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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2007-04-23 Committee of the Whole MinutesCITIZEN COMMENT TUKWILA CITY COUNCIL April 23, 2007 7:00 p.m. Council Chambers City Hall COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE CALL TO ORDER/PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Council President, Verna Griffin, called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m. and led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance. OFFICIALS Present were Verna Griffin, Council President; Councilmembers Joan Hernandez, Pam Carter, Jim Haggerton, Pam Linder, and Dennis Robertson. Councilmember Duffie was not present. ATTENDANCE Steve Mullet, Mayor; Rhonda Berry, City Administrator; Jim Morrow, Public Works Director; Nick Olivas, Fire Chief; Jack Pace, Acting Community Development Director; Sandra Whiting, Urban Environmentalist; Mary Miotke, IT Manager; Kimberly Matej, Council Analyst; Christy O'Flaherty, Deputy City Clerk. Robert Jensen, 11682 44th Avenue South, asked that, in the wake of the Virginia Tech shootings, are adequate security measures in place at local schools, casinos, and the Southcenter Mall. Rhonda Berry, City Administrator, responded that the School District has its own security system. Casinos have a great deal of security, some of which is regulated through the Washington State licensing process. The mall is a private business and is responsible for its own security. However, the Tukwila Police Department will work with businesses or agencies to provide consulting assistance on security related issues. Mr. Jensen asked that an article be placed in The Hazelnut regarding security measures that are currently in place. Gerry Myklebust, Tukwila Police Officer, provided information regarding recent inquiries relative to the purpose of the fringe on the flag displayed in the Council Chambers. Mr. Myklebust researched this issue and found the yellow fringe on the flag to have no particular symbolism and to be strictly decorative in nature. The United States Army Code had the most definitive regulations regarding the fringe on the flag. United States Army regulation 840 -10, Chapter 2, Paragraph 2 -3, delineated the characteristics of flags displayed indoors and gave provisions for the size of the yellow fringe on the flag. Paragraph 2 -7 goes on to provide additional information regarding use and display of the U.S. flag and directs individuals to consult the Attorney General's Office of their state for laws that apply to use of the flag. Robert Jensen, 11682 44th Avenue South, referenced parking problems on 115th Avenue South from East Marginal Way to 42nd Avenue South. He indicated there have been on -going issues with abandoned vehicles, overnight parking, and instances of people actually camping in the area for approximately two months. He would like to see the situation looked into and possible signage installed in the area to help alleviate the problem. City of Tukwila City Council Committee of the Whole Minutes SPECIAL ISSUES a. Surplus fire equipment. Councilmember Haggerton indicated this item was discussed at the Finance and Safety Committee meeting on April 16, 2007. The committee members were unanimous in recommending approval. Page 2 of 4 April 23. 2007 The Council is being asked to approve a resolution donating surplus fire equipment and a surplus pumper to the Salmon River Rural Fire Department. A former Tukwila firefighter is now the Fire Chief of this department in Idaho, which has a very limited budget. He has requested any surplus equipment that may be available. The surplus pumper had previously been authorized by the Council as a donation to the Occupational Skills Center (OSC). However, the pumper was damaged at a recent practice burn, and as a result of the damage, OSC has declined to accept the vehicle. The Salmon River Rural Fire Department will accept the pumper. The total estimated value of this donation of a pumper and equipment is $5,615.00. COUNCIL CONSENSUS EXISTED TO FORWARD THIS ITEM TO THE SPECIAL MEETING FOLLOWING THIS EVENING'S COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE. b. Tukwila Pond Water Quality Consultant Contract. Councilmember Linder indicated this item was discussed at the Community Affairs and Parks Committee meeting on April 10, 2007. The committee members were unanimous in recommending approval. As part of the planning process for enhancement of Tukwila Pond as a centerpiece of the Tukwila Urban Center Plan and as a wildlife conservation area, the need to improve water quality and reduce possible algal blooms was identified. The Council is being asked to approve a consultant agreement with Tetra Tech, Inc. for professional feasibility and design services for improving water quality in Tukwila Pond. The work under the proposed agreement will be carried out concurrently with the Tukwila Pond Trail and Boardwalk contract being managed by the Parks and Recreation Department. The work on the water quality agreement is expected to be completed by the end of 2007, with an update to the Council planned in September 2007. Councilmember Robertson referenced page 25 of the agenda packet and asked that language be added to Exhibit A, Scope of Work, Task 11, that a presentation on this issue be afforded to the full Council. Sandra Whiting, Urban Environmentalist, indicated that change would be made and a presentation would be forthcoming to the Council. COUNCIL CONSENSUS EXISTED TO FORWARD THIS ITEM TO THE SPECIAL MEETING FOLLOWING THIS EVENING'S COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE. c. Duwamish Gardens Acquisition; King County Agreement for Services. Councilmember Hernandez indicated this item was discussed at the Utilities Committee meeting on April 17, 2007. The committee members were unanimous in recommending approval. This proposed agreement with King County will give authorization to the County to act on the City's behalf for negotiations on the purchase of 2.18 acres of land known as the Duwamish Gardens site. The agreement will allow King County to conduct services and act as the City's agent to determine project feasibility of acquiring this land for salmon habitat restoration within the transition zone between fresh and salt water. (The transition zone was identified in the Water Resource Inventory Area 9 <WRIA9> Salmon Recovery Plan as the area in most need of habitat restoration.) King County is taking the lead as the WRIA9 service provider and needs to complete the appraisal process, produce a purchase and sale agreement, negotiate the purchase of this site, and conduct a hazardous waste and archaeological investigation. Funding will be through a combination of grant funding and City matching funds. The total cost for this contract is $100,000 and will be taken from existing grant funds. The grant does state that if City of Tukwila Citv Council Committee of the Whole Minutes COUNCIL CONSENSUS EXISTED TO FORWARD THIS ITEM TO THE SPECIAL MEETING FOLLOWING THIS EVENING'S COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE. d. Emergency Management deficiencies. Councilmember Haggerton indicated this item was discussed at the Finance and Safety Committee meeting on April 16, 2007. The committee members were unanimous in recommending approval. Page 3 of 4 April 23. 