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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council Meeting - Council - Minutes - 11/04/1997 Kent, Washington November 41 1997 Regular meeting of the Kent City Council was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Mayor White. Present: Councilmembers Bennett, Clark, Epperly, Houser, Johnson, Orr and Woods, Operations Director/Chief of Staff McFall, City Attorney Lubovich, Public Works Director Wickstrom, Fire Chief Angelo, Parks Director Hodgson, Acting Information Services Director Mulholland, Finance Director Miller, and Employee Services Director Viseth. Approximately 25 people were at the meeting. PUBLIC Kent Civic and Performing Art Center URdate. Pat COMMUNICATIONS Curran, 300 Scenic Way, noted that the Civic and Performing Art Center project is a 501C3 non- profit corporation and that a financial feasibility study has been done. Don Campbell, 27813 13th Avenue South, noted that the study found there is a need to provide more information to the public, and that the business community is not yet ready to fund such a project because it does not know how it would benefit. He said they would like to form a major marketing and communi- cations initiative to make the public aware of what the project could be for the community, as well as to build a philanthropic awareness for the private and business communities. Campbell explained that they are proposing a three-part project comprised of a 500-600 seat performing arts facility, a 100-125 seat black box facility to be used for meetings, rehearsals, and so forth, and a lobby. He noted that this will also meet their goal of providing meeting space for community and business groups. He stated that this facility is significant in all Downtown Plan projections, that it would have regional impact, that it should be positioned in City government but that the City would not have to bear the financial burden, and that the loca- tion of the facility is still open. Campbell said the next step will be an evaluation of where the project will be in twelve months, and then formation of a campaign organizing committee to work on funding. Pat Curran pro- vided Council with copies of the Philanthropic Market Study. Employee of the Month. Mayor White announced that Lesli Opsahl, Administrative Assistant to the Cultural Arts Division of the Parks 1 Kent City Council Minutes November 4, 1997 PUBLIC Department, has been chosen as the Employee COMMUNICATIONS of the Month for November. He noted that Ms. Opsahl provides staff support to the Kent Arts Commission programs and large scale City- wide special events, and that she exudes the kind of spirit and enthusiasm that inspires others. Opsahl's supervisor, Tracey Wickersham, said that Lesli is a very important part of their team, and commended her for her work. The Mayor then presented her with the Employee of the Month plaque. Introduction of Mayor's Appointees. Mayor White introduced June Lombard, his appointee to the Arts Commission, and Judge Bob McSeveney, Municipal Court Judge. GFOA Budget Award. Mayor White noted that each year the Government Finance Officers Association recognizes exemplary budget documents by State and Local governments by presenting the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award. He announced that the City of Kent has received this prestigious award for the 1997 Annual Budget. He presented the award to Cliff Craig, Financial Planning Manager, and thanked him for a job well done. CONSENT EPPERLY MOVED that Consent Calendar Items A CALENDAR through K be approved, with the exception of Item C. Woods seconded and the motion carried. MINUTES (CONSENT CALENDAR - ITEM 3A) Approval of Minutes. APPROVAL of the minutes of the regular Council meeting of October 21, 1997 . PUBLIC WORKS (CONSENT CALENDAR - ITEM 3F) House Relocation Contract. ACCEPT as complete the House Relocation Contract and release of retainage to Emerald City Building Restoration, Inc. upon standard releases from the state and, release of any liens, as recommended by the Public Works Director. The original contract amount was $93, 000. 00. The final project cost was $93, 000. 00. This project consisted of relocating two houses in the vicinity of the 277th Corridor project onto two city-owned lots, to be sold at a later date. 2 Kent City Council Minutes November 4, 1997 ANNEXATION (CONSENT CALENDAR - ITEM 3E) ZONING Meridian Valley Annexation Initial Zoning and Area Comprehensive Plan Amendments (AZ-97-1 and CPA-97-1I . ADOPTION of Ordinance No. 3367 for the Meridian Valley Annexation Initial Zoning, and ADOPTION of Ordinance No. 3368 for the Area Comprehensive Plan Amendments. The City Council held two public hearings on September 16 and October 21, 1997. (ADDED ITEM) Meridian Valley Annexation Zoning. Martin Durkan. Jr-. , 330 SW 43rd St. , Renton, noted that during the adoption process on this issue, the homeowners and residents in the area requested the properties be