HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-22-2003 - MinutesMEDINA CITY COUNCIL
STUDY SESSION MINUTES
September 22, 2003 Medina City Hall
6:00 PM 501 Evergreen Point Road
Mayor Becker called the Council Study Session to order at 6:02 p.m.
ROLL CALL
Present: Council members Miles Adam, Drew Blazey, Thomas Morgan, Todd Nunn, Bob Rudolph,
Deputy Mayor Mary Odermat and Mayor Dan Becker
Staff Present: City Manager Doug Schulze, City Attorney Kirk Wines, Police Chief Michael Knapp, Public
Works Director (PWD) Shel Jahn, and Recording Secretary Caroll Wedlund
ANNOUNCEMENTS
City Manager Schulze suggested the Council seating order could be decided at the beginning of 2004, and
Council consensus was to wait until the first of the year for discussion Df seat assignments.
Mayor Becker stated two Medina residents were needed by the end of September for representation on an
Enviroissues Sounding Board, City Attorney Wines advised making a decision by e-mail could present a
problem, and suggested the Council select both persons. Due to time sensitivity, Mayor Becker volunteered to
check with two residents, and submit two nominations, with Council concurrence.
Council member Rudolph gave an update on the flight over path issue, noting Williams Aviation was working on
the number of arrivals as well as the Duwamish alternative, in hopes of getting the FAA to accept that option.
Williams Aviation ran tracks, and found 29 jets that cut corners. Furt-ier, flight controllers had admitted if they
saw an opening, they brought jets in early, in the interest of efficiency He had relayed this to Williams Aviation,
who will draft a letter indicating this is unacceptable to the Council. Council member Rudolph also read aloud a
letter from Williams Aviation implying a non -judicial solution, and indicated he would furnish the Council with a
copy. City Attorney Wines advised this issue should be discussed in Executive Session.
City Manager Schulze relayed the city had been asked to replace Council member Demitriades on the SR-520
Advisory Board. Council member Adam volunteered to serve, and the Council was unanimously in favor.
OTHER BUSINESS
Discussion of 2004 Budget Goals — City Manager Schulze made corrections to the Budget Summary Sheet,
as follows:
a. The 2003 Projected Year End Beginning All Funds balance should be $5,132,582.21;
b. The 2003 Projected Year End Ending All Funds should be $4,588.187.61;
C. 2004 All Funds Beginning should be $4,588,187.61, and
d. 2004 All Funds Ending should be $4,028,207.64.
He distributed a copy of the Departmental Comparison, which tied to the General Fund. He pointed out those
figures did not reflect the staff changes approved by the Council earlier this year. However, if the Council
wanted a budget that included these staffing changes, he could do so. City Manager Schulze furnished
background information and gave a Power Point presentation, pointing out key economic indicators were
carefully monitored and considered. 2004 revenue forecasts had been obtained from Municipal Research and
Services Center, which would be reviewed and used to estimate the 2004 revenues for Medina. Additionally,
local governments could expect very little financial assistance from the State. He provided the next steps in the
budget process, and relayed a proposed preliminary budget would be presented to the Council in early October,
and public hearings would be held during the October and November Council meetings. The November public
hearing could be continued to the Study Session that month or to the December meeting. Additionally, assessed
valuation information would be provided by the King County Assessor's Office and used to calculate the 2004
property tax estimate. He did not think 2004 revenues would increase over 2003 Budget projections. City
Manager Schulze reviewed the expenditure trends, noting five-year erojections should be closely monitored
regarding the ongoing impact upon fund balances. With regard to 20D4 General Fund requests, he predicted
relatively stable expenditures. City Manager Schulze also believed the General Fund would remain relatively
stable. The most significant General Fund increase was in 2000-2001, due to expanded staffing in the MPD.
City Manager Schulze provided an overview of the revenue history, noting a decline in the past two years from
2001. However, total revenue projections were expected to remain stable for the next two years. Street revenue
had declined, due to elimination of the motor vehicle excise tax. He pointed out projected revenues did not take
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September 22, 2003
Page 2
property taxes into account. City Manager Schulze indicated real estate excise tax must be used for capital
improvements, and recalled the Council had increased their excise tax rate in 2003 during the budget process,
which had kept Medina at the level they had seen in previous years.
Also, a few years ago there had been a decision to delay some capital improvement projects in the approved
Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), which resulted in doubling those expenses the following year. The goal was to
adopt the CIP and use it as a tool for financial planning. He sucgested the Council commit to spending
$500,000-$600,000 per year to fund the Capital Improvement Program. City Manager Schulze added there had
been an upsurge in street fund expenditures due to increased citizen requests and aging streets. Also, possibly
the Overlake Bridge work would be carried over from this year into 2004.
City Manager Schulze relayed the city also did not receive an equal amount of sales tax revenue each month,
but this information would be provided in greater detail for the October public hearing. City Manager Schulze
noted contractors should use Medina as the jurisdiction for reporting building supply sales, and this information
was contained in permit application packets. Applicants were remirded during permit review meetings, and
there was also a stamp on the applicant's approved plans requesting Medina's sales tax number be used.
