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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1977-07-25 Committee of the Whole MinutesJuly 25, 1977 TUKWILA CITY COUNCIL 7:00 P.M. COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING M I N U T E S CALL TO ORDER Council President Hill called the Committee of the Whole Meeting to order. ROLL CALL OF GARDNER, TRAYNOR, HILL, SAUL, BOHRER. COUNCIL MEMBERS APPROVAL OF MINUTES DISCUSSION Prop. Ord. Providing for reimbursement of mileage expense Prop. Waiver Res. #489, Sec. 4.D.2(a), Slope Stability Request of J. Anderson for property at 53rd Ave. So. 160th Prop. Waiver Res. #489 to allow rezone from R -1 -7.2 to C -2, request of P. Skarbo for property at Southcenter Pkwy. near Puget Power Substation /9,6 Tukwila City Hall Council Chambers MOVED BY SAUL, SECONDED BY BOHRER, THAT THE MINUTES OF THE COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING HELD JULY 11, 1977 BE APPROVED AS PUBLISHED. CARRIED. MOVED BY HILL, SECONDED BY SAUL, TO AMEND THE AGENDA AND CONSIDER ITEM 4, PROPOSED ORDINANCE PROVIDING FOR REIMBURSEMENT OF MILEAGE EXPENSE, AT THIS TIME. CARRIED. Mae Harris, City Treasurer, stated the proposed ordinance will reimburse City employees for the use of their private vehicles in the amount of 15 cents per mile. It has previously been paid in the amount of 10 cents. The average mileage paid in surrounding cities is 15 cents per mile at the present time. MOVED BY TRAYNOR, SECONDED BY SAUL, THAT THE PROPOSED ORDINANCE PROVIDING FOR THE REIMBURSEMENT OF MILEAGE EXPENSE BE ON THE AGENDA OF THE AUGUST 1, 1977 REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING. Councilman Bohrer asked if the City presently has an ordinance regarding the reimbursement of mileage expense. Mae Harris, Treasurer, said there is an old ordinance stating Police Chief Edward G. Boze would be reim- bursed in the amount of 10 cents per mile for use of his private automo- bile. Councilman Bohrer asked if it could be City policy to pay employees 15 cents per mile and not have to be an ordinance. Council President Hill said when the City spends money there has to be an ordinance author- izing the expenditure. Administrative Assistant John McFarland agreed. Councilman Bohrer said his concern is not with the rate of reimbursement but with the establishment of an administrative policy. *CARRIED. Kjell Stoknes, OCD Director, explained the proposed action is the con- struction of a 130 unit apartment complex on a 3.1 acre site located at the northwest corner of South 160th and 53rd Avenue South in McMicken Heights. The present zoning is RMH (Multiple Residence High Density) which allows this type of use, but the site has been identified by staff as posing potential stability problems, thus a waiver from Resolution No. 489, Section 4.0.2(a), is required. Mr. Stoknes read the Planning Staff Report with the recommendation that Council deny the waiver and instruct applicant to apply for another waiver at such time as development plans are revised to reflect greater concern for the natural environment. MOVED BY BOHRER, SECONDED BY SAUL, THAT THE PROPOSED WAIVER FROM RESOLUTION NO. 489, SECTION 4.D.2(a), SLOPE STABILITY, REQUESTED BY JACK ANDERSON FOR PROPERTY LOCATED AT 53RD AVENUE AND SOUTH 160TH STREET, BE ON THE AGENDA OF THE AUGUST 1, 1977 REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING. CARRIED. Mr. Stoknes, OCD Director, explained the proposed action is a waiver request to allow rezoning from R -1 -7.2 to C -2 on a parcel of property located along and west of Southcenter Parkway just north of the Puget Power Substation. The objective of the rezone is to allow the subject site to be added to presently zoned C -2 parcel to the north to allow con- struction of a 20,000 square foot retail sales building called "Skarbo's.' Mr. Stoknes stated the staff recommends the City Council approve the waiver request and allow the applicant to apply for rezone. MOVED BY SAUL, SECONDED BY BOHRER, THAT THE PROPOSED WAIVER FROM RESOLU- TION NO. 489 TO ALLOW REZONE FROM R -1 -7.2 TO C -2, REQUESTED BY PETER SKARBO FOR PROPERTY LOCATED AT SOUTHCENTER PARKWAY NEAR PUGET POWER SUBSTATION BE ON THE AGENDA OF THE AUGUST 1, 1977 REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING. Councilman Traynor asked if the waiver is granted will Council get to see the site plans. Mr. Stoknes said they would. Councilman Saul said TUKWILA CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING July 25, 1977 Page 2 DISCUSSION Contd. Prop. Waiver Res. #489, allow rezone from R -1 -7.2 