Finance Committee

City Hall Meeting Minutes 601 4th Avenue E Olympia, WA 98501 Finance Committee Information: 360.753.8244 Wednesday, August 10, 2016 5:00 PM Room 207 1. CALL TO ORDER Chair Cooper called the meeting to order at 5:00 p.m. 2. ROLL CALL Present: 3 - Chair Jim Cooper, Committee member Jessica Bateman and Committee member Jeannine Roe 3. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 3.A 16-0895 Approval of July 13, 2016 Finance Committee Meeting Minutes The minutes were approved. 4. COMMITTEE BUSINESS 4.A 16-0893 Develop Multi-modal Approach for Transportation Impact Fees Public Works Transportation Senior Planner Sophie Stimson and Public Works Transportation Line of Business Director Mark Russell presented the new direction Transportation will take using a multimodal approach to concurrency. This approach will encourage modes of transport other than cars. People cannot use other modes if the City does not invest in them. Walking, biking, and riding transit must be safe and inviting. Impact fees could be used to fund stand-alone improvements for these modes, independent and separate from projects for cars. Ms. Stimson explained concurrency. Supply needs to equal demand. The new standard to determine supply will be the presence of infrastructure, not condition. Examples she gave for each mode of transport include: - Sidewalks on both sides of street - Bike lanes on all arterials and collectors - Buses stay on schedule - Delay at intersections rate A-F New performance standards mean different types of improvement projects and a global evaluation of concurrency. The new standards, based on a six-year plan, may mean a different impact fee. Mr. Russell discussed the need for developing a Transportation Master Plan to City of Olympia Page 1 Finance Committee Meeting Minutes August 10, 2016 provide vision and goals, a long-term project list, and a foundation for a defensible concurrency program. The new master plan would combine existing sidewalk, bicycle, and transit plans, and auto capacity improvements. It will bridge the Comprehensive Plan and the Capital Facilities Plan. There will be further discussion at a September City Council meeting regarding approach, timing, and cost. Karen Messmer, a citizen member of the Commitee, praised the approach and added that funding need not be entirely through impact fees. Community Planning & Development Director Keith Stahley noted the master plan will be great to help prioritize transportation projects. City Manager Steve Hall remarked the cost to develop the master plan will be approximately $200,000-$300,000 so the Committee needs to discuss how to fund it. Chair Cooper suggested tying this plan to the climate change planning. Finding a nexus in the two plans may help with funding to pay for plan development. The report was received. 4.B 16-0915 Overview of City Insurance Programs: Worker’s Compensation, Property and Risk Management Administrative Services Human Resources Line of Business Director Joe Olson gave an overview of City Worker's Compensation claims and expenses. He said staff is making efforts to reduce costs by making sure injured workers get the help they need to return to work as soon as it is safe to do so. Assistant City Manager Jay Burney commented on the value of the Safety Committee and their proactive developments. Mr. Burney continued the discussion by giving an overview of City risk management. He explained we are a member of Washington Cities Insurance Authority (WCIA), a risk pool with 180 other self-insured members. WCIA provides coverage for claims, training, many professional membership reimbursements, and grants. The City pays approximately $1.2 million in premiums. WCIA makes any claim determinations. Mr. Burney reviewed the Stewardship Report showing how the $1.2 million per year is spent (pre-defense, grants, consultation, etc.). WCIA puts entities in actuarial groups with like entities to determine rates. Lastly, Mr. Burney discussed our property insurance. It is handled through FM Global -- a private, for-profit company. We have earthquake, flood, and even terrorism coverage. FM Global provides plan review to make designs safer. The City pays about $400,000 per year for this coverage. The report was received. 4.C 16-0911 Funding Options for a Permanent Downtown Public Restroom City Manager Steve Hall began this topic by summarizing previous Council/Committee discussion on this subject. Council appropriated $345,000 out of the 2015 year-end funds for a public restroom/sanitation plan. The Downtown Sanitation approved pilot program consists of cleaning and security for two portable toilets. The cost for the City of Olympia Page 2 Finance Committee Meeting Minutes August 10, 2016 portables plus a $10,000 contingency fund is $112,600. This leaves $232,000 for permanent restroom installation. Public Works City Engineer Fran Eide estimates the cost to install a permanent restroom is between $352,000 and $413,000. She also said it would take about a year to complete from the time the project is approved. Mr. Hall mentioned four possible funding sources: - Council Goal money ($136,000) - 2017 CDBG funds (requires waiting) - 2016 Year-end Funds (requires waiting) - Artesian Commons Project Funds Mr. Hall recommended reserving Council goal money and moving ahead with the design phase for the parking lane on 4th Ave at the Artesian Commons. Ms. Eide noted the earlier the project goes out for bid, the more competitive the bids will be. Committee member Bateman moved, seconded by Committee member Roe, to recommend City Council reserve Council goal money and proceed with the design phase of a permanent public restroom in the parking lane on 4th Ave at Artesian Commons. The motion was approved. 4.D 16-0920 Funding for Downtown Nighttime Walking Patrol Olympia Police Administrative Services Manager Laura Wohl and Lieutenant Sam Costello reported the Nighttime Walking Patrol is out of funds and the program will end this week. Funding aside, the department is short-staffed in Patrol and the two nighttime walking patrol officers are desperately needed to help with staffing levels. At present, there are two patrol teams of 10-12 officers. The ideal staff is 22 per team. It will likely be 18-24 months before staffing reaches a level where the nighttime walking patrol program can be brought back. The Olympia Downtown Association and the Parking & Business Improvement Area groups will be notified. The Committee recommended staff work with neighborhood associations and the public to tell our story. The report was received. 5. REPORTS AND UPDATES - None 6. ADJOURNMENT Chair Cooper adjourned the meeting at 7:17 p.m. City of Olympia Page 3