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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-23-2000 - MinutesMEDINA CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION MINUTES October 23, 2000 Medina City Hall 4:00 P.M. 501 Evergreen Point Rd. CALL TO ORDER Mayor Becker called the Study Session of the Medina City Council to order at 4:10 p.m. Present: Council Members Suzanne Cohen, Paul Demitriades, Mary Odermat, Steve Preston and Mayor Daniel Becker Absent: Council Members Jim Lawrence and Thomas Morgan Staff Present: City Manager Doug Schulze, City Attorney Kirk Wines, City Planning Director Jenny Schultz, Public Works Superintendent Carl Burris, Finance Officer Jan Burdue and Interim City Clerk Caroll Wedlund POINT OF ORDER Mayor Becker announced that the Council would go into Executive Session to review pending litigation. ANNOUNCEMENTS Council Member Demitriades announced that he had attended a meeting of the South Sound North End and Eastside Transportation Program. He noted that several legislative leaders were present, and that if both 1-745 and 1-722 passed, the Legislature would deal with those issues when they returned to Olympia in January. He indicated that the legislative leaders had no plan, but were rather waiting for the results of the Blue Ribbon Transportation Report, and that hopefully, the Governor would take action regarding that report. Mayor Becker reported that he and Interim City Clerk Caroll Wedlund had attended the Association of Washington Cities Regional Meeting, where incumbents and others running for office discussed transportation and education issues. Mayor Becker announced that at the Trans -Lake Executive Session meeting, the Executive Committee was supposed to review both alternatives as well as moving Level I items forward to Level 2. City Manager Schulze relayed that the Department of Ecology was seeking the Mayor's signature on a comment letter regarding the final draft of the Stormwater Management Manual for Western Washington. He also indicated that the Overlake Drive project was substantially completed. City Manager Schulze continued that the preliminary punch list had been submitted to Mr. Kemper, and that the roadway striping was pending for a couple of good weather days. City Manager Schulze explained that the NE 241h Street landscaping restoration would begin this week. He reported that West Coast Construction personnel had been working with Landscape Consultant Keith Bates regarding some tree issues. This came about City Council Study Session October 23, 2000 Page 2 because a neighbor had been concerned about the tree species selected. City Manager Schulze announced that the trees, landscaping and striping would be completed in approximately four weeks. Turning to the issue of sidewalk vandalism, City Manager Schulze indicated that as the sidewalks on NE 24" Street and on Overlake weathered, the scooter tracks and carved initials would diminish. He continued that the only other alternative would be to replace the sidewalk sections that had been damaged. City Manager Schulze declared that the insurance costs, engineering and staff time involved would be much greater than the cost of repairing the sidewalks, and recommended that the sidewalks be left as is. Council Member Demitriades queried when the striping would be completed at NE 24'h Street and Evergreen Point Road. City Manager Schulze replied that the contractor was waiting for a couple of good weather days. Council Member Preston asked about the eastbound lanes at NE 241h Street and 84'h Avenue NE. City Manager Schulze responded that the information he had received was left turn only. DISCUSSION AUTHORIZATION OF CONTRACT FOR FAIRWEATHER PRESERVE City Manager Schulze referred Council members to the proposed contract with EarthCorps. He announced that the three sections related to restoration that comprised the scope of the work were the stream, the trail and planting. City Manager Schulze continued that Cascadia Quest had changed their name to EarthCorps, which came about because no one could explain what Cascadia Quest did. He relayed that they would be planting 13,000 plants in the preserve, and that the invasive removal had been completed. City Manager Schulze announced that the contract amount was $207,523, and that $243,380 remained for the gym work proposed for next year. City Manager Schulze explained that he had recently discussed the cost with Architect Charles Anderson, and that by eliminating a stairway and a sitting wall that separated the park area from the reserve area, the City had been able to reduce $120,000 from the projected price. Further, Architect Anderson did not believe that eliminating the wall and stairway in that location would significantly impact the overall design, as there would still be a distinction between the gym area and the preserve section. City Manager Schulze relayed that EarthCorps only needed authorization for the reserve portion of the work. Public Works Superintendent Burris explained that part of the contract was that each year clean up would be performed. Council Member Demitriades interjected that the restoration part of the streambed did not depend upon the other portion of the project. Council Member Odermat asked if the Council could be assured