HomeMy WebLinkAbout10/21/2008 09 Aquatic Center PFD Funding Mechanism - Motion to Place Before Voters [Public Facilities District] o i
BUSINESS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
YAKIMA, WASHINGTON
AGENDA STATEMENT Q
Item No. _/
For Meeting of: October 21, 2008
ITEM TITLE: Consideration of Motion indicating willingness to place the Aquatic
Center Public Facilities District (PFD) Funding Mechanism before the
Voters at a future date
SUBMITTED BY: Chris Waarvick, Director of Public Works
Ken Wilkinson, Parks and Recreation Manager
CONTACT PERSON/TELEPHONE: Chris Waarvick/576 -6415
SUMMARY EXPLANATION:
At the October 4, 2008 City Council meeting, staff was directed to bring back for Council
consideration a motion on the following question:
"Is the Yakima City Council willing to place before the voters at an
• appropriate time in the future a PFD 0.1% sales tax increment allowed by
state law for the purpose of funding the construction of a Regional Aquatic
Center."
In this intervening period, staff also met with Council members and the Mayor to answer
questions and /or inquiries regarding financing, construction, project risks, and policy
implications of building a regional aquatics facility. The attached letter, dependent on
your action on the motion, will be addressed to the mayors and individual Council
members of both the City of Selah and the City of Union Gap. We are prepared to
answer any inquiries they may have prior to their vote on a willingness to support this
. PFD funding mechanism. The indication of support by all three cities is recognized as a
prerequisite to asking the two potential site donors to respond to requests for proposals
and subsequent City expenditure of funds for proper due diligence.
Resolution _ Ordinance _ Other (Specify
Contact Person:
Funding Source:.
APPROVED FOR SUBMITTAL: !� ` - City Manager
STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Staff recognizes this decision is a policy matter for City
Council to deliberate.
BOARD /COMMISSION /COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION:
COUNCIL ACTION:
• [Mayor's Letterhead]
October 7, 2008
Mayors and Council Members [each named and provided a separate letter -per DZ]
Union Gap and Selah
Dear
I wish to take this opportunity to thank you for your representation at the Regional
Aquatics Center Study Session this past August 26, 2008. The discussion was healthy
and your comments constructive. An outcome of that meeting was the drafting of a
series of logical "ne,t steps." These steps carefully yet deliberately continue the
due diligence necessary for a multi- partner project of this magnitude. These steps are
currently identified as follows: _
1. An indication from each of the three C ity Councils of their willingness to
place . the currently recommended Public Facilities District (PFD) funding
mechanism consisting of a 0.1% sales tax increment on the ballot for a public vote
40 at some point in the future. If any of the three cities are unwilling to indicate their
willingness to do so, it will be imperative to stop and reconsider funding options
before work is done and costs incurred.
2. Subsequent to the indication of willingness from the three cities to place the
PFD funding mechanism to a vote, Yakima Resources (owners of the old Boise
Cascade mill site) and Yakima County (owners of the State Fair Park) will be
asked to respond to Request for Proposals for the donation of land and operation
of the a facility after construction is completed. The land donation may
have conditions and attendance requirements or obligations that should be
identified. The operations proposal should use the operational framework found
in the USKH Feasibility Study for the purposes of analysis and comparison.
3. The City of Yakima Aquatics Committee would review the formal proposals
and make a recommendation to the full Council. The full City of Yakima Council -
would make a tentative site selection. Needless to the cities of Union Gap
and Selah would be fully informed of the process and put earnestly sought.
4. The site selected above would then begin to undergo appropriate due
diligence in the form of comprehensive geotechnical site analysis and other
important engineering and technical review. This an alysis is necessary to confirm
the constructability of an aquatics facility at the site.
5. By this point, the site and operational aspects will have been thoroughly vetted
and it would be appropriate to conduct a survey of public opinion on the aquatics
facility proposal.
6. Past this point the City of Yakima would decide on the ballot measure
language, date of election, prepare a fact sheet, and hold Public Meetings or
Hearings as appropriate. An independent citizen group promoting the ballot
measure would be an important facet of the effort because the "city" cannot
sponsor, endorse or support the ballot 'measure using city resources after it is
acted on by the City Council.
Therefore, as the steps above are presented in sequence, the city of Yakima is
requesting an indication of your willingness to join together to place the PFD 0.1%
sales tax measure on the ballot at the appropriate time in the future. Importantly, if
you find that you are unable to state a willingness to put this measure to your citizens
due to remaining unanswered questions you have, please do not hesitate to contact
me. I will arrange further opportunity for all your questions to be answered to the
best of our ability. We await your response and hope that our efforts to create a
vision of what a facility of this type could mean to the region are compelling.
Sincerely,
Dave Edler, Mayor