCUSED. CARRIED. Councilman Traynor requested comments from the audience on the proposal to fund the Metro bus in Tukwila for the period June 1, 1974 through May 31, 1975 with a portion of Federal Revenue Sharing funds. Mayor Todd stated $36,000.00 of the funds will be appropri- ated for bus service if the Council approves. Mrs. Rena Holloway stated she has always felt a nominal charge for bus fare should be charged and then she would support the bus. If there is not a charge, then she definitely does not. Mr. Lou Trudeau stated the bus is a waste of money regardless of where it is coming from town, state or federal. He stated he works around town and has seen the bus empty most of the time. He stated he disagrees strongly with federal money being blown one way or another and the bus is along the same lines. Renton is one case. Mrs. Lillian Balk stated she has been riding the bus and talking to the older people who have been enjoying the service. They feel it gives them a little more independence to do their own shopping and errands. It would be a disfavor to our older citizens to take it away. Mrs. Jennel Baldwin stated she had seen the bus partially empty many times. She stated she and her family have ridden the bus a few times and that she does not like the scheduling for the after- noon. She would just as soon ride the bus and many others might also if the scheduling were better. If we cannot have a full service bus, then why not a mini -bus. Mrs. Lutes stated she has been riding the bus ever since she found out about it. She finds there are quite a few people on it, and all were expressing a wish to keep the bus. One day last week, there were 20 passengers on it all going to Southcenter for one purpose or another. She stated she does not think 10¢ will hurt anyone either. She stated the City must have this service because driving is getting expensive. Some women have to wait for their husbands to come home from work before they can shop. There are about 400 signatures on petitions on file in favor of the bus. Please don't forget those. Mrs. Anna Bernhard stated she would like to see a scheduling change. Saturday would be a good day to have the bus. The hours the bus runs now are not right. Mayor Todd asked if Mrs. Bernhard could suggest some better hours. Mrs. Bernhard stated her main point is to have the bus on Saturday and later in the afternoon on weekdays, perhaps from 2 to 6 P.M. Mayor Todd stated with the funding projected to be available, we have 35 hours of service per week. Presently, we are running the bus only on weekdays. The hours of operation can be changed, how- ever if we go to Saturday service, we would have to cut down week- day service. Mrs. Bernhard stated we may not have to operate the bus every day during the week. She stated the senior citizens should not have to pay a fare, but everyone else could pay a dime or a quarter. COUNCILWOMAN HARRIS ARRIVED AT 7:38 P.M. Mrs. Velma Lee stated the hours could be shorter in the winter and longer in the summer to average to 35 hours. Ms. Cheryl Torbenson stated she liked the service and wouldn't mind paying for it, but she would like later hours in the day. TUKWILA CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING May 22, 1974 Page 2 MEETING DISCUSSION Cont. 7/3 Mrs. McLester stated she would like to see a poll of those who really utilize the service. Are they young people, older people or children? She stated she has never ridden the bus and has never seen more than 3 or 4 people riding in it. Mayor Todd stated we do not have that much detail in our ridership reports and would have to conduct a survey. Mrs. Lutes stated she has seen children riding the bus and does not know how many of them are buying milk and bread for the family or are riding for the fun of it. She stated she had talked to the bus drivers and they stated some of the children are troublesome, but the drivers have been able to handle it. Also the children would be able to use the bus to get to the new park at the Central School. Mrs. Jennel Baldwin stated there are people who ride the bus who cannot drive or don't have the car at home. Parking at peak hours at Southcenter is atrocious. She stated her daughter rides the bus and has a one hour limit. Most parents expect their children to behave themselves, but some of course do not behave. She stated most children would probably get bored of riding the bus for the fun of it. Mrs. McLester stated she is not knocking the bus or questioning what type of people are riding the bus. She stated she wants to know who gets the best use of the bus. She stated she does not agree with kids riding the bus without adult supervision. Mrs. Baldwin stated she prefers to ride the bus for short errands because it is difficult to find parking at Southcenter. Mrs. Holloway stated the small charge for fare would eliminate the problem of babysitting on the bus. Mrs. Donna Charlton stated she agreed with Mrs. Holloway and stated she would like to see the bus run earlier in the morning for the people who work in the area or want to catch a connecting bus. She stated she received calls at City Hall from citizens who are for the bus transportation, especially from the senior citizens. Councilman Johanson stated Donna's concern is for early morning service while there are suggestions from others for late afternoon, evenings and