HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council Meeting - Council Workshop - Minutes - 02/02/2018APPRovED Mancn 6,2018
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Friday, z February, Noon-5 p.m. / Saturday, 3 February, 7:3o a.m.-3:45 p.m
Lake Wilderness Lodge I zz5oo SE z48th Street, Maple Valley
SUMMARY
oF THE MrmlNc's Kry Drscussrot'ts, DectstoNs, AND AcReemexts
Participants: Mayor Dana Ralph; Council President Bill Boyce; Councilmembers Tina Budell, Brenda Fincher, Dennis
Higgins, Satwinder Kaur, Les Thomas, and Toni Troutner; Chief Administrative Officer Derek Matheson; Mayor's
Leadership Team (MLT) members Aaron BeMiller, Mike Carrington, Marty Fisher, Pat Fitzpatrick, Kurt Hanson, Kim
Komoto, Tim LaPorte, Dana Neuts, Julie Parascondola, Ken Thomas, and Margaret Yetter; Council Administrative
Assistant Jenn Hays; and facilitator Jim Reid.
SU/WV\ARY OF THE MOST IMPORTANT AGREEMENTS FROM THE MEETING
At this year's strategic planning meeting, the Council and Mayor Ralph agreed to
L. Revise the vision and mission statements and three goals, and establish a small committee to
initiate the revisions.
2. Focus on ten top priorities for 2018.
3. Carefully examine three options to ensure the future financial sustainability of the City. These
options will be considered in a mini-retreat in March and during a series of City Council
workshops this spring.
4. Negotiate with utility districts to charge franchise fees.
5. Consider return on investment (ROl) as part of the Capital lnvestment Strategy when deciding
which capital projects to include in the Capital lmprovement Program (ClP).
6. Revise the City's Economic Development Strategic Plan with "light touch" revisions to bring it up
to date. The Administration will proposed these changes to the Council's Economic and
Community Development Committee a little later this year.
7. Design an internship/apprenticeship program that expands existing City efforts and coordinates
with the School District, local colleges and universities, businesses, the State, and Port of Seattle.
THE AGREEMENT TO REVISE THE VISION, MISSION, AND THREE GOALS
By reviewing the strategic planning framework that has been in place since 201"1, including Kent's vision,
mission, and goals, the Council, Mayor, and MLT reached consensus to:
7. Revise the vision and mission statements; and
2. Revise three of the five goals: Authentic Connectivity and Communications; Thriving
Neighborhoods and Urban Centers; and Sustainable Funding.
The Council, Mayor Ralph, and the MLT favor a vision statement that is bold and inspiring, one that
provides the public with a tangible idea of what the City will be in the future. The vision should also be
shorter than the current statement, and go "hand in hand" with the revised mission statement. And the
strateg¡c framework needs to be related to departmental guiding plans.
Everyone supported the concept behind Authentic Connectivity and Communications, but was interested
in making the goal statement clearer and more understandable.
As forThriving Neighborhoods and Urban Centers, it was the last phrase, "Urban Centers," that appeared
problematic. The consensus of the group was to eliminate it and find a way to incorporate "businesses"
into the statement so that both neighborhoods and the business community are recognized.
There was also agreement to change Sustainable Funding to Sustainable Services to place the focus on
services while underscoring that sustainable funding is needed to provide and maintain them.
Mayor Ralph, Council President Boyce, and Derek Matheson will decide on a small committee to revise
these statements.
The Context for the Agreements:
The discussion that led to the above agreements was framed by this question: "What kind of city do we
want in the next 10-20 years?" The responses were:
. A city where people desire to come to live and stay and raise their families.. A community of thriving neighborhoods and engaged citizens who embrace Kent's diversity and
celebrate its parks and other programs and activities.. A city where its neighborhoods come together to raise each other up.. Kent is already competing for people - visitors, residents, and businesses-and must become even
more competitive to attract tomorrow's investors, businesses, and employees.r Kent should be an engine of innovation and technology.. "Kent, the World's Hometown!" How do we grow bigger and have a greater global presence but
retain the feeling of a small town?. Can we capitalize on schools and parks? Back in the day, Kent had the most parks per capita and the
best schools. lt was cool to grow up here. People came here because it was the place to be. This is
not the case anymore. Today schools in particular are the reason why people move to Maple Valley
and Covington. Can our schools, parks, and neighborhoods become the focal points for making Kent
once again a cool place to live?
ln addition to agreeing to revise two of the five goals, another of the goals, "lnnovative Government,"
was defined as:
Forward thinking, continually improving.
