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2008, 08-12 Regular Meeting Minutes MINUTES City of Spokane Valley City Council Regular Meeting Tuesday,August 12, 2008 Mayor Munson called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m., and welcomed everyone to the 142nd meeting. Attendance: City Staff: Rich Munson, Mayor Dave Mercier, City Manager Dick Denenny, Deputy Mayor Cary Driskell, Deputy City Attorney Rose Dempsey, Councilmember Mike Jackson, Deputy City Manager Bill Gothmann, Councilmember Ken Thompson,Finance Director Gary Schimmels, Councilmember Greg McCormick,Planning Manager Steve Taylor, Councilmember Mike Stone,Parks & Rec Director Diana Wilhite, Councilmember [arrived 7:55 p.m.] Rick VanLeuven,Police Chief Christina Janssen,Assistant Planner John Whitehead,Human Resources Manager Steve Worley, Senior Engineer Carolbelle Branch,Public Information Officer Aaron Clary, Stormwater Technician Bill Miller, IT Specialist Chris Bainbridge, City Clerk INVOCATION: Pastor Denning of Fountain Ministries gave the invocation. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Mayor Munson led the Pledge of Allegiance. ROLL CALL: City Clerk Bainbridge called roll; all Councilmembers were present except Councilmember Wilhite. It was moved by Councilmember Taylor, seconded and unanimously agreed to excuse Councilmember Wilhite. APPROVAL OF AGENDA: It was moved by Councilmember Taylor, seconded and unanimously agreed to approve the amended agenda. INTRODUCTION OF SPECIAL GUESTS AND PRESENTATIONS: n/a COMMITTEE,BOARD, LIAISON SUMMARY REPORTS: Councilmember Schimmels: no report Councilmember Taylor: mentioned he attended several National Night Out block parties last Tuesday. Deputy Mayor Denenny: no report Councilmember Dempsey: reported that she also attended several National Night Out parties, and mentioned she was impressed with how they seem to be getting bigger each year; she attended the Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency meeting where they discussed asbestos abatement and those contactors who do that; mentioned she attended the last meeting of the Panhandling Committee; said she traveled to Fairchild Air Force Base for Skyfest; and mentioned she would be gone for the next two meetings. Councilmember Gothmann: stated he also attended several National Night Out parties as well as Skyfest; reported that the Panhandling Committee held their last meeting today where committee members reviewed a PowerPoint which will be presented later to council along with his final report and next suggested steps. Council Regular Meeting:08-12-08 Page 1 of 9 Approved by Council:08-26-08 MAYOR'S REPORT: Mayor Munson reported that he attended CTED (Community Trade and Economic Development) Sponsored climate change meeting in Seattle, that he was encouraged by the meeting where it was noted most people determined this item needs funding to achieve the desired measureable and affordable outcomes; he attended Skyfest; and he hosted a national night out at his home; PUBLIC COMMENTS: Mayor Munson invited general public comment. Art Britton, E 18812 Euclid: mentioned panhandling; said he does part-time driving, that the area there [did not state where specifically] is messy and congested and pathetic; and said there may be some panhandlers there with outstanding warrants; regarding one-way streets, he said that is already done; he mentioned we want tax money for street work but said he doesn't see rebuilding that with a tax on telephones; regarding street repairs, said regarding the pothole repair, he said it seems they do one and skip another and he questioned why they all aren't repaired; he said the big patches are very good; and mentioned surplus funds and asked where he can find out where they go. Mayor Munson mentioned the budget is on the City's website. 1. CONSENT AGENDA: Consists of items considered routine which are approved as a group. A Councilmember may remove an item from the Consent Agenda to be considered separately. a. Approval of Claim Vouchers 14726— 14763, 14914 — 15006, 15007 — 15076, 15077 - 15153 totaling $2,078,674.09 b. Payroll for pay period ending July 31, 2008: $347,087.48 c. Approval to Delegate Authority for Police Emphasis Grants d. Approval of Motion to set 2009 Budget Hearings for September 9 and October 14, 2008 e. Approval of Application for$14,922 in JAG Grant Funds for Public Safety Purposes f. Approval of Minutes of July 15, 2008 Council Study Session g. Approval of Minutes of July 22,2008 Regular Council Meeting h. Approval of Minutes of July 23,2008 Special Council Meeting i. Approval of Amended Minutes of July 29, 2008 Joint Council/Spokane City Meeting j. Approval of Amended Minutes of July 29, 2008 Special Joint Council/Planning Commission Meeting k. Approval of Minutes of August 4, 2008 Special Executive Session It was moved by Councilmember Taylor, seconded and unanimously agreed to approve the consent agenda as amended. [Note: To eliminate confusion, the Consent Agenda was not actually amended as nothing was added or removed; only an item within the consent agenda was amended, which amendment