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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2009-01-20 Regular MinutesROLL CALL CITY OFFICIALS SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS Tukwila City Council City Hall Council Chambers MINUTES CALL TO ORDER /PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE /ROLL CALL Jim Haggerton, Mayor; Rhonda Berry, City Administrator; Shelley Kerslake, City Attorney; Shawn Hunstock, Finance Director; Jim Morrow, Public Works Director; Jack Pace, Community Development Director; David Haynes, Police Chief; Derek Speck, Economic Development Administrator; Katherine Kertzman, Tourism Manager; Kimberly Matej, Council Analyst; Christy O'Flaherty, City Clerk. Christy O'Flaherty, City Clerk, called the roll of the Council. Present were Councilmembers Joe Duffie, Joan Hernandez, Pam Linder, Dennis Robertson, Verna Griffin, Kathy Hougardy, De'Sean Quinn. Mayor Haggerton called the Tukwila City Council meeting to order at 7:02 p.m. and led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance. Centennial Media Outcomes Katherine Kertzman, Tourism Manager Regular Meeting January 20, 2009 7:00 P.M. Katherine Kertzman, Tourism Manager, came forward and gave a PowerPoint presentation providing an overview of the media implemented throughout the year of the Tukwila Centennial Celebration. Key elements included: The Centennial Kick -off event was January 8, 2008 at the Westfield Southcenter Mall Calendars mailed to community for 100 Day Countdown to the Kick -off Event Strategic plan developed by Exclaim to promote the Centennial Accurate portrayal of the positive aspects of the City of Tukwila Lodging tax dollars used to promote Tukwila An on -line blog of facts Tukwila was implemented Community Grant program initiated for various sanctioned events Strategic brand guidelines developed for use of the logo Local giveaways and merchandise sales Awareness ads were run on radio, website, transit panels, hanging banners, parking garage panels, street poles, calendar of events, special event ads, hotel packages, and an ongoing public relations campaign that concludes in June The first Rock and Roll Marathon will be held in Tukwila on June 27, 2009 AM of this information is available on the website: www.tukwila100.com /outcomes Ms. Kertzman thanked the many community partners and City departments for their assistance in making the project a success. The task was completed on time and on budget. The Councilmembers thanked Ms. Kertzman for the wonderful job she did on the campaign, and they hope to keep the momentum going. Derek Speck, Economic Development Administrator, expressed his appreciation to Katherine Kertzman and the rest of the staff for the work and vision they put forth on this project. Tukwila City Council Regular Meeting Minutes January 20, 2009 Page 2 of 6 APPOINTMENTS Appoint Linda McLeod to Position #5 on the Library Advisory Board, with a term expiring 12/31/2009. MOVED BY HERNANDEZ, SECONDED BY GRIFFIN TO APPOINT LINDA MCLEOD TO POSITION #5 ON THE LIBRARY ADVISORY BOARD, WITH A TERM EXPIRING 12/31/2009. MOTION CARRIED 7 -0. CITIZEN COMMENTS There were no citizen comments. CONSENT AGENDA a. Approval of Minutes: 12/15/08 (Regular) b. Approval of Vouchers #344190- #344205 for 2009 in the amount of $611,495.01 #344206- #344509 for 2008 in the amount of $1,764,153.45 MOVED BY DUFFIE, SECONDED BY HERNANDEZ TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA AS SUBMITTED. MOTION CARRIED 7 -0. UNFINISHED BUSINESS a. An ordinance adopting the Walk and Roll Plan. AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF TUKWILA, WASHINGTON, ADOPTING THE WALK AND ROLL PLAN THE CITY'S NON MOTORIZED FUNCTIONAL PLAN AND ADOPTING COMPLETE STREETS PRINCIPLES; PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY; AND ESTABLISHING AN EFFECTIVE DATE. MOVED BY HERNANDEZ, SECONDED BY ROBERTSON THAT THE PROPOSED ORDINANCE BE READ BY TITLE ONLY. MOTION CARRIED 7 -0. Christy O'Flaherty, City Clerk, read the proposed ordinance by title only. MOVED BY HERNANDEZ, SECONDED BY DUFFIE THAT THE PROPOSED ORDINANCE BE ADOPTED AS READ.