Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019-03-18 Regular MinutesTukwila City Council City Hall Council Chambers MINUTES Regular Meeting March 18, 2019 — 7:00 P.M. REGULAR MEETING CALL TO ORDER/PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE/ROLL CALL Mayor Ekberg called the Regular Meeting of the Tukwila City Council to order at 7:00 p.m. and led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance. ROLL CALL Christy O'Flaherty, Records Governance Manager/City Clerk, called the roll of the Council. Present were Councilmembers Dennis Robertson, Kathy Hougardy, Verna Seal, De'Sean Quinn, Kate Kruller, Thomas McLeod, Zak Idan. CITY OFFICIALS Allan Ekberg, Mayor; David Cline, City Administrator; Henry Hash, Public Works Director; Bruce Linton, Police Chief; Jay Wittwer, Fire Chief; Chris Flores, Assistant Fire Chief; Tracy Gallaway, Parks and Recreation Manager; Brandon Miles, Business Relations Manager; Christy O'Flaherty, Records Governance Manager/City Clerk. SPECIAL PRESENTATION Fire Department 1. Recognition of new and promoted employees: New Firefighters: Brad Anderson, Scott Aguilar, Kevin Goin, Michael Knutti Chris Flores, Assistant Fire Chief, introduced the new firefighters to the City Council. Firefighter Charles "Scott" Aguilar is now assigned to A shift and was born and raised in Walnut Creek, California. Scott studied nutrition at the University of Idaho. Prior to employment with the Tukwila Fire Department, Scott worked as a Firefighter with the Brinnon Fire Department. Firefighter Brad Anderson is assigned to B shift and prior to coming to the City of Tukwila, he was a concrete finisher for 11 plus years, owned an automotive and fabrication business and was a volunteer Firefighter. Firefighter Kevin Goin is assigned to C Shift and prior to starting with Tukwila Fire, he was in residential construction for 6 years. Firefighter Michael Knutti serves on E53, and prior to joining the Fire service, he worked in the food and beverage industry. Promoted Employees: Ben Williams to the position of Captain and Jason Konieczka to the position of Battalion Chief Chief Flores introduced the promoted employees to the City Council. Battalion Chief Jason Konieczka joined the Tukwila Fire Department in April of 1998. He spent most of his career both as a firefighter and captain on Ladder 54 before moving into a training assignment in 2016 at the Fire Training Consortium. Some of his achievements in the fire service include: CBT instructor, Hazmat Team Leader and a member of Zone 3 Ladder Committee, MEPG Committee, T&E Committee. He was also the chair of the King County Hazmat Provider's Committee and was a Hazmat Technician for the USAR team where he was deployed to assist with the OSO / 530 mudslide 5 years ago. He is Tukwila City Council Regular Meeting Minutes March 18, 2019 Page 2 of 9 currently enrolled in Emergency Manager Academy and has already completed over 50% of the required training to receive the Basic Academy Certificate. Fire Captain Ben Williams joined Tukwila as a Lateral Firefighter March 16, 2005 after 7 years on the peninsula with South Kitsap Fire District 7. He started his fire career as a Resident/Volunteer Firefighter with the City of Port Orchard Fire Department before being hired as a Career Firefighter with South Kitsap in 1998. He is the current Chair for the Equipment Committee, and has assisted with instructing at the Zone 3 Truck Academies for the Ladder crews in Zone 3. Jay Wittwer, Fire Chief, invited the family members forward to pin the badges on the new and promoted Fire staff. Collar Brass was also pinned on the promoted staff. Mayor Ekberg administered the Oath of Office to the new and promoted firefighters. The Mayor and Councilmembers congratulated the new and promoted firefighters. Mayor Ekberg also recognized Chief Wittwer and the 5 Tukwila firefighters who participated in the stair climb at the Columbia Tower in Seattle, which raised $8,000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Chief Wittwer acknowledged Battalion Chief Jason Konieczka for completing the 69 flights of stairs in 17.17 minutes, which is an incredible feat. 2. Recognition of all City staff for the exceptional response to recent snow events with special acknowledgment to Public Works, Fire, Police and Parks and Recreation staff Jason Konieczka, Emergency Manager, facilitated operations of the City's EOC (Emergency Operations Center) for