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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2017-09-11 Committee of the Whole MinutesTukwila City Council Committee of the Whole Meeting City Hall Council Chambers September 11, 2017 — 7:00 P.M. MINUTES COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE CALL TO ORDER/PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Council President Dennis Robertson called the Tukwila City Council meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. and led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance. OFFICIALS Present were Council President Robertson; Councilmembers Joe Duffie, Verna Seal, Kathy Hougardy, De'Sean Quinn, Kate Kruller, Thomas McLeod. CITY OFFICIALS Allan Ekberg, Mayor; David Cline, City Administrator; Ann Marie Soto, Assistant City Attorney; Rachel Bianchi, Communications and Government Relations Manager; Mia Navarro, Community Engagement Manager; Jay Wittwer, Fire Chief; Mike Villa, Police Chief; Jack Pace, Community Development Director; Nora Gierloff, Community Development Deputy Director; Bob Giberson, Public Works Director; Robin Tischmak, City Engineer; Laurel Humphrey, Council Analyst; Andy Youn, Deputy City Clerk. MOMENT OF SILENCE Council President Robertson asked that the Council and audience observe a moment of silence for the victims of Hurricane Irma. PUBLIC COMMENTS There were no public comments. SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS a. Update on the Public Safety Plan Siting Advisory Committee Tod Bookless, Chair of the Public Safety Plan Siting Advisory Committee, utilized a PowerPoint presentation to provide information about the Public Safety Plan Siting Advisory Committee's progress to date. Highlights of the presentation were as follows: Responsibilities of the Siting Advisory Committee: • Meet regularly to review outreach efforts, provide advice on strategies and tactics for outreach, and key audiences. • Participate in public outreach efforts such as town hall meetings, review feedback generated by the community and verify that common themes heard from the community are being incorporated into siting decisions and facility plans when feasible. • Provide the City Council with feedback about the physical siting process and outcomes. • Provide the City Council with outreach advice, such as reviewing materials and identifying other groups to contact. • Review potential sites and provide feedback. Tukwila City Council Committee of the Whole Minutes September 11, 2017 Page 2 of 8 Activities to Date: May 31, 2017 June 28, 2017 July 26, 2017 August 10, 2017 August 30, 2017 Orientation Fire Station Location Study; Potential Siting Areas; August Open House Preview; Bylaws Justice Center Overview; Potential Sites; August Open House Public Safety Plan Open House and Ice Cream Social Potential Sites; Prepare for Presentation to Council Public Safety Plan General Outreach Schedule (October - December): • Project Milestones o Feedback heard o Fire station design plans o Justice Center design plans o Facility shop site options • Open Houses o In-person and online open house o Road show Outreach and Engagement Methods: • Flyering • Community Connectors • Postcard • Posters • E -Hazelnut • Social Media • City website • Community groups and meetings • Tukwila Reporter August Open House: • 83 community members and families signed in, estimated 150 total attendees • 62 unique users for online open house • What we heard: o Fire Station Configure so trucks can drive through; Ladder truck at each station; Showcase the trucks; Fit in with neighborhood and traffic; Glazing in bays and doors; Similar design elements among all stations; Be mindful of diversity, especially around Tukwila International Boulevard; Eco -friendly, conserve energy; Serve needs of firefighters. o Justice Center Not too sterile or prison -like o General Want to see some designs Justice Center on Tukwila International Boulevard Mr. Bookless also relayed that the Public Safety Plan Siting Advisory Committee received feedback that sites should be in areas that are easily accessible by public transportation and that the building design should be inclusive and ADA -Accessible. Outreach Feedback: • Multiple avenues for giving/receiving feedback • Open house was welcoming, non -intimidating • Good to have kids' activities, food • In November, would be good to have design options for people to see and provide feedback on • Promotion for the August open house worked well • The online open house is a great tool • Outreach methods were good • It was good to try different days in March and August Tukwila City Council Committee of the Whole Minutes September 11, 2017 Page 3 of 8 Siting Process Feedback: • Process o The siting criteria analysis o Fire Station Location Study • Outcomes o We would like to see City development help neighborhoods and improve visibility of City services o Prominent locations o Response times o Minimize displacement/relocation Mr. Bookless explained there were several avenues for the public to provide feedback, including survey boxes at the Open House, a comment board and a submission portal through the virtual Open House. The Councilmembers exchanged comments and asked clarifying questions, to include: • Did the committee incorporate any community feedback into the site selection process? Mr. Bookless conveyed that while the Public Safety Plan Siting Advisory Committee had assumed the community would not want the fire stations located close to Foster High School, the feedback they received indicated otherwise. Mr. Bookless acknowledged that while the fire station locations will be data - driven to ensure optimum response times, it is important to remain