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HomeMy WebLinkAbout06-20-2011 ADBURN F Finance Committee June 20, 2011 - 6:00 PM Annex Room 1 WASH INGTON MINUTES I. CALL TO ORDER Chair Nancy Backus called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. in Conference Room 1 located on the second floor of the City Hall Annex located at One East Main Street in Auburn. A. Roll Call Chair Backus, Vice Chair Lynn Norman and Member Rich Wagner were present. Also present during the meeting were City Attorney Daniel B. Heid, Public Works Director Dennis Dowdy, Chief of Police Bob Lee, Human Resources/Risk Management Director Brenda Heineman, Financial Services Manager Rhonda Ewing, Planning Manager Elizabeth Chamberlain, Environmental Protection Manager Chris Andersen, Development Review Engineer Kim Truong, and Deputy City Clerk Cathy Richardson. Members of the public in attendance included Wayne Osborne. B. Announcements There was no announcement. C. Agenda Modifications Ordinance No. 6342 was moved to discussion items under Item [V.A. ll. CONSENT AGENDA A. June 6, 2011 Minutes Vice Chair Norman moved and Member Wagner seconded to approve the June 6, 2011 minutes. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. 3-0. B. Claims Vouchers (Coleman) Claims check numbers 404826 through 405245 in the amount of $4,035,745.78 and dated June 20, 2011. See Item II.C for action on claims vouchers. C. Payroll Vouchers (Coleman) Payroll check numbers 531511 to 531609 in the amount of $830,101.74 and electronic deposit transmissions in the amount of $1,159,986.82 for a grand total of $1,990,088.56 for the pay period covering June 2, 2011 to June 15, 2011. Page 1 of 7 Committee members reviewed the claims and payroll vouchers and briefly discussed claims voucher-numbers 404840, 404870, 404925, 404931, 404952, .404957, 405055, 405122, 405190, and 405192. Vice Chair Norman moved and Member Wagner seconded to approve the claims and payroll vouchers. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. 3-0. III. ORDINANCES A. Ordinance No. 6361 * (Reid) An Ordinance ,of the City of Auburn, Washington,-amending. Ordinance No. 5250 adopted June 21', 1999; prohibiting social card games conducted as a commercial stimulant except for those establishments currently. licensed by the Washington State Gambling Commission and/or lawfully operating'in the City as of June 7, 1999; establishing-penalties for°violations; and providing that the moratorium on social card games conducted as a commercial stimulant as established under Ordinances 5249 and 5198 be terminated unless this'ordinance is determined to be invalid or unenforceable for'any reason Chair Backus noted that staff is currently aware of only Emerald Downs who may have the benefit,of the clarification under Ordinance No. 6361. Member Wagner moved and Chair Backus seconded to forward Ordinance No. 6361 to the Council. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. 3-0. IV. RESOLUTIONS A. Resolution No..4713 (Heineman) A Resolution of the City Council of the City of Auburn, Washington, approving the collective. bargaining agreement between the City of Auburn and the Auburn Police Guild-for 201 f 2012 Director Heineman reported that.the collective bargaining agreement, includes zero COLA increases for 2011 and 2012. In an effort to support the City, there was an overwhelming majority for-approval of the agreement by the Police Guild. Vice Chair Norman moved and Member Wagner seconded to forward Resolution No. 4713 to the Council. MOTION-CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. 3-0. i B. Resolution No. 4716 (Coleman) A Resolution of the City Council of .the, City of Auburn, Washington declaring certain items of property as surplus and authorizing their disposal Committee members briefly discussed Resolution No. 4716. Page 2 of 7 Vice Chair Norman moved and Member Wagner seconded to forward Resolution No. 4716 to the Council. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. 3-0. V. DISCUSSION ITEMS A. Ordinance No. 6342 (Snyder) An Ordinance of the City Council of the City of Auburn, Washington, amending Section 3.60.035 of the Auburn City Code regarding construction sales tax exemption Planning Manager Elizabeth Chamberlain explained that Ordinance No. 6342 allows for a construction sales tax exemption for certain types of businesses including new construction, redevelopment of existing vacant buildings of 25,000 square feet or greater, or expansion of an existing commercial building that creates new floor area that generates sales tax. It applies to specific zone districts within the City including the Downtown Urban Center (DUC), C3 (Heavy Commercial District), and C4 (Mixed Use Commercial). The exemption is for a maximum of $100,000 and is for construction materials, fixed equipment, and labor and services. The costs are paid up front by the applicant, who would then go through a reimbursement process in order to regain those