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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2017-07-24 Committee of the Whole MinutesTukwila City Council Committee of the Whole Meeting. City Hall Council Chambers July 24, 2017 — 7:00 P.m. COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE CALL TO ORDER/PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Counci|memberSeal called the Tukwila City Council meeting tnorder cd7:O1 p.m.and led the audience inthe Pledge ofAllegiance. OFFICIALS Present were Counoi|nnsmbeno Joe Duffie, Verna Seal, Kathy Hougordy. De'Saan Quinn, Koha Kru||er, Thomas McLeod. Council President Robertson was not inattendance. CITY OFFICIALS Allan Ekberg, Mayor; David C|ine, City Administrator; Wendy 8uttorworth, Police Records Specialist; Eric Drover, Police Commander; Rick Mitchell, Acting Deputy Police Chief; Chris F|ores, Assistant Fire Chief; Peggy McCarthy, Finance Director; VickyCar|aen. Deputy Finance Direubor� Cindy Wilkins, Fiscal Specialist; Laurel Humphray, Council Analyst; Andy Youn. Deputy City Clerk; Barbara Saxhon, Administrative Support Coordinator, ANNOUNCEMENTS Councilmember Seal stated that Former Mayor Steven Mullet passed away on Sunday, July 23, 2017. Steve was a lifelong resident of Tukwila and served 8 years on the City Council, as well as 8 years as Mayor. He has also been a School Board Director and a member of the Arts Commission. She remembers him emphasizing to her that, "Family always comes first. You will always know you're doing the right thing because your heart will tell you so.^ Mayor Ekberg stated that Former Mayor Steven Mullet passed away on Sunday from a heart attack suffered on Thursday. He was surrounded by his family and friends. Steve was an active community member, supportive of schools, lifelong activist, Meyor, and most recently, a School Board Director. He and his wife Bonnie raised their family of three in this community. Mayor Ekberg expressed that although he is saddened by Steve's loss, we must be joyful for the time we spent with him and appreciative of what he's done for the City. Counci|membarSeal requested amoment ofsilence. Councilmember Seal asked for Council consensus to preside over the meeting in Council President Robertson's absence. COUNCIL CONSENSUS EXISTED FOR COUNC|LK0EK8BER SEAL TOCHAIR THE COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING. SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS o. A proclamation declaring August 1, 2017 as National Night Out Against Crime in the City of Tukwila Mayor Ekberg read a proclamation declaring August 1, 2017 as National Night Out in the City of Tukwila, and encouraged all citizens to join the Tukwila Police Department and the National Association of Town VVotoh in supporting this event. He stated that this is the 34m annual Night Out, and this is unique Tukwila City Council Committee ofthe Whole Minutes July 24.2O17 Page 2of0 opportunity for the City to promote crime prevention efforts. The City plays a vital role in supporting its Police Department. Mayor Ekberg presented Rick Mitchell, Acting Deputy Police Chief, with the proclamation. Mr. Mitchell expressed that on behalf of Police Chief Mike Villa and the Police Department. he looks forward toseeing everyone onAugust 1. 2017. b. National Night Out Against Crime Poster winners Wendy Buttenworth, Police Records Specialist, represents the Police Department's Community Relations Cornmittee, whose mission is to foster positive environment between citizens and police. The theme for the poster contest this year was "Safety iseveryone's job.^ Me. Butterworth provided an overview ofthe prizes that were donated for this event. Winners received e $40 gift card from Target; g $25 gift card to the Westfield Southoenter K4aU from the Tukwila Police Guild; and a basket ofcandy and toys from the Family Fun Center. The Grand Prize winner received a $80 gift card from Target a $25 gift card to the Westfield Southcentor W1aU from the Tukwila Police Guild; a basket of candy and toys from the Family Fun Center; and their entire daee received o pizza party brought to them by the Tukwila Police Guild. K8e. Butterworth announced the following winners and provided them with a certificate to acknowledge their accomplishment. KAehakdeep Bu#ar Grand Prize from Tukwila Elementary School Anahi Ramirez Cascade View Elementary Winner Jasmine Codiga Tukwila Elementary Winner (not present) Shannon Leivo Thorndyke Elementary Winner (not present) The winning posters were displayed to the Council and Mayor and the audience members Councilmember Hougardy requested an image of the posters for distribution to her neighborhood block watch. The Councilmembers expressed appreciation to the poster participants for their great work and thanked the