HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council Meeting - Council Workshop - Minutes - 01/21/2003 COUNCIL WORKSHOP MINUTES
. JANUARY 21, 2003
COUNCIL MEMBERS PRESENT: Chair Judy Woods, Tim Clark, Connie Epperly, Leona Orr,
Julie'Peterson, Bruce White, Rico Yingling
STAFF PRESENT: Dena Laurent, Mike Martin, Fred Satterstrom, John Hodgson, Tom Brubaker,
Brett Vinson, Bruce Weissich, Jackie Bicknell
PUBLIC PRESENT: Doug Levy, Michelle Gisi
The workshop was called to order at 5:00 P.M. by Council President Judy Woods. Sexual Predator
Siting was added to the agenda as Item 6.
State Legislative Update
Assistant Chief Administrative Officer Dena Laurent said that Doug Levy had met with key
legislators, both House and Senate, in the past week concerning the Sales Tax Streamlining
legislation. Staff also spoke with the 47`h and 33`a District legislators, and Mike Martin testified
before the House Finance Committee work group on the issue; May Miller was continuing to work
on a survey of Kent businesses to determine exactly what portion of their deliveries were occurring
inside of Kent and what was occurring outside. Staff was focusing this week on talking to the cities
that should be impacted—Tukwila, Auburn, Fife, Everett, Puyallup, Pasco, Moses Lake, and
Redmond— and inviting them to a meeting on January 3 1" for more in-depth conversation and urging
. them to contact their legislators.
Committee Member Rico Yingling suggested that the City work on the other side, too, to find out
what might be coming into Kent as opposed to leaving. Chief Administrative Officer Mike Martin
said the Finance Department had put together a model that took that aspect into account. Initially, a
list of cities was targeted because they were wholesale/manufacturing cities, and that list had been
revised based on what comes into a city. Dena Laurent added that the AWC had sent an email to all
cities asking them to look at the issue. The AWC has agreed to work with the City of Kent and will
have the position that they agree in concept but don't want any city left behind. Mike Martin stated
that 240 cities will be winners, 40 will be losers, and 20 will be bad losers. The retailers and
everybody who has a strong voice will want to go forward.
Legislative Consultant Doug Levy said there were House and Senate sponsors for the Tax Increment
Financing/"EDGE"Legislation; he will work hard this session to get the EDGE bill enacted because
it provides state partnering money to help with building public infrastructure to serve new
development, or to help existing businesses and industries expand in this state rather than outside of
it.
Dena Laurent said several of the South County legislators had introduced bills that would add new
criteria to the Secure Community Transition Facility site selection process. Those bills were in
response to residents' concerns.
. Status of Kent Meridian Pool
Parks Director John Hodgson said staff had met with the county and the school district last week.
The county liked the plan except for the possible reversion of the pool back to the county. Working
on the premise that nothing was happening, the pool was mothballed, and the county and the school
Council Workshop, 1/21103 2
district would have to work out future demolition, staff offered one final proposal that the City would
• take the mothball money of$77,000,put it in an escrow account to the school district, take the capital
money and use it for capital purposes, take transfer of the pool so the City would own the pool, and
enter into an agreement with the Kent Citizens for Water Safety(which is forming a group called the
Aquatic Management Corporation). The City would give them $70,000 in up-front money,
recommending that it come out of the Youth/Teen Capital account. They would use that money for
cash flow with the idea that, as they made money, it would be returned to the City. The City would
also give them $20,000 a year as had originally been agreed upon. At the end of a time period, or if
the City determines that the cost to run the pool is greater than$20,000 a year, the pool would close
and transfer back to the school district and they would use the money in escrow to demolish it.
Mr. Hodgson said he would like Council to consider the issue as an action item under Other Business
at that night's Council meeting. He handed out a list of four possible motions. The motion would be
to allow the Mayor to enter into an agreement based on the outlined premise.
Homeless Update
John Hodgson said two task groups were formed to look at the homeless issue in the community as a
result of a community meeting in November. One task force was to deal with Treatment and the
other with Enforcement. The focus was the difference between homeless groups—those that don't
want to be homeless or have been forced into homelessness because of financial reasons versus a
transient population. On the Treatment side, a Homeless Resource Guide was created, which is a
card for the transient population listing where services can be obtained. An information sheet is
being finalized that talks about how to deal with and treat the homeless. It tries to encourage the
• community to deal with these folks in a particular way so as to not encourage certain behaviors. The
Task group is looking at the cost to purchase a hygiene center, which would be a mobile shower unit.
(Effective the middle of February, showers will be eliminated at the Commons for the homeless. One
of the big issues talked about in the community focus groups was the intimidation of users of the
Commons by the homeless.) There will be another community meeting on February 11`h. The group
is looking for advocates who are willing to work with the police to go on site and try and help some
of the transients.
On the Enforcement side, Mr. Hodgson said the group is trying to find ordinances and ways that other
communities are dealing with the issue. It is extremely challenging because of the issue of people's
First Amendment rights. Kent seems to be on the cutting edge and to be the ones writing the book on
this. He said they were trying to strengthen the way of dealing with vacant buildings (getting the
Code Enforcement Officer involved) and creating a curriculum to train people to deal with the
homeless so that people can go to the library, to the staff at Kent Commons, or the businesses and get
"how to"training on dealing with this type population. It needs to be controlled so it doesn't grow.
The Homeless Committee meets weekly to address indicators of success and to create outcomes.
Council Retreat
Mike Martin handed out the agenda for the council retreat to be held on January 28`h at Dumas Bay
Centre in Federal Way. He said staff was in the process of interviewing facilitators for a future
facilitated retreat.
• ReEional Transportation Improvement District Discussion
Public Works Director Don Wickstrom reported that with the demise or lack of support for
Referendum 51, the 2002 Legislature enacted E2SSB6140 authorizing King, Pierce, and Snohomish
Council Workshop, 1/21/03 3
counties to form a RTID (Regional Transportation Investment District)to address regional
• transportation issues. Mr. Wickstrom gave a slide presentation on the RTID. (A detailed summary is
included in the Council Workshop packet.)
Sexual Predator SitinE Forums
Mike Martin said there would be a community meeting the following night in Burien and one the
night after that at Green River Community College on the Sexual Predator Siting issue. He said he
would attend both meetings and speak on behalf of the City. The Mayor had prepared a letter that he
intended to send to the Governor, and Councilmembers Leona Orr and Julie Peterson would attend
the Orillia Road site meeting and speak if necessary.
Rico Yingling commented that people needed to aggressively voice their opinion and ask how the
DSHS came to choose the two sites and what other sites were part of the process. He went on to say
that the City should be aggressive in stating that it couldn't accept any decision from the DSHS
unless they opened up their process so it could be seen that it was a fair process.
Bruce White said the whole fallacy of trying to site one of those facilities in a residential
neighborhood was that eventually, over time, one of the things that would have prevented the siting
in the first place would show up. To put one in a residential neighborhood guaranteed that there
would be non culpability uses nearby.
The workshop adjourned at 6:18 PM.
•
Council Office
2"d Floor,City Hall
220 4`h Ave. South,Kent,98032
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