HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council Meeting - Council - Minutes - 11/17/1992 Kent, Washington
November 17 , 1992
Regular meeting of the Kent City Council was called to order at
7 : 00 p.m. by Mayor Pro Tem Woods. Present: Councilmembers
Houser, Johnson, Mann, Orr and White, Chief Administrative
Officer McCarthy, City Attorney Lubovich, Planning Director
Harris, Public Works Director Wickstrom, Police Chief Crawford,
Fire Chief Angelo, Acting Finance Director Miller and Human
Resources Director Olson. Approximately 75 people were at the
meeting.
PUBLIC Regional Justice Center. Mayor Pro Tem Woods
COMMUNICATIONS introduced Kathleen Scott, Project Manager from
King County, and Wendy Keller who will be working
closely with the City of Kent regarding the
Regional Justice Center.
Kathleen Scott noted that this will be the largest
capital project ever undertaken by King County and
that the proposed siting on Site 19 will play a
significant role in the revitalization of the
downtown area. She also noted that the Regional
Justice Center will house 770 employees including
judges, court personnel and detention personnel as
well as the courts, detention space, governmental
offices, and a licensing counter to serve the
fastest growing region in the County.
Ms. Scott explained that a number of actions have
been taken by King County since she was last here
at the Council meeting in August. She noted that
a levy has passed and the County Council has
preliminarily agreed to the location at Site 19
subject to State DOE input and presentation of a
third phase site characterization which will be
scheduled with the King County Council as soon as
they are through with their budgeting process.
She further noted that TRA/HOK has been named as
the Executive 's recommended architects to design
the facility and they expect confirmation by the
King County Council in December.
Ms. Scott explained that until the site is
actually secured the construction schedule is not
finalized. She noted that the current schedule
shows that they will begin the schematic design as
early as January, construction will begin in the
Fall of 1994 with some demolition and site work to
occur prior to that time, and the project will be
completed in mid 1996 . She mentioned that a
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November 17 , 1992
PUBLIC preliminary meeting was held today with the City
COMMUNICATIONS Administration familiarizing the design and con-
struction teams with the City' s permitting process
which will help keep them on schedule. She
expressed that in January, 1993 , they would like
to schedule a workshop with the City Council
because they will have more specifics by then
including site acquisition but that an earlier
workshop can be scheduled, if so desired.
Woods expressed that the City Council was hoping
for a workshop on December 1st, but understands
that until property acquisition it would be best
to wait until January. She thanked Ms. Scott for
the update.
Human Services Presentation. Alice Shobe of the
Planning Department/Office of Housing and Human
Services noted that the Human Services Commission
decided to take a different approach to the out-
reach of communications during the Human Services
Month for November by reaching out to the commun-
ity instead of having the community come to them
in a social setting. She presented a slide show
which demonstrated the way they were able to reach
out to the community. Ms. Shobe explained that
the slide show was made possible because all of
the agencies that are funded by the City have
donated slides and the actual money spent by the
City for this project was $12 . She noted that the
recording studio time, music selection and the
narration were donated services which saved the
City money.
White encouraged the Office of Housing and Human
Services to keep up the good work and Woods stated
that, on behalf of the Council, their gratitude be
expressed to the individuals who gave willingly of
their time and effort to make this possible.
Dedication of Artwork. Mayor Pro Tem Woods
announced that the Art Commission is celebrating
the installation of the mural located in the
Council Chambers which is entitled, "Lacework of
the Earth" . She noted that it is a companion
piece to a mural that was dedicated in 1991 and
expressed appreciation to Dana Boussard, the
artist, for the wonderful work of art.
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November 17 , 1992
PUBLIC Croatian Children's Relief Effort. Mayor Pro Tem
COMMUNICATIONS Woods introduced Kevin Puterbaugh who is a repre-
sentative of a local group of citizens who are
working on a Croatian Children' s Relief Effort.
Mr. Puterbaugh explained that for the last year
and a half there has been a war going on in what
was formerly called Yugoslavia and that the
children are suffering greatly from families
breaking up and being forced to flee their
country. He informed the Council that a program
has been set up so that local citizens can help
the children who are caught up in the
Croatian/Serbian conflict. He noted that the
project will bring a group of 15 teenagers from
Croatia into the Kent, Federal Way, Des Moines and
Auburn area to get them into a safe, healthy situ-
ation where they can grow and develop, and at the
end of a year they can return to their country and
help to rebuild it. He explained that this type
of project requires the support of the whole com-
munity and that churches, civic organizations and
local governments are being approached to help
support this effort. He noted that all of these
teenagers speak some English and are basically
refugees who have had family members killed in the
war. He explained that the chief areas of need
are host families where they can live, medical
care, clothing, and people who can help get the
students into local schools (public and private)
so that they can continue their education. Mr.
