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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1974-07-22 Regular MinutesJuly 22, 1974 TUKWILA CITY COUNCIL 8:00 P.M. REGULAR MEETING FLAG SALUTE AND CALL TO ORDER ROLL CALL OF COUNCIL MEMBERS MINUTE APPROVAL ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS Ord. #873, Accepting Pneumatic Rescue Kit from the Women's Auxiliary of the T.F.D. Ord. #874, Transfer of funds to cover payment in lieu of vacations, Firefighters 1974 Contract Discussion: Councilwoman Harris' Attorney Parker's letters re: Recall Res. #444, Setting a date for recall election *CARRIED. M I N U T E S 77'/ Tukwila City Hall Council Chambers Mayor Todd led the Pledge of Allegiance and called the Meeting of the Tukwila City Council to order. Mayor Todd requested a few moments of silence in memory of Fred Wilson, President of the Tukwila Chamber of Com- merce. GARDNER, STERLING, TRAYNOR, DAVIS, HARRIS, SAUL, JOHANSON. MOVED BY TRAYNOR, SECONDED BY STERLING, THAT THE MINUTES OF THE JULY 15 REGULAR MEETING BE APPROVED AS PUBLISHED. CARRIED. MOVED BY TRAYNOR, SECONDED BY DAVIS, THAT PROPOSED ORD- INANCE BE READ. CARRIED. Attorney Parker read proposed ordinance accepting donation of a Model 300 Superior Pneumatic Rescue Kit from the Women's Auxiliary of the Tukwila Fire Department. MOVED BY TRAYNOR, SECONDED BY JOHANSON, THAT ORDINANCE #873 BE ADOPTED AS READ.* MOVED BY HARRIS, SECONDED BY DAVIS, TO AMEND THE AGENDA TO INCLUDE DISCUSSION OF COUNCILWOMAN HARRIS' LETTER TO ATTORNEY PARKER REGARDING POSSIBLE CONFLICT OF INTEREST BY THE FIVE COUNCIL MEMBERS INVOLVED IN RECALL ACTION BEFORE ITEM 4c. IS DISCUSSED. CARRIED. MOVED BY TRAYNOR, SECONDED BY STERLING, THAT PROPOSED ORDINANCE BE READ. CARRIED. Attorney Parker read pro- posed ordinance transferring funds from the Contingency Fund to the Current Fund to provide compensation in lieu of vacations for Fire Department personnel. MOVED BY TRAYNOR, SECONDED BY SAUL, THAT ORDINANCE #874 BE ADOPT- ED AS READ.* Councilwoman Harris asked how many members of the Fire Department this involves. Mayor Todd re- plied we have 18 Firemen and 3 or 4 of them have re- quested to trade vacations for cash so far. $5,000 pro- bably will not cover all the expense. *CARRIED. Councilwoman Harris acknowledged Attorney Parker had not received her letter in a timely fashion. She then read her letter to Attorney Parker dated July 21, 1974. Attorney Parker stated he received the letter at 1:00 P.M. today and then read his reply. A copy of both letters is on file in the City Clerk's office. MOVED BY STERLING, SECONDED BY DAVIS, THAT PROPOSED RESOLUTION BE READ.* Councilwoman Harris read her letter dated July 22, 1974 to Council President Traynor stating she disqualified herself from voting on the pro- posed resolution. *ROLL CALL VOTE: 4 AYES STERLING, TRAYNOR, DAVIS, SAUL; 2 NOS GARDNER, JOHANSON; 1 DIS- QUALIFIED HARRIS. CARRIED. Attorney Parker read pro- posed resolution fixing date for recall election. MOVED BY STERLING, SECONDED BY DAVIS, THAT SEPTEMBER 17, 1974 BE SET AS A SPECIAL ELECTION DATE FOR THE RECALL ELECTION.* Councilman Sterling stated he could appreci- ate Councilwoman Harris' position, that he is not very much in favor of doing this, but that he will go through with the vote according to the law and the City Attor- ney's opinion. He stated he felt he could vote on this even though he is an interested party against it, and in no way does he endorse the charges in voting. Coun- cilwoman Davis stated she agreed and feels there is no conflict of interest on her part since she is not gain- ing by the vote. Councilman Johanson stated he chose to vote on this because he felt the business of the City must go on. He stated he is proud of our City Attorney who has come up with a very firm statement. Tukwila City Council Meeting July 22, 1974 Page 2 ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS Cont. Res. #444 Cont. He stated he knows the charges to be