HomeMy WebLinkAbout2017-09-21 NCBC Agenda PktYakima City Council Committee
Neighborhood & Community Building Committee (NCBC)
Council Chambers, City Hall – 129 N 2nd St, Yakima, WA
Thursday September 21, 2017
2:00 p.m.
City Council City Staff
Councilmember Dulce Gutiérrez (Chair) Cliff Moore, City Manager
Councilmember Avina Gutiérrez Joan Davenport, Community Development Director
Councilmember Carmen Méndez Sara Watkins, Senior Assistant City Attorney
Councilmember Holly Cousens (alternate)
Agenda
1) Board Appointed Reports – Standing Items
a) Transit Development Plan / Transit Related Issues (D. Gutiérrez) 08/16/2017 Minutes
b) Parks & Recreation Commission (D. Gutiérrez)
c) Henry Beauchamp Community Center (A. Gutiérrez)
d) Historic Preservation (A. Gutiérrez)
e) Yakima Planning Commission (A. Gutiérrez)
f) Bike/Pedestrian Committee (C. Méndez)
g) Homeless Network (C. Méndez)
h) TRANS-Action Committee (D. Gutiérrez)
i) Ethics & Equal Rights Committee (A. Gutiérrez) 06/01/2017, 06/28/2017 Final Minutes
j) Community Integration Committee (D. Gutiérrez) – 08/07/2017 & 09/06/2017 Minutes
2) Update on Trial Period for Council Meeting Subtitles (Beehler)
3) Community Integration Exploratory Committee Presentation (Arthur Alcazar)
4) Summary Status of Equity Study Analysis Project “Yakima Asset Inventory Data Validity and
Analysis” (Davenport)
5) Conclusion Report of Council Internship Program
6) Other Business / Requests
a) Approve Minutes of 08/17/2017
b) Future Items
c) Recap of Deliverables for Next NCBC Meeting
d) Interpreter for Next Meeting (48-hr advance notice)
7) Audience Participation
Next Meeting: October 19, 2017
The complete agenda packet is available online at: https://www.yakimawa.gov/council/city-council-committees/
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TRANSIT CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE
8/16/17
MEETING MINUTES
Meeting was called to order by Alvie Maxey at 5:30 P.M.
AGENDA ITEMS:
1. Alvie began the meeting by introducing himself and the staff that was a part of the meeting.
Members present from staff included: Alvie Maxey, Transit Manager; Naeem Kara, Transit
Office Assistant; Jeff Beaver, Transit Operations Supervisor; Jennifer Orlando, Community
Transportation Coordinator; and Agustin Ortega, Transit Operations Specialist.
2. Alvie indicated that Transit is in the process of interviewing for a Transit Planner, and the
first line of interviews are scheduled for August 18th.
3. Fixed Route Bus Service Updates: The new Fall Bus Books is now available. The changes
and special events for the Fall book are as follows:
Route 1: will now continue down Yakima Ave, and turn on 6th Street, then turn on
Walnut to get back to the Transit Center.
Route 9: will turn on Walnut (instead of Chestnut) and head to the Transit Center.
Route 10: (instead of continuing down 1st Street) will turn down MLK Blvd., then turn
on 6th Street, and then turn on Walnut to get to the TC.
Route 11: has moved the CWU bus stop due to safety concerns. The bus stop moved
from the CWU Surc to the corner of 11th St & Maple St.
Holidays: There will be no service on September 4th (in observance of Labor Day), and
bus services will be delayed on September 23rd (due to the Sunfair Parade).
Special Events: The Park and Ride to the Central Washington State Fairgrounds will
occur September 22nd to October 1st. Special bus service will be provided from the
Gateway Center to the Fairgrounds and back. Also, the Luminaria event will be held on
December 8th-9th from 6PM-10PM. The service will pick up and drop off passengers at
the K-Mart parking lot. This is a tentative proposal, dependent on whether or not the K-
Mart lot sells and/or if the weather conditions allow it.
4. Dial-A-Ride Updates: The recertification for the program has been completed. The
recertification process is typically done every 5 years, and we have now started doing it every 3
years to keep our records current.
5. Vanpool Updates: Jennifer discussed that 3 new Vanpool vans were purchased using a state
grant. The Vans purchased were: a Ford Transit (11 passenger), and two Dodge Caravans (7
passenger). All of the new vans are currently in service.
