City Council

CITY OF BURLINGTON, WA September 9, 2021 Mayor Steve Sexton called the meeting to order at 7:10 p.m. with the Pledge of Allegiance. Council members present: Bill Aslett, Keith Chaplin, Joe DeGloria, Rick DeGloria, Scott Green, Chris Loving, and James Stavig. Staff present: Janice Burwash, Brian Dempsey, Don Erickson, Leif Johnson, Kristen Morrison, Katie Olafson, Marv Pulst, Joe Stewart, Sarah Ward, and Greg Young. MINUTES: A motion was made by Councilors Aslett/J. DeGloria to approve the minutes of the August 26, 2021, City Council meeting. All in favor; motion carried. AUDIT OF BILLS: A motion was made by Councilors Loving/Chaplin to approve Accounts Payable invoices to be paid as of September 9, 2021, in the amount of $281,324.62 and Payroll Expenses for Pay Period ending August 31, 2021, in the amount of $535,739.68. All in favor; motion carried. PUBLIC COMMENTS: City Attorney Leif Johnson stated that members of the public may submit comments or questions by mail to City Hall at 833 S. Spruce Street, ATTN: Greg Young, or by email to badministration@burlingtonwa.gov. Contact information for all the City Departments is available at www.burlingtonwa.gov. COUNCIL COMMENTS: Councilor Keith Chaplin shared his enthusiasm to live in a place where fish can be found plentifully in the Skagit River. Councilor Bill Aslett asked about several serious accidents that have recently occurred and questioned the noticeable increase in emergency vehicle sirens being heard. Mayor Sexton shared he would speak with Police Chief Mike Luvera and Fire Chief Rob Toth and presented a report to Council. MAYOR’S UPDATE: No Mayor’s Update. SPECIAL PRESENTATION: No Special Presentations. PROCLAMATION: No Proclamation. COMMITTEE & BOARD REPORTS: No Committee & Board Reports. OFFICERS REPORTS: No Officers Reports. 1  CITY OF BURLINGTON, WA September 9, 2021 UNFINISHED BUSINESS: Adoption of the 1/10th Sales Tax for Homelessness City Administrator Greg Young explained the Council has previously discussed the adoption of the 1/10th sales tax for homelessness addition whose purpose is to provide additional funding for affordable housing and related services. A public hearing was held at the last meeting and now the Council will consider adopting the measure. Councilor Keith Chaplin asked when the city would start collecting. Young shared there could be a 3 month or longer lag period. Mayor Sexton shared the end of December would be a probable starting point. Councilor Rick DeGloria asked if this decision could go out to the voters. Young explained holding an election for this sales tax regardless of the outcome would not override the County’s decision to implement the tax. The County could exercise its right to adopt the tax and apply it to every city. Councilor Scott Green stated if the City were to adopt the tax it would offer the opportunity to have more control over the usage of the funds. Young explained the adoption of the tax would provide flexibility to partner with the County. Councilor James Stavig asked if the Council will be involved in how the money is used. Young shared the Council will have authority and decision power over how the dollars are spent. Mayor Sexton expressed his support for the adoption of the tax and shared how early adoption would provide an opportunity for the city to have an influence on the usage of the funds. Councilor Joe DeGloria spoke in opposition sharing he has had many conversations with constituents who were not in favor of implanting this tax. A motion was made by Councilors Stavig/ Aslett to adopt the 1/10th increase in sales tax for affordable housing and related services pursuant to the authority of RCW 82.14.530. Councilors R. DeGloria/Loving/Green and Chaplin in favor; Councilor J. DeGloria opposed. Motion carried. CONSENT AGENDA No Consent Agenda. NEW BUSINESS: Resolution to Declare Certain Property as Surplus Assistant Public Works Director Brian Dempsey presented a resolution to Council to authorize the sale of City surplus equipment and vehicles including a 1975 Onan Generator used by the Sewer Department, a 2005 Ford Crown Victoria used by Code Enforcement, a 2008 Chevy Tahoe used by both the Police and Engineering Department, and a 1996 Ford 350 used by Facilities Management. A motion was made by Councilors Aslett/Green to approve the resolution declaring the property as surplus and authorize their sale. City of Burlington Overview of City Bid Laws (Discussion Item) City Administrator Greg Young lead a discussion to explain the Washington State City bid laws and more specifically the bidding process for the City of Burlington. Topics of discussion included requests for proposals vs. requests for qualifications, different bidding categories, and Public Works. Councilor Bill Aslett spoke in favor of the City of Burlington’s more restrictive policies regarding bidding requirements stating they allow 2  CITY OF BURLINGTON, WA September 9, 2021 for the Council to be more involved. Young, suggested streamlining some of the categories to ease the bidding process. Councilor Keith Chaplin spoke to the extensive process of bidding and spoke in favor of streamlining. Canton Parking Lot Lease Renewal City Administrator Greg Young explained for several years the city has leased parking space in