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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council Meeting - Council Workshop - Minutes - 03/17/2015 i 1400 ICETI T Kent City Council Workshop Minutes March 17, 2015 The workshop meeting was called to order at 5:03 p.m. by Council President Ralph. Councilmembers present: Ralph, Boyce, Fincher, Higgins, Ranniger, and Thomas Council President Ralph handed out a draft resolution brought to the Council by Doug Levy which expresses the strong support of the Council that there be a 2015 Transportation Revenue and Reform Package adopted in the legislature by the end of this session. Councilmember Thomas communicated that he has no issues with it, but has strong concerns about the Council getting involved and taking a side one way or another. He added that this comes with a price, to include a significant increase in the gas tax. Council President Ralph noted that the increase would be $0.11. Councilmember Higgins communicated that he understands that a gas tax would be needed and stated he supported the proposed resolution. Councilmember Thomas confirmed Councilmember Higgins was in favor of the proposed resolution and the Council expressed their support of the resolution. Councilmember Boyce noted that the Council has spoken out on other issues, and the City's roads are in dire need of repair. He stated that there continues to be traffic issues and nothing is being done on roads. Council President Ralph noted that she has seen the report on travel times and they keep increasing. She added that Senator Fain has represented Kent very well in the legislature; if this is approved a good amount of funding would come to the City. Transportation Sustainability & Transportation Benefit District — Public Works Director Tim LaPorte introduced Utility Engineer David Brock, Environmental Conservation Supervisor Kelly Petersen, City Engineer Chad Bieren. Brock began the presentation and stated that pavement is the largest dollar need in the City's transportation system. The City, he said, has 320 miles of roadway and the current maintenance cost for those roads is $12 million per year. Current maintenance funding is at $7 million and there currently is $250 million in deferred maintenance, he added. He reviewed street classifications and the lifecycles for each type. He displayed the pavement condition and the pavement management five-year project j projection maps. Councilmember Higgins inquired about the work on 109th. Brock replied that this map is for 2015 going forward; since 109th and Central Avenue are currently planned they aren't on the map. i Kent City Council Workshop Minutes March 17, 2014 I Councilmember Boyce confirmed that 20% of the roads in the City are in poor condition. LaPorte further explained that most of the roads that are poor are multi- lane roads and very expensive to repair. Brock noted that the life expectancy of a road can be extended by using concrete instead of asphalt. He stated that concrete has a life expectancy of 75 years. Councilmember Boyce confirmed with Brock however, that concrete costs 30 - 35% more. LaPorte noted that a policy would be coming to the Public Works Committee to begin implementing the repair and replacement of roads with concrete. He added that it will be a policy change. LaPorte communicated that building a concrete road on S. Central Avenue would be difficult because there are several privately-owned driveways. Councilmember Fincher confirmed that concrete would only be recommended for usage on non-residential roads because of their increased usage levels. Councilmember Higgins confirmed that 212`" wouldn't be done in concrete because there is going to be a grade separation there with an overpass built in the future. Brock continued and spoke about what causes deterioration on roads. He stated that the City spends $200,000 per year on crack sealing. He also noted that there is a significant increase in pot holes in the City. He discussed line striping and pavement markers and said it costs $225,000 per year with an advertised bid coming out soon. He discussed thermo-plastic markings and noted that they have a five year expectancy and an annual cost of $400,000. He said the City has about $17 million in repairs needed for wheelchair ramps. He added that tree maintenance funding is $250,000 and the City is in need of 28 miles of repair at a cost of $12 million. The City also has about 180 miles of missing sidewalks at a cost of $130 million to install. Finally, Brock displayed a map showing the locations of the missing sidewalks in the City. LaPorte discussed the sidewalk comments from the retreat and noted that the City is missing a lot of sidewalks that weren't installed prior to the annexations. He stated that there are a few places that sidewalks could be put in, but the City has a lot of repair work to do. Council President Ralph communicated that the policy has been that the City isn't putting in sidewalks; it is leaving it up to developers to handle when they develop new properties. Brock noted that in the downtown core there are 5 miles of sidewalks in need of repair and wheelchair ramps. He displayed a map of the downtown core area which needs upgrades. Councilmember Thomas said upgrades are needed on James Street. 