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6. Naeem explained that the Transit Development Plan was near completion and that a public
hearing notice will be posted soon for public comment. The Transit Development Plan is an
annual report that gets submitted to the WSDOT and communicates Transit’s progress over the
previous year, and its future plans over the next 6 years. Once the public hearing is completed,
and the Plan is approved, it will be submitted to council, and from there will be submitted to
WSDOT. Yakima Transit is required to submit this report annually to remain on “good
standing” terms with the State and Federal government to receive financial incentives (grants,
etc.).
7. Naeem then explained that Transit received a grant for 20 new lighted shelters that will be
added for passengers throughout the fixed-route system. Also, Transit has monies set aside to
repair sidewalks in areas of high population. Currently, the City Engineering department has
recommended sidewalk improvements for 40th Ave. Alvie asked if there were any other
recommendations from the committee in regards to where sidewalk improvements should be
done. One recommendation were made, however, one of the committee members indicated that
he would reach out to the Bikes and Peds committee for suggestions.
OPEN DISCUSSION:
8. Bus Shelters: Alvie indicated that Transit received a grant to build 20 new bus shelters
around town. There were a couple of ideas brought up in regards to local/community
involvement in building shelters, including:
Partnering with businesses to fund/build new shelters
Working with schools/colleges to build shelters (holding a competition to see who can
build the best shelter)
Alvie explained that Transit is looking at different methods of building shelters. Currently, the
shelters that are used are made of glass. This is causing issues because of vandalism, people
breaking the glass, etc. We are looking into getting some shelters with a metal back.
9. Route Changes: Jeff explained that the route changes mentioned earlier will help expand our
service to streets that aren’t normally serviced. We are trying to avoid moving buses through
Chestnut Ave due to the construction taking place, volume of vehicles, the angled parking which
is causing safety concerns. With this change, we are now providing more services to Yakima
Ave, MLK Blvd. City Hall, the downtown Library, etc.
10. Terrace Heights Bus Service: One of the committee members inquired about providing
fixed-route service in Terrace Heights. Alvie indicated that currently there is no funding for this
project, however, it may be possible with partnership funding. Alvie stated that if Transit were
to pursue the project, he would like to make it a permanent route. Previously, Transit had
received a grant to operate the service in TH, but once the funds were depleted, the service could
no longer be offered. Alvie explained that this can be frustrating to passengers, as they become
dependent on the route, but it could be taken away and leave passengers stranded. Alvie does
not want this to happen, so in order to develop this route, the funding NEEDS to be in place in
order to move forward.
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11. Union Gap Bus Service: One of the committee members inquired about providing fixed-
route service in Union Gap. Alvie explained that Union Gap is responsible for their own routes,
and that if they are interested in Yakima Transit they would have to put forth an Intercity
agreement that would have to be approved by Yakima’s City Council. As of right now, Union
Gap has not expressed any interest in having Yakima Transit run the bus service, and already has
an agreement with Medstar to provide fixed-route services.
12. Bus Service Data: One of the Committee members inquired about ridership statistics and
where they could find Transit data online. Alvie indicated that all ridership data is included in
Yakima Transit’s Development Plan, which can be found in the City’s webpage under City
Council Agendas and Minutes.
Alvie also explained Transit’s history and how ridership has changed over the years. Alvie
stated that there were some route cuts due to budgetary constraints in 2013. This reduction in
service naturally attributed to a decrease in ridership, however, the reduction in service was
necessary to ensure Transit’s financial stability.
13. Transit Budget: Naeem stated that Transit primary funding is received from the following
sources:
Local Tax (60% of Budget)
Grants (30% of Budget)
Farebox Revenues (10% of Budget)
For the 2017-2019 period, Transit received 4 grants from State and Federal sources. The grants
received were for:
Ellensburg Commuter Operations
Paratransit Operations Assistance
Federal funds towards Bus/Bus Facilities
Bus Shelters
Alvie indicated that a Grant Agreement had been received for some of these projects and were
expected to be presented to Council in September.
14. Community Outreach: Alvie indicated that community outreach is continuously sought
when presenting future plans. Currently, Transit is working on and has the following projects
planned for in the near future:
Working with Memorial to promote Transit services at their new facility near Yakima
Ave and 1st Ave.
Planning for the Plaza Park & Ride. With the new plaza in place, there is expected to be
increased activity in the downtown area.
