HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council Meeting - Council - Minutes - 03/06/2001 (2) Kent, Washington
March 6, 2001
The regular meeting of the Kent City Council was called to order
at 7 : 00 p.m. by Mayor White. Councilmembers present : Amodt,
Brotherton, Clark, Epperly, Orr, Woods and Yingling. Others
present : Chief Administrative Officer McFall , City Attorney
Lubovich, Police Chief Crawford, Fire Chief Angelo, Deputy
Assistant Chief Administrative Officer Martin, Public Works
Director Wickstrom, Planning Manager Satterstrom, and Finance
Director Miller. Approximately 30 people were at the meeting.
CHANGES TO THE AGENDA
Staff noted that a revised page for Consent Calendar
Item 6E has been provided, and that Consent Calendar
Item 6C has a technical amendment to the recitals .
Consent Calendar Item 6J was added to the agenda,
negotiation for land acquisition was added to the
executive session, and a report on the recent earthquake
was added under Public Communications .
Continued Communications Items 11A and 11B were added at
the request of audience members .
PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS
Introduction of Appointees. Mayor White introduced
Ms . Jeneffer Henson, his appointee to the Diversity
Advisory Board.
Uvdate on Earthquake. McFall reported that the 6 . 8
earthquake on February 28 resulted in only minor damage
to some of the older buildings downtown and to storage
racks in buildings in the industrial area. He added
that there were no deaths or injuries, which is testi-
mony to the work done in the region to seismically
upgrade and design structures . He noted that there was
no damage of significance to any municipal facilities,
but that there was minor damage on a couple of bridges
and there was a water main break. He stated that the
Emergency Coordination Center was opened and commended
City staff for their work.
Fire Chief Angelo noted that Council authorized staff to
partake in an exercise in Virginia which brought the
city together at a much higher level, and thanked the
Council for their support .
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Kent City Council Minutes March 6, 2001
PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS
Employee of the Month. Mayor White announced that Joan
Broom of Parks Planning and Development has been chosen
as Employee of the Month for March. He noted that
Ms . Broom took on a lot of extra responsibilities last
year, including the "Make A Difference Day" Program
which involved planting 827 trees and shrubs, planting
daffodil bulbs, installing play equipment, and con-
structing a trail through wooded areas at the new East
Hill Expansion Park. Recreation Services Supervisor
Lori Hogan then commended Broom for her outstanding
service and the Mayor presented her with the Employee of
the Month Plaque.
Absolutely Incredible Kid pay. Mayor White read a pro-
clamation noting that Camp Fire Boys and Girls helps
youth cope with their changing world, and that Camp Fire
Boys and Girls is asking every adult in America to write
a letter to a child or children on March 15 , 2001 . He
proclaimed March 15, 2001, as Absolutely Incredible Kid
Day in the City of Kent and declared all the children of
Kent as absolutely incredible kids .
Mary Olson accepted the proclamation and offered
stickers, stationery and writing tips to those who are
interested.
Government Finance Officers Association Award. Mayor
White announced that the City of Kent has again received
the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award, and pre-
sented it to Cliff Craig, Financial Planning Manager.
Finance Director Miller commended Craig and his staff
for their work on the budget .
CONSENT CALENDAR
ORR MOVED to approve Consent Calendar Items A through J,
with the exception of Item D, and including amendments
to Items C and E . Woods seconded and the motion
carried.
MINUTES
(CONSENT CALENDAR - ITEM 6A)
Approval of Minutes. APPROVAL of the minutes of the
regular Council meeting of February 20 , 2001 .
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Kent City Council Minutes March 6, 2001
WATER
(OTHER BUSINESS - ITEM 7A)
Water Shortage Emergency regulations Due to the
significant water shortages the City of Kent may
experience in the next few months, staff has reviewed
and rewritten the water shortage emergency regulations
code, Chapter 7 . 13 of the Kent City Code. Chapter 7 . 13
provides a framework for enacting emergency ordinances
relating to restrictions on the use of water. This is
being submitted to the Council for the first time in
order to expedite the effective date of this code in the
event the City needs to take action in the near future
to restrict the use of water.
Public Works Director Wickstrom predicted a serious
problem with the water supply, and explained the
situation. He said conservation will help and that the
proposed ordinance may not have to be used. Upon
Amodt ' s question, Lubovich explained the guidelines in
the ordinance and clarified that the required emergency
ordinance would be modeled on these guidelines and that
the guidelines could be modified at the time .
CLARK MOVED to adopt Ordinance No. 3550 repealing
Chapter 7 . 13 of the Kent City Code in its entirety and
enacting a new Chapter 7 . 13 entitled "Water Shortage
Emergency Regulations" . Orr seconded. Clark noted that
the shortfall projected is four million gallons a day,
and that water is needed for fire fighting. Orr pointed
out that there was a water shortage in the area in 1992
and that the City of Kent experienced a 3096 decrease
even though it did not have a shortage. She and Mayor
White urged everyone to conserve water. Clark' s motion
then carried.