that the gym would be completed by early spring to next summer. City Manager Schulze replied that the City would be advertising for bids in January or February and that construction could begin as soon as the bid was awarded. He continued that the work had been proposed for after Medina Days, and that he had not been aware that there had been any change regarding when the work would be done. City Manager Schulze noted that he could check with Architect Anderson before the project was ready to go out for bid. Mayor Becker agreed that it would be a good idea to talk with Charles Anderson before the project was advertised early next year. City Manager Schulze continued that the gym would be constructed late next year. He pointed out that the gym could not be constructed now, because it was too late for the open field reseeding germination. Mayor Becker was concerned about the lack of a warranty for the plants. He was also concerned about paragraph 1(c) that stated if the City chose to terminate the contractor, the City would still be responsible for the full value of the contract. City Manager Schulze responded that City Attorney Wines could review the contract for discussion at the November Council meeting. City Council Study Session October 23, 2000 Page 3 Council Member Demitriades suggested that the contractor be required to provide proof of insurance liability coverage as protection for the City. He also inquired whether the City or EarthCorps would install the notice of land use sign. City Manager Schulze responded that installation of the land use sign would be a cooperative endeavor. Mayor Becker recommended that the signage be large enough to be readable. City Manager Schulze suggested that any action be deferred until the November Council meeting, after City Attorney Wines has reviewed the contract. City Manager Schulze explained that this was a youth conservation corps project, and that as a result, the contract price was below market. He cautioned that imposing additional requirements might impact the price. Council Member Cohen was concerned about delaying a decision until the November Council meeting, as the longer plants remained in the pots, the worse their condition. Mayor Becker proposed that if the Council was going to pass a motion, it should be one that the City Attorney would be comfortable with, and would also protect the citizens. Council Member Cohen moved, seconded by Council Member Demitriades, to approve the EarthCorps contract for $207,522, subject to City Attorney Wines' review and freedom to make any necessary changes to protect the citizens and the City. The motion carried unanimously. Mayor Becker stated that he wanted the Public Works Department to handle the tree situation on NE 24'h Street. AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION Mayor Becker opened the meeting to audience participation. GERARD KERN. 2402 — 80T" AVENUE NE Mr. Kern indicated that he and his neighbor were impacted from a visual standpoint by the trees proposed for NE 24th Street. He requested that the Council consider moving the canopy layer west of 801h Avenue NE so that it would not impact their view. He also suggested that if possible, the Department of Public Works work with him to mitigate the views at those locations. Mr. Kern also predicted that leaves falling from deciduous trees would have an enormous impact. He requested that the City reduce the number of trees, or to involve him in the relocation of those trees. City Manager Schulze relayed that he had reviewed with the involved property owners the option of removing one tree on each property, in order to open up or retain the existing views on both properties. He continued that this would still maintain the appearance of pairs of trees, as well as the canopy effect. City Manager Schulze proposed that the property owners could be notified ahead of time, and that the trees could be stood upright to determine the exact location. 2001 BUDGET Mayor Becker asked Council Member Preston for a summary of what had been discussed in the Finance Committee. Council Member Preston responded that City Manager Schulze had made several amendments, based upon those discussions. He pointed out that there were numerous areas that the Committee believed the Council should review, as the Finance Committee did not think it was their role to pass such budget items. City Manager Schulze added that he had received numerous e-mail questions and would incorporate the answers into the final budget document, along with supporting information. Council Member Demitriades queried whether the impact of revenue loss resulting from the passage of I- 722 had been built into the 2001 budget. City Manager Schulze responded negatively, adding that the 2001 budget was based upon present conditions. City Council Study Session October 23, 2000 Page 4 Council Member Demitriades asked whether obtaining the services of a Hearing Examiner had been built into the 2001 budget. City Manager Schulze responded that it was not. Mayor Becker queried whether the costs of a Hearing Examiner would be passed onto the citizens who were appealing. City Manager Schulze agreed that was the case. He added that there could be some other costs relating to the City Attorney, to planning staff time, and