HomeMy WebLinkAboutPSC minutes 8-25-16 approvedMINUTES
Members:
Councilmember Kathy Coffey (chair)
Councilmember Dulce Gutierrez
Councilmember Bill Lover (alt.)
The meeting was called to order at 3:00 p.m.
• Approval of minutes
Staff:
City Manager Cliff Moore
Chief Dominic Rizzi, Police
Chief Bob Stewart, Fire
Scott Schafer, Public Works
Sara Watkins, Legal
Joe Rosenlund, Public Works
Brett Sheffield, Engineering
Rob Peterson, Airport
Terri Croft, Police
It was MOVED by Gutierrez and SECONDED by Lover to approve the minutes of June
30, 2016 and July 28, 2016 as presented. Motion PASSED unanimously.
® Licensing of Ride Share Drivers
Watkins gave a presentation on the licensing requirement for taxi drivers. Under the
current code, ride share drivers (also known as Uber drivers) would fall under the
definition of taxi drivers. Some of the regulations would potentially be prohibitive to ride
share drivers. She presented several other Washington cities' ordinances on the issue,
as well as Uber's screening requirements.
Gutierrez inquired if the restrictions were necessary for ride share drivers, since many of
the requirements were met through the Uber app. She thought they would only need to
obtain the required business licenses. She expressed concern that Uber and other ride
share services would not be successful in Yakima if the restrictions were maintained.
Hazel Arvisu of Yakima spoke in favor of ride share drivers needing to meet the same
requirements as taxi drivers.
Coffey requested that Watkins draft legislation for the full council to review, requesting
that licensing requirements for ride share drivers be drafted, addressing safety concerns
while still making this a viable option for the community.
® Collisions at 40th Avenue/Chestnut
Sheffield reported there have been 32 collisions at 40th Avenue/Chestnut over the past
5 years. This is a significant number of collisions for any intersection, especially in
Yakima. Options to abate are to install a traffic signal, which would require purchasing
several surrounding properties in order to flatten the roadway, or to install a median
curb which would restrict traffic to right in/right out only.
Gutierrez asked how many other intersections have high collision rates. That
information is not known. Coffey requested about 4 other intersections be selected for a
comparison and the result be presented to the full council.
Moore suggested that a public meeting be held if traffic calming measures were being
considered.
An updated report with comparisons will be brought to the next Public Safety Committee
meeting and will be copied to Councilmember Cousens.
• Airport exterior camera status
Peterson reported to the committee on some of the security measures at the Yakima Air
Terminal in light of a recent auto theft at that location. There is a functioning CCTV
system and airport staff continue to look into HSI funding for additional security
measures. Unfortunately, the Yakima Air Terminal is low on the priority list for funding.
Gutierrez inquired as to the frequency of incidents. She was advised these types of
incidents are not frequent at the airport.
® GFI Budget Information
Moore advised he has been conducting an analysis of the GFI contracts and
deliverables. He would like to continue discussion with the council on the impacts of the
programs after he has a chance to review the information. Coffey requested the
discussion begin with the Public Safety Committee before going before the full council.
• Good of the order
Gutierrez thanked Chief Stewart and the firefighters for their work over the past several
days.
Moore thanked both Chief Stewart and Chief Rizzi for their work preparing for the
Macklemore concert.
It was MOVED by Gutierrez and SECONDED by Lover to adjourn to the September 22,
2016 meeting. Motion PASSED unanimously.
WMA10=5 03