just as false as the people who submitted them don't know it. My vote will so indicate as it is my right. Councilman Gardner stated he wished also to disqualify himself from voting. *MOVED BY JOHANSON, SECONDED BY STERLING TO AMEND THE MOTION TO EXCUSE GARDNER AND HARRIS FROM VOTING ON THE BASIS STATED BY HARRIS. CARRIED. ROLL CALL VOTE ON ORIGINAL MOTION: 4 AYES STERLING, TRAYNOR, DAVIS, SAUL; 1 NO JOHANSON; 2 DISQUALIFICATIONS GARDNER, HARRIS. CARRIED. MOVED BY STERLING, SECONDED BY DAVIS, THAT RESOLUTION #444 BE ADOPTED AS READ AND WITH THE INCLUSION OF SEP- TEMBER 17, 1974. CARRIED, WITH JOHANSON VOTING NO AND GARDNER AND HARRIS DISQUALIFIED. CORRESPONDENCE AND CURRENT BUSINESS Request authori- zation to enter into contract agreements under P.E.P. and W.I.N. Programs 7 76 Mayor Todd read a Memorandum from the Civil Service Com- mission stating the Commission could not sanction hiring P.E.P. personnel for firefighter trainees. Richard Hunt Recreation Supervisor, reviewed job descriptions and types of applicants to be considered. Councilman Sterl- ing asked if there are programs being planned for these people to work with prior to next week. Richard Hunt stated no, not prior to next week, but P.E.P. requested notification for employees to start on the first of Aug- ust. Councilwoman Harris asked what the contract period is. Richard Hunt stated it runs from August 1, 1974 to June 30, 1975. Councilwoman Harris asked if these peo- ple would be taken on full -time permanently at the end of the contract. Richard Hunt stated he would probably retain one full -time person. Councilwoman Harris asked about programs for the teenagers. Richard Hunt stated this and other programs are the reason he needs extra help, since the programs already started take up all of his time now. Councilman Sterling suggested a special meeting with Mr. Hunt to discuss these programs in light of the proposed Revenue Sharing expenditures. Council- woman Harris stated perhaps there are some volunteers available in the community who could also help out with these programs. Councilman Traynor stated he felt vol- unteers would be hard to come by; these people will be working 8 hours a day and that a college education is necessary perhaps to insure proper handling and train- ing of children and teenagers in the recreational pro- grams. We have hired P.E.P. people before on a one -year basis and have kept them on because we needed them. This is an opportunity to set these programs up at no cost to the City for one year. At the end of that year, we can then make a determination as to what will be necessary. He recommended we give this a try. Council- man Sterling stated this sounded real good, but what will happen at the end of one year. Are we going to start another new division in the City? Mayor Todd stated he assumed this new division was formed when we hired a Recreation Supervisor. Councilman Sterling stated Tukwila does not need a huge bureaucracy and that he is concerned with the cost of government more of the money should be fanned out into the community. Coun- cilman Traynor stated this is a good example of fanning out the money into our community because the community is involved as a participant. The part -time person we now have is doing a very good job. Mayor Todd stated if we cannot provide a service to the community, then we should not be here. Councilwoman Harris stated she has been a proponent of recreational programs for the com- munity for a long time. But is it really fair to ask us to make a determination after so little time to think about it, discuss it. It is not fair to the staff, the audience and the Council and it is not fair government. We are reviewing this material cold and we are being asked to make snap decisions. Mayor Todd stated the Tukwila City Council Meeting July 22, 1974 Page 3 CORRESPONDENCE AND CURRENT BUSINESS Cont. P.E.P. and W.I.N. agreements Cont. LID #20 easement purchase J. L. Mathews letter re: reconsideration