costs. Ordinance No. 6342 is geared towards sales tax generating businesses which enables the City to recoup the cost of the exemption over time. Manager Chamberlain reviewed the highlighted changes to Ordinance No. 6342 including clarification for existing structures and the addition of hotels. Committee members briefly discussed Ordinance No. 6342. B. Resolution No. 4715 (Snyder) Auburn Environmental Park Boardwalk Trail Informational Briefing Environmental Protection Manager Chris Andersen distributed draft Resolution No. 4715 and proposed contract and explained that, in 2007, the City received approximately $572,000 in grant funds for the Auburn Environmental Park (AEP) Boardwalk Trail project from the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office under an urban wildlife grant program. The funds were to be used for development of a mitigation bank and trail system through the park. As the City evaluated the mitigation bank concept, it was determined that there was not enough uncommitted land available to make a certified mitigation bank viable. In 2008, the City received authorization to use a portion of the grant funds for design and construction of the bird observation tower, which was constructed in 2009. In 2010, the City received authorization to use the balance of grant proceeds for acquiring the Auburn Land Company property of approximately 29 acres located on the north end and east side of the AEP. The acquisition was completed in the Fall of 2010. The remaining balance of the grant was approximately $127,350 which, with the City match, left an approximate balance of $255,000 for the project. The remaining component of the project entails the Page 3 of 7 design and construction of a boardwalk, trail system, and native buffer plantings along.State Route (SR) 167. Project Engineer Kim Truong displayed a vicinity map and rendering of the boardwalk and reviewed the preliminary cost estimate, which was originally approximately $700,000 Staff has reviewed both design,and construction in an effort to reduce costs to allow completion of-the project with the available funding. Some cost cutting measures include a reduction in curbing and minimizing overall length, curvature and width of the boardwalk. It was originally proposed to have handrails the entire length of the boardwalk, which has also been reduced to those areas including standing water or elevation greater than 30 inches above the surface. The entire length of the-boardwalk is'approximately 1,200 lineal feet, which includes about 1;100 lineal feet of elevated boardwalk with 600,lineal feet of handrail and includes the ramp to the birding tower., Three platforms were also.. added and there. are kicker.curbs along the length of the boardwalk. Staff anticipates beginning the project August-1, 2011 with completion of the main portion of-the boardwalk anticipated around mid-September.. The landscape buffer along the east side of _SR 167 will be the second component and includes approximately 2,500 native trees and shrubs covering approximately 93,000 square feet of planting area with planting anticipated to begin this fall. Manager Andersen stated that a number of citizens and community, groups have expressed. an- interest-in contributing or participating in the project: Additional cost cutting efforts include a proposed contract with the Washington Conservation Corps (WCC) with regard to boardwalk construction. WCC utilizes young adults of 18 to 25 year of age which are funded, in-part, by AmeriCorps and sponsorships, which in this case.would be the City of Auburn. WCC participants have constructed hundreds of miles of trails, bridges, and boardwalks throughout Washington and are very familiar with the scope of the project. If approved by Council; staff proposes the:interlocal agreement .with, WCC,.subject to a finding of special'market condition which provides an exception to the competitive bidding process. Manager Andersen explained that staff is working with Mayor Lewis with regard to donations and sponsorships for, the AEP boardwalk project. There area number of ancillary'elements to. the trail that were removed. from the original professional design firm's contract in order to save money. These include items such as bicycle racks, entry landscaping, picnic lunch area near-the birding tower, benches. on the boardwalk and/or trail heads, and an interpretivesignage program element. Such-features offer great opportunities for contributions by the community and organizations. In-response to questions by Vice Chair Norman, Manager Andersen stated that staff originally anticipate da 10 foot wide boardwalk, including railing which would have accommodated bicyclists. Due to monetary constraints and reduction of the width of and railing-for the boardwalk, it will no longer accommodate bicyclists safely., Bicycle.racks will be installed at both ends of the trail. Page 4 of 7 In response to questions by Member Wagner, Manger Andersen