weekends. How can we provide this much service? Mr. Al Pieper read a prepared statement, "I do not wish to speak either for or against the bus. I only wish to give the Council a point of view for your consideration. According to the figures released at the Council meeting at which the representative of the bus company gave his estimates on costs and rides, it approximates $1.00 per ride or rides. We have no figures or estimates as to how many riders are being babysat or are out joy riding. Assuming that 50% of the rides are what I will call unnecessary, this leaves the necessary rides at $2.00 each. I took the liberty of calling Sea -Tac Taxi to compare fares. The fare from the Airport to Southcenter is about $2.70, from the Tuk- wila hill $1.20 and from the Canyon Estates Apartments to South center $1.00. It would not take over $.20 worth of gas in a pri- vate car. It would seem that if we consider the cost,the pollution factor of a bus over a car, the scheduling, the fact that the buses obstruct traffic, etc., that the bus system as it now exists is a bitter pill for the already over burdened taxpayers. Further, the number of rides there must be quite a few repeaters and there must be quite a few people that live outside of Tukwila. That leaves the number of bona fide Tukwila residents that ride the bus at a small minority of the total population. It follows that an expenditure of approximately $35,000.00 for a bus service to bene- fit only a few of our total population is bad fiscal policy. TUKWILA CITY COUNCIL MEETING May 22, 1974 Page 3 MEETING DISCUSSION Cont. The point of view that the bus system is funded from a federal grant and costs us nothing is debatable because the federal government has no funds of its own. The government's funds must come from us, work their way up through the system then work their way back down and for us to then spend that money on an unreliable bus system leaves something to be desired. In closing, I submit that there must be other ways to use revenue sharing money that will benefit a larger number of citizens and I suggest that if the Council does decide to fund the bus, then some- thing be worked out to make the system so it serves more people." Councilman Traynor asked Mr. Pieper how is the system unreliable. Mr. Pieper stated the bus comes and goes in his neighborhood at all hours without a schedule. He stated his sister -in -law lives just outside the City limits, she walks a few blocks and catches the bus to Southcenter. We are spending $2.00 per ride to use the sys- tem. There must be better ways to spend the money; more people have to have access to the results of the expenditure. Mrs. Charlton stated if we had the early morning service and charge a small fare, we would probably get a lot of people who work close by taking the bus in the morning. Mayor Todd stated the bus would have to run from 6:00 A.M. and on and also be available in the late afternoon and evening hours to come back. We have a limited amount of hours per day which causes the break in the service. Mrs. Torbenson stated if the hours were changed, more people would use the bus for working transportation. Mrs. Baldwin asked what the hours are now. Mayor Todd stated from 10:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M. and from 6:00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M. Mrs. Baldwin suggested the hours 6:00 to 9:00 A.M. and from 3:00 to 8:00 P.M. Mayor Todd stated the hours can always be adjusted. Larry Coffman, Metro Transit, stated Saturday service can be pro- vided if service is cut back on the weekdays. There are only so many hours to distribute. Mrs. Ann Crain stated she is in favor of the bus for her children because it saves her trips in the car. Better scheduling would make the service available to any citizen in the City. She stated whether everyone takes advantage of it is irrelevent. Councilwoman Davis asked Mrs. Crain if the service is reliable when her children ride. Mrs. Crain replied yes, and stated her neighbor rides the bus once a week because she has no other transportation available. Mr. Don Myers stated it was his wife Mrs. Crain is referring to and that she does use the bus to go to the doctor and catches the con- necting routes to other places. It saves him from having to take a day off. Mrs. Robinson stated she rides the bus because she cannot drive. She stated she can speak for an elderly lady whose only method of getting around is the bus; the lady stated she would not mind paying a fare and her friends have expressed the same feelings. Mr. Pieper stated the City could furnish taxi fare for the elderly citizens at less cost than the bus. He stated the bus routes cover only about 10% of the City. All of our citizens do not have access. The cost factor of each ride is so great and we do not know how much more expensive it will get in the future. We need to take a hard look at this. Mrs. Crain asked the Council if it is true that the bus does not cover all the City. Mayor Todd stated the largest area the bus does not serve is in the industrial area. The present routes cover as nearly as possible the highest number of citizens. TUKWILA CITY COUNCIL MEETING May 22, 1974 Page 4 MEETING DISCUSSION Cont. Mrs. Crain asked if a fare is charged, would this involve extra costs to Metro for bookkeeping? Larry Coffman stated the bookkeeping is done