COUNCIL WORKSHOP November 7, 2000 5:30 p.m. MINUTES City of Where Dreams Can Soar The City of Bonney Lake s Mission is to protect the community s livable identity and scenic beauty through responsible growth planning and by providing accountable, accessible and efficient local government services. Call to Order Mayor Young called the workshop to order at 5:30 p.m. In attendance with Mayor Young were Councilmember Stephen Bricker, Deputy Mayor Pam Cleveland, Councilmember Phil DeLeo, Councilmember Diane Marshall, Councilmember Maureen Palecek, and Councilmember Dan Swatman. Staff members present were Deputy City Attorney Jeff Ganson, Public Works Director Seth Boettcher, City Finance Officer John Weidenfeller, Director of Planning & Community Development Craig Flamme, Interim Planning Assistant Mark Smith, East Pierce Fire District Chief Dan Packer, Fire Marshal John McDonald, City Clerk Gayle Butcher, and Deputy City Clerk Ray Luevanos. Mayor Young introduced John Weidenfeller as the new City Finance Officer. Motion by Deputy Mayor Cleveland, second by Councilmember Swatman, to amend the agenda as follows: Table Item 11, Sewer Discussions, for discussion at the November 21 st workshop. Move Item 7- Lake Tapps Task Force Agreement in Principle Discussion, Item 8-2001 Ad Valorem Tax Levy, and Item 12-Form of Government Resolution & Ballot Measure for discussion immediately following Item 2-Draft Minutes. Motion Carried Unanimously 7-0. Motion by Deputy Mayor Cleveland, second by Councilmember Palecek, to amend the agenda to include discussion on a memorandum of understanding for a potential applicant for the position of building inspector. Motion Carried Unanimously 7-0. 1. Open Council Discussion Agenda Items Councilmember Rackley briefed Council on his intent to research the possibility of synchronizing stoplights along Highway 410. Director Flamme volunteered to research the issue and provide further information.
Page 2 Council discussed the inception of the paperless agenda prepared for this workshop. Deputy Mayor Cleveland noted that Council did not approve this procedural change. She cited the logistical shortfalls of laptop computers and supporting hardware necessary for Council to process this significant change. Deputy Mayor Cleveland also reviewed the requirement for the City to purchase individual software licensing agreements for all Councilmembers. In conclusion, she verbalized her opposition to the paperless agenda at this time and noted that the lack of notice undermined Council s efforts to study the issues on this evening s agenda. Mayor Young cited a breakdown in communication with the City Administrator, saying that hard copies of the agenda should have been provided to allow Council to evaluate the potential value of a paperless agenda. He stated his support for providing Council with laptops and acknowledged that licensing agreements would be required prior to disseminating requisite software. General Council consensus was opposition to the paperless agenda until such time that a City website exists that would support an electronic agenda process. Council urged the Mayor to pursue professional expertise in order to expedite the development of the website. Council addressed the eviction of Seniors from the upstairs portion of the Senior Center. Deputy Mayor Cleveland cited conflicting reasons of improved senior facilities and safety concerns as justification for Staff occupation of the second floor of the building. She added that the Seniors may have felt intimidated when asked by the Mayor, City Administrator, and Payroll Clerk to vacate the space for Staff use. Deputy Mayor Cleveland asked for clarification regarding the funds used to build the storage facility adjacent to the Senior Center, and Staff s intent for that second floor space Councilmember DeLeo addressed a statement attributed to Mayor Young in a recent newspaper article in which he expressed support for a public ownership option at a recent Lake Tapps Task Force meeting. He expressed disappointment that the Mayor would elicit such a statement in opposition to their unanimous consensus to not commit to any particular proposal. Mayor Young responded that he did not speak in opposition of Council s discussion and that he did not write the article, nor did he provide any information to the reporter. Deputy Mayor Cleveland noted that the future resolution would emphasize generic support for the Lake Tapps Task Force s Economic Options Committee recommendation without rendering support for any single option. Councilmember DeLeo solicited Council interest for student comments supporting development of a skateboard park. General consensus was to provide Council with copies. Councilmember Swatman raised the issue of the inferior condition of the intersection at Highway 410 and 208 th Avenue due to construction. Director Flamme cited Washington State Department of Transportation as contributing to the delay of development due to procedural requirements imposed on the contractor.
