City Council

CITY OF BURLINGTON, WA September 10, 2020 MEETING HELD TELEPHONICALLY DUE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC Mayor Steve Sexton called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. with the Pledge of Allegiance. Council members present: Bill Aslett, Keith Chaplin, J. DeGloria, R. DeGloria, Scott Green, and James Stavig. Staff present: Janice Burwash, Geoff Hawes, Leif Johnson, Kristen Morrison, Marv Pulst, Greg Young, and Sarah Ward. A motion was made to excuse Councilor Loving by Councilors R. DeGloria/J. DeGloria. All in favor; motion carried. MINUTES: A motion was made to approve the minutes of the August 27, 2020 Council meeting by Councilors R. DeGloria/Stavig. All in favor; motion carried. AUDIT OF BILLS: Councilor Aslett discussed the Audit and Finance Committee meeting, wherein bills were reviewed, and noted the following bills: the first payment to Azavar, Unemployment payment of $35,800, and Skagit County Jail for $37,000. A motion was made by Councilors Aslett/Green to approve Accounts Payable invoices to be paid as of September 10, 2020 in the amount of $164,756.94, and Payroll Expenses for Pay Period Ending August 31, 2020 in the amount of $479,631.54. All in favor; motion carried. PUBLIC COMMENTS: No public comment. COUNCIL COMMENTS: Councilor Stavig discussed the City website and spoke in favor of the redesign and praised staff for their efforts in the reformatting of the site, and in keeping it updated. Councilor Chaplin inquired on a report regarding the City and Chamber of Commerce meeting to discuss pop-up areas for business opportunities. Chaplin asked if Skagit County will be moving to Phase Three in the State reopening plan, if the Council would regain the ability to meet in person. Mayor Sexton stated that he attended the meeting regarding pop-up business opportunities, and that discussion was held with EDASC, and that it’s a positive idea for businesses. Mayor Sexton discussed how the City will be entertaining discussions with the Chamber and EDASC in the future to determine partnerships to promote businesses. With regard to the State’s reopening plan and the effects on the Open Public Meetings Act, Mayor Sexton stated that he does not see the County moving to another phase anytime soon. City Attorney Leif Johnson stated that the Open Public Meetings Act modification and waiver of the meetings to not be in- person, has been continued until October 1, 2020 and he would fully expect another extension in the future. L. Johnson stated that once the County is in Phase Three, there will likely be a limited in-person component to the Council meetings. Councilor Aslett inquired about the road construction near the Sewer plant. Aslett inquired on an update from Azavar, as some of their numbers related to revenue enhancement will help inform the budget process. Aslett also inquired about a meeting with other leaders within the County regarding Skagit County Jail costs and what the future looks like for the City incurring costs related to the Jail. Aslett asked about the cost of unemployment for the second quarter, and discussed the cost associated with furloughs. Aslett discussed the area wildfires, and expressed a desire for fire prevention 1  CITY OF BURLINGTON, WA September 10, 2020 to be on the forefront of people’s thoughts. Public Works Director Marv Pulst discussed the road construction near the Sewer plant, explaining that the prior, recent repairs were in need of modification due to the nature of the conditions and materials used to repair the sink hole that occurred due to a sewer line collapse. Mayor Sexton discussed the booking fees paid to Skagit County jail, and stated that the County is behind in billing, so the recent invoice included multiple months of fees. Mayor Sexton discussed upcoming jail finance meeting, where discussion will be held on the financial performance of the jail, and Council will be invited to attend the meeting. Mayor Sexton stated that Burlington continues to receive a rebate on the jail. City Administrator Greg Young discussed the Azavar numbers for utility and B&O Taxes, and that at the next workshop, the Finance Director will update Council on the timing of utility taxes and the status of the B&O Tax. Councilor Stavig requested clarification on a statement made by Mayor Sexton with regard to booking jail inmates; Mayor Sexton discussed the reduced jail capacity and bookings due to COVID precautions. MAYOR’S UPDATE: Mayor Sexton discussed the reopening of City Hall, which occurred on Tuesday morning, and described safety measures currently in place and PPE that is currently being utilized. Mayor Sexton discussed the preliminary sales tax numbers for the month of September, which in comparison to the same month in the year 2019, are approximately $12,000 higher. Mayor Sexton discussed Skagit County Department of Health utilizing Maiben Park’s covered shelter every other Wednesday, as a location for drive through COVID testing. Mayor Sexton discussed CARES funding, and that the State originally allocated $274,000 to the City, but has recently allocated an additional $137,000 to help mitigate the impacts of COVD. Mayor Sexton discussed the City being, as of July, within $30,000 of the beginning fund balance due to the reductions in spending, and therefore the City may be in the position to be able to offer grant programs for businesses using the CARES funding. City Administrator Greg Young described other cities grant parameters, and their working with EDASC in administering the application process for businesses to apply for the CARES funding grants. Young described the parameters and qualifying aspects other cities have used to determine eligibility for businesses, including that the business must be brick and mortar. R. DeGloria spoke in favor of having additional CARES funding grant information distributed to Council. Discussion was held on the modifications that have been requested by businesses and allowed by the City, in order to accommodate additional outdoor seating and food trucks. Mayor Sexton discussed some modifications some businesses have made, but stated that there has not been a large influx in requests for modifications. SPECIAL PRESENTATION: No Special Presentation. PROCLAMATION: No Proclamation. COMMITTEE & BOARD REPORTS: No Committee & Board Reports. 