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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2016-01-04 Regular MinutesTukwila City Council Regular Meeting City Hall Council Chambers January 4, 2016 — 7:00 P.M. MINUTES REGULAR MEETING CALL TO ORDER/PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE /ROLL CALL Mayor Ekberg called the Regular Meeting of the Tukwila City Council to order at 7:02 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, Verna Seal, Kathy Hougardy. MOVED BY SEAL, SECONDED BY DUFFIE TO EXCUSE COUNCILMEMBER QUINN FROM THE MEETING. MOTION CARRIED 5 -0. CITY OFFICIALS Allan Ekberg, Mayor; David Cline, City Administrator; Rachel Turpin, City Attorney; Kimberly Walden, Municipal Court Judge; Mike Villa, Police Chief; Peggy McCarthy, Finance Director; Stephanie Brown, Human Resources Director; Evelyn Boykan, Human Services Manager; Laurel Humphrey, Council Analyst; Christy O'Flaherty, City Clerk. SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS a. Oath of Office administered by Judge Kimberly Walden to Allan Ekberg, Mayor, with a term ending December 31, 2019. Mayor Ekberg explained that he was officially sworn in previous to this meeting in City offices to ensure the continuity of operations beginning January 1, 2016. The ceremonial swearing -in process is occurring this evening. Judge Walden administered the Oath of Office to Mayor Allan Ekberg, after which he received a standing ovation. b. Oath of Office administered by Mayor Ekberg for Council positions, with terms ending December 31, 2019: • Kathy Hougardy, Position #2 • Dennis Robertson, Position #4 • Kate Kruller, Position #6 Mayor Ekberg administered the Oath of Office to Councilmember Kathy Hougardy in Position #2, Councilmember Dennis Robertson in Position #4, and Councilmember Kate Kruller in Position #6. 7:11 p.m. Mayor Ekberg declared a brief recess to allow the newly elected officials to sign their Oaths of Office. 7:33 p.m. Mayor Ekberg called the Regular Meeting back to order Tukwila City Council Regular Meeting Minutes January 4, 2016 Page 2 of 6 01:12611►>t CTA gi•k1? a. Appointments /Reappointments: (1) Arts Commission. Confirm the appointment of Daniel Humkey as a student representative on the Arts Commission, with a term expiring June 2017. MOVED BY DUFFIE, SECONDED BY SEAL TO CONFIRM THE APPOINTMENT OF DANIEL HUMKEY AS A STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE ON THE ARTS COMMISSION, WITH A TERM EXPIRING JUNE 2017.* Dave Johnson, Parks and Recreation Manager, introduced Cynthia Chesak, Tukwila Arts Commissioner, to the City Council. Ms. Chesak introduced Daniel Humkey, a student at Foster High School, to the City Council. Ms. Chesak displayed a book titled the ABCs of TukTown, which was illustrated by Mr. Humkey. He is a top student at Foster High School, enrolled in 4 Advanced Placement classes and involved with the school newspaper, stage crew, the hip hop dance club, and the Asian student association. Mr. Humkey expressed his pleasure at being appointed to the Arts Commission. The Councilmembers and Mayor congratulated Mr. Humkey on his appointment. *MOTION CARRIED 5 -0. (2) Civil Service Commission. Confirm the reappointment of Bruce Paquette to Position #1 on the Civil Service Commission, with a term expiring 12/31/21. MOVED BY KRULLER, SECONDED BY SEAL TO CONFIRM THE REAPPOINTMENT OF BRUCE PAQUETTE TO POSITION #1 ON THE CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION, WITH A TERM EXPIRING 12/31/21. MOTION CARRIED 5 -0. (3) Human Services Advisory Board. Confirm the appointment of Jonathan Joseph to Position #5 on the Human Services Advisory Board, with a term expiring 4/30/17. MOVED BY SEAL, SECONDED BY HOUGARDY TO CONFIRM THE APPOINTMENT OF JONATHAN JOSEPH TO POSITION #5 ON THE HUMAN SERVICES ADVISORY BOARD, WITH A TERM EXPIRING 4/30117.* Evelyn Boykan, Human Services Manager, introduced Jonathan Joseph to the City Council. Mr. Joseph has been involved with the Equity and Diversity Commission and is seeking a Master's Degree in Urban Planning. Mr. Joseph moved from the Fiji Islands to Tukwila at the age of 4, where his family encountered many of the challenges that face immigrants. He has been very involved in the Multi - Cultural Action Committee (MAC) to promote diversity and eliminate racism. He looks forward to serving the community. The Councilmembers expressed appreciation to Mr. Joseph for his contributions. *MOTION CARRIED 5 -0. (4) Library Advisory Board. (a) Confirm the reappointment of Marie Parrish to Position #3 on the Library Advisory Board, with a term expiring 12/31/17. MOVED BY ROBERTSON, SECONDED BY DUFFIE TO CONFIRM THE REAPPOINTMENT OF MARIE PARRISH TO POSITION #3 ON THE LIBRARY ADVISORY BOARD, WITH A TERM EXPIRING 12/31/17.