Page 3 Councilmember Bricker discussed a citizen request for a 4-way stop intersection on 75 th Street at 188 th avenue. He cited potentially dangerous conditions and requested Staff assistance as to procedures necessary to initiate a change. Mayor Young committed to a follow-up response as to the process. Councilmember DeLeo requested approval to inquire as to the status of the hearing examiner s decision regarding the Canning development. Director Flamme responded that he is still preparing materials requested by the hearing examiner regarding that case. He approximated a final report in two weeks. 2. Draft Minutes: October 10, October 17, 2000. Deputy Mayor Cleveland proposed the following amendments: October 10, 2000 Page 3, Item III A the Committee will meet prior to next week s workshop Page 5, 2 nd paragraph, 1 st sentence Deputy Mayor Cleveland extended Page 5, 2 nd paragraph, 2 nd sentence developer extension agreements by motion only. October 17, 2000 Page 1, Item 1 Deputy Mayor Cleveland requested the report prepared by Hittle and Associates and the report prepared by Page 2, 1 st paragraph, last sentence whether this directive was changed.,and Mayor Young responded there was no problem verified that it was still the current procedure. Page 11, 3 rd paragraph, 3 rd sentence the candidate received a very unflattering, anonymous letter 3. Lake Tapps Task Force Agreement in Principle Discussion This item was re-scheduled to this portion of the agenda by motion Council consensus was that this item had previously been discussed and resolved under Item 1, Open Council Discussion. 4. Ad Valorem Tax Levy This item was re-scheduled to this portion of the agenda by motion City Finance Officer Weidenfeller addressed Council with a general background on the Ad Valorem tax rate. Council noted that the City would stand to lose approximately $17,114 if I-722 regarding the rollback of fees were to pass.
Page 4 Staff announced a projected decrease in revenues. City Finance Officer Weidenfeller committed to researching the assumptions behind the revenue decrease and providing a report to Council. Deputy Mayor Cleveland confirmed that the levy without the inflator would be forwarded to Tuesday s meeting. 5. Form of Government Resolution and Ballot Measure This item was re-scheduled to this portion of the agenda by motion Council discussed the registration of the ballot measure with the County Registrar s office. Deputy City Attorney Ganson replied that that responsibility resided within the City Clerk s duties. Council discussed timelines for the ballot measure and potential election dates for Council elections. General consensus was to vote on the ballot measure to allow the Council elections to occur during the September election cycle. It was determined that either the April or May ballot options would be viable for Council elections in September. Deputy Mayor Cleveland verified that the City Attorney would write the ballot measure. Council consensus was to forward this issue to Tuesday s agenda for consideration. 6. Planning Commission Memorandum of October 20, 2000 Director Flamme addressed Council regarding the Planning Commission s proposed moratorium on land use applications. He emphasized that the City has a consultant team, which reviews land use applications. Director Flamme also discussed the mandate for an emergency situation to exist before a moratorium could be imposed. He recognized the Planning Commission s good intentions and recognized that now that he has interim planning staff, he will be able to better address legislative issues directly related to Planning Commission agenda items. Council discussed the possibility of clerical assistance for the Planning Department. Director Flamme expressed appreciation but emphasized a need for a Senior Planner and additional consultant funding. He then briefed Council on issues that his department needs to address in next year s budget. Deputy City Attorney Ganson illuminated that only a recognized emergency would provide justification for a moratorium. Deputy Mayor Cleveland asked Commissioner McKibbin and Commissioner Dahlstrom if they had a better understanding of moratorium rules and whether their memorandum had been addressed. Commissioner McKibbin responded satisfactorily with this