2  CITY OF BURLINGTON, WA September 10, 2020 OFFICERS REPORTS: Library Director Sarah Ward updated Council on the Library’s efforts to support parents, students, and teachers. Councilor Aslett complimented Ward and Library staff on their innovations in keeping library materials and resources accessible. Councilor Chaplin asked whether the Library has computers which can be loaned to students who are distance learning, and that stated that perhaps some CARES funding could be used to purchase laptops for students. Ward stated that there has been discussion and research on options regarding the use of laptops by the public, but that no student has requested to borrow one as of yet. UNFINISHED BUSINESS: Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) for the Police Guild Support Personnel City Administrator Greg Young explained that this agreement is unchanged from what was previously reviewed by Council. Councilor Stavig stated that during the bargaining process, the City should leverage the benefit package, and that the salaries need to be monitored, especially, due to the City’s financial limitation. A motion was made by Councilors J. DeGloria/Aslett to approve the new Collective Bargaining Agreement with the Police Guild Support Personnel and approve the Mayor to sign it. All in favor; motion carried. Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) for the Teamster’s Public Works Bargaining Group City Administrator Greg Young stated that all three collective bargaining agreements on the agenda are for the year 2020 only, that no wage changes were made, and the agreements are all unchanged from the previous presentation and discussion with Council. A motion was made by Councilors Stavig/Green to approve the 2020 Collective Bargaining Agreement with the Teamster’s Public Works bargaining group and approve the Mayor to sign it. All in favor; motion carried. Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) for the Teamster’s Clerical Bargaining Group City Administrator Greg Young stated that the bargaining agreement is for the year 2020, and is unchanged from the last meeting. A motion was made by Councilors Stavig/R. DeGloria to approve the 2020 Collective Bargaining Agreement with the Teamster’s Clerical bargaining group and approve the Mayor to sign it. All in favor; motion carried. NEW BUSINESS: Interlocal with Skagit County for Library Allocation Library Director Sarah Ward described the interlocal agreement, which is for an allocation of funds in the amount of $9,754 from Skagit County, in recognition of the Skagit County patrons the Library serves. Discussion was held on the amount of the allocated funds, and the reasons for variance from year to year. Councilor J. DeGloria discussed item number 2.1 on the agreement, and requested clarification on the purchase amount of a library card for non-residents. Ward described library fees for non-residents, and stated that according to the agreement, the fee must be at 3  CITY OF BURLINGTON, WA September 10, 2020 minimum, $10. J. DeGloria stated that the allocated funds were much larger at one point, and that the next time a discussion was held with a Commissioner, that that could be discussed. A motion was made by Councilors R. DeGloria/Chaplin to authorize the Mayor to sign the Interlocal Cooperative Agreement for Library Materials between the City of Burlington and Skagit County. All in favor; motion carried. New Human Resources (HR) & Administrative Manager Position City Administrator Greg Young discussed the proposal to reclassify the HR Director to an HR & Administrative Manager Position, and the cost-savings of the position reorganization. Councilor Stavig spoke in opposition of creating the position of HR & Administrative Manager, stating that it’s poor timing to hire staff. Stavig discussed the duties and salary of the position, and whether the job duties should be shared by existing department heads. Councilor J. DeGloria spoke in opposition the position, citing a need for the qualifications to be altered, and that the timing is poor due to issues with the City’s budget. Councilor Aslett requested this position be reviewed and brought back to Council at a later date, but that he fully supports a Human Resources position due to risk management issues. Discussion was held on the necessity of the City having such a position as a Human Resources Manager in order to decrease liability. Stavig stated that he is in favor of the idea of combining the Human Resources function with Administrative in order to create efficiencies within the City. Stavig requested a breakdown of staff benefits cost. City Administrator Greg Young described staff modifications and found efficiencies which have come to light due to the COVID pandemic; Young stated that the issue of a Human Resources will be returned to Council for discussion. The possibility of outsourcing the Human Resources function was discussed; Young described the reasons why he would not recommend that for the City. Mayor Sexton described his having researched outsourcing of the position, but that he could not find a company willing to take on Human Resources for a public entity. Councilor Aslett stated that the United Way Kickoff will be held tomorrow, and that those who are interested can tune in by going to the United Way website to watch. Discussion No discussion. EXECUTIVE SESSION: No executive function. ADJOURNMENT: Mayor Sexton adjourned the meeting at 8:15 p.m. Joe Stewart Steve Sexton Finance Director Mayor 4