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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council Meeting - Council - Minutes - 04/07/1998 Kent, Washington April 7, 1998 Regular meeting of the Kent City Council was called to order at 7: 00 p.m. by Mayor White. Present: Councilmembers Amodt, Brotherton, Clark, Epperly, Orr, Woods, and Yingling, Operations Director/Chief of Staff McFall, Assistant City Attorney Brubaker, Police Chief Crawford, Planning Director Harris, Public Works Director Wickstrom, Parks Director Hodgson, and Finance Director Miller. Approximately 60 people were at the meeting. The flag salute was led by Boy Scout Troop 407 . PUBLIC Employee of the Month. Mayor White announced COMMUNICATIONS that Officer Dave Buck has been selected as Employee of the Month for April. He explained that Officer Buck serves the community through the Police Department and the School District, and that his unique position allows him the opportunity to be a positive, caring role model for today's troubled teens and a reassuring presence for law-abiding students. He thanked Officer Buck for his tireless efforts to make our schools a safe haven for learning, and presented him with the Employee of the Month plaque. Police Chief Crawford expressed pride in Buck' s work and in the partnership between the City and the School District. Gwen Dupree, Assistant Superintendent for the Kent School District, expressed congratulations and admiration for the work Officer Buck does. Prepare Because You Care Month. Mayor White read a proclamation noting that the City is vulnerable to natural and man-made disasters and that citizens need to prepare to be self- sufficient for at least three days following a disaster. He proclaimed April 1998 as Prepare Because You Care Month in the City and urged all citizens to increase their knowledge, awareness and preparedness measures to follow before, during and after a natural or man-made disaster. The proclamation was presented to Assistant Fire Chief Aldridge. Introduction of Mayor's A000intees. The Mayor introduced former State Representative Rod Blalock, his appointee to the Drinking Driver Task Force. CONSENT ORR MOVED to approve Consent Calendar Items A CALENDAR through G. Woods seconded and the motion carried. 1 Kent City Council Minutes April 7, 1998 MINUTES (CONSENT CALENDAR - ITEM 3A) Approval of Minutes. APPROVAL of the minutes of the special Council meeting of March 12 , 1998, and the regular Council meeting of March 17, 1998. HEALTH & (CONSENT CALENDAR - ITEM 3E) SANITATION Mikron Industries. ACCEPTANCE of the bill of sale for Mikron Industries Watermain Extension submitted by Mikron Industries, Inc. for con- tinuous operation and maintenance of 730 feet of watermain improvements and release of bonds after the expiration date, as recommended by the Public Works Director. The project is located at 1034 6th Avenue North. (CONSENT CALENDAR - ITEM 3F) Creekside Business Park. ACCEPTANCE of the bill of sale for Creekside Business Park submitted by Sound Ventures for continuous operation and maintenance of 402 . 53 feet of sanitary sewer improvements and release of bonds after the expiration date, as recommended by the Public Works Director. The project is located at 7421 S. 180th Street. STREETS (CONSENT CALENDAR - ITEM 3D) LID 348, 64th Avenue South Street Improvements Final Assessment Roll. , SET May 5, 1998, as the date for a public hearing on the Final Assess- ment Roll for LID 348 , as recommended by the Public Works/Planning Committee. STREET (OTHER BUSINESS - ITEM 4C) VACATIONS 42ND Avenue South Street Vacation. A public hearing on this item was held on March 17, 1998. The matter was deferred to today's meeting. The hearing considered the application to vacate a portion of the 42nd Avenue South right of way located north of S. 216th Street. Public Works Director Wickstrom noted that the research requested at the March 17th meeting has been done and that more than 60 ' will be needed if bike trails are required in the future. He also noted that Mr. Donofrio is satisfied with the modified conditions as shown in his memo. CLARK MOVED to approve the Planning Director' s recommendation with conditions on the applica- tion to vacate a portion of 42nd Avenue South 2 Kent City Council Minutes April 7, 1998 STREET right of way located north of S. 216t h Street as VACATIONS referenced in Resolution 1505, and to direct the City Attorney to prepare the necessary ordinance upon compliance