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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015-11-02 Regular MinutesTukwila City Council Regular Meeting City Hall Council Chambers November 2, 2015 — 7:00 P.M. MINUTES REGULAR MEETING CALL TO ORDER/PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE /ROLL CALL Mayor Haggerton called the Regular Meeting of the Tukwila City Council to order at 7:00 p.m. and led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance. ROLL CALL Christy O'Flaherty, City Clerk, called the roll of the Council. Present were Councilmembers Joe Duffie, Dennis Robertson, Kate Kruller, Allan Ekberg, Verna Seal, Kathy Hougardy, De'Sean Quinn. CITY OFFICIALS Jim Haggerton, Mayor; David Cline, City Administrator; Ann Marie Soto, Assistant City Attorney; Chris Flores, Interim Fire Chief; Marty Grisham, Emergency Manager; Raejean Kreel, Emergency Management Specialist; Patrick Smith, Firefighter; Mike Villa; Police Chief; Derek Speck, Economic Development Administrator; Brandon Miles, Economic Development Liaison; Mary Miotke, Technology Services Director; Christy O'Flaherty, City Clerk. SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS Fire Department presentations: Chris Flores, Interim Fire Chief a. Introduction of firefighters: Chris Flores, Interim Fire Chief, explained that it has been over 30 years since there have been 4 recruits going through the Fire Academy at the same time. He introduced the following new firefighters to the City Council. • Eric Dunkley. Eric was born in Spokane and attended the University of Idaho, was a member of Delta Tau Delta fraternity, and graduated in 2001. Eric was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the US Army as an Armor Officer and was recognized as a distinguished military graduate (ranking in the top 10% of the nation for newly- commissioned officers). He also served 12 years in the active duty Army and earned the Purple Heart when he was shot and wounded in action. Eric was inspired to join the fire service by memories of professional firefighters who responded when his father suffered a stroke. • Andrew Quinn. Andrew grew up in Garden City, Michigan, and after graduating high school enlisted in the United States Army where he served four years in an infantry unit. He completed the Army's elite Ranger school and earned multiple medals of achievement throughout his service. After being honorably discharged from the Army, he served his country as a diplomatic security specialist in Iraq and Afghanistan, protecting government officials abroad. Andrew also attended Bates Technical College for the Fire Service program and volunteered at West Thurston RFA (Regional Fire Authority) before becoming a full -time career firefighter with the City of Tukwila. • Ben Rasmussen. Ben grew up on five acres on the Key Peninsula, just outside of Gig Harbor and developed a love for sports and the outdoors at a young age. He played every sport he could growing up and even played one year of semi - professional football. He worked in the restaurant business, retail, real estate and emergency services at a hospital before discovering his real passion for the fire service. He volunteered for the fire department where he grew up before getting hired on with the Tukwila Fire Department. Tukwila City Council Regular Meeting Minutes November 2, 2015 Page 2 of 8 • Mason Upton. Mason grew up in Sumner, Washington, and after graduating from high school, he attended the University of Arizona and earned a B.S. in Nutrition - Dietetics. After college he worked and lived in Las Vegas, NV and Chicago, IL. Mason started out as a personal trainer, but eventually became a journeyman meat cutter. He moved back to Washington to pursue a career in the fire service. He became a member of the Tukwila Fire Department after graduating from the EMT program. b. Promotion of firefighters to the position of Captain in the Fire Department: Chief Flores introduced the newly promoted Fire Captains. • Aaron Johnson. Aaron hired on with the City on February 1, 2006 and was assigned to Station B52. With a military background and experience in hazardous materials, Aaron joined the City's HazMat team as soon as his probation was over in 2007. He then joined the Rescue Team in 2012. Aaron was promoted to Captain in 2015 and continues to serve on the Special Operations team, and is currently the HazMat Team Leader. Aaron has also served as a Rescue Boat Operator, CBT Instructor and CERT Instructor. • Dawn Judkins. Dawn started with the Tukwila Fire Department in 2004, and was promoted to Captain in July 2015. She has been a CBT /EMS Instructor since 2008 and was