HomeMy WebLinkAbout2018-04-19_Minutes - HCNBYakima City Council Committee Minutes
Healthy Communities & Neighborhood Building Committee (HCNB)
City Council Chambers
April 19, 2018
Committee Members
Councilmember/Chair Kay Funk
Councilmember Jason White
Councilmember Kathy Coffey
Joan Davenport
Sara Watkins
Rosalinda Ibarra
Joseph Calhoun
Cally Price
Staff
Ken Wilkinson
Alvie Maxey
Joe Caruso
Cliff Moore
Others: Luz Bazan Gutierrez
Funk called this meeting to order at 2:30 p.m. With all members in attendance a quorum was present.
Election of Chair — Funk accepted a nomination for committee chair; motioned by White and seconded by
Coffey. Motioned carried unanimously.
Discussion of Committee Meeting Date & Time — The committee agreed to change the meeting date and
time to the second Thursdays at 10:00 am. It was noted that after a recent City Council retreat the name,
composition, and mission of this committee was changed.
Reports from Departments/Com m issi ons
Transit Development Plan/Transit Related Issues — the Transit Citizen Advisory Committee's agendas and
minutes are posted online; the next meeting will be held May 9th at the Public Works Large Conference
Room beginning at 4 p.m. Maxey also reiterated the termination of the Selah Route 10 and the beginning of
Route 8 which will include areas in Yakima that have never been serviced. He briefly mentioned that the
Ellensburg Commuter route is considering pulling the Super One Stop.
Parks & Recreation Commission (P&R) — Wilkinson reported no April meeting; the next one is May
9th.
Staff is focused on finishing up the improvements at Randall Park; the grant deadline is September 2018.
Henry Beauchamp Community Center (HBCC) — the next quarterly meeting is Tuesday April 24th at noon.
Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) — Calhoun reported that the HPC is working on a CLG (Certified
Local Government) grant application to pursue funding to hire a consultant that would assess the viability of
the potential Fruit Row historic district nomination. He noted there are two vacancies and the committee
suggested reaching out to the Barge -Chestnut Historic District members and residents of North Naches Ave.
Yakima Planning Commission (YPC) — Calhoun reported that the YPC is reviewing potential Title 15
zoning code development standard amendments. He announced that the Comprehensive Plan Amendment
cycle is open and the deadline to submit applications is April 30th. The Association of Washington Cities
(AWC) will be hosting a conference in Yakima in June and will also provide a training on Planning Short
Course on Tuesday June 26th at the Public Works Training facility in the evening; more details forthcoming.
Bike/Pedestrian Committee — the committee is researching the possibility of installing bike racks throughout
the city. White inquired about the Bike Plan goals and policies
Homeless Network — Davenport reported that the Homeless Network group is wrapping up their successful
extreme winter weather youth shelters and they've established a subcommittee focusing on affordable
housing. Moore encouraged council members to submit questions and concerns that they would like
addressed at an upcoming study session about homelessness. Funk motioned, seconded by White, that this
committee forward to the full Council a request for an authoritative opinion on the first amendment issue of
proselytizing in publicly -funded homeless programs and to request this opinion of the State Attorney
General's office. Motion carried with a 2-1 vote; Coffey voting no. This request will be added to the May 1 st
City Council business meeting under Council reports. An extensive discussion continued regarding Funk's
concerns with the Transform Yakima Together (TYT) letter received April 13th. Davenport clarified that the
Homeless Network is not associated with the funding of the TYT program. Moore explained the process on
rezoning a particular parcel that would allow any interested organization to establish a permanent homeless
shelter facility. Additionally, the Yakima Valley Conference of Governments (YVCOG) Executive
Committee will be discussing the funding process and requirements for qualified agencies at their next
meeting on April 23rd.
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TRANS-Action Committee — Davenport will participate on the TRANS-Action delegation that will be
heading to Washington DC for transportation lobbying efforts.
Tree City Board — Calhoun announced the Arbor Day festivities at the Arboretum this weekend. The next
meeting will be May 7th.