with the conditions of approval. Woods seconded. Clark pointed out that this is very close to a large housing project which will be built, and that conditions relating to public safety, traffic, access and bicycle paths will be re- quired. He added that this is in the best interest of all parties. Orr thanked Wickstrom and staff for their extra effort on this matter. Clark's motion then carried. (OTHER BUSINESS - ITEM 4D) S. 188th St. Street Vacation STV-97-3. A public hearing was held on January 20, 1998. The matter was considered at the March 17, 1998, meeting at which time it was deferred until today's meeting. The hearing considered the application to vacate a portion of the S. 188th Street right of way located between 80th Place South and 80th Avenue South, adjacent to the subject property as referenced in Resolution No. 1502 . Wickstrom noted that this was discussed at the last Public Works & Planning Committee meeting and that the two fronting properties were not in agreement to the terms of the vacation and that until they are, he believes the Committee's recommendation is to deny the vacation without prejudice. Mayor White reiterated that the public hearing has already been held. CLARK MOVED to deny the vacation without pre- judice. Woods seconded. Upon a question from the Assistant City Attorney, Clark clarified that part of his motion is to dismiss without prejudice to refile a new petition. He ex- plained that the traffic pattern on Central Avenue is prohibitive to left-hand turn lanes for large trucks during rush hour traffic, noting that this is a public safety issue. He said that the existing road at 188 h is sub- standard, and that the parties must develop a workable solution. He emphasized that the City is not attempting to stop anything, but is trying to prevent harm to existing businesses. 3 Kent City Council Minutes April 7 , 1998 STREET Woods explained that the Committee had been VACATIONS prepared to grant the vacation, but that another issue came up at the meeting which could not be resolved at that time and which caused addi- tional confusion. She explained that the Committee had suggested that if the parties involved could not resolve their differences prior to this meeting, the Council would vote to not go forward with the vacation without pre- judice to any further requests to have the vacation. Clark's motion then carried. TRAFFIC (BIDS - ITEM 5B) CONTROL S. 277th St/S.E. 274th Way, Schedules 1 (Green River Bridge) and 2 (108 Avenue S.E. Bridge) . The bid opening for this portion of the corridor project was held on March 26 with nine bids received. However, due to certain irregulari- ties with the project specifications, it is requested that all bids be rejected. The pro- ject is tentatively scheduled to be re-bid on April 17, 1998. The Public Works Director recommends that the contract be rejected and tentatively re-bid. Assistant City Attorney Brubaker pointed out that two letters have been received from IMCO Construction regarding a bid protest. CLARK MOVED that the letters be made a part of the record. Orr seconded and the motion carried. Brubaker explained that this is a major project which involves a number of complicated processes which are time sensitive because of impacts to the fishery system in the Green River caused by the bridge. He noted that the low bid had two irregularities and that the second low bidder, IMCO Construction, protested any award of the bid to the low bidder. He said that the bid has been reviewed and recommended that all bids be rejected and the project be re-bid as soon as possible. He noted for Amodt that one irregu- larity involved failure to put all bid items in both numbers and words, and another involved leaving the prime contractor portion of a list blank. He said the question is whether the irregularity provides the low bidder a benefit that other bidders don't share, and noted that the City has the right to reject all bids. 4 Kent City Council Minutes April 7, 1998 TRAFFIC CLARK MOVED that all bids received on the S. CONTROL 277th St/S.E. 274th Way, Schedule 1 (Green River Bridge) and Schedule 2 (108t h Avenue S.E. Bridge) be rejected and tentatively re-bid on April 17 , 1998 . Woods seconded and the motion carried. DOWNTOWN (CONSENT CALENDAR - ITEM 3C) STRATEGIC Downtown Strategic Action Plan. ADOPTION of ACTION PLAN Ordinance No. 3398 adopting the Kent Downtown Strategic Action Plan and Integrated, Supple- mental Environmental Impact Statement