responsive to the community's needs. • How do you feel about the information you have received thus far? Do you have enough time to absorb the information? The Fire Station Location Study completed by FACETS Consulting was very comprehensive and the quality of the information has been very good. Mr. Bookless does not feel that the Public Safety Plan Siting Advisory Committee is being rushed. • Do you feel you have authority that matches the level of responsibility? City staff have been very supportive. While the Councilmembers on the Public Safety Plan Siting Advisory Committee bring insight and transparency into the process, Mr. Bookless feels that residents also bring value because they provide a different perspective. Mia Navarro, Community Engagement Manager, introduced two Public Safety Plan Siting Advisory Committee members from the audience: Kathleen Wilson and Jerry Thornton, who came forward to provide brief statements to the Council. In response to Councilmember McLeod's question, Ms. Wilson stated while there may be some challenges down the road that will test the mettle of the Public Safety Plan Siting Advisory Committee, overall, she feels their opinions are taken into consideration. Mr. Thornton expressed that he enjoys working on the Public Safety Plan Siting Advisory Committee, and that being involved on the Committee is a good opportunity to provide input on facilities that will be a long- term part of the City. The Councilmembers thanked the members of the Public Safety Plan Siting Advisory Committee for the presentation and their work over the past few months. PUBLIC COMMENTS There were no public comments. SPECIAL ISSUES a. Update on Community Connectors Councilmember Hougardy indicated this item was discussed at the Community Development and Neighborhoods Committee meeting on August 28, 2017. Tukwila City Council Committee of the Whole Minutes September 11, 2017 Page 4 of 8 Mia Navarro, Community Engagement Manager, utilized a PowerPoint presentation to provide an update on the Tukwila Community Connector Program. The award-winning program improves outreach to residents historically underrepresented in civic processes by contracting with people from various language, ethnic, and age groups to act as liaisons between their community and the City. The program began in 2013 as a result of the City's Strategic Plan, and since then has undergone several staff changes among the partner agencies. Background and History • Program began in 2013 • 2012 Strategic Plan Vision: "City of Opportunity, Community of Choice" • Partners Forterra and Global to Local • Annual budget of $32,500 • Up to 10 Connectors • Ethnic and language communities, seniors and youth • Enhance communication to and from each community • Since 2014: Bhutanese, Burmese, Ethiopian, Eritrean, Latino, Nepali, Somali, Vietnamese, Senior, and Youth Communities Projects to Date • 2014: Comprehensive Plan • 2015: Improving relationships with Police and Fire; Affordable Housing • 2016: Foster Career Day; Disaster Preparedness • 2017: Public Safety Plan Open Houses; See You in the Park (7/26) — currently working on analyzing these results Current Program Configuration • Two projects per year • Contract supports up to 10 Connectors, who reach out to more and more community members • Forterra provides training and event support • Global to Local manages relationships with the Connectors and provides training and event support Council President Robertson asked how responsibilities are allocated between the City and partner organizations. Ms. Navarro stated that currently, decisions are made case by case, and that recently she has organized most of the training and event support for projects. The intent has always been for the City to take over more responsibility and to rely less on Forterra and Global to Local. Councilmember Hougardy asked Ms. Navarro to elaborate on why the Community Connectors are limited to two projects a year. Ms. Navarro explained that the Community Connectors have the capacity to manage 2 projects, which can be large-scale and complex. Specifically, the Public Safety Plan was comprised of 3 large events, including training. The Community Connectors also receive a small stipend for attending events and trainings, conducting surveys, and bringing community members to meetings. Our Current Connectors • 2 Hispanic; 2 Somali; 1 Burmese; 1 Ethiopian/Eritrean; 1 Senior; 1 Youth Considerations for the Community Connector Program in the Future • Redeploying resources to increase program capacity • More leadership training for Connectors • Broader reach • More availability for department needs Councilmember McLeod stated he received feedback that the literature the City had translated into another language for the Public Safety Plan Open House was offensive. He asked whether the City uses an outside vendor for translation services, and how the City can ensure translations are accurate and appropriate. Tukwila City Council Committee of the Whole Minutes September 11, 2017 Page 5 of 8 Ms. Navarro stated the City used Dynamic Language for the Public Safety Plan Open House. She relayed that the only literature the City had translated was a statement on postcards and flyers. Ms. Navarro assured the Council that, moving forward, the City would have a procedure to confirm translations are correct prior to release. Councilmember Seal asked Ms. Navarro what the 2017-2018 budget and expenditures are for the Community Connector Program. Ms. Navarro replied that the budget is $32,500, and that Global to Local manages the contracts with individual Connectors. She stated she would provide a more detailed breakdown of expenditures to the Council. Councilmember Kruller stressed