Puterbaugh noted that the major area of financial
support is in the area of airfare and that several
areas are being explored such as working with
airline companies, free travel, and possible
military flights. Mr. Puterbaugh distributed a
letter to the Council giving them a description
and summary of this project as well as names and
phone numbers of contact people and noted that he
also has another packet with more detailed infor-
mation for those interested.
CONSENT JOHNSON MOVED that Consent Calendar Items A
CALENDAR through M be approved, with the exception of Item
3K which was removed at the request of John
Kiefer. Houser seconded and the motion carried.
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November 17, 1992
MINUTES (CONSENT CALENDAR - ITEM 3A)
_Approval of Minutes. Approval of the minutes of
the regular Council meeting of November 3 , 1992 .
WATER (CONSENT CALENDAR - ITEM 3L)
Metro Rate Adjustment ADOPTION of Ordinance No.
3077 increasing the sewer base rate for residen-
tial and commercial accounts to reflect adjust-
ments established by METRO.
(OTHER BUSINESS - ITEM 4H)
Kent Senior Housing Water Main Extension Staff
requests acceptance of the bill of sale and
warranty agreement submitted by Bellewood Corpor-
ation for continuous operation and maintenance of
approximately 513 feet of water main extension in
the vicinity of 615 West Harrison Street and
release of bonds after expiration of the mainte-
nance period, as recommended by the Public Works
Committee. WHITE SO MOVED. Houser seconded and
the motion carried.
SEWERS (CONSENT CALENDAR - ITEM 3C)
Sewer Connection Penalty Ordinance ADOPTION of
Ordinance No. 3076 relating to sewer connections
and establishing a penalty for failure to connect
to the City' s public sewer system. This ordinance
was removed from the October 20 Council meeting
and referred back to the Public Works Committee.
The Public Works Committee made no change to the
ordinance and has referred it back to the full
Council for action.
(CONSENT CALENDAR - ITEM 3H)
LID 338 - Westview Terrace/McCann's Westview
Sanitary Sewer. AUTHORIZATION to set January 19,
1993 , as the hearing date on the Final Assessment
Roll for LID 338.
(CONSENT CALENDAR - ITEM 3I)
LID 339 - Hilltop Avenue Sanitary Sewer.
AUTHORIZATION to set January 5th as the hearing
date on the Final Assessment Roll for LID 339.
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November 17 , 1992
STREETS (CONSENT CALENDAR - ITEM 3F)
LID 336 - East Valley Highway. ACCEPTANCE as
complete of the contract with Gary Merlino Con-
struction, Inc. , for LID 336 East Valley Highway
road improvement project and release of retainage
after receipt of State releases.
STREET (PUBLIC HEARING - ITEM 2A)
VACATION 1O4th Avenue SE at 252nd Block (Portion of) STV-
92-4. This public hearing will consider an appli-
cation by D. Alan Bond of Emma Platz Company to
vacate a portion of 104th Avenue S. and S.E. 252nd
Street. Planning Director Harris pointed out that
104th Avenue S.E. is fully improved with curb,
sidewalk and gutter.
Mayor Pro Tem Woods declared the public hearing
open. George Hanson, 1809 7th Avenue, Seattle,
the architect representing Red Robin, noted that
they are in the process of buying this parcel of
land from Alan Bond and that they concur with the
recommendation of the Planning staff. There were
no further comments from the audience and WHITE
MOVED to close the public hearing. Orr seconded
and the motion carried.
Harris clarified for Orr that street vacations do
not go to the Planning Committee. ORR THEN MOVED
to approve the recommendation of approval with one
condition on the application to vacate a portion
of 104th Avenue S. at S.E. 252nd Street, and to
direct the City Attorney to prepare the necessary
ordinance upon receipt of compensation at 1/2 the
full appraised value thereof. Houser seconded.
Lubovich noted that an ordinance has been prepared
at the request of the applicant. Copies of the
ordinance were distributed to the councilmembers,
and Lubovich pointed out that this is conditioned
upon payment of half the assessed value, which
will most likely be made on November 18th. After
reading the ordinance, ORR AMENDED her motion to
include adoption of Ordinance No. 3075. White
seconded and the motion carried.
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November 17, 1992
TRAFFIC (CONSENT CALENDAR - ITEM 3G)
CONTROL LID 333 - 72nd Avenue South & S. 180th Street
Traffic Signal. AUTHORIZATION to set January 5th
as the hearing date on the Final Assessment Roll
for LID 333 .