2 Kent City Council Workshop Minutes March 17, 2014 Councilmember Fincher verified that there have been requests for the audible crossing signals at intersections. However Bieren replied that there is no funding for them. Brock noted that yearly routine bridge maintenance is $50,000 and that current maintenance needs total $4.3 million. Council President Ralph confirmed that there is not a replacement bridge fund. LaPorte communicated that the S 218th Street Garrison Creek Bridge is scheduled to be replaced in the 228th Corridor "east leg" Project. Brock explained that the Meeker Street Bridge is in need of $2.6 million in repairs and maintenance. He also explained the process of painting the Meeker Street Bridge. Councilmember Fincher confirmed that Parks is responsible for the maintenance of the bridge. Brock communicated that the 212th Street Bridge needs $1 million in repairs. Discussion continued with gateways and traffic islands. Brock noted that the current monthly maintenance includes weed eating, litter pickup, pesticide application and tree pruning, as needed. He displayed photos of work done by Public Works staff on the traffic island at 228th and 4th Avenue. Council President Ralph thanked the City staff for their work on that traffic island. Brock continued on about the Pacific Highway island and said a bid will go out this fall for the $750,000 in maintenance needs. He noted that it is funded by B&O. Councilmember Thomas inquired about the damage to the islands on Pacific Highway and LaPorte noted that it was caused by trucks. He also asked about Sound Transit light rail and Monica Whitman noted that it doesn't look like light rail will be running down Highway 99. Brock continued and discussed the Kent-Kangley traffic island improvements. He continued and discussed signage. He said the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices dictates the requirements for signage. He stated that the annual sign inspection, cleaning and maintenance costs are $68,783 and the cost of new installations is $199,345. However, the cost to bring all of the signs up to the current standard is $4.5 million. Brock replied to Councilmember Boyce and stated that the j staff does sign for inspection and replacement. He noted that sign replacement happens when residents inform the City that one has come down or needs replacing. LaPorte also added that when lawsuits are filed and the condition of signage is brought into question his department is informed and any issues are addressed. Brock noted that the overhead guide sign replacement must be done by the 2018 compliance deadline. 3 Kent City Council Workshop Minutes March 17, 2014 He noted that guardrail maintenance needs are $125,000 - $150,000 with annual maintenance costing $80,000 per year. Councilmember Thomas asked about guardrail damage at the end of 272nd by the old drive-in. LaPorte noted that once the agreement is done the City of Auburn would be responsible for the guardrail repair and the property. Councilmember Boyce verified that if someone drives into a guardrail the City can recoup the cost. However, Council President Ralph added that between 30 - 40% of accidents in the City are from uninsured motorists. Councilmember Higgins confirmed that there is a draft inventory of where the City staff would like to put in guardrails, but the inventory isn't complete. Council President Ralph discussed guardrail liability and Brubaker responded that he isn't sure if the City would be liable if an incident occurred at a faulty guardrail, but felt it would be minimal. Brock highlighted snow and ice response and that the average snow event lasts 72 hours costing between $20,000 - $145,000. He noted that $9,000 is budgeted annually for materials and contract sweeping. However, overtime is not budgeted. Brock replied to Councilmember Boyce and stated that the trucks have neoprene strips on the bottom of the blades that protect the roads. However, sometimes a road turtle does come off. LaPorte responded to Councilmember Thomas that the City has an emergency fund in case of snow issues. Peterson discussed traffic signals and street lights. He noted that there are 119 traffic signals that cost $50 - $60 million to replace, with over 200 traffic devices. He noted that the annual parts cost is $80,000, signal electricity costs are about $15,000, auto collisions cost the City $60,000, and storm damage costs are about $40,000 per year. He reviewed the traffic signal communication system and noted that it is a fiber inter- connect system with 10.5 miles and 40 miles proposed. Enhancement costs, he said, are $1.2 - $1.5 million. Bieren responded to Councilmember Higgins concerning radio controlled systems, and noted that the staff could look into it and see what the costs are. LaPorte also verified that the City will be using several sources to run fiber throughout the City. Petersen continued about traffic controller cabinet replacement costs running about $180,000 per year and traffic cameras costing $160,000 with a 10 year life cycle cost of $150,000. He noted that traffic loops cost $30,000 annually to replace and cost $2,000 per loop with over 4,000 loops in Kent. He pointed out that the longevity of the loops depends on the pavement. Peterson discussed the 138 uninterruptable power supply (UPS) systems and where they are located in the City. He reviewed street light maintenance and stated that the annual cost for parts is $30,000 and electricity costs $1.25 million and 15 - 25 get damaged each year. He noted that 4 i Kent City Council Workshop Minutes March 17, 2014 there are also $10,000 worth of copper wire thefts in the City annually. The City pays $27,000 per year for the shopper shuttle, and about $130,000 