a member of the Rescue Team for 8 years. She is currently responsible for fit testing Fire Department employees with SCBA and HEPA masks. She has also been a member of the Executive Board of Local 2088 since 2009. • William (Bill) Rodal. Bill began his fire service career in 1984 as a Resident/Volunteer Firefighter with Angle Lake /King County District 24. In 1986, Bill was hired by King County District 24 as a full -time Firefighter. On July 16, 1989, Bill was hired by the City of Tukwila Fire Department as part of a large influx of lateral -entry firefighters to cover annexations occurring at the time. Through perseverance with the promotional testing process, Bill has succeeded in gaining this well- deserved promotion. c. Fire Department awards: Chief Flores explained that by policy, the department seats an Awards Committee when a department member has been nominated for recognition. The committee reviews and investigates the circumstances related to the nomination and makes a recommendation to the Chief for approval. • FirefighterToby Popejoy. On February 9, 2014 Toby was in attendance at a soccer tournament at Starfire at Fort Dent Park. Toby was working with other parents to remove snow from a soccer field when it came to his attention that a child had broken through the ice covering the pond. He instructed other parents to call 911, scaled a fence and ran to the pond. Another teenage male went out onto the ice and also broke through, falling into the water. Toby arrived at the pond as the first potential rescuer was able to remove himself from the pond. Toby prevented other parents from going out onto the ice. He got the attention of the young girl and instructed her to stand up, and walk out of the pond. She eventually reached a point where the ice would support her weight, and Toby was able to get her off of the ice and into a nearby car for warming. This all happened prior to the arrival of our emergency responders. Today we recognize Firefighter Toby Popejoy for his quick thinking and in preventing further injuries and protecting public safety with his actions. On behalf of the department and City, it is an honor to award Firefighter Toby Popejoy a Letter of Commendation. • Firefighter Andy Nevens and Captain Aaron Johnson. On November 26, 2014 members of the Tukwila Fire Department Rescue Team responded to the Cedar River in Renton as part of a Zone 3 Swift water Rescue Response. Initial reports had indicated that an adult and child were missing in the river. Renton Fire had rescued a woman from the river, and all efforts were directed toward locating the child. Andy and Aaron were assigned search efforts on river left, the left -hand side of the river as you face down river. Another team of 4 rescuers were working from upriver to downstream in an inflatable raft. The current proved too strong for that team to control the movement of their raft, and they were carried into a downed tree, and the boat flipped. Two members of the team were able to climb onto the tree. Two other members of the team were carried downriver with the raft. Tukwila City Council Regular Meeting Minutes November 2, 2015 Page 3 of 8 This put them into an area where Andy and Aaron were searching other logs and strainers in the area. A strainer is a deadly occurrence that forms in rivers when moving water pins debris against logs and other downed materials. Andy and Aaron saw what was developing and quickly moved into action. Both of the raft team members became placed in immediate peril. One was actually pinned on the underwater log. The moving force of large volumes of water makes it nearly impossible to remove yourself from such a trap. Aaron made contact with the use of his throw bag. Andy climbed onto the log /strainer and rescued both by assisting and pulling them to safety. His actions may have helped to save two lives, at risk to his own personal safety. Today we recognize Firefighter Andy Nevens and Captain Aaron Johnson for their quick thinking, and for their actions in rescuing a brother and sister firefighter. On behalf of the department and City, it is an honor to award Firefighter Andy Nevens the department Medal of Merit. On behalf of the department and City, it is an honor to award Captain Aaron Johnson with the department Medal of Commendation. The Councilmembers congratulated the newly hired, promoted and award recipients for their accomplishments. d. Emergency Management update on Okanogan Emergency Operations Center response. Marty Grisham, Emergency Manager; Raejean Kreel, Emergency Management Specialist; and Patrick Smith, Firefighter. Marty Grisham, Emergency Manager; Raejean Kreel, Emergency Management