* The Councilmembers thanked the staff for their work on this project and for the inclusion of additional streets for a total of 12. Jack Pace, Community Development Director, indicated next steps will involve preliminary engineering and cost analysis for the 12 streets. It is anticipated that will be completed in the first or second quarter of 2009. *MOTION CARRIED 7 -0 TO ADOPT ORDINANCE NUMBER 2222. b. An ordinance authorizing the execution of an Interlocal Agreement relating to the South Correctional Entity (SCORE) facility. AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF TUKWILA, WASHINGTON, AUTHORIZING THE EXECUTION OF AN INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT RELATING TO THE SOUTH CORRECTIONAL ENTITY FACILITY AND THE FORMATION OF THE SOUTH CORRECTIONAL ENTITY FACILITY PUBLIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY; PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY AND ESTABLISHING AN EFFECTIVE DATE. MOVED BY ROBERTSON, SECONDED BY DUFFIE THAT THE PROPOSED ORDINANCE BE READ BY TITLE ONLY. MOTION CARRIED 7 -0. Tukwila City Council Regular Meeting Minutes January 20, 2009 Page 3 of 6 Christy O'Flaherty, City Clerk, read the proposed ordinance by title only. MOVED BY DUFFIE, SECONDED BY ROBERTSON THAT THE PROPOSED ORDINANCE BE ADOPTED AS READ. Councilmember Robertson stated the ordinance has been evolving rapidly in the last month. Many changes were made since the Finance and Safety Committee's review. Most were insignificant, and he is not satisfied with the wording of section 5b regarding allocation of votes. As written, the two largest cities are given veto power over anything significant. He further stated that he thinks it is workable. If there is a problem with the veto capability, other cities can bring it back up for change in the interlocal agreement. Everything else is well worked out, timely, and necessary for the City. He would not let his reservation on the veto issue hold up his vote for it. Rhonda Berry, City Administrator, spoke to the history of development of the voting allocation issue. Bigger cities have a proportionately bigger financial obligation as well. Because the financial investment is so large, the bigger cities have a concern that the smaller cities could take a vote that obligates them to a much larger share of the financing. The Interlocal Agreement can be amended by a simple majority. It is not one of the five items that fall under the supermajority vote category. Councilmember Linder inquired what percentage Renton and Auburn constitute together. Penny Bartley, Manager of Jail Services, City of Renton, responded that it is 34% and 29% for a total of 63% for both cities. Ms. Bartley further added that equal distribution was discussed. It benefited larger cities, yet put the small cities at a disadvantage. In the end, this seemed to be the best compromise. Council President Hernandez inquired if the development and revenue costs to Tukwila remained the same as in the December presentation. Ms. Bartley responded in the affirmative. The estimator came back within $1,000,000, and they believe $500,000 of that can be managed by beginning dirt work early. They are hopeful the difference can be made up at bid time. If not, they will look at value engineering. They realize they need to build this project within the budgeted amount. Councilmember Quinn stated his concern that members who are not in the Finance and Safety Committee have not had an opportunity to look at the financials. He is concerned about the fiduciary responsibility of the Council. He inquired if the Administrative Board is made up of two representatives, the City Manager and the Mayor, of a member city. Ms. Bartley responded that there is one representative from each city, the chief elected official or his /her designee. Councilmember Quinn stated, although he has full faith in the City Administrator and the Mayor, he is concerned about the Council's responsibility of being in a ten -year agreement where they have no real say in the direction. He does not read anything in the proposal that says the Council is to be notified through the process. He has concern that financial information will not be available to the Council, and they will not be privy to what goes on in the meetings. Rhonda Berry, City Administrator, stated this entity would operate just like Valley Com. and the Cascade Water Alliance. Council's input would come at budget time. If there is an increased financial obligation, or if there are additional obligations on the part of the City, the Mayor cannot independently obligate the City beyond what the budget allows. The Council authorizes the City's contribution to the SCORE budget. Any variation from that would have to come back for Council approval. Councilmember Griffin stated she