Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council Meeting - Council - Minutes - 05/18/1993 Kent, Washington May 18 , 1993 Regular meeting of the Kent City Council was called to order at 7: 00 p.m. by Mayor Dan Kelleher. Present: Councilmembers Bennett, Houser, Johnson, Mann, Orr and White, Chief Administra- tive Officer McCarthy, City Attorney Lubovich, Planning Director Harris, Public Works Director Wickstrom, Fire Chief Angelo and Human Resources Director Olson. Council President Woods was excused from the meeting. Approximately 35 people were in attendance. PUBLIC Exchange Student. Mayor Kelleher introduced COMMUNICATIONS Sarah Plouff, a student at Kentwood High School who is active in a student exchange program with Japan. He noted that Ms. Plouff is a Student Ambassador and will leave Seattle for Japan on August 9th, and that the trip will cost approxi- mately $1, 995. Ms. Plouff said that she has studied Business and Japanese, and would like a career in international trade. She added that she will be working at the University of Washington this summer as an interpreter for the Mayor of Kobe. She noted that she has raised over half of the money needed for her trip, and that she would appreciate any donations. Commuter Rail Update. Julie Rodwell, Project Coordinator for Metro, stated that $25, 000, 000 in Federal funding has been authorized for this project, and that State and local funding will be sought next year. She noted that an interlocal agreement is needed between the City and Metro regarding station site selection, safety, grade crossings, grade separations, track speed and so forth. She also noted that there will be an item on the ballot regarding funding for a bus system that will feed the rail system. Rodwell said Metro is working with Kent to develop a brochure on this issue, and would like to hear from Council, citizens, committees, and anyone with input. She agreed with the Mayor that repre- sentatives from Metro and the City should work together on issues such as parking at the Regional Justice Center and other facilities, to minimize expenditures for both. CONSENT WHITE MOVED that Consent Calendar Items A CALENDAR through Q be approved. Johnson seconded and the motion carried. MINUTES (CONSENT CALENDAR - ITEM 3A) Approval of the Minutes. APPROVAL of the minutes of the regular Council meeting of May 4, 1993 . 1 May 18, 1993 HEALTH & (CONSENT CALENDAR - ITEM 3K) SANITATION Hill Building 80-A. ACCEPTANCE of the bill of sale and warranty agreement submitted by Hill- Raaum Investment Company for continuous operation and maintenance of 815 feet of water main extension and release of bonds after expiration of the maintenance period. The project is located at 18506 80th Place S. , as recommended by the Public Works Committee. WATER (PUBLIC HEARINGS - ITEM 2A) Water Conservation Plan. This date has been set for the public hearing on the proposed Water Conservation Plan. This proposed plan is to be incorporated into the City' s adopted Water System Plan as an amendment. Robyn Bartelt, Conservation Specialist, noted that formal approval of Kent's Water Comprehen- sive Plan by King County is contingent upon having a water conservation element, and that this proposed plan follows the guidelines prepared by the Department of Ecology, the Department of Health, and the Washington Water Utilities Council. She noted that the goal is a reduction of 6. 5% by 1995, and 8 . 0% by 2000. She noted that the plan will improve efficient delivery of water, reduce the amount of water wasted in the delivery process, increase the available water supply, coordinate and support services and programs with adjacent water purveyors, reduce peak daily consumption, reduce total annual consumption, and develop public awareness and education. She noted that high- lights of the plan include public education, technical assistance, system measures, and incentives and requirements. She added that the costs of the plan will be incorporated into the 1994 budget and financed through the City' s water fund. She noted for White that population growth was factored in when determining the amount of water reduction. Upon a question from Paul Morford Bartelt said that water rates will not be increased, and Wickstrom explained that growth in the water utility revenues will compensate. The Mayor opened the public hearing. There were no comments from the audience and WHITE MOVED to close the public hearing. Orr seconded and the motion carried. WHITE THEN MOVED that the City 2 May 18, 1993 WATER Attorney be directed