Specialist; and Patrick Smith, Firefighter, utilized a Powerpoint presentation to provide an update on the Okanogan Emergency Operations Center response. On Saturday, August 15, 2015, unfortunately, it was a perfect storm for wildland fires in eastern Washington. Five separate fires started on the same day by lightning strikes in the Okanogan area. The call for help went out early to Federal, State, County and Local government agencies. Following is the sequence of events involving Tukwila. - August 16, 2015 - Tukwila sent Emergency Management Specialist Raejean Kreel to the location. She was asked to be the Operations Section Chief, for which she served 7 days. - August 18, 2015 - The fires were growing quite large and several of the fires began to merge. - August 19, 2015 — Marty Grisham, Tukwila's Emergency Manager, was asked to be the EOC (Emergency Operations Center) Manager, for which he served 9 days. The fires continued to grow and new fires began, and for the next 48 hours, staff had 3 hours of sleep. - August 20, 2015 — Tukwila Firefighter Patrick Smith began as the EOC's Manager Aide and was quickly reassigned to the Situation Unit Leader, for which he served 8 days. - August 21, 2015 — As the fires grew, consideration was given to moving the location of the EOC. Ongoing concerns involved issues associated with utilities, communications, weather forecasts, air quality, evacuation, transportation, and mental health of responders. Interesting and Unique Experiences: • Historical monuments were wrapped in foil for protection • TERT (Telecom municators Emergency Response Taskforce) was deployed based on collaboration with Valley Com. • EMAT (Emergency Management Assistance Team) was deployed in the area for the first time. • Irrigation was instrumental in preventing the fire from spreading Take -Aways and Lessons Learned demonstrated the necessity of the following: • Spanish interpreters/ Facebook page • Alert and warning system (similar to our CodeRed) • Social media • Liaisons • GIS mapping • Volunteers • Donations management • Relationships and partnerships matter • Incident Command System training Tukwila City Council Regular Meeting Minutes November 2, 2015 Page 4 of 8 Mr. Grisham ended the presentation with The Story of the Salmon Prayer. He explained that during the Okanogan event, Tukwila staff had an opportunity to work with a tribal liaison, who was extremely beneficial to the entire operation. The day before Mr. Grisham left, the tribal liaison said she would like to say a prayer for the group by means of a story. The liaison explained that she had always wanted to be successful at fishing, so she went and observed the salmon. She was amazed at how consistently they pushed upstream despite the abundant challenges of waterfalls, predators, rocks, and shallow water. They had a mission and they just kept going. She asked them, "How do you do it ?" The salmon answered, "because we swim together." Mr. Grisham thanked the City Council and Mayor for allowing them to swim with their neighbors to learn, support and serve. The Mayor and Councilmembers extended comments relaying their pride in the accomplishments and regional success of the Tukwila Fire Department. PROCLAMATIONS A proclamation in honor of Veterans Day on November 11, 2015. Mayor Haggerton read a proclamation declaring November 11, 2015 as Veterans Day, thanking all of America's veterans for their patriotism and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good. Mayor Haggerton presented the proclamation to Joe Duffie, Tukwila Councilmember and United States Army Veteran. Councilmember Duffie invited veterans and all members of the community to a celebration in honor of Veterans Day at the Tukwila Community Center on November 10, 2015 from 10:00 a.m. to noon. CITIZEN COMMENTS Brennan Wilson, 4803 South 162nd Street, expressed appreciation for our public safety officers, emergency managers and veterans. He referenced Proposition F (referred to as the Airbnb Initiative) in San Francisco that deals with regulating private, short -term housing rentals. There is a feeling that the Eshare economy is taking too many housing units out of the regular economy and making them unavailable for the City to use, causing a housing shortage. Airbnb has dedicated $8 million to fight this proposition, which included chiding the City administration of San Francisco for their use of taxpayer funds. From his perspective, those from the Eshare economy are skimming the cream and not accepting responsibility for the costs of doing business. Dennis Martinez, 4660 South 160th Street, extended congratulations to all the candidates in this election. He