was approved with the approval of the entire Amended Agenda.] NEW BUSINESS: 2. Second Reading Proposed Ordinance 08-014 Telephone Tax—Ken Thompson After City Clerk Bainbridge read the ordinance title, it was moved by Deputy Mayor Denenny and seconded to adopt Ordinance 08-014 implementing a 6% telephone utility tax. Finance Director Thompson summarized the proposed ordinance and said the implementation of such tax would occur January 1, 2009; and that the funds will be dedicated to the street fund operations. In response to council question concerning verbiage in the ordinance about eliminating this ordinance should some other better mechanism come about to handle streets like a street utility, Mr. Jackson said such was previously discussed concerning a Transportation Benefit District, but not in connection with this ordinance. There was brief Council discussion including mention that this does not include street reconstruction; that most DSL comes via telephone lines so the cost of the line would be taxable; that the Finance Committee discussed this issue on several occasions and examined several possible funding sources, but this was the suggested procedure; and mention that this is not giving the city a "windfall" as this will only maintain what we are trying to do at this point. Mayor Munson invited public comment. Council Regular Meeting:08-12-08 Page 2 of 9 Approved by Council:08-26-08 Janice Austin: City Clerk Bainbridge read an e-mail statement from Janice Austin expressing her adamant opposition to the proposal. Charles Roach, 14518 E Sharp: said it was mentioned about 280 per 1,000 that the County downloaded and Spokane Valley could no longer collect, and he asked how much revenue did that encompass yearly. Mayor Munson replied that the City only received that once, and Mr. Roach asked how much revenue would it have been annually if it were to have continued. Mayor Munson said in 2003, it was approximately $1.2 million. Mr. Thompson responded that that figure was 21 or 220 and of what that might generate for us that first year, the first year we only received three-fourths of that as we were not in existence for the entire year; and that it was perhaps one million or $1.3 million but it was only for that first year. Mayor Munson added that the public was asked to reinstate that 220 per 1,000, and the answer was no by 60% even though it would have been used for a specific purpose and had a sunset included. Mayor Munson invited further comments, and no further comments were issued. Councilmember Dempsey said she had been a proponent for this as she had been under the impression that if we got another tax as a street utility, that this as this would end this telephone tax; and said she is disappointed that is not the case; but said she feels this is probably the least painful way to secure revenues for roads. Councilmember Gothmann added that there are few taxing mechanisms granted by the State, and one is the utility tax; that he favors this tax as it taxes businesses and residential, and everyone uses the roads and this is a good fair way to spread the tax; and he said to stay within the present $2.1 million provided by the State in gasoline tax, would mean only doing winter plowing on arterials and no pothole filling, and that service would be not acceptable to citizens; and that we have a responsibility to keep the excellent roads we were given by the county, in good shape. Councilmember Taylor added that Council never wants to have to raise taxes, but the present economy shows an increase in cost of materials,labor, and energy, and after public safety,the top priority is to build,maintain and preserve our infrastructure; and we must have the proper funding mechanism in place to maintain the good roads we were given by the County; and that this tax is fair and equitable. Councilmember Schimmels added that we don't want to get into a deficit situation as seen elsewhere; that this may be a stopgap band-aid fix but it serves a purpose. Deputy Mayor Denenny said in looking at tax bases in other municipalities throughout the state, we recognize that most use at least several legs of the "tax stool"; and this region choose not to use one of those, i.e., the B&O tax, and being a border community, a B&O tax is detrimental to businesses; so in looking at other sources, he said that if we receive legislatively a source of revenue that would be more directly related to the use of the roads, he would want to find a way of removing any other taxation if that source brings us up to the level of service that we need; but to maintain that level of service we know the community expects, this tax is the best direction. Mayor Munson concluded by reminding everyone we can "pay now or pay later," and if we want to see what it looks like to defray road maintenance, all we need do is look to the west, and that answer is not acceptable for this City; that cost of materials such as asphalt and concrete this year have more than tripled from last year, with no indication of a reverse in that trend; and that he feels there is no other choice at this point; and it