to C -2, request of P. Skarbo Contd. Prop. Ord. Providing for approp. tsfr. of funds amending 1977 Budget Ord. #1002 Prop. Interim Zoning Controls Prop. Comprehen- sive Plan /Adop- tion Public Hearings Prop. Res. Authorizing purchase of park property Review of Plans for Thorndyke Senior Center *CARRIED. he was especially concerned that the wooded character of the steep slopes and upland plateau be maintained and the use of vegetation in slope stab- ilization be encouraged; also development on slopes in excess of 20% be discouraged. John Mahlum, architect for Skarbo, said the wooded area would be maintained and they propose to place the building primarily on the level portion of the site, leaving the steeper slope to the rear of the property relatively untouched. Some disturbance to the steeper slope will occur as a result of the activities associated with the cons- truction of the first floor. Ernest Moriary, audience, asked the use of the building. Mr. Mahlum, architect, said it would be a furniture store. Councilman Bohrer asked if there would be an excatation for the parking lot. Mr. Mahlum said there will be some filling and grading associated with placement of the building. A portion of the slope on the rear of the lot will be excavated in order to place the building's first floor below ground but the grading will be insignificant and a portion of the slope will remain in its natural condition. The parking lot will be to the north and south. Mr. Stoknes said the Council would be able to see site plans. Councilman Saul asked about sidewalks. Mr. Stoknes said sidewalks had not been proposed, but could be part of rezone requirement. John McFarland, Administrative Assistant, said the proposed ordinance was necessary in order to amend the 1977 Budget Ordinance No. 1002 to include transfer and appropriations of funds. MOVED BY TRAYNOR, SECONDED BY SAUL, THAT THE PROPOSED ORDINANCE PROVIDING FOR THE APPROPRIATION AND TRANSFER OF FUNDS AND AMENDING 1977 BUDGET ORDINANCE NO. 1002 BE ON THE AGENDA OF THE AUGUST 1, 1977 REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING. CARRIED. Kjell Stoknes, OCD Director, said the proposed Interim Zoning Ordinance was intended to try managing growth in the City so it would be consistent with the policies in the new comprehensive plan. He said, in meeting with the City Attorney, they felt the Interim Zoning Ordinance and the Comprehensive Plan should be adopted at the same time. He recommended a Public Hearing be held on August 15, 1977 MOVED BY TRAYNOR, SECONDED BY SAUL, THAT A PUBLIC HEARING BE HELD ON AUGUST 15, 1977 TO DISCUSS THE PROPOSED INTERIM ZONING CONTROLS ORDINANCE AND PROPOSED ORDINANCE ADOPTING A NEW COMPREHENSIVE LAND USE PLAN FOR THE CITY. CARRIED. Kjell Stoknes, OCD Director, recommended that in the fourth paragraph of proposed resolution the word "park" be replaced with word "municipal." It was his opinion the word "park" might be restrictive to the City. Council President Hill agreed the change in wording would be advisable. MOVED BY TRAYNOR, SECONDED BY SAUL, THAT THE PROPOSED RESOLUTION AUTHOR- IZING PURCHASE OF PARK PROPERTY BE ON THE AGENDA OF THE AUGUST 1. 1977 REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING. CARRIED. Don Williams, Recreation Supervisor, presented outlined plans for Thorndyke Senior Center. Drawings showed inside and outside changes to the building. He said it had been planned to accommodate those who are elderly or handicapped. The entry has been planned so those coming in will not be immediately in the center of activity. The plans have been coordinated with the Senior Ad Hoc Committee. He said there would be smoking and non smoking areas. The architect will get an overall estimate on the cost of the project. It will not include landscaping or sidewalks. Mr. Stoknes, OCD Director, said if the estimate comes higher than the $64,000 grant he would like authorization to go back to the Senior Citizens and get authorization to eliminate some of the design to bring cost down to amount of grant. Mr. Stoknes said it will come back to the Council after architect's estimate has been received. It will then go out for bid. He said they would like to develop Thorndyke Center as nicely as possible with money that is available. When the estimate comes back from the architect we will know if the plans are within the grant monies available. Mr. Williams, Recreation Supervisor, said 600 square feet would be added to the building. Council President Hill asked that the Council be kept advised of the progress. TUKWILA CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING July 25, 1977 Page 3 DISCUSSION Contd. Closing Hour of Police Station ?08 Police Chief John Sheets said at present the Police Station is closed from midnight to 8 a.m. On weekends it is open 8 hours. The police are on duty 24 hours a day, but the station is not manned by clerical person- nel 24 hours a day. Frank Todd, audience, asked how incarcerations are handled if the station is not manned. Chief Sheets said they are brought to the station and booked there, then taken to Renton or Seattle for incarceration. He said the officers have expressed some concern about having to book persons by themselves. They felt if there is a clerk therE and the station is open it offers security. A prisoner would not know how many people might be in the building. Councilman Traynor said it appeared to him we are probably getting better service out of the men in the field as they are not up here in the building. Councilman Gardner asked if Renton station was open all night. Chief Sheets said it was and Kent was also open. He said the officers like the way the radios have worked they feel they have more back -up. Councilman Saul said basically they have eleven to thirteen bookings a month. Maybe another officer could be along when bookings are done. The only alternative would be to hire more people. Chief Sheets said they would need six full time people to man the station 24 hours a day. Council President Hill said a phone was put up on the side of the station for use when sta- tion is closed. Chief Sheets said the Council had requested the Station be open 24 hours a day when the new City Hall was discussed. He said the Police Department in the location of the new City Hall, overlooking the freeway and business district, would have people coming in all of the time asking for help. It was said when we get the new building we will have the Police Department open 24 hours a day. Councilman Traynor said if he runs up here and the clerk phones an officer, he could just as well run up here and call one himself. We could have a safe or vault hold the valuables. Two people are not needed in the station all of the time. Chief Sheets said we are on our way to getting proper facilities and proper security. He said the building has been trapped and other precautions have been taken. Councilman Bohrer said he thought it is the feeling that the presence of someone else in the building added sec- urity. Chief Sheets said if someone wanted to break into the building it would be easy the building was not a police department and nothing can be done to make it safe. Councilman Saul asked if the Police Depart- ment has bids on what it would cost to have security guards from midnight to 8 a.m. Chief Sheets said it was an alternative that had been consi- dered another alternative would be to use Explorers or Senior Citizens. Council President Hill said there are records in the building that people could get into and use in a manner that would be unpleasant. Councilman Saul suggested the firemen sleep in the Police Department or move out the fire engines and have valuables stored in the Fire Department. Chief Sheets said the City Council had said they wanted a 24 hour police station in the new City Hall. A dispatcher would receive higher wages than a records clerk, which would be $750 to $800 a month. Councilman Bohrer said if two people were hired it would cost the City $25,000 to $30,000 a year. Councilman Traynor said he would rather hire another patrolman for the streets. Chief Sheets said the news media says some of the cities are getting cold feet about Valley Comm. He said it was orig- inally planned with Renton, Tukwila, and Kent and then Auburn came in, but it appears they are having second thoughts. We pay a percentage of the overall cost. Councilman Bohrer said he would like to consider some alternatives on the cost to the City to man the Police Department 24 hours a day. Council President Hill suggested the matter be put in the Public Safety Committee. MOVED BY SAUL, SECONDED BY BOHRER, THAT THE MATTER OF ALTERNATIVES TO MANNING THE POLICE DEPARTMENT TWENTY -FOUR HOURS A DAY BE PLACED IN THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE AND A REPORT BE MADE AT THE COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING ON SEPTEMBER 11, 1977. CARRIED, WITH TRAYNOR VOTING NO. Lawsuit challeng- John McFarland, Administrative Assitant, said a letter from Larry Hard, ing new amendments Deputy City Attorney, had been received stating there is a lawsuit being applying Fed.Unem;. prepared