School will be starting soon, and with that our ridership will pick up very quickly in the
Fall quarter. Our ridership increases nearly 25% with kids riding the bus to and back
from school.
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15. IT/Software Updates: Agustin explained that Transit is looking at new software systems
that can provide better services on the GIS system (tracking bus locations), and to assist with a
new app for bus passes, etc.
Meeting was adjourned at 6:45 P.M.
Next Meeting will be held on November 8, 2017.
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To: City Manager Cliff Moore
From: Communications & Public Affairs Director Randy Beehler
Subject: Council Meeting Captioning Contract Lengths
Date: Friday, September 15th, 2017
Cliff,
At the August 24th Council Neighborhood & Community Building Committee ("NCBC") meeting,
committee members requested research be conducted into the length of contracts required by
captioning services vendors and whether vendors offer a "trial period" option. Committee members
requested information concerning lengths of contracts required by captioning services vendors be
provided to them at the next NCBC meeting.
As I reported at the August 24th committee meeting, I contacted three nationally-recognized, qualified
captioning vendors that were recommended to me by some communications colleagues to learn more
about the services the vendors provide, different options that may be applicable to the City's potential
need, and the range of costs for such services. Based on estimates I received from National
Captioning Institute, Adelphi Studio, and VITAC, the cost of real-time captioning averages about $370
per hour. The cost of offline captioning averages about $570 per hour.
Following the August 24th committee meeting, I contacted those three vendors again to inquire about
the length of contracts they require in order to provide services. Each vendor contacted requires
contracts ranging in length from one year minimum to the three years minimum. None of the vendors
contacted offers a "trial period" option.
Please let me know if you have any questions about this issue prior to the September 21st Council
Neighborhood & Community Building Committee meeting.
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M E M O R A N D U M
September 15, 2017
TO: Dulce Gutiérrez, Chair of the NCBC, and
City Council members Carmen Méndez and Avina Gutiérrez
Cliff Moore, City Manager
FROM: Joan Davenport, Community Development Director
Sara Watkins, Senior Assistant City Attorney
Tom Sellsted, Senior Supervising Analyst
DATE: September 21, 2017 NCBC Meeting
SUBJECT: Status of WSU Metro Center Analysis of Equity Study
The NCBC approved the contract with WSU on June 28, 2017 to analyze the City of Yakima
Equity Study to inform the 2018 budget and future budget decisions. The Scope of Work for the
contract was divided into two tasks.
Task 1: Validate Equity Study Data, including process, accuracy and accessibility;
Task 2: Analyze existing Equity Study data to assess geographical distribution of public
resources and funds. The WSU analysis proposes to use Avenue to method of dividing
“East” and “West” data for discussion purposes
Progress to Date:
Exchange of data between the City of Yakima and WSU technical staff began immediately after
contract execution. On July 19, 2017 a data meeting was conducted with the respective
technical staff. As a follow-up, the WSU Metro Center technical staff held interviews with each of
the City professional department representatives so they could ask questions about the way the
data was collected, what it is used for, how it is updated and various other attributes.
On August 31, 2017, the WSU Metro technical team submitted additional data questions. City
staff has been corresponding with the WSU team and has supplied data as available. The
Sidewalk condition data that was collected during the Summer 2017 Internships has been
added to the Study. However, the City is not presently collecting or processing more data.
The WSU Metro Center provided Report #1 on September 14, 2017 which is forwarded for your
review. The attached Cover Letter requests an extension of the contract for 30 days to complete
the Report #2.
The existing contract terminates on September 26, 2017. Amendment provisions are included in
the contract, but must be mutually agreeable to both parties. The NCBC may wish to make a
recommendation on contract extension to the full City Council.
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WSU Metropolitan Center for Applied Research and Extension | 915 Broadway, Everett, WA 98201
206-219-2426 | metrocenter.wsu.edu
September 15, 2017
Cliff Moore, City Manager
129 N 2nd Street
Yakima, WA 98901
Dear Mr. Moore,
The Metropolitan Center for Applied Research and Extension respectfully requests that the period of
work for the City of Yakima Equity Study Analysis be extended to October 31, 2017 with an agreement to
deliver the final report at a mutually agreed upon date to facilitate review by the Yakima City Council.
