HomeMy WebLinkAbout2016-04-25 Committee of the Whole MinutesTukwila City Council Committee of the Whole Meeting
City Hall Council Chambers April 25, 2016 — 7:00 P.M.
MINUTES
COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE
CALL TO ORDER/PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Council President Duffie called the Tukwila City Council meeting to order at 7:04 p.m.
Barby Arquiza, a member of Teens for Tukwila, led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance
OFFICIALS
Present were Joe Duffie, Council President; Councilmembers Dennis Robertson, Verna Seal,
Kathy Hougardy, De'Sean Quinn, Kate Kruller, Thomas McLeod.
CITY OFFICIALS
Allan Ekberg, Mayor; David Cline, City Administrator; Bob Giberson, Public Works Director; Bruce Linton,
Deputy Police Chief; Jack Pace, Community Development Director; Nora Gierloff, Community
Development Deputy Director; Rick Still, Parks and Recreation Director; Tracy Gallaway, Parks and
Recreation Manager; Nate Robinson, Teen Program Coordinator; Peggy McCarthy, Finance Director;
Joyce Trantina, Project Development Manager; Cheryl Thompson, Executive Assistant; Laurel Humphrey,
Council Analyst; Melissa Hart, Deputy City Clerk.
CITIZEN COMMENTS
There were no citizen comments
PUBLIC HEARING
An ordinance relating to collocation, removal and replacement of wireless facilities; establishing
new standards for eligible facilities modifications and new regulations on expiration of wireless
facility permits.
Nora Gierloff, Community Development Deputy Director, explained the topic of discussion this evening is
Tukwila Municipal Code Chapter 18.58, "Wireless Communication Facilities." Ms. Gierloff stated the
City's current Wireless Communication Facilities code was adopted in 2006 and, at that time, wireless
communication facilities, regardless of type, were subject to a Conditional Use Permit. Later that year,
the City adopted a regulatory scheme for wireless communication facilities. A concealed antenna
installed on a commercial building will have a much more streamlined permit process compared to a
permit for a monopole in a residential neighborhood. The City has had approximately 10 years of
experience with the current code. Over those years there have been significant technology changes and
an increase in cellular phone usage and the regulations regarding wireless communication facilities.
Ms. Gierloff said the main impetus for the City to update the regulations is the federal legislation adopting
the Spectrum Act, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules relating to eligible facility
modifications. The idea behind the new regulations is that they will aid the wireless communication
carriers in upgrading and updating communications equipment. There were some wireless
communication carriers that were having difficulties updating their facilities due to restrictions by local
jurisdictions. Those restrictions were limiting the wireless carriers' ability to update their facilities in order
to continue providing robust service.
The City's code as currently written requires minor changes to comply with the Spectrum Act. The
proposed new permit type (eligible facilities modifications) would be categorized as a Type 1 permit. This
type of permit would be limited to collocations on towers and buildings with existing antenna arrays. In
addition to the required changes, staff has used this opportunity to include housekeeping updates in the
draft ordinance to clarify existing language and update exemptions.
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April 25, 2016
Page 2 of 7
City staff shared the draft ordinance with industry representatives for their comments. This collaboration
resulted in a request by the Port of Seattle for the City to include language relating to bird exclusionary
devices for existing wireless communication facilities within a 5 mile radius of SeaTac International
Airport.
7:11 p.m. Council President Duffie opened the public hearing.
Council President Duffie called for public comments.
Carol Tagayun, 19807 NE 160th Place, Woodinville, is the Director of External Affairs for AT &T. She
explained that wireless technology has become ingrained in our lifestyles over the past several years. On
the national average 2 out of 5 homes are wireless only, and users want access to broadband wherever
they go. There are many benefits to having a strong broadband network including the vital importance to
police officers, fire personnel, hospitals and educational institutions. Over the past 7 years, the wireless
data usage over the AT &T network has grown 100,000 %. AT &T continuously works to upgrade and grow
the network to meet the demand of consumers. Small businesses also depend on the wireless networks.
