City of Puyallup Regular City Council Meeting February 9, 2016 (These minutes are not verbatim. The meeting was recorded, and copies of the recording are retained for a period of six years from the date of the meeting and are available upon request.) COUNCILMEMBERS PRESENT: Mayor Hopkins, Deputy Mayor Palmer, Councilmember Door, Councilmember Shadko, Councilmember Swanson, Councilmember Johnson, Councilmember Farris APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA Council Action: A motion was made by Deputy Mayor Palmer, second by Councilmember Johnson, to include a discussion on system development charges under Considerations and Requests and approve the agenda as amended. The motion passed 7-0. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES Council Action: A motion was made by Deputy Mayor Palmer, second by Councilmember Johnson, to approve the minutes of January 12, 2016 as submitted. The motion passed 7-0. PRESENTATIONS AND/OR PROCLAMATIONS Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting Mayor Hopkins presented Finance Director Cliff Craig the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for the year ending 2014. COMMITTEE REPORTS Councilmember Door reported her attendance at a Central Pierce Fire and Rescue (CPFR) meeting. She spoke about CPFR bonds and their efforts to repair or replace a damaged fire truck. Councilmember Shadko encouraged all Pierce Transit riders to attend the Destination 2040 Plan Open House on March 16 at the Puyallup Library. Mayor Hopkins gave an update on the funds provided by the Pierce County Flood District to the City of Puyallup and acknowledged City Engineer Mark Palmer s work on the project. He spoke about a Public Records Bill in Olympia and its impact on commercial as well as vindictive requests.
CITIZEN COMMENTS Mr. Andy Anderson, shared some history of Puyallup s earliest settlement as an Oregon Trail town in 1853. He spoke of an expedition undertaken by Ezra Meeker to retrace and mark the Oregon Trail a hundred and ten years ago and a recreation of the journey by members of the Puyallup Historical Society to mark its hundred year anniversary. Mr. Robin Ordonez, urged the council to raise system development charges for new development in the city. He explained how previous councils neglect in raising these charges for over ten years had cost citizens dearly through an increase in sewer rates. Mr. Paul Mahoney condemned the pursuit of past Councilmember Steve Vermillion s lawsuit. He said that lawsuit burdened the city s tax payers and asked the council about their decision regarding this matter. Mr. David Churchman, discussed the Steve Vermillion lawsuit and cautioned the council against the destruction of public records. Mr. Gene Landry, spoke of system development charges and informed the council about Tacoma Road which remains unfinished even after several years of development. Mr. Bud Metzger, touched on various topics including a Pierce County Earthquake Retro-fit meeting at the Puyallup Library; the city s sewage plant restoration; placement of a garbage can in front of a city residence; and the importance of public records for the sake of government transparency. Mr. Mervin Swanson, recommended that the city explore the option of marketing gray water from its sewage treatment plant to the proposed methanol plant in Tacoma. He believed that this would solve the problem of having to give up potable water for the methanol plant. CONSENT AGENDA Authorize the 2016-2018 collective bargaining agreement with the Puyallup Police Management Association Authorize the 2015-2016 collective bargaining agreement with the Puyallup Police Association-Support Services Acceptance of $2.83 million from the Pierce County Flood Zone District, authorize the City Manager to execute an interagency agreement for flood proofing the Wastewater Pollution Control Plant and adjust the budget as appropriate Authorize an interagency agreement with the Washington State Department of Ecology in the amount of $142,826.00 to continue the Local Source Control Program 2
Council Action: A motion was made by Deputy Mayor Palmer, second by Councilmember Farris, to approve the consent agenda. The motion passed 7-0. CONSIDERATIONS AND REQUESTS Consider and select a funding alternative for the Van Lierop land acquisition and amend the budget as appropriate Finance Director Cliff Craig presented a proposal for a 2016 budget change to accommodate the purchase of the Van Lierop Park land in 2015. He explained that the $324,000 purchase was funded largely by the Parks CIP budget and partly by the Budget Stability Reserves (BSR). He offered the council the option to either restore the amount paid by the Parks CIP to the BSR, which could result in the delay or elimination of some Parks CIP projects, or to keep the projects intact by choosing not to pay the BSR back. Deputy Mayor Palmer supported Option 2 as he believed it was consistent with the council s previous plan to dedicate half of the proceeds from the sale of the CRC building to the Van Lierop purchase. Councilmember Swanson believed that the economy may be headed towards a recession and expressed his hesitation with using BSR funds to pay for this purchase. This led to council conversation coalescing around the distribution of the $324,000 expense between the Parks CIP and BSR funds. Mr. Craig clarified that there is approximately $600,000 to $630,000 in unallocated funds in the BSR and if the council chose Option 2, it would still leave approximately $100,000 in the Parks CIP to fund parks projects. Councilmember Door recalled previous discussions relating to the proceeds of the CRC building sale to fund a community reader board and a portion to parks and a portion to a public safety building. Council Action: A motion was made by Deputy Mayor Palmer, second by Mayor Hopkins to adopt Option 2 as an alternate funding source for the Van Lierop land acquisition. The motion passed 7-0. OTHER BUSINESS Zoo Trek Authority Board Position City Manager Yamamoto identified an opportunity to nominate a councilmember for a position on the Zoo Trek Authority (ZTA) Board. He explained that Pierce County Regional Council (PCRC) fills two positions on the ZTA Board and that Position Two was held by former councilmember Vermillion and is currently vacant. Mr. Yamamoto explained other jurisdictions can nominate representatives for the position and a vote of the full regional council would be held. 3
