HomeMy WebLinkAbout11/06/2018 05B H2A Worker Housing Ad Hoc Committee ReportBUSINESS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
YAKIMA, WASHINGTON
AGENDASTATEMENT
Item No. 5.B.
For Meeting of: November 6, 2018
ITEM TITLE: H2A Worker Housing Ad Hoc Committee report
SUBMITTED BY: Cliff Moore, City Manager
SUMMARY EXPLANATION:
Members of the H2A Worker Housing Ad Hoc Committee will report on plans for a community
forum on H2A Worker Housing issues.
ITEM BUDGETED:
STRATEGIC PRIORITY:
APPROVED FOR
SUBMITTAL:
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
BOARD/COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION:
ATTACHMENTS:
Description Upload Date
d memo 10/31/2018
L invitees 11/1/2018
Type
Cover Memo
Cover Memo
2
MEMORANDUM
To: Yakima City Council
From: Ad Hoc H2A Worker Housing Committee: Mayor Kathy Coffey; Assistant Mayor Dulce
Gutierrez; Council Member Carmen Mendez
Date: November 6, 2018
RE: H2A Worker Housing Forum
Council,
The full Council appointed the three of us to serve as an Ad Hoc committee with a view to
planning a county -wide forum on a variety of policy issues related to H2A Worker Housing. We
have met several times and the purpose of this memo is to outline our findings and
recommendations.
We recommend that an H2A worker housing forum be held sometime in the next three months
and be facilitated by an outside county -wide entity with invitations elected officials, city
administrators, growers, housing advocates and economic development professionals. After
reviewing various options, we suggest that YVCOG be engaged to facilitate the forum at a time
and location to be determined by Council. YVCOG would charge approximately $1,000 for this
service. Industry contacts have recommended that the forum take place after the harvesting
season which by now is mostly completed.
The Ad Hoc committee would need to meet with YVCOG to give guidance about Council's
expectations for the Forum. The Committee has raised the following topics:
• Summary of Agricultural Workers in Yakima County and the existing status/challenges
of housing agricultural workers.
• Fiscal analysis of the impact of temporary worker housing on the inventory of affordable
housing and neighborhood issues.
• Provide a forum for the different sectors to present their needs/concerns: growers,
housing advocates, elected officials, residents of neighborhoods.
• Discuss possible legislative issues?
• Discuss "fair share" approach to locating temporary worker housing?
• Hear from Department of Health and other regulators on the issues of H2A program
Housing?
• Hear from other agricultural or employment interests?
In terms of possible invitees, the initial list of recommendations is attached, and, of course could
be modified.
For further background on this matter, you will recall that Council passed a moratorium which
does not allow for permitting of any new extended stay hotels or motels. Although not directly
related to the Temporary Worker Housing forum, this moratorium is of interest to members of
the community. The moratorium ordinance is as follows:
3
ORDINANCE NO. 2018-022
AN ORDINANCE of the City of Yakima, Washington, adopting a six-month moratorium on
the establishment of or conversion from any use, or part of a use, to an "extended stay" hotel
or motel, or the approval of any new hotel or motel offering "extended stay" use, with
attendant moratorium on the filing and acceptance of development applications for, and the
location of, and issuance of permits and approvals for, land uses that consist of or include
extended stay hotel or motels or a portion of a building to become or be converted to such a
use; directing development of comprehensive zoning and business regulations pertaining to
extended stay hotels and/or motels; and providing that the moratorium shall be in effect for
six months, through December 21, 2018.
As indicated in the ordinance language, it is set to expire on December 21, 2018. The Planning
Commission has completed the work assigned to them by Council on the definitions of hotel,
motel and extended stay. The Planning Commission's recommendations are posted on the City's
website at the following URL:
https://www.yakimawa.gov/services/planning/hotel-motel-extended-stay/
The Planning Commission's recommendations are set to be heard by Council in a Public Hearing
on November 13. If Council approves those recommendations on that night, they will be
published on November 16 and effective on December 15, ahead of the expiration date of the
moratorium.
If Council does not adopt those recommendations, additional findings of fact will be needed to
enable Council to consider extending the moratorium. If that happens, staff would bring that
finding of facts to the Dec 4 Council meeting.
With that background, we present our recommendations to the full Council for review and
direction.
4
Temporary Worker Housing Ad Hoc Committee Potential Invitees
Draft list
1) Rob Valicoff, Brett Valicoff, General Manager, Valicoff Fruit Co., Inc
2) Bryon Borton, Chief Visionary Officer for Borton Fruit
3) Jonathan Smith, President, New Vision
4) John Cooper, President and CEO of Yakima Valley Tourism
5) Mike Gempler, Executive Director of Washington Growers League
6) Marty Miller, Executive Director of Office of Rural and Farmworker Housing
7) Lowel Kruger, Executive Director, Yakima Housing Authority
8) Bryan Ketcham, Director, Catholic Charities Housing Services
9) Mary Lopez, One America
10) County Commissioners (Mike Leita, Ron Anderson, Rand Elliott)
11) Lance Hoty, City Manager, City of Toppenish
12) Juan Orozco, Mayor of Wapato
13) Arlene Fisher, City Manager, City of Union Gap
14) Donald Wayman, City Administrator, City of Selah
15) Norm Childress, Mayor of Grandview
16) Julia Hart, Mayor of Sunnyside
17) Dan Plath, Washington Fruit
18) John DeVaney, President, Washington State Tree Fruit Association
19) Jeff Ranger, Town Administrator, Town of Naches
20) Jose Trevino, Mayor of Granger
21) Zirkle Fruit Company
5
22) Allan Brothers
23) Julie Schilling, City of Union Gap
24) Michele Thomas, Director of Policy & Advocacy, Low Income Housing Alliance