the importance of metrics for program evaluation. Communities change over time, and in order to be responsive to the needs of different communities equitably, the City needs to ensure it can identify priorities through data -driven work. b. City legislation updating the Tukwila Municipal Code (TMC) relating to code enforcement and violations: (1) An ordinance reenacting TMC Chapter 8.45, "Enforcement." (2) An ordinance establishing a new TMC Chapter 8.48, "Unfit Dwellings, Buildings and Structures." (3) An ordinance incorporating code amendments related to updates to TMC Chapter 8.45, "Enforcement." (4) A resolution adopting a fee schedule related to TMC Chapters 8.45 and 8.48. Councilmember McLeod indicated this item was discussed at the Public Safety Committee meeting on September 5, 2017. The committee members were unanimous in recommending approval. Nora Gierloff, Community Development Deputy Director, explained that currently, there are two processes available to Code Enforcement Officers when enforcing violations of the Tukwila Municipal Code (TMC)— civil infractions and violation notice and orders. In the past, Code Enforcement Officers received limited commissions from the Police Department and used a police ticket book to write civil infractions (fines) for some code violations. This was cumbersome for Code Enforcement, confusing for the public, and required that these infractions pass through the Police Department before moving to the Municipal Court. Code Enforcement has been working with the Prosecutor and City Attorney to develop a more streamlined and effective enforcement approach, using the Notice of Violation and Order process. The proposed legislation would move all future Department of Community Development enforcement actions to the Notice of Violation process, although police officers can still issue civil infractions. The changes include a repeat violator clause with increase penalties, increasing appeal fees to cover the City's cost, creating a separate chapter for "Unfit Dwellings, Buildings and Structures," and eliminating references to civil infractions throughout the Code. Ms. Gierloff stated City staff is proposing an additional change and referenced page 38 of the agenda packet. The ordinance currently says we must try personal service first, while the proposed revision allows Code Enforcement the flexibility to use certified mail first, where appropriate. Ms. Gierloff explained that while personal service (hand delivery by City staff) gives the greatest assurance that the responsible party has been made aware of the problem, it is costlier and often more difficult to achieve. This is particularly true in circumstances where the person responsible lives out of state, is a corporation, or works elsewhere during the day. Ms. Gierloff provided a brief overview of each ordinance as follows: (1) An ordinance reenacting TMC Chapter 8.45, "Enforcement:" This ordinance repeals and reenacts TMC 8.45 to clarify and streamline the code enforcement process through the Notice of Violation and Order process. This includes an accelerated enforcement process with higher penalties for repeat code violators. (2) An ordinance establishing a new TMC Chapter 8.48, "Unfit Dwellings, Buildings and Structures:" This ordinance adopts a new chapter of the TMC to consolidate procedures for enforcement issues related to unfit dwellings, buildings and structures. Tukwila City Council Committee of the Whole Minutes September 11, 2017 Page 6 of 8 (3) An ordinance incorporating code amendments related to updates to TMC Chapter 8.45, "Enforcement:" This ordinance updates references throughout other sections of the TMC in accordance with the updates to Chapter 8.45. (4) A resolution adopting a fee schedule related to TMC Chapters 8.45 and 8.48: The City has been removing fees from the TMC in favor of a separately adopted City-wide fee resolution. The City will then be able to update fees through a resolution process that will coordinate with the budget cycles rather than directly amending the TMC. Sharon Mann, 4452 South 160th Street, is pleased the City is addressing the issue of code enforcement. She approves of the repeat violator clause that will allow Code Enforcement Officers to move directly to a Notice of Violation with increased penalties. She also noted the City needs to address the issue of public image, and that the resolution is better code enforcement. Ms. Mann brought forward some concerns with the proposed ordinances and referenced page 37 of the agenda packet, which states a Code Enforcement Officer may exercise discretion when issuing Requests for Compliance or taking other enforcement action. Ms. Mann disagrees with the use of the word discretion and feels that a rule should be a rule. She also referenced page 41 of the agenda packet, and stated she disagrees with the reduced penalty for Notice of Violation and Order. Ms. Mann expressed that she would like to see the penalty increased and the timeline tightened to encourage compliance. Kathleen Wilson, 4803 South 162nd Street, referenced page 23 of the agenda packet and asked for clarification on the inclusion of item B (Accessory Dwelling Units Survey Results) on the minutes from the August 28, 2017 meeting of the Community Development and Neighborhoods Committee. Councilmember Hougardy explained that the Council agenda packets include committee minutes, which summarize discussions and actions. Items pertaining to the Council agenda per the cover sheet are marked with an asterisk. Ms. Hougardy clarified that Accessory Dwelling Units will be discussed at an upcoming Council meeting. In response to questions from the Council about specific items in the ordinances, Ann Marie