REZONE (PUBLIC HEARING - ITEM 2C)
APPEAL Stratford Arms Phase II Appeal (#RZ-92-1) . This
public hearing will consider an appeal by SDM
Properties from the Hearing Examiner' s recommenda-
tion of denial of an application to rezone 1. 23
acres from R1-9 . 6, Single Family Residential, to
MR-M, Medium Density Multifamily Residential. The
property is located in the East Hill neighborhood
approximately 660 feet north of SE 256th Street at
113th Avenue SE. This location lies adjacent to
and east of the existing Stratford Arms Apart-
ments.
WHITE MOVED that Councilmember Orr be excused from
participation in this matter. Johnson seconded
and the motion carried. Lubovich pointed out that
there is another phase to this issue which appears
as Other Business Item 4B. He explained that all
rezones go to the Hearing Examiner for a hearing
and then come to the Council with a recommenda-
tion. He clarified that this item is an appeal of
the Hearing Examiner's decision, and noted that
this is a quasi-judicial matter which is limited
to the appeal itself.
Assistant City Attorney Brubaker stated that after
the application requesting a rezone was received,
public notice was given to all affected parties
and a hearing was held before the Hearing
Examiner. He noted that people testified under
oath and presented evidence at that hearing. The
Hearing Examiner then issued findings and a recom-
mendation to the Council, and that the Council
will make that decision under Item 4B tonight. He
further noted that the applicant has a right to
appeal the recommendation of the Hearing Examiner,
and that the basis of the appeal is limited to the
record that was presented to the Hearing Examiner.
He explained that the appeal can only be on proce-
dural irregularities that materially affect the
outcome, if the recommendation is unsupported by
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November 17 , 1992
REZONE the evidence given, or if the recommendation were
APPEAL deemed to be inconsistent with the Comprehensive
Plan. He said he has reviewed the appeal given by
SDM Properties and briefly outlined issues as
follows: On page 2 of the appeal, they note that
the Hearing Examiner stated that all who testified
at the hearing stated that the rezone would be in-
compatible with existing development and they
pointed out that one adjacent property owner to
the south was in favor of the rezone; on page 3
they state that the owners of the property to the
north were not given notice; and on page 4 they
state that the Examiner ignored the existence of
the Stratford Arms Apartments when dealing with
the compatibility of the proposed rezone with the
character of the area.
Planning Manager Satterstrom showed the location
on the map and stated that the proposed rezone was
to MRM which allows up to 23 units per acre, and
the existing zoning is R-1. 96 which means single
family, 9600 sq. ft. minimum lot size. He added
that the site plan submitted with the rezone
request showed 21 units. He noted that the
Hearing Examiner' s recommendation was issued on
September 3 , that Mr. Morford immediately appealed
that, and subsequently submitted an additional
letter detailing the reason for the appeal.
Satterstrom noted that the Hearing Examiner found
that the proposed rezone was inconsistent with
four of the five criteria and therefore recom-
mended denial.
Woods noted that the appellant has thirty minutes
to present his argument. Tom Sharp of SDM Proper-
ties, 11126 SE 256th, stated that he has not had
any ex parte communications with anyone on the
Council or staff concerning this rezone request.
Upon Sharp's request, Satterstrom provided a copy
of the official Comprehensive Plan Map. Sharp
noted that early in 1992 the zoning for this
parcel was overturned by the King County Superior
Court, at which time they were advised by the City
Attorney to submit a rezone application for this
particular site, which they did. He said that
their attorney, Roger Leed, attended the Hearing
Examiner process and is still involved although
not present at tonight ' s meeting. Sharp said that
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November 17, 1992
REZONE in the Hearing Examiner' s recommendation there are
APPEAL five points to affirm in order to demonstrate the
worthiness of a rezone:
1) Compatibility with the Comprehensive Plan.
Sharp said this rezone is compatible with the Com-
prehensive Plan as it was in 1988 and 1989. He
said that if the zoning was compatible with the
Comprehensive Plan in 1988 and 1989, and we are
going back to that date, the rezone request would
be compatible with the Comprehensive Plan at that
point. He said they have no discrepancy that
there have been overlays by the City of Kent sub-
sequent to the passing of the Zoning Ordinance
2837 for this area, but that they don't agree with
the idea that Ordinances 2901 and 2905, and
Resolutions 1230, 1235 and 1237 have any bearing
whatsoever on this rezone request.
