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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04/03/2012 11 Council General Information f r . . 4 r `' ,ra y-y ° ,; r t' 6 w BUSINESS OF THE CITY COUNCIL YAKIMA, WASHINGTON AGENDA STATEMENT Item No 1 I For Meeting of: April 3, 2012 ITEM TITLE: Council general information SUBMITTED BY: CONTACT PERSON /TELEPHONE: SUMMARY EXPLANATION: 1. City Meeting Schedule for week of April 2, 2012 2. Preliminary Future Activities Calendar as of April 2, 2012 3. 3/29/12 Weekly Issues Report 4. Preliminary Council Agenda 5. 3/28/12 Memorandum from Public Works Director re statewide established Transportation Benefit Districts • 6. "Purchasing Consolidation in Yakima, WA," Government Procurement, February/March 2012 magazine article 7. Community Review Board meeting agenda for April 4, 2012 8. Newspaper /Magazine /Internet Articles: * "More Americans move to cities in past decade: census," Chicagotribune.com, March 26, 2012 Resolution Ordinance Other (specify) Contract: Mail to: Contract Term: Amount: Expiration Date: Insurance Required? No Funding Source: Phone: APPROVED FOR City Manager SUBMITTAL: STAFF RECOMMENDATION: BOARD /COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION: ATTACHMENTS: Click to download No Attachments Available CITY MEETI SCHEDULE For April 2, 2012 — April 9, 2012 Please note: Meetings are subject to change Monday, April 2 10:00 a.m. City Council Media Briefing — Council Chambers Tuesday, April 3 10:00 a.m. Yakima County Commissioners Agenda Meeting — Council Chambers 4:30 p.m. City Council Executive Session — Council Chambers 6:00 p.m. City Council Meeting — Council Chambers Wednesday, April 4 9:30 a.m. Joint Gang Commission Meeting — YPD Training Room • 2:00 p.m. Bid Opening — Council Chambers 5:30 p.m. Community Review Board — Council Chambers Thursday, April 5 9:00 a.m. County Hearing Examiner — Council Chambers Friday, April 6 8:00 a.m. Sister City Meeting — CED Conference Room Monday, April 9 8:30 a.m. Pension Board Meeting — HR Conference Room Office Of Mayor /City Council Preliminary Future Activities Calendar Please Note: Meetings are subject to change ix - " -L• .. .Re: .. ar t. " %:di.6 d. �':�l,Mr teFR °: »1,,.. �,(i eet'in C'r anization:,, r � { eet'iri ' "` P'L".' e r" " "ParxicJpan s. >." . 'Meet nJ `o Lacafiori • fi�ti 'Li, r . `� �« � ,! -: � &;. "; " ., .� .1':. .T V.v... - .y ,�•; A'.'yp- ':,�,: WJ te/T'ime � ... ._ i�' ".., •_.. ..... .s- rrs.:a.,......,.x ..,,,._,..,... _..,.am >ar:�2..tf4.. Mon. April 2 10:00 a.m. City Council Media.Briefing Scheduled Meeting Adkison Council Chambers Tue. April 3 12:00 p.m. Miscellaneous Issues Scheduled Meeting Cawley, Adkison TBD 4"30 p.m. City Council Executive Scheduled Meeting Council Council Chambers Session 6:00 p.m. City Council Meeting Scheduled Meeting Council Council Chambers Wed. April 4 9.30 a.m. Joint Gang Commission Scheduled Meeting Adkison YPD Special Ops Training meeting Room Thur. April 5 6:00 p.m. Valley Mayor's Meeting Scheduled Meeting Cawley Wapato - Wolf Den Restaurant Fri. April 6 8:00 a m Sister Cit Meetin. Scheduled Meeting Adkison CED Conference Room Mon. April 9 8 a.m. Pension Board Meetin•s Board Meetin• Coffe HR Conference Room Tue. April 10 000 a m. City /County Joint Study Scheduled Meeting Council Council Chambers Session re Airport Ownership 12.00 p m. Miscellaneous Issues Scheduled Meeting Cawley, Adkison TBD 5:00 p m. Council Executive Session - Scheduled Meeting Council Council Chambers review City Manager a • • licants 8111.111.1,113.21.1102= VIIOSMIVIIIM Wed. April 11 11 a m. Sports Commission Scheduled Meeting EttI TBD 3.30 p.m. Yakima Planning Scheduled Meeting Ensey Council Chambers Commission 5:30 p.m. Parks Commission Meeting Scheduled Meeting Adkison Council Chambers Thur. April 12 1:00 p.m. Harman Center Board Board Meeting Cawley Harman Center Meeting 1.30 p m Yakima Regional Clean Air Scheduled Meeting _ Lover Council Chambers Meeting 4 00 p m GFI Steering Committee Scheduled Meeting Adkison, Coffey, CWCMH 'Meeting Ettl q :00 p.m. Regional Fire Authority Scheduled Meeting Cawley, Coffey, Station 86 Adkison Mon. ApriL 10:00 a.m. City Council Media Briefing Scheduled Meeting Cawley Council Chambers Tue. April 17 12:00 p.m. Miscellaneous Issues Scheduled Meeting Cawley TBD 4.30 p.m (T) City Council Executive Scheduled Meeting Council Council Chambers Session 6:00 ..m. Cit Council Meetin. Scheduled Meetin. Council Council Chambers Wed. April 18 12:00 p.m. PAL Board Meeting Board Meeting Coffey PAL 0 MEMORANDUM March 29, 2012 TO: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members FROM: Michael A. Morales, Interim City Manager SUBJECT: Weekly Issues Report • COMMUNITY FORUM: There will be a community forum with artist Lily Yeh on Monday, April 2 from 7 -9:00 p.m. at The Seasons. Lily works with citizens to revitalize neighborhoods through the power of art. • CESAR CHAVEZ PEACE MARCH: Alex Santillanes has been working with planning and police to arrange a peace march this Saturday, March 31. The march begins at 11:00 a.m. at Fair Avenue and Nob Hill and will end at YVCC. • 2012 IRRIGATION SEASON: The City's irrigation systems will begin irrigation delivery April 2, weather conditions permitting. Full delivery of water should be available two weeks from the start date. All other local irrigation suppliers are expected to being their operations during the balance of April with all systems operating by May 1, 2012. • LINCOLN AVENUE UNDERPASS UPDATE: Final wall treatments were completed this week. Lincoln Avenue was prepped for initial pavement of Asphalt Treated Base (ATB), and ATB was placed on March 28 The final lifts of asphalt are scheduled for early April. Asphalt at the north end of the Front Street Bridge is scheduled to be placed on March 30 depending on weather. Opening of the frontage road along Goodyear will be opened as soon as pavement is placed at the north end of the bridge. • COMPLAINT ABOUT CITY EMPLOYEES DRIVING AROUND: At the March 20 Council meeting Mr Thysell complained about city employees "driving around ". I looked into the complaint and learned that the crews had been working in West Valley (Yakima City limits) when they blew a hose. One of the employees drove to the shop to get the parts to repair the hose. The other employee drove the vactor truck to a City fire hydrant to get water which isn't available in West Valley. • GRAFFITI COMPLAINT: At the March 20 Council meeting Lynn Kittleson complained about graffiti on 301 N. 9 Street. A code compliance officer contacted the property owner and left a message. If the property owner does not respond in the next few days a Notice of Non - Compliance will be sent. • CITY MANAGER LEAVE: I will be out of the office April 4 -6 and possibly the morning of April 9. City Attorney Jeff Cutter will be Acting City Manager during my absence. PRELIMINARY FUTURE COUNCIL AGENDA April 10 10:00 a.m. City Council Study Session — Council Chambers • Joint City /County study session regarding Airport ownership issues 5:00 p.m. Executive Session — Council Chambers • Review qualifications of a public official April 17 (T) 4:30 p.m. Executive Session — Council Chambers 6:00 p.m. Business Meeting — Council Chambers • 2011 year end budget report • Resolution authorizing agreement with Charter Communications, Inc. for pole attachment • Resolution revising plumbing code 7:00 p.m. Public Hearings 3/28/2012 5 PM 1 3/26/2012 To: Honorable Mayor and City Council Michael Morales, City Manager From: Chris Waarvick, Public Works Director Joe Rosenlund, Streets & Traffic Operations Manager Subject: Transportation Benefit Districts within the State of Washington and their Funding Mechanisms During a discussion of funding for the City of Yakima's Transportation Benefit District at the March 20, 2012 council meeting, questions were raised regarding how many cities have implemented a TBD, what are their funding source_ s, and were they obtained through a council manic process or by public vote. The following information was obtained from the MRSC website which appears to be the most up -to -date and comprehensive source for information on Transportation Benefit Districts in Washington. The table lists Washington agencies that have created a Transportation Benefit District. All agencies that have enacted a vehicle license fee have done so using the council manic process. Those agencies that have no funding source shown have yet to establish funding for their district. There are at least four other cities currently considering formation of a TBD. They are Aberdeen, Sultan, Toppenish, and Waitsburg. Summary of Existing Washington TBD's Jurisdiction Vehicle License Fee Sales Tax TBDs Passed in 2012 Yakima TBDs Passed in 2011 'Auburn i 10.2% sales tax (passed, election Ferndale i X 02/14/2012) Grandview ;$20 (02/01/2012) 1Mabton 1$20 (12/01/2011) Mountlake Terrace $20 (01/03/2012) 1 10.2% sales tax (passed, election } North Bend ; 111/98/2011) jOrting I 1 Snohomish County 1 6.2% sales tax (passed 08/16/2011) Jurisdiction ;Vehicle License Fee Sales Tax !Spokane 1$20 (09/01/2011) Walla Walla 02% sales tax (passed, election 02/14/2012) !Wenatchee 1$20 (01/26/2012) TBDs Passed in 2010 Bellingham ! 