Councilmember Shadko expressed her interest in this position. Councilmember Swanson shared that during the last PCRC meeting discussion circled around and laid groundwork for the City of Puyallup to finish the term that was previously held by a Puyallup city councilmember. Council Action: A motion was made by Councilmember Swanson, second by Councilmember Door, to nominate and vote for Councilmember Heather Shadko for Board Position Two of the Zoo and Trek Authority Board. The motion passed 7-0. System Development Charges City Manager Kevin Yamamoto made an introductory presentation to the council explaining that system development charges (SDC) are connection charges paid by new development to connect to the city s existing water, sewer, and stormwater systems. He elaborated that the City of Puyallup had not adjusted SDCs to keep up with inflation in the last twelve years. As a result the burden of new development was being borne by current utility customers. Mr. Yamamoto offered to provide the council comparative analysis of SDCs in the city of Puyallup and similar connection charges in the county and neighboring cities. A discussion ensued between councilmembers regarding various aspects of SDCs. Conversation coalesced around issues such as impact of inflation on the rates recommended by a 2010 study in Puyallup; percentage of utilities revenue contributed by SDCs; credit for benefits incurred by raising connection charges; holistic cost of development, including impact fees and SDCs, in Puyallup; and the long-term impact of a rate pause. Mr. Yamamoto agreed to come back to the council with their informational requests for further review of SDCs in the city. CITY MANAGER S REPORT Council Rules Discussion City Manager Kevin Yamamoto made a proposal to redraft the existing City Council Rules of Procedure. He provided examples of anomalies that need to be reconciled and redundant information that can be removed to shorten the rules and make them more usable by council members. He also sought direction to amend rules to reflect the current expectations and policy for the council body. A discussion ensued between Councilmember Farris, Councilmember Swanson and Mr. Yamamoto about a code of conduct and ethics code for councilmembers. Councilmember Swanson noted that it is important to put safeguards in place to avoid the use of such codes for shutting out alternate voices and opinions. 4
Mayor Hopkins supported the revision of council rules and believed that it would also be valuable to revisit the protocol of issuance of city keys and coins, as well as the use of committees and subcommittees for specific topics. COUNCIL REPORTS Councilmember Swanson reminded everyone about the Polar Plunge event at Owens Beach and invited people to join the efforts in support of the Special Olympics. Councilmember Farris reported on several topics including her visit to Olympia to testify for stronger DUI laws; results from a survey to gauge citizen interest in community improvement projects; plans to create an economic development board; and a desire to create a committee for homelessness in Puyallup. She informed the public about the American Legion and their services for veterans. Councilmember Door spoke about her attendance at the Fun in the Sun themed Daffodil Promenade; meeting with Aging in Place s Charlie Emmett; and the upcoming Daffodil Parade. She addressed the issue of her testimony for House Bill 2576 in Olympia, explaining that it dealt with overly large, harassing, and commercial requests for records which interfered with the city s ability to provide public records to taxpayers. She clarified that she informed Mr. Yamamoto and all councilmembers before and after testifying for the bill. Councilmember Johnson appreciated the sense of community in Puyallup. He believed that citizens can come together despite differing opinions and fulfill the city s potential for even further improvement. Councilmember Shadko reminded everyone of upcoming community events including a Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser at the Puyallup Senior Activity Center and the dedication of Jonathan Lester Baseball Field at Wildwood Park. She emphasized the need for updating public records laws to protect against large commercial requests. Deputy Mayor Palmer spoke about the new development in the Williams gas pipeline project and expressed his desire to inform those citizens that will be impacted by the pipeline. He reported his meeting with Puget Sound Energy (PSE) about its new 230K power line and PSE s willingness to adjust pole locations should they interfere with views of Mt. Rainier at the new park. He also addressed Pierce County Regional Council s upcoming grants and city council s retreat that set an ambitious agenda for the coming year. MAYOR S REPORT Mayor Hopkins believed that the council retreat was an ambitious and productive meeting. He looked forward to working with the council and City Manager to develop a work plan for the various issues discussed at the retreat. He supported Councilmember Door s testimony for House Bill 2576 and emphasized how large commercial requests can make it difficult to process genuine requests in a timely manner. Finally, he encouraged everyone to take advantage of the city s trails and parks and the warmer weather to get more active outdoors. 5
EXECUTIVE SESSION At 8:20 p.m. Mayor Hopkins announced the council would recess into executive session for one hour, to discuss litigation or potential litigation issues with the city attorney. City Manager Kevin Yamamoto, City Attorney Steve Kirkelie, City Clerk Mary Winter, Mayor Hopkins and the Councilmembers recessed into executive session. At 9:21 p.m. it was announced that the executive session was extended until 10:00 p.m.; at 10:00 p.m. it was announced the executive session was extended to 10:15 p.m.; at 10:15 p.m. the executive session was extended to 10:30 p.m.; at 10:30 p.m. it was announced the meeting was extended to 10:45 p.m. At 10:41 p.m. the meeting was adjourned and no action was taken. ADJOURNMENT 10:41 p.m. 6