HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-11-1999MINUTES OF PLANNING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
JANUARY 11, 1999
The regular meeting of the Planning and Community Development Committee was held January 11, 1999 in the
Council Work Area. Those members in attendance were as follows:
MEMBERS PRESENT: Trish Borden, Sue Singer, and Pete Lewis
STAFF PRESENT: Paul Krauss, Dick Deal, and Patti Zook
ALSO PRESENT:
Mayor Booth; Linda Cowan, Superintendent, Auburn School District; Robert Poldervart,
Deputy Superintendent, Auburn School District; Fred High, Superintendent, Kent School
District
The meeting was called to order by Committee Chair Borden at 6:30 p.m.
ACTION ITEMS:
1. Resolution 3053 - SSS/KC Meals on Wheels Agreement
Parks and Recreation Director Deal presented the staff report.
Councilmember Lewis made a motion, seconded by Councilmember Singer, to recommend approval.
Chairman Borden concurred.
2. Resolution 3054 - SSS/KC Nutrition Proiect Agreement
Parks and Recreation Director Deal presented the staffreport.
Councilmember Lewis made a motion, seconded by Councilmember Singer, to recommend approval.
Chairman Borden concurred.
3. Resolution 3050 - Economic Development Council (EDC) Agreement
Planning Director Krauss presented the staff report.
Councilmember Lewis reviewed the agreement and announced that he wants measurable criteria placed in
the agreement. He also wants a list of all businesses who contacted the EDC about locating in Auburn and
the outcome of the contacts. The City needs to know who the EDC talks with. The criteria needs to be
spelled out for the EDC.
Mayor remarked that the City of Kent and a couple other cities have dropped out of the EDC. The EDC is
sometimes perceived as an extension of the Seattle Chamber of Commerce.
Councilmember Lewis said that Auburn has been a party to the agreement for decades and now needs to
know who the EDC talked to. The measurable criteria needs to be spelled out for the EDC. He then
submitted a document which contained two measurable points that should be included in the agreement.
Planning Director Krauss remarked that he and the Mayor have debated this agreement each year. The
EDC is a significant force behind freight mobility. He agreed that the EDC has not delivered good leads to
Auburn. --
Councilmember Lewis made a motion, seconded by Councilmember Singer, to add the two measurable
criteria as stated in the handout. Chairman Borden concurred.
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Lakeland Phase II Annexation
Planning Director Krauss presented some background on the pending annexation. The Committee had
recommended approval in November and the annexation was scheduled for a City Council meeting. He
spoke about the revised boundary of the Phase 2 annexation. Pierce County indicated they had a problem
with the proposed annexation. Pierce County wanted an interlocal in place before the annexation occurs.
Pierce County indicated they would oppose the annexation because the interlocal is not in place. Planning
Director Krauss stated he did not understand the County's apparent "change of heart" and that Auburn's
proposal is fully consistent with the City's agreement with the County not to interfere with the
development of the Lake Tapps Parkway. The County wanted to leverage the interlocal. The draft
interlocal is not ready for Committee review. Planning Director Krauss wanted to update the Committee
on the status of the annexation. He is meeting with Tom Ballard of Pierce County to discuss the interlocal.
He is unsure of the status of Lakeland now.
Planning Director Krauss reported that Steven Sheehy, Lakeland attorney, was going to confer with Chuck
Henderson regarding Mr. Henderson speaking to Pierce County. The City is making a good faith effort to
respond to the interlocal; however, there are many problems with the wording in the interlocal. He then
provided several examples of such wording.
Councilmember Lewis wondered if the annexation should be forwarded on to the Council. Planning
Director Krauss cautioned that he wants to avoid a challenge to Pierce County, and extend the courtesy of
meeting with Mr. Ballard before recommending any action.
School Impact Fees
Planning Director Krauss reminded the Committee that this topic was discussed in November. The Capital
Facilities Plan (CFP) speaks to the establishment of impact fees. Auburn and KentSchool District
representatives are in attendance. Both School Districts want Auburn to have interlocal agreements for the
impact fees. He would like to bring all fees proposals to a special Council meeting. Chairman Borden
asked to have discussions at Committee for a dialogue and get an understanding before the special Council
meeting. Staff attempted to get information from other jurisdictions on impact fees. Information in the
agenda packet was gleaned from a study conducted by the Association of Washington Cities (AWC) and
phone calls to other jurisdictions. Superintendent Cowan will address the Committee on the need for
impact fees. Auburn Deputy Superintendent Poldervart has revised information to distribute to the
Committee. Staff is not calling for action on this item tonight, only to have a discussion and become
familiar with the school impact fee issue. The Kent school impact fees come from their CFP. The fees are
adopted for unincorporated King County. They want to be sure the fees are revenue neutral for areas as
they are annexed. Auburn Schools' impact fee is more complex because their system bridges a county line.