0.2% sales tax on car dealers and i leasing companies (04/01/2011) ; King County 0.2% sales tax (passed, election 'Leavenworth i 11/02/2010) Lynnwood $20 (07/01/2011) Seattle $20 (05/01/2011)_ - � Snohomish i 10.2% sales tax (passed, election 108/16/2011) 'Snoqualmie ;$20 (03/01/2011) 'TBDs Passed in 2009 .�. - .Bremerton $20 (12/07/2011) . 411 Burien 1$10 (02/01/2010) Prosser ,$20 (11/01/2009) ,Shoreline 1$20 (02/01/2010) 1 ,University Place 'TBDs Passed in 2008 !Des Moines 1$20 (09/01/2009) :Edmonds , $20 (09/01/2009) Lake Forest Park $20 (09/01/2009) 'Olympia .$20 (10/01/2009) , Ridgefield 10.2% sales tax passed, election , 11/04/2008) 0 .2% sales tax (passed, election Sequim 11/03/2009) TBDs Passed Prior to 2008 !Liberty Lake (2002) 'j I "Point Roberts, Whatcom Special gas tax $0.01 /gallon (1992) :County (1992) The official publication of NIGP: The Institute for Public Procurement W www.govpro.com FEBRUARY /MARCH 2012 H ow ' s r1 � L i y our pay? ._ ■ Latest study from NIGP 1 examines appropriate l salary ranges 1 , PLUS: Purchasing Consolidation in Yakima,Wash. . A c , Buying Products To Protect Indoor 4 - Air Quality ,, `, P- Cards: Don't Leave Money OnTheTable h - Choosing a a. Cooperative Contract . o Legal Aspects of f 7 y_._ _ Indemnif - AY !.. . . Li willt■ • . ublit=ation IN DEPTH [best practices] sERvING There was no model to follow w hen the C ity and Co unty o fYakima, Wash., sought to consolidate purchasing By Larry Anders ih eighth largest city by population B in ak Washington e state and the county seat of Yaki ma County, just southeast of Mount Rainier National Park The Yakima City Hall is located right across Second Street from the Yakima County Courthouse. OF THE Both entities — the city and county — are now served by a single purchasing department, operated by the city. But not so long ago, back in 2008, there were two separate departments. The road to purchasing consolidation in Yakima and Yakima County presented challenges, highlighted the strengths and STREET weaknesses of the two departments, and finally provided abundant opportunities to increase purchasing effectiveness and save money The idea to consolidate the purchasing functions of the city and county was first suggested as a way to improve cooperation by a City/County Intergovernmental Committee that included city council members and commissioners. The city was quickly determined to be the lead agency, and Sue Ownby, Yakima County merged city purchasing manager, was chosen as project manager. Its purchasing department In retrospect, Ownby's initial reaction to the idea seems less into Yakima's city than gung ho She wrote a feasibility report in August 2007 purchasing department. outlining possible impediments - and the level of cooperation that would be needed to merge the two ', departments. Her report emphasized the divergent practices of the city and county departments. Daunted ' , ' by the challenges, she approached a . , r f' her then -boss, Yakima Assistant + � City Manager Dave Zabell. "Is this , + : � _. ship going to sail ?" she asked. r "The ship's sailing, are • f fi'� you on it ?" he replied. e Ownby remembers looking to the sky and answering: "Looks like 'f 4'- -i s a great day for sailing:' From then .. on, she became totally committed to making the consolidation a success. THE SMARTEST DECISION' f 1/4 But the sailing has not always been r , smooth. Back in 2007, Ownby posted f is. a query on NIGP's PurchIssues listsery and then followed the 18 1 FEBRUARY /MARCH 2012 IN DEPTH [best practices] advice of one respondent who suggested she hire the NIGP and wasn't much help with projects. Purchasing Management Assistant Program (PMAP) to do Now internal customers call purchasing a Joint Administrative Purchasing Assessment. "It was the often "They're experts in their fields, smartest decision I made," said Ownby, who is now purchasing and we're experts in ours," said Ownby. manager of the combined city/county