HomeMy WebLinkAbout04/09/2024 Study Session 310
MINUTES
YAKIMA CITY COUNCIL
STUDY SESSION
April 9, 2024
City Hall —Council Chambers -129 N 2nd Street, Yakima, WA
5:00 p.m. Study Session —conducted in person and virtually.
1. Roll Call
Present: Mayor Patricia Byers, presiding;Assistant Mayor Matt Brown (attending remotely via
Zoom) and Councilmembers Reedy Berg, Janice Deccio, Rick Glenn, Danny Herrera and
Leo Roy(attending remotely via Zoom)
Staff: Interim City Manager Dave Zabel!, City Attorney Sara Watkins and City Clerk
Rosalinda I barra
2. Public comment(allow 15 minutes)
Maria Meza, City resident, shared pictures of the situation caused by homeless individuals
along Naches Avenue and urged Council to take immediate action to address the
encampments, litter, and safety hazards.
3. Arbor Day proclamation
Councilmember Deccio proclaimed the second Saturday in April as "Arbor Day" and Garrett
Brenden accepted the proclamation and invited the community to attend the Arbor Fest
activities taking place at the Yakima Area Arboretum.
4. Draft Parking Ordinance and Resolutions
City Attorney Sara Watkins described the proposed amendments to the parking regulations
and presented a draft ordinance and resolutions. The draft ordinance includes the changes
as directed by City Council at the April 2nd meeting. One of the draft resolutions includes
amending the Master Fee Schedule to reduce the long-term parking pass fee. The other
draft resolution provides for an extension to the moratorium to coincide with the effective date
of the proposed ordinance.
Council reviewed the language that allows the City Manager discretion to establish parking
time limits for city-owned parking lots and street parking. Staff recommended maintaining the
current language as it allows greater flexibility without the need to change the ordinance in the
event future changes are made to the parking time limits.
After discussion,
MOTION: Brown moved and Herrera seconded to direct City Legal to add to the
ordinance the three hours in [parking] lots and leaving the street[parking] at two
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hours with the discretion of the City Manager. The motion carried by unanimous vote.
5. Update on funding options for MLK Jr. Park Eastside Pool Project 2745
Parks and Recreation Manager Ken Wilkinson and Assistant City Manager Rosylen Oglesby
provided a comprehensive update on the status of the Aquatic Center at Martin Luther King,
Jr. Park, and presented information regarding revenue and expenditure funding for the pool
project. The City Council will be reviewing a contract with the construction company selected
to receive the bid award at their April 16th business meeting. The total cost of the project is
estimated at $12 million for construction and design and the City has secured approximately
$9.6 million in revenue for this project. Project completion is anticipated by June 2025.
Mr. Wilkinson explained the efforts underway to generate the additional funds necessary.
Donations and grant funds are expected to come in through 2026 which may cause a cash
flow problem as the construction project progresses. Ms. Oglesby emphasized the possibility
of a funding challenge of approximately$2.8 million due to unsecured revenue assumptions,
which includes a bid budget shortfall ($540k), contingency($400k) , and uncollected pledges
and deferred donations ($1.8 million). The City will need to identify a funding mechanism to
back up the budget shortfall gap in the interim.
6. 2023 Budget Review and Forecasting
Interim Director of Finance & Budget Rosylen Oglesby provided an extensive overview of
the 2023 year-end budget review, 2023 budget assumptions, and impacts to the general fund
and city-wide budget. Ms. Oglesby clarified that the numbers presented are unaudited
figures.
Overall, due to the conservative approach the City took in the 2023 adopted budget, the
amount of fund balance used is expected to be zero and the policy reserve amounts will be
slightly met. The negative impacts to the general fund and city-wide funds included reduction
in sales tax revenue, increased industrial insurance, collective bargaining agreement
settlements, overtime (due to staff shortages), and the general cost of doing business. The
positive impacts identified included investment of ARPA funds, increase in utility tax revenue,
and unanticipated growth in city funds.
Ms. Oglesby also reviewed the five-year financial forecast (2025-2029) which reflects the
economic projections of the City's future financial conditions based on several influencing
factors such as, but not limited to, inflation, elections and economic cycles, interest rates,
trend analysis, upcoming projects, and future debt needs. The City took into account the loss
of ARPA funds, updates to the fee schedule, and the 1% annual increase in property taxes.
Over the forecast period, the general fund and city-wide forecast for revenue and expenditure
comparison shows the fund balance is projected to deplete in 2028 and 2029. The City will
need to consider how to either raise revenues or reduce expenditures to prevent potential
deficits in the coming years.
7. Adjournment
MOTION: Deccio moved and Herrera seconded to adjourn to the next City Council
regular meeting on April 16, 2024, at 5:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall.
The motion carried by unanimous vote. The meeting adjourned at 6:17 p.m.
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