Embracing new and better ways of doing things.
Characterized by bold decisions that result from tough or difficult conversations.
Fiscally responsible.
Employees stay a long time and are challenged to try new things and different approaches.
Public-private partnerships are meaningful and benefit both parties.
THE AGREEMENT ON THE TOP 1O PRIORITIES FOR 2018
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On Saturday afternoon, with the 2018 strategic planning meeting nearing adjournment, the Council,
Mayor, and MLT reviewed the list of potential priorities they had generated the previous afternoon.
Everyone could vote for eight priorities, and then facilitator Jim Reid tabulated the results.
These priorities received at least six votes and emerged as the Top 10 Priorities for 20L8. They are listed
in order of the number of votes they received (from fourteen to six):
7. Find solutions to the "Fiscal Cliff."
2. lmplement Public Safety Proposition A (if approved by the voters in April 2018)
3. Make strategic investments to ensure that every dollar spent advances Kent's vision, mission, and
goals and prioritizes capital expenditures.
4. Communicatíons: Tell the story of the City's accomplishments to the community.
5. Communications: Promote Kent throughout the region.
6. Adopt a balanced budget for2OL9:2O.
7. Both internally and externally, invest in technology to leverage service delivery.
8. Restore the reputation of the City's permit processing.
9. Establish a railroad quiet zone.
10. Address homelessness by working with non-profit organizations and businesses on jobs and
transitional housing.
On Friday afternoon, Mayor Ralph, the Council, and MLT brainstormed the City's potential priorities. This
list was the basis for Saturday's selection of the Top 10 Priorities for 2018. Here is the original list.
. Public Safety lnitiative. lmplement public safety plan. Single Use Plastics - Planning Plastic Bags. Affordable Housing. Positive promotion of Kent in the Region. Finding solutions to the Fiscal Cliff
' Homelessness. Build the YMCA. Tell our Story. Gaming. Production and processing of cannabis to help achieve financial sustainability. Find efficiencies in service delivery. Strengthen infrastructure to support growth. Manage staff capacity. lncrease communication with residents, especially communities of colorr Hire a human services liaison to work closely with the Police Department. Leverage recently passed tax initiatives (Senior, Veterans, Best Start for Kids). Establish a railroad quiet zone. lnvest strategically: Every dollar spent should advance vision, mission, and goals. Address capital prioritization and add more structure. lncrease community outreach. Finalize new vision, mission and goals¡ Attract new businesses to vacant spaces in the downtown core. Leverage strategic partnerships that directly support community goals (Get to yes!). Finalize Sound Transit agreements
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. City take ownership of the property at 2nd and Meeker. Sustainable investment strategy for the rehabilitation of Kent Commons and Senior Center. Update Kent's Human Services Master Plan
' Work with non-profits and businesses to assist with homeless jobs and transitional housingr lmplement laserfiche program
. Purchase and implement the public portal of laser fiche. Focus on staff training and development! Report back to the public: Leverage GIS work (building permit maps, storm pond maintenance, parks
capital). Replacement KIVSA software. Purchase and implement Procurement Management System. Make a priority for technology that tracks current traffic flow (intelligent traffic flow). Covered Sidewalks. Update Council Chambers to make them safer and more secure. Update emergency planning to account for an active shooter. Transition to data driven decision-making. Have hard conversations on priorities and what we can't do via service reductions¡ lnvest in technology to leverage service delivery - internal and external. Restore reputation of permit processing
. lmplement Phase I Performance Measures. lncorporate intelligent traffic connectivity into all traffic signals
THE AGREEMENT ON OPTIONS TO RESOLVE THE FISCAL CLIFF
One of the key topics of discussion at this year's retreat was the fiscal cliff, which will significantly impact
the City's finances beginning in 2019. The fiscal cliff is the deficit of approximately $10 million per year
(approximately IO% of the City's General Fund) that will result from phasing out the Streamlined Sales
Tax (SST) mitigation in 2OL9 and the expiration of the Panther Lake annexation tax credit in 2020.