department. Service to county departments In February 2008, NIGP consultants Phil Scales and improved immediately, and the new William Irish completed a 115 -page report that would department offers a higher level of largely guide the transition over the next couple of years. expertise. Eliminated were duplicative The report listed operational and financial efficiencies that and non - value -added duties, such as would come by combining the city and county functions rekeying requisitions and maintaining and outhned tangible benefits and the needed staffing open POs that had no value. "We requirements, technology enhancements, and organizational simplified the procurement process for them and let them and procedural changes The report was based on data be in charge of what they are doing," said Ownby. supplied by Yakima city and county, on a visit to assess the situation and on a survey of best industry practices. TRANSITION COMES WITH ONGOING CHALLENGES From the first mention of the idea to a merger of the two Easing the personnel management challenges of the transition departments took about two and a half years. When the project were new higher pay scales for purchasing employees The moved into the strategic planning phase, Yakima hired FCS three existing city positions were reclassified and salaries will Group, Redmond, Wash., to put together the implementation increase about 28 percent (through additional incremental plan. Previously there had been only four examples of cities increases over time). "I definitely credit my staff and their and counties that merged their purchasing departments — and attitudes toward change with making this a success," said the last one occurred in 1974! "We didn't have a model to Ownby. "We were fortunate to have excellent long -time follow, so we had to be our own trendsetter," said Ownby. staffers who know the value of good customer services This is evident m a multitude of compliments we have received FROM PROCESS -BASED TO KNOWLEDGE -BASED from the county thanking us for what we're doing for them' Today, an Interlocal Agreement specifies that purchasing for There have been some growing pains, and Ownby both the county and city of Yakima are handled by the city's admits that service to city departments (their legacy purchasing department. All personnel are employed by the city. customers) has suffered a little during the transition. "We The city and county share the budget for the department; the are doing everything we can to equalize that," she said. budget was split 50 -50 the first two years of the agreement, and Ownby acknowledges that technology is a weakness in the current year (2012), the county's share is increasing to for the combined department. The merger was completed 57 percent to acknowledge a larger share of purchasing's time without an e- procurement system and with both entities devoted to the county Also starting in 2012, the purchasmg maintaining separate finance systems (despite the fact that department will closely monitor and document time utilization the NIGP report had contended the transition "cannot occur as a tool to divide the budget fairly m the future. The Interlocal without the proper application of technology. ") Lacking Agreement created the combined department in 2009. technology means there are no spend analysis reports, which Washington state law allows local governments to cooperate the new department will be looking to add in the future by with other localities for mutual advantage, and the combined implementing the NIGP Commodity/Service Code. The purchasing department is authorized by the same state laws county had previously not even used the purchasing module that govern cooperation of local fire and police departments. of the current financial system. "Now they do," said Ownby, The consolidation elevated the county's procurement function "so we have made several improvements:' Lack of technology from a bureaucratic /process -based system to a knowledge/ also limits Yakima's ability to fully quantify the cost savings results -based system, an approach the city had already and other benefits of the purchasing consolidation. embraced. In contrast, the county's more centralized approach Differences in the purchasing function between the city and had formerly created a huge admmistrative burden and required county are a continuing challenge for the combined