shared Councilmember Quinn's concerns and thanked Ms. Berry for her explanation and the comparison to Valley Com. which helped alleviate many of her concerns. Ms. Berry explained the ordinance was discussed at the Committee of the Whole Meeting (12/8/08), and financial information was included in the packet. Tukwila City Council Regular Meeting Minutes January 20, 2009 Page 4 of 6 Councilmember Quinn emphasized his point in bringing it up was to ensure they are performing their role in being financially responsible. He understands the City is financially committed. Going forward, the next phase will involve operational costs and potential changes in the budget. As the City considers the financial implications of this decision, he feels alternatives to incarceration need to be considered as well. Councilmember Robertson indicated that while he appreciates the complexities, approval of the Interlocal Agreement is necessary. Mayor Haggerton explained that Cascade Water, Valley Com. and SCORE all started because the City was given a mandate and had to find solutions. He further acknowledged it is very expensive for the City to do these things, but there are no other options. Councilmember Quinn reiterated that in five to ten years, the Council will be asked to explain why they made this decision. He wants to feel confident the questions were asked. Councilmember Duffie stated that, although he is not in favor of this jail, there is nowhere else to go. He feels the City needs to do it now and continue forward. *MOTION CARRIED 6 -1, WITH QUINN VOTING NO, TO ADOPT ORDINANCE NUMBER 2223. REPORTS a. Mayor Mayor Haggerton reported he attended an all -day Suburban Cities Association Retreat. He was elected Treasurer of the organization and will chair the Finance Committee. The Commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers called this afternoon and informed the Mayor that they were issuing a press release on the condition of the Howard Hanson Dam and the flooding that just occurred. Jim Morrow, Director of Public Works and Emergency Management, stated that during the significant amount of rain experienced in the region, the dam developed a problem. The Army Corps is investigating it now, and once they identify the problem, repairs will begin immediately. The Corps wanted to assure Mayors within the Green River Valley that there is absolutely no problem with the integrity level. The dam is monitored for water level, inflow rate, and release rate. The Corps will take the level down to approximately 30% to 40% of total capacity. It will stay at that level until the problem is fixed. Tukwila must work carefully coordinating release rates to avoid flooding incidents within the City. Beyond the release of water, surface water runoff is another concern because it adds to the levels in the river. The top limit is 12,000 cubic feet per second, the equivalent of three railroad boxcars going by every second. This is monitored on a graph and is available to anyone who wants to view it online. A phone call system is in place to handle a response when necessary. The level of vigilance with regard to levees and banks has been increased. Mr. Morrow will be meeting with staff in Auburn, Renton, and Kent on Tuesday, January 21, 2009 to discuss preparedness. Mr. Morrow emphasized that the dam is safe, and the Corps is exercising caution. Councilmember Linder inquired when the highest levels should be expected to occur. Mr. Morrow explained the normal procedure put into place by the Corps allows the water level behind the dam to build up and then it is released. The new procedure involves early release if the weather forecast predicts a severe rainstorm. Council President Hernandez inquired if there was a point where the City had a responsibility to notify property owners that the level may increase. Tukwila City Council Regular Meeting Minutes January 20, 2009 Page 5 of 6 Mr. Morrow responded if there is a chance of localized flooding, similar to the last event, property owners will be notified. Councilmember Quinn expressed concern that equipment was not functioning at the level to which it should. The Army Corps found that too much water was being released. Mr. Morrow explained that the flow at the Auburn gauge measures the height of the river. It is owned, maintained, and operated by the United States Geological Service. In the last event, this gauge was not operating. To verify the gauge readings, the cities along the