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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1990-12-10 Committee of the Whole MinutesTUKWILA CITY COUNCIL December 10, 1990 Tukwila City Hall 7:00 p.m. Council Chambers CALL TO ORDER COUNCILMEMBERS PRESENT OFFICIALS REPORTS WSDOT dumpsite. CITIZEN'S COMMENTS COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MINUTES Council President Hernandez called the Committee of The Whole Meeting of the Tukwila City Council to order and lead the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance. JOAN HERNANDEZ, Council President; DENNIS ROBERTSON, CLARENCE MORIWAKI, ALLAN EKBERG, STEVE LAWRENCE, WALLY RANTS, JOE DUFFLE. JOHN MCFARLAND, City Administrator; JOHN COLGROVE, City Attorney; ROSS EARNST, Public Works Director; DOUG MICHEAU, Public Works Coordinator; RON CAMERON, City Engineer; DON WILLIAMS, Parks Recreation Director, ALAN DOERSCHEL, Finance Director; TOM KEEFE, Fire Chief; NICK OLIVAS, Assistant Fire Chief; MIKE ALDERSON, Assistant Fire Chief; RON WALDNER, Police Chief; BOB MCQUEEN, Assistant Police Chief; LUCY LAUTERBACH, Council Analyst. IT WAS THE CONSENSUS OF THE COUNCIL TO HAVE REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AND THE DEPARTMENT OF ECOLOGY APPEAR FIRST ON THE AGENDA TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE OF THE WSDOT DUMPSITE. City Attorney Kenyon informed the Council that these two agencies had recently met with staff to give some background on the history of the site and the history of the relationship between the two agencies; and, what is known about what's there now and what the plans are for future remedies. Mr. Tom Lentz, District Maintenance Engineer, Department of Transportation in Olympia, informed the Council that WSDOT did not know that dumping was illegal (near the intersection of old Highway 99 and State Route 599 in Tukwila) and said the site poses no environmental hazards. The Transportation Department hired an environmental consulting firm to test the soil, and no contamination was found in excess of dangerous waste limits Ching -Pi Wang, Environmental engineer with the Department of Ecology (investigating the Tukwila dump), commented that his concern lies with the possibility that this situation could create a statewide problem that may damage w' tia ids anc' pose threats to human health. Wang wants WSDOT to implement their consultant's recommended work plan (a copy, approximately 50 pages, was provided to each councilmemher Lo examine) and allow DOE to be on site when the work is being done. Councilmember Robertson requested a response from City of Tukwila administration as to what is being recommended regarding this situation. Mayor VanDusen stated that the City is going to continue working with City Departments and proceed with the permitting process. Mark Isaacs, President of the Tukwila Junior Chamber of Commerce, a young people's leadership training organization training young people to develop and take responsible part in the development of the community. The Mayor informed Mr. Isaacs that appropriate comments via proclamation were being prepared. Councilmember Duffle briefed the Council as to why he had solicited support from the community to keep plans in tact for Foster Park. Duffle informed his supporters, via letter, that funds were being cut and future plans for a park had been eliminated. Committee of The Whole Minutes December 10, 1990 Page 2 Citizen's Comments (Con't). *MOTION CARRIED. Mr. Robert Merkle, 4515 South 135, President of Foster Little League Baseball, stated there are between 150 to 250 kids in little league baseball right now and it has been growing between 10% and 25% per year. Mr. Merkle said the kids need a place to go. "Lets protect our kids, they are the only valuable asset we really have in this city." He supports the construction of a baseball field at Foster Park. Mr. Merkle stated this project has been in the planning stage for four years, will the Council continue to plan for another four years. Stop planning it to death and get on with it," Mr. Merkle