* Tukwila City Council Regular Meeting Minutes January 4, 2016 Page 3 of 6 Ms. Parrish said she is honored to be reappointed to the Library Board and is excited about the new library coming to Tukwila. She referenced the passing of Sharon Kidd last week and spoke regarding Ms Kidd's passionate advocacy regarding library services in Tukwila. She will be greatly missed. The memorial service for Ms. Kidd is at the Tukwila Community Center on January 7, 2016 at 1:30 p.m. The Councilmembers conveyed appreciation to Ms. Parrish for her good work in the community. *MOTION CARRIED 5 -0. (b) Confirm the reappointment of Linda McLeod to Position #5 on the Library Advisory Board, with a term expiring 12/31/17. MOVED BY SEAL, SECONDED BY HOUGARDY TO CONFIRM THE REAPPOINTMENT OF LINDA MCLEOD TO POSITION #5 ON THE LIBRARY ADVISORY BOARD, WITH A TERM EXPIRING 12/31/17.* Upon inquiry from Councilmember Kruller regarding what the Council can do to help the Library Advisory Board, Ms. McLeod said encouraging more people to help get kids reading would be extremely beneficial. The Councilmembers thanked Ms. McLeod for her dedication to the community. Mayor Ekberg suggested that if Ms. McLeod knows of others who would be interested in serving on the Library Advisory Board to let the Mayor's Office know. *MOTION CARRIED 5 -0. CITIZEN COMMENTS There were no citizen comments. CONSENT AGENDA a. Approval of Minutes: 12/7/15 (Regular Mtg.); 12/14/15 (Special Mtg.) b. Approval of Vouchers #371135 - 371222; #151100, 151204 - 151207 in the amount of $1,310,694.62. MOVED BY DUFFIE, SECONDED BY ROBERTSON THAT THE CONSENT AGENDA BE APPROVED AS SUBMITTED. MOTION CARRIED 5 -0. NEW BUSINESS a. Election of 2016 Council President. MOVED BY ROBERTSON, SECONDED BY SEAL TO ELECT JOE DUFFIE AS COUNCIL PRESIDENT FOR 2016.* Councilmember Robertson expressed that Councilmember Duffie will do an excellent job in the role of Council President, as he has in the past. Council President Kruller said that Councilmember Duffie has worked well with her in wrapping up 2015 business, and she looks forward to his leadership. Councilmember Seal conveyed her pleasure in serving under Councilmember Duffie's leadership in the past and is, convinced he will hold the Council to their task list. Councilmember Hougardy looks forward to working with Councilmember Duffie during his presidency. Mayor Ekberg stated that Councilmember Duffie has taken the time to reach out to his office, and he looks forward to working with him in 2016. Tukwila City Council Regular Meeting Minutes January 4, 2016 *MOTION CARRIED 5 -0. Page 4 of 6 Councilmember Duffie took his place on the dais as Council President. He expressed being honored to be the Council President and encouraged full support of the Mayor. Additionally, he conveyed that he wants to see Council meetings go no longer than 3 hours and expects Council Committees to provide recommendations on their agenda items. Council President Duffie referenced the sign on display in the Council Chambers, "United we Stand; Divided We Fall," and emphasized this philosophy is the best way to serve the citizens. b. A resolution establishing the meeting schedule for City Council Committees. MOVED BY DUFFIE, SECONDED BY KRULLER THAT THE PROPOSED RESOLUTION BE READ BY TITLE ONLY. MOTION CARRIED 5 -0. Christy O'Flaherty, City Clerk, read the proposed resolution by title only. A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF TUKWILA, WASHINGTON, REVISING THE MEETING SCHEDULE FOR CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEES, AND REPEALING RESOLUTION NO. 1854. MOVED BY DUFFIE, SECONDED BY SEAL THAT THE PROPOSED RESOLUTION BE ADOPTED AS READ. MOTION CARRIED 5 -0, TO ADOPT RESOLUTION NUMBER 1872. Council President Duffie has set the Council Committee schedule and membership and asked the new Committee Chairs to announce the schedule and membership (shown below). Transportation 1st & 3rd Monday 5:30 p.m. Dennis Robertson, Chair 6300 Building Verna Seal Suite 100, Foster De'Sean Quinn Conf. Rm. Finance & Safety 1st & 3rd Tuesday 5:30 p.m. Verna Seal, Chair City Hall, Hazelnut Dennis Robertson Conf. Rm. #3 Kate Kruller Community Affairs 2nd & 4th Monday 5:30 p.m. De'Sean Quinn, Chair and Parks City Hall, Hazelnut Kathy Hougardy Conf. Rm. #3 Position 3 Utilities 2nd & 4th Tuesday 5:30 p.m. Kathy Hougardy, Chair 6300 Building Kate Kruller Suite 100, Foster Position 3 Conf. Rm. c. Discussion and consensus relating to Council Position No. 3 Vacancy Application Sufficiency. Laurel Humphrey, Council Analyst, provided an overview of this issue. City Council Position No. 3 is vacant as of January 1, 2016. As authorized by RCW 42.12.070 and pursuant to Tukwila Municipal Code (TMC) 2.04.190, the remaining Councilmembers are conducting an application and interview process to fill the vacancy. TMC 2.04.190 states: "In order to fill the vacancy with the most qualified person available until an election is held, the Council will widely distribute and publish a notice of the vacancy, the procedure and any application form for applying. The Council will draw up an application form, which contains relevant information to answer set questions posed by the Council. The application forms will be used in conjunction with an interview of each candidate to aid the Council selection of the new Councilmember." Tukwila City Council Regular Meeting Minutes January 4, 2016 Page 5 of 6 The application period opened on November 30 and