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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1981-05-26 Committee of the Whole MinutesMay 26, 1981 7:00 P.M. CALL TO ORDER ROLL CALL OF COUNCIL MEMBERS REPORTS Letter of Recogni- tion to Police Officer Melvin R. Miller. Green River Basin Program. TUKWILA CITY COUNCIL City Hall COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING Council Chambers M I N U T E S 3aa3 Council President Van Dusen called the Tukwila City Council Committee of the Whole Meeting to order at 7:08 P.M. L. C. BOHRER, MABEL J. HARRIS, DORIS E. PHELPS, Council President GARY L. VAN DUSEN. Mayor Todd presented Police Officer Melvin R. Miller with a letter of recognition from his office, commending Officer Miller for his outstanding service to the Police Department and the City of Tukwila. Police Chief Pat Lowery gave a report on the service performed by Officer Miller during the recent apprehension of a robbery suspect. Some of the service was performed by Officer Miller while he was off duty. Crime Decrease Police Chief Lowery stated statistics from Seattle, King County, and in City of Tukwila. Kent show an increase in apartment crimes in the surrounding cities. In Tukwila there has been a 21.5 decrease in apartment crimes during the last quarter. Ted Uomoto, Director of Public Works, said the key issue in the Green River Basin Program meeting was the boundary to be considered for the assessments. Mayor Todd said some of the city representatives took the position that the County should do the front end financing and be reimbursed after the bonds have been sold, then each City would pay their share. The project we are talking ahout is a drainage system from the P -1 plant south to Grady Way, the beginning of the vast drainage system contemplated in the Green River Valley, commonly known as the Eastside Water Shed. Tukwila's front end cost was $125,000. Councilman Bohrer said the total cost for this part of the program will be 3.9 million dollars. Tukwila's front end share was set at 5 The County would like the money to be available within 30 60 days. We cannot come up with that amount of money in that time; Renton or Kent cannot come up with their amount in that time. He said there were two parts of the current proposal that give him concern. One is that to this date we have been discussing elements of the proposal that are only in the eastside water shed project. In this one they included some wetland acquisition that actually is on the west side of the river down across from the Boeing plant and just north of 212th. Apparently this shows some apparent benefit to Kent in the early stage of the project. He said he questioned that is a requirement even though the agreement that the City sponsors have stated that we will make "substantial progress on wetlands acquisition before any construction begins." There is another piece of wetlands that is included in the project in the eastside project that is about 40 acres, the one on the west side is about 70 acres that he thought would qualify for substantial progress and not require initial front end investment to be quite so high. Councilman Bohrer said his second concern is that though the valley cities general councils indicated they were willing to consider the contribution areas, that is the hillsides, they have also left in the direct discharge areas in the boundaries. He said he did not quite understand that because those people will neither benefit from the project nor contribute water to the project. Their water goes directly into the Green River. It seems that though they are in the basin, there is a question as to whether or not they should be considered part of the project. When the Council gets into the detailed consideration of that he thought the above two concerns should be considered. Councilman Phelps asked when the project is completed will the areas that are direct discharge be allowed to discharge directly or are they going to be required to become a part of the system? Mr. Uomoto said some of these direct discharge areas during the high river state would not discharge by gravity and would become part of the system. During the low flow period there would be direct discharge% to what extent he did not know. TUKWILA CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING May 26, 1981 Page 2 REPORTS Contd. Green River Basin Program contd. TV Program. Finance Personnel Committee Meeting. LID #30. OLD BUSINESS Prop. Ord. changing name of Custodian for Advance Travel Expense Acct., amending Sec. 2 of Ord. #614. 