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Home My WebLink About2022-05-23 Committee of the Whole Minutes4,400 Tukwila City Council Committee of the Whole Meeting On-site and Virtual Meeting May 23, 2022 — 7:00 P.M. MINUTES This meeting was conducted both on-site at Tukwila City Hall and also virtually based on the Governor's Proclamation 20-28, adopted March 24, 2020. The phone number for public participation that was provided via the agenda distribution process was: 1-253-292-9750, access code 670077847# as well as a link to join the Microsoft Teams Meeting. COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE CALL TO ORDER/PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Acting Council President Delostrinos Johnson called the Tukwila City Council meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. and led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance. OFFICIALS Present at the hybrid meeting were Councilmembers De'Sean Quinn (on-site), Kate Kruller (remote), Cynthia Delostrinos Johnson (on-site), Tosh Sharp (on-site). Council President McLeod, and Councilmembers Hougardy and Abdi were not in attendance. CITY OFFICIALS Allan Ekberg, Mayor (remote); Rachel Bianchi, Deputy City Administrator; Nora Gierloff, Community Development Director; Alison Turner, Sustainable Transportation Program Manager; Jerry Hight, Building Official; Derek Speck, Economic Development Administrator; Brandon Miles, Business Relations Manager; Jay Wittwer, Fire Chief; Norm Golden, Deputy Fire Chief; Tracy Gallaway, Parks & Recreation Director; Eric Dreyer, Police Chief; Eric Lund, Deputy Police Chief; Hari Ponnekanti, Public Works Director; Joel Bush, Chief Technology Officer; Laurel Humphrey, Legislative Analyst; Andy Youn, Deputy City Clerk. LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Mayor Ekberg stated "The City of Tukwila is located on the ancestral lands of the Coast Salish people. We acknowledge their continuing connections to land, waters and culture. We pay our respects to their elders past, present and emerging." PUBLIC COMMENTS 1. Cary Lang shared his experience regarding the permit process as a builder in Tukwila who has built approximately 50 homes. He expressed it is taking a long time to obtain a permit due to lengthier review times. Delays are sometimes caused by reviewers commenting on minor issues that could be expedited. He has noticed that staffing in the Department of Community Development appears to be an issue due to newer staff, which affects turnaround time for his permits as they are not as familiar with the process. He runs a small company and the inability to get permits is impacting his ability to do business in Tukwila. 2. Sharon Mann expressed concern regarding permit applications exceeding the allowed 180 days and expiring during plan review. She noted 180 days is not a small matter for builders and developers, especially considering the high cost of materials in today's market. She referenced high staff turnover in the Department of Community Development and suggested conducting a survey to learn why employees are leaving or to determine other bottlenecks in the permitting process. Tukwila City Council Committee of the Whole Minutes May 23, 2022 Page 2 of 3 SPECIAL ISSUES a. A contract for consulting services for an Economic Development Plan. Derek Speck, Economic Development Administrator, explained following Council direction to create an economic development plan, the City issued a Request for Qualifications (RFQ). Staff is recommending Community Attributes due to their experience with engaging community outreach and user-friendly documents. CONSENSUS EXISTED TO FORWARD THIS ITEM TO THE NEXT REGULAR MEETING. b. A request for 1.0 full time employee (grant -funded) for the Transportation Demand Management Program. 7:17 p.m. Councilmember Quinn recused himself from this discussion and exited the Council Chambers. Alison Turner, Sustainable Transportation Program Manager, indicated the Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Program is creating a new Sustainable Transportation Communications Specialist position to support communications and media coordination. The position will be 1.0 full time employee (FTE) and grant -funded by the following grants for a one-year period: Washington Department of Transportation (WSDOT) TDM/Commute Trip Reduction, WSDOT Regional Mobility Grant, King County Metro grant, and a federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program. CONSENSUS EXISTED TO FORWARD THIS ITEM TO THE NEXT REGULAR MEETING. 7:20 p.m. Councilmember Quinn returned to the Council Chambers. c. An ordinance revising Tukwila Municipal Code Section 16.04.250 regarding construction permits. Jerry Hight, Building Official, stated the proposed ordinance revises permit requirements in Tukwila Municipal Code Section 16.04.250 to clarify the expiration of construction permits and the timelines of permit applications. CONSENSUS EXISTED TO FORWARD THIS ITEM TO THE NEXT REGULAR MEETING CONSENT AGENDA. d. Final Report from the Future of Fire/Emergency Medical Services Community Advisory Committee. Verna Seal, Fire/EMS Community Advisory Committee Chair, Hien Kieu, Vice -Chair, and Karen Reed, Facilitator, provided an overview of the Fire/EMS Community Advisory Committee's final report and recommendations regarding the sustainability and delivery of Fire/EMS. The Committee evaluated nine options based on cost, service quality and funding sustainability among other criteria and is recommending that the City negotiate a service contract by September 1, 2022 with the Puget Sound Regional Fire Authority (PSRFA) as a bridge to near-term annexation. Ms. Kieu emphasized due to the short time frame to negotiate a contract with PSRFA, Council direction is needed by July 15, 2022. The Councilmembers asked clarifying questions and exchanged comments regarding the report. e. 2021 Year End Financial Report. Vicky Carlsen, Finance Director, gave an overview of the year-end financial report for 2021. The effects of COVID-19 continued to impact City revenues and service levels. General Fund revenues totaled $67.2 million and sales tax, a primary City revenue source, was below 2019 levels. Expenditures totaled $62.9 million and were below budget primarily due to vacancies throughout the organization. Of the $5.6 million Tukwila City Council Committee of the Whole Minutes May 23, 2022 Page 3 of 3 reserve, $1.45 million was allocated in 2022 for one-time projects, $1.3 million to the Arterial Street Fund for the BNSF Alternative Access Study Environmental Impact Statement and $150,000 to the Economic Development Plan. The Councilmembers asked clarifying questions and exchanged comments regarding the presentation. f. An update on the Minimum Wage Initiative Effort. Laurel Humphrey, Legislative Analyst, provided an overview of the current minimum wage initiative effort by the Transit Riders Union, the initiative process and the City Council's role, and minimum wage laws in SeaTac and Seattle. REPORTS a. Mayor Mayor Ekberg shared next Monday, May 30, 2022, is Memorial Day, in remembrance of those who have died while serving in the United States military. b. City Council There were no reports. c. Staff There was no report. ADJOURNMENT 8:45 p.m. ACTING COUNCIL PRESIDENT DELOSTRINOS JOHNSON DECLARED THE COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE MEETING ADJOURNED. CynthiaDehstrinos Johnson, Acting Council President Andy Youn, Deputy Ci y Clerk APPROVED BY THE COUNCIL PRESIDENT: 6/6/22 AVAILABLE ON THE CITY WEBSITE: 6/7/22