department. the staff to focus almost exclusively on processing routine Yakima is classified as a "first- class" city by state law, based on repetitive transactions to which purchasing added little value. population, which is granted wide discretion in purchasing. "We had quite a large kickoff campaign and held large In contrast, Yakima County is a "county with under 400,000 meetings with all the divisions of the county to outline the population" which has a separate, more restrictive set of laws changes we would be making," said Ownby. The outreach on purchasing. For example, the county's limit on decentralized reflected an immediate change in culture related to how discretionary spending is $5,000, and the formal sealed bid purchasing was viewed. Previously, county departments had limit is $25,000. The city, on the other hand, can set such limits avoided purchasing as a bureaucracy that added little value however it wants (and has a discretionary spending limit of 20 1 FEBRUARY /MARCH 2012 ' • I . 11111 r f 1 ' Other advantages include: • 1 1 > Greater leveraged buying power. Ownby says that the city and county thought they had previously ' 1 I _ - been doing everything they could to leverage their joint buying power before the merger but has since concluded they had touched only about 20 percent. Yakima's city hat is across > Greater productivity. There is now one vendor list, Second Street from the county courthouse, and the one procedure manual, one advertisement. "Every city now handles purchasing time we eliminate duplication, it's almost like getting for both local governments a 50 percent discount;' said Ownby. Joint bids are performed whenever possible, and the county is $7,500), but has held back on increasing its sealed bid limit using more piggybacking opportunities through beyond the statutory limit on the county "We were able to align consortiums, other entities' bids and state contracts. several things, but not what is controlled by statute," said Ownby. > More opportunity for employees to advance. Another difference is how purchasing gets management > Greater shared knowledge among agencies approval. The city manager can sign documents without a vote (although nothing confidential). of the city council, but everything approved by the county has > More consistent procedures and documents. to be put on the agenda for approval by the conunissioners > A one -stop shop for local suppliers in a public meeting, which is more cumbersome. The city has selling to the city and county. a transit division with a disadvantaged business enterprise Before the merger, the county had a single purchasing program (DBE), but the county doesn't. Legal advertising card, which was used for travel reservations (handled by requirements for bids and RFPs are different by statute. the purchasing). Now there are more than 400 p -cards in the county city has to advertise in two issues of the legal organ and online and city together; the city had already been in the process and wait at least 10 days; county advertising requires one issue of expanding from 16 p -cards to more than 200. The p -card and a 12 -day wait The city passed a resolution to use E- Verify program is now administered by the finance department. instant verification of work authorization to confirm the legality The p -card limit in the county was raised from $2,500 to of contractors' employees, but the county voted it down. These $5,000 (limited by statute). For the city, the limit is $7,500. complications require more vigilance by purchasing employees "You just have to be cognizant of what you're doing and what MANAGING MULTIPLE, COMPETING PRIORITIES you're doing it for, and make sure you're doing the right thing;" The department's workload is unrelenting, represented by said Ownby. A new Purchasing Procedure Manual has color- a current to -do list of 118 projects, and employees "just coded sections — green for the city and blue for county keep chipping away at the mountain," said Ownby. The different budget cycles of the city and county are Several county departments have "come out of the another challenge. The county starts its budget process woodwork and we didn't know they would require so much two months before the city, so complete information is service," she added, including a Human Services department hard to come by when budgeting. Budget line items are that supports $35 