Ms. Tagayun said AT &T has engaged City staff and the committees that reviewed the legislation. AT &T
supports the proposed legislation and she feels the updates ensure a workable network for the residents
and community.
Kim Allen, 113 Cherry Street, Seattle, with Bush Law Firm, stated she represents AT &T. Ms. Allen
thanked City staff for the collaborative approach they used on the proposed ordinance. She feels the
proposed ordinance is a balanced approach to allow the wireless carriers to provide the network that
supports the types of service wanted by the residents and community. The federal legislation as
mentioned by Ms. Gierloff allows carriers to swap out antennas and equipment quickly to allow the
carriers to meet the technology demand quickly and efficiently. Ms. Allen feels the draft ordinance is in-
line with the federal legislation and recent case law. She stated they support the ordinance before the
Council this evening.
7:17 p.m. Council President Duffie closed the public hearing.
SPECIAL ISSUES
a. An ordinance relating to collocation, removal and replacement of wireless facilities;
establishing new standards for eligible facilities modifications and new regulations on expiration
of wireless facility permits.
Councilmember Quinn indicated this item was discussed at the Community Affairs and Parks Committee
meetings on February 8 and March 28, 2016. The committee members were unanimous in
recommending approval.
Updates to Tukwila Municipal Code Section 18.58, "Wireless Communication Facilities," are needed for
compliance with new Federal Communications Commission rules. The intention of the new rules is to
streamline approval of technology updates by wireless carriers.
The Councilmembers exchanged comments and asked clarifying questions of staff on the draft
ordinance.
COUNCIL CONSENSUS EXISTED TO FORWARD THIS ITEM TO THE CONSENT AGENDA OF THE
NEXT REGULAR MEETING.
b. Review of the "Tukwila, City of Opportunity Scholarship" recipients.
In 2014, the City created the "Tukwila, City of Opportunity Scholarship" program to provide financial
assistance to high school seniors living in Tukwila to assist in continuing their education beyond high
school. The program (adopted by Resolution No. 1844) allocates $10,000 per calendar year for
scholarship awards, with each award being no less than $1,000 and no more than $5,000 each.
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April 25, 2016 Page 3 of 7
Cheryl Thompson, Executive Assistant, identified the following members of the 2016 Scholarship
Selection Committee: Council President Duffie, City staff members, Joyce Trantina, Nate Robinson, and
Cheryl Thompson, Jenni Standard, Foster High School and Karly Feria, Tyee Educational Complex. She
explained this is the third year of the program and updated the Council on the statistics on the number of
applications received over the three year period. In year one, the City received 7 applications; in year
two, the City received 3 applications; and in 2016, the City received 19 scholarship applications. The
Scholarship Application Committee reviewed 17 of the responsive applications and met to discuss the
recommendations. The committee members were unanimous with the recommendation for scholarship
awards.
Ms. Thompson stated the Scholarship Selection Committee is requesting Council approval on two items.
The first item is a request to relocate $3,000 of unused scholarship funds from 2015 to the 2016
scholarship funds. She explained recently the 2015 unused scholarship funds were returned to the City
when the scholarship recipient joined the military before attending the University of Washington. The
second request for Council this evening is consideration of the award of 7 scholarships (totaling
$13,000.00): one scholarship in the amount of $3,000, four scholarships at $2,000 each, and two
scholarships at $1,000 each.
COUNCIL CONSENSUS EXISTED TO FORWARD THIS ITEM TO THE NEXT REGULAR MEETING.
c. Council consensus on the 2017 -2018 budget priorities.
Councilmember Seal indicated this item was discussed at the Finance and Safety Committee meeting on
April 19, 2016. A majority of the committee members recommended approval.
The City's Mission, Vision, and Strategic Plan Goals inform biennial priorities that are developed jointly by
the City Council and Administration staff and used to guide the development of the City's biennial budget.
The proposed 2017 -2018 priorities were discussed and developed at the May 2015 and March 2016 joint
City Council and Executive Team meetings and are being presented for City Council consensus.