2) Compatibility with the surrounding area. Sharp
said the site plan as requested by the City is
exactly the same plan as was submitted for a
building permit which has subsequently been issued
by the City and red-tagged by the Building Depart-
ment. He said the plan meets all criteria for
multi-family transition areas, and they feel the
Hearing Examiner erred in consideration of some
erroneous testimony concerning the compatibility
with the surrounding area.
3) Consistency with the Transportation Plan.
Sharp said the rezone is consistent with the
Transportation Plan and that they have signed
documents saying they will participate in the
277th Corridor, as well as other documents
requested by the City in order to be consistent
with the Transportation Plan within the City.
4) Changed circumstances. Sharp said there can't
be any changed circumstances since we are going
back to 1988 and 1989 , that the Council had found
there was a mistake, and that a technical problem
caused by the staff is the reason we are here.
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November 17, 1992
REZONE 5) Infringement on the health, safety and welfare
APPEAL of the City. Sharp said they will not infringe on
the health, safety and welfare of the City, that
they have met all the criteria, and that the
building design has been affirmed by a building
permit.
Woods declared the public hearing open. Kevin
Flatt, 11224 SE, questioned why the process cannot
be improved, and took exception to Sharp' s remark
regarding erroneous testimony, noting that here is
no evidence of such. Arnold Hamilton, 25410 -
113th Avenue SE, said that the rezone would affect
his welfare and property values would be depre-
ciated. There were no further comments and WHITE
MOVED to close the public hearing. Johnson
seconded and the motion carried. Johnson noted
that the Hearing Examiner' s minutes were clear and
that the appellant has failed to provide any
evidence which would support overturning the
appeal. HE MOVED to approve and adopt the Hearing
Examiner' s findings and recommendations to
deny the appeal. Houser seconded. The motion
carried with Orr abstaining.
REZONE (OTHER BUSINESS - ITEM 4B)
Stratford Arms Phase II Rezone RZ-92-1. This
meeting will consider the Hearing Examiner' s rec-
ommendation of denial of an application by SDM
Properties (Stratford Arms Phase II rezone appli-
cation) to rezone 1. 23 acres from R1-9 . 6, Single
Family Residential, to MR-M, Medium Density Multi-
family Residential. The property is located in
the East Hill neighborhood approximately 660 feet
north of SE 256th Street at 113th Avenue SE. This
location lies adjacent to and east of the existing
Stratford Arms Apartments.
Assistant City Attorney Brubaker noted that this
phase is when the Council will make the final
decision on the rezone. Sharp asked whether there
is a statute that the City based the finding on
concerning the Appearance of Fairness Doctrine and
the voting of Councilmembers, and Lubovich
responded that it is Title 42 . 36. Lubovich noted
that this item is quasi-judicial, that the
Appearance of Fairness Act does apply, and
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November 17, 1992
REZONE recommended that Councilmember Orr refrain from
taking part. He clarified for Orr that the letter
signed by some Councilmembers two years ago
regarding their intent at the time would not have
an impact. WHITE MOVED that Orr be excused from
participation in this item. Houser seconded and
the motion carried. A man from the audience asked
why the audience was not given a chance to address
the motion regarding Orr' s participation. He said
he feels this constitutes a violation of the
Appearance of Fairness and that it has taken away
their representation. Lubovich explained that it
was not a matter of debate, and that Orr chose to
refrain so as not to jeopardize the action.
Lloyd Weatherford, 25332 - 113th Avenue SE, noted
that he lives directly east of the proposed
rezone, and stated that one of the reasons the
Planning Commission made a recommendation that
there not be any zoning change is because that
particular property is not where the housing ends,
and that there are four pieces of property zoned
single family. He pointed out that the property
on both sides of the rezone request is single
family, as is all the property up and down the
street on both sides. He said if the requested
rezone is granted, it will constitute a spot zone.
He urged the Council to respect the integrity of
the Planning Commission and retain single family
zoning. Arnold Hamilton displayed the five
criteria to be used when considering a rezone and
said that the rezone would not be consistent with
the Comprehensive Plan, would not be compatible
with development in the vicinity, would burden the
transportation system, and would devalue property.
He noted for White that there is a single-family
resident on the property at this time. William
Green, 28224 - 105th Avenue SE, noted that he owns
a home on 113th Avenue which he bought to be in a
single family area. Jeff Tucker, 25420 - 113th
Avenue SE, said that the safety of children in the
area is an issue because of traffic, and that the
map does not show the full perspective. Kevin
Flatt supported the Hearing Examiner' s recommenda-
tion and commended the staff.