students for representing their schools. PUBLIC COMMENTS There were nopublic comments. SPECIAL ISSUES a. An Interlocal Agreement for the Auto Theft Task Force Councilmember McLeod indicated this item was discussed at the Public Safety Committee meeting on July 17, 2017. The committee members were unanimous in recommending approval. Eric Drever, Police Commander, explained that the Tukwila Police Department has been part ofa current interlocal agreement and task force for combating auto theft in the region since 2008. As of July 1, 2017, the current Auto Theft Task Force that Tukwila supplies two grant -funded Police Department FTE's to will be merging with two other Auto Theft Task Forces to create a singular Auto Theft Task Force for the region. The Police Chiefs of the different partnering agencies of the three local task forces identified the need to consolidate auto theft investigative resources that were tracking these same crimes and criminals in overlapping jurisdictions, Commander Onavernoted Tukwila has aunique issue with auto theft due tothe Tukwila City Council Committee ofthe Whole Minutes July 24.2O17 Page 3of0 high commerce around the area. A new Interlocal Agreement (ILA) between the Washington State Patrol, Pierce County Sheriff's Office, King County Prosecutor's Office, and the cities ofAuburn, Bonney Lake, Federal Way, Lakewood. Tacoma, and Tukwila has been drafted to accommodate the merger and creation ofthe Puget Sound Auto Theft Task Force (P8ATTF). The Task Force is taking a problem -oriented approach and has already determined focus cities, as detailed in the map on page 49 of the agenda packet. Commander Drever referenced the 1st quarter 2017 statistics on auto theft rates provided in pages 45 and 46 of the agenda packet. The auto theft rates for King County and Pierce County combined represent 57% of all auto thefts in Washington State. The focus cities within the jurisdictions of the Puget Sound Auto Theft Task Force account for about a third of the activity inthe State. The intent ofthe Task Force iatoreduce auto theft in the region over the next 2 - year cycle, which is coordinated through the grant received through the Washington Auto Theft Prevention Authority (VVATPA) The grant must berenewed every 2years, and has recently been renewed for the 2U17-2O1Qgrant period. There is no financial impact to the City as staffing will continue to be paid from grant money from the Washington Auto Theft Prevention Authority. Councilmember Hougardy asked for clarification on why cities such as Kent were not included on the ILA. Commander Drever stated that the ILA only includes jurisdictions that presently have full-time employees on the auto theft task force. Cities that are not on the ILA may be added later, however, staffing will be based nngrant fund availability. Commander Orevernoted that Kent isone ofthe focus cities identified by the PGATTFand the plan istowork jointly with partners such as businesses and law enforcement agencies inthose individual focus cities. Councilmember Kruller asked whether the grant funds could be used towards providing auto theft task force training for employees in cities not included on the ILA. She also requested clarification on how the focus cities were determined, and how the task force would prioritize problem areas. Commander, Drover stated that the primary funds are for wages and benefits for full-time etoff, who will help the surrounding agencies, with some funds available for outreach to educate the public and provide training for law enforcement. He stated the focus cities were chosen based on data from the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs (WASPC), and the Task Force will focus on areas with higher auto theft rates first, per the data provided Councilmember Quinn asked for input on how the new ILA is being informed by the trends in auto theft over the past few years. Commander. Dneverexprossed that auto theft hes been prolific in this region and the current Task Force has been unable to take a proactive approach to responding to the record number of auto thefts.The Task Force often overlaps investigations across jurisdictions. The Tukwila Police Department also found they were covering the same investigations as other jurisdictions, but had often done significant work by the time they determined the case did not need to be handled through Tukwila. This merger through the ILA will allow the Task Force to utilize resources more effectively and result in improved services, including greater efforts towards public outreach and education. He also noted that auto theft is the catalyst for other, more violent crimes in the region. Councilmember McLeod asked for information regarding an auto theft ring that was broken up on the Eastside. Commander