Finance Director Aaron BeMiller and Derek emphasized that Kent's situation is unique. For example, Kent
annually receives SS m¡llion of the State's S20 million SST mitigation fund. Furthermore, Kent has a
smaller sales tax base than many cities, including its neighbor, Auburn. Because Kent is in a unique
position, there is not a lot of pressure on the State to come up with a legislative fix, although Aaron and
Derek reported that Kent is actively engaged in a committee that is working with State officials to
determine if anything can be done. Aaron also commented that some financial strategies the City might
consider only appear to delay the worst until 2025.
As a result of the discussion about how to address the coming fiscal cliff, the Mayor and Council agreed
to carefully examine three options to ensure the future financial sustainability of the City. These options
are: 1)increase revenues;2) reduce expenditures; and 3) reallocate revenues and/or expenditures
between funds. They agreed on one strategy for raising revenues: continue to move forward with
franchise negotiations with utility districts.
The City Council will carefully consider the three options this spring during a series of Council workshops
The Council and MLT observed that assessing the three options will require the City to have clearly
defined its priorities and service levels.
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Regarding the option to increase revenues, the Council listed some other strategies besides charging
franchise fees. They were: 1) revise or eliminate the restr¡ctions on the use of the B&O tax and increase
the tax rate, particularly on larger businesses; 2) install red light cameras at key intersections; 3) allow
and tax the production and processing of marijuana; 4) impose the car tab fee; 5) submit a levy lid lift
proposal to the voters; and 6) ask companies begin to pay for the impact they have on Kent's services or
facilities, such as roads and streets. A few Council members stated that of all the possible strategies,
changing restrictions on and increasing the B&O tax is the least appealing. But it was not ruled out and
will be considered during the Councilworkshops.
Regarding reducing expenditures: Council said it if it is going to consider increasing taxes, it must also
consider program and service reductions. But the Council also said it will consider their potential
intangible affects. These include impacts on citizens, particularlythose most in need, and on staff,
including staff morale, retention, and recruitment. A suggestion was made that if staffing reductions
were to become necessary, employees might be offered early buyout packages to entice some to retire.
Another idea for reducing expenditures was to transfer City facilities to third parties. An idea for
prevent¡ng expenses from rising was to cap the salaries of the City's elected officials.
ln preparation for the Council's mini-retreat and workshops, a suggestion was made that each
department identify those programs that are entirely funded or heavily supported by General Fund
revenues. This would provide Council with a more accurate idea of the amount of funding that could be
reduced, and the nature of the programs and services that could be at risk.
lf reductions in spending were needed, some expressed a preference for making the cuts at one time,
rather than stringing them out over a period of years. According to some MLT members who have
experienced the latter strategy, the impact on staff is far worse than if cuts were made all at once.
Regarding the option of reallocating revenues and/or expenditures between funds, one idea was to
transfer funding from the Capital Fund to the General Fund.
Finally, Council member Brenda Fincher recommended that the City consult with stafffrom the National
League of Cities to discover what other cities across the nation have done when facing financial
challenges of the magnitude that Kent is facing.
ADMINISTRATION PROPOSES A CHANGE IN CAPITAL PLANNING
The next item on the retreat agenda was a discussion of capital projects and how they are prioritized
This discussion was brief because a ninety-minute Council workshop on April 3rd will be devoted to
reviewing the Capital lnvestment Strategy Policy Questions (see pages L7-1.8 of the Council Retreat
Agenda Packet).
The principal outcome of this conversation was the Administration's preview to Council of a change in
how the CIP list is developed. As Aaron described it, the previous process included these steps: 1)
departments identified and prioritized capital projects within their lines of business and proposed them
to the Mayor's Office; 2)the Mayor's Office gathered and reviewed them, and then developed a list; and
3) the Administration recommended the CIP to the Council. The Administration has concluded that this
process did not include a citywide perspective, and, therefore, was not directly linked to the City's vision,
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m¡ssion, goals, and priorities. The new process will start with that perspective by bringing departments
together earlier to discuss how projects could advance the vision and priorities.
The City Council members appeared to support this approach, although they were not asked during the
retreat to formally endorse it. There will be more discussion of the process and content of the CIP on
April 3'd. But the Mayor and Council supported Policy Question #L3 in the Capital lnvestment Strategy
(ClS). They agreed that the return on investment (ROl) should be considered as part of the ClS.
