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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015-08-10 Community Affairs and Parks MinutesCity Of Tukwila • Community Affairs and Parks Committee COMMUNITY AFFAIRS AND PARKS COMMITTEE - Meeting Minutes August 10, 2015 — 5:30 p.m. — Hazelnut Conference Room PRESENT Councilmembers: Verna Seal, Chair; Dennis Robertson, Allan Ekberg Staff: David Cline, Nora Gierloff, Jerry Height, Mary Hulvey, Hoa Mai, Colin Poff, Rachel Bianchi CALL TO ORDER: Committee Chair Seal called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. I. PRESENTATIONS Everyone in attendance introduced themselves. II. BUSINESS AGENDA A. Update on Code Enforcement Abatement Staff provided an update on the status of Code Enforcement abatement cases. Code Enforcement staff tries to resolve issues directly with the property owner, but if compliance cannot be agreed upon or abatement is not voluntarily completed, then the City is able to pursue additional legal procedures. In 2014 the Council approved the hiring of an addition Code Enforcement Officer to address the backlog of cases, and as of June 2015, the City has resolved 14 abatement cases. In comparison, 7 were resolved by property owners in 2014. Staff described the status of specific cases as reflected on the attachment, including abatements by property owners, abatements by the City, and 5 abatements approved by Council in January 2015. Once these 5 are complete, there are 4 additional cases that staff intends to recommend for Council approval. Councilmember Robertson requested staff develop table covering 2013 through 2015 that lists how many abatements were needed in the year, and the types of completed abatements (property owners, City, Council- approval). Councilmember Robertson indicated that the columns could be qualified to reflect life /safety, priority level, etc. He woud like the table to be brought back to committee. Councilmembers requested additional information as to why the City is not moving forward with additional needed abatements. City Administrator Cline indicated that staff would come back to committee with more information on matching up resources and priorities, along with more information on what is needed to deal with the abatements. Council also requested information on potential timelines associated with the abatements, as well as cost to the City and staff time. Staff will produce a high -level matrix to answer these requests. This document will be brought back to committee. INFORMATION ONLY. B. Update on Code Enforcement LEAN Process Staff provided an update on the LEAN analysis of Code Enforcement processes that was conducted over the past year. LEAN is a systematic approach to analyzing work processes in an effort to identify and eliminate inefficiencies. Staff learned that an average of 323 customers are served by Code Enforcement every month, both internal and external. Several changes were implemented as a result of this work, including the creation of a new procedures manual, updated standard forms, revised the Rental Housing Inspection program to free up Kathy Stetson for more code enforcement, enhanced the dump pass porgam, new forms of community outreach, and the recommendation that led to Council approval of the additional Officer. Staff found the analysis and training beneficial and intends to reference LEAN principles in future process evaluation and improvement. Staff is pleased to be out in the neighborhoods more, talking with residents. Community Affairs & Parks Committee Minutes August 10, 2015 - Page 2 Councilmember Robertson requested that Code Enforccement provide the committee with a regular matrix with number of cases, number completed, types, etc. He would like this to include a break down of single family, multi family and commercial in terms of how much staff time is spent in these different categories (or other categories that may be exist). He would like this document presented on a regdular basis - i.e. quarterly - so that committee members can see progress over time. Staff suggested they present the existing breakdown table that they have and the Committee members will determine whether this document meets their needs. Councilmember Robertson asked that this information be shared with the Committee sooner than later as it may inform budget decisions in the near future. INFORMATION ONLY. C. Update on Vacant Property Registration At the June 8, 2015 Committee of the Whole meeting, the Council requested that the Community Affairs and Parks Committee review information on Vacant Property Registration Ordinances (VPRO). This type of ordinance is a tool used by some cities to track and monitor vacant properties and to hold property owners accountable for code compliance and proper upkeep by imposing fees for non - compliance. In response to this request, staff presented a report describing the purpose and background of VPROs and the four current ordinances in Washington State. Staff's position based on this research is that, while a registry of vacant and foreclosed homes could be of benefit to the City, an effective VPRO program is not possible at current staffing levels. One FTE is estimated to be required for full implementation of a registry program. In Tukwila, nuisance isssues associated with vacant properties are addressed via the Code Enforcement abatement program, which has become increasingly effective due to the addition of a new FTE this year. There is no evidence to suggest a VPRO would substantially improve housing condition beyond the strategies currently being used. There is also concern as the City does not know the scope of the number of foreclosed homes in the city currently, so therefore the scope of the potential program is unknown at this time. Committee members and staff discussed the benefits and drawbacks of a VPRO program in Tukwila. Following discussion, the Committee agreed with the staff recommendation to not pursue a VPRO at this time, although this tool may be reviewed again in future. INFORMATION ONLY. III. MISCELLANEOUS Meeting adjourned at 6:25 p.m Next meeting: Monday, August 24, 2015 ._w_...._ Committee Chair Approval Minutes by RB