3...4 y Councilman Phelps said there is potential benefit for them. Councilman Bohrer said if that is the case there is rationale for including them. Mayor Todd said it is hoped that by the next meeting the County will be in position to commit the time frame and time constraints on acquiring funds. There is no way that any of the cities have that kind of money. Councilman Harris said in the event the County does not sell the bonds and come forward with the money, is there any contingency plan to meet this deadline? Mayor Todd said the Soil Conservation Service said that if we have not shown good faith by having the money up front by September 1 they are prepared to pull out of the project. Councilman Bohrer said the cities are asking the County to loan the 3.9 million dollars to get the project started, not that they will ultimately contribute, but that they make a loan of it so the negotiations can get underway. Ed Robinson, audience, said when cable TV came to the City they said they would provide several channels. He said the City does not have a newspaper. As an experiment, he said he would like to provide a one hour TV program every other week on cable TV. It would be on Thursday evening from 9 to 10 p.m. It will be a public information program, showing segments of a Council meeting, for instance. Councilman Bohrer asked if there will be comments made on the program? Mr. Robinson said there would be comments and input from everyone. Councilman Phelps, Chairman of the Finance and Personnel Committee, said there would be a committee meeting this Thursday at 4:30 p.m. Larry Hard, City Attorney, said he had recommended against condemnation in regard to LID #30. Last week information was received from the lawyers that they are working on an agreement. They have asked that the City not take action until this agreement information is received. Approval of Minutes: MOVED BY PHELPS, SECONDED BY HARRIS, THAT THE ZONING REVIEW MINUTES Zoning Rev 5 -4 -81 OF MAY 4 AND MAY 11, 1981 AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING 5 -11 -81 MINUTES OF MAY 12, 1981 BE APPROVED AS PUBLISHED. Comm. of Whole 5 -12 -81 Councilman Bohrer said he noted that in the May 12, 1981 Committee of the Whole Meeting it was decided to spend $6,000 not budgetted and the decision was made in the Committee of the Whole Meeting. Councilman Phelps said there would have to be a transfer of funds. Mr. Uomoto, Director of Public Works, said there was a question as to whether or not a transfer of funds was necessary. According to Mr. Doerschel, Finance Director, a budget transfer would not be necessary. Councilman Bohrer said he would like to make clear his objections to taking this final action at the Committee of the Whole Meeting. Council President Van Dusen said he would have the matter considered at the next Regular Meeting of the City Council. *MOTION CARRIED. MOVED BY HARRIS, SECONDED BY PHELPS, THAT THE PROPOSED ORDINANCE CHANGING THE NAME OF THE CUSTODIAN FOR ADVANCE TRAVEL EXPENSE ACCOUNT, AMENDING SECTION TWO OF ORDINANCE #614 BE ON THE AGENDA OF THE JUNE 2, 1981 REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING. Larry Hard, City Attorney, said the proposed ordinance could name the Finance Director, or the Finance Director could be referred to by title so it would not be necessary to amend the ordinance when there is a change in Finance Directors. In his opinion the City would not be cited if they referred to the Finance Director by title and not by name. TUKWILA CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING May 26, 1981 Page 3 OLD BUSINESS Contd. Prop. Ord. changing name of Custodian for Advance Travel Expense Acct., amending Sec. 2 of Ord. #614 contd. MOVED BY HARRIS, SECONDED BY PHELPS, THAT THE PROPOSED ORDINANCE BE ON THE AGENDA OF THE JUNE 2, 1981 REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING AND THE FINANCE DIRECTOR BE REFERRED TO BY NAME RATHER THAN JUST BY TITLE. Council President Van Dusen said he thought it was not necessary to name the Finance Director. The reference to the title "Finance Director" should be sufficient. City Attorney Hard said it is not a point of law. Councilman Phelps said it seems reasonable to refer to the title "Finance Director" and not name the Finance Director in the ordinance in order to save the expense of changing the ordinance if then is a change in Finance Director. Councilman Harris said she would like to name the Finance Director in the ordinance. She would not want to vote for something when she knows it is wrong. *MOTION