Soto, Assistant City Attorney, and Nora Gierloff, Community Development Deputy Director, explained: • Regarding the use of the word discretion in the proposed legislation, Ms. Gierloff conveyed that code enforcement issues can be qualitative and that it is important for Code Enforcement Officers to exercise discretion, depending on the situation, to encourage compliance to build relationships with the community. She relayed that since the Department of Community Development has moved from a police -oriented approach to a community -building approach, the City has seen an increase in compliance. • To guard against bias, Code Enforcement Officers meet regularly to discuss violations and calibrate their actions using a group baseline approach. • The per -day Notice of Violation and Order penalty is being reduced from $500 to $250 based on feedback from Code Enforcement Officers. Ms. Gierloff relayed that the fine is intended to incentivize compliance rather than being insurmountable. She noted that harsher fines are in place for repeat violators. The Council requested that staff clarify the definition of Code Enforcement Officer (page 35 of the agenda packet) in the ordinance reenacting TMC Chapter 8.45. COUNCIL CONSENSUS EXISTED TO FORWARD THIS ITEM TO THE CONSENT AGENDA AT THE NEXT REGULAR MEETING WITH AN AMENDMENT TO THE DEFINITION OF CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICER FOR ITEM 4(B)(1). c. 2017 annual Comprehensive Plan amendment for the Transportation Element Councilmember Kruller indicated this item was at the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee meeting on August 15, 2017. The committee members were unanimous in recommending approval. Robin Tischmak, City Engineer, provided a background of this item. Tukwila City Council Committee of the Whole Minutes September 11, 2017 Page 7 of 8 In 2010, the Public Works Department initiated an effort to update the Transportation Element (Chapter 13) of the Tukwila Comprehensive Plan. The effort included a traffic modeling effort that included projected household and employment growth throughout the City through the year 2030. This effort was in conjunction with an overall update to the Comprehensive Plan. Subsequently, the Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) provided updated growth data that reflected the 2008-2009 recession. The updated growth data showed a small reduction for projected household growth and a significant reduction in projected employment (nearly 50%). The review by PSRC identified discrepancies within Tukwila's Plan that indicated conflicting growth information between different chapters of the plan, as well as a differing projected end year. PSRC requested the City run a revised model update that reflected the updated growth data as well as the 2031 horizon year. Mr. Tischmak relayed that the City re -ran the travel demand model to evaluate how traffic forecasts have changed from the previous 2031 analysis. The updated model found that: • The 2031 forecasted traffic volumes are not expected to grow as much within the City, compared to the previous analysis. • No changes are recommended to the proposed transportation capital improvement projects. He summarized by stating there is no change to the projects and the City is simply updating some of the language, maps, and numbers for consistency. Mr. Tischmak noted a public hearing will be held on September 25, 2017, to discuss the proposed Comprehensive Plan/zoning amendments reflecting changes to the household and employment forecasts for 2031 instead of 2030. Ms. Gierloff stated PSRC has had the opportunity to view the updated analysis and agrees with the proposed revisions to the Tukwila Comprehensive Plan. COUNCIL CONSENSUS EXISTED TO FORWARD THIS ITEM TO THE NEXT COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING. REPORTS a. Mayor The Mayor was present at the Sound Cities Association Networking Dinner on September 6, 2017, at the Renton Pavilion Event Center. He reported that Christy O'Flaherty, City Clerk of the City of Tukwila, and her team presented on the Government Electronic Transparency Initiative for Tukwila (GET -IT) project. He noted that the Council provided funding for this project several years ago, and the project improves the City's capacity to fulfill the growing number of public records requests. He commended Ms. O'Flaherty for her work on behalf of the City. Mr. Ekberg also recognized today in remembrance of September 11, 2001, and asked that the Council and audience thank the firefighters and police officers in the City of Tukwila who responded on that day, and to honor those who passed. b. City Council Councilmember Duffie attended the Sound Cities Association Networking Dinner on September 6, 2017 at the Renton Pavilion Event Center. He expressed that he would like to have the Government Electronic Transparency Initiative for Tukwila (GET -IT) presentation given to the Council. Mr. Duffie thanked Ms. O'Flaherty for her presentation. Councilmember Kruller was present at the Sound Cities Association Networking Dinner on September 6, 2017, at the Renton Pavilion Event Center. She relayed that there was a panel of state legislators, and the dinner was an opportunity to engage them on topics of public trust funds and shared revenue. c. Staff Tukwila City Council Committee of the Whole Minutes September 11, 2017 Page 8 of 8 There was no report. d. Council Analyst There was no report. ADJOURNMENT 9:00 p.m. COUNCIL PRESIDENT ROBERTSON DECLARED THE COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING ADJOURNED. ennis Robertson, your -sident Andy Youn, Deputy City Clerk APPROVED BY THE COUNCIL PRESIDENT: 09/25/17 AVAILABLE ON THE CITY WEBSITE: 09/26/17