10
November 17, 1992
REZONE Tom Sharp, a partner in SDM Properties, noted that
in 1988 or 1989 there was an area-wide rezone
which affirmed the recommendation that Stratford
Arms Phase II be zoned MRM and that was never
appealed by anyone. He said the Council passed an
ordinance which contained a mistake, which was
corrected after quite some time. He said a DNS
was issued for a 21-unit apartment for SDM
Properties, a building permit was issued, all the
proper zoning permits were issued and construction
was started. He stated that he feels SDM Proper-
ties has been wronged, and they are out consider-
able expense and time. He reiterated that the
zoning passed by the Council was overturned and
subsequently the building permit was revoked. He
said they asked if they would be fairly treated if
they requested a rezone of the existing Stratford
Arms on the same basis that the building permit
was issued. He added that they have been treated
fairly, things have gone smoothly and they have
not had any special privileges. He said the
opponents of this project consider this to be an
issue of second class citizens, which he takes
exception to. He questioned what would happen if
the apartments became condominiums. He said they
have done everything correctly and asked why,
since nothing has changed, they are being treated
differently. He noted that the single family lots
to the north of the subject property are person-
ally owned by one of his partners, Paul Morford,
and that Morford does not object to this project.
He stated for Arnold Hamilton that Morford would
not apply for a rezone for that property. Lloyd
Weatherford said that the fact that SDM Properties
has spent money on this project is their own
problem, and that he does not object to apartments
if they are in the right place.
JOHNSON MOVED to accept the findings of the
Hearing Examiner, and to adopt the Hearing Exami-
ner's recommendation of denial of the Stratford
Arms Phase II Rezone No. RZ-92-1, Houser seconded
for discussion. Lubovich suggested as a friendly
amendment that Johnson' s motion include directing
the City Attorney to prepare the necessary ordi-
nance or resolution for the next Council meeting.
Johnson and Houser agreed. Johnson said that to
11
November 17 , 1992
REZONE grant a rezone would constitute a spot zoning,
since only the property to the west is multi-
family. He added that to grant the rezone would
constitute a special privilege to the applicant,
and agreed that financial issues are not to be
considered. White noted that originally it was
his intent that a property line be kept in place,
and that he was not aware that there was single
family residency on this property at the time. He
stated that the Court disagreed with his decision
and overturned it, and he is not inclined to go
against that. Mann concurred with Johnson and
asked that the video of tonight's meeting be
retained in case there is future litigation.
The motion to accept the findings of the Hearing
Examiner, to adopt the Hearing Examiner' s recom-
mendation of denial, and to direct the City
Attorney to prepare the necessary ordinance or
resolution then carried.
ZONING (OTHER BUSINESS - ITEM 4E)
CODE Zoning Code Amendment - Multifamily Residential as
AMENDMENTS Conditional Use in Non-Residential Zones and to
Add a definition to Mixed Use Development to the
Zoning Code (ZCA-92-1) . This meeting will
consider the recommendation by the Planning Com-
mission to amend the Kent Zoning Code to allow
multifamily residential use in commercial and
office zones only in conjunction with mixed use
development proposals. The Commission also rec-
ommends that a definition of "mixed use develop-
ment" be added to Section 15. 02 of the Zoning Code
which states, "Mixed use development shall mean
two or more permitted uses or conditional uses
developed in conjunction with one another on the
same site. " The Planning Commission approved
these amendments at their September 28 , 1992
public hearing.
Upon White' s question, Planning Director Harris
explained that the Code currently allows multi-
family to take place in a commercial zoning dis-
trict. Satterstrom further clarified that this
code amendment would make multi-family a
12
November 17, 1992
REZONE conditional use in non-residential zones only when
in a mixed use configuration. He also noted that
the density would be the same as the prevailing
density in the area.
ORR MOVED to approve the recommendations made by
the Planning Commission to amend the Kent Zoning
Code to allow multifamily residential use as a
conditional use only when included within a mixed
use development and to add a definition of mixed
use development to the Zoning Code 15. 02 , and to
direct the City Attorney to prepare the necessary
ordinance. Johnson seconded and the motion
carried.
(OTHER BUSINESS - ITEM 4F)
Zoning Code Amendment - Sandwich Board Signs #ZCA-
92-2. This meeting will consider the recommenda-
tion by the Planning Commission to amend the Kent
Zoning Code to permit sandwich board signs in the
M-1, Industrial Park Zoning District. The Plan-
ning Commission approved this amendment at their
September 28 , 1992 public hearing.
ORR MOVED to approve the recommended approval by
the Planning Commission to amend the Kent Zoning
Code regarding sign code regulations and to direct
the City Attorney to prepare the necessary ordi-
nances. White seconded and the motion carried.
