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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-22-2017 MinutesA TY OF UBURN - WASHINGTON CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION AND SPECIAL FOCUS AREA MAY 22, 2017 — 5:30 PM Auburn City Hall MINUTES I. CALL TO ORDER Deputy Mayor Largo Wales called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers, Auburn City Hall, 25 West Main Street in Auburn. A. Roll Call Councilmembers present: Deputy Mayor Wales, Bob Baggett, Claude DaCorsi, John Holman, Bill Peloza, and Yolanda Trout - Manuel. Councilmember Rich Wagner arrived at 5:32 p.m. Mayor Nancy Backus and the following department directors and staff members present included: Innovation and Technology Director Paul Haugan, Police Commander Steve Stocker, Community Development and Public Works Director Kevin Snyder, Assistant City Attorney Doug Ruth, City Engineer Jacob Sweeting, Traffic Engineer James Webb, Assistant Director of Community Development Services Jeff Tate, Project Engineer Ryan Vondrak, Assistant Director of Engineering Services/City Engineer Ingrid Gaub, Director of Administration Dana Hinman, Assistant Director of Innovation and Technology Ashley Riggs, and City Clerk Danielle Daskam. II. ANNOUNCEMENTS, REPORTS AND PRESENTATIONS A. NEXUS Presentation on Youth Homelessness (15 Minutes) Michael Jackson with Nexus Youth and Families spoke about youth homelessness in the Auburn area. He spoke about the need for shelter and providing nutritious food to homeless youth during the day. Nexus has a 12 -bed shelter for homeless children and young adults. He spoke about providing homeless youth hope through education and employment opportunities. Page 1 City of Auburn Council Meeting Minutes May 22, 2017 Mr. Jackson spoke briefly about the Indigenous Institute's work on a suicide prevention program in the Native American communities. Mr. Jackson also spoke briefly about Severson House where youth from the age of 13 to 24 years learn life skills and job skills. Councilmember Baggett stated the YMCA has transitional housing for young adults coming out of foster care. Mr. Jackson agreed the YMCA program is very similar to services provided by Nexus. Councilmembers thanked Mr. Jackson for the word he does for the youth of the community. B. Junior City Council Report on Youth Homelessness (10 Minutes) Immediately following roll call, the Junior City Council presented their report to the City Council on youth homelessness. Junior City Councilmembers presenting this evening included Sydney Campbell, Jon Kosaka, and Matthew St. George. Sydney Campbell, chair of the Junior City Council, stated homeless youth face three main issues: basic necessities, knowing how to ask for help, and education. Junior City Councilmember Jon Kosaka stated some homeless youth lack basic necessities such as food and shelter. This can have a damaging effect on their health and well-being. Often looked down upon by society and are therefore neglected. Being homeless also means lack of access medical services and to proper hygiene such as shower and grooming. Lack of property hygiene can contribute to lack of opportunity to improve life, such as finding a job. Junior City Councilmember Matthew St. George spoke about how homeless youth may lack the ability to know how to ask for help. Some of the kids don't live with their parents and may live with a relative or may live on the streets. Some of the kids that need transportation are too shy to ask for help or are too embarrassed about their situation. Some homeless children don't have the paperwork needed to be enrolled in school. Junior City Council Chair Campbell stated that some of the obstacles homeless youth experience in getting an education is lack of resources to obtain school supplies. If they cannot afford Page 2 City of Auburn Council Meeting Minutes May 22, 2017 school supplies, they will be less likely to attend school. Also, homeless youth are unable to participate in sports due to the required fees. Junior City Councilmembers spoke regarding bullying that homeless youth experience at school. AGENDA ITEMS FOR COUNCIL DISCUSSION A. Deputy Mayor Selection Ad Hoc Committee Report Councilmember DaCorsi stated the Deputy Mayor Selection Ad Hoc Committee, comprised of himself and Councilmembers Trout - Manuel and Peloza, reviewed several local jurisdictions processes for designating their Deputy Mayor/Council President. The Committee compared the cities of Tukwila, Lacey, Renton, Walla Walla, Federal