Councilmember Seal referred to page 79 of the agenda packet. She explained the Council met with City
staff (on two occasions) to identify priorities that reflect the City's vision that would aid the Council with
2017 -2018 budgeting decisions. Ms. Seal explained that the City's Strategic Plan goals are listed in the
first column, followed by the 2015/2016 budget priorities. The third column contains the 2017 -2018
budget priorities. Ms. Seal clarified that the proposed budget priorities are the big picture view of what will
drive the planning for the 2017 -2018 biennial budget. The priorities will aid the Council in reviewing the
budget as well.
Councilmember Robertson said there have been comments made by citizens recently that the City is
focusing too much on facilities rather than public safety. He explained that Fire and Police staff and
Public Works and other City employees are the ones who would respond to an incident, and they will not
be able to assist if they don't have the necessary equipment or facilities. The City has been working on
how to fulfill staffing issues, and for several years have not addressed the facility issues. At this time, the
City has issues with facilities that are not seismically safe and others that are in the floodplain. These
types of issues need to be addressed.
Councilmember Hougardy commented that some of the 2015 -2016 budget priorities segue into the 2017-
2018 budget priorities. She inquired about the status of the 2015 -2016 priorities, and if the Council could
be provided that information.
David Cline, City Administrator, stated these type of updates are usually accomplished by the quarterly
David Cline, City Administrator, stated these type of updates are usually accomplished by the quarterly
reports. There was an update on the status of the priorities in the 2015 Annual Report. He said staff will
work on providing an update on the goals to the Council.
Councilmember Quinn commented that during the Strategic Plan process, the citizens did not want the
City to produce a plan that would just sit on a shelf. Establishing budget priorities is the way to address
the Strategic Plan goals and meet the intent of using the Strategic Plan. Mr. Quinn stated the Council has
a fiduciary responsibility to the citizens, and making sure the budget matches the priorities is how that is
Tukwila City Council Committee of the Whole Minutes
April 25, 2016 Page 4 of 7
achieved. He thanked the Finance and Safety Committee and Chair Seal for their work on this process.
He feels this has increased transparency and accessibility around the budget priorities.
Councilmember Kruller said recently there have been comments made by a resident on social media
about the proposed draft budget priorities. She stated a lot of work has been done on establishing the
proposed priorities, and crime reduction is the first priority for the 2017 -2018 budget. Crime reduction has
been a priority since 2015, and continuing that effort is a priority to the Council.
7:43 p.m. Councilmember Quinn exited the Council Chambers.
Councilmember McLeod commented that there is a consistency between the 2015 -2016 priorities and the
draft 2017 -2018 priorities. As the City moves forward with the priorities, the issue relating to City facilities
had to move to the forefront, and this is that time. The goals emphasize the need for improved City
facilities, and that need has been consistent over the years.
7:45 p.m. Councilmember Quinn returned to the Council Chambers.
Council President Duffie thanked the Council Committee Chairs for their work this year, and making sure
the items presented at the Council level have been thoroughly addressed by the committees.
Councilmember Seal thanked the Council for the discussion, and she confirmed that there is Council
consensus with the budget priorities as presented in the agenda packet this evening.
COUNCIL CONSENSUS EXISTED ON THE 201712018 BUDGET PRIORITIES AS PRESENTED ON
PAGE 79 OF THE AGENDA PACKET.
d. Teens for Tukwila update on National League of Cities (NLC) Conference.
Nate Robinson, Teen Program Coordinator, explained that members of the "Teens for Tukwila" group are
present this evening to update the Council on activities they have been involved with over the past year.
Members of "Teens for Tukwila" who were present included:
• Maranda James — Third year participant
• Akeela Dowers — First year participant
• Barby Arquiza — First year participant
• Andre Jones, Jr. — Second year participant
• Jared Jackson — First year participant
• Andrew Hougardy — Fourth year participant
• Travis Boyd — Second year participant
• Araik Papyan — Second year participant
• Mohamad Abdi — Fifth year participant
• Armen Papyan — Second year participant
• Makelle Mills — First year participant
Maranda James stated they are the "Teens for Tukwila," and the group's mission is to strengthen the
community. Group members are present this evening to update the Council on the "Teens for Tukwila"
attendance at the recent National League of Cities (NLC) Conference, as well as other activities they
have participated in the past year. Maranda recognized Sienna, a founding member of the "Teens for
Tukwila."