to prepare the appropriate ordinance or resolution for the adoption of the Water Conservation Plan as an amendment to the City's adopted Water System Plan. Houser seconded and the motion carried. SIDEWALKS (CONSENT CALENDAR - ITEM 3J) LID 342 - Smith Street Sidewalks. ADOPTION of Ordinance No. 3114 creating LID 342 for the installation of sidewalks along Smith Street from West Valley Highway to 64th Avenue S. , as dis- cussed at the City Council meeting of May 4 , 1993 . CONSTRUCTION (OTHER BUSINESS - ITEM 4C) STANDARDS Public Works Construction Standards. At the last Council meeting on May 4, the Council adopted the City' s newly revised Public Works Construction Standards. Since that time, some technical corrections have been made to these standards. The Public Works Department now requests adoption of these standards, including the recent techni- cal amendments. The City Attorney noted that a new ordinance has been prepared to replace the ordinance in the agenda packet. Assistant City Attorney Brubaker distributed copies of the new ordinance and explained that after review of the public comments received after the public hear- ing, they determined that additional discretion should be given to the Director of Public Works. He noted that the changes made were changing the word "shall" to "should" , changing the word "must" to "may" , and so forth. He noted that an explanatory proviso was added to the first section of the Standards to provide a clear statement of the purpose and effect. Paul Morford complimented the people who reviewed the Standards. CONSTRUCTION WHITE MOVED that Ordinance No. 3117 adopting the STANDARDS newly revised Public Works Standards be adopted. Bennett seconded and the motion carried. COMMUTER RAIL (CONSENT CALENDAR - ITEM 3L) Commuter Rail System. ADOPTION of Resolution No. 1356 relating to Commuter Rail System, as recom- mended by the Public Works Committee. 3 May 18, 1993 CRITICAL AREAS/ (CONSENT CALENDAR - ITEM 3C) WETLANDS Critical Areas/Wetlands. ADOPTION of Critical Areas/Wetlands Ordinance No. 3109 (ZCA-91-3) , as approved by the City Council on April 20, 1993 . (CONSENT CALENDAR - ITEM 3D) Amendment to Comprehensive Plan Policies/ Critical Areas. ADOPTION of Critical Areas Resolution No. 1354 (CPA-91-1) which amends the Comprehensive Plan as approved by the City Council on April 20, 1993 . REZONE (OTHER BUSINESS - ITEM 4D) Venture 84 Rezone. Ordinance No. 3100 was passed by the City Council on April 20, 1993 . Because the exhibit attached thereto transposed Parcels A and B, and incorrectly identified the property, it is necessary to enact a new ordinance amending the official zoning map of the City of Kent to rezone the property. It is located on the west side of 84th Ave. So. , approximately 390 ft. north of South 222nd St. and is more specifically identified as the western 445 ft. of Parcel No. 7759800041. The City Attorney noted that Ordinance No. 3100 properly identified the parcel but that the applicant transposed the parcels on the exhibits. ORR MOVED to adopt Ordinance No. 3118 rezoning certain property located on the west side of 84th Avenue South approximately 390 ' north of South 222nd Street, and repealing Ordinance No. 3100. White seconded and the motion carried. ANNEXATIONS (OTHER BUSINESS - ITEM 4E) Interim Potential Annexation Areas. The proposed resolution would adopt an Interim Potential Annexation Area, as recommended by the Planning Committee. Planning Director Harris noted that the Council has adopted a Potential Growth Area, and that they must also adopt a Potential Annexation Area. He showed a map of the area as approved by the Planning Committee, and noted that it is almost the same as the growth boundary approved earlier. He explained that other cities cannot infringe on the annexation areas. He stated that people must still petition the City to annex, and that the City will work with the County to set up meetings in the potential 4 May 18, 1993 ANNEXATIONS annexation areas so that residents are aware that the City is considering annexing that area in the future. ORR MOVED to approve Resolution No. 1360 adopting an Interim Potential Annexation Area. White seconded and the motion carried. PERMIT PROCESS (OTHER BUSINESS - ITEM 4F) Permit Process Direction. As discussed at the Council Workshop of April 26, 1993 , Resolution No. 1348 (adopted by the Council on March 16, 1993) is being brought back to the Council for reconfirmation or modification. Only four Councilmembers were able to attend the workshop, so no direction was given