hopes that after the dust settles, we can go back to business as usual, with a focus on Tukwila's residents and tax base. He would also like to see more diversity in the Fire Department. He expressed appreciation to Councilmember Robertson for visiting his neighbor a few years ago during the campaign season and thanked Mayor Haggerton for his 2 terms of service as Mayor. CONSENT AGENDA a. Approval of Minutes: 10/19/15 (Regular Mtg.) b. Approval of Vouchers #370632 - 370739; #150900, 151003 - 151005 in the amount of $1,666,655.92 c. A resolution establishing a second Finance Department Petty Cash Fund, eliminating the Seattle Southside Visitor Center Change Fund; and repealing Resolution No. 1829. [Reviewed and forwarded to Consent by the Finance and Safety Committee on 10120115.] RESOLUTION NUMBER 1868 MOVED BY DUFFIE, SECONDED BY ROBERTSON THAT THE CONSENT AGENDA BE APPROVED AS SUBMITTED. MOTION CARRIED 7 -0. Tukwila City Council Regular Meeting Minutes November 2, 2015 Page 5 of 8 NEW BUSINESS Discussion on the selection process for appointments to the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee (LTAC). Brandon Miles, Economic Development Liaison, provided an overview of this issue. The City imposes a 1 % lodging tax on certain overnight stays at area hotels and motels. For 2016, the City's budget estimates that the City will receive approximately $630,000 in lodging tax funds. Under Washington State law, lodging tax proceeds can only be used for tourism promotion (overnight and day visitors) and other tourism related activities (RCW 67.28.1816). The lodging tax is a separate charge from the Tourism Promotion Area (TPA) fee of $2 per night per room. All hotels and motels are subject to the lodging tax, but only hotels and motels with at least 90 rooms are subject to the TPA fee. The TPA fee does not go to the City; instead the fee goes to the newly created Seattle Southside Regional Tourism Authority ( "Authority "). The Authority collects the TPA fee from eligible hotels in the cities of Tukwila, SeaTac, and Des Moines. In 2016, the Authority will assume most of the operations of Seattle Southside Visitor Services (SSVS), which is currently a division within the City of Tukwila, and will be responsible for marketing the region to potential overnight guests. The 2016 budget approved by the Authority's board estimates 2016 revenue at $4.6 million. In order to collect the lodging tax and spend the funds collected, the City is required by state law to have a Lodging Tax Advisory Committee. The Committee makes recommendations to the City Council on any request to use lodging tax funds, including requests by the City. The City Council can accept or reject any of the LTAC recommendations. However, the City Council cannot change the specific funding amounts recommended by the LTAC. The City's LTAC has nine voting members (State law only requires that the LTAC have five members). Four of the members are representatives of businesses that are required to collect the tax (hoteliers), four are persons involved in activities authorized to be funded by the tax (non- hoteliers); and one member is a City elected official who serves as the LTAC chair. Traditionally, the Council President has served as the City's elected official chairing the LTAC. Due to member resignations, the City currently has four vacant positions on the LTAC. The LTAC is different from many of the City's other board and commissions in that typically non - residents serve as its members, and the LTAC members are divided into two categories, hoteliers and non - hoteliers. For appointments to the LTAC, the City has followed its standard appointment process in which the Mayor makes a recommendation to the City Council for appointment. However, unlike other appointments, the Council appoints the LTAC member, instead of confirming the Mayor's recommendation. In the past, appointments to LTAC were done on a case -by -case basis as positions became open. Starting this year Economic Development staff assumed staff support for the LTAC, and suggests that the Council review the membership of the LTAC on a yearly basis in order to follow the requirement under State Law and the City's adopted resolution. State law requires that the City Council "review the membership of the advisory committee annually and make changes as appropriate" (RCW 67.28.1817). This annual review requirement is also found in City Council Resolution #1533. The LTAC currently has a number of vacant positions and the Mayor is ready to present recommendations to the Council for appointments. Economic Development staff would like to have the Council appoint members to the