Makelle Mills thanked the Council for supporting the "Teens for Tukwila" efforts to attend the NLC
Conference in Washington D.C. The group appreciates the time and effort provided to them for the trip.
Working together has taught them that they can accomplish anything if they put their mind to achieving a
goal. The trip to Washington D.C. allowed the "Teens for Tukwila" group to advocate for the youth in
Tukwila.
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April 25, 2016 Page 5 of 7
Armen Papyan distributed pictures and thank you letters to Council President Duffie and Mayor Ekberg.
The teens presented a video for the Council highlighting the recent "Teens for Tukwila" trip to Washington
D. C.
Akeela Dowers said after attending the NLC Conference, the "Teens for Tukwila" group discussed the
following: how to increase student participation at the upcoming Council Chat at Foster High School; how
to become involved with the Tukwila School Board; and how best to continue to expand their relationship
with Washington's U.S. Senators by offering to act as a connection and /or advisor on youth issues.
The teens offered the following personal statements
Akeela Dowers said her favorite part of the trip was meeting U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell and being able
to share her personal story, and engaging with other groups from around the nation.
Barby Arquiza explained her favorite part of the trip included meeting the U.S. Senators and talking with
other groups from across the nation.
Maranda James stated her most inspiring event from the trip was visiting the Martin Luther King Junior
Memorial. She referenced a quote from the memorial: "1 have the audacity to believe that peoples
everywhere can have three meals a day for their body, education and culture for their minds, and dignity,
equality and freedom for their spirits." She feels the quote she referenced outlines the "Teens for
Tukwila" group and gives them a goal to reach for in the future.
Andrew Hougardy commented on how the group has grown over the last four years. The first year he
participated in the group, they traveled to Olympia and this year the group made it to Washington D.C.
The achievements of the group is what is the most impactful.
Travis Boyd said the visit to the Lincoln Memorial with the Council was very impactful, which included
sitting at the site and reflecting about all the people who helped get the "Teens for Tukwila" group to
where they are. He feels the sky is the limit from here on out.
Armen Papyan explained the youth engagement from the delegations across the nation was amazing.
He also enjoyed the opportunity to meet with the U.S. Senators.
Araik Papyan acknowledged knowing and understanding the influence they have as teens. Their voice
has meaning, and they are heard.
Makelle Mills appreciated the history of the area, especially the visit to the Martin Luther King Jr.
Memorial. She thanked the Council for the opportunity to be a part of the "Teens for Tukwila" delegation.
Mohamed Abdi stated the most impactful part of the trip for him was visiting the Dr. Martin Luther King
and Lincoln Memorials.
Andre Jones Jr. felt the youth voice at the NLC Conference was great. He also enjoyed meeting the U.S.
Senators, where the group was able to give a voice to concerns of the youth within the community. He
greatly appreciated how the "Teens for Tukwila" group became closer as a result of the trip.
Andre updated the Council on the fundraising efforts by the "Teens for Tukwila" to help offset the costs for
the trip. He provided the following information:
• The group raised $2,031.94 through the GoFundMe campaign
• The group volunteered for three days (27 hours) selling concessions, which raised $662.84
• The group obtained $846.04 in donations while selling concessions
The fundraising goal of the group was to raise $3,000.00. Through the combined efforts (identified
above) the "Teens for Tukwila" group raised a total of $3,540.98.
Barby presented Council President Duffie with a check for the total raised of $3,540.98
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April 25, 2016 Page 6 of 7
Travis updated the Council on other things the "Teens for Tukwila" group has completed this year:
• They participated in the annual Teen Leadership Summit
• The group attended the Youth Action Day in Olympia and We Day (youth empowerment) Event in
Seattle
• The group is preparing to send their third video to the "Imagine Scholar" program
Ariak updated the Council on future plans of the "Teens for Tukwila" group for the remainder of the school
year.
• The group is looking at ways to sponsor a food drive at Foster High School.