STREET IMPROVEMENT
(CONSENT CALENDAR - ITEM 6G)
Washington Avenue/Meeker St . Street Improvements
Condemnation. ADOPTION of Ordinance No. 3548 providing
for the condemnation of land for the. Washington Avenue
HOV Improvements and Meeker Street Widening project, as
recommended by the Public Works Committee .
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Kent City Council Minutes March 6, 2001
STREET IMPROVEMENT
(CONSENT CALENDAR - ITEM 6E)
277th Corridor Agreement. AUTHORIZATION for the Mayor
to sign the 277th Corridor Inter-agency Agreement with
Auburn, to carry out all acts consistent with this
agreement, including applying for and accepting grant
funds, and ratifying all acts taken consistent with this
motion; also, authorization to add a Public Works
Department full time accounting position to be funded
out of Auburn' s 277th Corridor project up to two years,
as recommended by the Public Works Committee . The
intent is to start this position as part time but
because of numerous funding agencies involved and the
different criteria associated with each and coupled with
the dollar magnitude, the flexibility to increase the
position to full time is needed.
PUBLIC WORKS
(CONSENT CALENDAR - ITEM 6H)
Sale of Surplus Equipment. AUTHORIZATION to declare
certain vehicles no longer needed by the City as surplus
and to sell them at the next public auction, as
recommended by the Public Works Committee .
CONDEMNATION
(CONSENT CALENDAR - ITEM 6F)
Sound Transit Improvements Condemnation. ADOPTION of
Ordinance No. 3546 providing for the condemnation of
land for the street improvements associated with Sound
Transit Commuter Rail Station project, as recommended by
the Public Works Committee. CORRECTED - REFER TO
ALLEY VACATION MINUTESOF y 17- 0 /
(CONSENT CALENDAR - ITEM 6I)
Alley Vacation Between 1st and 2nd Avenues and Smith and
Temperance Streets . ADOPTION of Ordinance No. 3549
vacating a portion of unused alleyway generally between
Temperance and West Smith Streets, lying between 1st and
2nd Avenue .
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN
(CONSENT CALENDAR - ITEM 6C)
2000 Annual Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Map
Amendments. ADOPTION of Ordinance No. 3544 relating to
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Kent City Council Minutes March 6, 2001
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN
2000 Comprehensive Plan Amendments CPA-2000-2 (B) ,
CPA-2000-2 (C) , CPA-2000-2 (F) , and CPA-2000-2 (G) ; and
adoption of Ordinance No. 3545 relating to zoning map
changes CPZ-2000-2 and CPA-2000-3 . These ordinances (1)
amend the comprehensive plan' s land use map designations
and zoning map designations of parcels of property more
specifically identified in the ordinances; and (2) amend
the Capital Facilities Element of the Comprehensive Plan
(CPA-2000-2 (G) ) . Item CPA-2000-2 (A) was tabled at the
Council ' s February 20, 2000, meeting until the
agricultural lands policy update is complete.
BORDEN SITE
(CONTINUED COMMUNICATIONS - ITEM 11A)
(ADDED AT THE REQUEST OF MARTIN PLYS)
Borden Site. Martin Plvs, 3004 S . 256th, said that the
Borden Chemical Facility Phase II Report stated that the
total clean-up cost estimate is $337, 800 , and that
Mr. McFall stated that the city expects to spend about
$70 , 000 to clean up hazardous groundwater and soil
contamination. He said that a newspaper article states
that the city plans to invest in a $1, 000 , 000 insurance
policy to cover clean up costs over a ten year period.
He said he believes city officials are intentionally
attempting to conceal and cover up costs from citizens,
and asked for the total amount the city spent on the
purchase of the Borden property and any additional
related costs .
McFall responded that the Phase II study does identify
approximately $330, 000 of costs associated with elements
of the property that will need to be addressed prior to
construction, and that approximately $70, 000 of that
cost is associated with actual hazardous materials clean
up. He explained that that includes $50, 000 for the
pump and treat of a small methanol spill over a ten year
period and about $20, 000 for the removal and disposal of
soils that indicate an excessive level of nitrates . He
noted that the cost of compaction problems will be borne
by the developer. McFall said the city did purchase a
pollution liability insurance policy with a one-time
premium of $58, 000, that the Borden Company is an
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Kent City Council Minutes March 6, 2001
BORDEN SITE
additional insured on the policy, and that it provides
$1, 000 , 000 of liability coverage to the city and to the
Borden Company for any undiscovered hazardous materials
that might exist on the site for a ten year period.