LTAC at its November 16,, 2015 Regular Council meeting. The recommendations that will be put forward are the result of nearly two dozen meetings with businesses engaged in the tourism industry. Council President Kruller said she requested that this topic be brought forward for discussion. As Council President, she is also the LTAC Chair, and wants to ensure there is clarity regarding the selection process and the geographic distribution. While she has no problem with those selected for the LTAC, she noticed that most of those selected for the Committee come from the urban center as opposed to the Tukwila International Boulevard area. Tukwila City Council Regular Meeting Minutes November 2, 2015 Page 6 of 8 Mr. Miles explained that the intent is to have diversity on the committee. On the hotel side, they focus on brands, ownership groups, and types of properties. Most of the hotels are in and around the Southcenter area, with Tukwila International Boulevard (TIB) having some hotels. While there had been a committee member from the TIB area in the past, in this particular round of appointments and reappointments the interest came from the Southcenter area. On the non -hotel side, in the past, members have come from the Museum of Flight, the Chamber of Commerce, and Albert Lee Appliance. In this instance, members were chosen from a large commercial property, a restaurant, microbrew, and activity center. Mr. Miles has met with all of the prospective members with a focus on involving people who have an interest in marketing, working with other businesses, and have a background in marketing. Council President Kruller emphasized the importance of involving the Council early on when the net is being cast to seek out new members for the LTAC. She would like to see a calendar of announcements to ensure the Council is "in the know" early on in the process. Councilmember Hougardy suggested there be a handoff from one Council President to another to ensure the new Council President/LTAC Chair is plugged into the business of the LTAC. Mayor Haggerton said that while the role of the LTAC Chair has fallen to the Council President over the years, the Chair position can be held by any Tukwila elected official and does not have to be the Council President. The Councilmembers asked clarifying questions and exchanged comments to include: The viewpoint that SSVS and LTAC have been very successful under the guidance of City administration, and there is not a need for more extensive involvement by the Council; Concern that with changes to the law regarding the compilation of the budget, there is a need to ensure the Council assumes appropriate responsibility; The importance of ensuring a process that meets State Auditor requirements and accountability to the residents; Appreciation to the Council President for bringing this forward due to the recent legal changes, with a focus on Council understanding the process; and A desire for the Council to be aware of how and when money is spent as the process unfolds, so that everyone is "swimming together." Mr. Miles said the intent is to bring back the appointments in 2 weeks (November 16 Regular Meeting) and then provide a briefing on how funds will be spent next year. Council President Kruller summarized that she would like to see a set of steps for next year's appointments and the status of things that have been passed and implemented. Additionally, pre - meetings with staff and the LTAC Chair /Council President would be beneficial as a regular part of the process. Council consensus existed to bring the appointments to the November 16, 2015 Regular Meeting and that a briefing on 2016 LTAC funding will be forthcoming. REPORTS a. Mayor Mayor Haggerton reported that on October 28, 2015, he attended the Sound Cities Association (SCA) networking dinner, where State Attorney General Bob Ferguson was in attendance and City Champion Awards were disseminated. On November 2, 2015, the Mayor participated in a conference call with the Mayor's Challenge group, which has been created to end homelessness for veterans. The call to action was announced by First Lady Michelle Obama and amplified by the HUD Secretary and the US Department of Veterans Affairs. Some agencies have been successful in eliminating homelessness for veterans in their cities. Tukwila City Council Regular Meeting Minutes November 2, 2015 Page 7 of 8 b. City Council Councilmember Duffie said that as the bad weather continues, it is important for residents to clean leaves from drains and gutters. He commended the Public Works Department for their maintenance work in the City. Councilmember Robertson reported that he chaired the