the parking lot of the former Canton Restaurant in downtown Burlington. The City’s current lease expired at the end of August. With the City experiencing the Pandemic and business shuttered, the city renegotiated the lease last year. The monthly rental amount in 2019 was $1,625.00 per month and was reduced to $800. The owner of the lot now wishes to renew the lease for an additional year for a monthly lease payment of $1,500.00. Councilor Scott Green questioned if the property was currently up for sale and asked what type of maintenance the City provides. Young shared the property is currently on the market and has been for some time. Streets Supervisor Travis Schwetz explained the only maintenance the city provides to the lot is painting the lot spaces and cleaning. Councilor Joe DeGloria asked if there was a way to record traffic capacity and how often the parking lot gets used. Young stated the lot is mostly utilized by shoppers and employees of neighboring businesses but is hard to quantify the amount of usage. Councilor James Stavig, Councilor Keith Chaplin, and Councilor Scott Green spoke in favor of going to a month-to-month lease in the amount of $800 a month. J. DeGloria asked if the requested amount of $1,650 was considered a high rate. Young shared he had spoken with a real estate agent and the feeling was the price point was on the higher end. The Council members decided as a whole to not renew the lease and move to a month- to-month basis allowing the owner of the property to decide to continue receiving $800 per month or to close the lot. Bid Award to New X Inc. for Rehabilitation of Approximately 1450 Feet of 12- Inch Sewer Line on Rio Vista Ave. Public Works Director Marv Pulst shared a short video with Council and Staff to explain the process of pipe bursting. Sewer Supervisor Don Erickson explained on August 26, 2021, the City of Burlington received three responsive bids for the 2021 Sanitary Sewer Pipe Bursting Project. The responsive bids ranged from $313,829.95 to $778,053.50. The engineer’s estimate was $374,108. Each proposal was checked for correctness of extensions of the prices per unit and the total price. Staff recommends awarding the contract to the low bidder, New X Inc. for the amount of $313, 829.95. This contract will provide for the installation of approximately 1,450 linear feet of 12-inch HDPE sanitary sewer main by pipe bursting technique. In addition, the project provides for the connection of existing side sewers by open-cut method, manhole installation, surface restoration, and traffic control. Councilor James Stavig asked if the city has worked with this company in the past. Erickson explained while the department has not used this company previously, they have been in business for 10 years and have an outstanding reputation. Councilor Joe DeGloria asked why the bid amounts came back so spread out and if there were any environmental concerns with the materials that will be used for this project. Erickson could not speak to specific reasons for the varying amounts but mentioned sometimes companies are busy and throw estimated numbers out without 3  CITY OF BURLINGTON, WA September 9, 2021 much research into the project and also shared there are no environmental concerns. Councilor James Stavig asked what the timeline looks like on the completion of this project and thanked Erickson for all the information provided to the Council. Erickson shared the project will take about 40 days to complete. A motion was made by Councilors Aslett/Chaplin to approve the Agreement with New X Inc. and authorize the Mayor’s signature. All in favor; motion carried. Confirmation of Appointment to Burlington Historical Preservation Commission Library Director Sarah Ward shared Doug Johnson has volunteered to serve on the Burlington Historical Commission Board. Doug meets the criteria for serving on the board and has a strong interest in Burlington’s history. A motion was made by Councilors Chaplin/J. DeGloria to confirm the Mayor’s appointment of Doug Johnson to the Burlington Historical Preservation Board. All in favor; motion carried. Confirmation of Appointment to Parks and Recreation Advisory Board Parks and Recreation Director Sarah Ward explained the City’s Parks and Recreation Board is comprised of seven volunteer members. The Parks and Recreation Board is an advisory board to the Mayor, City Council, and the Department of Parks and Recreation. In order to ensure the Parks and Recreation Board has a quorum and can function effectively, new members need to be appointed. Pursuant to Burlington Municipal Code 2.72.031 Parks and Recreation Advisory Board members are appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the City Council. Elizabeth Turman-Bryant is a Burlington citizen who brings a perspective that will benefit the Parks and Recreation Board. Elizabeth has demonstrated her commitment already by attending Parks and Recreation Board meetings. A motion was made by Councilors Chaplin/Green to confirm the Mayor’s appointment of Elizabeth Turman-Bryant to the Burlington Parks and Recreation Advisory Board. All in favor; motion carried. EXECUTIVE SESSION: No Executive Session. ADJOURNMENT: Mayor Sexton adjourned the meeting at 8:41 p.m. Joe Stewart Steve Sexton Finance Director Mayor 4