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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council Meeting - Council - Minutes - 10/01/2013 KENT Kent City Council Meeting October 1, 2013 The regular meeting of the Kent City Council was called to order at 7:02 p.m. by Mayor Cooke. Councilmembers present: Albertson, Higgins, Perry, Ralph, and Thomas. CHANGES TO THE AGENDA Interim Chief Administrative Officer Brubaker communicated that there will be an Executive Session concerning Property Negotiations. A. From Council, Administration, Staff. Council President Higgins added Consent Calendar item 7(H), an excused absence for Councilmember Boyce and Consent Calendar item 7(I), an excused absence for Councilmember Ranniger. Council President Higgins also removed item 11A. Councilmember Albertson removed Consent Calendar item 7(A), the minutes of the previous workshop and regular meeting. B. From the Public. None. PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS A. Public Recognition. None. B. Community Events. None. C. Proclamation for "Releaf" 2013 at Clark Lake Park. Lori Hogan, Assistant Superintendent, Parks, Recreation and Community Services accepted the proclamation and communicated that the event will be held Saturday, October 12, 2013 from 9:00 a.m. to noon. The group will be meeting in the Eastridge Baptist Church lot at 12520 SE 240th Street. E. Intergovernmental Report. Council President Higgins discussed his attendance at the Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) Executive Board meeting. He noted that the board executed a compact for increased transit density in new transit hubs in Kitsap, Pierce, King, and Snohomish counties. He also added that Josh Brown was appointed as the new executive director. He added that the next King County Regional Transit Committee meeting is October 161h and the next Regional Policy Issues Committee meeting is on October 9th. Also, he stated that he will be attending the King County Mental Illness and Oversight Board meeting later this month. Councilmember Ralph communicated on she attended the King County Regional Law, Safety and Justice Committee meeting and discussed the Affordable Healthcare Act and how it affects the justice system. She discussed the highlights of the meeting and that it was to encourage local jurisdictions to help the population enroll in health coverage. 1 Kent City Council Minutes October 1, 2013 Councilmember Albertson noted that King County Regional Water Quality meeting is October 2nd. Council President Higgins mentioned that the appointment process for regional committees is ending on Friday, October 18th and applications are due by Friday, October 11th. He noted that the Senate Transportation meetings are continuing and there is another one on the evening of the 9th and a final forum on the 141h that he is attending with Councilmember Ralph. Councilmember Albertson said she is going to the Senate Transportation hearing on the gth at the Evergreen State College campus. PUBLIC HEARING A. 2014 Mid-Biennium Budget - First Public Hearing_ Mayor Cooke explained the 2014 Mid-Biennium Budget. She stated this is the first opportunity the Council has had to review the budget midway through the two-year period. She noted that this time is the time the Council will be able to tweak and make adjustments to the budget, not adopt a new one. Bob Nachlinger, Finance Director discussed the budget process. He discussed the budget by fund and expressed where the revenues come from that made up the budget. He also communicated what the expenditures were. He communicated to the Council that the staff is comprised of 615 authorized positions and that equates to 5.2 employees per capita. Mayor Cooke opened the public hearing on this item. 1. Tim Clark, Kent - Discussed the budget and thanked the Council for keeping human service funding intact. He suggested the Council look at the enterprise fund and urged them to keep the Par 3 golf course. He asked them to pay attention to the drop in revenues that have led to difficulties in all departments and in maintaining public facilities. He asked the Councilmembers going to the Senate Transportation Forum to keep in mind that south King County is underserved when it comes to funds put into the transportation system. Council President Higgins moved to close the public hearing seconded by Councilmember Thomas. Motion carried 5-0. B. 2014 - 2018 CIP, First Public Hearing. Bob Nachlinger, Finance Director discussed the CIP. He announced that there is an anticipated $32 million in capital improvements planned and communicated where the anticipated funds come from that make up this plan. Councilmember Albertson inquired about the funds that are to be derived in 2017 as reflected in the presentation and Nachlinger replied that those funds will be realized from future projects that aren't identified yet in the capital plan. Those funds, he explained, will come from funding agencies through grants once they are identified. She inquired why they are on the anticipated revenue 2014-2018 slide and he communicated that they are on this slide because the City anticipates the revenues to 2 Kent City Council Minutes October 1, 2013 come in. Councilmember Albertson stated that the graph should be easily understandable to the residents and it isn't. The slide isn't adequate for a public hearing if the Council really wants the public to understand and participate, she said. Councilmember Thomas communicated that the difference in the cost of government are significant and asked for an explanation. Nachlinger communicated that there is a significant increase due to a correctional facility being built between 2016 and 2017. Nachlinger also explained to Councilmember Ralph that the correctional facility is deemed to be a general facility, not a public safety facility. Councilmember Ralph pointed out that some of the grants have been broken out for