October 28, 2015 WRIA9 (Water Resource Inventory Area 9) Management Committee meeting, where the focus was on the salmon recovery plan. The plan has changed in scope and complexity as it relates to Puget Sound and the Green /Duwamish River. This issue involves costs in the billions of dollars and involves flood plain and storm water management, review of grant proposals from 100+ agencies, and implementation of complex strategies and tactics involving multiple agencies throughout the region. The various meetings take anywhere from 2 -4 hours and involve hours of preparation time prior to attendance. The time spent on items as a Councilmember continues to increase and goes far beyond attendance and preparation for the City's standard Council meetings. Council President Kruller attended the October 28, 2015 Sound Cities Association (SCA) networking dinner. The December SCA meeting may feature some individuals being recognized as Member Emeritus, which will include Mayor Haggerton. She said Seattle and King County have designated a State of Emergency as it relates to homelessness. Those living in tent cities represent 1/10 of those living on the street. She expressed that everyone should have a safe Halloween and agreed with Councilmember Duffie as it relates to maintenance during the flooding season and also commended the Public Works Department for their work during inclement weather. She offered a reminder that there will be a Council Work Session on November 10, 2015 relating to revenue considerations related to the Fire service decision. She also encouraged citizens to attend the November 9, 2015 Committee of the Whole meeting where there will be a public hearing and information regarding the ordinance to increase property tax. At that same meeting, there will be discussion regarding the demolition of the old motels on Tukwila International Boulevard. Councilmember Ekberg attended a Transportation Plan meeting at the Saars location this evening and also attended the recent Harvest Carnival sponsored by the Parks and Recreation Department. He also cleaned out the storm drains near his home recently as they were overflowing. Councilmember Seal has been busy with meetings associated with the Regional Fire Authority (RFA). There is another meeting of the Steering Committee this Thursday, and she feels confident that a recommendation will be forthcoming to the full Council. She said she will be hosting the Council Chat on November 21, 2015 at the conference room at Fire Station 51 (444 Andover Park East). Councilmember Hougardy thanked the Councilmembers for their commitment to the various committees and meetings they attend for the good of the community. She also attended the SCA dinner on October 28, 2015. Councilmember Quinn emphasized the importance of Councilmember Robertson's comments as they relate to WRIA9. The process that was formerly vetted by a state agency has now been handed down to part -time elected officials that will require review by the State Auditor. The trend is continuing that passes down additional workload and costs to cities. When Council has the conversation regarding the 1% property tax increase next week, it is important to be mindful that cities are expected to do more and more and funding has diminished. He reported that he attended the City's Harvest Carnival and the elementary school dance. Both were well attended and very enjoyable. c. Staff David Cline, City Administrator, thanked the Council for having the Fire presentations this evening and thanked Marty Grisham, Emergency Manager. He relayed that the City is fortunate to have people of this caliber leading our Emergency Management efforts. It is also beneficial that the Mayor and Council brought Emergency Management into the appropriate organization level in the City. Mr. Cline referenced the City Administrator (CA) Report and offered to answer any questions. Tukwila City Council Regular Meeting Minutes November 2, 2015 d. City Attorney There was no report. e. Intergovernmental The Council Analyst was not in attendance. MISCELLANEOUS Page 8 of 8 Mayor Haggerton referenced the parking along South 144th Street during events at Neudorf Stadium. He was there recently when it was dark and raining, and it was necessary to cross the center line on that road to avoid the cars parked on the street. This represents a dangerous condition and should be addressed. ADJOURNMENT 8:57 p.m. MOVED BY DUFFIE, SECONDED BY ROBERTSON THAT THE TUKWILA CITY COUNCIL MEETING BE ADJOURNED. MOTION CARRIED 7 -0. erton, Christy O'Flaherty�City Clerk APPROVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL: 11/16/15 AVAILABLE ON CITY WEBSITE: 11117/15