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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11/08/2005 Adjourned Meeting 3 2'3' ADJOURNED MEETING OF THE YAKIMA CITY COUNCIL NOVEMBER 8, 2005 - 8:30 A.M. - 12:30 P.M. COUNCIL CHAMBERS - CITY HALL 1. Roll Call Present: Council: Mayor Paul George, presiding, Council Members Ron Bonlender, Dave Edler, Mary Place, Bernard Sims, and Susan Whitman Staff: City Manager Zais, City Attorney Paolella and City Clerk Roberts Absent: Neil McClure (excused) 2. Public Hearing to consider final assessment roll for LID No. 1056, 7 th , 8th and 9 Avenues Sewer LID (See Ordinance confirming final assessment roll) Kay Adams, City Engineer, explained that this local improvement district (LID) to extend the sewer main was first proposed by the citizens themselves. They came forward with a petition of 60 -70% of the property owners. Others came forward so we stretched the sewer extension as far as we could. During the LID process, Council waived the connection fees for those within the city limits. They can now remove 20 -30 failing septic tanks in the area. There are 79 parcels some of which include more than one house. The LID is a financing tool for the citizens to use to get the sewer put in. There were several public meetings held on how to do it and how to assess the property owners. After reviewing multiple options, they came up with a formula. Residents don't have to hook up at this point, although their LID charge is the same whether they hook up or not If they hook up later, they will still receive the benefit of the waived connection fee because they are part of the project. • Mayor George opened the public hearing Lee Curry, who lives on S. 7 Avenue, referenced an RCW that refers to a portion of a system improvement must be against the state or county or city. He said that the City should be paying a portion of this and not just the neighbors. He also commented that one bid wasn't enough and, as a result, the City is paying too much. Mr. Adams corrected him and advised that there were four bids received on the project. He also clarified that the City's portion includes the road repair and the waiving of the connection fees. He will be given copies of the other bids. • Mayor George closed the public hearing The City Clerk read the ordinance by title only; SIMS MOVED AND EDLER SECONDED TO PASS THE ORDINANCE. The motion carried by unanimous roll call vote; McClure absent. • 3.291 ADJOURNED MEETING — NOVEMBER 8, 2005 ORDINANCE NO. 2005 -66, AN ORDINANCE of the City of Yakima, Washington, approving and confirming the final assessment roll for South 7th, S tn & 9 Avenue Sewer Local Improvement District No. 1056, which has been created and established for the purpose of paying the cost of certain sewer system improvements; and levying and assessing the amount thereof against the lots, tracts, parcels of land and other property shown on said roll. 3. Consideration of Resolution authorizing execution of license agreement with Morrier Hotel, LLC dba Hilton Garden Inn for the use of public right -of -way at Yakima Avenue and 4th Street for parking garage ramp City Manager Zais said this issue is the result of an administrative request to expedite this agreement, determined by Legal as necessary, for construction of the Hilton Garden's ramp onto Yakima Avenue. The design has been in question for a number of months and has gone through a technical and legal review as well as through the Public Safety committee. It was determined that a license agreement would be necessary and that requires Council authority. For expediting purposes, we are requesting delegating that authority to the City Manager. Bill Cook, Community and Economic Development Director, displayed a drawing of the Hilton Garden Hotel. It is 35 -40% complete and they are working toward a spring opening next year. The loan documents show parking underneath the hotel, at developer's request. It is proposed to bring the ramp down off of Yakima Avenue under the plaza and into the parking. The design was discussed in great detail. The proposal will, be reviewed with Mr. Morrier's architect. Council Member Place expressed concern that.we had to hire an engineer to look at this as she feels it is the proponent's job to do this not the City's. She also expressed concern about the slope of the ramp. Ken Harper, Legal Counsel for the City, explained the resolution. It authorizes the City Manager to make sure there is compliance with things like SEPA and City design standards. Those are still outstanding issues. The City is working with its own independent engineers and the proponent's engineers. The design considerations are coming through and if Council proceeds with this resolution, Mr. Zais will have the information necessary to execute this agreement. This resolution is not the same thing as execution of the license itself. The resolution, if passed, would have to be followed by a measured pause by Mr. Zais to make sure everything is okay to go forward. The details of the ramp were discussed. The City Clerk read the resolution by title only; EDLER MOVED AND SIMS SECONDED TO ADOPT THE RESOLUTION. The motion carried by 5 -1 roll call vote; Place voting nay and McClure absent. RESOLUTION NO. 2005 -174, A RESOLUTION authorizing and directing the City Manager to negotiate and execute a license and easement agreement with Morrier Hotel, LLC, a Washington limited liability company, d /b /a Hilton Garden Inn, relating to the development of a hotel in the general vicinity of 401 E. Yakima Avenue, in the City of Yakima, Washington. 