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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11/17/1999 Adjourned Meeting 312 NOVEMBER 17, 1998 ADJOURNED MEETING - BUDGET REVIEW • The City Council met in session on this date at 8:30 a.m., in the Council Chambers of City Hall, Mayor Pro Tem Mary Place, presiding, Council Members Clarence Barnett, Henry Beauchamp (present after 8:50 a.m.), Lynn Buchanan, John Klingele, and Bernard- Sims present on roll call. Mayor John Puccinelli was absent and excused. City Manager Zais, John Hanson, Director of Finance and Budget, Cindy Epperson, Accounting Manager, and City Clerk Roberts were also present. COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Capitol Theatre (Budget Page No. 321; no Policy Issues) Steve Caffery, Executive Director, Capitol Theatre, was present to present the 1999 budget for the Capitol Theatre and to respond to questions from the Council. He stated there is nothing unusual about this budget except that $5,000 has been budgeted for new canopies. Council Members Klingele and Buchanan urged Mr. Caffery to make sure the canopies are of a height to clear any truck traffic turning into the alley. GENERAL ADMINISTRATION DEPARTMENT Water /Irrigation Division (Budget Page No. 199; Policy Issues Pages Nos. 81 -82) Glenn Rice, Assistant City Manager; Dueane Calvin, Water Division Manager; and Dave Brown, Water /Irrigation Engineer, were present to present the 1999 budget for this Division. The policy issue to upgrade a Department Assistant II to a Department Assistant III was reviewed. Mr. Calvin described the duties this person is performing and indicated it would have about a $3,000 impact on the budget. The upgraded duties will provide better customer service as well as better service to the crew. Council Member Barnett commented about the number of similar requests throughout the budget and asked if there are other reasons for requesting these upgrades. Mr. Rice responded that they are trying to upgrade the Water Department and one potential barrier is that a Department Assistant II position is regarded as being an entry -level position. When an individual is trained in all the intricacies of a position, the manager hates to lose that expertise in the office to a promotion elsewhere. It is costly to hire and train a new employee. 313 NOVEMBER 1998 ADJOURNED MEETING - BUDGET REVIEW Council next discussed the policy issue for an irrigation cost- of- service adjustment, primarily focusing on the collection of delinquent accounts and how to prevent uncollected accounts by requiring an adequate deposit and /or information about the renter, i.e. requiring a social security number. Mr. Hanson informed Council that the problem with uncollectable accounts is small; less than 1 %. (Council Member Beauchamp present after 8:50 a.m.) Council members talked about the impact transfers from irrigation to domestic . water are having on irrigation rates and plant capacity. Council Member Barnett asked what the projected irrigation cost of service was in the previous study. Mr. Calvin stated he would have to refer to that study and would then provide an answer. Dave Brown stated this policy issue would set a rate increase for two years; however, there is no increase scheduled for 2000. Mr. Calvin and Mr. Brown responded to questions posed concerning fire hydrants, equipment rental charges and dues. The following corrections were made for this budget: page 207, under Account 490, the narrative should be changed to correspond with the figure in the chart ($22,000); check the account numbers (4W0 and 400) on pages 207 and 209 for correctness;, and on page 215, change 34 Avenue to 32 Avenue under the Capital Outlay - Capital Improvements 1999. Wastewater (Budget Page 160; No Policy Issues) Glenn Rice, Doug Mayo, Acting Wastewater Manager, and Pete Hobbs, Environmental Analyst, were present to present the 1999 Wastewater Division budget. In light of recent letters to the Editor, Council Member Barnett made it a point to clarify that • the City cannot require connection to the sewer system. The Health District requires that if a septic system fails and a sewer line is available within 200', then the property owner is required to connect to the City's sewer system. Council members discussed various items in the budget including stormwater regulations, inspection of sewer :lines using the TV camera, infiltration of irrigation water• and roof drain run -offs, pretreatment regulations for commercial operations, effect of Y2K on the facility, and industrial septage. The following corrections were made for this budget: Page 164, change chart to put Service Units on the left side of chart, and on Page 171, change "this" to "that" in the second sentence above the chart. Council Member Klingele requested a roster of the projects mentioned under Account 410 on page 171. Referencing a statement on page 190 about information provided by the Geographic Information System map, it was suggested that the year this program was started be inserted into the sentence. Staff was also requested to clean the storm drains located at 2 Avenue and Walnut and 1 and Nob Hill Blvd. 2 314 • NOVEMBER 17, 1998 ADJOURNED MEETING - BUDGET REVIEW COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT (Budget Page 279, Policy Issues Pages Nos. 87 -111) Bill Cook, Director of Community and Economic Development, and Don Skone, Planning Manager, were present to present the 1999 budget for this Department. Also present for discussion of their respective Division's budgets were Leonard Hall, Code Administration Manager; Marvin Miller, Acting Block Grant Manager; Randy Beehler, Cable Communications Manager; Kathy Coffey, Yakima Center; and Fred French, City Engineer. The