the recent snow events. He expressed appreciation for the strong response provided by the Police, Fire, Parks and Recreation, and Public Works Departments. The public safety benefits for the community were heavily impacted by the continual work performed by the Public Works crews. Battalion Chief Konieczka presented the Public Works Department a plaque for exceptional efforts in keeping the streets safe for Tukwila citizens and employees during the snowiest February on record. The following Public Works staff members accepted the plaque on behalf of the department: Henry Hash, Public Works Director Bryan Still, Public Works Operations Manager Mark Allen, Street Division Rod Langford, Water Division Han Kirkland, Administrative Support Specialist The Councilmembers thanked the staff members for the exceptional work for the community. MOMENT OF SILENCE Councilmember Quinn requested a moment of silence for the victims of the mass shooting in New Zealand. 7:23 p.m. Mayor Ekberg called for a moment of silence for those who lost their lives at Christchurch, New Zealand. The Mayor acknowledged the support of the Police Department at the Mosque in Tukwila during this time. Councilmember Quinn offered this quote: "A true community is not just about being geographically close to someone or a part of the same social web network. It's about feeling connected and responsible for what happens. Humanity is our ultimate community, and everyone plays a crucial role." Tukwila City Council Regular Meeting Minutes March 18, 2019 Page 3 of 9 APPOINTMENTS Confirm the appointment of Pinky Estell to Position #3 on the Arts Commission, with a term expiring 12/31/2020. Tracy Gallaway, Parks and Recreation Manager, introduced Pinky Estell to the City Council. Mr. Estell is an employee of Cornish College of the Arts and has an extensive background in arts, culture and heritage. Mr. Estell said he recently purchased a home in Tukwila and is excited to contribute directly to the community. MOVED BY KRULLER, SECONDED BY SEAL TO CONFIRM THE APPOINTMENT OF PINKY ESTELL TO POSITION #3 ON THE ARTS COMMISSION, WITH A TERM EXPIRING 12/31/2020.* Councilmember Seal referenced that Cynthia Chesak, who is also on the Arts Commission, has expressed her excitement at Mr. Estell becoming a member of the Arts Commission. *MOTION CARRIED 7-0. PUBLIC COMMENTS Joe Duffie, 5332 South 140th Street, expressed appreciation to the Street Department for the good work during the recent snow events. He also relayed that the construction project on 53rd Avenue South has produced great results. He extended thanks for the street being watered down and to the Police Department for patrolling the area. CONSENT AGENDA a. Approval of Minutes: 3/4/19 (Regular Mtg.) b. Approval of Vouchers #380331-380449; #190301-190302 in the amount of $1,949,546.55 amount of $1/1,500.00. [Reviewed and forwarded to Consent by the Community Development and Neighborhoods Committee on 3/12/19.] d. Authorize the Mayor to sign Amendment #3 to grant agreement #17-201 with the Washington State Office of Public Defense for increased social work services to assist public defense attorneys, in the amount of $1,000 (coming to the City). [Approved by the Council President and Finance Committee Chair.] Councilmember Idan requested that Item C under the Consent Agenda be pulled and discussed under New Business. MOVED BY ROBERTSON, SECONDED BY KRULLER THAT THE CONSENT AGENDA BE APPROVED AS SUBMITTED, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF ITEM C. MOTION CARRIED 7-0. Tukwila City Council Regular Meeting Minutes March 18, 2019 Page 4 of 9 UNFINISHED BUSINESS 2018 Fire Department Annual Report Jay Wittwer, Fire Chief, utilized an electronic presentation to provide the 2018 Fire Department Annual Report. Following is information from the report. Response Operations Fire Incidents 326* Structure Fires 73 Vehicle Fires 52 Cooking Fires 46 Natural Vegetation Fires 57 Rubbish Fires 31 Other Fire Types 67 (*In and Out of Service Area) B% Good Intent 1% HazMat 2%Public Assist 6% Fire Number of Responses by Station* Station 51 1625 Station 52 916 Station 53 1008 Station 54 2158 Out of Area 27 Grand Total 5734 (*In and Out of Service Area) 1% Other 11% False 71% EMS Rescue Team The Rescue Team members have been actively involved in training within disciplines such as Rope, Swiftwater, Confined Space, Trench and Structural collapse. The Team members spend countless hours