Page 5 evening s discussion, and Commissioner Dahlstrom was satisfied with discussion on staffing needs. Mayor Young called for a break at 7:05 p.m. Workshop reconvened at 7:10 p.m. 7. Fire District Interlocal Agreement Deputy Mayor Cleveland distributed a re-cap of Council discussions wherein consensus or majority consensus was reached. She also briefed Council on what the Finance Committee reviewed. Council discussed the issue of unfunded liability as it related to the Fire Department that needed to be incorporated in the agreement. Councilmember Swatman expressed opposition to transferring money to the Fire Department, which the City had not even funded, and believes the city is not under obligation. Chief Packer noted it was his understanding that the city had set aside unfunded liability monies in the insurance fund. Councilmember Rackley expressed discomfort in having the City fund expenses for District 22 and initiated a discussion on District 22 jurisdiction, highlighting fire equipment and vehicles as an example. Chief Packer stated that the City had previously funded for these expenses in the general fund. Fire Marshal McDonald emphasized that District 22 contributed as much as District 24 and the City of Bonney Lake combined, therefore the argument that the City was financing the district was incorrect. A heated debate occurred regarding the definition of whom is a taxpayer and whether the taxpayer is exclusive to the City of Bonney Lake or to District No. 22 in the debate of services and finances. In summarizing the discussion Deputy Mayor Cleveland reviewed the re-cap material. She also noted that unfunded liability had yet to be resolved, and that it the only issue to be identified. City Finance Officer Weidenfeller resolved to compute the unfunded liability estimates. In discussion general consensus, Councilmember Palecek questioned if the city was responsible for unfunded liabilities. Deputy City Attorney Ganson stated he believed there was a better argument for legal responsibility for unfunded liabilities than on anything else. He explained that what the unfunded liabilities constitutes is the accrual of benefits (sick leave and vacation leave) while firefighters were employees of the city. General consensus was to forward the interlocal agreement to Tuesday s meeting. 8. Draft Fire Chief/Marshal Ordinance Discussion Mayor Young confirmed that this was a housekeeping ordinance. General consensus was to move this issue forward to Tuesday s meeting. 9. Draft Lease with Fire
Page 6 Council discussed the issue of charging a reasonable rate of rent to cover recurring maintenance expenses for the Public Safety Building. Chief Packer expressed concern in leasing a building that was previously ill-maintained. For the purpose of the organization of the minutes and minutes-taking techniques, Councilmember Swatman s comments related to the lease agreement that were spoken while discussing the interlocal agreement are reflected here. Councilmember Swatman remarked strong opposition that only the citizens of Bonney Lake are paying for the Public Safety Building s General Obligation Bond. He believes with the consolidation the bonding should now be paid across the Fire District 22 region. Councilmember DeLeo rebutted Councilmember Swatman s philosophy and noted the General Obligation Bond rests with City residents. Deputy City Attorney Ganson confirmed that rent could be considered. Council consensus was not to bring the lease forward to the Tuesday meeting. Councilmembers Bricker, Rackley, and Palecek volunteered to participate in an ad hoc committee to negotiate and resolve this leasing issues with Chief Packer. 10. Review Year to Date Expense & Revenue Reports Deputy Mayor Cleveland briefed Council on line item reports for the City s year to date financial status. Council consensus was to review and readress on November 21, 2000. 11. Sewer Discussions This item was tabled for discussion at the November 21 st workshop under Item 1, Open Council Discussion. 12. Memorandum of Understanding for Building Official Position Director Boettcher explained the memorandum of understanding as raising the union salary by $85 so that the prospective candidate would not incur a decrease in pay by accepting this position. Council consensus was to forward to Tuesday s meeting. Mayor Young adjourned the workshop at 8:18 p.m. Bob Young, Mayor Ray Luevanos, Deputy City Clerk