HomeMy WebLinkAbout02/26/2013 Study SessionY 3',
YAKIMA CITY COUNCIL
STUDY SESSION
February 26, 2013
Council Chambers -- City Hall
10 a.m. Study Session regarding Regional Fire Authority
MINUTES
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Roll Call
363
Council: Mayor Micah Cawley, presiding, Assistant Mayor Maureen Adkison, Council Members
Sara Bristol, Kathy Coffey, Rick Ensey, Dave Ettl and Bill Lover
City Staff: City Manager O'Rourke and City Clerk Claar Tee
Mayor Cawley proclaimed March 2, 2013 as "Aces and Eights Dead Man's Hand Day" on behalf
of Zonta Clubs murder mystery dinner fund raiser. Pat Reynolds accepted the proclamation.
Council Member Ettl commented on Zonta's 26th annual fund raiser and the great things Zonta
does for Yakima. .
2. 2012 Washington Survey and Rating Report
Chief Willson gave a power point presentation on the 2012 Washington Survey and Rating
Report with Council and noted the City is rated a 4. Our last rating was conducted in 1995 and
the City was rated a 4. City Manager O'Rourke noted it may be possible to lower our rating to a
3, which would result in better insurance rates for citizens. Chief Willson indicated with the
addition of two fire inspectors, this may lower the rating, as well as, providing training
opportunities. He stated the City has 18 months to request a review of the rating.
Regional Fire Authority Feasibility Study - Final Report
Chief Willson gave a power point presentation on the Regional Fire Authority Study.
The Feasibility Committee voted unanimously to move forward to the next step, which is to
have three elected officials from each jurisdiction form a Planning Committee to devise a budget,
operating system and manual, and then apply to the State. If it meets all the criteria, all Councils
from each participating jurisdiction would vote whether to place this before their constituents for a
vote. Council Member Adkison noted she was on the Feasibility Committee and would like to
see this go forward.
City Manager O'Rourke stated they need Council direction to proceed. He mentioned there are
five reasons not to pursue an RFA. First, there is no net benefit to the City; the
City loses operational level of service; the customer will be paying more for the same service;
there are no economies of scale - -if a regional solution is to identify and achieve economy of
scale to reduce costs, it should not be done to maintain the status quo; and finally, this is not a
regional solution, as we are missing one of the largest districts in the area - -West Valley Fire
District.
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364
ENSEY MOVED AND BRISTOL SECONDED TO END OUR STUDY WITH THE REGIONAL
FIRE AUTHORITY.
Moved by Council Member Rick Ensey, Seconded by Council Member Sara Bristol. Carried 6 -1.
Council Members voting Aye: Bristol, Cawley, Coffey, Ensey, Ettl, Lover. Council Members
voting Nay: Adkison.
4. Fire Response Protocal Trial
Deputy Fire Chief Stewart briefed Council on the issue and their continued efforts to find
efficiencies. They conducted a study of structure fire responses in 2012 and determined out of
154 responses, 54 percent were false alarms or incidents that could have been handled by one
apparatus instead of deploying the entire department. They are developing a tiered program
response that will be instituted for several months on a trial basis.
Proposed Automatic Aid Agreement with West Valley Fire District
Chief Willson briefed Council on the issue. Mayor Cawley asked whether this is the same type of
agreement we had before. Chief Willson confirmed and stated the previous agreement has
expired.
Adjournment
The meeting adjourned at 11:55 a.m. to the next Council Business meeting on March 5, 2013 at
6 p.m. in the Council Chambers.
Motion: Adjourn, Moved by Council Member Rick Ensey, Seconded by Council Member Kathy
Coffey. Carried 7 -0. Council Members voting Aye: Adkison, Bristol, Cawley, Coffey, Ensey, Ettl,
Lover.
CERTIFICATION
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