developing, delivering and facilitating training throughout the zone. Many of the team members are active on the Washington State Task Force 1 FEMA USAR team and have been deployed multiple times over the last couple of years to hurricane events all over the country. Captain Patrick O'Brien is a resource for the whole region, and Captain Mark Morales holds the position of Heavy Rigger on the task force and just recently completed a rigorous 3-day course to become a Structural Collapse Specialist Instructor. The team has had a great impact throughout the region with notable calls in 2018 involving 3 rope/swiftwater calls in the Green River Gorge area, a horse rescue and multiple boat deployments. One notable rescue on the Green River involved a civilian and 3 police officers who were transported up river from their stranded position on the side of a cliff. Tukwila City Council Regular Meeting Minutes March 18, 2019 Page 5 of 9 Training Tukwila Fire assigns two captains to the South King County Fire Training Consortium (SKCFTC). Captains Jason Konieczka and Dawn Judkins represent Tukwila Fire, and both Training Officers attended the Fire Department Instructor's Conference (FDIC) in Indianapolis in the spring and participated in classes ranging from emergency medical responses, to leadership in the fire service. All Tukwila crews participated in multiple suppression drills including hose drills, forcible entry, ventilation and SCBA drills. We also had members attend a 40 hour Truck Academy, 80 hour Pump Academy, as well as special operations training including rope, water rescue, trench, and confined space. Tukwila's new Interurban Hotel offered a unique opportunity to host a special high-rise training in which several neighboring departments participated. Honor Guard There are 8 members in the Tukwila Honor Guard. The group began 2018 with a Zone effort at the Consortium graduation ceremony, where our Honor Guard provided colors presentation and a bell ringing. The Fire and Police Honor Guard teamed up for the National Police Officer's Memorial at City Hall in May. Captain Mark Morales is the lead for the Washington State Honor Guard and was active in at least twelve different funerals and events, including the annual Washington State Fallen Firefighter Memorial at the State Capital. Additionally, Tukwila Fire Honor Guard member Firefighter Cathy Browning is an accomplished National Anthem singer and participated in ten events. Emergency Management The Tukwila Fire team again participated in the Northwest Regional Aviation COMMEX exercise and the USPS facility's annual tabletop exercise regarding an activation of their Biological Detection System (BDS). This year, they also had the opportunity to work with Westfield Southcenter safety personnel to conduct two discussion -based presentations regarding earthquake safety and response procedures. Two CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) classes were conducted, one of them being the largest Teen CERT class to graduate to date. Twelve fire extinguisher trainings were conducted with local businesses, and the team also participated in and/or facilitated 28 public presentations, reaching more than 2,000 community members. Raejean Kreel, Emergency Management Specialist, studied under FEMA's National Emergency Management Advanced Academy which culminated in her graduation in September 2018. In October, Marty Grisham, Emergency Manager, retired from his 38-year career with the City of Tukwila. Fire Marshal's Office In 2018, Battalion Chief Don Tomaso's 22-year service ended as he moved back to Shift -BC, and newly promoted Battalion Chief Ben Hayman stepped into the role of Fire Marshal. The division saw the 19- story multi -occupancy Hotel Interurban/Airmark Apartments, the Holiday Inn Express, SHAG Building D at Tukwila Village, and the new King County Library projects come to a close. New projects include the Marvel, a 7-story active senior living building, an Amazon fulfillment center and Quail Park senior living community. The division processed approximately 985 Plan Reviews, 737 Construction Inspections, and 107 Fire Investigations. Average Response Times 2018 : 0:06:12 Avg Resp Time %<=4Min %<=6Min %<=8Min 82.24% Tukwila City Council Regular Meeting Minutes March 18, 2019 Page 6 of 9 The Councilmembers exchanged comments and questions regarding the presentation as follows: Question: Councilmember Quinn commented that