for the commuter shuttle (DART). He reviewed the 20 active residential traffic calming locations and the average annual cost to install one is $250,000. He discussed traffic data collection and highlighted the costs. LaPorte displayed the unfunded need and stated that it was about $11 million per year, based on $12 million in annual funding and $23 million of funding needs. Councilmember Boyce inquired as to how the City got to where it is today. To which Bieren noted that since 1999 the total transportation revenue loss is estimated to be $68 million. He noted that the specific initiatives were I-776, I-747, and I-695. LaPorte also noted that the annexations of Panther Lake, Meridian, and Dilmer also led to the City assuming streets that were in bad condition in addition to the streets the City obtained from the county. He also noted that some of the streets are 30 or more years old. Councilmember Higgins discussed the funding slide and stated that $23 million is what is needed annually to tread water, and the backlog needs, such as bridges aren't even calculated in this number. LaPorte replied that the bridges and other additions would cost another $1.2 million. Brock replied that there is a $4 million backlog when it comes to bridges and $250 million backlog on streets. Councilmember Higgins asked for a full accounting of all backlogs in the City, to include guardrails, etc. LaPorte communicated that they will prepare a report for the Council. Council President Ralph communicated that the $23 million doesn't make any progress, but keeps things going. LaPorte replied that there are things that could be done to lower the issues and discussed some of them, such as having concrete used on City streets instead of asphalt. Councilmember Higgins stated that the Mayor of Tacoma introduced a large plan for transportation needs in Tacoma and would be interested in what they are doing. Monica Whitman, Senior Transportation Planner highlighted the reduced transportation revenue. She noted that the gas tax distribution has decreased while lane miles have increased over time in the City. She discussed several items that could affect transportation revenues in the future and that a transportation benefit district (TBD) would institute a $20 vehicle tab fee which would raise $1.6 million per year. She noted that 52 cities in Washington have formed TBDs, of which 14 jurisdictions are in King County. She noted that the trend is that cities without TBDs aren't receiving transportation funds. Council President Ralph noted that this came up at her project selection task force meeting and it was noted that Kent didn't have a TBD, but did do a utility increase and B&O. Whitman concluded with the decision points of the TBD which were holding a public hearing, establishing a district by ordinance which specifies where the improvements are to be funded, and annual reporting. 5 Kent City Council Workshop Minutes March 17, 2014 Councilmember Boyce pointed out all of the other issues coming up which could possibly make it hard for residents to agree upon a TBD. He discussed the upcoming items which may affect the finances of Kent residents such as the TBD, B&O, solid waste and property tax increases, Sound Transit, and the Puget Sound Emergency Radio Network bond. Council President Ralph revealed that a survey of 1,500 people in the region resulted in eight out of ten respondents saying congestion was a serious problem, and three out of ten not wanting to pay for it with a gas tax increase. Thus, she stated that there is a need, but not a real commitment to pay for it. Whitman noted that traffic has increased in the region by 25 percent in one year, and Councilmember Thomas added that 1 million more people are expected in King County by 2020. Council President Ralph noted that traffic times from Tukwila to Bellevue have increased by 20 minutes. Councilmember Thomas inquired about flooding on the bridge on 256th. Brock explained that the bridge and conduit are a choke point because Soos Creek can't be dredged. LaPorte noted that the roadway would need to be raised and guardrail would need to be added to fix the problem. Councilmember Higgins inquired if the City of Covington has been spoken to about a joint project there. LaPorte replied that it could be discussed with them. Higgins added that he felt more Covington residents are using that bridge than Kent residents. LaPorte concluded that it would be a great area for a TBD project. Councilmember Higgins communicated that he is in favor of a TBD. He said that not establishing one is costing Kent residents projects and money because our regional partners are not providing project funding to us. He said that having a TBD won't solve all the City's problems, but would prefer to have holistic program to fix everything instead of addressing a little bit at a time. Council President Ralph communicated that she is optimistic that the citizen advisory committee will come to the same conclusion. Councilmember Thomas noted that a majority of the cities don't have a TBD and aren't physically located in King County. Councilmember Fincher stated that she isn't fully committed to forming a TBD. Councilmember Boyce felt the Council needs to understand the full picture in order to attack it head on instead of little by little. 6 Kent City Council Workshop Minutes March 17, 2014 Council President Ralph and Councilmember Boyce thanked LaPorte for the presentation. i The meeting adjourned at 6:29 p.m. Rona F. oreyMMC City Clerk ii 7