zoned R6 residential zoning, which the Council took action on. He said that unfortunately when the motion was made to zone the properties R6, it said that all properties that were zoned duplex to be R6. He said this left the Mackey property zoned 4.5 and that this would only be an increase of two housing units on his property. Durkan provided a map of the area and requested that the Council look at this during the comprehensive planning process update which is under way. PLAT (CONSENT CALENDAR - ITEM 3I) Fox Ridge Addition 11 Preliminary Plat SU-96-13. SET November 18, 1997, as the date for a public meeting to consider a preliminary plat applica- tion by Lakeridge Development, Inc. This plat is 2 .5 acres in size, consists of 14 single family lots, and is located at 11800 SE 268th Street in Kent. REZONES (CONSENT CALENDAR - ITEM 3J) Stonebrook Suites Rezone RZ-97-3. SET November 18, 1997, as the date for a public meeting to consider a rezone application by Roger Collins, Inn Ventures, Inc. The property is approximately 4 . 6 acres and the request is to rezone from M-1, Industrial Park, to Mi-C, Industrial Park - Commercial Suffix. The property is located at the northwest corner of S. 182nd Street and 72nd Avenue S. 3 Kent City Council Minutes November 4, 1997 REZONES (CONSENT CALENDAR - ITEM 3K) Old Napa Store Resone RS-97-2. SET November 18, 1997, as the date for a public meeting to con- sider a rezone application by Jason Hong. The request is to rezone from NCC, Neighborhood Convenience Commercial, to CC, Community Commercial. The property is approximately 13, 632 square feet and is located at 24728 36th Avenue South (Military Road) . COUNCIL (CONSENT CALENDAR - ITEM 3D) Workshop on Legislative Issues. SET November 18, 1997, at 5: 30 p:m. as the date and time for a Council Workshop on the 1998 State Legislative Agenda. DIVERSITY (ADDED ITEM) Diversity. Dr. Joseph Drake urged the Council to appropriate funding to enhance and deliver a quality diversity program and professional development training for all employees. He also suggested allocating funding to be used for internships, job shadowing and apprenticeships. POLICE (CONSENT CALENDAR - ITEM 3H) Police Department Transfer of Funds. APPROVAL to transfer $6,518 from the Police MDT Sale project (M70) to the Traffic Equip/RJC project (N43) for expenditures that did not get reimbursed from RJC revenues. The Police MDT Sale project has $32 ,500 that is being returned to these project funds for reallo- cation in the 1998 budget for other new requests. The Police Department requests $6,518 of these funds to cover the revenue not received from RJC. APPOINTMENTS (CONSENT CALENDAR - ITEM 3C) (REMOVED BY COUNCILMEMBER CLARK) Municipal court Judge Reappointment. Judge Robert B. C. McSeveney has served as Kent Municipal Court Judge for the past four years. His first term expires December 31, 1997. Judge McSeveney has done an excellent job as evidenced by the King County Bar Association survey, which indicates a satisfactory or better rating from 94% of attorneys practicing in the Kent Municipal Court. State law provided for appointment of a municipal court judge for a four-year term, and requires such appointment to be made prior to December 1st. 4 Kent City Council Minutes November 4, 1997 APPOINTMENTS Upon Clark's request, McFall noted that the Court has grown into an efficient system, even though growth in the city has impacted it. He com- mended Judge McSeveney and Court Administrator Margaret Yetter on the good job they have done. Clark thanked the Judge for his organization of the court, noting that there are many needs and limited resources. HE THEN MOVED for the reappointment of Judge McSeveney. Woods seconded and the motion carried. (CONSENT CALENDAR - ITEM 3G) Arts Coamission Appointment. CONFIRMATION of the Mayor's appointment of June Lombard to serve as a member of the Kent Arts Commission. Her new appointment will continue until 10/31/2001. Ms. Lombard is a long time Kent resident and is employed as a Court Clerk at the Regional Justice Center. She attended college in Chicago where she studied criminal law. Ms. Lombard collects paintings and especially enjoys miniature doll houses. She is involved in building and furnishing the miniatures and also collects miniature dolls. She makes her own dolls pouring molds, painting, and sewing clothing for them. EQUIPMENT (BIDS - ITEM 5A) PC Purchase. The City is preparing to implement a major upgrade in the City's existing computer infrastructure, including significant alterations to nearly all hardware and software systems. In order to implement this overall comprehensive program, the City needs to purchase a large block of desktop computers. Pricing and timing of delivery for these PC' s is crucial to the overall upgrade plan. The City has an ongoing contractual agreement with R&D Industries, Inc. that provides the City with the same pricing for computers and related products that is available to the State of Washington. Because of the need to obtain timely delivery and competitive pricing, the requirement for advertised bids under Chapter 3 . 