to administration time regarding the application process. However, until he knew what authority the Council would give to a Hearing Examiner and the administrative decisions that would be involved, it would not be possible to address the impact. Mayor Becker asked if it would be possible to hold a public hearing at the November Council meeting regarding obtaining the services of a Hearing Examiner. City Manager Schulze responded affirmatively, if City Attorney Wines could draft an ordinance by that time. City Attorney Wines indicated that if the Council wished to obtain the services of a Hearing Examiner, he could contact one to obtain that person's input for the proposed ordinance. Mayor Becker cautioned that Board of Adjustment members were ready to tender their resignations, and no one was stepping forward to volunteer for this duty, so the Council must quickly take action. City Attorney Wines pointed out that the ordinance must be passed before the City could hire a Hearing Examiner. Council Member Demitriades noted that the 2001 budget contained an increase of 36 percent, plus three additional full time equivalents. City Manager Schulze relayed that the Finance Committee had discussed the proposed needs based on workload within each department. City Manager Schulze reported that the Council had experienced one year of the subcommittee process, which had resulted in a significant increase in the amount of consulting fees charged to the City for committee work and related issues. Council Member Demitriades reminded Council Members that an Otak representative attended Tree Preservation Committee meetings, and that the same situation existed with all of the other committees. He noted that each committee held numerous meetings, and that not only was the Council tying up the City staff, but also the time of the consultants. City Manager Schulze added that the engineering staff had cost close to $100,000, which included not only meetings, but also some of the project follow up work. He pointed out that there were also issues over which the City had very little control, such as unfounded mandates requiring reviews and input regarding whether or not the City should submit comments. He emphasized that the whole spectrum of activity had increased, and that many were state and regional issues, for which the City received no outside money. Council Member Demitriades commented that the big driver was the level of construction activity. City Manager Schulze added that based upon the rate of teardowns and reconstructions, it appeared the City was on an eleven -year cycle so that most of the properties would have been reconstructed or remodeled by then. He explained that the City was currently in year five of this cycle. Mayor Becker asked about the three full time equivalent positions. City Manager Schulze replied that one was in the Planning Department for code administration, for someone to conduct project inspections and enforce various construction -related ordinances, start of work, parking issues, mitigation plans, street cleaning, etc. He continued that the City had neither the staff nor the time to handle such issues, and that the staff position had been proposed due to the cost of providing that service through a consultant. City Manager Schulze continued that the second position was in the Police Department, which was consistent with the recommendations and proposals of Chief Knapp. He relayed that the third position was for administrative support in the City Clerk's office as a way to provide some mid -day coverage, assistance with the basic clerical tasks and the interruptions that the City Clerk and Deputy City Clerk were responsible for during the day, including phone calls, visitors to City Hall, application packets and house watch forms. City Manager Schulze explained that he had also reviewed the loss of regular staff time to take minutes at meetings. He noted that the Building Coordinator, the Assistant City Clerk and the City City Council Study Session October 23, 2000 Page 5 Clerk had 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. positions, yet their attendance at meetings was required through overtime or time and a half compensatory time. He pointed out that authorizing this clerical position would result in a gain of some staff hours as well as a reduction in the cost of taking minutes. City Manager Schulze explained that he was proposing an increase in sales tax, adding that the amount was currently at approximately $950,000 for the year. He noted that much of the sales tax was generated by domestic services and non -construction related activities. City Manager Schulze pointed out that local criminal justice funding was tied to loss of revenue related to 1-695 passage. He added that the City had received some backfill from the State, but that the funding was not expected to remain the same. City Manager Schulze relayed that the City was cautiously increasing building permit revenue. With regard to the Intergovernmental area, City Manager Schulze noted that the City would probably have to make an adjustment to the Hunts Point police services contract. He continued that both the Hunts Point Mayor and the new Town Administrator had been concerned about the increase. City Manager Schulze noted