of vouchers for payment for eyewear "7 74 City must go on. If you want to take the position that the Council make decisions for the Department Heads, then we should dispense with all the Departments and you and the people on the Council who agree with you should come up here and start running this City. We are doing the best we can with what we have to work with. We brought this proposal here before you which will pro- vide two man -years of service for 5% of the cost, which is in effect 100 of the P.E.P. funding of these pro- grams. If you are not prepared to accept this gift from the Federal government, then we can't accept it. Councilman Saul stated the money has not gone for parks and recreation in the past. It's time we got this into perspective. The time has come to start spending money for these programs. Mayor Todd stated he could not see how we can turn down this funding. Councilman Sterling stated he would like to see where we are going from here after getting these two people on board. We should see some planning on this. Mayor Todd stated if the programs are determined worthwhile, then permanent financing will become necessary. MOVED BY TRAYNOR, SECONDED BY SAUL, TO AUTHORIZE ENTERING INTO AGREEMENTS UNDER THE P.E.P. AND W.I.N. PROGRAMS FOR RECREATION SPECIALISTS.* Councilman Johanson asked if this will also be covered by an ordinance. Mayor Todd replied yes. *CARRIED, WITH GARDNER VOTING NO. Steve Hall, Public Works Director, read his letter to Mayor Todd dated July 16, 1974. He recommended this matter be held in abeyance until we get an approval from E.P.A. for funding. Councilman Johanson asked what affect this would have on the assessment roll. Steve Hall stated taxes and payments would still be paid but the City will be paying for the easement which amounts to about the same amount. Mayor Todd read a letter from Patrolman J. L. Mathews dated July 18, 1974. Councilman Traynor asked what City policy is on this matter. City Clerk Shirlee Kin- ney stated it has been the policy of L.E.F.F. to pay for examinations, but it has been the practice of the City to pay for eyeglasses. Councilman Traynor stated this has been authorized by a Department Head. Is this a legitimate bill for the City to pay? Shirlee Kinney stated all bills are submitted to the Council for final approval as this is their responsibility. She stated her office is responsible for auditing the bills for correctness. Councilman Traynor stated we are depend- ing on the staff to see that the bills are legitimate charges to the City. Mayor Todd stated Department Heads do attempt to see that all bills they sign are honest and above board and they approve them in good faith. He then asked how many have received payment for eyeglasses through the L.E.F.F. Act. Police Chief John Sheets stated there have been 4 or 5 men from his De- partment. Mayor Todd then asked if any resistance has been offered in paying for the bills before. Chief Sheets stated no. Mayor Todd asked what our legal res- ponsibility is. Chief Sheets stated all medical care should be paid for and it is up to the Council to inter- pret policy from there. Steve Hall stated he person- ally takes the responsibility for signing vouchers very seriously since he is subject to perjury under his sig- nature. Councilman Traynor stated the Council approves the bills, but do we need to research each one too? The bills should have been researched up to the point of be- ing submitted to Council. Shirlee Kinney stated her staff cannot make the determination whether or not the bills should be paid, that is a legislative decision. We determine that they are financially accurate, that sufficient funds have been budgeted and that they are legal expenditures under State law. Councilman Traynor stated that perhaps the City Council should not accept bills for L.E.F.F. expenses at least until some kind of Tukwila City Council Meeting July 22, 1974 Page 4 CORRESPONDENCE AND CURRENT BUSINESS Cont. J. L. Mathews