70 of the Kent City Code has been waived allowing staff to utilize the existing contract with R&D Industries, and also to seek written quotes from other vendors if they can provide better price and delivery terms. 5 Kent City Council Minutes November 4, 1997 EQUIPMENT McFall noted that this item was presented to the Operations Committee today. JOHNSON MOVED to authorize the purchase of desk- top pc's and related equipment at current State of Washington pricing now available from R&D Industries, which is estimated at $158,423 .96, or from a different vendor if the City can obtain better pricing and delivery terms than provided by R&D Industries. Houser seconded and the motion carried. BUDGET/ (PUBLIC HEARINGS - ITEM 2A) TAX LEVY 1998 Budget and Tax Levy. This is the second public hearing on the 1998 Budget. The public is invited to give comments and input on the budget. It is also a public hearing on the property tax levy for the 1998 budget. The 1998 Preliminary Budget is in balance and includes a budgeted General Fund reserve of 10% of expenditures. Adoption is scheduled for the November 18, 1997, Council meeting. The budget document is availa- ble in the City Clerk's Office. Finance Director Miller stated that the budget is in balance assuming that Referendum 47 passes. She noted that if the new tax levy passes, it will only guarantee the City to receive any increase from new construction, improvements in property or increase on the value of state- assessed property. She said beyond that would require a separate hearing and ordinance that adopts the lesser of 6% or the inflation as set by the implicit price deflator. She said that is a 1.9% increase, and that the budget includes $275,291 over last year, which was $14,489, 025. She said the final levy is scheduled for December 9, 1997, and that there will be an Operations Committee on November 18 at which the budget will be discussed. Mayor White opened the public hearing. Louise Matthews, 615 W. Harrison, President of the Harrison House Resident Council, thanked the City for their continued support of low-income senior residents. Melvin Tate, Chair of the Human Services Commission, noted that their allocations total $428, 778 . He reported that they funded 17 agencies this year, totaling 25 different pro- grams. He explained how the Commission operates, 6 Kent City Council Minutes November 4, 1997 BUDGET/ and thanked the Mayor and Council for the re- TAX LEVY sources they provide. Steve Anderson, Childrens Therapy Center of Kent, thanked the Council for the vision they had ten years ago in establishing the Human Services Commission and providing the funding to implement their recommendations. He said this funding has provided assistance in the areas of youth services, emergency services and medical needs. He commended the Mayor and Council for their vision and for the positive way the staff has carried it out. He expressed appreciation for continued support. There were no further comments from the audience and HOUSER MOVED to close the public hearing. Woods seconded and the motion carried. Orr noted that it was discussed at the Operations Committee meeting today that funds have been set aside for recommendations from the Multi Cultural Task Force, and asked that a comprehensive plan for diversity training be spelled out in the bud- get. She suggested forming a citizen oversight committee or task force to aid in establishing guidelines as to what is and is not appropriate to show on the cable channel, and noted that funds may be required in the budget for this. She said that citizens have good ideas and need a way to provide them to the city. FINANCE (CONSENT CALENDAR - ITEM 3B) Approval of Bills. APPROVAL of payment of the bills received through October 15 and paid on October 15, 1997 , after auditing by the Operations Committee on October 21, 1997. Approval of checks issued for vouchers: Date Check Numbers Amount 9/30/97 190534-190940 $ 658, 621. 60 10/15/97 190941-191375 2 ,482 , 094. 21 $3 , 140,715.81 Approval of checks issued for payroll for October 1 through October 15 and paid on October 20, 1997 : Date Check Numbers Amount 10/20/97 Checks 223204-223526 $ 248, 013 .75 10/20/97 Advices 50891-51412 705, 542 .40 [CORRECTED - REFER TO $ 953 , 556. 15 INUTE SoF ia- 9- y Kent City Council Minutes November 4, 1997 REPORTS operations Committee. Johnson noted that the committee will meet at 3 : 00 p.m. on November 18. Public Works Committee. Clark noted that the committee will meet at 3 : 30 p.m. on November 5. Planning Committee. Orr noted that the next committee meeting will be held at 4:00 p.m. on November 18, not at 3 :30 as previously announced. Public Safety Committee. Bennett noted that the committee will meet on November 18 at 5:00 p.m. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 7: 35 p.m. Brenda Jacgbe , CMC City Clerk/ 8