We request a no cost extension for the following reasons:
• As noted in our Report 1 dated 9/15/17, while the city provided the Metropolitan Center’s
project team with robust and accurate data in a timely manner, it is ultimately data that was
collected for purposes other than this analysis, and does not include some of the attributes the
project team needed to perform an analysis over time. The project team interviewed primary
city staff to determine if other data may exist to support the analysis, but none was found. This
necessitated an adjustment in our approach to the analysis.
• Despite limitations of the data, the Metropolitan Center’s team has focused on what we can do
with the data to provide useful information to support the city’s overarching goals of the study,
and insure that the city’s expenditure of funds for the study will yield useful results. The
challenges of the data, combined with a change of approach to best meet the city’s needs, has
required additional time to meet all the deliverables of the project.
Thank you for considering our request for additional time in order to provide the city with a useful and
high quality product.
Best regards,
Martha Aitken
Senior Associate, WSU Metropolitan Center
Project Manager and Co-PI, City of Yakima Equity Study
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The WSU Metropolitan Center for Applied Research & Extension
City of Yakima Equity Study Analysis – Report 1
9/15/2017
MetroCenter.wsu.edu
Introduction:
On June 28, 2017 the City of Yakima entered into an agreement with WSU’s Metropolitan Center for
Applied Research and Extension (Metro Center) to analyze data from the city’s Equity Study
(https://www.yakimawa.gov/council/equity-study/ ) for the purpose of helping inform the 2018 budget
and future budget decisions. The contract’s Scope of Work included two tasks listed below, with
variables to be used in the analysis, and the geographical dividing line specifically stated.
The Metro Center assembled a team comprised of experts in urban planning and geospatial analysis to
perform the activities required to meet the deliverables of the project. This report serves as the Task 1
deliverable and provides an overview of the Metro Center’s activities to analyze the data collection and
handling processes the City of Yakima employs with regard to the data used in the Equity Study, and a
preliminary summary of findings. This report also addresses aspects of Task 2, Parts A and B, much of
which could most efficiently and appropriately be implemented concurrently with Task 1.
Review of Scope of Work:
Task 1: Validate Equity Study data
Methods
Confirm with City Council up to 6 data sets identified in Task 2 B, excluding US Census Bureau data, to
assess the validity of those data. For each data set selected we will conduct, as appropriate:
A. A process audit by interviewing City staff and reviewing documents associated with how these
data were collected, compiled, summarized, and made accessible to the public.
B. An accuracy audit of the data by randomly selecting a representative sample of data points, and
independently determining the accuracy through direct observations.
Task 2: Analyze existing Equity Study data to assess the geographic distribution of public
resources and funds (e.g. city, State, or Federal)
Methods
A. Assess the quality of the data to understand any qualitative concerns and limitations that would
impact data analysis or interpretation (i.e. period of time collected, geographically resolution of
the data, etc.).
B. Confirm the input and output variables for the analysis, and the geographical dividing line. Initial
request included the following 6 data sets, upon which this estimate is based:
o Input variable:
• Demographics, to include income, race, education level, marital status, home
owner or renter, property value and age
o Output variables:
• Public safety calls for service (location, response time)
• Street lights
• Code compliance requests
• Parks (exempt parks that are privately funded or charge for use)
• Transit ridership, shelters, benches
o Geographical dividing line
• 16th Avenue
C. Perform the appropriate statistical analyses to assess any relationships amongst the input and
output (i.e. response) variables.
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The WSU Metropolitan Center for Applied Research & Extension
City of Yakima Equity Study Analysis – Report 1
2
9/15/2017 MetroCenter.wsu.edu
Methods:
Clarify Intent
WSU Metro team first met with Yakima City Council members on the Neighborhood and Community
Building Committee: Chair Dulce Gutiérez, Carmen Méndez and Avina Gutiérez, to further clarify the
scope of work, define the specific variables and geographic dividing line to be analyzed, and the overall
intent of the study. After receiving portions of the data and conducting an initial review, the Metro
Center team met by phone with City Manager Cliff Moore, Community Development Director Joan
Davenport, and city staff to clarify the intent of some portions of Task 1 of the Scope of Work, and to
make sure there was an understanding of the city’s interest in positive strategies for the future.
Through this discussion we came to understand that the language of the scope required clarification.