Community Integration Committee — White reported that the committee has filled all the positions and a
Chairperson was elected at their last meeting.
Follow-up on the Vacant & Dangerous Building Report — Caruso presented a summarized update on the
Vacant & Dangerous Building report for the new committee members. In 2015, the Code Enforcement office
conducted a sweep of the entire city and identified 119 buildings as "dangerous buildings". City staff worked
with property owners, insurance companies, and financial institutions to address nuisance issues and secure
their structures from unauthorized entry. Several properties were converted into livable units; however 47
structures remain vacant. Earlier this year a new proactive sweep was conducted which resulted in another 77
structures identified. City staff will begin the investigative process to determine the ownership, condition,
priority, potential violations, and necessary steps to achieve compliance of these buildings. Further
discussion ensued about enforcement procedures and costs associated for securing such structures.
Distribution of Strate ic Plan Discussion on Committee Pur ose, To les & Strate ies — Cally Price described
the HCNB committee purpose and goals as identified in the draft outline provided. Funk expressed
satisfaction with the outcome; however feels that the committee needs to identify how it will incorporate it
into its agenda. They discussed whether staff should continue to attend committee meetings to provide
reports on boards/commissions. Funk noted that Cortez-Steiner has the discretion to excuse staff from
attending. Davenport proposed the idea of restructuring the agenda and including topic matters separately,
such as homelessness issues and/or youth programs. The committee agreed to review the draft outline and
also provide comments on agenda restructuring to Cortez-Steiner with an update at the next HCNB meeting.
After-School & Summer School Pro ramm in — Moore provided an overview of the recent joint meeting
with the Yakima School Board. The City maintains information on youth programs that are associated with
activities conducted by Yakima Parks and Recreation. The city, as a whole, lacks a central source that would
maintain information of all youth programs city-wide. The concept of utilizing the 2-1-1 agency as a
clearinghouse was one of the suggestions from the joint Yakima School Board meeting.
Homeless Operational Model/Administration — Funk informed that the City Council rescinded their action
regarding a formal letter of concern to YVCOG. Watkins provided an outline and described in detail the draft
governance structure that is being revised by the Governance Committee. As proposed, the Homeless Task
Force would consist of service providers, government officials, business leaders, residents and community
members. It would include sub-committees focused on particular matters such as affordable housing, 5 year
planning, data, and youth coalition, and other matters that arise. The task force would also include an
executive committee (long term decision-making), funding committee (funds appropriation), and a contract
administrator (contract administration and staff support). Watkins indicated that YVCOG will consider the
recommended governance structure at their executive committee meeting at the end of May. Considerable
dialogue continued about how the proposed structure would be affected if the City were to manage the 2163
funding; the structures of the Homeless Planning and Policy Council (HPPC), Homeless Network,
Continuum of Care (CoC), and Balance of State; suggestions to include the participation of other social
service providers; and the contract administrator role.
Approval of Minutes — White motioned, seconded by Coffey, to approve the minutes of March 15, 2018.
Motion carried unanimously.
Future Items / Recap of Deliverables —
• Finalize committee purpose and agenda structure at next meeting, keeping homelessness and youth
programs as a broad agenda topic;
Send a recommendation to the full Council that the City request an opinion from the Attorney
General's office on proselytizing in publicly-funded homeless shelters;
• Include as a discussion item the possibility of the City managing its portion of the 2163 funds.
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Funk announced interpreter services are available with 48 hour advance notice.
Audience Participation — Luz Bazan Gutierrez spoke about the importance of the vacant structure project in
relation to low housing availability, having an updated City website, and lack of public participation on the
committee. She also distributed fliers on the upcoming Cinco de Mayo event and encouraged the community
to attend.
Adjourn — Coffey motioned to adjourn. This meeting adjourned at approximately 4:19 p.m.; the next meeting
is May 10, 2018 at 10:00 a.m.
Approved by:
Date Approved:
o
Prepared by: Rosalinda Ibarra, Community Development Administrative Assistant
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