Drever clarified that the case was handled through the King County Regional Task Force. COUNCIL CONSENSUS EXISTED TO FORWARD THIS ITEM TOTHE SPECIAL MEETING FOLLOWING THIS COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING. b. Business license fees: Tukwila City Council Committee ofthe Whole Minutes July 24.2O17 Page 4of6 (2)Aresolution adopting a revised business license fee schedule Counci|mnmberSoa| indicated this item was discussed at the Finance Committee meeting on July 18, 2017. The committee members were unanimous in recommending approval. Vicky Carlsen, Deputy Finance Director, stated the State of Washington recently passed EHB 2005 requiring cities that issue business licenses to partner with the Department of Revenue Business License Services (BLS) and use its online system for accepting and processing business licenses. Over 60 cities utilize the porta[ and the Finance Department has reached out to other cities already using the portal to ensure smooth transition to the new system. In order tofacilitate the transition, Ms. Cudoen explained it is important that the City's business license fee structure be streamlined and easy to understand. The current method of using full-time equivalent (FTE) hours to calculate the business license fee is confusing and time consuming for some opp|icanbs, resulting in significant staff time to correct calculation errors, The City is proposing to change the fee structure to a flat -rate system of $70 for each full-time employee (defined as 30 hours or more each week), plus $50 for each part-time employee. The full-time nate is proposed to increase from $67 to $70 per employee, or approximately 5% Ma. Car|een referenced page 73 of the agenda packet, which shows e summary of the impact on businesses based on the proposed fee structure She noted that the data only includes businesses that reported employee count information ontheir business application/renewal forms. Ms. Car|aen stated that during the July 18, 2017 Finance Committee meeting, a change was requested to section 2F of the ordinance, to include a3O-doygrace period. Sharon Mann, 4452 South 160th Street, spoke on behalf of the Tukwila International Boulevard Action Committee (TIB/\C). She stated thatT|BAC feels the City should be doing more to enforce issues related to business licensing. T|BAC would like tosee the City encourage businesses to maintain exteriors, including trash and signage. T|BACvvnu|d also like 10see that business owners be responsible for minimizing crime on their property (|oitering, selling paraphernalia). Ms. Mann stated this ordinance does not address the issue of doing business without license. She requested information on the process behind business licensing as tracked by the City, including time frames for processing, database tracking, and collection of fees duo. She stated thetT|BAC had identified e minimum of businesses on Tukwila International Boulevard that appeared to be operating without business license. Counci|memberSea| noted that the Council would be unable toaddress all of Ms. Mann's questions without the City Attorney's presenoe, but the questions could be addressed through the Finance Committee. Me. Seal stated that Ms. Mann's questions may not be specific tothis particular ordinance. Counoi|memberDuinn asked for clarification on how the City intends to phase in the new process for business licensing. Ms. Car|sen stated the City has looked at several options. The City is in the queue to transition to the State licensing system sooner rather than |oter, so the City would like to launch the new fee structure to ensure there is sufficient time to implement the system and resolve any issues. Ms. Car|senshared that a model ordinance is being developed by a State Committee over 2017 through 2018, and the City will have direct representation through Cindy Wilkins, Fiscal Specialist. She also expressed that this ordinance and resolution would reduce potential errors and reduce workload for staff, Counci|member Kru||eraskad Ms. Carlson to elaborate further on the implementation process and impacts of the state business licensing eystem, and asked whether the City had engaged the business community about the proposed fees. Ms. Codsen explained that implementation will be dependent on the State's funding of the program. The legislation requires cities to either partner with the state business licensing system or use the File Local system developed by several cities that have combination of business licensing and business and occupation tax. The City has determined the State system is a better option for Tukwila as it is less expensive and has more flexibility. She also shared that cities currently using the State Business Licensing System have reported an increase in