2007 the project is determined to be "not feasible," the City would need to reimburse 50% of the grant funds. That amount of $50,000 has already been budgeted through the Capital Improvement Program (CIP). Councilmember Robertson commented the hourly rate of $94.52 for the County shown on page 33 of the agenda packet seems exorbitant, as does the overall cost of $100,000. Jim Morrow, Public Works Director, explained that $100,000 is the maximum amount that can be expended, and the County's overhead is included in the hourly rate. He reiterated the role of the County is to complete an appraisal, negotiate the purchase of the site as well as the associated sale agreement, as well as a hazardous waste and archaeological investigation. Mr. Morrow also conveyed there is a possibility of the project not moving forward based on the receptiveness of the current property owner toward selling the land. The Finance and Safety Committee received a lengthy status update that addressed emergency management deficiencies which included a description of the deficiency, the proposed corrective action, and the cost to implement remedies over a four -year period. The first responder team, comprised of representatives from Fire, Police and Public Works, has worked over the last several months to assess the needs of the Emergency Management Program. Deficiencies include the lack of standby generators for City facilities, Disaster Emergency Response Trailers (DERT) for first responders and a public shelter, a full -time staff position, improved public information, a permanent Emergency Operations Center (EOC), and traffic signal backups. The estimated cost for the corrective actions over a four -year period is $6,209,000. At the April 16, 2007 Finance and Safety Committee meeting, the members did request two alterations to the original staff recommendation. The Committee asked that the full -time staff person ($80,000 /originally slated for Year 2) and improved public information <partial> ($50,000 /originally slated for Year 3) be moved to the Year 1 schedule to begin in 2007. The Committee determined these components were important enough to warrant placement at the beginning of the process. Mayor Mullet was in attendance at the Finance and Safety Committee meeting and had conveyed that excess revenues in the amount of $1,000,000 due to construction activity (a one -time revenue source) could be used to begin this project. Additional sources of funding will need to be determined to allow completion of the overall proposal. The Councilmembers made inquiries of Mr. Morrow regarding specific aspects of this project. They also exchanged comments regarding: the need for awareness of recurring annual costs that go beyond the $6 million estimate; the possibility of securing grants to fund portions of the proposal; the enormity of this endeavor and the need for thorough discussion, consideration, and public input; other possible uses for the excess revenue of $1,000,000 (one -time amount); the urgency to assure public safety by correcting emergency management deficiencies as soon as possible; and the necessity of a defined plan for financing the project. COUNCIL CONSENSUS EXISTED TO FORWARD THIS ISSUE TO A FUTURE COUNCIL MEETING FOR A FULL PRESENTATION BY THE PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR, TO INCLUDE ATTENDANCE BY THE FINANCE DIRECTOR FOR THE PROVISION OF FUNDING INFORMATION. REPORTS a. Mayor Mayor Mullet reported the City received its first Prius automobile today, and it was purchased under the State contract. City of Tukwila City Council Committee of the Whole Minutes b. Council Councilmember Hernandez attended her respective Council Committee meetings this past week as well as the Citizens' Police Academy on April 18, 2007. She wished Council President Griffin "a happy birthday tomorrow." Councilmember Carter reported the Sound Transit Board meets this Thursday to finalize plans for the ballot measure. An extension of the corridor has been proposed for high capacity transit that mirrors the monorail and would include service from West Seattle to Burien. The City of Burien would like support of this proposal. Ms. Carter distributed information from her attendance at the South County Area Transportation board (SCATBd) meeting on April 17, 2007. On April 18, 2007 she attended the Suburban Cities dinner and the Traffic Safety Commission meeting on April 19, 2007. Ms. Carter also attended the Earth Day celebration along the Duwamish River on April 21, 2007. There were 25 people in attendance in Tukwila for this event, and it was considered a great success. Council President Griffin relayed that the Council Analyst will be providing a summary of issues from the recent legislative session. Ms. Griffin also referenced a letter from the United Steelworkers of America, representing office staff in the Police Department. The letter is in regard to extending benefits to domestic partners as they relate to family sick leave and funeral leave, and a response has been requested from the City Council. There is pending litigation on a similar matter in the City of Bellevue at this time, and the City Attorney has suggested the Council respond after a decision has been rendered in that case. Councilmember Robertson indicated he is in favor of extending the benefits per the request. Rhonda Berry, City Administrator, conveyed that benefits for union groups are typically negotiated at the collective bargaining table. It was determined this issue should be discussed in an Executive Session when the Personnel Director is present. Council President Griffin stated she would respond to the United Steelworkers to indicate the Council is discussing the matter, and that a more comprehensive response will be forthcoming in the future. c. Staff There was no report. d. City Attorney The City Attorney was not present. e. Intergovernmental There was no report. ADJOURN TO SPECIAL MEETING 8:24 p.m. COUNCIL PRESIDENT GRIFFIN DECLARED THE COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE METING ADJOURNED TO CONVENE A SPECIAL MEETING. Verna Griffin, Council President Christy O'FlahertWDeputy City Clerk �J Page 4 of 4 Aoril 23. 2007