million of grant- funded services to the therefore estimates, which can be problematic, and county aged and homeless. The new city department is not set numbers may have to be adjusted after city numbers are up to handle the county's huge construction contracting finalized. "The county has been amenable," said Ownby. needs, but has agreed to offer advice on the subject, which had led to a flood of questions needing answers LOWER COSTS AND OTHER BENEFITS Ownby says other procurement professionals can learn Cost savings were a benefit in the first two years of the from the Yakima experience. "There are efficiencies and consolidation. The new combined department's total budget savings to be had by merging your purchasing function," was only $340,900 the first year of consolidation and $432,432 said Ownby. In the case of Yakima, Ownby notes that in the second year, compared to a combined $472,841 the two statutory differences complicated the merger, the process separate departments spent in the year before consolidation. might be easier if it involved two nearby cities. In addition to the retirement of the county's purchasing "Anytime you start a gargantuan project like this, it has to manager, the other two county employees were laid off when the be management- driven from the top executive office, and it county department was closed. The city added employees and was supported from both sides of the street," she adds. "The increased from three employees to five full-time and a part -time executives at both entities had a desire to make this happen and temporary in 2010 and 2011, with a sixth full time employee provided the continued support that made it possible:' Ownby added in 2012. (Ninety-seven percent of the department's budget also acknowledges her then -boss Dave Zabell for his support goes to staffing) The combined budget for 2012 is $527,330. during the transition. Zabell is now city manager in Fife, Wash. < www.govpro.com • GOVERNMENT PROCUREMENT 21 COMMUNITY REVIEW BOARD MEETING AGENDA April 4, 2012 5:30 p.m. - Council Chambers - City Hall CALL TO ORDER II. ROLL CALL C.R.B. Members Staff Nestor Hernandez Joe Caruso Phyllis Musgrove Tammy Gilmour Bob Mason Ben Shoval Mei -Lynne Statler Richard Marcley Gregory Bohn III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. None IV. HEARINGS — CODE COMPLIANCE CASES A. 709 & 711 North 19 Avenue Alan J. SchubertlKurtis C. Schubert/Dorothy Schubert/Alan J Schubert c/o Finney, Falk & Naught, PLLP /Jennifer Reedy /Kurtis C. Schubert c/o Finney, Falk & Naught, PLLP /Dorothy Schubert clo Finney, Falk & Naught, PLLP /Occupant Code Compliance it CAC -12 -0020 B. 105 East N Street Dennis L. Baker Sr. /State Highway District #5 Credit Union/The Department of Social and Health Services C/o Division of Child Support/State of Washington C/o John C. Monter /Department of Revenue C/o Compliance Administration/State of Washington C/o Troy Clements V, HEARINGS — RIGHT -OF -WAY USE PERMITS (FENCE) A. None VI. CODE ADMINISTRATION MANAGER'S STATUS REPORT A. Code Compliance Statistics for the month of March, 2012 VII. NEW BUSINESS A. None VIII. OLD BUSINESS A. None IX. ADJOURNMENT More Americans move to cities in past decade: census - chicagotribune.com Page 1 of 2 www.chicagotribune. com/news /sns -rt-us -usa- cities- populationbre82p0v6- 20120326,0,7440100. story chicagotribune.com More Americans move to cities in past decade: census Lisa Lambert Reuters 12:36 PM CDT, March 26, 2012 advertisement (Reuters) - More Americans are living in cities now than it's as a decade ago, according to U.S. Census data released on Monday. NATURAL AS The most urban state is California - one that dominates the popular imagination as a land of empty deserts, open beaches and thick redwood forests - the Census numbers Sweet Cream 1 showed. 