oftentimes smoke detectors are tied to security systems and cannot be turned off. Are efforts being made to look at those types of systems to reduce responding to false calls? Response: Chief Wittwer said the vast majority of automatic fire alarms are at businesses. When a smoke detector is involved, the Fire Department does respond and also seeks to get the vendor on site to be accountable to the situation. Staff will explore options that involve a vendor or someone else being on site at the alarm location prior to the Fire Department being called in. Question: Councilmember Idan requested additional information on the 1 % shown in the response pie chart. Response: Chief Wittwer explained the 1% reflects the "Out of Area" category and the "Other" category. Out of Area is identified as those occasions where just 1 unit is responding out of the City. When that occurs it is because multiple units are being called to respond to an incident. The "Other" group is when the call does not fall into the standard categories. Question: Councilmember Robertson would like statistics on how much an aid car was in operation. He would also like to know the average response time of an EMS call for the aid car versus the response time when a Fire engine was used. Response: Chief Wittwer said he would get that specific information to the City Council, and he anticipates it would be a couple of seconds difference. Question: Councilmember Quinn referenced the Fire Marshal's Office and inquired if thought had been given to increasing staff to move forward on challenges that have not yet been addressed. Response: Chief Witter expressed that the Fire Department continually re-evaluates processes for all divisions including the Fire Marshal's Office, with a focus on also providing long term sustainability to the community. Question: Councilmember Robertson would like to see response time charts for EMS only and non EMS calls to include differences based on use of an aid car or a Fire engine. He would also like to see if there is a difference in response times from the different stations. Response: Chief Wittwer said he would provide that information to the Council. Question: Councilmember Kruller expressed that response times may be affected because of those who do not pull over when emergency vehicles are in transit. Is anything being done to communicate the reminder that pulling over for emergency vehicles is essential to public safety? Response: Chief Wittwer explained this is not unique to Tukwila and is a consistent message all across the country. Staff will look into putting a public safety message in the Hazelnut reminding citizens to "pull to the right" when emergency vehicles are in transit. Question: Councilmember Robertson asked for a map showing fire calls by type and by neighborhood. He would also like to see the number of EMS calls by neighborhood. Response: Chief Wittwer said he could provide that information, and relayed that the most calls are from the Light Rail Station, Southcenter Mall, and Cascade Behavioral Health. Question: Councilmember Kruller asked the Chief if there is an area he feels could be improved and what would it take to get there? Response: Chief Wittwer responded that having an aid car in service every day would better serve the community. While he would like to see an aid car at every station, the solutions must be sustainable for the community. If there is not sustainability, problems begin to take shape. Question: Councilmember Idan asked what kind of outreach is being done to help young people fulfill their dreams and garner employment in the fire service? In looking at the organizational chart, this would help in creating an employee work place that better reflects the people who live here. Response: Chief Wittwer relayed it is about engagement and conversation. Recently he had lunch at a restaurant on Tukwila International Boulevard and was approached by 2 young men from the Somali community. One was interested in Fire service and asked about minimum qualifications. The Chief gave Tukwila City Council Regular Meeting Minutes March 18, 2019 Page 7 of 9 the young man his card and invited him to the Fire station to meet with staff. He spent the afternoon with a Battalion Chief who drove him around the community. Question: Councilmember Kruller referenced the CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) Program administered by Raejean Kreel, Emergency