some of the years and for some reason in 2017 they show up as "Other." Nachlinger explained that it is like this because prior to 2017 the grants are identified and those after that need to be identified. Discussing the slide, Councilmember Perry stated the "Other' shows the need versus the revenue coming into the City. She said there is a list of things the City needs to do and the reality of how much money the City has coming in and the "blue line" shows the difference. Mayor Cooke opened the public hearing on this item. 1. Bill Doolittle, Kent - Discussed the B&O tax and communicated that the main reason it was approved was that it was for road maintenance. He communicated that the slide shows that $300,000 is only being used for roads and that isn't enough. Council President Higgins explained to Doolittle that the $300,000 is the expenditure for the auditors and the total being spent on the roads is $4.7 million of the $5 million dollars of anticipated B&O revenues. Council President Higgins moved to close the public hearing, seconded by Thomas. Motion carried 5-0. PUBLIC COMMENT 1. Bill Doolittle, Kent, discussed the City of Kent website and noted that the City's electronic newsletter was informative. He communicated that the .pdf file for the agenda and packet contained a virus. He said there were two items that should have been included in the newsletter and website, the debates and the October fest. He discussed the candidate forum sponsored by the Kent Chamber of Commerce and said it is crazy for them to be to charging $20 admission for residents to go see the debate at the ShoWare. Mayor Cooke replied and said the City calendar on the website could be used by sponsoring organizations. She also noted that this candidate forum is sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce and they have to pay to use ShoWare. She suggested he call the Chamber to attend without eating and it may be free. 3 Kent City Council Minutes October 1, 2013 Doolittle communicated that the Octoberfest is put on by the rotary and the debate in ShoWare should be free with the City allowing them to use the facility for free. Council President Higgins pointed out that there are two other candidate forums coming up. One, he said, is on October 10`h at 7pm at Sunrise Elementary School and the other is on Friday, October 18`h at the Kent Commons. Councilmember Ralph communicated that the Octoberfest is sponsored by rotary and not on city property. She stated that they use it as a fundraiser so there is a charge to attend. Councilmember Thomas added that the Scenic Hill candidate forum was recorded and plays on Channel 21. Mayor Cooke stated that the candidate forums are also available online. 2. John Schut, Kent, discussed the Homeowners Association and thanked Council President Higgins for his assistance with the Homeowner Associations. CONSENT CALENDAR Council President Higgins moved to approve Consent Calendar Items B through I, seconded by Councilmember Thomas. The motion carried and the following items were approved: B. Payment of the bills received through August 31 and paid on August 31 after auditing by the Operations Committee on September 17, 2011 Approval of checks issued for vouchers: Date Check Numbers Amount 8/31/13 Wire Transfers 5586-5598 $1,764,245,11 8/31/13 Regular Checks 675991-676543 3,739,442.56 8/31/13 Use Tax Payable 2,316.14 $5,506,003.81 Approval of checks issued for payroll for August 16 through August 31 and paid on September 5, 2013: Date Check Numbers Amount 9/5/13 Checks 332804-332952 $ 98,413.12 9/5/13 Advices 318414-319058 1,209,227.88 $1,307,641.00 C. Excused Absence for Councilmember Perry. Councilmember Perry who was unable to attend the September 17, 2013 Council meeting. D. Renewal of New Cingular Wireless Cell Site Lease at Fenwick Park. The Mayor was authorized to sign Addendum Two to the cell tower lease agreement with New Cingular Wireless at Lake Fenwick Park, and all other necessary documents, to 4 Kent City Council Minutes October 1, 2013 extend the term for an additional five years, to grant New Cingular an option to renew the lease for three additional five year periods, with periodic rent increases, subject to final terms and conditions acceptable to the City Attorney, and ratify all acts consistent with this authorization. E. Desimone Levee Interlocal Agreement with Tukwila. The Mayor was authorized to sign an Interlocal Agreement between the City of Kent and the City of Tukwila for improvements to and FEMA accreditation of the Desimone Levee, subject to final terms and conditions acceptable to the City Attorney and the Public Works Director. F. 2014 Washington State Arts Commission Project Support Grant The Mayor accepted the $3,950 grant from the Washington State Arts Commission, approve the expenditure of funds in the Kent Arts Commission's budget, and authorize the Parks Director to sign all necessary documents related to the grant's acceptance and expenditure. G. New Connections Lease Agreement. The Mayor was authorized to sign a five year Lease Agreement with New Connections to rent the city-owned building located at 422 West Titus Street, subject to final terms and conditions acceptable to the City Attorney and the Parks Director. OTHER BUSINESS A. GreenPlay Agreement. Lori Hogan, Assistant Superintendent, Parks, Recreation and Community Services discussed the agreement and noted that GreenPlay is a consulting firm that will review the City's recreation programs as a result of the Berk Study. She noted how the five to six month process would be executed and the specifics of GreenPlay's Pyramid Methodology. Councilmember Ralph stated this was discussed several times in the Parks committee meetings and wanted to ensure this fits the Council's request to identify the need for the request to quantify and justify whether programs should be continuing or not. She verified with Hogan that by spreading this out