• The group is actively trying to coordinate a Council Chat at Foster High School.
He said the group has talked about sponsoring a "Color Run," and all the money raised would be donated
to a local charity (this is still in the discussion stage). The group has been talking about what other goals
they would like to set for the next year.
Mohamed stated this has been a very productive year for the "Teens for Tukwila." The members have
grown together this past year and the accomplishments have exceeded the group's expectations.
Andrew explained the "Teens for Tukwila" group is currently working on how to make the upcoming
Council Chat more successful than last year. He commented that once a date has been coordinated with
Foster High School Principal Larson, the Council and Mayor will be notified.
The "Teens for Tukwila" plan to promote the City Council Chat by:
• Asking the Foster Leadership Class to promote the event.
• Requesting Principal Larson include the event in the morning announcement.
• Making sure there are no other events scheduled the day of the Council Chat.
• Finding a way to use social media to stream the event and /or record the event.
Jared Jackson provided a CD to the Mayor and Councilmembers that contains pictures from the "Teens
for Tukwila" trip to the NLC Conference in Washington D.C.
The Councilmembers thanked the "Teens for Tukwila" group for the presentation and offered the following
comments: Involving the "Teens for Tukwila" in the NLC Conference delegation has been a goal of the
Council for many years, and the delegation was fantastic; The "Teens for Tukwila" members have
overcome adversity to accomplish their goals; The stories told by the "Teens for Tukwila" captivated the
Senators; Being able to watch how the "Teens for Tukwila" group prepared for their presentations was
amazing; The stories told by the "Teens for Tukwila" group touched the Senators and the City's lobbyists;
The youth were encouraged to dream big and see the world; and the "Teens for Tukwila" group took the
moment given to them when meeting with the Senators and made it their moment, captivating the
audience with their voice and stories.
Laurel Humphrey, Council Analyst, commented that collaboration by many City staff made the "Teens for
Tukwila" trip possible.
Mayor Ekberg thanked the "Teens for Tukwila" group for the information presented this evening. He feels
the actions by the "Teens for Tukwila" group strengthen the City and the leadership within the group
shined during the Washington D.C. trip.
David Cline, City Administrator, stated he has been to Washington D.C. and democracy brings people
from many backgrounds and cultures together as a community, and he is proud to be a part of the
Tukwila community.
Council President Duffie thanked staff and the Teens for Tukwila for their presentation.
Tukwila City Council Committee of the Whole Minutes
April 25, 2016
Page 7 of 7
REPORTS
a. Mayor
There was no report.
b. City Council
Councilmember Seal participated in the Healthy Earth Healthy You 5k Event on April 23, 2016. She
thanked Parks and Recreation staff for the successful event.
Council President Duffie thanked the Council Committee Chairs for their committee work, and the Council
has voiced support for a mini - retreat. He asked the Councilmembers to provide the Council Analyst with
dates of availability for the mini - retreat.
Councilmember Hougardy attended the We Day (youth empowerment) Event on April 20, 2016, and she
read a list of celebrities who were in attendance at the event.
Councilmember Quinn participated in the Healthy Earth Healthy You 5k Event on April 23, 2016. He
reminded the Council of the upcoming Forterra breakfast on April 27, 2016.
Councilmember Kruller participated in the Healthy Earth Healthy You 5k Event on April 23, 2016. She
thanked the Parks and Recreation Staff for their work on the great event.
Councilmember McLeod participated in the Healthy Earth Healthy You 5k Event on April 23, 2016. He
also commended the Parks and Recreation staff for their great work on the event.
c. Staff
There was no report.
d. City Attorney
The City Attorney's presence is not required at Committee of the Whole meetings.
e. Intergovernmental
There was no report.
ADJOURNMENT
9:12 p.m. COUNCIL PRESIDENT DUFFIE DECLARED THE COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING
OURNEID
Jo of ie, Council i t
Melissa Hart, Deputy City Clerk
APPROVED BY THE COUNCIL PRESIDENT: 5/16/16
AVAILABLE ON THE CITY WEBSITE: 5/17/16