at the meeting. If Council so desires, Administration is prepared to implement the resolution as written within the time frames stated. Administration' s proposal is included in the agenda packet, as well as the proposal provided by Councilmember Jon Johnson. Chief Administrative Officer McCarthy noted that Administration recommends that the original report as proposed by the Mayor ' s Advisory Committee be adopted. He explained that it would be implemented as follows: 1) Council would give authorization to establish an Office of Development Permits and Inspections from the existing staff of the Building section of the Code Enforcement Division of the Fire Department, and the Office would report to Administration; 2) the Fire Prevention section of the Code Enforcement Division of the Fire Department would be combined with the Training Division of the Fire Department, and Assistant Chief Berg would be assigned to head that new Prevention and Training Division, filling the position left vacant by Assistant Chief Kearns; 3) an engineer- architect would be selected to fill the slot vacated by Assistant Chief Berg. MANN MOVED to accept and adopt the original Mayor' s Committee recommendations and to direct the City Attorney to prepare the required ordi- nance. Bennett seconded. Orr voiced concern about the effect of combining the Fire Prevention and the Training Division on the Fire Department, and of taking a person from Public Works to head the new office. The Mayor and McCarthy clarified that the recommendation is to hire the person in 5 May 18, 1993 PERMIT PROCESS charge of the new office from outside. Fire Chief Angelo said that because of staff shortages, they are not able to provide all the training they should. He said that the two divi- sions would have to remain separated physically and that it would be impossible for one person to operate both. He pointed out that he has tried to pull staff together to minimize the cost of operation, but that this would leave Fire Preven- tion, Hazardous Materials, Disaster Management and Arson Investigation without any support unit to answer phones and do support work. He informed the Council that if this is combined in the way presented, public safety would be com- promised in regard to training for firefighters and in the ability to carry out functions in other areas. He voiced concern that they would become ineffectual in many areas because of the short staff, and said he hopes for an opportunity to submit a plan that would allow both units to function with a chief officer in Fire Prevention and a chief officer in Training. He said that by being allowed to assign that, to utilize funds from vacant positions, and to fill some posi- tions, he could cover the existing services and make some progress in training. MANN MOVED to amend his motion to incorporate the Fire Chief' s concerns and that as much as possi- ble be done to alleviate his fears with regard to safety. Bennett accepted the amendment. The Mayor noted that it would be appropriate for Chief Angelo to develop a scenario including budget suggestions and submit it to Adminis- tration. White opined that this is not a policy decision, but an administrative decision. Johnson spoke against the motion, noting that it does not meet the intent of Council 's resolution, that it will cost money to implement, that inspectors and plan review people are needed rather than managers, that public safety would be compromised, and that it would centralize Administration. He offered a substitute motion to move the organization of the Building Depart- ment and the permit function in the Planning Department into the Construction Division of the Public Works Department. Orr seconded. The motion to substitute failed with only Johnson and Orr in favor. 6 May 18, 1993 PERMIT PROCESS Orr voiced concern about hiring from the outside, and said she does not believe the permitting process should be in the hands of an elected official. She noted that there are employees who are well educated in code enforcement, zoning regulations, safety issues, hazardous materials, and so forth. She said that that having this department report to Administration takes it out of the hands of the people who should be in charge. Johnson said that putting the Building Department under Administration defies management principles, and that the morale of the employees should be considered. He added that this will not speed up the permit process or save money. Bennett explained that all complaints come directly to Administration and this would