Everett City Council

W ednesday, October 29, 2014 The regular meeting of the Ev erett City Council was called to order at 6:30 p.m., October 29, 2014, in the City Council Chambers of the William E. Moore Historic City Hall, Council Vice President Bader presiding. Upon roll call it was f ound that May or Stephanson and Council Members Roberts, Murphy, Bader, and Anderson were present. Council Members Gipson, Stonecipher, and Moore were excused. Vice President Bader led the Pledge of Allegiance. The minutes of the October 22, 2014, City Council meeting were approv ed as printed. MAY OR May or Stephanson shared the actions taken by City of Ev erett personnel in response to the tragic incident that occurred last week at Mary sv ille-Pilchuck High School. The May or extended condolences and support f or the Mary sv ille and Tulalip communities. BUDGET ADDRESS October 29, 2014 Council President Moore, City Council members, City staf f and residents of Ev erett: Tonight I am pleased to present to y ou a proposed balanced budget f or 2015 that maintains key serv ices f or our city and supports our quality of lif e as a community. This spring the City underwent a comprehensiv e rev iew of our programs and serv ices, as well as our f ee and rate structures, in an ef f ort to bring our f inances into structural balance f or the long term. I am v ery appreciativ e of the leadership of the City Council, Parks Director Paul Kaf tanski and key senior staf f throughout this unprecedented ef f ort. I am also gratef ul f or the community ’s f eedback and participation at community meetings, neighborhood gatherings and City Council hearings. This was a challenging and emotional process f or ev ery one. Ultimately, our work and the public’s f eedback ov erwhelmingly reaf f irmed the importance of protecting our quality of lif e as a community. My recommendations in June were f ocused on reining in labor costs on the expense side with minimal cuts to programs and serv ices. With y our support, on the rev enue side we adjusted many of our f ees and rates to better ref lect the cost of prov iding serv ices, and to bring us in line with other Washington jurisdictions. Together, the changes we’v e made in 2014 hav e helped us balance the budget f or 2015 and hav e signif icantly reduced projected def icits in f uture y ears. But our work is not done. This f all, we will begin an in-depth rev iew of our f ire department operations to ensure that our resources and staf f ing practices are appropriately aligned with the ty pes of calls and requests f or serv ice that we receiv e. In December Ev erett Transit will begin a peer rev iew with the American Public Transportation Association, f ocusing on regional partnerships, f acilities and other aspects of our transit operations. We will continue to look at ev ery department and ev ery program to ensure that we are being as cost ef f ectiv e and strategic as possible, including an in-depth rev iew of our police department in 2015. Looking ahead As we look toward 2015, we hav e much to be excited about in Ev erett. Af ter a challenging competition, we secured the Boeing 777X and composite-wing f acility, ensuring ongoing stability and solidif y ing our position at the f oref ront of aerospace technology. The Boeing Company broke ground on their new 60-acre plant in August, and we look f orward to y ears of continued innov ation and workf orce dev elopment in partnership with our entire adv anced manuf acturing network. On the higher education f ront, we continue to benef it f rom expanded opportunities f or students and f amilies in our region. Washington State Univ ersity took ov er management of the Univ ersity Center this f all and is pursuing f unding f or a new f acility on North Broadway. The f irst class of mechanical engineers graduated in May, and this f all students are enrolled in three new degree programs at WSU Ev erett. In October, Gov ernor Inslee and other elected of f icials helped celebrate the opening of Ev erett Community College’s cutting-edge Adv anced Manuf acturing Training and Education Center on the North Broadway campus. Trinity Lutheran College continues to expand its presence in downtown Ev erett, with plans f or student housing to open by next f all. Af ter being stalled by the economic downturn, sev eral major dev elopments are gathering speed throughout the city. The Riv erf ront Dev elopment has receiv ed all major approv als and site work is underway on Ev erett’s newest neighborhood, which will ultimately f eature 235 single-f amily homes, 190 townhomes, a retail center, trails, open space and recreation areas. Next door to City Hall, work has begun on the Courty ard by Marriott hotel, a much-needed quality option f or business trav elers and v isitors to the arena and ev ents center. The 156-room hotel will open in summer 2016. Further west, we welcomed the Hampton Inn in July, where rooms were booked solid immediately upon opening. Work continues on exciting new housing throughout our downtown, f urther enhancing our activ e and walkable city core. I’m looking f orward to other major projects on