letter Cont. Special Meeting LID #26 NEW BUSINESS AUDIENCE COMMENTS Tukwila Days Announcements Saturday, August 10 Bicentennial Art Contest Recall comments 777 proof is shown. Mayor Todd requested a legal opinion from the City Attorney as to what is allowed under the L.E.F.F. Act. Councilwoman Harris stated she agreed with several points in Officer Mathews' letter, refer- ring to safety and economic factors. She urged the Council to address itself to the letter tonight. Coun- cilwoman Davis also agreed with Officer Mathew's state- ments. Councilman Johanson stated he would want to know under what authority the City is paying for eye wear. O.S.H.A. and W.I.S.H.A. do not approve of con- tact lenses. MOVED BY TRAYNOR, SECONDED BY DAVIS, TO TABLE TO THE NEXT REGULAR MEETING. CARRIED. MOVED BY TRAYNOR, SECONDED BY STERLING, TO AMEND THE AGENDA TO INCLUDE SETTING A SPECIAL MEETING DATE. CARRIED. MOVED BY TRAYNOR, SECONDED BY SAUL, THAT A SPECIAL MEETING BE HELD MONDAY, JULY 29, 1974 AT 8:00 P.M. IN THE CITY HALL COUNCIL CHAMBERS TO DISCUSS LID #26. CARRIED. Claims for damages MOVED BY SAUL, SECONDED BY DAVIS, TO REFER THE CLAIMS Randy Akada, Jeffrey FOR DAMAGES TO THE INSURANCE CARRIER OF THE CITY. W. Glenn, James E. CARRIED. Williams, Arthur Jensuen Douglas Grimes, John Williams, Mark A. Baldwin, and David L. Boe Dan Saul stated August 3rd is the date for the Golf Tournament at Foster Golf Links. Mrs. Joan Todd stated the Art Festival needs more parti- cipants for August 10. Rep and Rap performance will be given at 1:30 P.M. that day along with many other activ- ities for the entire family. Mrs. Sis Robinson stated the Teen Dance will be held August 9th from 9 to Midnight in the Community Hall. We need volunteers for chaperones. The Fort Lewis Band will be playing for the Dance. Dan Saul announced the Kiwanis Breakfast at the Elemen- tary School from 8:00 A.M. to Noon. There will be a family picnic in the Park on Sunday. Steve Hall stated the City Shop will be open to the public all day. You will be able to see all of the new building and equipment. Mayor Todd stated Bob Hardwicke, KVI Radio, will be the Grand Marshall of the Kiddies Parade. Joanne Davis stated the date of the art contest has been postponed to September 7th. Artists are requested to deliver their entries to herself or to Dorothy McCarthy. Mr. Ed Bauch stated he hoped citizens will speak out to bring the facts forward and that they will be able to look their neighbors in the eye and tell the truth because we know we have to live with each other after the election is over. If the recall election is success ful, the next ten years will be a series of recalls in Tukwila until the State Legislature amends the law. He called for citizens to use level heads and examine the facts so they will vote with a clear conscience. Tukwila City Council Meeting July 22, 1974 Page 5 AUDIENCE COMMENTS Cont. Firefighters Police Guild Letter ATTEST: Jim Hoel, Fire Marshall, asked if any action will be taken by the Civil Service Commission regarding the hiring of firefighter trainees now that P.E.P. people are unacceptable. Mayor Todd suggested a meeting be- tween the Civil Service Commission and P.E.P. represen- tatives. If they can come to an agreement, we will submit a proposal to the Council. Councilwoman Davis read a letter from Officer Dave Desmul stating the Guild's appreciation to the Mayor for the professionalism of negotiations carried out earlier this summer. EXECUTIVE SESSION 9:27 P.M. 10:17 P.M. MOVED BY TRAYNOR, SECONDED BY SAUL, THAT THE COUNCIL MEET IN EXECUTIVE SESSION. CARRIED. Mayor Todd excused the audience and the City Council met in Executive Session at the Mayor's request. Mayor Todd called the Meeting back to order with all Council Members present as previously listed. ADJOURNMENT MOVED BY TRAYNOR, SECONDED BY STERLING, THAT THE MEETING 10:20 P.M. ADJOURN. CARRIED. c )-E741402:10.4.4 rank Todd, Mayor i c;?-ae-.4 l l r Shirlee A. Kinney, City /Clerk