HomeMy WebLinkAboutFire EMS 2022-03-22 MinutesCity of Tukwila
Future of Fire/EMS Services Community Advisory Committee
March 22, 2022
Virtual Meeting due to COVID-19 Emergency
4:00 p.m.
APPROVED MINUTES
Present
Committee members: Verna Seal, Chair; Katrina Dohn, Peggy McCarthy, Dennis Robertson, Sally Blake, Hien
Kieu, Ramona Grove, Andy Reiswig, Jovita McConnell (Absent: Ben Oliver, Jim Davis, Abdullahi Shakul)
City staff& consultants: David Cline, Laurel Humphrey, Norm Golden, Jay Wittwer, Vicky Carlsen, James
Booth, Jake Berry, Karen Reed, Bill Cushman
1. Welcome
Chair Seal called the meeting to order.
2. Review of Agenda
Ms. Reed reviewed the agenda.
3. Review and approval of March 8, 2022 Committee meeting minutes
Ms. Blake requested a statement be added reflecting here disagreement with the levy being
equivalent to a reserve. Mr. Robertson moved approval of the minutes as amended and Ms. Seal
seconded. The motion carried and the minutes were approved as amended.
4. Responses to questions asked at previous meeting.
Ms. Reed reviewed the updated list of responses.
5. March 21, 2022 City Council Presentation
Committee members discussed how the presentation went.
6. Presentation on Options 6 and 7
Ms. Reed described Option 6, which is to contract with the Renton Regional Fire Authority, and Option
7, which is to contract with the Puget Sound Regional Fire Authority. Questions and comments
included:
• These options would not address the sustainability piece, as the City would have to pay the
contract fee.
• Q: Why does RFA want to contract as a first step? A: To determine if it is a good fit, work out any
issues prior to annexation.
• A lot of the moving parts have been figured out since the last time the City considered this.
• Q: How big is the City's cost for retired firefighters? A: $261K in 2021 for LEOFF 1
• Q: Does the City retain LEOFF 1 and debt service in both options? A: Yes
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• If the City proceeds with a contract, returning to the City seems unlikely.
• Q: Are you going to provide an analysis of how the FBC shifts costs to different types of taxpayers
and how that compares to how we currently fund city services? A: We will evaluate the impact on
Tukwila taxpayer segments under the current fire benefit charges ---but note that FBC formulas and
collections can be changed from year to year by the RFA boards.
• Q: Will Tukwila residents lose service levels? A: IAFF does not think that would happen, as all fire
service working toward meeting the same national standards.
• Q: Does the City want to retain ownership of the stations? A: If the City annexed to an RFA we
want to maintain control of the property, because if the agency wanted to move a station the
property could be repurposed by the City.
7. Cross -Agency Data Presentation
Fire Department leadership presented a data comparison of Tukwila Fire Department, Puget Sound
Regional Fire Authority, and Renton Regional Fire Authority.
• Q: Does PSRFA have more capacity to address a diverse population, such as more language
access? A: We do not have demographic data on the workforces at the RFAs. Regionally there has
been a concentrated effort to attract more diversity in hiring, and results are starting to show.
• Q: Does the City's equipment transfer to the agency with contracting or annexation? A: Yes
• Q: IF we choose to contract and it goes well, then annexation is desired, does that require a vote?
A: Yes.
• Q: What if voters don't approve? A: This is a challenging aspect to the contracting option if your
ultimate goat is annexation.
• The Fire Department now is not financially sustainable, in that the City's budget can't continue
to fund it without asking for a property tax increase. A contract does not solve that problem.
• With annexation, part of the property tax goes with the new agency.
• Q: Weren't we told that PSRFA is positive about annexation as soon as possible? A: Yes. PSRFA is
willing to start negotiations in year 1 of a contract. This is a distinction between the two RFAs. It
typically takes 12-18 months to negotiate annexation terms.
8. Committee Discussion on Community Engagement
Due to a tack of time, Ms. Reed indicated she would send some questions out via email for Committee
members to complete on their own.
9. Union Comment
Captain Booth shared that he appreciates the discussion. RFAs are only about 14 years old and are
popular because of increasing budget pressures in local governments. The IAFF supports contracting
because one way or another we are paying for a Fire Department next year, and Tukwila is hurting for
resources when compared with our neighbors. A contract is a bridge and the annexation planning
could begin immediately. In 13 years, the department has over 30% more calls with less staffing.
10. Adjourn
The meeting was adjourned at 6:01 P.M. by unanimous consent.
Minutes by LH
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