However, the sourcing was often times collected by the community where the warehouse or vendor was
located. Staff monitored this and contacted contractors when they saw something might be missing to remind
them Medina was the appropriate jurisdiction for their sales excise tax reports.
City Manager Schulze continued Medina's pursuit of the contract for Hunts Point building permit services would
not generate a significant amount of revenue. However, such a move would not require any additional staffing,
or much increase in workload, resulting in an opportunity to enhance revenues without increasing expenses.
The city was still using the fee schedule from 2000-2001, and an analysis showed roughly $200,000 to
$250,000 went for subsidization of building services. Further, Medina's fee schedule was substantially behind
that of other municipalities, and user fees should reflect the cost of service. The Code stated the City Manager
could propose the fee schedule and the Council confirmed it. Council member Rudolph suggested staff set the
fees appropriately to cover the cost of services.
Following discussion, the Council by consensus approved City Manager Schulze's suggested 2004 Budget
goals as follows:
a. The City will maintain a level of expenditures that will provide for the public well-being and safety of the
residents of the community.
b. Total expenditures will be within the confines of generated revenue;
C. The city will maintain expenditure categories according to State statute and administrative regulation;
d. High priority should be given to expenditures that will reduce future operating costs such as increased
utilization of technology and equipment, and more prudent business methods;
e. Current operating expenditures will be paid from current revenues and cash carried over from the prior
year;
f. The operating budget will provide for adequate design, construction, maintenance and replacement of
the city's capital, plant, and equipment,
g. Because revenues, especially those of the General Fund, are sensitive to both local and regional
economic activities, revenue estimates will be conservative, and
h. The city will establish all user charges in relation to the cost of providing the service. Each year, the city
will recalculate the costs of activities supported by user fees to identify the impact of inflation and other
cost increases. The Fee Schedule will be updated with the 2004 budget.
Discussion of City Facilities — A Council member stated the Council position was leaning toward expansion of
City Hall. Therefore, a space planner could be utilized to determine allocated staffing needs, with MPD
incorporated into the existing structure. City Manager Schulze clarified the options were consideration of a small
expansion of City Hall and a smaller freestanding building, or a larcer addition to the present facility and no
separate structure. By consensus, the Council agreed to stay with the previous direction for city facilities. City
Manager Schulze offered to provide the Council with the two options a -id cost projections for each.
Medina Beach Park Project Update — PWD Jahn presented the Ccuncil with a proposed general concept to
make necessary repairs to the Medina Beach Park bulkhead and general improvements to the Park. He
requested concurrence on the conceptual course of action to continue the design process. PWD Jahn relayed
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September 22, 2003
Page 3
when the city purchased the Dustin property, they also inherited a concrete wall bulkhead, which was showing
signs of significant failure and undermining. He proposed removing the failing concrete bulkhead along the front
of the acquired property and to replace it with a rock bulkhead which would match the existing one. The
bulkhead would retain the upland soils, but there would also be a beachhead for a natural fish habitat area. He
pointed out the major problem was due to storm wave energy. As a result, voids were being created in the
upland soils, thus undermining the park at multiple locations. PWD Ja-in continued he had reviewed the options
of a full beach, step down rocks or layered concrete slab, but had narrowed it down to the proposed course of
action, as alternatives would involve more work and considerably m,Dre cost. He explained both docks at the
beach were in need of repair. The former Dustin property dock was in such bad shape that the city did not allow
access for safety considerations. The concept was to make the old Dustin dock a nice park/pedestrian type dock
with benches and plants, and to create a natural fish habitat area. -ie proposed to keep the small city dock
similar to what it was today, but to reinforce it, make it level and design it to be more fish friendly.
A Council member thought there had been a verbal agreement with the adjoining owners for no public access
on the Dustin dock. City Attorney Wines did not recall negotiating such an agreement. City Manager Schulze
remembered comments in the records when the city was considerirg the Dustin purchase that the adjoining
property owners had been concerned about people jumping onto their property.
PWD Jahn noted the dock in front of City Hall would be a place for cit zens to sit as well as a public safety dock
for MPD, and the Dustin dock would be for public use as well. The regulatory agencies had indicated a public
use dock had a better chance of obtaining a permit. He concluded the total cost would be around $450,000.
There was Council consensus for the Beach Park Project concept as presented.
Fourth Quarter Council Calendar — It was suggested Study Sessicn Topics be added to the Fourth Quarter
Council Calendar, including discussion of moving the time to 7:00 p.m. with a two-hour limit. Also recommended
was changing the weekday of Council meetings. Mayor Becker explained such action must be enacted by
ordinance. Also mentioned was discussion about allowing public comment during Study Sessions. Another
suggested topic was combining discussion of side yard setbacks with site plan review. By consensus, the
Council decided both side yard setbacks and site plan review should be discussed, with part of the
consideration to be whether to keep them separate or to combine them. By consensus, the fourth quarter
Council calendar was approved as amended, and in the process additional agenda items for the October
Council meeting were decided.
ADJOURNMENT
Deputy Mayor Odermat moved, seconded by Council member Blaney, to adjourn the meeting at 8:13 p.m., and
the motion carried unanimously. /
aniel Becker, Mayor
Attest:
Caroll P. Wedlund, Recording Secretary