concluded at 5:00 p.m. on December 28, 2015, per the published notice. Special Council meetings are planned for January 11 and January 13, 2016 to conduct interviews, which will be scheduled in 30 minute increments per candidate. Of 13 total applications received, one was submitted without a letter of interest and after the 5:00 p.m. close of the application period. Four of the remaining applications did not include a letter of interest as was requested in the applicant packet. The Council must decide if these applications will be considered sufficient for the purpose of advancing to the interview phase of the appointment process. Other examples in the City that the Council may consider while making this determination include: City Hiring: The Human Resources Department conducts the employment process for all other City jobs, and does not consider applications received after the posted closing date /time, or those that have not been completed in full per the position notice. City Bidding: The City Clerk's Office and Public Works Department conduct the process for bids to perform work for the City. Bid proposals that are submitted past the published closing date and time or that are incomplete are not eligible for consideration. The Council is being asked to discuss this issue and express consensus upon the criteria by which applicants will advance to the interview phase of the appointment process. Councilmember Robertson is pleased that 13 people have interest in serving on the Council. He emphasized that procedures and processes are important in managing risk and providing fairness. The integrity of the process will be compromised if the criteria is not uniform for all of those involved. While he was impressed with all those who applied, the 5 applications that did not meet the published criteria should not move forward in the process. Councilmember Seal concurred with Councilmember Robertson and felt it would be unfair to the rest of the applicants to consider those who did not meet the criteria. Councilmember Hougardy relayed that once variances are made in processes, it is difficult to stop. The Council is not cavalier or lacking in compassion in making this important decision. The City is also under important timelines in appointing a Councilmember in that if the City does not proceed within 90 days, the decision will defer to King County and then the Governor if the County is not timely. Cover letters are also important as they reflect writing skills and interest level. Councilmember Kruller said the majority of the applicants succeeded in following the directions based on the instructions. While it would be unfair to have the 5 applicants continue through the process, she hopes they will not be discouraged and will participate in future opportunities. Council consensus existed that the 5 applicants that did not meet the published criteria not proceed in the Council Candidate Interview process. REPORTS a. Mayor Mayor Ekberg reported that as part of his first day in office, he notified staff of his appreciation for their work and assessed personnel and law enforcement related issues. This work will continue as part of implementation of his 90 -day plan. Additionally, he plans to maintain relationships with regional, state and federal partners. b. City Council Councilmember Robertson is pleased to be working with everyone on the Council and looks forward to 2016. Councilmember Seal referenced complaints by those in her neighborhood regarding extremely bright, blinking lights at the Riverside Inn. The situation is very extreme, and she would like to see this investigated. Tukwila City Council Regular Meeting Minutes January 4, 2016 Page 6 of 6 David Cline, City Administrator, said he would look into the situation. Councilmember Kruller said confirmation of receipt of our Comprehensive Plan has been received from the Office of Growth Management. Additionally, she displayed an article from "The Seattle Times" regarding the achievements at Foster High School. c. Staff There was no report. d. City Attorney There was no report. e. Intergovernmental Laurel Humphrey, Council Analyst, said the Committee of the Whole meeting scheduled for January 11, 2016 is being cancelled to conduct the Council Candidate Interviews for Position #3. The meeting will be in the Council Chambers and start at 5:00 p.m. MISCELLANEOUS Mayor Ekberg relayed that the Transportation Committee has had discussions about improving lighting on Tukwila International Boulevard. Per information from the Public Works Director, LED lights have been installed in place of the incandescent lights at South 148th Street and Tukwila International Boulevard near the Church by the Side of the Road. He requested input on whether these lights are an improvement in creating greater ambience. ADJOURNMENT 8:33 p.m. MOVED BY DUFFIE, SECONDED BY ROBERTSON THAT THE TUKWILA CITY COUNCIL MEETING BE ADJOURNED. MOTION CARRIED 5 -0. A I I a n­t k6eirg, ayor r Christy O'Flaherty,i8ity Clerk r . APPROVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL: 1/19/16 AVAILABLE ON CITY WEBSITE: 1/20/16