by Metro and we would send the City a statement deducting the amount of fares and the City would be paying the difference between the bill and fare receipts. We would include it in the contract agreement. Mr. Trudeau asked Mr. Coffman if it would be profitable for Metro to run a bus through the City at their expense. Larry Coffman stated this has been discussed at several other meetings with the Council. Tukwila is intended to have Metro service eventually but he could not give an exact date. The service will be provided under the 1980 Plan but not this year. He stated the bus service is not intended to be profit mak- ing, that it is a necessity to make the communities function and is paid for by all other cities in the County through taxes. Population density, the characteristics of the community and community concern are included in the criteria for providing service. Mr. Trudeau asked Mr. Coffman if Metro is government backed or a private concern. Larry Coffman stated the State Legislature created Metro Tran- sit in 1958 as a government entity of King County. It was granted auth- ority to tax in 1972. Metro Transit receives .3% sales tax revenue and other State and Federal funds. Mr. George Hill stated the bus is a necessity for the older citizens. He stated he read in the paper that the quantity of half -cent sales tax is an indicator of what Metro gets. Renton had $147,000 and Tukwila had $146,000. Since the citizens here have expressed a desire to have the bus service and did pledge $30,000 last year, would it be possible to have that bus sooner. Why not go along with us and get more hours per week for the bus. We could run the service from 7:00 to 10:00 A.M. and from 2:00 to 10:00 P.M. weekdays and on Saturday, and Metro could pick up the difference. Larry Coffman stated Metro does not do business on the basis of sales tax. The State law requires service be developed in the central city and suburban areas. 45% of the taxes come from suburban areas and 55% comes from Seattle. Service is 70% for the city and 30% for suburban areas. We try to work toward a balance of service. The City of Tukwila is unique in the County, and you do have good service from other areas in the valley. We have not ignored Tukwila. Mr. Hill stated the 18 20 passenger buses such as Boeing operates may provide better service for our needs and at less expense. Mr. Coffman stated the driver is 85% of the costs. Mr. Hill stated it seems every- one would like to have more hours. Maybe we could have more if we all bend a little. Larry Coffman stated there is no legal way to make a concession based on sales tax to do more for you. Mr. Ed Robinson stated he rides the Metro bus from Southcenter to Seattle and it runs along Interurban Avenue without making a stop. Why not run that bus up over the hill to pick up a few more passengers. Larry Coff- man stated that would make quite a long ride for passengers coming from Auburn, but we will take a look at it. Mrs. McLester stated we run the bus for 35 hours, spend $35,000 and 85% of that is for the driver; she would like to become a bus driver. She stated she rides the Metro bus and believe in it. The gas shortage should have made a believer of others. The bus service is great for the older citizens. With the increase in sales tax revenue, have we added a new route in Tukwila? Larry Coffman stated there is Route #145 from Kent, #150 from Auburn and #240 between Renton and Burien. Mrs. McLester stated perhaps we should investigate the possibility of a small- er bus on the basis of need. Mayor Todd stated it was his original proposal to purchase two 15- passen- ger mini -vans, hire local drivers and provide complete service. This was prevented by the fact that Metro has an exclusive franchise and Metro advised us that a smaller bus was not viable. On several occasions since that time, he has sent written suggestions to Metro that they investigate the situation. We have justification for our local service. He stated the University District and the Central Area have smaller buses. Mayor TUKWILA CITY COUNCIL MEETING May 22, 1974 Page 5 MEETING DISCUSSION Cont. Todd read a letter from himself to Mr. Aubrey Davis dated February 14, 1974 and has not received a written reply, but several tele- phone conversations have resulted. Larry Coffman stated his own appearances at Tukwila meetings are a result of that letter. Mr. A. G. Radford stated since the City of Tukwila is allowing the development of apartments and businesses, we should furnish them with bus service whether they use it or not. Does the bus actually help Southcenter and the apartments? Mayor Todd stated every per- son who rides the bus to spend a dollar at Southcenter would help the City of Tukwila. Mrs. Holloway stated she has been attending the Metro Transit meet- ings since 1972 and was told at that time that a bus would be pro- vided for Tukwila by 1974. Is this postponed until 1980? Larry Coffman stated he did not recall the year 1974 being mentioned, but we are not asking you to wait until 1980. Mrs. Diane LaPine stated she does not drive so she uses the bus several times a week. It saves her husband trips on his day off and it saves gas. It is a real convenience. Mr. Ed Robinson asked if Tukwila is setting a precedence in provid- ing its own service. Mayor Todd stated Seattle pays for some of its own service. Larry