PUBLIC SAFETY DISCUSSION FOCUSES ON BODY CAMERAS AND CARS
Chief of Police Ken Thomas began the discussion of public safety issues by briefing the Mayor and Council
on recent crime stat¡stics and trends. His two primary messages were: 1) The City needs to change
perceptions of Kent because crime is not as bad in the community as many people within Kent and across
the region think it is; and 2) An increase in calls related to "quality of life" issues-prostitution and human
trafficking, for example-are diverting the department's attention away from pursuing alleged
perpetrators of more serious crimes such as homicide, burglary, and rape. lf Proposition A passes at the
ballot box in April, the Police Department could hire up to twenty additional officers. This may also help
the department decrease the costs of mandatory overtime, which amounted to 52 million last year.
Ken also briefly discussed the department's efforts to reach out to a wide variety of neighborhoods and
communities. He, for example, is the department's liaison to the African-American community. His
colleagues are also taking responsibility for serving as liaisons to other diverse communities in the City.
With Ken guiding them, the Council and Mayor discussed two specific issues that the Police Department
is currently addressing:
L. Body comeros. Ken reported these costs associated with equipping officers with body cameras: 1)
S192,000 to start the program; 2) $1-60,000 per year for equipping personnel; and 3) S1-90,000
per year for public records requests and other related expenses.
2. Cars for officers. This program would assign a car to each patrol officer, rather than officers
sharing cars. The Administration believes that ultimately this would save the City money and
enhance public safety.
As a result of the discussions, the Council appeared to be supportive. But one member suggested that
when the Council discusses body cameras in more depth, it will need to discuss issues related to privacy.
And the Council suggested to the Mayor and Ken that before it can approve body cameras or one-car-
per-officer, it will need a more detailed cost and benefit analysis. Council member Satwinder Kaur also
suggested that the City should entertain hiring a social worker to partner with the police to address the
mental and behavioral health issues of people with whom the department comes in contact. As it turns
out, there is proposed legislation in Olympia about this subject; what the City of Kent is doing currently to
address these issues through public safety efforts is a model for that legislation.
MAYOR PLEDGES LONG-TERM FACILITIES PLAN
Parks and Recreation Director Julie Parascondola briefed the Council on the City's need for additional
space. Mayor Ralph pledged to the Council that her Administration will propose a long-range facilities
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master plan so that future Council decisions regarding the City's space needs are made in the context of
an overall framework and strategy.
COUNCIL SUPPORTS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIC PLAN
Economic and Community Development Director Kurt Hanson conducted the next briefing. He updated
the Council on the City's economic development strategic plan, which includes six focus areas, twenty-
one strategies, and 112 actions. lt also includes a "status bar" and performance measures that report on
the City's progress in implementing the strategies and actions.
The Council said that the plan is still relevant and providing the right direction. lt also agreed with Kurt
and the Mayor that "light touch" revisions will bring it up to date. The Administration will propose the
few revisions that appear necessary to the plan at a future meeting of the Councils' Economic and
Comm unity Development Com mittee.
COUNCIL AND MAYOR HAVE MUTUAL INTERESTS IN INTERNSHIP PROGRAM
To initiate the conversation, Bill Boyce shared his vision for an internship/work study program. Then the
Mayor voiced her thoughts and suggestions. They agreed that they share many common interests. And
the other Council members and the MLT do, too.
While the City has had interns in the past, and, according to Human Resources Director Marty Fisher
there is "lots of activity at the department level," the program discussed at the retreat would be citywide,
multi-layered, and future-oriented. lt would also help create a pipeline of young apprentices and interns
for permanent jobs with local businesses and government agencies.
These are some of the possible elements of the potential program:
. A clear citywide vision, purpose, and goals.¡ An apprenticeship program for high school students in coordination with the School District.. lnternships for college and graduate students in coordination with universities and colleges.. Youth training in coordination with existing programs of the State of Washington and Port of Seattle. lnternships within the City that are supported by the bargaining units with whom the City works.. The City serves as a facilitator who steers young people to apprenticeships and internships in private
sector businesses and companies.
Marty also provided everyone with a one-page paper summarizing the Goodwill iGrad City of Kent
lnternship Program. ln partnership with the City, Goodwill lndustries is looking to provide twenty-five
internships for at-risk youth between now and this coming June 30th. Six-week internships are being
offered through three cohorts, each with e¡ght to fourteen students. One of the cohorts began this
month; the other two start in early March and early May. Marty asked for assistance in identifying
potential interns and internship opportunities.