provide them an opportunity to deal with them. He agreed with White that the Council should not be in- volved in this, and said the real issue is service to the community, not staff morale. MANN offered as an amendment to his-motion that the new organization be re-evaluated at the end of the year, and that at that time the new admin- istration would determine if further modification or direction is needed. Bennett agreed to the amendment. White noted that this is an interim measure designed to streamline and improve the process, that it need not be political, and that he is dedicated to seeing that the public is better served. The motion to accept and adopt the original Mayor's Committee recommendation, to direct the City Attorney to prepare the required ordinance, to take whatever steps are possible to accom- modate the Fire Chief ' s concerns, and to re-evaluate the new organization at the end of the year then carried with Orr and Johnson opposed. VALLEY (CONSENT CALENDAR - ITEM 3E) COMMUNICATIONS Valley Com Interlocal Agreement Addendum. ADOPTION of Resolution No. 1355, authorizing the execution of an addendum to the existing Valley Com Interlocal Agreement. The legal wording for the agreement was recently reviewed in light of the upcoming implementation of the County-wide 800 MHz Public Safety Radio System. The addendum 7 May 18, 1993 VALLEY simply clarifies language to match the intent and COMMUNICATIONS past practice of Valley Communications to hold property and enter into agreements with other parties. This is of particular importance in enabling Valley Communications to receive funds from the King County 800 MHz radio levy. YOUTH CENTER (CONSENT CALENDAR - ITEM 30) Project Lighthouse & Kent Youth Center. ADOPTION of Resolution No. 1359, endorsing the collabora- tive efforts of Project Lighthouse and the City of Kent to provide comprehensive services and resources to the adolescent youth of the Kent area, as recommended by the Parks Committee. (CONSENT CALENDAR - ITEM 3P) Youth Center - Planning & Design. AUTHORIZATION to proceed with a request for proposal from architectural firms interested in bidding on the planning and architectural design for the development of a community youth center, as recommended by the Parks Committee. CITY (CONSENT CALENDAR - ITEM 3F) REGULATIONS Civil Violations. Enforcement & Abatement. ADOPTION of Ordinance No. 3110 adding a new chapter to the Kent City Code, Chapter 1. 04, entitled "Civil Violations, Enforcement and Abatement" , as recommended by the Operations, Planning, and Public Works Committees. This ordinance establishes a single procedure for enforcing civil violations of certain code provisions making reference to this chapter and establishes a process to obtain compliance of code violations and for abatement of the violation, if necessary. (CONSENT CALENDAR - ITEM 3G) Public Nuisances. ADOPTION of Ordinance No. 3111 amending Chapter 8. 04 of the Kent City Code relating to litter control by repealing a section relating to abatement, and by providing for civil penalties and further repealing Chapter 8 . 01 of the Kent City Code regarding public nuisances and adding a new chapter to be titled "Public Nuisances", as recommended by the Operations Committee. This ordinance updates types of nuisances and provides for enforcement of nuisance violations through Chapter 1. 04 , Civil Violations, Enforcement and Abatement. 8 May 18 , 1993 CITY (CONSENT CALENDAR - ITEM 3H) REGULATIONS Disposition of Junk Vehicles. ADOPTION of Ordinance No. 3112 adding a new chapter to the Kent City Code, Chapter 8. 08, entitled "Junk Vehicles" , as recommended by the Operations Committee. This ordinance provides procedures for the removal of junk vehicles as authorized by RCW 46. 55. 240 as public nuisances. Enforcement of this chapter is through Chapter 1. 04, Civil Violations, Enforcement and Abatement. (CONSENT CALENDAR - ITEM 3I) Weeds & Vegetation. ADOPTION of Ordinance No. 3113 adding a new chapter to the Kent City Code entitled "Weeds and Vegetation" identifying certain conditions of vegetation as public nuisances, and providing procedures for removal of vegetation constituting public nuisances, as recommended by the Operations and Public Works Committees. This ordinance also provides that enforcement of this chapter is through Chapter 1. 