Pierce County has a different approach, which he explained. He indicated that Pierce County's school
impact fees appear somewhat low.
Linda Cowan, Superintendent for Auburn School District, advised that the District has applied for impact
fees in all five communities they serve. The impact fee will be the same in all five areas. Impact fees are
definitely needed. King County has approved the impact fees, Pierce County has approved them at the
lower, County rates. The King County rate is more representative. From 1985 to 1998, the State portion
for school construction is down. Twenty-seven (27) percent of the State match has left the schools; about
2% less per year. A level of support was taken away and needs to be replaced. This is the first time that
Auburn School District has requested impact fees. She then spoke about the additional school facilities
that will be needed. The collection of impact fees will enable the District to keep property taxes down for
homeowners. The District is collecting from King County now, specifically the Lea Hill and Lake Holm
area. Pierce County is collecting, but no students yet from the transfer area. She spoke about the property
transfer between Auburn School District and Dieringer School District. The cities of Pacific and Algona
have not yet passed school impact fee ordinances.
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Bob Poldervart, Deputy Superintendent, Auburn School District, referred to his November 16, 1998 letter
to Council members. Their CFP is a baseline document and the format comes from the Growth
Management Act (GMA). He provided information on the computation process used to determine the
impact fees. He referred to a formalization model that was established several years ago. He provided the
projected enrollments for the next several years as well as the amount of facilities needed to house these
enrollments which is used as a basis for the impact fee computation. New development brings stresses on
the school system with a disproportionate cost to continue to develop infrastructure because of the new
development. No State matching funds for 1998 or 1999 because of good planning by previous school
boards. The Lakeland development has impacted the school because of its significant increase in
enrollment population. Each school district computes its own fee and submits to the jurisdictions. They
are talking only about a CFP impact fee. He then distributed a 1999 School Impact Fees-King County
summary sheet. He distributed another handout entitled 1999 School Impact Fees-Pierce County.
Planning Director Krauss reminded the Committee that the settlement agreement with Lakeland had a
section which dealt with impact fees. He then recited a portion of this section.
Fred High, Superintendent of Kent School District; distributed handout entitled Basis Information on
Impact Fees which he briefly reviewed. Impact fees can only be used toward school expansion. Most
school districts do their own research and statistical average. The single family home fee of $3,744 picks
up 24 percent to 27 percent of the school costs generated by development.
Councilmember Lewis pointed out that there is a different means of computing the fees between Auburn
and Kent. The same basis is not being used.
Auburn Deputy Superintendent Poldervart advised that Auburn School District knows it will run out of
school space in the six year "window". He believes Kent is already out of facilities and their need is much
sooner than the six year "window".
Chairman Borden wanted to know more about the difference between the two school districts. Planning
Director Krauss referred to the $60 million dollars for Auburn School District, and wondered if Kent's
figure was comparable. Kent Superintendent High advised that if no impact fee program, the State match
would be 27 percent for the district and bond issues would pick up the remaining cost. If the impact fees
pass, the bond amount would decrease. Kent Schools have been collecting fees for five years. They
anticipate a significant development in the south end of the City. Impact fees do provide some property tax
relief for homeowners.
Councilmember Singer asked about the projected number of homes in the "I" Street/drive-in area.
Planning Director Krauss said the estimate is 2,200 homes, half of which would be multi-family. The
project has not yet begun the review process and is a few years away from completion.
Auburn Deputy Superintendent Poldervart spoke about urban corridor development and its effect, and then
spoke about Dieringer School District.
Councilmember Lewis commented that he needs time to read and study the information distributed this
evening. Chairman Borden remarked that the Committee needs information on the differences in
computing the impact fees between Auburn and Kent. She also wondered about the timing for the impact
fees. Auburn Deputy Superintendent Poldervart remarked that the quicker the fees can be implemented
and collected, the better. King County's imposition of fees was effective January 1. Developers are very
aware of the situation with impact fees and vested projects early to avoid them.
Councilmember Singer asked about the process to be used if the school districts want to increase their
impact fees. Auburn Deputy Superintendent Poldervart replied that the school district would have to
recompute the fees and this would be reviewed by the Committee and approved by Council. Principal
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Planner Sokol reminded the Committee that this process is part of the Comprehensive Plan's annual
renewal process.
Planning Director Krauss advised that he does not believe that Dieringer School Districts' fees "rolls over"
and the City Attorney is reviewing the matter. It is unknown if Auburn can continue to collect for the
Dieringer District.
Chairman Borden thanked the Superintendents for attending the meeting.
Councilmember Lewis said the reason as he understands it for the problems of communities is that State
funding was dropped. If State funding was at a level of 20 years ago there would not be a problem and
requested to see figures relating to this. The State has dropped funding considerably over the last 20 years.