Way, Puyallup, Burien, SeaTac, and Kent. Using a PowerPoint, Councilmember DaCorsi and Councilmember Trout -Manuel provided the following information: Auburn — Mavor/Council form of government Selects Deputy Mayor annually, nominations by Council, elected by majority vote of Council, and can serve more than one term if elected to do so. Tukwila — Mavor/Council form of government Selects Council President annually on a rotation basis by seniority of greatest consecutive years served. Councilmembers may opt out of selection. Lacey — Council/Manager form of government Selects Mayor and Deputy Mayor annually, nominations by Council, elected by majority vote. Renton — Mayor/Council form of government Selects Council President annually at the second regular Council meeting in November. The Council President is selected from the nominations by Council and upon a majority vote of the Councilmembers present. Walla Walla — Council/Manager form of government Walla Walla does not have any written procedures. The Mayor and Mayor Pro Tem are selected at the first regular meeting in January Page 3 City of Auburn Council Meeting Minutes May 22, 2017 of even years, nominations by Council, and elected by majority vote. Federal Way — Mayor/Council form of government The Deputy Mayor is selected annually by a majority vote. Puyallup — Council/Manager form of government The Mayor and Deputy Mayor are selected biennially at the first meeting of the new Council. The Councilmember with the highest number of continuous years on the Council is selected to serve as Mayor, and the Deputy Mayor is selected from nominations by Council and majority vote. Burien — Council/Manager form of government The Mayor and Deputy Mayor are elected from the ranks of the Council at the first regular meeting in January. Nominations are made by Council and elected by majority vote. SeaTac — Council/Manager form of government The Chairperson/Mayor and Deputy Mayor are selected biennially at the first meeting of the Council by majority vote. Kent — Mayor/Council form of government The Council President is elected every two years, nominations by Council and elected by majority vote. Councilmember Peloza distributed proposed revisions to section 12.1 of the Council Rules of Procedure in which the title would be changed to "Council President'. The revisions to the Council Rules call for the designation of the Council President on a seniority basis on an annual basis. Seniority would be determined by number of consecutive years served, the number of consecutive years and months served and the number of votes received in the general election. Councilmember Peloza also reviewed the process when a Councilmember declines the appointment. Councilmember Peloza reviewed the Mayor Pro Tem duties and the Council President duties. Mayor Pro Tem Duties: 1) In the event of the absence or incapacitation of the Mayor, the Council President shall become the Mayor Pro Tem and shall perform the duties of the Mayor; 2) The Mayor Pro Tem Shall not have authority to appoint, remove, replace or take other similar action on any director and/or employee of the City; 3) the Mayor Pro Tem shall not have veto authority for actions that may be taken by the Page 4 City of Auburn Council Meeting Minutes May 22, 2017 Council; 4) Be aware of City, regional and intergovernmental policies and activities in order to properly execute the role of Mayor. Council President duties include: 1) The Council President shall serve as the head of the legislative branch of City Government; 2) In cooperation with the Mayor and Special Focus Area groups chairpersons and with assistance from Administration, create and establish agendas for all study sessions; 3) Serve as the chair and presiding officer for all Council study sessions; 4) Preserve the decorum and order at all Council study sessions; 5) Serve as the ex -officio member of Council ad-hoc committees; 6) Serve as the Councilmember overseeing the activities of and providing guidance to the Junior City Council; 7) Assist in new Councilmember training; 8) Serve as the liaison between the City Council and the Mayor and be a conduit between the City Council and the Mayor on issues or concerns of the Council; 9) Facilitate any issue related to Councilmembers conduct and/or actions that may be inappropriate or that may be in violation of the Council Rules of Procedure. Councilmember Wagner noted ten cities were compared, but only one city selected the Deputy Mayor/Council President on a seniority system. He