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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03/14/1995 Adjourned Meeting 147 CITY OF YAKIMA, WASHINGTON MARCH 14, 1995 ADJOURNED MEETING The City Council met in session on this date at 7:00 a.m. in the Yakima Center Board Room. Mayor Pat Berndt, presiding, Council Members Clarence Barnett, Henry Beauchamp, Ernie Berger and Bernard Sims present. Council Members Bill Brado and Lynn Buchanan were absent and excused. City Staff Members present were Dick Zais, City Manager; Glenn Rice, Assistant City Manager; Nancy Gaudette, Refuse & Recycling Manager; and Melynn Skovald, Deputy City Clerk. Street Fund Review Committee Staff Members present were Jerry Copeland, David Hussell, Joe Jackson, Steve Knopp, and Shelley Willson. Citizen Representatives in attendance included Dan Arnett, Committee Chairman; Juan Aguilar; John .Benson; Bill Huibregtse, Dick Mason, Martha Mathews, and Don Moen. There also were other concerned citizens who attended this meeting. Informal Discussion 1 Following informal discussion among Council members about various current events, the Council's attention was directed to the findings and recommendations contained in the Street Fund Review Committee report. Review of Street Committee Report Dan Arnett presented a brief overview of the report which includes a citizen perspective on community needs regarding street maintenance service levels. The committee spent a great deal of time reading and studying the operations of the Street and Traffic Divisions, and the report includes their recommendations and comments relating to levels of service and funding options. Mr. Arnett recommended the City's Spring Clean -up program be 1/ eliminated as a free service ,and existing private programs be utilized instead. He also urged Council to consider the elimination of the Fall Leaf Pick -up Program as a free service of the Street Operations Division; it should be included in a yard waste disposal program in the Refuse Division, or by a private services contract. 148 ADJOURNED MEETING -- MARCH 14, 1995 Council Member Barnett expressed concern that if the Fall Leaf Pick -Up and the Spring Clean -up programs were transferred to the Refuse Division, the bills would include the City Utility Tax; he suggested a cap be put on the utility tax due to the increased rates. Discussion continued about how this change might affect the Refuse Division, the probable costs involved, and the need to determine the most efficient equipment to do the job. Some alternative leaf removal /disposal methods, such as a leaf blower or a composting type system, were also explored. It is important to determine maximum efficiency and cost effectiveness of any new leaf removal method. However, more technical research needs to be done to determine what type of equipment would be the most efficient. Also, the two - phased implementation of a composting system at the Wastewater facility, as well as a transfer of function to the Refuse Division would need further study. Other committee policy recommendations were reviewed including Bin Service in the CBD area; the Fire Department Opticom System; and Work for Others (Non- Enterprise Funds) and (charging) Fully Loaded Costs. Discussion continued about increased rates and a need to determine the impact on water /sewer /refuse /irrigation rates when these costs are transferred. Billing the various departments to reflect these costs and established budget procedures relating to these issues were also topics of discussion. Martha Mathews directed Council's attention to sidewalk damage from tree roots. She suggested a street tree committee be established to respond to this problem. Dan Arnett emphasized the importance that only one division in the city needs to handle tree maintenance and citizen inquiries. There was continued discussion about various details concerning the issues of tree ownership, maintenance responsibility and liability. Don Moen suggested the use of pre -cast concrete sidewalks which could be picked up and set on sand. There was discussion about the City 50/50 Sidewalk Program. There are more sidewalks that need to be replaced than available money. Existing sidewalk replacement requirements and procedures were discussed, particularly for the narrower sidewalks in the older neighborhoods. There was discussion that the existing laws should be enforced. I/ There were comments and questions concerning the need to develop maintenance /repair standards for City Streets along with remedies to correct work that doesn't hold up. An inspection policy should be developed and an ordinance passed to address certain situations that arise. The responsibility of maintaining streets and alleys, 2 _ r 149 ADJOURNED MEETING -- MARCH 14, 1995 the associated costs and whether it was appropriate to provide such services were discussed. The Committee suggested the Council review current policy on these issues along with local improvement district formation procedure development. I/ Costs to do and maintain improvements in newly annexed areas were discussed and a suggestion was made to possibly consider an annexation policy as it relates to this issue. Some of the mechanisms used to develop and maintain streets were described. Mayor Berndt commented that many of these issues will require more discussion and debate than what is available during this meeting. The right to access railroad and trolley tracks needs to be established to perform regular maintenance on the railroad and trolley rights -of -way. Currently, access is limited to within one foot of the tracks. Another area of concern is the need to improve the effectiveness of railroad crossing signals. Dan Arnett explained the Committee suggested additional temporary help should be utilized with more hours and time worked. This practice would decrease permanent full time employee benefit costs; however, it would involve obtaining voter approval to change the Charter to do that. There was discussion about two methods to increase revenue, including a raise in private utility tax rates or implementation of a street utility tax. Other areas of discussion included suggestions to help address shortfalls and balancing the budget by utilizing the efficiencies suggested in the report. The following four ways were suggested to find resources needed by the Streets and Traffic Divisions: (1) Utilize existing City revenue sources, if sufficient, or find funding alternatives; (2) strengthen ties with neighborhood associations, service clubs, volunteer organizations and other public agencies to maximize cost -free resources; (3) consider the most long -term cost effective methods to achieve program goals including privatization or contracting out; and (4) impose a street utility tax effective January 1, 1996, I/ which should be preceded by an education campaign and a review by the citizens. The proposed street utility tax would be used for ongoing needed maintenance of roads. Also needed is a long -term replacement program of the city streets. The street bond issue could be resubmitted to the voters and if approved would be used to rebuild a portion of the City's arterial streets. Council Member Barnett called for consideration of a tax cap if a street utility tax is implemented. There was also discussion about consideration of 3 1.50 ADJOURNED MEETING -- MARCH 14, 1995 implementing a gas tax as other cities in Yakima County have done. It was suggested that the Chamber of Commerce determine whether a county -wide tax would be feasible. Mayor Berndt expressed appreciation for the effort put forth by the committee members and thanked them for the amount of work spent on this very informative report. There was continued discussion about the costs for seal coating and fixing pot holes with a comparison between public and private sectors. Don Moen suggested removing the gravel within 24 hours when seal coating to prevent potential liability. Bill Huibregtse talked about decreased funds and a shortage of street maintenance and revenues. He encouraged enhancing the revenues by establishing a street utility tax or a gas tax to rebuild the streets, but there needs to be more resources for basic road construction and maintenance. David Hussell explained the total costs to meet the ADA regulation to replace the existing street signs with larger signs, including fabrication and purchasing the material, will be about $900,000. Council Member Barnett suggested this amount be added because it is a federal mandate. There was continued discussion about whether to implement the utility tax. Mayor Berndt reported the Street Bond Committee has recommended to not resubmit the street bond issue because the timing isn't right. She also stated that a reserve fund for matching grants should be set up if a utility tax is implemented. Council Member Barnett suggested a transportation plan address the state utility revenue referred to in the MRSC State Utility Legislation booklet on page 10. He would want the procedures in this document implemented before he would consider a utility tax. This would have a summation document before the ordinance is passed. City LoQo After brief discussion, it was the general consensus to work with the Chamber of Commerce image division to develop a logo selection. City Manager Zais explained any new logo would be incorporated in phases so the cost factor is taken into consideration. 4