Task 1 “Validate Equity Study data” means something different in the academic realm and the applied
real-world one. A technical data validation process would be overly statistical, particularly with a
“representative sample of data points” across the various datasets, and would be both prohibitively
expensive and, most important, would not achieve the city’s objectives. Instead, we decided that we
needed to know if the city’s data are being collected and recorded in appropriate ways (Task 1, part A),
and whether it is useful to the current disparity analysis (Task 1, part B). Then, as appropriate, we would
check for accuracy of the acceptable data by ground-truthing through site visits (Task 1, part B) to
complete Task 1. We hope this clarification is helpful.
If the city would like to pursue the academic level of statistical validation of their collected data, the
Metro Center could assist in providing suggestions about how that could be done.
City of Yakima Data
For our process audit we reached out to city staff in multiple departments to learn about the internal
processes used to gather, compile, and store data for the Yakima Equity Study. Staff were uniformly
open and helpful in sharing with us their processes for data collection and handling, as well as the data
itself.
The Metro Center team contacted the City of Yakima’s Supervising Senior Analyst, Tom Sellsted to
obtain the five datasets of interest. After reviewing the data available, a Metro Center team member
spoke with Tom Sellsted and Jill Ballard to discuss the methods used to collect and display datasets in
the Equity Study’s ArcMap Online Story Maps. Mr. Sellsted also provided the Metro Center team with
contact information for the city data steward(s) of each of the five datasets, and the team scheduled
one hour phone calls with each data steward. During these calls the Metro Center team asked questions
to identify and clarify our understanding of the methods used to collect the data used in the Equity
Study. We took detailed notes during the call and, in some cases, followed up with additional emails or
calls for clarification. The description of the methods used by the City of Yakima will be included in the
final report.
Additional Data
To supplement city data from the Yakima Equity Study, we compiled census data from the American
Community Survey (ACS) for each of the demographic “input” variables: income, race, education level,
marital status, and homeowner or renter. These data sets were collected for years 1980, 1990, 2000,
2010, and 2015. These data will be used as input variables to run statistical analysis of output variables
(Task 2, part B), as well as to tell the demographic story of Yakima over time as discussed in the Metro
Center/City staff telephone conversation mentioned above.
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The WSU Metropolitan Center for Applied Research & Extension
City of Yakima Equity Study Analysis – Report 1
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9/15/2017 MetroCenter.wsu.edu
Data for property value and age has also been collected. Since these data include time stamps, they will
allow for a longitudinal analysis of age and value through the years that we have census data.
Results and Analysis
Process and Accuracy Audit
Our analysis suggests the City of Yakima has a professional and appropriate process for collecting,
storing, and analyzing data, and a staff knowledgeable in the data infrastructure. Additionally, most of
the data is recorded and handled in a reasonable and professional manner for its original intent: to
support the city's geospatial data and land use planning. We note that the city’s GIS architecture has
been developed over more than 30 years, a positive quality which means that the city has a mature
system in place.
An accuracy audit was conducted on a sample of city parks, on both the east and west sides of 16th
Avenue, to assess parks data - one of the most complete and historically available datasets provided.
This audit will also add richness to the binary nature of the parks data, and will help us understand
whether there are qualitative differences in park resources across that geographic dividing line. The
results of that audit will be presented in the final report.
We found no major sources of explicit bias in the collection, handling or storing of data, but we do
recognize some sources of potential unintended consequences that may insert bias into the city’s data
collection for some of the datasets provided. These will be detailed in the final report.
Data Quality and Limitations
While the city is to be commended for its long commitment to a citywide Geographic Information
System, staff and council should understand that, because the datasets were collected and developed
for purposes than an analysis, or to assess disparity, most are insufficient to demonstrate either
disparity/inequity or associated causation. The original intent of the data collection ultimately limits our
ability to use the data to answer some of the current equity questions regarding past city practices: it is
simply invalid for those purposes based on the time period, scale, or collection method used.
In the Appendix, we provide a summary table of this data and its possible usage. We hope this will help
council understand possible approaches they might take, and what analyses are not supported by the
data. Much of this work is part of Task 2, part A.
Recommendations
We note that while the data is too variable in quality, especially with regard to availability over time, to
do historical examination of whether city resources have been distributed equitably, we think that a
current “snapshot” or examination of existing conditions is appropriate and warranted.
Most of the contemporary data statistical analysis on the correlation of demographic variables (such as
poverty, race, etc.) with geographic location is appropriate. And, when compared or cross-checked with
a historical analysis of the growth of the city through annexation and demographic change over 30
years, we think a reasonable story can be developed to answer some of the equity questions. Moreover,
we will be able to point to areas where the city may be able to implement future strategies that will lead
to positive outcomes.