(OTHER BUSINESS - ITEM 4G)
Recreational Vehicle Park and Zoning Code Amend-
ment #ZCA-92-3. This meeting will consider the
Planning Commission' s recommendation to amend the
Recreational Vehicle Park Code and the Kent Zoning
Code to allow recreational vehicle parks as condi-
tional uses in the GC (General Commercial) zone.
The Planning Commission approved this amendment at
their October 26, 1992 public hearing.
ORR MOVED to approve the recommendation of the
Planning Commission to amend the Recreational
Vehicle Park Code and the Kent Zoning Code to
allow recreational vehicle parks as conditional
uses in the GC (General Commercial) zone, and to
direct the City Attorney to prepare the necessary
ordinance. Houser seconded and the motion
carried.
13
November 17, 1992
PROPERTY (CONSENT CALENDAR - ITEM 3K)
ACQUISITION REMOVED AT THE REQUEST OF JOHN KIEFER
Property Acquisition - Ramstead. AUTHORIZATION to
acquire the Ramstead property located along the
proposed 277th Corridor route and AUTHORIZATION
for the City Attorney or the Public Works Property
Manager to close on same.
Kiefer congratulated Mrs. Ramstead for her success
in selling the hillside to the City, and asked the
tax lot numbers of the property being purchased.
Wickstrom agreed to get that information to him.
Kiefer inquired as to the purpose of the 90+ acre
acquisition, and White said it is the intent of
the Public Works Committee that it be used for a
future arterial, and that he'd like to see any
surplus property be used as a park. Mann said
that he does not believe we will ever see the
corridor built, and that this is an investment on
the part of the City. Charlie Kiefer distributed
a packet of information and ORR MOVED that it be
made a part of the record. White seconded and the
motion carried.
Kiefer pointed out that the EIS states in P402
that both the cities of Auburn and Kent and King
County have jointly planned this project, and to
proceed into actual right-of-way acquistion and
road construction, the Cities and County would
have to enter into an interagency agreement. He
asked what P402 has to do with acquisition of this
property. Wickstrom explained that if the City
were in a position of having to condemn, an inter-
local agreement with the County to be lead agency
for acquisition outside the City limits would be
required, but that this is a negotiated purchase,
not a condemnation. Kiefer questioned the
integrity of the EIS, and John Kiefer said that
the integrity and credibility of the EIS is being
put in jeopardy.
Bob Nelson, 24048 - 156th Avenue SE, asked about
the source of funds to be used for this acquisi-
tion, and McCarthy explained that in 1989 a bond
issue was sold for $2 , 980, 000, of which $2, 000, 000
is related to the corridor projects and the other
$980, 000 was for the public safety training
center.
14
November 17, 1992
PROPERTY WHITE MOVED to acquire the Ramstead property
ACQUISITION located along the proposed 277th corridor route
and to authorize the City Attorney or the Public
Works Property Manager to close on same. Houser
seconded. Upon Mann' s question, the City Attorney
clarified that the City can buy property without
interlocal agreements with the County for acquisi-
tion of property. He noted that certain funding
sources are designated for arterial use. He added
that the EIS is not affected. He noted for Orr
that if a decision were made not to use the
property for an arterial, the bonds would have to
be paid off. Wickstrom noted that there are
sources of funds other than the $2 , 000, 000 bond
issue. The others are an $800, 000 Capital
Improvement Fund expenditure that was budgeted in
the late 801s, and mitigation fee funds. White
suggested that staff look for a source not
directly tied to the road funds if possible, so
that in the event the corridor is not built, the
property could be kept as open space. Doolittle
pointed out that this property is outside the City
limits and asked whether any steps have been taken
to annex. McCarthy noted that $6, 000, 000 is dedi-
cated for street purposes and agreed with White
that they can determine the best source to pay for
it. Mr. Nelson asked for an identifying number on
the bond document which was referred to earlier,
so that he can refer to it in a public information
request. Woods asked him to give his name and
address to staff after the meeting so that the
information can be provided. A man from the
audience suggested using the money to put an
overpass over the railroad tracks. The motion to
acquire the property then carried.
SURPLUS (CONSENT CALENDAR - ITEM 3J)
EQUIPMENT Surplus Vehicles and Equipment. AUTHORIZATION to
surplus vehicles and equipment as outlined in Jack
Spencer' s memo of October 14 , 1992 , and to offer
same for sale.