added. Councilmember Lawrence commented that to his knowledge no one is opposed to constructing a baseball field or a general purpose field at Foster Park; and the Council has not voted on such. It was merely a recommendation out of one committee. What was recommended was the decision be postponed until a facilities study is completed (which should be done real soon, possibly in January); and also until the Parks and Open Space Plan is completed, which should be shortly after that. Lawrence suggested that the funding for Foster Park be kept in the budget but the final decision be postponed until those elements of planning can be considered. Councilmember Moriwaki commented that the Council is aware of the need for this project as well as other projects he has spearheaded such as "Drugs Draw The Line," that evident the Council's care and concern for the youths of the Tukwila Community Moriwaki continued that a hold should be place on this project for a while, place the funding back into the budget, but no action taken until the results of the facilities study are in. MOVED BY MORIWAKI, SECONDED BY RANTS, TO RECOMMEND THAT FUNDING FOR FOSTER PARK, IN THE AMOUNT OF $520,000, BE REINSTATED IN THE 1991 BUDGET BUT APPROPRIATED ONLY AFTER COUNCIL REVIEW AND APPROVAL OF FACILITIES STUDY.* Mr. Jerry Knudson, 14925 58th Avenue South, commented that he supports the construction of a baseball field for the City's youths. Mr. Bill Shuffler, 4425 South 148th Street, speaking for himself and on behalf of the Tukwila Soccer League Association, stated there are 360 girls and boys, fifteen teams, and thousands of hours of free time donated by parents in support of soccer. Mr. Shuffler said a lot of time and money have been spent in the past three years lining up the available fields, and he really appreciates the use of Foster Park. However, there are too many other teams utilizing Foster Park. There is a definite need for a facility such as Foster Park and Mr. Shuffler encouraged the Council not to rule out the needs of the community, and that he is confident the Council will do what's right for the community. Ms. Mary Vanews, 15210 42nd Avenue South, Vice President of Little League, remarked that the children should be the main concern, the number one priority. The discussion ensued as many other citizens spoke on behalf of the construction of a playfield at Foster Park and encouraged the Council to include it as one of the City's 1991 Projects. Recess 8:00 8:30 p.m. Council President Hernandez called the meeting back to order with Councilmembers in attendance as listed above. Committee of The Whole Minutes December 10, 1990 Page 3 SPECIAL ISSUES Review of 1991 Budget. Alan Doerschel, Director of Finance, informed the Council that the final property tax numbers are in and the assessed valuation of the City of Tukwila (excluding Cascade View, recent annexation) is TWO BILLION, NINE HUNDRED SEVENTY -ONE MI ION DOLLARS. Should another ONE HUNDRED FIFTY MILLION be added for Cascade View, the City's assessed valuation would be almost TWO AND A QUARTER BILLION DOLLARS. Councilmember Duffle commented that he would not vote on some of the Human Services programs because enough time had not been provided him for review nor did he recall having any input on the selection process. Duffle disputed rumors that he had suggested cutting funds for some of the needed programs. Duffle stated his concerns center on expending funds for additional services such as the Catholic Community Services and the Highline West Seattle Mental Health Services when the extra money could be spent in other, more needed areas in the South Central School District. MOVED BY DUFFLE, SECONDED BY ROBERTSON (FOR DISCUSSION) THAT THE $20,000 FOR CATHOLIC COMMUNITY SERVICES; $19,000 FOR HIGHLINE WEST SEATTLE MENTAL HEALTH; $1,400 FOR THE CENTER FOR THE PREVENTION OF CHILD ABUSE; AND $4,000.00 FOR CATHOLIC COMMUNITY SERVICES FOR VOLUNTEER CHORE WORKERS BE RECOMMENDED FOR EXTRACTION FROM THE 1991 PROPOSED BUDGET.