Management Specialist. She attended the training and found it to be exemplary in providing essential information regarding disaster planning. Are there plans to grow this program and reach out to diverse communities to help them with disaster preparedness? Response: Chief Wittwer conveyed they would look into holding additional classes. Chief Wittwer ended the presentation by pointing out that nearly 100% of the Fire Department staff are technician -level ham radio operators (including himself). This is no small benefit to the community as when the standard communication mechanisms are not available, the ham radio operators are the ones who get the important messages out to the citizens. The Mayor and Councilmembers thanked Chief Wittwer for the informative presentation. NEW BUSINESS (Pulled from Consent Agenda by Councilmember Idan, see page 3) Authorize the Mayor to sign a contract with Starfire Sports for the use of 2019 lodging tax funds in the amount of $44,500.00. [Reviewed and forwarded to Consent by the Community Development and Neighborhoods Committee on 3/12/19. j Councilmember Idan referenced Page 9, Paragraph 2 of the Informational Memo that reads "helps with the City's branding and marketing goals." He is curious as to what those goals are, and for the future would like the goals to be contained in the Informational Memorandum. He is not suggesting he is against approving the item and would like clarity regarding the goals. The Councilmembers discussed the process regarding LTAC (Lodging Tax Advisory Committee) applications and contracts, with the following key points. • LTAC funding requests are a 2-part process; The Council approved the application for LTAC funds from Starfire Sports at the February 14, 2019 Council meeting. The goals are part of the application process. The next step is to then provide approval to enter into a contract to spend the funds, which is occurring this evening. • Support existed for including the goals the applicant is going to meet in future memos. • Acknowledgement that inclusion of the goals can be incorporated in memos, with the caveat that there not be additional layers of work for staff as there are already a great many steps and meetings associated with LTAC funds. Brandon Miles, Business Relations Manager, expressed this may be an opportunity to streamline the 2- step process into one by bringing both the application for LTAC funds and the contract to spend the funds to the Council at the same time. This would allow the provision of all of the components at one time for greater clarity and efficiency. MOVED BY SEAL, SECONDED BY MCLEOD TO AUTHORIZE THE MAYOR TO SIGN A CONTRACT WITH STARFIRE SPORTS FOR THE USE OF 2019 LODGING TAX FUNDS IN THE AMOUNT OF $44,500.00. MOTION CARRIED 7-0. REPORTS a. Mayor Based on the mass shooting in New Zealand, the Mayor was at the Abu Bakr Islamic Center this past Friday and Saturday to ensure the members know they are supported by the City of Tukwila. Additionally, Mayor Ekberg attended the recent open-mic event at the Riverton Park Methodist Church. Tukwila City Council Regular Meeting Minutes March 18, 2019 Page 8 of 9 b. City Council Councilmember Robertson, Chair of the Public Safety Committee, reported on the items that were on the Committee agenda this evening. There were 2 contracts on the agenda for a full MACC (Maximum Allowable Construction Cost) for Fire Station 51 and a mini-MACC for the initial phase of the Justice Center. The costs for the Fire Station are over and the costs for the Justice Center are under by almost the same amount. Due to the complexities of the issues, the Public Safety Committee sent this forward to the next Committee of the Whole meeting with no recommendation. He suggested the Council review the agenda materials and Committee minutes prior to the March 25 Committee of the Whole meeting. Additionally, Mr. Robertson reported that many of Tukwila's senior citizens are growing increasingly dissatisfied with the lack of parking at the Light Rail Station. Councilmember Seal reported that she will be the Tukwila representative on the newly formed South King County Housing and Homelessness Partnership. This is extremely important work, and she will find the time to represent the City. Councilmember Quinn, Chair of the CDN (Community Development and Neighborhoods) Committee, is appreciative that Councilmember Seal took this on at his request. He reported that he has been