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The WSU Metropolitan Center for Applied Research & Extension
City of Yakima Equity Study Analysis – Report 1
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9/15/2017 MetroCenter.wsu.edu
Our understanding of the Code Compliance data, though, suggests that this dataset remains problematic
for analyzing equity due to the anonymous nature in which the data is collected. However, further
conversations with city staff might clarify for us some possible lines of inquiry for which the Code
Compliance data could be used.
Next Steps
We will complete any remaining portions of Task 2 Parts A and B, and complete the analysis in Task 2
Part C including the accuracy audit on parks data, historic and contemporary demographic maps and
historic demographic summary tables, and contemporary disparity/equity statistical analyses as
appropriate. The demographic maps will show “input” variables across the period 1980-2015. We will
then draft a final report of our findings for the city.
Timeline to Completion
Due to some of the challenges presented by the data, we request an extension of the contract to
October 31, or a mutually agreeable date.
Attachments
Appendix – Summary of Data Utility
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The WSU Metropolitan Center for Applied Research & Extension
City of Yakima Equity Study Analysis – Report 1
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9/15/2017 MetroCenter.wsu.edu
Appendix 1 – Summary of Data Utility page 1
Output
Variable
Recommended use in
Equity Study
Limitations Recommendations
Public Safety
Calls (for
Service)
● Analyze current
disparities in
response times for
both Fire and Police
Services
● Analyze Fire and
Police services by
council district and by
16th Avenue dividing
line
● GIS Data are only available
from 2012 to present day (not
suitable for historical analysis)
● Walk-in cases to YPD are not
consistently tracked. The
database is shared with
SunComm
Street Lights ● Analyze current
disparities in street
light presence per
council district, by
demographic output
variables
● Historical data not available in
GIS format
● Define levels of service
(LOS) standards for
street lights throughout
the City of Yakima
Code
Compliance
Requests
● Display the data
spatially to identify
possible disparities
● Data in GIS format are only
available from 2015 to present
day (not suitable for historical
analysis)
● There are many confounding
factors that could lead to
disparities in types of code
complaints, and responses
● Create tag to identify
which code compliance
cases were received by
Yak Back, phone calls,
emails, or other
methods
● Develop documentation
of response
prioritization criteria
Parks • Analyze the
development of
parks in each council
district over time, by
population
• Analyze the
development of
parks in each council
district over time, by
demographic
characteristics
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The WSU Metropolitan Center for Applied Research & Extension
City of Yakima Equity Study Analysis – Report 1
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9/15/2017 MetroCenter.wsu.edu
Appendix - Summary of Data Utility page 2
Output
Variable
Recommended use in
Equity Study
Limitations Recommendations
Transit
(Ridership)
● Historical data not available in
GIS format
● Obtain data for analysis
of disparities in level of
service for transit
Transit
(Benches)
● Review criteria for
placement of benches to
prioritize need as well as
feasibility, and ridership
Transit
(Shelters)
● Review criteria for
placement of shelters to
prioritize need as well as
feasibility, and ridership
(Note: the Appendix may be updated in the final report as warranted)
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M E M O R A N D U M
September 15, 2017
TO: Yakima City Council Neighborhood and Community Building Committee
FROM: Joan Davenport, Community Development Director
Joseph Calhoun, Planning Manager
Helen Harvey, Senior Assistant City Attorney
SUBJECT: Summary of 2017 Council Internship Program
Background:
In 2016, the Yakima City Council established an internship and mentorship program for students
in high school in coordination with the Yakima School District. The program is an opportunity for
students to learn about and increase their knowledge of government. We believe this has been
a beneficial program for the students, and for the City. A total of 7 high school students
participated in the program from the Yakima School District. The students were selected by the
Yakima School District. The Yakima School District determined that three students would come
from Davis High School, three students from Eisenhower High School, and one student from
Stanton Academy. Each student was paired with one of the City Council members for the
mentorship portion of the program during the 2016-2017 school year. When the mentorship
component was completed, the students had the opportunity to apply for a paid summer internship
with the City of Yakima. A total of three students applied for the internship and worked during the
summer at the City. Two students worked with the Planning Division, and one student worked
with the Legal Department. The interns’ salaries were funded from a donation from the ACLU as
part of the settlement in the redistricting case.