2 3. 3:: ADJOURNED MEETING — NOVEMBER 8, 2005 BUDGET REVIEW City Manager Zais stated this is a $164 million budget inclusive of all funds and all obligations for a full service city of 82,000. The budget follows Council's strategic priorities. It invests in our local economy and our infrastructure. It has not been easy to balance the budget but it has been done without reliance on new taxes. He then referenced the Budget Strategy Team (BST) and how there are some suggested areas for increases of revenue sources. Mr. Zais reminded the public that the public hearing is scheduled for a week from today (11/15/05) from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. 4. Public Works Department Public Works Administration Chris Waarvick, Public Works Director, was available for questions. At this time Council interjected a number of questions on non - budgeted issues such as the stormwater phase 2 permit and the Yakima downtown futures initiative and development that will occur over the next five years. This led to comments about state and federal regulation requirements on stormwater and a status report on the Yakima Avenue project. With regard to the Public Works Administration budget, Mr. Waarvick said the distribution charge percentages have not changed. He noted that Administration and Transit have both hired bi- lingual department assistants who have become invaluable. Streets Shelley Willson, Streets/Traffic Operations Manager, was available for questions. Policy issues DOC contribution increase ($17,750) budgeted — Mrs. Willson commented on the increase saying the crew is used mainly for weed clearance. They are focusing on cleaning up the gateway entrances to the city. They are also used in the fall for the leaf pickup. Arterial Maintenance Program — Mrs. Willson distributed a map showing the cycle. She explained it is a program to be phased in over time as funds become available through the REET2 property tax, annexation, and the gas tax (if it survives the election). A detailed discussion of street maintenance methods took place. Also discussed was the idea of using another DOC crew, funded by a merchants LID, to maintain their areas. Traffic Engineering Mrs. Willson spoke about concerns with regard to the condition of the wooden poles used for lighting. We used to replace about 25 a year. The last time we did that was in the mid - eighties. This is a future cost that is lurking out there. 3 33 1 ADJOURNED MEETING — NOVEMBER 8, 2005 Transit Ken Mehin, Transit Manager, and Gary Pira, Transit Project Planner, were available for questions. Policy issues • DOC contribution increase ($2,420) budgeted - discussed under Streets. Bus Replacement Plan — They are in the process of purchasing six buses to replace old buses. This is a 10 -15 year investment and they believe that ridership will continue to increase. Council Member Sims said, and the rest of the Council members agreed, to give direction that at least three of the six new buses be forty feet. Also discussed were grant efforts and service expansion to Selah and Union Gap. Budget Farebox return is less than 7 %. There hasn't been a rate increase since 1994. This year they will be exercising their second one -year extension of the Para Transit contract in December. There may be a reduction in the cash -out line item as one person may not retire as originally planned. Refuse Nancy Fortier, Refuse Manager, was available for questions. Policy Issue Refuse Rate Increase — An 8% rate increase is budgeted to cover the funding of a new code compliance officer and a 5% unbudgeted increase to cover operating cost increases. The code compliance officer is specifically for litter control in some areas in Yakima. Council Member Place questioned whether it would be a better use of the rate increase to fund a third DOC crew to clean up areas rather than a code compliance officer. Discussion ensued with a point being code compliance would be a method of changing the habits of people so they don't grow into bigger code problems. The intent of a code compliance officer is to teach and regulate as we can. Also discussed was the issue of containers in the public right -of -way, and other codes that need to be addressed that we haven't been able to get to. The operating cost increase is to cover increases in landfill tipping fees, fuel, increase in customers as a result of annexations, and increased technology. Council Member Place requested that rates for private haulers be available during the budget wrap up. Equipment Rental Richard Wonner, Fleet Manager, described the successes of 2005. They were able to fill three vacancies, established an afternoon shift, and productivity has gone up. The equipment replacement program was discussed. Mr. Wonner spoke of two major challenges for his division: 1) fuel costs and 2) new federal emission standards. They are meeting with the Department of Ecology with regard to an emissions control program for grant money to retrofit our old vehicles. These standards could affect 140 vehicles at a range of $2- $3,000 per vehicle. There is only $2 million in grant money for the state to distribute. 