CARRIED. *MOTION CARRIED, AS AMENDED. r 3 d&5 Prop. Ord. relating City Attorney Hard said he had talked with Mr. Lane of the to gambling Attorney General's office. He was advised there was a new law passed gambling activities. that was 50 pages long. One part of it had to do with Bingo. He requested Mr. Laine to send him a copy so he can make sure the City's ordinance is in accord. The copy has not yet been received. He said he was working with Police Chief Lowery in drafting an ordinance that will not prohibit Bingo but will prohibit Reno nights. Chief Lowery said he would like to see a requirement that the sponsor of Bingo hold the games in their meeting places. Mr. Hard, City Attorney, said the City might have some difficulty in requiring that restriction. Chief Lowery said he had prepared a package for each City Council member with suggestions on the gambling ordinance. One suggestion had to do with hours of operation. Councilman Harris asked if the new law was the same as the old one where the City could not charge a higher rate of tax than the County? Chief Lowery said the new law is the same as the old one in that regard, the City cannot charge more than the County. Councilman Harris asked if the City ordinance would supersede a law by the State? Could the City limit the hours of gambling? Chief Lowery said the impression he had was that we could not make a lot of concessions. MOVED BY BOHRER, SECONDED BY HARRIS, THAT THE COUNCIL AUTHORIZE THE POLICE CHIEF TO EXPRESS DISPLEASURE TO THE GAMBLING COMMISSION ON ITEMS ONE AND FIVE AS SUMMARIZED IN HIS LETTER TO THE CITY COUNCIL DATED MAY 21, 1981. MOTION CARRIED. Councilman Bohrer said at the Public Hearing on gambling on April 27, 1981, Mr. Sherrill said the proposal was to reduce from 10% to 5% the amount of tax the City could collect. It has been increased to 20 We were told by Mr. Sherrill that he had run into the Moral Majority group to increase the amount that could be collected by the City. The City Council Analyst has made a report that Mr. Sherrill changed his mind and lobbied for the 20 He said Mr. Sherrill had been less than candid with the City. Councilman Bohrer said he noted that the State law says gambling is authorized as a stimulant to business. The income from each opera- tion is considered independently. It sounds like gambling is no longer a stimulant, but is two thirds of the business. He asked if the City could establish the proportion? City Attorney Hard said he thought that would be out of the City's hands. The State Gambling Commission is the one who defines the proportion. He said he would inquire into the possibility. Councilman Phelps said the City should be lobbying on this matter. AWC cannot do the job alone. TUKWILA CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING May 26, 1981 Page 4 OLD BUSINESS Contd. Prop. Ord. relating to gambling gambling activities contd. McNamara Condo Waiver. NEW BUSINESS Mr. Robert Hirsch, Metro, discussion on proposed Metro Sewer Rate Options. adb Councilman Harris said with regard to Reno nights, if it means that the City can be stuck with something like 24 hour surveillance, that would make for a lot of overtime in the Police Department. Chief Lowery said it would be going back to the time when we had all -night hours. MOVED BY BOHRER, SECONDED BY HARRIS, THAT THE PROPOSED ORDINANCE RELATING TO GAMBLING AND GAMBLING ACTIVITIES BE ON THE AGENDA OF THE JUNE 9, 1981 COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING. MOTION CARRIED. Brad Collins, Planning Director, said Mr. Walsh, representing the applicant, has requested that this matter be discussed at the Committee of the Whole meeting on June 9, 1981 when additional information will be available. MOVED BY HARRIS, SECONDED BY BOHRER, THAT THE MCNAMARA CONDOMINIUM WAIVER REQUEST BE TABLED UNTIL IT IS READY FOR DISCUSSION. Mr. Collins, Planning Director, said he had advised P1r. Walsh that the City would try to have the matter considered on June 9, 1981. If the information is not ready it could be considered at the next meeting. Larry Hard, City Attorney, said he felt it would be better to set a specific date for the discussion. It is likely the information will be ready by June 9. Councilman Bohrer said he would suggest that Mr. Collins write a letter to the applicant stating if the information is available by such and such a date, the matter will be discussed at that meeting. *MOTION CARRIED. Ted Uomoto, Director of Public Works, introduced Mr. Mike Mulcahy, Metro, stating he would give the presentation for