ELECTED OFFICIALS SEEK MORE INFLUENCE FOR KENT IN THE REGION
Kent officials have been playing an influential role in the region for a long time. lssues related to the
Puget Sound's increasing growth and development-housing, transportation, jobs, flood control, and the
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Streamlined Sales Tax (SST), to name a few-make it even more imperative that the City is a regional
partner with influence over how these issues are addressed.
The Mayor, Council, and MLT reviewed a listing of committees and who serves on them (see pages 63-66
of the Council Retreat Agenda Packet). Some examples of City involvement in these committees are: 1)
Mayor Ralph serves on Puget Sound Regional Council's Transportation Policy Board and on the County
Regional Transportation Committee; 2) President Boyce serves on the Economic Development Council of
Seattle and King County and on the Children and Youth Advisory Board, 3) Council member Brenda
Fincher sits on the King Conservation District Advisory Committee and on the Mental lllness and Drug
Dependency Oversight Committee; 4) Council member Toni Troutner was recently appointed to be on
the Regional Law, Safety, and Justice Committee; 5) Council member Tina Budell serves on the Domestic
Violence lnitiative Regional Task Force; and 6) Council member Satwinder Kaur is on both the Growth
Management Planning Council and the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency Advisory Council.
The Mayor and Council reiterated their interest in serving on these committees to help ensure that Kent
remains influential in regional policy development and implementation and obtain resources to address
challenges facing the City. As Mayor Ralph said, "Bad things could happen to Kent if we are not involved."
She also stressed the need to be well prepared for the meetings of these regional committees so that
Kent's influence can grow.
Later this year the City will strategize about the regional committee appointments it seeks in 2019 to be
able to influence the issues of greatest importance to and impact on Kent. And one person also advised
the City not to forget appointments that the Governor makes to regional or statewide committees as
they, too, offer the City opportunities to strengthen its visibility, credibility, and influence.
COUNCIL ENDORSES CHANGES TO ITS RULES AND PROCEDURES
City Attorney Pat Fitzpatrick reviewed the City Council's Rules and Procedures. He suggested a number of
changes, all of which the Council supported. He will finalize the proposed changes and submit them to
the Council for formal adoption soon.
COUNCIL IDENTIFIES ISSUES ON THE HORIZON
At the end of the retreat, the Council and Mayor took the opportunity to identify issues they foresee on
the horizon that the City will need to address. These three were mentioned:
L. lnclusionary Housing
2. Renegotiating the cable contract with Comcast
3. Making public buildings compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
ELECTED OFFICIALS LIST MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF 2018
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To provide background and context for planning for 2018 and beyond, the Council and Mayor began the
retreat by citing the City's major accomplishments of 201-7. These are the accomplishments they said
would have the positive, long-term benefits for Kent:
Pump station on James Street
Tangible projects completed by Public Works
YMCA Project and Partnership *
lncrease in Neighborhood Councils
B&O square footage tax for Parks' sustainability *
Finishing South Central
Hard decisions made by Council, including banked property taxes and the B&O square footage tax for
parks capital projects
Passage of the budget
Training for police officers regarding how to avoid deadly shootings
Hiring of the Cultural Communities Coordinator
Dock replacement at Lake Meridian
Hiring of the Kent Youth and Family Services' Human Trafficking Officer
Kudos to lT Department for its ability to keep us connected and operating
Amount of teamwork over the past year among the Council and staff
Assemblage of the Naden property
Sale of the Par 3 Golf Course and the nearby Cancer Care property
Kent's involvement in the region
The Councilmembers also thanked Jenn Hays for her assistance.
The Council also listed the key lessons learned during the past few years from working to advance the
Council's vision, mission, and goals, and from engaging the public in this endeavor.
Communication with the public needs to be even stronger. *
So much information is out there that it can be overwhelming to citizens, so the City needs to be
even more strategic in how it commun¡cates.
Lots of good things are happening so the City needs to tell its story even more effectively. Don't just
tell what happened; describe the impacts, too.
Communication with developers and business owners needs to be strengthened. One reason is
because of the continuing criticism of the City for taking too long to process and approve permits.
Homelessness, litter, and graffiti have proven to be challenging for a city or region to resolve because
they are societal forces beyond any one jurisdiction's control.
Should take pride in becoming a big city and begin to think and act like one.
Some residents of West Hill perceive they are being left out. The more personaltouches we have
with residents, the more we can do to combat this feeling or perception.
lmportance of Kent's participation in the Region has grown, and this means it is more important for
us to be engaged in the region, particularly in South King County.