BUDGET (PUBLIC HEARING - ITEM 2B)
1993 Budget Including 1993 Capital Improvement
Program. This date has been set to continue the
public hearing on the 1993 Budget. Input will
also be taken on the 1993 component of the Capital
15
November 17, 1992
BUDGET Improvement Program. Chief Administrative Officer
McCarthy went over the Mayor's four step approach
to balancing the budget, and noted that the budget
document also addresses reestablishing the Capital
Improvement Fund, enhancing the Contingency Fund
and planning for the future. McCarthy explained
that there is a proposal in the Capital Improve-
ment Program to fund projects in 1993 , and there
are funds which would be available when the City
looks at a 6-year CIP next spring. He noted that
the Budget Committee will meet at 4 : 00 on November
23 , to put together a proposal to bring to a
workshop at 5: 30 that day, at which time it will
be decided whether additional work needs to be
done on the budget or whether it will be ready for
adoption on December 8th. Upon White' s request,
McCarthy agreed to provide a final set of figures
before Monday. White clarified that he is
requesting a forecast for 1993 in easy to under-
stand language.
Mayor Pro Tem Woods declared the public hearing
open. Bill Doolittle, 412 N. Washington, noted
that one of the documents states that in case
money is freed up, priority on new hires will be
given to the areas of public safety and depart-
ments that have experienced 20% reduction in
positions. He noted that at this time only
Administration and the City Clerk' s Office meet
those criteria, and that is mainly because posi-
tions were deleted which had never been filled in
the first place. He asked that the 20% item be
removed. He also suggested that the City Hall
remodel be postponed for at least one year, noting
that the grant from Puget Power will probably be
still available at that time. He said it is
premature to allocate $75, 000 to conduct a study
on erecting two parking garages downtown, and that
that money should be added to sidewalk repairs.
Doolittle disagreed with the rate increase and
rebate for the Parks Department, and suggested
settling on an 18% increase.
Barbara Simpson, Executive Director of the Chamber
of Commerce, spoke in favor of building the
contingency fund up to the 8% level, and of
removing budgeted but vacant positions from the
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November 17, 1992
BUDGET projections. She suggested restructuring the
organization before looking at revenue enhance-
ments. There were no further comments and WHITE
MOVED to close the public hearing. Orr seconded
and the motion carried.
Woods reiterated that the budget will be discussed
by the Budget Committee at 4 : 00 on Monday, and at
a workshop at 5: 30 the same day. She added that
the official meeting to adopt the 1993 budget will
be a one-item only special meeting on Tuesday,
December 8th.
(CONSENT CALENDAR - ITEM 3D)
1993 Budget Workshop. AUTHORIZATION to set 5: 30
p.m. , November 23 , 1992 , as the time and date for
a workshop regarding the 1993 Budget, including
the Capital Improvement Program. The workshop
will be held in the Council Chambers of Kent City
Hall. This workshop was discussed at the Council
meeting of November 3 , 1992 .
(CONSENT CALENDAR - ITEM 3E)
Special Council Meeting on the 1993 Budget.
AUTHORIZATION to set a Special Council Meeting for
December 8 , 1992 , at 7 : 00 p.m. in the Council
Chambers of Kent City Hall . The purpose of the
meeting is to adopt the 1993 Budget including the
Capital Improvement Program. This was discussed
at the Council meeting of November 3 , 1992 .
FINANCE (CONSENT CALENDAR - ITEM 3B)
Approval of Bills. Approval of payment of the
bills received through November 16 after auditing
by the Operations Committee at its meeting at 3 : 00
p.m. on November 17, 1992 .
Approval of checks issued for vouchers:
Date Check Numbers Amount
11/1-11/16/92 124388-124952 $2 , 479, 062 . 03
Approval of checks issued for payroll :
Date Check Numbers Amount
11/20/92 1178526-1178966 $ 329, 934 . 79
Direct Deposit 326, 154 . 90
$ 656, 089 . 69
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November 17, 1992
PERSONNEL (OTHER BUSINESS - ITEM 4A)
Appointment of Chief Administrative Officer.
Mayor Kelleher has nominated Laurence A. (Tony)
McCarthy as Chief Administrative officer. Mr.
McCarthy' s experience with the City and knowledge
of the budget situation make him an excellent
candidate for the job.
HOUSER MOVED to confirm the appointment of
Laurence A. (Tony) McCarthy as Chief
Administrative Officer. Mann seconded.
Houser noted that Mr. McCarthy's knowledge of the
budget, the amount of time he has spent with the
City, and the working relationship he has with the
Council is excellent and felt he would make a good
Chief Administrative Officer. White expressed
that he would like to look at the process that was
not used for the appointment of this position. He
stated that there were over 100 applicants for
this job and the Council has never seen the names
of the applicants. He also said that he feels the
Council owes it to the citizens of Kent to have an
open process for hiring, and therefore he would
not be able to support Mr. McCarthy's appointment.