04 of the Kent City Code, Civil Violations, Enforcement and Abatement. PARKS & (CONSENT CALENDAR - ITEM 3M) - RECREATION Metro Shoreline Improvement Grant Funds. ADOPTION of Resolution No. 1357 authorizing the Parks Department to apply for Metro Shoreline Improvement Grant funds to acquire and develop Riverview Park, as recommended by the Parks Committee. (CONSENT CALENDAR - ITEM 3N) King County Conservation Futures Funding. ADOPTION of Resolution No. 1358 authorizing the Parks Department to apply for King County Conservation Futures funding to acquire property in Upper Mill Creek Canyon and to acquire Riverview Park, as recommended by the Parks Committee. COUNCIL (CONSENT CALENDAR - ITEM 3Q) Council Absence. APPROVAL of a request from Council President Woods for an excused absence from tonight's meeting due to illness. 9 May 18, 1993 FINANCE (CONSENT CALENDAR - ITEM 3B) Approval of Bills. APPROVAL of payment of the bills received through May 14, 1993 after auditing by the Operations Committee at its meeting on May 18, 1993 . Approval of checks issued for vouchers: Date Check Numbers Amount 5/1-5/15 130328/130800 $1, 665, 044 .22 Approval of checks issued for payroll: Date Check Numbers Amount 5/20/93 Checks 183439-183881 $ 297 , 322 . 03 Advice 6758-7067 366, 183 . 03 $ 633 , 505. 06 (OTHER BUSINESS - ITEM 4A) Refunding of 1980, 1986 and 1990 Voted Bonds - Bond Ordinance & Purchase Contract. The Opera- tions Committee has recommended that Council adopt a bond ordinance and authorize the Mayor to sign a purchase contract with Lehman Brothers for approximately $14 , 638 , 550 to refinance the call- able portion ($12 ,755, 000) of the 1980, 1986 and 1990 Voted Bonds. The true interest cost will be approximately 5.44 percent which will save the City approximately $470, 000 in present value debt service. The refinancing will allow a property tax reduction of approximately $. 15 per thousand of assessed valuation, saving the owner of a $100, 000 home approximately $14 .95 per year in property tax. Acting Finance Director Miller noted that the City has maintained their bond rating of Al and A+ even with the economic downturn. She in- troduced the City' s underwriter, Dick King. Mr. King then noted that the amount has been reduced from $14 , 638, 550 to $14, 085, 000 which will generate total debt service savings over the next seventeen years of $815, 000, which translates to a net present value savings of $589 , 659 . 10 May 18, 1993 FINANCE HOUSER MOVED to adopt Bond Ordinance No. 3115 and to authorize the Mayor to sign a purchase con- tract with Lehman Brothers. Orr seconded and the motion carried. (OTHER BUSINESS - ITEM 4B) Refunding of 1978 and 1989 Councilmanic Bonds - Bond Ordinance and Purchase Contract. The Operations Committee has recommended that Council adopt a bond ordinance and authorize the Mayor to sign a purchase contract with Lehman Brothers for approximately $2 , 740, 000 to refinance the call- able portion ($2 , 495, 000) of the 1978 and 1989 Councilmanic Bonds. The true interest cost will be approximately 5. 29 percent which will save the City approximately $94 , 000 in present value debt service. The savings can be used to finance future Capital Improvements which will be identi- fied in the 1994-1999 Capital Improvement Plan update. Dick King of Shearson Lehman Brothers,- Inc. , noted that the total debt service savings as estimated earlier at $98, 500 will actually be near $111, 000, and that the net present value savings will be $103 , 570. HOUSER MOVED to adopt Bond Ordinance No. 3116 and to authorize the Mayor to sign a purchase contract with Lehman Brothers. Orr seconded and the motion carried. REPORTS Operations Committee. Houser noted that the meeting time of the Committee may be changed and that more information will be available at the next Council meeting. Planning Committee. Orr distributed an agenda for a day-long workshop on Capital Facilities Planning, Concurrency, and Impact Fees under the Growth Management Act. She noted that the workshop will be held on Tuesday, June 8th, in Engineering Conference Room #3 . She invited and encouraged Councilmembers to attend. Administrative Reports. McCarthy reminded the Council that July 30 is the last day to notify the County of any ballot issues for the November 2nd general election. 11 May 18, 1993 REPORTS He noted that negotiations with SSMD are going well, that the transition date is June 1, and that the City Attorney will soon distribute a draft contract. McCarthy suggested conducting a workshop on June 1 at 5: 30 p.m. on the downtown parking study. EXECUTIVE At 8 : 15, he announced an executive session SESSION regarding labor negotiations. ADJOURNMENT At 8: 35 p.m. the meeting reconvened and adjourned. Brenda Jacob r, MC City Clerk 12