* Councilmember Moriwaki stated that these organizations had properly presented their programs, in a year -long process, and that the Consultant Wendy Morgan had brought the programs and the representatives before the Council on other occasions. Wendy Morgan, CDBG Consultant, shared information with the Council stating the Highline Youth Services budget was cut, a full time person was not hired to perform the counseling services needed in the secondary schools. What they are going to do, instead, is contract with someone to be present in the schools to assess the drug and alcohol situation. So they've changed their approach to meet the needs of the schools per requested and they will carryover some funds that they did not spend this year and use toward effective drug and alcohol work of the secondary students. The chore services were at the request of the Senior Program Coordinator. She gets requests from senior citizens who can't clean their houses anymore and who are in danger of leaving their homes and having to go to nursing homes or become destitute because they can't live independently. Chore services allow them to live independently for a longer time in their own homes. Someone comes in once or more a week and helps bathe them, clean the house and helps them to do the important things that will allow them to live independently for as long as possible. There is an extraordinary large number of senior citizens in different parts of the City who qualifies for chore services. There are also the disabled home -bound who need the same kind of help. Morgan added that she recognizes that it's expensive to provide for these types of services, that's why the committee was anxious to get a volunteer program going that could relieve some of the burden off the City whose budget has already reached $20,000. In conclusion, Morgan addressed the needs for Child Abuse Prevention, and Adult Mental Health services. *MOTION FAILED. Committee of The Whole Minutes December 10, 1990 Page 4 Special Issues (Con'ti. Human Services Policy Plan. MOVED BY ROBERTSON, SECONDED BY LAWRENCE THAT HUMAN SERVICES POLICY AND PLAN BE RECOMMENDED FOR ADOPTION AS CONTAINED IN THE 1991 PROPOSED BUDGET.* Councilmember Lawrence inquired about the "Request for Funding Proposal Form," how will a provider determine whether or not the recipient is a Tukwila Resident? Lawrence commented that there is no clear question in this regard on the form. Wendy Morgan responded that there are some very real complications in the City's community that caused her to leave this question as broad as possible. However, she's willing to follow the Council's directive. MOVED BY RANTS, SECONDED BY LAWRENCE, TO RECOMMEND A CHANGE TO THE MISSION STATEMENT TO REFLECT ASSISTANCE NECESSARY FOR TUKWILA RESIDENTS (DELETING THE WORD PEOPLE AND ADDING TUKWILA RESIDENTS). *MOTION CARRIED WITH ROBERTSON VOTING NO. Councilmember Robertson asked is it a fact that Highline Youth and Family Services could no longer afford to support a counselor in the schools. Wendy Morgan explained that the services of a full time professional counselor, had been secured but due to budget cutbacks the organization did not want to jeopardize this counselor's career position to a temporary one. The original proposal was $35,000, but was cut back to $17,500. However, carryover funds amount to $7,000. Therefore, $10,500 is all that's needed to support Highline Youth and Family Services. MOVED BY ROBERTSON, SECONDED BY LAWRENCE, TO RECOMMEND AN INCREASE OF $10,500 TO HIGHLINE YOUTH AND FAMILY SERVICES BUDGET; THIS WILL PRODUCE A TOTAL BUDGET OF $28,000. Mayor Vandusen expressed disfavor when the Council indicated increasing the Human Services budget above the agreed on amount of $219,000. The Mayor stated the limit of $200,000 had already been surpassed, and that he opposed any further adjustments in this area. Councilmember Rants commented that the Council needs to explore with staff where and what changes need to be made and what services should be deleted or augmented based upon the needs of Tukwila's citizens. Council President Hernandez stated she would not be voting on any adjustments to the social services budget because discussions had already taken place at other meetings, this would just be repetition of the Council's previous efforts. ROLL CALL VOTE: DUFFIE ROBERTSON HERNANDEZ MORIWAKI EKBERG LAWRENCE RANTS *MOTION FAILED 4 -3. NO YES NO YES NO YES NO MOVED BY ROBERTSON, SECONDED BY LAWRENCE TO RECOMMEND THE RENTON AREA YOUTH SERVICES (RAYS) BE INCREASED FROM $17,000 TO 35,000. Committee of The Whole Minutes December 10, 1990 Page 5 Human Services (Con't). Arts Commission. 