explained that WCC staff will be supervised by a WCC team member, but the City's consultant contract with AHBL provides for project construction oversight. City staff will also monitor construction and provide technical input as needed. Discussion followed regarding dispute resolution. C. Resolution No. 4717 (Dowdy) A Resolution of the City Council of the City of Auburn, Washington, authorizing the Mayor to award and execute an Agreement with the lowest possible responsible bidder for construction of Public Works Contract Number 11-13 for Project C207A, A Street NW Extension (A/B Corridor) Public Works Director Dennis Dowdy distributed a bid tabulation for Project No. C207A, A Street NW Extension. There is one remaining component to be completed prior to award of Project No. C207A which is the completion of half street improvements on 10th Street by Multicare. Staff anticipates correspondence from Multicare indicating that they would like to include their bid schedule in the contract award in the next few days. Resolution No. 4717 provides authorization for the Mayor to award the project once this last item is received. All permits have been acquired and the bids received are competitive, some of which were below the engineer's estimate. D. Ordinance No. 6364 (Lee) An Ordinance of the City Council of the City of Auburn, Washington, amending Section 10.36.360 of the Auburn City Code and creating new Sections 10.36.215 and 10.36.216 of the Auburn City Code, relating to parking Police Chief Bob Lee reported that complaints have been received with regard to people blocking in their cars to avoid impoundment. Ordinance No. 6364 allows for a two foot setback from vehicles already parked, both in front and in back of the vehicle, that would enable vehicles to be towed if necessary. Before a vehicle is cited or towed for violation, staff must receive a complaint regarding vehicles that are illegally parked. City Attorney Daniel B. Heid explained that there are two parts to Ordinance No. 6364. One entails issues where an individual is blocked in by someone else making it impossible for that individual to leave or move and the other issue entails vehicle owners who intentionally block another of their vehicles in order to prevent it from being towed. E. Ordinance No. 6366 (Lee) An Ordinance of the City Council of the City of Auburn, Washington, creating a new section 10.04.015 of the Auburn City Code and a new Chapter 3.90 of the Auburn City Code, relating to the recoupment of law enforcement costs for responding to incidents involving intoxicated persons Chief Lee reported that State law allows law enforcement to recoup some Page 5 of 7 emergency response costs for response to those incidents involving individuals driving while under the influence (DUI) of alcohol. The recoupment is provided through the court by asking the court to assess an additional fine of up to $1,000 in addition to the sentencing of offenders. Chief Lee stated that DUI investigations are lengthy and costly. Ordinance No. 6366 provides a mechanism to recoup some of those costs. City Attorney Heid pointed out that Ordinance No. 6366 includes Revised Code of Washington (RCW) code authorizing recovery of costs from convicted persons. Committee members briefly reviewed statutory regulations with regard to the DUI cost recovery program. F. Auburn School District Impact Fees (Coleman) Committee members briefly reviewed the Auburn School District annual report regarding impact fees. G. April 2011 Financial Report (Coleman) Financial Services Manager Rhonda Ewing distributed a sales tax summary sheet and reviewed the April 2011 financial report including General Fund revenues, sales tax revenues, developmental revenues, recreational class fees, and revenues collected from fines. Expenses are running below budget by approximately $3.1 million primarily due to the timing of payments to SCORE, debt service, and under expenditures in professional fees. Manager Ewing reported that the Water Utility Enterprise Fund, is operating at a loss primarily due to the loss of the City of Covington as a wholesale customer and a general decline in water sales. The Sewer Utility is also running at a loss primarily due to a one time adjustment in April to correct prior years' consumption reads and timing of payments to Metro for sewer services. Golf Course revenues are trailing 2010 revenues due to the current economic climate and inclement weather conditions. Member Wagner referred to page 12 of the financial report and requested that reports for Enterprise Funds include working capital in addition to beginning fund balances. Chair Backus requested that staff provide an update on the shared Resource Conservation Manager. VI. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business to come before the Committee, the meeting adjourned at 7:05 p.m. APPROVED THE DAY OF JULY, 2011. Page 6 of 7 Nan.cy c us; Chair, Cathy. Richa , Deputy City Clerk Page 7 of 7