HomeMy WebLinkAbout2017-02-27 Community Development and Neighborhoods Minutes• . f 1 •
City Council Community Development & Neighborhoods Committee
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT & NEIGHBORHOODS COMMITTEE
Meeting Minutes
Februory27, 2017- 5:30 p.m. - Hazelnut Conference Room, City Hall
Councilmembers: Kathy Hougardy, Chair; Verna Seal, Kate Kruller
Staff: Jack Pace, Nora Gierloff, Rachel Bianchi, Evie Boykan, Derek Speck, Laurel
Humphrey
Guests: Joy Scott, South King Housing & Homelessness Partnership; Megan Hyla, King
County Housing Authority
CALL TO ORDER: Committee Chair Hougardy called the meeting to order at 5:34 p.m.
I. BUSINESSAGENDA
There was consensus to consider the boards and commissions amendments as the first item of
business.
A. Ordinances and Resolution: Boards & Commissions Update
Staff is seeking Council approval of nine ordinances that would amend the Tukwila Municipal
Code Chapters pertaining to the City's Boards and Commissions to incorporate best practices
and provide for consistency throughout. Currently the terms for the various boards and
commissions expire at differenttimes throughout the year, but the proposal would have all terms
expire at the end of the calendar year. The most significant changes in the proposal are to the
Equity and Diversity Commission, which would be renamed to the Equity and Social Justice
Committee and have a redefined focus on facilitating better understanding of social justice and
human rights issues. The Sister Cities Committee would be a subcommittee and would be
renamed the Sister Cities and Civic Awareness Committee. All the affected boards and
commissions have had the opportunity to review the proposals except for the Human Services
Advisory Board, which has not met recently. The Park Commission objected to the proposal in
Section 5, re- enactment of TMC 2.32.030, that would automatically promote the Vice -Chair to
Chairthe followingyear. Theywish to retain the flexibilityto choose their own Chair in any given
year. The Committee discussed the proposals and requested that the Park Commission request
be granted to remove the automatic promotion of Vice -Chair to Chair. They also requested that
the former members of the Sister Cities Committee be contacted about the proposal.
UNANIMOUS APPROVAL WITH AMENDMENT. FORWARD TO MARCH 27, 2017 COMMITTEE OF
THE WHOLE.
Community Development & Neighborhoods Minutes ......................................................... ............................... February 27, 2017
B. South King Housing & Homelessness Partnership 2016 Annual Report
Joy Scott, South King County Housing Planner, presented the 2016 Year End Report of the South
King Housing and Homelessness Partnership. The presentation included background,
members /funders, housing data, convenings, goals, collaboration and opportunities. Ms. Scott
also distributed draft South King County Housing & Homelessness Goals for 2017 and offered
assistance with future policy recommendations and /or data gathering. Councilmember Kruller
requested additional information on regional /County efforts on addressing veteran
homelessness. INFORMATION ONLY.
C. Ordinance: Establishing Regulations Prohibiting Residential Rental Discrimination
Staff is seeking Council approval of an ordinance that would prevent landlords from denying
tenancy to renters based solely on the fact that their income includes government housing
subsidies like Section 8 and HUD -VASH vouchers. The housing market in Tukwila and King County
is increasingly competitive with rising rents and limited vacancy, and families and individuals
with housing subsidies are subject to discrimination. The proposed ordinance adds a new
chapter, "Fair Housing Regulations," to the Municipal Code, defines source of income to include
multiple subsidy programs, gives enforcement authority to the Department of Planning and
Development, and sets civil penalties for violations. Chair Hougardy noted the importance of
communicating with the rental housing community on legislation such as this and referenced a
comment letter received from the Washington Multi - Family Housing Association. WMFHA asked,
"if the unit fails inspection and the owner does not want to make necessary repairs according to
Housing Authority standards, what happens ?" Ms. Hyla stated that in jurisdictions with SOID in
place, if a landlord has a legitimate business reason for not making the repair, e.g. insufficient
finances, the ordinance does not apply because that is not a case of discriminating against the
tenant. If a landlord purposely made the unit not pass to avoid this then it could be
discriminatory and the ordinance clarifies that "refusal to allow a health and safety inspection of
the property by a public housing authority shall not be considered a legitimate basis for refusing
to rent due to program ineligibility." The Committee members discussed the proposal and asked
clarifying questions. They expressed support for the proposed civil penalty of $1,000 for the first
violation and $2,500 for the second within a two -year period. They also discussed
implementation timing and the need to notify the rental housing community. Staff agreed to
send a letter to the property owner and landlord community as well as post information on the
City website. UNANIMOUS APPROVAL. FORWARD TO MARCH 6, 2017 REGULAR MEETING
AGENDA.
II. MISCELLANEOUS
Adjourned 6:49 p.m.
Committee Chair Approval
Minutes by LH