Mr. Hirsch, and explain the reasons for the need to raise future sewer rates and rate increase options. He said Mr. Mulcahy needs the Council consensus as to which option is desired by Tukwila. He said the cost impact will be an increase in future sewer rate starting in 1982. Mr. Mulcahy, using a projector, explained the water quality program budget. He said there would be an increased reliance on local resources. fewer federal grants and an emphasis on cost /benefit. His recommendation was: (1) major program of capital investments but one which is scaled to meet only real water quality problems, (2) 1982 sewer rate increase to finance this scaled back capital program: $12.00 or $8.00 to minimize borrowing and interest expense, $4.95 rate as incremental approach. He showed Alternatives 1, 2, and 3 in the water quality capital program, also the rate options for alternative water quality capital programs, the alternative three sewer rate options; reasons for "strong cash position" water quality (lower total program cost, lower future rates, competitive edge when borrowing lower rates; ability to time borrowing to market conditions rather than funding needs); a comparison of Metro sewer rates (in 1980 dollars) from 1961 to 2000; and a water quality program summary. The following three rate increase options are being considered by the Metro Council: Option 1 $4.95 for 1982 (annual increases thereafter) Option 2 $8.00 for 1982 (no additional increase until 1985); Option 3 $12.00 for 1982 (no additional increase until after 1988). The above rates per month per residential customer or equivalent. Councilman Harris asked if the Metro Council will decide what the increase will be and the City will have nothing to say about it? Mr. Mulcahy said the City has a representative and communication can be made with him. Metro would like to have public input. Council President Van Dusen said the people will not like this increase. TUKWILA CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING May 26, 1981 Page 5 NEW BUSINESS Contd. Mr. Robert Hirsch, Metro, discussion on proposed Metro Sewer Rate Options contd. RECESS 9:00 9:15 P.M. Prop. Ord. vacating constr. utility easement estab. by Ord. #671, Sec. 3, over deadend portion of Macadam Rd. located no. of Southcenter Blvd. west of 65th Ave. So. Scope of Services for Comprehensive Water Sewer Plan the request for consulting services. Mr. Mulcahy said the $12 rate increase is the best over a long period of time, they would like to raise the rates and have it stick for awhile. It is likely the $6 rate will be the best one and the most acceptable one. He said public hearings have been held on the subject. He said the schedules are tight and they would like to know as soon as possible which option is acceptable to the City. MOVED BY BOHRER, SECONDED BY PHELPS, THAT THE COUNCIL REQUEST TED UOMOTO, DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS, TO FORWARD THE OPINION TO METRO THAT A RATE INTERMEDIATE BETWEEN OPTION ONE AND TWO IS THE CONSENSUS OF THE TUKWILA CITY COUNCIL. Councilman Phelps stated the Public Works Committee recommended Option 1. Jan Wiesner, audience, said there is a large amount of money involved for everyone. The only way to make Metro hold tight on spending is to not give them more money than they need project by project. MOTION CARRIED. MOVED BY BORHER, SECONDED BY HARRIS, THAT THE TUKWILA CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING RECESS FOR FIVE MINUTES. MOTION CARRIED. The Committee of the Whole Meeting was called back to order by Council President Van Dusen with Council Members present as previously listed. Ted Uomoto, Director of Public Works, said the owner is planning to develop the land and cannot get a building permit with the existing easement. The intent is to eliminate existing utility easement between Southcenter Boulevard and 65th Avenue South as the existing easement is not required for City's utilities. Existing telephone line will be relocated by Pacific Northwest Bell and owner has agreed to grant necessary easement to relocate their line. The street was vacated a long time ago and it is recommended that the proposed ordinance be passed. Councilman Phelps said by Ordinance No. 671 the City vacated the street but kept the easement. MOVED BY PHELPS, SECONDED BY HARRIS, THAT THE PROPOSED ORDINANCE BE PLACED ON THE AGENDA OF THE JUNE 2, 1981 REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING, INCLUDING THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO SECTION 2. Councilman Bohrer said he