the horizon, including the y ear-round f armers market, and the Port’s rev amped Waterf ront Place project. The f armers market, with 47,000 square f eet of retail space and 220 market-rate apartments, is changing the landscape of downtown Ev erett. When it opens next spring, it will become a regional destination and an innov ativ e direct market and incubator f or the area’s small f armers. The Port reworked the Waterf ront Place project and is now mov ing f orward plans f or a unique 65-acre attraction that will greatly enhance our waterf ront. The mixed-use dev elopment will f eature housing, medium-size business pads, and trails and open space to prov ide more public access to one of our most-treasured assets. Commitment to strong f iscal management While we are encouraged by our recent economic good news, we continue to work hard to shepherd the City ’s f inances and ensure that we are balanced and stable f or the f uture. This month Standard and Poor’s reaf f irmed our AA+ bond rating, an endorsement of our tradition of strong f iscal management. As with many communities around the state, we must adjust to a changing reality f or local gov ernments. State-shared rev enues continue to dwindle as the state struggles with its own budget. The cost of doing business continues to climb, ev en as traditional sources of rev enue disappear. Our biggest challenge in coming y ears will be the rising costs of health care f or our staf f , and we are exploring many possible solutions to this complex issue. As I said this spring, I hav e directed staf f to continue working toward a 10 percent medical contribution f or all City employ ees, which is an ef f ort that the community has strongly supported. With y our support of my proposed budget, we will begin restoring f unding f or important inf rastructure in 2015, including our street ov erlay program and the City ’s technology inf rastructure reserv es. My proposed budget also restores pay ments to the LEOFF 1 pension reserv e f und. At the same time, we hav e adjusted f or increased costs in sev eral areas, including jail f ees and our indigent-def ense program. As we near the end of 2014, I extend my heartf elt appreciation to our entire City workf orce. Our employ ees – at ev ery lev el of our organization – hav e continued to work diligently throughout the economic downturn and recov ery to prov ide essential serv ices to our community. I am honored to work alongside them. I would also like to thank the City Council and community leaders f or y our thoughtf ul participation in our structural def icit work this spring, and y our continuing commitment to Ev erett and the f uture of our community. Sincerely, Ray Stephanson May or Susy Haugen, Finance, prov ided a budget clarif ication presentation in response to this morning’s article in the Herald, which contained inv alid budget comparisons. COUNCIL Council Member Roberts prov ided a report on his attendance at the Ev erett Historical Commission meeting last ev ening. He also commented on a meeting he attended earlier this week that was arranged by Pat McClain, Gov ernment Af f airs, and others in the region regarding transportation. Additionally, Council Member Roberts stated he had an opportunity to present with a group of City and County indiv iduals to the House Finance Committee regarding shared rev enue questions. Vice President Bader echoed the May or’s comments regarding the tragic ev ent that occurred in Mary sv ille. He of f ered condolences to the af f ected communities and thanked those f rom Ev erett who responded. He also prov ided comments on his attendance at the Council of Neighborhoods meeting on Monday. CITY ATTORNEY Deputy City Attorney Hall requested an executiv e session, anticipated to last no more than 40 minutes, f ollowing the meeting concerning a legal matter pursuant to RCW 42.30.110(1)(i)(c). CITIZEN COMMENTS Willie Russell, Snohomish County, spoke about v arious issues related to the Ev erett Police Department and legal departments and expressed dissatisf action with a recent public disclosure request. Mr. Russell also of f ered comments regarding the recent Mary sv ille-Pilchuck High School ev ent. COUNCIL BRIEFING AGENDA Adopt resolution relating to Touchstone Hotel project  Presented by Time Benedict, Legal PROPOSED ACTION AGENDA COUNCIL BILL NO. 1410-48 SECOND READING: AN ORDINANCE amending the Ev erett Zoning Code, Ordinance No. 1671-89, as amended (EMC Title 19), to authorize upper story wall signs f or limited usage in the B-3 Zone (Central Business District) COUNCIL BILL NO. 1410-49 SECOND READING: AN ORDINANCE amending Sections 1, 2 and 4 of Ordinance No. 3380-14 which authorized a Pilot Project f or Micro-housing f or Trinity Lutheran College Students at the southwest corner of Oakes and Calif ornia CAO/CFO Debra Bry ant announced that the Planning Department is working on alternativ e language f or the proposed ordinances and a draf t will be distributed as early as tomorrow f or City Council rev iew. CONSENT ITEMS: Mov ed by Council Member Roberts, seconded by Council Member Murphy, to approv e the f ollowing