4 - 332 ADJOURNED MEETING — NOVEMBER 8, 2005 Mr. Wonner also spoke of maintenance issues for the Public Works facility. The facility is approaching 30 years of age and the buildings are starting to wear out. One of the more critical issues is the domestic water supply. An engineering firm helped assess the problem and discovered it is in the realm of $400,000 - $500,000 to repair. We don't have the funds and will have to be innovative on how to accomplish this to provide safe water for the employees. Other items discussed were asphalt and grass on the campus, limited space with the growth by annexations, and fuel tank capacity. Parks And Recreation Denise Nichols, Parks and Recreation Manager, was available for questions. Policy Issues: DOC contribution increase ($31,000) budgeted, - discussed under Streets and Refuse. Central Business District Landscaping — currently down to one seasonal employee. Mrs. Nichols expressed concern about the increased load with the revitalization of the downtown area. Discussion covered the need for this to be discussed by the Yakima Downtown Association with the possibility of an increase in the PBIA or corporate sponsorships. Also discussed at this time was the feasibility of a metropolitan park district. There is newer legislation that has developed where, although metropolitan park districts require going to a vote of the public, once it is set you no longer have to continually go back. The governing board of the district sets the tax rate. It is a junior taxing authority so there are some limitations. It is more beneficial now to look at a parks district and they hope to come back to Council with good data in about twelve months. This is in furtherance of our regional recommendations from the BST. .5% in lieu of tax on private /public utilities (unbudgeted) — Parks currently receives 3.5% out of the 14% utility tax. This recommendation is to consider upping that by .5% which would generate about $130,000 a year to be set aside for capital improvements to the park system. There are great needs, future park acquisition, and development for which there is currently no revenue stream. City Manager Zais explained that a 1% adjustment was a policy issue last year. It was deferred in contemplation of the Budget Strategy Team reviewing all options of City spending and revenue. It is on the BST list of options to be considered. He noted another alternative is lifting the .5% currently in place on private utilities. Also discussed were the costs of maintaining Lions Pool and the reduction in revenue at Fisher Park. Budget Mrs. Nichols reviewed accomplishments and goals. Cemetery Points noted were: the reassignment of an employee to work in the cemetery office has enhanced services, the reserves are very small, the roads in the cemetery are in need of repair, we should look into pre - selling, and we need a niche wall for cremations as the mausoleum is pretty full. 5 333 ADJOURNED MEETING — NOVEMBER 8, 2005 5. Municipal Court Judge Susan Woodard, Linda Morris, Court Services Manager, and Don Belisle, County Probation, were available for questions. Policy Issue — Change Municipal Court Judge Salary Structure in Response to a New State Law (budgeted). There was discussion on the $43 filing fee that is to support this increase and how much we could expect to actually receive. Judge Woodard summarized the budget. She highlighted their history, their current staffing levels, and pending legislation on the authority of court commissioners. Overtime was discussed and Judge Woodard said they are making efforts to reduce it, which may mean reducing the hours they are open to the public. Probation Center Judge Woodard spoke regarding the combining of the two probation offices, County and City. They expect the interlocal agreement to be concluded by December 31 The remaining issue is where the services will be housed. They are using the one across from the Police Department, but are currently sharing it with police. Don Belisle spoke about the combined offices noting that the real energy behind it was rehabilitation. City Manager Zais gave insight into some technical details of the combining. He said we weren't sure exactly when this would take effect so the budget carries the Probation Services Division for three months into next year, although that may not be necessary. 6. Adjournment PLACE MOVED AND WHITMAN SECONDED TO ADJOURN TO NOVEMBER 15, 2005 AT 8:3 A.M. FOR BUDGET REVIEW IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBERS. The motion carried by unanimous voice vote; McClure absent. The meeting • adjourned at 12:35 p.m. READ AND CERTIFIED ACCURATE BY ■■ v _. '/ CO i ' ° *ER/ DATE` /� � / C•T CIL MEMBER DATE ATTEST: `KAA-g-v ie-6-4-e- d �7 CITY CLERK PAUL P. GEORGE, MAYOR Minutes prepared by Linda Watkins. An audio and video tape of this meeting are available in the City Clerk's Office 6