to challenge the constitutionality and applicability of new amenc Comp. Act to sts.. ments applying the Federal Unemployment Compensation Act to states and local govts. local governments. If Tukwila is interested in being a party to that law- suit, it must make a minimum contribution of $250. The various informa- tion that the City Attorney has received indicates Tukwila will not be TUKWILA CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING July 25, 1977 Page 4 DISCUSSION Contd. Lawsuit re new amend. to Fed. Unem. Comp. Act Contd. Progress Report Salary Wage Plan Seminar Executive Session Teamster Neg. Change Order Street Impr. Finance Director Public Wks. Dir. ADJOURNMENT 9:45 P.M. entitled to enjoy the benefits of the case if it is not a named party in the lawsuit. The City Attorney will be at the regular meeting of the Council next Monday and he will answer any questions the Council may have. MOVED BY TRAYNOR, SECONDED BY SAUL, THAT THE CITY ATTORNEY PREPARE THE NECESSARY RESOLUTION SO THE CITY CAN PARTICIPATE IN THE LAWSUIT AND IT BE ON THE AGENDA OF THE AUGUST 1, 1977 REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING. CARRIED. Council President Hill said Administration had been asked to come up with a plan as to how the salary and wage plan can be administered. John McFarland, Administrative Assistant, said it will take about 18 months to put it into plan if he works on it along with other assignments. He said he could do it in six months if he worked solely on that matter. He said the plans at present to administer the merit fund would be: a. On at least a semi annual basis, the personnel office shall issue performance reviews for all salaried employees in permanent positions. b. Merit increases may be recommended, and approved for a permanent employee, when the following criteria are satisfied: (1) A high quality of work performance is demonstrated by the employee and is documented by the supervisor through the performance evaluation system. (2) No merit increase has been received within the past 12 -month period. The establishment of low and high range merit increases would facilitate the placement of individuals in their respective salary ranges so their resulting salary is commensurate with their relative performance compared to others in the same classification within a department. Council Presi- dent Hill said when the Plan was passed all of the USTME employees were in Step 1. Some of them had lots of experience and education and they were in Step 1 along with someone coming in new, perhaps without experience and /or education. He said he felt there should be some way to distinguish in what step one falls. He thought it should be a combination of exper- ience and education that puts you in the Step of the Plan and then merit should be considered. He did think not all of the USTME employees should automatically be Step 1. John McFarland said the Personnel Department is being developed. The growth of the City has made this necessary. Councilman Traynor asked what makes government so different from industry. Personnel hired in often make the same amount of money as a person who has been working for twenty -five years. MOVED BY BOHRER, SECONDED BY TRAYNOR, THAT ADMINISTRATION DRAFT A PLAN FOR ADMINISTERING A SALARY AND WAGE PLAN TO BE IMPLEMENTED BY THE COUNCIL NO LATER THAN JUNE 30, 1978 AND PROGRESS REPORTS BE SUBMITTED QUARTERLY TO THE COUNCIL. CARRIED. John McFarland, Administrative Assistant, said a seminar would be held in late August. The input leaned toward a 1 day seminar on the subject of budgets. He asked the Council if they would like a facilitator it is possible we may obtain the same one used in March. The date will likely be August 26 or 27, 1977. Mr. McFarland said he would ask for an Executive Session during the Coun cil Meeting on August 1, 1977 regarding Teamster negotiations. Council President Hill said he had received a Contract Change Order on street improvements because grades were not right. Councilman Saul said he thought it should be paid. Council President Hill said Ordinance No. 1009 provided for the hire of a Finance Director on June 1, 1977. He stated a letter would be written to the Mayor asking about action on this matter. Mr. McFarland, Administrative Assistant, said about 15 applications had been received for the position. The Mayor will interview prospects upon his return from vacation. MOVED BY SAUL, SECONDED BY TRAYNOR, THAT THE COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING ADJOURN. CARRIED. a_ .4„) Nor?ia Booher, Recording Secretary