consent items: RESOLUTION – CLAIMS To adopt Resolution No. 6783 acknowledging the pay ment of audited and approv ed claims against the city of Ev erett in the amount of $1,149,413.74 f or the period of October 11, 2014 through October 17, 2014. RESOLUTION – PAY ROLL To adopt Resolution No. 6784 acknowledging the pay ment of audited and approv ed pay roll claims against the city of Ev erett in the amount of $4,046,506.85 f or the period ending October 10, 2014. RESOLUTION – ELECTRONIC TRANSFERS To adopt Resolution No. 6785 acknowledging the pay ment of audited and approv ed electronic transf er claims against the city of Ev erett in the amount of $5,895,104.11 f or the period of September 1, 2014 through September 30, 2014. STREET CLOSURE – FOOD DRIVE DELIVERY DAY To authorize the closure of Colby Av enue, 24th to 25th Street, f or a Food Driv e Deliv ery Day on Nov ember 25, 2014, 6 a.m. to 3 p.m., sponsored by Ev erett High School. Vice President Bader expressed concern about closing an arterial during the morning commute and asked that Ev erett High School consider using Wetmore or some other alternativ e route in the f uture. CAO/CFO Bry ant said that she would pass that along. Roll was called with all council members v oting y es, except Council Members Gipson, Stonecipher, and Moore who were excused. Motion carried. ACTION ITEMS: COUNCIL BILL NO. 1410-47 THIRD AND FINAL READING: AN ORDINANCE relating to Municipal Court Judge Positions (Ordinance No. 1259-86, as amended – Chapter 2.108 EMC) Mov ed by Council Member Anderson, seconded by Council Member Murphy, that this is declared to be the third and f inal reading of Council Bill No. 1410-47 and the City Clerk is directed to call the roll f or the f inal disposition of the ordinance. AY ES: Roberts, Murphy, Bader, Anderson NAY S: None EXCUSED: Moore, Gipson, Stonecipher Ordinance No. 3408-14 adopted. RFP AWARD – REAR MOUNT PLATFORM LADDER TRUCK Mov ed by Council Member Anderson, seconded by Council Member Roberts, to award RFP 2014-008 f or a Rear Mount Platf orm Ladder Truck to General Fire Apparatus Inc./Rosenbauer Fire Apparatus LLC in the amount of $1,019,051.12 including Washington sales tax. Roll was called with all council members v oting y es, except Council Members Gipson, Stonecipher, and Moore who were excused. Motion carried. RESOLUTION – 1997 CATERPILLAR CB-224 ROLLER/1996 TOWMASTER TRAILER Mov ed by Council Member Murphy, seconded by Council Member Roberts, to adopt Resolution No. 6786 declaring a 1997 Caterpillar CB-224 Roller and a 1996 Towmaster Trailer surplus and authorize them to be sold at a public auction to be conducted by the James G. Murphy Co. Roll was called with all council members v oting y es, except Council Members Gipson, Stonecipher, and Moore who were excused. Motion carried. NEW MARKET TAX CREDITS – LOAN #2 AND LOAN #3 Mov ed by Council Member Anderson, seconded by Council Member Roberts, to authorize the May or on behalf of City of Ev erett CDE LLC and its subsidiaries to take all actions and execute all documents to close Loan #2 and Loan #3. Roll was called with all council members v oting y es, except Council Members Gipson, Stonecipher, and Moore who were excused. Motion carried. AGREEMENT – PORTAL 1 CONDITION ASSESSMENT Mov ed by Council Member Roberts, seconded by Council Member Anderson, to authorize the May or to sign the prof essional serv ices agreement with CH2M Hill f or the Portal 1 Condition Assessment in the amount of $87,480.00. Roll was called with all council members v oting y es, except Council Members Gipson, Stonecipher, and Moore who were excused. Motion carried. LICENSE – TULALIP WATER PIPELINE Mov ed by Council Member Anderson, seconded by Council Member Roberts, to authorize the May or to sign a Burlington Northern Santa Fe Pipeline License f or the Tulalip Water Pipeline substantially in the f orm attached. Roll was called with all council members v oting y es, except Council Members Gipson, Stonecipher, and Moore who were excused. Motion carried. CONTRACT – FUNDING/EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OPERATIONS Mov ed by Council Member Roberts, seconded by Council Member Murphy, to authorize the May or to sign Contract E15-137 with the Washington State Military Department to receiv e f unding f or the Emergency Management Operations in the amount of $66,248.00. Roll was called with all council members v oting y es, except Council Members Gipson, Stonecipher, and Moore who were excused. Motion carried. PUBLIC HEARING – 2015 BUDGET Vice President Bader opened a public hearing regarding the 2015 Budget, which will remain open f or three meetings through Nov ember 12, 2014. CAO/CFO Bry ant announced that City department heads would be in attendance at next week’s budget hearing to address operational questions. Vice President Bader inv ited public comment. There was no response. EXECUTIVE SESSION The City Council recessed at 7:19 p.m. f or an executiv e session and reconv ened and adjourned at 8:01 p.m. ___________________________ City Clerk Read and approv ed as printed. ____________________________ Council Vice President