11) 2 Canola Oil In 2010, a total of 80.7 percent of Americans lived in 3 Salt urban areas, up from 79 percent in 2000. Conversely, 19.3 percent of the U.S. population lived in rural areas in 2010, down from 21 percent in 2000. _ u r r At the same time, the population of urban areas grew by 12.1 percent, much faster than the country's growth rate of 9.7 percent from 2000 to 2010. More people residing in urban areas could drive up demand for housing, public transportation, road repairs and social services such as schools and healthcare, at a time when city budgets are starving from cuts in state aid and lower property-tax revenues. In some places, the growth rate was more than 50 percent, including Charlotte, North Carolina, where the population increased by 64.6 percent over the decade. Altogether, there are 486 urbanized areas in the United States. They have an overall population density of 2,534 people per square mile. CROWDED IN CALIFORNIA Almost all Californians, 95 percent, live in urban areas, and the state has the largest urban population, 35.4 million. Out of the 10 most densely populated areas in the entire country, seven are in the Golden State, the Census found. The area made up of Los Angeles, Long Beach and Anaheim is the second -most populated in the country, with more than 12.1 million residents. It is also the most densely populated. http: / /www. chicagotribune. com/news /sns -rt-us -usa- cities- populationbre82p0v6- 20120326,... 3/27/2012 More Americans move to cities in past decade: census - chicagotribune.com Page 2 of 2 "Even though you think of the West as these wide open spaces, many of these people are living in highly dense urban areas," said William Frey, a Brookings Institution senior fellow who specializes in metropolitan demographics. One reason for such density is simply that much of the land in western states is off - limits, used by the federal government for national parks, defense, and other endeavors, Frey said. NEW YORK STILL NO. 1 The New York and Newark area is still the most populous, with 18.4 million residents, a position it has held since the U.S. Census first defined urbanized areas in 1950. Chicago is third. Among urbanized areas with populations of 1 million or more, Charlotte grew at the fastest rate, followed by Austin, which increased 51.1 percent, and the part of Nevada encompassing Las Vegas and Henderson, which rose 43.5 percent over the decade. Charlotte and Austin also had the highest rates of land area change, with Charlotte's geography increasing by 70.5 percent and Austin's by 64.4 percent, the Census found. "It isn't just migration," Frey said. "It's that urbanized areas are bigger in size." For example, the population of Houston increased by 29.4 percent over the decade and its land area by 28.2 percent, the Census found, speaking to a high rate of development. As a result of the growth in population and geography, the Census identified 36 new urbanized areas, which it defines as "densely developed residential, commercial and other nonresidential areas" with populations of 50,000 or more. The Midwest dominated the birth of new major cities, with Cape Girardeau, Missouri; Grand Island, Nebraska; Manhattan, Kansas, and Midland, Michigan, all joining the ranks. Arizona's Lake Havasu City and Sierra Vista are also now considered urbanized areas. Meanwhile, Williamsburg, Virginia, grew enough to be split from the larger Virginia Beach area. (Reporting by Lisa Lambert; Editing by Jan Paschal) Copyright © 2012, Reuters • http:// www. chicagotribune .com/news /sns- rt- us -usa- cities- populationbre82p0v6- 20120326,... 3/27/2012 On April 2, 2012 Yakima citizens will have an opportunity to engage and participate in our community in an entirely new way to create solutions for pressing issues like gangs. Lily Yeh is the founder of —and force behind—Barefoot Artists, an organization that revitalizes neighborhoods around the globe, through the transformative power of art. Lily will share her story and will relate possibilities for Yakima — ideas to improve our community through a participatory, multifaceted project that will foster community empowerment improve the physical environment, promote economic development and preserve and promote our cultural heritage. Brought to you by these generous community sponsors: Yakima Valley Community Foundation, Members of the Yakima LIGHT Project, Yakima Valley Museum, ' , ' The Seasons, i r ,... <:: Yakima Valley Visitors and Convention Bureau. z t 1 ,, r r Monday, Apr 2 \pex4 i ..r ); t {1t The Seasons h k 101 N. N �� "- i ` , '' . aches Ave �4 4u ,A �a 7:00 — 9:00 P.M. � �,' f, ,r r,1 I , r - ,/ ,, , r r t �- A 5k 7 { k� F 4 b yc q t yP _ � " x 4 ^ ar g X f � y TM ' 1 { ear m o v$ 1;',..\''''''°' x, ? 9 r kg`s a wr, +� ; ® '':.74-#:4 'tt s � �! f & a y i p �^ F« ' t '' ii t ® 1 0 t ®,r� r . o ® IC { . 4 ' . F r , 6 k R , g v s @ a. t l c zJ. h _ � .� R 4t °4' 3 w ila'a d Y a 4 e 'Y � x Learn more about Lily at barefootartists.org. ,