as a Subarea Plan of the Kent Comprehensive Plan. PLAT (OTHER BUSINESS - ITEM 4A) Benson Highlands Final Plat. This date has been set for consideration of an application for the Benson Highlands Final Plat FSU-95-10. This matter was before the Council at its February 3 , 1998 meeting, at which time it was deferred and subsequently scheduled for today's meeting. The subject subdivision contains 13 lots on 3 .79 acres and is located at 11208 SE 244th Street. CLARK MOVED to approve the staff' s recommenda- tion of approval with conditions for the Benson Highlands Final Plat and to authorize the Mayor to sign the final plat mylar. Woods seconded and the motion carried. COMMUNITY (OTHER BUSINESS - ITEM 4B) DEVELOPMENT 1999 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) BLOCK GRANT Pass Through Funds. The City has received King County's estimate of Community Development Block Grant pass-through funds for 1999. The estimate of $505, 855 is approximately $18, 111 less than the City received for its 1998 program. The estimate is based on the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) proposed 1999 budget. The estimated amount may increase or decrease due to changes in the entitlement, program income and recaptured funds. CLARK MOVED to (1) accept the 1999 pass through funds; (2) allocate the city' s maximum available 1999 CDBG funds for Public (Human) Services ($771764) ; (3) allocate the City's maximum available 1999 CDBG funds for Planning and Administration ($68, 966) and request additional available dollars for program planning; and 5 Kent City Council Minutes April 7, 1998 COMMUNITY (4) authorize the Mayor to sign the County form DEVELOPMENT indicating the City's desire for distribution. BLOCK GRANT Brotherton seconded and the motion carried. COMMUTER RAIL (OTHER BUSINESS - ITEM 4E) (ADDED BY COUNCIL PRESIDENT ORR) Funding Options for Commuter Rail Parking Garage. Operations Director McFall explained that this item had been scheduled for discussion at the Committee of the Whole meeting of this date, but that due to lack of time it was forwarded to this meeting. He noted that Council had requested research regarding funding options for the City' s portion of a parking structure to be built in conjunc- tion with the RTA commuter rail station in downtown Kent. He emphasized that the focus was on the cost differential between surface parking and structured parking and how to pay for it, regardless of the site. He estimated the dif- ference in cost between surface parking and structured parking to be close to $5, 000, 000, on which the debt service would be approximately $410, 000 annually. McFall noted that ten options had been identified, and explained each of the following: 1. Undesignated Reserves in Capital Improvement Fund 2 . Designated Reserves in Capital Improvement Fund 3 . Create a Local Improvement District (LID) 4 . Increase Existing Transportation Utility Tax by up to 0.25% 5. General Fund Strategic Reserves 6. Voted Bond Issue 7 . Real Estate Excise Tax, Second % 8. Grants 9 . METRO Participation 10. Defer Projects Currently Planned in the CIP He corrected the amount mentioned in his April 1st memo regarding 1998 undesignated reserve from $429, 705 to $581, 000 (Option 1) . He noted that the options can be combined and gave the following example: establishing an LID, increasing the Transportation Utility Tax by 0. 15%, and using undesignated reserves in the Capital Improvement Fund. He then displayed and 6 Kent City Council Minutes April 7, 1998 COMMUTER RAIL explained drawings of possible parking struc- tures at both the north and south sites. Orr noted receipt of a document from Robert Whalen stating that Kent's is the lowest budgeted dollar amount for any station in the system, noting that the RTA has a contingency fund, and suggesting partnering with METRO. She suggested that this issue be referred to the Operations Committee to explore all options. There was no objection. TECHNOLOGY PLAN (OTHER BUSINESS - ITEM 4E) (REMOVED BY COUNCILMEMBER ORR) 1998-2000 Technology Plan.