Planning Division Internship:
The Planning Division was pleased to support two Interns in June, July, and August 2017. They
were a pleasure to work with and extremely helpful throughout their time in Planning. During their
time, they completed the following tasks and attended several trainings and meetings.
• Sidewalk Collector Field Project
Nearly every morning, the Interns collected sidewalk condition data to add to the previous
work done by the OneAmerica Interns in the spring. To date, a total of 4,702 data points
have been collected. Of the 819.56 miles of sidewalk in Yakima, 752.92 miles have been
surveyed (91.86%). See attached maps.
• Planning Administration Office Tasks
When not collecting data, the Interns assisted Planning staff by printing/
assembling/mailing notifications for Planning projects, compiling and summarizing written
comments for planning projects, and completing an inventory of our 179 banker boxes full
of historic planning records. Later in the summer one of the Interns also assisted the
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Purchasing Division with Purchasing’s initiative of moving toward a paper free file system
for the Division.
Summary of Planning Division Experience:
Prior to the Mentorship/Internship program, the Planning Division had 2 interns from March to
May 2017 who were high school student volunteers with the OneAmerica program. The Planning
Division was impressed with the energy and passion of the OneAmerica students and brought
them into the office to help with the data collection and other tasks related to the Equity Study.
These two students helped organize and begin the project (sidewalk condition inventory) that the
City Council Interns were able to implement. The OneAmerica Interns were paid for from the
Planning Division and were not part of the Council Mentorship/Internship program because they
did not attend the Yakima School District.
The two City Council Mentorship Interns both had a genuine interest in assisting the City with the
equity study project and enjoyed the field work. The summer months were very hot, so field work
was limited to mornings. Afternoons were spent working on other administrative tasks and
projects. The availability of the two students was different, and between them $6,475 was paid
for intern salaries for the Planning Division.
Legal Department Internship:
The Legal Department was pleased to support one Intern during the summer. The assistance of
the Intern was helpful in assisting with some important responsibilities.
The Intern learned and used several computer programs in the Legal Department, including
Justware, JIS, Microsoft Office and Spillman. The Intern also assisted the Prosecution Division.
The Intern entered referrals from the Yakima Police Department into the Justware database and
obtained reports from Spillman, so that the Prosecution charging deputy could make charging
decisions. The Intern closed many cases for the Legal Department and entered the case names
into the case log, and did this project quickly and efficiently. The Intern organized the evidence
repository and assisted in transferring the evidence to the storage annex. The Intern received
training in handling front desk responsibilities. The Legal Department appreciated the assistance
of the Intern with the numerous projects that the Department processes and works on every day.
$2,252 was paid for Intern salaries for the Legal Department.
Meetings and Trainings Attended by the Interns:
The Interns attended some City Council meetings during the school year in the mentorship portion
of the program. During the summer, the Interns in the Planning Division and the Legal Department
attended all of the following trainings and meetings.
• City of Yakima Leadership Training (all day)
• Employee Introduction to Public Service (half day course)
• Mandatory – Anti Harassment Training
• Mandatory – Drug and Alcohol Training
In addition, depending on whether the Interns worked in the Planning Division or the Legal
Department during the summer, the Interns attended some of the following meetings or training.
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• Planning Commission
• Neighborhood and Community Building Committee
• Development Services Team
• Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee
• CityMap – Making the Most of City Web Mapping
• Community Court Diversion Graduation
• Trial Hearings
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Yakima City Council Committee Minutes
Neighborhood & Community Building Committee (NCBC)
City Council Chambers, City Hall
August 17, 2017
Committee Members Staff
Dulce Gutiérrez, Chair Sara Watkins Scott Schafer
Carmen Méndez Jeff Cutter Ken Wilkinson
Avina Gutiérrez (absent) Lisa Maxey Alvie Maxey
Holly Cousens, Alternate Randy Beehler
Chair Dulce Gutiérrez called the meeting to order at approximately 2:10 p.m.
Presentation of Final Report from Ethics & Equal Rights Exploratory Committee (EERC) – Maria Rodriguez
and David Morales provided a brief, verbal update on their findings report to City Council. The exploratory
committee focused on three issues: housing, wage theft, and equity study. Morales highlighted some issues
related to housing that may justify the creation of a permanent committee: lack of internet, poor housing
conditions, and issues related to discrimination due to communication barriers. He distributed a summary
which includes ideas to address some of the housing related issues. Rodriguez added that the public does not
know how or where to submit complaints and a permanent committee would serve as a resource for them. In
regards to wage theft, Morales described examples of how that occurs in the job market. Méndez and D.