that both he and Chief Knapp were concerned about the potential for lost revenue, and that a reduction in the contract amount would be tied to a decrease in the level of service. He pointed out that the Town of Hunts Point was getting a bargain. Mayor Becker added that Hunts Point residents were also receiving Mercer Island marine patrol services as well. Council Member Demitriades was of the opinion that the Town of Hunts Point should be charged for the full cost of service City Manager Schulze announced that he did not envision any change in the revenues generated from municipal court services. He noted that it actually fell short of the cost of a public defender, prosecutor and related services that the City was required to provide for municipal courts. Chief Knapp announced that the new computer -aided dispatch hardware and software would be installed within the next six to eight weeks. With reference to Legislative Services, Council Member Cohen pointed out that the Professional Services column displayed the largest amount of projected expenditures for next year. City Manager Schulze responded that at the second Finance Committee meeting, a suggestion had been made to place the Council -related projects or issues in the Legislative Services portion of the budget. Council Member Preston clarified that the amount of time the City Attorney spent on ordinances and the effort expended by the Planning Director were scattered throughout the proposed budget. Mayor Becker commented that $219,650 for Endangered Species Act (ESA) compliance represented a "sticker shock". City Manager Schulze referred to a memo that outlined a general approach to budget consistency, noting that the City had received very little input regarding requirements and regulations. He emphasized that ESA compliance had been passed down to the City by the federal government, the state and the county. Mayor Becker interjected that the City was paying the Association of Washington Cities (AWC), the Suburban Cities Association (SCA), as well as consultants, to review some of these issues. City Manager Schulze added that SCA was doing work at the general policy level. He added that the ESA was not watershed related, noting that watershed issues dealt with rivers and wetland matters. City Manager Schulze pointed out that the focus in Medina would be upon shoreline issues. Planning Director Schultz added that the City was evaluating its regulations and comparing them to required upcoming policies. City Manager Schulze explained that he hoped to utilize any of the organizations to which the City belonged. Council Member Demitriades suggested that a checklist be implemented. Planning Director Schultz suggested that an interlocal agreement with other communities, along with cost sharing, might help to reduce the burden. Mayor Becker suggested that a letter be sent to local legislators indicating that ESA compliance represented a substantial cost for smaller municipalities. City Council Study Session October 23, 2000 Page 6 Council Member Odermat asked about the tree preservation inventory. City Manager Schulze replied that he had received a submission from OTAK, and that the City could obtain another one, or it could revise the proposal in question. Planning Director Schultz suggested that the scope of the work could be revised, noting that it included several maps and reports, including a health analysis of the trees. Mayor Becker stated that this would be forwarded to the Tree Preservation Committee for review. Council Member Cohen suggested that the Council should also determine how long the City should pursue the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) over flight issue. DISCUSSION City Manager Schulze gave the Council a breakdown of professional services for the proposed 2001 budget, noting that the most significant change was reduction or reallocation of accounting for projects. He announced that the improvement project had been moved to the capital projects fund rather than the street fund. He noted that Building Department software applications would allow the City to be in compliance with the State Auditor's recommendations to account for and to track permits. City Manager Schulze turned to the reserve fund, noting that he had proposed for this year and 1999 to transfer the general fund surplus into the reserve fund, which had not been done. He pointed out that it was all part of the same investment pool. City Manager Schulze emphasized that this did not mean there was a reduction of $600,000. Council Member Demitriades indicated that he would like to keep the same level of reserve fund in total. City Manager Schulze responded that he was doing so. POINT OF ORDER Mayor Becker suggested that the Council go into Executive Session and then afterwards review any remaining issues. At 5:44 p.m. and under authority of RCW 42.30.110, an Executive Session was held for the purpose of discussion of pending litigation. By unanimous consensus, Council members closed the Executive Session at 6:40 p.m. At 6:40 p.m., the Council reconvened the regular study session. ADJOURNMENT Council Members agreed by consensus to adjourn the October City Council Study Session at 6:40 p.m. zy�e Daniel F. Becker, Mayor Attest: _i' Caroll P. Wedlund, Interim City Clerk