11:00 P.M. Councilmember Robertson pointed out the team that evaluated the budget amounts were given a limit of $200,000 to spend. The programs that were cut did not necessarily mean they weren't of value, it just meant the team had to make some very hard choices. ROLL CALL VOTE: DUFFIE YES ROBERTSON YES HERNANDEZ NO MORIWAKI YES EKBERG YES LAWRENCE YES RANTS NO *MOTION CARRIES 5 -2 MOVED BY MORIWAKI, SECONDED BY LAWRENCE, TO FORWARD THE HUMAN SERVICES POLICY AND PLAN, INCLUDING THE MISSION STATEMENT, TO THE NEXT REGULAR COUNCIL (1 -7 -91) FOR ADOPTION. MOVED BY RANTS, SECONDED BY EKBERG, TO RECOMMEND AN AMENDMENT TO THE MISSION AND POLICIES OF TUKWILA HUMAN SERVICES TO READ "A FIXED PERCENTAGE OF UP TO 1.5% BUT NOT TO EXCEED THAT AMOUNT OF THE ANNUAL GENERAL FUND. Discussion ensued of the advantages and disadvantages of a fixed percentage being designated for the provision of human services in the General Fund. *MOTION FAIL 5 -2. *MOTION CARRIED. Council President Hernandez clarified that the Human Services Policy for human servcies had not been discussed at this point of the meeting, only the Budget is being addressed this evening. MOVED BY ROBERTSON, SECONDED BY MORIWAKI, TO RECOMMEND ADDING HUMAN SERVICES SUPPLIES, $10,000; HUMAN SERVICES COMMISSION, $2,000; HUMAN SERVICES ROUNDTABLE, $5,000 TO THE BUDGET, IN THE APPROPRIATE PLACE.** Councilmember Rants commented there is a Regional Planning Council already in place, why should the City expend $54,000 to administer the Human Services Budget. *MOTION CARRIED WITH RANTS VOTING NO. *ORIGINAL MOTION CARRIED AS AMENDED. Lynn Devoir and Mr. Gorjance addressed the Council regarding the Arts Commission proposal to beautify the wall at the T -Line Bridge. MOVED BY RANTS, SECONDED BY ROBERTSON TO EXTEND THE COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING TO 11:15 P.M. MOTION CARRIED. Ms. Devoir continued as she informed the Council the Engineering Study had been completed on the Entrance Project (a wall at the T- Line Bridge). Committee of The Whole Minutes December 10, 1990 Page 6 Arts Commission (Con't). Reference: WSDOT Dumpsite. (See page 1) ADJOURNMENT 11:15 p.m. J Mr. Gorjance explained that the concept of the art proposed for the wall will depict the history of the Tukwila region Discussion ensued regarding budgeting funds in the amount of $498,000 to continue this project. The Mayor stated there have been questions concerning the appearance of this intersection for many years. He encouraged the Council to work in conjunction with staff, administration and the Arts Commission to explore attractive options. Mayor added that this intersection is a highly visible area for most visitors to the City. Council President Hernandez requested the Art Commission to submit their plan in stages, including cost estimate per each stage, to the Council for consideration. MOVED BY ROBERTSON, SECONDED BY MORIWAKI, TO RECOMMEND ADDING $3,000 TO THE BUDGET FOR ARTS COMMISSION STUDY OF APPROPRIATE WALL MURAL AT THE T -LINE BRIDGE. MOTION CARRIED. It was the consensus of the Council to schedule Thursday, December 13, 6:00 p.m., to discuss the 1991 Budget, ONLY. MOVED BY ROBERTSON, SECONDED BY LAWRENCE, TO RECOMMEND THAT THE ADMINISTRATION PROCEED WITH ALL HASTE TO FIND A MEANS TO PROHIBIT WSDOT FROM DUMPING AT THE AREAS NEAR THE INTERSECTION OF OLD HIGHWAY 99 AND STATE ROUTE 599 IN TUKWILA. MOTION CARRIED. MOVED BY DUFFIE, SECONDED BY ROBERTSON, THAT THE COMMI ITEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING BE ADJOURNED. MOTION CARRIED. Joea'i Hernandez, Council President Celia Square; L 'eputy City Clerk