The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink About07/10/1990 Adjourned Meeting • 46 JULY 10, 1990 - - . CITY OF YAKIMA, WASHINGTON . ADJOURNED MEETING 1. ROLL CALL • • • The City Council met. in session on this date.at 7:00 A.M. in the Lakeside Room, Holiday Inn. Mayor Pat Berndt,-presiding, Council members George Pechtel, Skip- Semon and Bernard Sims present. Council members Clarence Barnett, Henry Beauchamp and Lynn Buchanan absent.. City staff members present were City Manager Zais and, Deputy City Clerk 2. • INFORMAL DISCUSSION OF CRITICAL STRATEGIC ISSUES • ,- Mayor Berndt opened the meeting with discussion of the role of the Association of Washington Cities (AWC). -She is optimistic that new leadership in the organization will improve its effectiveness as a voice for the cities of the State. She feels that it is important for the City to be involved with the organization, particularly for setting of priorities. Mayor Berndt feels the greatest value . of :the AWC•meetings' isvin the •networking opportunities, and the. .ability'to find out)how_•other communities deal City i :Manager ; Z ais felt the recent AWC meeting was •the ,-best in several years, LLwith'timely subjects and good speakers. At »the:AWC meeting, 'City Attorney 'Vanek ..gave. _a .,briefing on, the Civil Service issue with the Firefighters, which has become -a - milestone case in labor relations. Council member Pechtel feels that AWC is needed because individual cities cannot afford lobbyists, and would suffer without the AWC system. Council 'member. Sims asked City Manager,. Zais to reschedule a meeting with Lon Wyrick from COG for Council members Pechtel, Sims and Semon. The previous meeting was cancelled due to illness and was never rescheduled. Mayor Berndt explained that the AWC Eastern Washington Legislative Group was created to focus on concerns that are specific to this sideAof the State. They still• work together state -wide, but they . set their own priorities for legislative concerns. City Manager Zais said that ANC has a staff of 23 to assist cities with certain issues. Probably half of the staff is involved with legislative lobbying activity, but only a handful deals with the •delicate issues. City Manager Zais said there has been interest in getting the cities together with the counties to increase. effectiveness. Council member Sims suggested' it'would - be valuable to have the lobbyists meet with the Council, and City Manager Zais agreed this would be an excellent idea -to pursue -. The AWC staff likes to work with elected officials as well as city staff members. Council member Sims was concerned with the situation in the Code Administration office where the permit process is taking 6 -8 weeks during peak periods. He would like to have this problem -1- ADJOURNED MEETING - JULY 10, 1990 4I rectified, possibly through the utilization of temporary employees. This problem is compounded when leave periods reduce an already overloaded staff. He was also concerned with revenue decline in the most recent monthly department report. Council'member Sims felt the City should be a little more pro-active in its utility endeavors by determining the needs ° bf key customers. He would like to make sure that developers are aware of the time constraints • on their projects. Council member Pechtel observed that both the __Codes_._.and__Planning_ Departments are having a difficult time filling staff vacancies because of competition from larger cities with more attractive wages. City Manager Zais looks to the ..Department__.managers to. identify these problems and offer options for a solution. Council member Pechtel felt that many of these problems will be solved when Design Standards are adopted, and the development process is simplified. Couhc.il.member._Sims..observed that_ the_ Hearing_._.Examiner's contract is due for renewal, and the proposed contract contains exclusivity language. Mayor Berndt stated that the agreement with the County calls for one Examiner and one backup, and,it was Mr. Lamb's idea to include the exclusivity portion. Mr. Sims would like to have • the Hearing Examiner knowledge spread to more than just two people. He would also like to see the City and County working closely together in development of the Metropolitan Plan. City Manager Zais reminded the Council members that there are always interpretation issues with standards; and if the Planning Department cannot make a decision, it can be referred to the Legal Department. Council member Pechtel feels that fewer referrals will be made to the Hearing Examiner as the staff continues to learn, and involves the Legal Department with the review process. City Manager Zais stated the Hearing Examiner gives Council a very good basis for their decisions, and he has an excellent track record. City Manager Zais suggested a joint meeting .between the City Council and the Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. This year the Chamber has eight new members, and-this is a•good time to get together to discuss community coricerns..,Council,member Sims felt the Chamber needs to be aware the mission and vision of the City. Mayor Berndt said she attended the last Chamber meeting and the Law and Justice issue was discussed. Chamber members seemed somewhat supportive of the issue, and Mayor Berndt suggested that • the Council invite the Chamber Board to tour the facility and meet with the Council to discuss the upcoming ballot issue. City Manager,Zais will,make arrangements for a tour of City Hall and the Police Department to be followed with,a meeting,to discuss Law and Justice planning. Council member Sims requested that a letter be sent to • congratulate Bill Parrett on his new position with PP &L, and to thank him for his contributions to Yakima. Mayor Berndt will send a letter on behalf of the Council. Council member Pechtel asked if the RFP for the Comprehensive Plan included the needs and concerns of the medical community. City 4 V ADJOURNED MEETING - JULY 10, 1990 Manager Zais is certain that was intended in the proposal and will be included - in the -final document. 3. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 9:15 A.M. , READ AND CERTIFIED ACCURATE BY: re NC '2 1: R . DATE 1 <0. 0 11" S'' OUNCIL DA E ATTEST: - > p Cott CITY CLERK - MAYOR Minutes prepared by Deputy City Clerk Lovell. ■ -3-