would like to see in Section 1 of the proposed ordinance where it says on the second line "said easement" that it refer to Section 3 of Ordinance No. 671 where it says that the City "shall retain an easement for the construction maintenance and repair of public utilities and services. *MOTION CARRIED. Ted Uomoto, Director of Public Works, said the Council has been provided with a scope -of- services for a comprehensive plan for water and sewer which they propose to use to obtain proposals from consultants. The scope -of- services was developed after reviewing the requirement of the WAC and meetings with the local DSHS and DOE representatives. Compre- hensive water and sewer plans are required to be updated every five years. Tukwila's old plan, which was developed over ten years ago, would not meet present requirements of the State. Application for utility grants would require an updated comprehensive plan. A well prepared plan would facilitate in obtaining grants much better. The plan would also serve as a valuable reference source in planning the City's future development. The approval of the Council is requested to seek consultant proposals. Councilman Bohrer asked if this consulting service is in the budget? Mr. Uomoto said there was no budget for this. Some of this work has been done before and it will be used for review as the proposals are developed. TUKWILA CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING May 26, 1981 Page 6 NEW BUSINESS Contd. Scope of Services for Comprehensive Water Sewer Plan the request for Consulting Services contd. Possible closure of Duwamish Park. Potential park improvement projects for Pro Parks Comm. *MOTION CARRIED. Councilman Phelps asked how much of the scope -of- services can be accomplished in- house? Mr. Uomoto said very little could be done in- house. MOVED BY BOHRER, SECONDED BY PHELPS, THAT THE COUNCIL APPROVE THE PUBLIC WORKS REQUEST TO OBTAIN CONSULTANT PROPOSALS. Mr. Uomoto said his Department will have check points and review the proposals and determine the policy during the preliminary phase. Don Williams, Parks and Recreation Director, said the City has come to the end of the 5 -year lease on the Duwamish Park. The Mayor has asked the Parks and Recreation Department and the Public Works Department to estimate the annual operational costs to help the Council determine if the park should be abandoned. The Public Works Committee has recommended the park remain open and do a minimum of maintenance. Recreation costs in 1980 were $749 and maintenance was $3,663. Council President Van Dusen said he would like to know how the $3,663 for maintenance was spent. Don Williams said recreation costs were for services of personnel. Bleachers were purchased for the facility. They can be moved to other facilities. Councilman Harris asked how much the park is used? Mr. Williams said it is used by the Little League Soccer Teams and Softball Teams, the Duwamish Improvement Club, etc. They have all contacted him and requested the continuance of this facility. Councilman Bohrer asked the reason for requesting discontinuance. Mr. Williams said in early spring the City was looking for ways to reduce expenditures. This was a potential way of saving funds. Councilman Harris said if the park were closed where would these teams practice? Mr. Williams said they would likely come to the Council and ask that the park be continued. If they had no results they would go to the School Board and ask them to keep the park open as a community park. Council President Van Dusen said we have a lease option coming up this fall and the budget will be discussed about that time. That would be a good time to address the continuance of the park. MOVED BY BOHRER, SECONDED BY PHELPS, THAT THE CITY CONTINUE TO OPERATE THE DUWAMISH PARK UNTIL THE END OF THE LEASE. MOTION CARRIED. Don Williams, Parks and Recreation Director, said the Pro Parks Committee has asked Tukwila to submit a list of potential park improve- ment projects in a priority list by June 1, 1981. This list will be forwarded to the King County Council. There has been considerable discussion by the Park Commission and with the School Board. He referred to Attachment D in the agenda package and listed the potential park projects as identified by the Park Commission, South Central School District Board, and Parks and Recreation Staff. He reviewed the priority list of the Park Commission, the South Central School District Board which prioritized only the four projects that involved School District property, and the Park and