Councilmember Singer inquired if the school districts anticipated that impact fees would be dropped at the
time of build out. Kent Superintendent High replied that the imposition and collection of impact fees
would have to be stopped at build out or the fees would have to be refunded. At build out, there would be
no reason for the schools to collect impact fees.
Lea Hill Park
Parks and Recreation Director Deal mentioned that he spoke with Clark Townsend, Vice President, Green
River Community College (GRCC), and then distributed a draft letter addressed to Townsend. He will
keep the Committee posted'and can incorporate any of their comments into the letter. The College is aware
of Auburn's stance on various issues.
Park Impact Fees
Parks and Recreation Director Deal advised that staff is going over the CFP and trying to figure how much
impact there will be for capacity projects. He reported that the undeveloped park site to be dedicated by
the Lakeland Company that was to be a minimum 15 acres will actually be a 39 acre site.
Chairman Borden remarked that she wants to start thinking about park impact fees. She is interested in
information presented at meetings with Henderson & Young, the City's consultant on impact fees. She
would like to see information from other jurisdictions regarding their park impact fees.
Planning Director Krauss commented that staff is working with Henderson & Young towards a collective
meeting in February. Parks and Recreation Director Deal is working on his park impact fee information.
Henderson & Young is in the process of reworking figures, and has rerun the numbers and will have these
figures available for Council to consider. Staff can bring this information to the Committee at their next
meeting and discuss.
Special Population Programs
Chairman Borden remarked that she had discussions on this topic with the Mayor after the Council
meeting. She asked if there was any news related to the concerns expressed at the Council meeting.
Parks and Recreation Director Deal provided a history of the special population program which provides
social, recreational, and educational activities. He spoke about staffing utilized for the programs and
provided examples of the types of activities provided to the clients. He spoke about the recent program
change. The City is now requiring participants to prepay for all programs. Several clients have not been
paying and actually owed the City. They are trying to clean up these outstanding accounts. A letter was
recently sent out to participants advising them that they need to pay for activities in advance. This will
help staff to anticipate the amount of needed supplies for activities and a roster of participants with
addresses, phone numbers, and emergency contacts.
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Parks and Recreation Director Deal then spoke regarding the concerns relating to transportation. The City
has a pick up point for clients to be transported to an activity. However, staff was going and picking up
people and taking them back home. Staff was making arrangements for Metro to pick up. These
arrangements were very time consuming to make. One group home, which had a van and driver to
transport residents, was expecting the City to transport residents to activities. The Washington Cities
Insurance Authority (WCIA) advised that the City should no longer pick up participants because of liability
issues. Training was provided regarding Access, car pooling, and ride sharing. He then spoke about the
bowling program which was discontinued. Highline Community College has a bowling program at the
Kent Bowling Lanes and Auburn residents will be able to participate.
Chairman Borden expressed concern with how abruptly the changes were made. She is concerned that the
policy was changed in the middle of a program. The policy should be changed at the start of the program,
but not during the program. She understand the reason for the change, but maybe the change should be
gradual.
Parks and Recreation Director Deal stressed their effort to be user-friendly. The Parks Department cannot
carry negative balances. He explained the scholarship program. The City's policy is to register in
advance. Staff should not be collecting registration fees, trying to safeguard the collection, and record
participants all before the activity starts. Staff then has to record the registrations at the office and on the
computer.
Lee McDaniel, 623 1st Avenue East, Pacific, said the change was effective January 1st regardless of what
program. If the person was not preregistered, the person was not invited to attend. No other considerations
were given.
Parks and Recreation Director Deal remarked that staff discussed the new fee policy with the Finance
Department~ The previous way of collecting payment was in violation of the City's policies regarding
registration.
Laura Moore, 15028 Military Road, Tenino, attended a meeting at the Senior Center regarding changes.
Some of the participants cannot understand the changes in the letter. She is unhappy the change occurred
so quickly.
Councilmember Lewis believes the problem is with the Access transportation system. The revised
processes call for an increased participation by participants' families. The City needs to document
problems with the Access transportation system. The City should help agencies to correct problems that
exist. Chairman Borden explained that the City's job is not to transport participants to activities. Mayor
remarked that the participants cannot be left at home unattended. Problems have occurred with participants
being dropped off at home and no one is home.
Parks and Recreation Director Deal advised that staff is looking at adjusting times of the programs in order
to coincide with bus schedules. Mayor said that staff is concerned about participants being picked up and
returned where they can be supervised.
Chairman Borden expressed that the participants will need help through the transition period. Parks and
Recreation Director Deal affirmed that staff is making every effort to be user-friendly. The transportation
issues have been occurring for many years. --
Parks and Recreation Director Deal distributed information on the programs offered to the special
population. Councilmember Singer is impressed with the amount of programs offered for the populations.
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9. Juvenile Rehabilitation Grant
No discussion occurred On this item.
With no further items to come before the Committee, the meeting was adjourned at 9:15 p.m.
PCDCWIINXlA-99
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