Gutiérrez expressed appreciation for their time and efforts. Méndez pointed out that “ethics” was not
addressed in their presentation. D. Gutiérrez agreed that more clarity on ethics is necessary and supports that
“housing” and “wage theft” be addressed at a permanent committee level. She asked if the exploratory
committee was able and willing to continue their work to answer some of the concerns noted. Rodriguez
stated that they will meet through the end of the year. Deb Sterling, exploratory committee member,
requested direction as to what the NCBC would like the EERC to specifically address as there is a broad
range of ideas. D. Gutiérrez made herself available to discuss this with the EERC focus groups to establish
clear guidelines.
Follow-Up on Council Meeting Subtitles and Cost Information – Beehler provided cost estimates for Council
meeting translation captioning/subtitles from English to Spanish. He explained the captioning services that
vendors provide such as real-time captioning which is provided live as the meeting occurs and tends to be
less accurate; and offline captioning which is provided after a meeting takes place and is more accurate
because the translator can pause and rewind. The annual cost for real-time captioning, based on the average
number of Council meetings, would be approximately $46,000 and the annual cost of offline captioning
would be approximately $71,000. D. Gutiérrez inquired about the possibility of a three month trial period, to
which Beehler responded he will research that and report at the next NCBC meeting.
Intern Recognition – Lidia Diaz and Aaron Hernandez were recognized and thanked for their participation in
the summer Council internship program. They shared their experience and thanked the committee for this
opportunity.
Board Appointed Reports – Standing Item
Transit Development Plan/Transit Related Issues – D. Gutiérrez recapped the topics of the previous
meeting: bus services for special events, vanpool received three new vans, grant for new transit shelters with
solar lighting, GIS mapping features for transit purposes, new bus route book effective August 28th. The next
meeting is November 8, 2017.
Parks & Recreation Commission – No August meeting, nothing new to report.
Henry Beauchamp Community Center – July meeting was rescheduled to the fourth Tuesday in August.
Historic Preservation (HPC) –The next meeting is August 23rd at 5:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers. The
board will sign the approved letter to the Board of County Commissioners. The final event for the HPC at the
Farmer’s Market will be September 10th. There is one vacancy on the commission.
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Yakima Planning Commission – Calhoun reported that the Planning Commission initiated discussion on the
final plat administrative procedures. The next meeting is August 23rd where they will review a preliminary
long plat. There is one vacancy on the commission.
Bike/Pedestrian Committee – Phil Mattoon reported that the Bicycle Master Plan was received and the
committee had an opportunity to review it and provide feedback. They would like the Council to adopt the
final plan in October. The next meeting is September 12th.
Homeless Network – The August meeting was cancelled; nothing new to report.
TRANS-Action Committee –D. Gutiérrez asked staff to inform her of the next meeting date.
Ethics & Equal Rights Committee (EERC) – The EERC presented their findings report at this meeting.
Community Integration Committee (CIEC) – The next meeting is August 21st. Watkins reported that some
committee members will attend the Downtown Summer Nights event to conduct surveys. They intend to
present their final report to Council at their October 17th meeting. They extended an invitation to the NCBC
members to join them at their upcoming meetings.
Approval of Minutes – Motion made by Méndez, seconded by D. Gutiérrez, to approve the amended minutes
of 06/29/2017; motion carried by unanimous vote. A motion was made by Méndez, seconded by D.
Gutiérrez, to approve the minutes of 07/20/2017 as presented; motion carried unanimously.
Recap of Deliverables – Staff reviewed the following list of deliverables from this meeting:
• Follow-up on possibility of trial period for Council meeting Spanish subtitles
• Date of the next TRANS-Action meeting
The committee agreed to move Board Appointed Reports as the first item of future NCBC meeting agendas.
D. Gutiérrez announced that Spanish interpretation services are available; however, require a 48 hour
advance notice.
Audience Participation – None noted.
Méndez asked for an update on the equity study validation project. Staff will report at next month’s NCBC
meeting.
Adjourn – D. Gutiérrez adjourned this meeting at 3:00 p.m.; the next meeting is September 21, 2017.
Approved by:
Date Approved:
Prepared by: Rosalinda Ibarra, Community Development Administrative Assistant
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