stated he does not see the value of selecting a Deputy Mayor/Council President on a seniority basis. Deputy Mayor Wales requested a definition for the absence or incapacitation of the Mayor. Mayor Backus stated there is a difference between being out of the office on business and being on vacation. Councilmember Baggett inquired regarding succession should the Mayor be incapacitated for a long term and not able to fulfill the position. Councilmember DaCorsi stated the Deputy Mayor would become the Mayor Pro Tem, until the next general election. Councilmember Holman noted most of the Council/Mayor forms of government elect their Deputy Mayor/Council President by majority vote rather than by seniority. Councilmember Holman spoke in favor the existing system for selecting Deputy Mayor. Councilmember Wagner stated seniority is not a good measurement of someone's ability to serve as Deputy Mayor. Page 5 City of Auburn Council Meeting Minutes May 22, 2017 Councilmember Peloza spoke in favor of seniority basis and noted the City of Tukwila process has worked for approximately twenty years. Councilmember Wagner stated the City of Tukwila is a much smaller city and is not a good comparison. Councilmember DaCorsi questioned whether existing provisions should include some qualifications as part of the selection process. Deputy Mayor Wales spoke in favor of the committee's proposal as it avoids competition among the Councilmembers. Councilmember Baggett stated seniority should not automatically entitle one to the position of Deputy Mayor. He suggested a qualification process. Councilmember DaCorsi agreed with Councilmember Baggett and spoke about qualifications for Deputy Mayor. Councilmember Trout -Manuel expressed support for Councilmember Peloza and the proposed Deputy Mayor selection system. Councilmember Holman spoke in favor of retaining the existing process. Deputy Mayor Wales suggested looking at possible qualifications as well as seniority. Deputy Mayor Wales asked the City Attorney to prepare options for Deputy Mayor selection by seniority and have the ad hoc committee pursue possible qualifications. Councilmember DaCorsi, chair of the ad hoc committee, stated the ad hoc committee would review options for qualifications before it comes back to Council at the June 12th Study Session. IV. PUBLIC WORKS AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DISCUSSION ITEMS At this time, Councilmember Wagner, chair of the Public Works and Community Development Special Focus Area, presided over the following special focus area discussion items. A. IT Digital Parity Update Innovation and Technology Director Haugan presented an update on the Council digital parity project. Page 6 City of Auburn Council Meeting Minutes May 22, 2017 He asked the Council for guidance on the intended goals for coverage—what percentage of the city coverage is the goal: full city coverage, coverage for all students, or coverage of low-income students based on Auburn School District data. The answers will help determine the project cost projections. Currently wireless coverage is: five percent of the city in area, six percent of students, eight percent of residents, and 11 percent of low-income students. Councilmember Peloza urged Director Haugan to present the costs associated with all the options for WIFI so that Council can make a decision. Councilmember Wagner stated it appears digital parity will cost $1.2 million to cover 28 percent of students and $3 million to provide 80 percent of the students with wireless coverage. Councilmember Holman stated the goal for achieving digital parity is to give low income students a fair playing field. Director Haugan reviewed Option 1 for digital parity, which is a five- year plan with funding of $250,000 per year and focusing on low income in the Auburn School District. Councilmember Wagner suggested Director Haugan provide costs associated with annual maintenance. Director Haugan spoke about the Community Connectivity Consortium and its benefits to the City of Auburn. At 7:18 p.m. the meeting recessed for 10 minutes for a brief intermission. The meeting reconvened at 7:25 p.m. B. Final Plat Approvals Assistant Director of Community Development Services Tate presented a proposal to amend the City's final plat approval process. This year, Senate Bill 5674 was signed into law amending Chapter 58.17 RCW by establishing an option for local government to change final plat approval from a City Council action to an administrative action. Advantages to shifting