Green River worked together to resolve the discrepancy. It has now been identified as a problem and will be addressed with backup gauges along the river to ensure redundancy and better coordination between the cities. Councilmember Quinn inquired if there were any areas that were significantly compromised. Mr. Morrow stated that localized flooding occurred behind the Tukwila Riverside Inn when the water level reached 12,500 feet. Water did not enter buildings. The George Long Shop and the log cabin are possible sites for flooding. It gets worse further north because the tidal influence is greater. Councilmember Quinn inquired if business owners and residents were aware of the ability to purchase flood insurance. Mr. Morrow stated he was not sure if they were aware of that, as typical homeowners' policies will not cover flooding unless a rider is attached. b. City Council Councilmember Linder stated that the Backyard Habitat Fair meeting will be next week. There will be prizes, and they are working very hard to get the schools involved with the event (which occurs in May). Council President Hernandez reported the Suburban Cities Dinner Association Meeting will be Wednesday, January 21, 2009, where Rob McKenna from the Attorney General's Office will be the guest speaker. On January 29, 2009, a Joint Planning Commission meeting is scheduled with the Council. The retreat is coming up in February, as well as the Association of Washington Cities (AWC) Conference on February 18, 2009. Councilmember Robertson attended the recent South County Area Transportation Board (SCATBd) meeting. New proposed transit routes were discussed. A new bus route will run from the rail station through the business district, up 160th, and to the other light rail at the airport. Federal government money for projects was also discussed. Councilmember Griffin attended the Foster High School National Honor Society induction ceremony on January 14, 2009. She has been appointed to the National League of Cities (NLC) Human Development Policy Committee. Councilmember Griffin presented Jim Morrow, Director of Public Works and Emergency Management, a book entitled "My Street." She stated her hope was that Mr. Morrow would educate children with the book. Mr. Morrow stated they have offered to show children everything that Public Works does to provide services to the City. Councilmember Hougardy inquired if there was an estimated time for the dam repair. Mr. Morrow responded that he has not been given a specific repair date. They are reluctant to do that until they have fully identified the extent of the problem. On January 14, 2009, Councilmember Hougardy attended the Suburban Cities Association Public Issue Committee meeting. Councilmember Quinn attended the Martin Luther King Celebration Rally on January 18, 2009. It was great to hear people cheer for Tukwila and reference that our community is a reflection of diversity. He also referenced the release of an $800 billion federal economic stimulus plan that should be available in February 2009. Tukwila City Council Regular Meeting Minutes January 20, 2009 Page 6 of 6 c. Staff Rhonda Berry, City Administrator, reported that 6 staff members from Tukwila visited the City of Phoenix this past weekend to observe the Rock and Roll Marathon. Since Tukwila will be the "starting point" for the Tukwila to Seattle Marathon on June 27, 2009, staff wanted to observe how the event was handled. The organization that manages the event runs it with extreme efficiency and attention to detail. The City's primary focus will be on citizen and business communication. There will be plenty of opportunities for citizen involvement through volunteering to assist at various booths or on cheer squads. Mike Hansen, Sabey Corporation, 12201 Tukwila International Boulevard, offered appreciation to Jim Morrow, Public Works Director and the staff from Public Works for the excellent performance during the recent snowstorm and landslides. He indicated that Tukwila was better taken care of than any of the other areas where they do business. d. City Attorney There was no report. e. Intergovernmental There was no report. ADJOURNMENT 8:42 p.m. MOVED BY DUFFIE, SECONDED BY HERNANDEZ THAT THE TUKWILA CITY COUNCIL MEETING BE ADJOURNED. MOTION CARRIED 7 -0. i Haggerton o 4 5.1 r 7 y9 Minutes prepdr'ed by Lady of Letters, Inc. Reviewed by Christy O'Flaherty, City Clerk APPROVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL 2/17/2009