Johnson concurred with White concerning the
process used, and asked for a list of the appli-
cants which the Mayor was considering. He said he
will support the appointment of Mr. McCarthy
because he feels he is qualified for the job. Orr
noted that she shares Johnson' s concerns but that
she will support the appointment of Mr. McCarthy
because she has confidence in him and looks
forward to working with him in the future. Upon a
roll call vote, the motion to confirm the appoint-
ment of Laurence A. (Tony) McCarthy as Chief
Administrative Officer then carried 4-1 with only
White opposed.
COUNCIL (CONSENT CALENDAR - ITEM 3M)
ADDED BY CITY ATTORNEY
Council Absence. Approval of Councilmember
Bennett's request for an excused absence from
tonight' s meeting, due to illness.
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November 17, 1992
COUNCIL (OTHER BUSINESS - ITEM 4C)
City Representation. The purpose of this resolu-
tion is to establish guidelines for obtaining the
City Council 's position on any vote or other
action on behalf of the City regarding major
policy issues when the Mayor or any Councilmember
represents the City on any board, commission or
agency outside the City.
JOHNSON MOVED for adoption of Resolution No. 1335
regarding City representation before boards, com-
missions or outside agencies. White seconded.
White noted that sometimes when Councilmembers
represent the City it is not always possible to
find out how the others feel about a certain
matter and said that this resolution is an
expression of where the Council would like to be
headed and they can now work toward accomplishing
it. The motion then carried.
LIBRARY (OTHER BUSINESS - ITEM 4D)
Annexation to the Library District. The City
Council at a workshop on November 3 heard a
presentation from City staff and the Library
District on the pros and cons of annexation to the
Library District. The City could have an
estimated one time only savings of $292 , 874 if the
Kent voters approve annexation. Cost of the
election is estimated to be $30, 000 whether the
ballot issue is approved or not. The $30, 000 is
based on $1. 50 per registered voter with 19, 691
registered voters for the 1992 presidential elec-
tion. The number could be less with voter purging
after the presidential election or if other enti-
ties have a ballot issue and can share the cost, or
if a mail-in ballot is used at $1. 00 per regis-
tered voter.
Houser noted that this is the first time the Coun-
cil has been informed of the cost for the election
and that she is concerned about spending $30, 000
at this time. She stated that the Council was
told that whether the annexation passed or failed
the City would save $295, 000, a figure that is
incorrect. She stated that this is an issue which
needs to be fully explained to the citizens of the
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November 17, 1992
LIBRARY City because it is complicated, and noted that she
is not ready to vote on it yet.
Upon White's suggestion that the issue be on next
Fall 's ballot, Mr. Ptacek explained that whether
this annexation is voted upon tonight or at
another time, the King County Library System is
willing to go out and do the job necessary to
accomplish the goal. He explained that the con-
tract between King County and the City of Kent
will go up whether the City is annexed or not, but
until then it would cost less to annex. He noted
that in order to receive the one-time savings an
election would have to take place before May,
1993 , and become effective in 1994 . He noted that
the Library District has looked into whether they
could get involved with election costs several
years ago and found that they could not for many
reasons. White suggested tabling this matter and
researching what elections may be coming up.
Woods suggested deferring this issue until a later
date, and it was so agreed.
Ms. Dreblow of the Library Board and Friends of
the Library agreed that they would go all out to
try to ensure a successful election. Pam
Stephens, 182P - 317th Street, said that she gets
immediate help from Kent' s research department,
but not from King County' s. Woods assured her
that this particular library has been designed to
provide that service, and that would not change.
REPORTS Council President. Woods noted that tours of the
new Senior Housing facility can be arranged
through Alana McIalwain.
Operations Committee. Houser announced that the
Operations Committee will meet at 2 : 00 p.m. on
December 1st, which is one hour earlier than
usual. She added that they will hear staff
reports from department heads.
Planning Committee. Orr announced to the Council
that she is currently serving on a school task
force that will be developing a report on the
level of service which will be given to the Kent
School Board in January, and encouraged their
input.
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November 17 , 1992
REPORTS Budget Committee. Johnson noted that the Budget
Committee will meet at 4 : 00 on Monday, November
23 , and there will be a workshop following at
5: 30.
White informed the Council that he is serving on
the National League of Cities Resolution Committee
and that he will be journeying to New Orleans next
week to represent the State association.
EXECUTIVE At 9 : 45 p.m. , McCarthy announced an executive
SESSION session of approximately 15 minutes to discuss
labor negotiations.
ADJOURNMENT The meeting reconvened and adjourned at 10: 20 p.m.
Brenda Ja o r, CMC
City Clerk
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