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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPark 2016-10-12 Item 4A - Handout Distributed at Meeting - Public Safety Planm tr -0 About Tukwila's Public Safety Plan The City of Tukwila has developed the Public Safety Plan to address the needs of the City's first responders. The Public Safety Plan consists of: • A voter - approved Public Safety Bond to pay for critical needs of first responders. • A consolidated shops facility, paid for through an equal contribution of existing General and Utility Funds. On the November 8, 2016 General Election ballot, the voters of Tukwila will be asked to approve a bond to pay for: • Replacement of three seismically- deficient fire stations (Stations 51, 52 and 54); • Guaranteed funding for fire equipment and apparatus - such as fire trucks and other life /safety tools - for the life of the 20 -year bond; and • Construction of a Justice Center to house the Tukwila Police Department and Tukwila Municipal Court. Sixty percent of the votes cast must be in favor of the measure for it to pass. The Public Safety Bond would cost a homeowner $0.47 per $1,000 of assessed value. (Your home's assessed value can be found on the King County Assessor's home page.) As an example, for an owner of a home assessed at $250,000, the bond would cost an average of $116 per year (250 X $0.47). To calculate the cost per your assessed value, do the following computation: Assessed value Divided by = X X times $0.47 = 1,000 Your average cost per year for the Public Safety Bond Public Works provides critical first response to a variety of issues. When roads need to be closed, water mains break, and Police and Fire need help with emergencies, Public Works staff are who is called upon. Currently, the City shops are housed in two locations, both of which are in the flood plain and seismically unsafe. As such, the Public Safety Plan calls for the construction of a new, consolidated Public Works shops facility, paid for equally by the General Fund through efficiencies, as well as the Utility Funds within the existing rate structure. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Why does the City need this Public Safety Plan? The City has been investigating how to ensure full funding for fire service in the City of Tukwila, as well as replacing the seismically unsound and ineffic'ent public safety faculties that include three fire stations and the two Public Works shops. In the event of a major eartnquake, flood or other disaster, it is critical that these first responders are able to deploy throughout the City. Additionally, these aging facilities were constructed at a time when the City had less than one -fifth of its current population and required significantly less services and employees to meet the community's needs. Finally, modern standards and mandates have made the existing fire stations, City shops, Municipal Court and Police Department obsolete. What are the proposed levels of service in the public safety plan? The plan susta'ns the current level of services for Police, Fire and Public Works for the near term, and allows for growth over the I'fe of the bond. For instance, additional fire apparatus is included in future years to address expected growth in the community. Facilities will be constructed in such a way that they can be easily and economicaly expanded when the need arises. What is the cost of the different components of the Public Safety Plan? Fire Station 51 $10 million Fire Station 52 $5 million Fire Station 54 $6 million Fire Equipment & Apparatus $21 million Justice Center $26 million Consolidated City Shops $26 million Detailed cost breakdowns - including pricinginformat'on on and acquisition, engineering, construction, contingency and more - can be found atTukwilaWA.gov /PublicSafetyPlan. Who pays for the Public Safety Plan? The City will use equal contributions of existing General Fund and utility funds within the existing rate structure to pay for the cost assoc'ated w'th the consolidated Public Works shops. The Public Safety Bond w'll be paid by property owners and, just like the current breakdown of existing property taxes, more than 80% wi,I be paid by commercial /industrial property owners. Home- owners wi.l pay ,ess than 20% of the overall cost of the bond. Where can I get more information? Why fund fire apparatus and equipment in the bond? Fire trucks and equipment are expensive and must be purchased on a regular schedule to prov;de the most benefit to the community and be outfitted with key technologies. Including these critical life /safety components in a public safety bond ensures they are fully- funded for twenty years and are not subject to downturns in the economy similar to what the region faced in 2008. The total cost of fire equipment and apparatus is $21 million over the next twenty years. The full purchase schedule can be found at TukwilaWA.gov /PublicSafetyPlan. Have locations been determined for these new public safety facilities? The only determination for the siting of a new facility is that we know that Fire Station 51 will move to a location at Southcenter Parkway & South 180th, per the Tukwila South Development Agreement. No other decisions have been made regarding siting of the otner public safety facilities. The City will engage 'n a community siting process at the appropriate time. How is the Public Works Shops being funded? Half of the funding comes from the Water, Sewer and Surface Water funds, which must be spent on utility - related issues. These costs can be absorbed within the existing rate structure as reserves in the funds rise and other bonds from previous projects are paid back. Debt service payments for the shops represents less than 6% of all funds on an annual basis. The other half of the funding for the shops will come from the City's General Fund, achieved through efficiencies and continuing today's level of service. What guarantees are in place to ensure that the City will use this funding for what it says it will? State law RCW 84.52.056 restricts how voter - approved bonds can be spent. They can only be spent on what is ncluded in the ballot. Should the City for some reason not need the full amount l'sted in the ballot title, the City Council has the ability to either not bond the full amount, or use any excess bond funds to payoff (redeem) the bonds early (before the maturity date). In addition, the City Council created a bond oversight committee that will assist the City Council in its oversight role. What role will the community have in the siting and design of these buildings? The City Council and Administration share a desire for robust pub'..c engagement around siting and design of the three fire stations, the Justice Center housing the Tukwila Police Department and Municipal Court, and the Public Works Shops. The City will create a community advisory counci, on siting and design, and hold meetings, charettes and other visioning events. Visit TukwilaWA.gov /PublicSafetyPlan to read more details about the plan. You can also email PublicSafetyPlan @TukwilaWA.gov with any questions. Tours of Tukwila's public safety bu'ld'ngs can be scheduled by calling 206 - 433 -1850.