SCHOOL IMPACT FEES
(CONSENT CALENDAR - ITEM 6D)
(REMOVED AT THE REQUEST OF COUNCILMEMBER AMODT)
School Impact Fee Schedule The proposed ordinance
would amend the School Impact Fee ordinance for the
Federal Way School District based on the Capital
Facilities Plan of the school district which is
being adopted as an element of the City of Kent ' s
Comprehensive Plan concurrently with this ordinance.
The school impact fees for the Federal Way School
District increased from $2 , 384 to $2 , 710 for single-
family residences and $786 to $830 for multifamily
residences . There are no changes to the Kent School
District school impact fees .
Amodt noted that she voted no on the school impact fees
last year and that she will stay consistent with that
this year. She read from a letter from the Building
Industry Association of Washington favoring the fees,
and stated that a $1, 000 increase in the price of a home
eliminates 400 families from the housing market .
CLARK MOVED to adopt Ordinance No. 3546 relating to
impact fees . Orr seconded. Clark said the school
impact fees are an on-going part of the growth manage-
ment plan, and that the real estate community and the
school district do not request the full fees, as they
are aware of the impact on housing. Orr pointed out
that because of the impact fees collected, some property
taxes can be held at a lower rate . Yingling emphasized
that this is a request from the Federal Way School
District, not from the City of Kent; Amodt noted that it
affects Kent home owners . Clark' s motion then carried
with Amodt and Epperly opposed. Mayor White noted for
Mr. Rubio that concerns about school taxes should be
taken to the school board.
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Kent City Council Minutes March 6, 2001
EMPLOYEE SERVICES
(CONTINUED COMMUNICATIONS - ITEM 11B)
Employees. Joe Rubio, 3831 S . 2481h, said the City of
Kent is nearing 1000 employees and that the City of
Federal Way has less than 290 employees . He suggested
looking at privatizing projects, and said costs would
drop dramatically. Mayor White pointed out that Federal
Way does not provide utilities or fire service, and that
their taxes to their citizens exceed those of the City
of Kent . He also clarified that the City of Kent has
782 employees and is not headed toward 1000 employees .
He emphasized that the City is now operating with 10
employees per thousand and that approximately eight
years ago it was 14 per thousand.
APPOINTMENTS
(CONSENT CALENDAR - ITEM 6J)
(ADDED ITEM)
Diversity Advisory Board a2r)ointment. CONFIRMATION of
the Mayor' s appointment of Jennefer Henson to serve as a
member of the Kent Diversity Advisory Board. Ms . Henson
is a Kent resident and was formerly employed at Kent
Municipal Court . . She currently serves as Court
Administrator at Des Moines Municipal Court . She has
worked in the courts for more than eleven years and has
had a wide variety of experiences with the Judicial
System. While working at the City of Kent, she served
as a member of Diversity Training Task Force and has
recently been appointed to the Gender and Justice
Committee for the State of Washington. Ms . Henson will
replace Bohdan Basisty, who resigned, and her term will
continue until 9/30/02 .
FINANCE
(CONSENT CALENDAR - ITEM 6B)
Approval of Bills. APPROVAL of payment of the bills
received through February 15 and paid on February 15
after auditing by the Operations Committee on March 6,
2001 .
Approval of checks issued for vouchers :
Date Check Numbers Amount
2/15/01 508537-508765 $1, 015, 222 . 02
2/15/01 508766-509199 1, 625 , 551 . 85
$2 , 640, 773 . 87
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Kent City Council Minutes March 6, 2001
FINANCE
Approval of checks issued for payroll for February 1
through February 15 and paid on February 20, 2001 :
Date Check Numbers Amount
2/20/01 Checks 249955-250273 $ 262 ,440 . 96
2/20/01 Advices 107518-108172 _1, 001 , 705 . 75
$1, 264, 146 . 71
REPORTS
Council President. Orr reminded Councilmembers of the
Suburban Cities dinner and commended the staff and
citizens for their efforts at the time of the
earthquake.
Public Safety Committee. Epperly noted that the next
meeting will be held at 5 : 00 p.m. on March 13 .
Public Works Committee. Clark noted that the next
meeting will be held on March 19 at 5 : 00 p .m.
Administrative Reports. McFall reminded Council of an
executive session regarding pending and potential
litigation, as well as negotiation on land acquisition.
EXECUTIVE SESSION
At 7 : 50 p.m. , the meeting recessed into Executive
Session. The meeting reconvened at 8 : 12 p.m.
Property Acquisition. WOODS MOVED to accept the offer
of $49, 000 from Skyline Properties and authorize the
mayor to sign the closing documents on the sale of the
Austin Property, and amend the Canterbury Park Budget
with the proceeds resulting from this sale. Epperly
seconded and the motion carried.
ADJOURNMENT
At 8 : 13 p .m. , ORR MOVED to adjourn the meeting. Woods
seconded and the motion carried.
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Brenda Ja ob r, CMC
City Cler}
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