involved with Tukwila Elementary school students as it relates to their performance of Aladdin at the Paramount in Seattle. It was a tremendous opportunity for these students. Councilmember Kruller attended the recent NLC (National League of Cities) Conference in Washington D.C. and reported on the following key topics: • She is the Vice Chair of the NLC Transportation Infrastructure and Services Committee which provides advocacy at the federal level for western states; Auburn Mayor Backus was selected for a sub -committee, which will benefit the region. • A new transportation package is being worked on with a hope of sustainability. Washington is the most taxed state in the nation as it relates to gasoline. Yet many vehicles are not using gas, so funding options must be identified. • She spoke to Senator Cantwell and staff from Senator Murray's office to ensure she is well aligned to bring the best benefit to Tukwila and the region. • She participated in a federal transportation feedback forum with 80 attendees to discuss transportation concerns. • She attended a session on "airport noise help" which provided a vast amount of resources. • She attended the APAN (Afternoon Policy Advisors Network) as it relates to voluntary summer learning programs for students that recognize that continuity is helpful to students with verifiable benefits. • She attended the Western Municipal Association meeting which focused on small cell networks and disempowerment of local authority and the ability to secure revenues like other utilities. House Bill 530 is in progress right now with the intent of restoring the rights. Cities are pushing back on the FTC (Federal Transportation Commission) to mitigate the issues. • She attended a session regarding "Making Opportunity Zones for Everyone." She has learned a great deal from the Chamber of Commerce since it involves investments from businesses. There are 6 months left to get businesses to the table. • There were many conversations at NLC regarding TIGER grant funds and small cities having better opportunities to compete for these funds. Councilmember McLeod thanked Councilmember Kruller for being a voice for transportation here in Tukwila and the region. Councilmember Idan also attended the NLC Conference in Washington D.C. He spent a great deal of time with the City's lobbyists and was particularly impressed with their level of commitment to Tukwila's priorities. He also met with Senator Cantwell where discussions occurred regarding the Strander Blvd. contract. Tukwila City Council Regular Meeting Minutes March 18, 2019 Page 9 of 9 c. Staff David Cline, City Administrator, referenced the CA (City Administrator) report and offered to answer any questions. d. City Attorney The City Attorney was not present. e. Council Analyst The Council Analyst was not present. MISCELLANEOUS Councilmember Robertson attended the SCA PIC (Suburban Cities Association Public Issues Committee) meeting in Councilmember Kruller's absence due to the NLC Conference. The PIC would like input at the April meeting regarding support of the Challenge Seattle Initiative regarding affordable housing. They also wish to urge the State and King County to adopt strategies to advance housing availability. Councilmember Kruller will be asked to weigh in at the April meeting and he suggested the Council provide her consensus on next steps. Consensus existed for the Council Analyst to send the documentation on this item to the full Council for review, and it can then be considered at a Council meeting prior to the PIC meeting to provide necessary input to Councilmember Kruller. Mayor Ekberg said he and Council President Hougardy will be attending a meeting on April 2, 2019 on "Conversation: Middle Income Housing Affordability Crisis" which aligns with the Challenge Seattle Initiative. David Cline, City Administrator, referenced the monthly report from the Program Management Quality Assurance (PMQA) provider for the Public Safety Plan in the Council packet. Councilmember Kruller said that she would like to pursue being an alternate to the Mayor on the Cascade Water Alliance if there are no objections. There were no objections from the Council. ADJOURNMENT 8:45 p.m. UNANIMOUS CONSENT EXISTED TO ADJOURN THE REGULAR MEETING. Alla kberg, Mayor Christy O'Flahe , ecordsoernance Ma er/City Clerk APPROVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL: 4/1/19 AVAILABLE ON CITY WEBSITE: 4/2/19