- lan Orr explained that this item had been discussed at the Committee of the Whole meeting earlier today and that action is scheduled to be taken in two weeks. COUNCIL (CONSENT CALENDAR - ITEM 3H) (REMOVED BY COUNCIL PRESIDENT ORR) Council Absence. Mr. Yingling' s request for an excused absence from tonight's meeting was removed from the agenda, as he was present at the meeting. APPOINTMENT (CONSENT CALENDAR - ITEM 3G) Drinking Driver Task Force CONFIRMATION of the Mayor's appointment of Rod Blalock to serve as a member of the Kent Drinking Driver Task Force. Mr. Blalock has served as a State Representative and in that capacity, served on the Criminal Justice and Corrections Committee and the Transportation Committee. He has served as a member of the Civil service Commission in the City of Des Moines and was co-founder of Des Moines Teen Night. He is also an active Lions Club member. He looks forward to serving on the Drinking Driver Task Force and feels that he can make a valuable contribution to the Task Force. Mr. Blalock will replace Georgine Davis, who resigned. His new term will continue until 1/1/99. PARKS & (BIDS - ITEM 5A) RECREATION Springwood Park Trail Damage Repair. The bid opening for the Springwood Park Trail Damage project was held on April 1, 1998, with 16 bids received. The low bid was submitted by Ohana 7 Kent City Council Minutes April 7, 1998 PARKS & Nursery of Buckley in the amount of $16, 161.50. RECREATION The Engineer's estimate was $29, 600. Springwood Park Trail was damaged in the winter storms of 1996. Funding for the project has been provided by the King County Community Development Block Grant Supplemental Flood Relief Funds. The City retained the services of Horton Dennis Associates to prepare the plans and specifications. Staff recommends award of the contract to Ohana Nursery. WOODS MOVED that the Springwood Park Trail Damage contract be awarded to Ohana Nursery for the bid amount of $16, 161. 50. Orr seconded and the motion carried. FINANCE (CONSENT CALENDAR - ITEM 3B) Approval of Bills. APPROVAL of payment of the bills received through March 16, and paid on March 16, 1998, after auditing by the Operations Committee on March 24 , 1998. Approval of checks issued for vouchers: Date Check Numbers Amount 3/16/98 197115-197485 $1, 162, 371. 27 3/16/98 197486-197878 921,428 . 29 $2 , 083 ,799. 56 Approval of checks issued for payroll for March 1 through March 15, and paid on March 20, 1998 : Date Check Numbers Amount 3/20/98 Checks 226309-226621 $ 239, 530. 52 3/20/98 Advices 56286-56802 733 , 674.56 $ 973, 205. 08 REPORTS Council President. Orr reminded Councilmembers of the retreat on Friday and Saturday. Administrative Reports. McFall noted that the Report of the Regional Governance and Finance Oversight Committee has been submitted to the Growth Management Planning Council, which will review it and hold it' s first discussion on April 22nd He said that any amendments are due by June 3rd and the GMPC plans to vote on it no later than June 17th . He explained that, assuming the GMPC acts favorably on the 8 Kent City Council Minutes April 7 , 1998 REPORTS proposal, it would go to the County Council for review and approval and then to the cities for ratification. He noted that the ratification process requires that 30% of the jurisdictions that represent 70% of the County population would have to concur before the changes would be ratified. He added that all of this would be reviewed after five years of implementation to determine its impacts. McFall noted that the Suburban Cities Association representatives to the Oversight committee are not recommending the plan in its present form. He then outlined changes regard- ing animal control, swimming pools, the Woodland Park Zoo, specialized police services, human services, courts, and potential annexation areas. He said that the proposed changes relat- ing to the transition of swimming pools, the entire human services proposal, and the transi- tion of urban unincorporated areas to cities (potential annexation areas) are all unaccept- able to the City. McFall recommended either getting the proposal withdrawn or significantly amended so that it is acceptable, or undertaking an effort to ensure that cities in King County vote not to ratify this proposal. Mayor White pointed out that Kent is not the only city concerned about this plan, and asked for input from staff and Council. WOODS MOVED that the Mayor send a letter stating Council ' s disapproval of the plan as proposed and their intent to offer suggestions. Orr seconded. Mayor White suggested that the Council President sign the letter. Woods and Orr agreed and the motion carried. EXECUTIVE At 8: 15 p.m. , the meeting recessed into SESSION Executive Session to discuss property acquisition for approximately 20 minutes. ADJOURNMENT The meeting reconvened and adjourned at 8 :42 p.m. Brenda Jade , CMC City Clerk , i 9