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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03/18/1997 Adjourned Joint Meeting • 3 0.0 ,ri'tu'. CITY OF. YAKIMA, WASHINGTON MARCH 18, 1997 ADJOURNED MEETING WITH YAKIMA COUNTY AND UNION GAP I/ The City Council met on this date at 7:30 a.m. at the ESD #105 Administration Building Conference Center, 33 South 2nd Avenue, Yakima, Washington. - Council members present were Clarence Barnett, Ernie Berger, John Puccinelli, Henry Beauchamp, and John Klingele. Mayor Lynn Buchanan and Council Member Bernard Sims were absent and excused. City Manager Zais, Assistant City Manager Rice, Administrative Assistant to the City Manager Oliver, Don Blesio, Chief Of Police, and Deputy City Clerk Skovald were also present. Yakima County Commissioners present were Jim Lewis, Bettie Ingham, and William Flower. Dick Anderwald, Yakima County Planning Director; Michael Leavitt, Superior Court Judge; Audrey Fetters, Yakima County Juvenile Services; Doug Blair, Sheriff; and Jeff Sullivan, Yakima County Prosecutor were also present. Union Gap Mayor Dan Olson and Council Members Walt Rippee, Bill Ackerman, and Phil Salzman were also present. Union Gap City Manager Paul Burlingame; Assistant City Manager Kathleen Holscher; Bill Silvers, Union Gap Police; and Executive Secretary Sherrie Testerman were also present. Commissioner Flower opened the meeting and everyone introduced themselves. STATUS UPDATE OF LEGISLATIVE ISSUES City Manager Zais directed attention to the 1997 City Legislative Issues list, particularly to the Tort Reform issue, which both the City and County Associations have supported, but where there is conflicting views among the attorneys. The legislative impact of this issue to both the city and the county is one to watch since it will provide tort relief in the event of major litigation or lawsuits. Mr. Zais reported it is questionable whether it will pass the legislature because there is a lot of opposition. He also reported there appears to be unanimous support of the proposed bill on Transportation which would be a movement toward a Gas Tax increase and perhaps a one cent local option or an allocation of the State Gas Tax hike for cities and counties for transportation purposes. Mr. Zais urged everyone to write letters and make phone calls in support of this issue. Another issue is the Motor Vehicle Excise Tax (MVET) which continues to be a concern. Mr. Zais reported there has been some support in the Legislature which is encouraging news; letters and calls would also be advantageous to this issue. CONSIDERATION OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE ISSUES Commissioner Flower invited Jeff Sullivan, Judge Leavitt, and Audrey Fetters to discuss Criminal Justice issues within Yakima County. Jeff Sullivan directed attention to proposed legislation which would dramatically expand the authority of the Superior Court • 3.1 O ADJOURNED JOINT MEETING -- MARCH 18, 1997 Judges for all juvenile offenses. It would also impact utilization of the Juvenile Justice facility. Mr. Sullivan provided a handout on crime statistics in the City of New York and Boston which show a dramatic decrease in crime, 38.8 %. These statistics point out that enforcement works. He directed attention to the community policing effort which has been recently implemented and places an emphasis on minor offenses. Mr. Sullivan requested assistance from the cities to find a way to determine the best use of the 50 beds (reduced from 70) at the Juvenile Justice facility. The problem is the lack of beds in the 'facility for those needing to be incarcerated. From a law enforcement standpoint, one of the biggest problems is what to do with them if the Juvenile Detention facility won't take them. He elicited input from the city council members and law enforcement officials in working out the admissions criteria and the dramatic rise in juvenile offenders along with the dependency and truancy program cases. Judge Leavitt indicated there have been some initial discussions about other alternatives, but until further discussions take place, other suggestions and ideas are welcome. Audrey Fetters reported there is about 77% of the total juvenile justice cases are from cities. Council Member Puccinelli asked whether alternative sentencing is available as is used in Municipal Court such as day detention, and how would that impact the bed count. He suggested perhaps using the high school as a day detention on Saturday or using the City's Police Station /Legal Center. Dick Zais answered a question about space availability in the jail for day detention. The facility is almost virtually filled and modular units will probably be installed to handle the city's adult day detention program. He suggested the County evaluate other revenue options that the Commissioners could impose on the community, such as a business license fee or an admissions tax. There was continued discussion about various issues including the parent's responsibility to guide their children, and the $100 a day cost to house a juvenile in the facility. Audrey Fetters explained it costs that amount because they have to provide school district personnel and other maintenance services to the juvenile offenders. Discussion then continued about repeat minor offenders, a juvenile boot camp; the Juvenile Justice Act; and coming up with alternatives to address the issue. Chief Blesio suggested a task force be formed of all the communities in Yakima County to model after the Boston Project. After continued discussion about the recent failure of the Juvenile Justice levy and whether there would be another try in November, Commissioner Flower emphasized the needed support from the community and suggested another meeting be held in the future to further discuss this issue. OTHER ISSUES Commissioner Lewis requested a future discussion on what is happening with Clean Air Authority because there are some major EPA initiatives which will have an impact on the urban area. • 2 • 31 ADJOURNED JOINT MEETING -- MARCH 18, 1997 Dick Zais suggested the, mitigation of Railroad impacts be added as another topic of discussi•oii 'at a future meeting. He also invited the County and Union Gap to participate in traveling to the Legislature to support common issues.' The meeting adjourned at 8:30 a.m. READ AND CERTIFIED ACCURATE BY: _ / COU CIL MEMBER DATE /OUNCIL MEMBER' DATE ATTEST: 4,-6zA__Z CITY CLERK JOHN PUCCINELLI, MAYOR PRO TEM Minutes prepared by Deputy City Clerk Skovald. An audio tape of this meeting is available in the City Clerk's Office 3