Coffman stated Tukwila is using a unique shuttle bus concept. Mr. Pieper stated in regard to Mrs. LaPine's statement that the bus uses gas too and pollutes more than a single car. Mrs. LaPine stated there have been from 5 to 12 passengers on the bus when she rides it which would save the gas and pollution from that many single cars. Mrs. Jon Sterling asked, based on the number of people who ride the bus, what would Metro charge today as a fare to ride the bus? Larry Coffman stated if you wanted to charge a fare high enough to break even, you would have to go pretty high. Mrs. Sterling stated she is strongly in favor of the bus and would continue to ride it with a charge. Larry Coffman stated a reasonable fare would be just something to help defray the cost, but to offset the cost would be over a dollar per fare. Mrs. Sterling stated if the bus is that important to people, it might not hurt to ask. She stated we should continue to run the bus through Tukwila keeping it within the City and she would be willing to pay to keep it. The philoso- phy is that the whole community supports the bus. Mrs. Torbenson asked how much the fare is from Interurban Avenue to Southcenter. Larry Coffman stated 20¢ plus 10¢ for each additional zone traveled. Mrs. Velma Lee stated the intent is not to make a profit, but to provide a service. It is better for the children to be on the bus than to be on the streets. And when the new Police Annex is ready, it will discourage a lot of misbehaving on the bus. The bus will stop right in front of it. Mrs. McLester stated the Forward Thrust money should be used for the greatest good for the citizens. What percentage of citizens is this grant serving? If it is a small percentage, then I am against providing the service. She stated she would like to see a poll taken. Mayor Todd stated the January 1974 ridership report showed 3,000 people rode the bus and that some of those are probably repeaters. Larry Coffman stated the City's Planning Department is able to help with the percentages of population in different areas of the City. Mrs. Crain asked how the charges figured in comparison to the City of Tukwila and the Magic Carpet service in Seattle. Larry Coffman stated that is another contract with another city with a quite different concept. TUKWILA CITY COUNCIL MEETING May 22, 1974 Page 6 MEETING DISCUSSION Cont. ADJOURNMENT 8:50 P.M. 7/7 Councilwoman Davis asked how many hours of service does the Magic Carpet route provide. Larry Coffman stated 24 hours per day. He added that the demand in downtown Seattle is quite different than that in Tukwila. The Magic Carpet service is the replacement of the old "dime shuttle" in Seattle. Mrs. Baldwin stated if you were to investigate the best use of the money, you would probably find now that a smaller percentage of peo- ple use the bus. If the schedules were changed, you would have greater use of the bus and better use of the funds. Mr. Radford stated if the City of Seattle pays $64,000 for 24 hours of service daily, we are getting took by Metro here in Tukwila. Mrs. Lutes stated some apartment dwellers may not be aware the bus service is available and would suggest the owners post bus sched- ules. Mr. Coffman stated Metro would be glad to help out with publicity. Mrs. Lutes stated information on the connecting routes should also be included. Councilwoman Davis asked when Metro ran out of the schedules. Larry Coffman stated he was not aware that they had, but he would do something about it tomorrow. Mr. Ed Robinson stated he published the schedules in the Tukwila News Register. Mrs. Cheryl Torbenson agreed the apartment managers should tell their new tenants about the bus service. Councilman Gardner stated the City of Richland pays for half taxi fare for transportation of the elderly. How is that working out? Larry Coffman stated he was not familiar with Richland's transpor- tation. Mr. Ben Aliment stated one of his customers had asked for a bus schedule, he called Metro and received several in the. mail. Mr. Bill Moore stated he did not understand the idea of exclusive franchise. Larry Coffman stated Metro is trying to acquire routes as they go, but are not forcing any private firms out of business. We are the recognized transit operator in King County. Many cities are trying to get a system going such as ours because a combination of many private local systems is a real headache. A system such as Metro anticipates will provide coordinated service. Mrs. Crain stated there are some people who drive down to Southcent- er to ride the Metro buses, but are told that no parking for that purpose is allowed. Is there some means to provide parking like the lots in Burien? Mayor Todd stated Mr. By Sneva, Mr. Charles Baker and Mr. Alsager have been conferring about this. The plan is to provide a park- and -ride lot at private cost. Mrs. McLester stated she rides the bus to downtown and parks her car behind the Lewis E Clark Theatre. Mr. Aliment stated some cars park above the lot at the Golf Course and he has no objection. Councilman Traynor stated the heard by the Council at other Several written comments have MOVED BY TRAYNOR, SECONDED BY CARRIED. 2 )=2L/„ A _IL c Frank Todd, Mayor Ricked L. Geer, Deputy City Clerk comments are about the same as those such meetings as are the answers. also been submitted. JOHANSON, THAT THE MEETING ADJOURN.