policy issue to increase monthly parking fees was reviewed. Mr. Cook stated the increased fee was requested by the Downtown Area Redevelopment Committee (DARC). The rate would increase from $30 per month to $40 per month, which is less than the $50 monthly fee charged by the Yakima Mall. DARC has also recommended increasing the hourly rate for the parking lots. Council Member Buchanan referred to a Seattle study that indicated they were losing revenue by illegal use of handicap parking permits. He suggested research be done to determine if Yakima is experiencing a similar problem. The next policy issue discussed was for an increase in the land development application fee. Mr. Skone reported that Yakima would compare very favorably with other jurisdictions even with this increased fee schedule. A policy issue for Commute Trip Reduction Projects was reviewed. Funding will be requested in the amount of $90,000 for installation of pedestrian and bicycle pathways, and another $90,000 will be requested for the construction of a park & ride and high occupancy vehicle parking facility in conjunction with additional parking at the Yakima Convention Center. Mr. Zais stated this project has to go through State review and approval. There were no questions about the 1999 arterial street overlay program policy issue. City Manager Zais explained the policy issue on page 104 to study a second 1 /% Real Estate Tax to fund an annual street capacity improvement program. He stated staff would meet with realtors and developers who would be affected by this policy issue. Responding to Council Member Barnett's questions regarding the Engineering Division organizational change, Phase B policy issue, Fred French outlined the basis for the request to replace two Engineering Technician II positions with two Engineering Technician III (design) positions. There were two policy issues submitted by the Yakima Convention Center; one for an increase in management fees and one to construct Convention Center Parking /Park & Ride Improvements. Mr. Cook explained that the Center is not asking for an increase in their fees to manage the Center, but only for the fees to cover Center staff salaries. Ms. Coffey reported that the current rental rates are below the rates charged by the hotels /motels which is against their policy. There has not been an increase in rates in four years, and even with the increased rates, the Center will remain competitive with other convention centers in the state. Mr. Zais assured the Council that no funds will be expended on 3 315 NOVEMBER 17, 1998 ADJOURNED MEETING - BUDGET REVIEW the Center Park & Ride until the project is approved by the State. He stated Council would be advised before any money is Expended. ,Council then reviewed the proposed budgets of the divisions in the Community & Economic Development Department. Urban Area Hearings Examiner Mr. Cook stated that this is the first year that the City's and County's expenses will be. separated. Environmental Planning No questions or comments were made on this budget. Code Administration /City Hall No questions or comments were made on this budget. Economic Development No questions or comments were made on this budget. Neighborhood Development Services (See Supplemental Information) Mr. Cook responded to Council Member Barnett's question regarding the reference to the public facilities on page 291, stating it references the parks in the targeted area. He also responded to a question concerning the 'new Community Development Block Grant programs. Cable TV Randy Beeh -ler, Cable Communications Manager, advised Council that Falcon Cable is more likely to complete the upgrade of the cable system than its predecessor, TCI. Commute Trip Reduction Fund Mr. Cook stated this budget relates to the contract with the Conference of Governments (COG). Council Member Buchanan questioned if the City is receiving sufficient benefits to warrant contracting with COG. Tourist Promotion /Yakima Center There were no questions or comments made on this budget. 4 316 NOVEMBER 17, 1998 ADJOURNED MEETING - BUDGET REVIEW Engineering Stating she thought the 48 and Nob Hill Boulevard signal project was complete, Mayor Pro Tem Place pointed out that it is still listed in the 1999 Revenue for 142 Fund. Mr. French stated that project remains on the list for the project to widen the intersection. Council Member Buchanan asked if the overhead sensor to detect traffic is triggered by bicycles because he had to run a red light since the light would not turn green. Mr. French stated that question would have to answered by the Traffic Engineering staff. Mr. Zais reviewed the various projects in the Public Works Trust Fund and the Cumulative Reserve for Capital Improvements Fund. Mayor Pro Tem Place asked staff to consider improving or replacing the sidewalks on West Lincoln around Robertson School. She stated that bushes have grown out onto the sidewalks and wider sidewalks are needed in order to keep the children safe. Staff said they would look at that situation. Mr. Zais complimented Edna Pettyjohn for keeping the accounts on the I -82 project in good order. He also gave Council an updated status report on the City Hall remodeling project and the plans for an elevated train track for freight mobility. Mr. French advised Council about the projected cost of the elevated train track and possible funding sources. It was MOVED BY BUCHANAN, SECONDED BY BEAUCHAMP, TO ADJOURN THE MEETING AT 11:40 A.M. The motion carried by unanimous voice vote; Puccinelli absent. READ AND CERTIFIED ACCURATE BY:�/t /.mod, / • COUNCIL e R DATE UP COUNCIL MEMBER DATE ATTEST: d i ee CITY CLERK MAR LACE, MAYOR PRO TEM An audio and video tape of this meeting are available in the City Clerk's Office 5