the number ofbusiness licenses due tothe association with the Department ufRevenue's master business licensing. In response to yWe. Kru||er's question about Tukwila City Council Committee nfthe Whole Minutes July 24.2O17 Page 5ofO community engagement, Ms. Carlsen stated the City reached out to the Seattle Southside Chamber of Commeroe, which proposed the new tiered rates. Councilmember McLeod commented that the $50 fee for part-time employees may result in a significant cost increase for businesses with several part-time employees. He expressed that he would like tosee further discussion onthe fee schedule. Counoi|memberHuugardyreferenced page 5Softhe agenda packet, which includes achart detailing the number ofbusinesses by the number ofpart-time employees reported. Mn. Hougardy noted that some large businesses would be paying more under the new proposed fee sohedu|o, and some businesses would bepaying less. She also asked ifthe City had atime frame for enacting the ordinance, and ifthe ordinance could be taken back to the Finance Committee without impacting the timeline. Mo. Car|sen stated that business license renewals are sent out in November and the City would need enough time to notify businesses so they can prepare for the change. She expressed that the City would like to have the updated fee schedule in place for 2018 business licenses, so that if the City transitions to the State Business Licensing System in 2019, the City will have sufficient time to work through bugs and find unintended impacts hobusinesses. COUNCIL CONSENSUS EXISTED TORETURN THIS ITEM TOTHE FINANCE COMMITTEE FOR FURTHER DISCUSSION. N#90_mw� a. Mayor Mayor Ekberg issued a reminder about the Touch -A -Truck event happening at Westfield Southcenter Mall onJuly 29.2O17ed8:OOa.m. b.City Council Councj|memberDuff ie asked the Assistant Fire Chief whether the Fire Department has had any problems with response times due tothe new speed bumps on1GOthStreet. ChrioF|onas. Assistant Fina Chief, stated the Tukwila Fina Department does not yet have enough data to determine whether the speed bumps will affect fire truck response times. Healso noted ithas not been brought upaaaconcern otthis time. Counci|membor HougardyaMandad a South County Area Transportation Board (SOATBd) meeting on July 18, 2017. She reported that Sound Transit provided updates and statistics relating to Link Light Rail: The region is expected to see a population increase of 800,000 by 2040, with 100 more cars on the road every day. Some of the topics discussed included rapid transit lanes for local tnansit, ououa| carpool locations tofree parking spaces atpark and ride lots, and locating and siting ofnew transit stations. K8e. Hougardy also attended a Regional Transit Committee meeting on July 19, 2017, where road usage charge assessments were discussed as a viable funding source for the State. The State has determined that road usage charging is a feasible long-term revenue source that will out -produce the 0oo tax as cars become more fuel efficient, Drivers would pay either road usage charge oro gas bax, but not both. She reported the State is asking for 2,000 volunteers in target areas to sign up for a pilot road usage charge program in Fall 2017. Counci|member(]uinn expressed that former Mayor Steve Mullet will be greatly missed. Mr. Quinn had the opportunity towork with Mr. Mullet on issues before the King County Council. Mr. Mullet was oommitted, a|mquent, and articulate atspeaking on matters he cared about. Hewas o representative that moved everyone, with his commitment to issue, and with an engaging laugh that made everyone feel comfortable. Councilmember Kruller was present at a Sound Cities Association (SCA) dinner on July 19, 2017. She reported that the dinner was also a culmination of efforts from the National League of Cities (NLC) First Tier Suburbs Council. Ms. Kru||ershared that Bellevue recently joined SCA. The dinner showcased an Tukwila City Council Committee ofthe Whole Minutes July 24.2O17 Page 6 of 6 industry innovation triangle between BeUevue. Redmond. and Kirkland and what these cities have done to nurture and encourage economic growth. Councj|memberSeal shared that the Finance Committee has been examining City budgets, and the year- to-date fina.icial update is available in the recent Finance Committee agenda packet. She noted a few departments are over budget, including the Fire Department, which is over by approximately $81,000 due tostaffing. Ms. Seal emphasized that the situation isbeing monitored. c. Staff There was noreport. d.Council Analyst There was noreport. 8:27 p.m. COUNC|LKOEK88ERSEAL DECLARED THE COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING ADJOURNED. Andy You�,, eputy City Clerk APPROVED BYTHE ACTING COUNCIL PRESIDENT: 0807/17