authority from the City Page 7 City of Auburn Council Meeting Minutes Mav 22, 2017 Council to an administrative action saves the final plat applicant approximately six to eight weeks. This is due to the time it takes to prepare an ordinance, present the final plat at a study session, present the final plat ordinance to Council for adoption, publish the ordinance, and wait the five days after publication for the ordinance to be in effect. The administration action will also save staff time in preparation of the ordinance and agenda items. Councilmembers indicated interest in pursuing the code change and requested the ordinance appear on the June 12th study session agenda and subsequent Council meeting C. Capital Project Status Report Assistant City Engineer Sweeting and Capital Projects Manager Vondrak reviewed the capital projects program. The Capital Projects Group of Community Development and Public Works is currently managing 34 active capital projects with a total cost of $62 million. Of these projects, 18 are under construction, 16 are in design, and nine additional projects will enter construction phase this year. The following projects were reviewed in detail: Project CP1218, the Auburn Way South Corridor Safety Improvements (Muckleshoot Plaza to Dogwood Street); Project C222A, the South 277th Corridor Capacity and Non -motorized Trail Improvements; Project CP1507, Auburn Way North Preservation; Project CP1107, Fulmer Wellfield Improvements; Project CP1415, West Main Street Multi -modal Corridor and ITS Improvements; Project CP1511, M Street SE Improvements (3rd Street SE to East Main); Project CP1522, 301h Street NE Storm Improvements; and Project CP1606. H St SE Extension. Other projects that will start in 2017 include: Lake Tapps Parkway Preservation, 37th and A Street SE Traffic Signal, 22nd and I Street NE Intersection Improvements, M&O Building Roof Replacement, B Street NW Reconstruction Project, Lea Hill PRV Stations, 2017 Local Street Reconstruction, Auburn Way South - ITS Dynamic Message Sign, and City-wide Sidewalk Repair and Replacement. Council also discussed Project MS1510, 10411 Avenue Building Demolition; Project CP1407, Marchini Meadows; Project CP1416, F Street SE Non -motorized Improvements; Project CP1316, East Page 8 City of Auburn Council Meeting Minutes May 22, 2017 Ridge Manor Storm Improvements; Project CP1406, Main Street Signal Upgrades; Project CP1513, 22nd Street NE and I Street NE Intersection Improvements; Project CP1520, B Street NW Reconstruction; and the South Hangar — Row 3 Door Improvements. D. TIP Update Discussion Traffic Engineer Webb presented the Council with the first review of the 2018-2023 Transportation Improvement Program. A more detailed review will be presented at the June 12th Council Study Session. Engineer Webb reviewed the annual TIP update process. He reviewed the two new projects that will be added to the TIP as well as a modification to TIP 14. The new projects include: Auburn Way South (SR164) — Hemlock Street to Poplar Street to extend the five -lane roadway section and A Street Loop — A Street SW to A Street SE, to add a one-way westbound connection with an unsignalized right -turn at A Street SE. V. OTHER DICUSSION Councilmember Peloza inquired regarding a new overlay on Riverview Drive NE between 14th and 22nd. Assistant Director Gaub stated the new overlay is likely related to levy work by the county and is not Auburn's project. VI. NEW BUSINESS There was no new business. VII. MATRIX Councilmember Peloza expressed dissatisfaction with the current Special Focus Area schedule. He believes the Special Focus Areas need to meet more often. Councilmember Trout -Manuel concurred. Councilmember Wagner suggested the Special Focus Area chair and vice chair meet with department directors to go over status of topics for the Special Focus Area portion of study sessions. Councilmember Trout -Manuel requested the following be placed on the next Human Services Special Focus Area: 1) Grant parameters for 2019- 2020; 2)Staff Resources for Regional Domestic Violence Committee. Councilmember Peloza requested the following topics on the Municipal Services Special Focus Area: 1) Airport Briefing; 2) District Court Briefing Page 9 City of Auburn Council Meeting Minutes May 22, 2017 VIII. ADJOURNMENT There being no further discussion, the meeting adjourned at 9:11 p.m. W. APPROVED THIS, DAY OF EGRA ,� --MEEPELOZA, DEPU MAYOR Shawn Campbell, City Clerk Page 10 City of Auburn Council Meeting Minutes May 22, 2017 Page 11