Finance Committee

City Hall City of Olympia 601 4th Avenue E Olympia, WA 98501 Information: 360.753.8447 Meeting Minutes Finance Committee Wednesday, June 11, 2014 5:00 PM Council Chambers 1. CALL TO ORDER Chair Cooper called the meeting to order at 5:03 p.m. 2. ROLL CALL Present: 3 - Chair Jim Cooper, Committee Member Nathaniel Jones and Committee Member Cheryl Selby OTHERS PRESENT Planning Commission Chair Max Brown Assistant City Manager Jay Burney Thurston County Associate Planner Andrew Deffobis City Manager Steve Hall Parks, Arts & Recreation Associate Director David Hanna Public Works Director Rich Hoey Administrative Services Director Jane Kirkemo Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee Chair Jim Nieland Olympia School District Assistant Superintendent Jennifer Priddy Parks, Arts & Recreation Director Paul Simmons Parks, Arts & Recreation Associate Planner Jonathon Turlove LBA Woods Park Coalition Members Brian Faller, Cristiana Figueroa-Kaminsky, and Jeff Marti 3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES - None 4. COMMITTEE BUSINESS 4.A 14-0568 Discussion of Park Service Needs Including Community Park Near LBA Park Chair Cooper asked everyone in attendance to introduce themselves and then discussed the agenda for the meeting. He suggested the discussion stick to facts and not include opinions or strategies. City Manager Steve Hall gave an overview of the City's financial situation and introduced Parks, Arts and Recreation (PAR) Director Paul Simmons. Mr. Simmons welcomed everyone and stated community desire to expand parks is great but budgets are limited. Mr. Simmons introduced PAR Associate Director David Hanna to discuss the Parks planning process and review City of Olympia Page 1 Finance Committee Meeting Minutes June 11, 2014 past acquisitions associated with the 2004 Voted Utility Tax (VUT). Mr. Hanna gave a Powerpoint presentation on the Parks Plan to provide an overview of funding sources, projects, the 2% utility tax, park impact fees, State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) mitigation fees, and funding gaps. PAR Associate Director Jonathon Turlove continued the presentation and discussed the proposed Parks Plan update process. Mr. Turlove introduced Public Works Director Rich Hoey. Mr. Hoey gave a Powerpoint presentation on the City infrastructure needs near LBA. The presentation provided information on the development of Log Cabin Road Extension and the Southeast Olympia (Log Cabin) reservoir. Log Cabin Extension has regional significance and plans were developed in conjunction with the Thurston Regional Planning Council in the 1990s. This road is needed to move east/west traffic and is anticipated to be developer funded. Failure to develop this road would mean needing to widen several other roads at City expense. He estimates costs to the City would be approximately $17 million to leave the land in question (Bentridge parcel) as open space and have the City develop Log Cabin Extension. Mr. Hoey then provided a status update on the reservior project -- why it is needed, why the Trillium parcel is the ideal location for it, and how the City has already acquired the land for it. Chair Cooper paused for questions. Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee (PRAC) Chair Jim Nieland said the PRAC met on June 5, 2014 to discuss the acquisition of the Bentridge parcel (also known as LBA Woods) and believes the property would make an important addition to the City parks system. The Committee recommends the Finance Committee fast-track a park feasibility study of the parcel. Thurston County Associate Planner Andrew Deffobis reviewed the County process for property acquisition through use of Conservation Futures (5 cents per $1,000 of assessed value). Olympia School District (OSD) Assistant Superintendent Jennifer Priddy indicated OSD has been preparing for development of the Trilllium and Bentridge parcels. How the parcels are ultimately used will affect the need for new schools. The LBA Woods Coalition gave a Powerpoint presentation that highlighted: * The need to fulfill the promises made in the 2004 ballot measure to acquire 500 acres of park land - Actual acquisition is 52.3 acres and we are half-way through the timeline * Possible funding to help purchase the Bentridge parcel - Voted Utility Tax - Bond Anticipated Notes - Grants - Conservation Futures fund money from Thurston County - Conversion of Ward Lake grant money City of Olympia Page 2 Finance Committee Meeting Minutes June 11, 2014 After the presentation, Planning Commission Chair Max Brown asked how we are defining "need." Mr. Hanna said it is defined in the Parks Plan Levels of Service and by what the public demands. Chair Cooper asked if transportation impact fees are dedicated to specific projects. Mr. Hoey replied the impact fees are not collected for specific projects but a legal analysis would be required to determine if the funds could be transferred or if a refund for fees already collected would be necessary. A citizen supporting the LBA Woods Coalition commented Bentridge is one of the City's last large parcels available and urged Committee members to walk it. Mr. Hall stated more information is needed to fully consider the implications of purchasing Bentridge. He said there is no data to know if acquiring the Bentridge parcel is the highest priority for all citizens. Maintenance is currently a problem and people will wonder why the City is purchasing new land when it is unable to maintain what it presently owns. He said we need to look for a compromise. Mr. Brown proposed looking at the larger picture to create change. He remarked the West side of Olympia generates most of the tax revenue but gets ignored. An $11 million transportation need is huge and can't be glossed over. He suggested not focusing solely on Bentridge. He asked how we can create change beyond one piece of property. Committee member Selby left the meeting at 6:50 p.m. Chair Cooper asked Mr. Simmons about a parks feasibility study for the whole City. Details will be discussed at the next Finance Committee meeting on June 24. The recommendation was completed. 5. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 7:03 p.m. City of Olympia Page 3