We can garner greater support if we educate the community about where its tax dollars are being
spent.
* These comments were seconded or repeated.
MLT CITES DEPARTMENTS' MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF 2017
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After the Mayor and Council listed what they believe were the City's major accomplishments of 2O77,the
members of the Mayor's Leadership Team (MLT) identified the departments' major accomplishments of
last year and the challenges they see on the horizon.
Tim LaPorte, Public Works
Accomplishments:
. 80th Avenue at the north end of Kent. 2L2th at72nd. 224th Street bridge over 167. Working with the railroad. Streets were paved and infrastructure replaced. Work force was much more engaged (we can measure that engagement)
Challenges:
. Drainage District #1- not enough funding to get the ditches cleaned out
Pat Fitzpatrick, Law
Accomplishments:
YMCA Agreement: very complex situation that was a big deal for the office
Sale of the Par 3 Golf Course
Prosecution Division and the DUI Court: Public Safety doesn't stop at the arrest; marijuana DUI was
upheld by the Court of Appeals
Challenges:
. 228th corridor. The Naden propertyr Sound Transit. Franchise and small celltowers. lncreasing complexity of Public Defenders jobs
r Staff will need to adjust to a new judge
Margaret Yetter, Court
Accomplishments:
DUI Court: twenty-two participants were eligible for the program; only one opted to go to jail rather
than participate in it
Relicensing Program has been a huge success
Challenges:
r New Enhancement to case management to O-Court. Transitioning of new judge leaving and coming in
Dana Neuts, Communications
Accomplishments:
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Cultural Communications Coordinator, Uriel Varela, is making great connections to the School District
and diverse neighborhoods
Enhanced social media/monthly social media group training
lmplemented the fireworks communications plan to the community; next year will expand it to
include New Year's Eve
Added five new neighborhood councils
C h alle n g e s an d O p po rtu n ities :
Volume of work
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Need to offer more short and long term planning
Expand the Cultural Communications Coordinator's role
Kim Komoto, City Clerk
Accomplishments:
. Continuous lmprovement Work Plan. Purged and archived over 700 boxes of records. Responded to more than 3,000 public records requests
Challenges:
Need to strategize how to deal with the growth in records management, particularly if we intend to
live up to our standard of responding within five days of a request
Ken Thomas, Police
Accomplishments:
Accreditation of the jail; only the second in the State of Washington
Changes in our service delivery model, which allowed us to deal with thirteen homicides, five officer
shootings, and two significant domestic violence investigations
lmprovements in officer safety and training, including bullet proof glass, cameras, and required process
for officers mandated to be on administrative leave
Challenges:
' Police Department staffing. Opioid and homelessness crises
Julie Parascondola, Parks and Recreation
Accomplishments:
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t
. Sustainable Parks Capital. Tobacco, Smoke and Vape-Free Parks and Open Spaces
' Riverbend Golf Complex Sustainable Business Plan. YMCA/Morrill Meadows Development Project
' Clean State Audit on the CDBG program managed by Human Services
' Serving L.4 million participants in programs, events, and community centers
Challenges:
¡ The upcoming 2OL9-'2O Budget development
Kurt Hanson, Economic Development
Accomplishments:
Successful recruitment of Par 3 Golf Course FNW
"Meet Me on Meeker" design guidelines
Completed the Naden property assembly and RFI for the south end of the site
Record-setting permit numbers and revenue
Challenges:
Sufficient staffing to handle the demand for permit review and approval
Solidifying our regional position and perception as a cultural hub and/or high tech industry
Resolve placemaking and livability for development draw
Sound Transit project -2OL9-2O2I
Aaron BeMiller, Finance
Accomplishments:
. Became a more integrated and cohesive team; took more pride in our work and were more
productive¡ We won awards for our reports and clean audits. Excellent financial report to the Council
Challenges:
Managing demand versus capacity
Cost Allocation
CLASS Replacement
Performance Measures
2079-' 20 Budget develo pment
Mike Carrington, lnformation Technotogy
Accomplishments:
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Growth, development, and promotions of staff throughout the City has been a benefit to the lT
Department
Established information security program
Trained employees
Moving data centers from City Hall and the Fire Station to Tukwila
Deploying technology improvements, such as in the Council Chambers and conference rooms
Seven major business system deployments are underway simultaneously
Added critical skill sets to the department
Challenges:
Budget development and fiscal cliff
Continued management of security profile:5.5 million contaminated emails blocked, S million spam
and malware which affected or could have affected 8000 computers