over a five to six month period of time there will be less of an impact. Hogan confirmed and communicated the process and said the result will be a living, breathing document. She added that everyone will have a voice in the document which will live on as a tool steering the City where to have future services and evaluate what is done in the department. Councilmember Ralph moved to authorize the Mayor to sign a Consultant Services Agreement with GreenPlay in the amount of $33,950 for its assistance in reviewing the City's recreation programs as a result of the recent efficiency study, subject to final terms and conditions acceptable to the City Attorney and the Parks Director, seconded by Councilmember Albertson. Councilmember Albertson stated that there was a robust discussion about this in the Parks Committee meeting. She favors the GreenPlay philosophy because they will ask the City if its programs are priced equitably and fairly. Also, she noted they will also ask how the City will continue to fund facilities and services knowing that there are 5 Kent City Council Minutes October 1, 2013 budget constraints. Continuing, she said that this organization, with the experience they have will go to the community and get the answers to the hard questions like "Is the City using its funding in a responsible manner," "Does the City have a methodology for subsidy distributions," and "How does the City charge for services and programs that are aligned with the City's mission, vision, and values". She added that there will be community meetings which will assist in determining which methodology the City should use. She added that there are challenges after the parks levy did not pass. This, she concluded, is a small investment that she hopes will pay off in the future and urged Council support. Councilmember Thomas is opposed to the motion. He communicated that $33,950 can pay for a part-time clerk in the police department. He stated that there was a list in the workshop concerning the list of projects discussed to fix roads and felt there are other expenditures needed. He inquired if the Parks Department could do something similar and come up with a list of programs to bring to the community, staff and Council. Councilmember Albertson communicated that deciding on what failing road needs to be fixed isn't as agonizing to decide on. Deciding on what programs or parks need to be cut or closed is an emotional decision and a harder to deal with. Hogan communicated that the period methodology doesn't give the City answers; it gives the City a tool by an unbiased entity which places the services on the pyramid to give the Council the informational tool to go forward and decide what choices need to be made. Councilmember Perry said this is an objective measure to get as much information as possible. She felt this should be done with the roads, too. The City should be getting a return on investment on public dollars and this is to ensure the City is running the best operation it can run. A vote was taken on the motion on the table which carried 4-1. Councilmember Thomas opposed. REPORTS FROM STANDING COMMITTEES, STAFF AND SPECIAL COMMITTEES A. Council President. Council President Higgins discussed the workshop and said there was a report from Seattle/King County Public Health about their outreach on the healthcare initiative. He stated that Seattle/King County Public Health is moving forward and reaching out to communities to assist them in their healthcare options. He stated that this portion of the workshop was recorded and will be placed on Channel 21. He noted that 1 out of 4 Kent residents are uninsured. He also noted that there was a presentation by Public Works on projects to be funded by the B&O tax. He said the recommendation was given to the Council and the Council will consider it and give its thoughts back to Public Works concerning improvements to be made in 2014. B. Mayor. Mayor Cooke thanked the Public Works staff for their work over the past week with the rainstorms. She discussed that the City does have some of the areas with issues this past week are projects on the capital budget for utilities and they should continue to improve. She discussed the King County Coordinating Committee 6 Kent City Council Minutes October 1, 2013 on Gangs and said they are coming close to some recommendations and will soon be able to apply for grants on the federal level to be able to use them to intervene in the prevention of youth being pulled into gangs and those that are already in gangs. She stated that the US Corps Engineers cancelled their meeting concerning the Briscoe Desimone levee and it was cancelled because of the federal government shutdown. C. Administration. None. D. Economic & Community Development Committee. In the minutes. E. Operations Committee. In the minutes. F. Parks and Human Services Committee. Councilmember Albertson announced that the next Parks and Human Services Committee meeting would be October 17`h. G. Public safety Committee. In the minutes. H. Public Works Committee. Councilmember Albertson stated that the next meeting is October 7th and an additional meeting will be held on October 22Id I. Regional Fire Authority. Councilmember Thomas communicated that he went to the Retired Firefighters Luncheon last Friday. He said his next meeting is October 2nd ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 8:04 p.m. J Ronald F. M re, MMC City Clerk 7 PUBLIC COMMENT KE • T SIGN UP SHEET N WAS MIGOM ,,��� // For the Kent City Council Meeting of:uGZ/4`Y,Ij NAME Street Address Email Address Topic 1234 Main Street SE Comprehensive X Jane Doe Kent, WA 98032 jdoe@hotmail.com plan / 1t5✓Y 1 2 E l 1 L e- 3 L s� �%/e 6 7 s 9 10 12 13 14 is 16 17 1$ 19 20 Members of the public are invited to speak under "Public Comment" Agenda Item #6. Please sign above and when asked by the Mayor, come to the podium. Please limit your comments to three (3) minutes.