Recreation Staff priority list. Mr. Williams said the Park Commission has a number of reasons against rehabilitating the Southgate facility due to the distance of location. It is costing a great deal to maintain and there is the cost of major improvements such as a roof. The cost would be $100 to $200 thousand dollars. They would 'rather spend 600 to 800 thousand dollars for a new facility more centrally located. If the area of the Southgate facility were annexed it would cast a different light on it. Mr. Williams said there is a possibility that King County will not require the City to identify the projects. TUKWILA CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING May 26, 1981 Page 7 NEW BUSINESS Contd. Potential park improvement projects for Pro Parks Comm. contd. Prop. Ord. estab. flood plain manage- ment dev. permit procedure setting forth flood damage prev- ention policies. Current Status on salary recommen- dation from Finance Personnel Comm. ADJOURNMENT 10:50 P.M. Councilman Phelps suggested the Council recommend the Park and Recreation staff priority list, removing Item 9 (Astro Turf Neudorf Stadium). Item 10 would then become Item 9. Councilman Harris asked if anyone had suggested that a new community center be built at the McMicken Park site? Mr. Williams said this site was not considered due to the distance. Councilman Bohrer said Item 8 (Install lighting along Christensen Trail) is not necessary as you can see quite well along the trail at night. There are other things we need more. It would be expensive to get the lighting for the trail. MOVED BY BOHRER, SECONDED BY PHELPS, THAT THE COUNCIL RECOMMEND THE PARKS AND RECREATION STAFF PRIORITY LIST WITH TWO CHANGES: ITEM 10 (DEVELOP TWO LIGHTED TENNIS COURTS AT FOSTER GOLF COURSE) BE ITEM 8 AND ITEM 8 BECOME ITEM 9 AND BE LIGHTING OF BICENTENNIAL PARK. MOVED BY HARRIS, SECONDED BY PHELPS, TO AMEND THE MOTION AND HAVE ITEM 4 BECOME ITEM 5 AND ITEM 5 BECOME ITEM 4. MOTION CARRIED. *MOTION CARRIED, AS AMENDED. Brad Collins, Director of Planning, said the intent of the ordinance is to adopt a development permit procedure for projects within flood prone areas, such ordinance is required by the Federal Government to allow Tukwila's participation in the National Flood Insurance Program. MOVED BY PHELPS, SECONDED BY HARRIS, THAT THE PROPOSED ORDINANCE BE REFERRED TO THE PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE. MOTION CARRIED. Councilman Phelps said the current status of the salary plan reviewed by the Finance and Personnel Committee shows that the job descriptions were updated not all were revised and remain as it; comparative de- partmental data is available which relates to certain benchmark types of positions in other cities and it now needs updating from August 1980; evaluation systems, criteria and other background information is available. Also there are recommendations from Administration and Department Heads as a result of requests which went to staff meetings. The current salary plan reflects two types of compensation problems: (1) Line progression within department or division is not always fair and logical; (2) there are some discrepancies in the area of competitive salaries in relation to other cities. Some are too low and a few are higher. Another issue is that of merit pay for employees who are now at maximum longevity steps. This merit step has never been implemented. She proposed that the Council contact a qualified consultant to pull the data together and revise the existing salary plan to reflect current city job functions and establish hierarchy of grade placement, adjust salary levels and submit recommendation to Council. The Council's Professional Services budget of $19,070 has had only $540 spent out of it. It is hoped the consultant's cost would be under $5,000. The Finance and Personnel Committee members should be able to interview the consultants and present a recommendation to the Council to conclude the salary plan process this summer prior to budget preparation. She said the Committee has come as far as they can without further help and concurrence. Councilman Bohrer said he thought the final thing the Committee could do would be to write a scope for the consultant. This could be reviewed by the Council. Councilman Phelps said there are resources available through AWC, including some free information. MOVED BY HARRIS, SECONDED BY BOHRER, THAT THE COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING ADJOURN. MITII £'eIED. Cifl c President Gary L: Dusen Norma Booher, Recording Secretary