Proliferation of data: Amount of digital media by the City is huge
Mafty Fisher, Human Resources
Accomplishments:
Put the 'human' back in Human Resources; became a trusted advisor to the employees
People: Employee Engagement Survey attracted 64% participation
o lt found that many employees are not aware of the vision, mission, and goals
o #1 "hot button" is the lack of training and professional development
o Department is focused on on-line training, including anti-harassment
o Updated performance evaluation process, career page (which illustrates and focuses on
diversity) and web recruitment page
o lmplemented an on-line process to "on board" new employees so that they are prepared for
their first day on the job
Logistics/lnfrastructure: LEAN process
LegalCompliance:
o Updated twenty policies with a goal of reviewing and updating every policy every thee years
o Achieved 100% partícipation of employees in anti-harassment training
o lmproved investigation process
Challenges:
Budget concerns, which are affecting recruitment and retention
Renegotiating labor contract with the Kent Police Officer's Association
Succession Planning: More than sixty managers and supervisors will be eligible to retire in the next
three years
Derek Matheson, Mayor's Office
Accomplishments:
r Proposed a balanced budget for 2018
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Proposed the square footage tax for police that will be on the ballot in April
Established the Major Projects Team consisting of three operating directors, three support
employees and Derek to facilitate inter-departmental communications and collaboration on major
capital projects
Seamless transition from Michelle Wilmot to Dana Neuts in the communications office
Challenges:
I With a new Mayor and two new MLT members, we need to come together as a Mayor's Leadership
Team (willfollow up with an MLT retreat). Public Safety and Criminal Justice ballot measure. Developing the 20I9-'2O Budget
When the members of the MLT finished providing this overview, Council President Bill Boyce said: "The
Council is in tune with what is happening in the departments, and is proud of what the staff has
accomplished." Councilmembers also said that it is vital that the City tell its story about what it has
accomplished. "Let's get out the word." Finally, the Council also said that it is committed to doing what it
can to address the fiscal challenges that are on the horizon.
EXPECTATIONS OF ONE ANOTHER
At the end of the first afternoon of the retreat, Mayor Ralph, Council President Boyce, the other Council
members, and the Mayor's Leadership Team members discussed their leadership and decision-making
styles and what everyone can expect from them.
Mayor Ralph started by saying that she is committed to teamwork and collaboration, openness and
honesty. She also wants close communication and collaboration with the Council President and all the
Council members. She said to the MLT that she is not interested in micro-managing, but needs to know
what is working and what is not, and expects that the MLT will tell her want is not working as well as
what is. Bill Boyce said, "We all want a strong relationship with the Mayor. And knowing that we will not
always agree, we will occasionally need to agree to disagree. Yet we can remain respectful and friends."
The rest of the Council members said they respect each other, want to help the new Mayor succeed, and
respect the MLT and the work of the departments. They expressed pride in the Council's diversity, and
longer-term Council members offered to mentor the new members.
MLT members said that the staff is very attuned to the relationships within the Council and between the
Mayor and Council. They expressed appreciation that Mayor Ralph and the Council get along so well, and
want to continue that partnership. And Pat Fitzpatrick, who seemed to speaking for the entire MLT, said,
to the Council, "Our door is always open to you."
Council President Boyce said that at next year's retreat the group should evaluate the relationships and
collaboration to ensure they stay on track.
TAKEAWAYS FROM THE RETREAT
At the very end of the retreat, everyone identified something that they were taking away from the 2018
strategic planning retreat that was of most value or importance to them. The general themes of this brief
discussion were:
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We are all leaders and have a voice in charting the City's future.
We respect and trust each other, are working well together, and are proud to be on this team.
ln light of the challenges facing us, it is more important than ever to have clear priorities, the
participation of everyone, and the willingness to change our minds as new information comes our
way.
We need to do an even better job of telling our story to Kent's residents and the region.
Finally, there was a brief discussion about the need to immediately communicate with the staff about the
discussions that addressed the fiscal cliff and the options the Council and Mayor agreed to consider.
(NOTE: On Monday, February 5th, Derek and Dana Neuts crafted a one-page message and the Mayo/s
Office sent it to all staff. lt pledged openness and transparency and invited staff to ask questions.)
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