is not an easy choice in these economic times; and that this remedy would prove to be as little a burden on taxpayers as possible as it has a very large base. Mayor Munson mentioned that Spokane County has reported that they have enough funds in their road maintenance to meet 80% of their requirements; the City of Spokane has an eight million dollar annual deficit starting this year to pay for road maintenance; and said that the City of Spokane Valley funds have been well managed and roads have been maintained this year with a balanced budget, but we will likely need to make a short term loan from our general fund to cover this until the tax actually "kicks in." Mayor Munson said that along with public safety, which is the largest portion of the City's budget, that road maintenance is the other major requirement. Council Regular Meeting:08-12-08 Page 3 of 9 Approved by Council:08-26-08 Vote by Acclamation on the motion to approve ordinance 08-014 implementing a 6% telephone utility tax:In Favor: Unanimous. Opposed:None. Abstentions:None. Motion carried. Mayor Munson mentioned the telephone tax flyer which is before Council, and suggested having an updated version of that inserted in the Valley Herald and the Spokesman Review so the public would understand all about the tax, and said it would cost approximately $3,000; and he asked permission to authorize this expenditure. Mr. Thompson said he could find a way to handle that expenditure in the budget. Mayor Munson invited public comment on this suggestion. Joe Schoener, 14301 E 12`—Avenue: he said that of the folks he knows, they are so disinterested that the $3,000 is a waste of money; and he suggested putting those funds into the street repair and to save the money as this issue will be over the news; he stressed that people don't care and said that this meeting should be jammed with people; but people don't care. Councilmember Taylor said he agrees with Mr. Schoener and said this issue has received good coverage by the Spokesman Review and the Valley News Herald and feels it is not necessary to spend this money to have this insert, and he is sure other articles will be forthcoming. Councilmember Schimmels agreed with Councilmember Taylor; and Deputy Mayor Denenny said that he feels we don't need to expedite this immediately, but can wait and see how much coverage actually occurs. Mayor Munson said he feels we will get a lot of coverage when people get their January bill and those citizens will argue that Council didn't inform them of this change; and since this is the first tax imposed on the citizens, he feels the extra effort needs to be made to let the community know exactly what this tax means, and he stressed that inserts work and are read by citizens. Councilmember Dempsey said by waiting we will reinforce the argument that Council doesn't keep the population informed. It was moved by Mayor Munson and seconded to authorize $3,000 to put this flyer into the two local papers to explain to our citizens that they now have a new tax and what it's all about. Councilmember Gothmann mentioned that more information is always better than less. Councilmember Taylor said that later this evening we will hear presentations from various social service agencies vying for that extra $3,000; and that he feels every dollar counts and for this issue, he does not see the need for the insert. Mayor Munson invited public comment. Linda Thompson, 10913 E 461 Avenue: asked if the phone company will put something in their bill explaining about this additional tax; and if so, maybe that could be a partnership with city and it wouldn't cost as much as the insert; adding that the phone bill would be the perfect place to get the alert that something is coming. Vote by Acclamation: In Favor: Mayor Munson, and Councilmember Dempsey and Gothmann. Opposed: Deputy Mayor Denenny and Councilmembers Taylor and Schimmels. Abstentions: None. Motion failed. 3. First Reading Proposed Ordinance 08-015 for Drug Testing—Cary Driskell After City Clerk Bainbridge read the ordinance title, it was moved by Councilmember Taylor and seconded to suspend the rules and adopt ordinance 08-015. Deputy City Attorney Driskell explained the proposed changes to previous ordinance 03-044, which include changing responsibility for compliance from the City Manager to the Human Resources Manager, and making necessary changes to comply with state law that only certain positions within the City structure may be subject to drug screen testing. Mayor Munson invited public comment; no comments were offered. Vote by Acclamation: In Favor: Unanimous. Opposed:None. Abstentions:None. Motion carried. 4. First Reading Proposed Ordinance 08-016 for Street Vacation STV 01-08—Christina Janssen After City Clerk Bainbridge read the ordinance title, it was moved by Councilmember Taylor and seconded to advance Ordinance 08-016 to a second reading, and to add the word `feet" in the ordinance Council Regular Meeting:08-12-08 Page 4 of 9 Approved by Council:08-26-08 title where it was inadvertently omitted in two places. Assistant Planner Janssen explained the proposed right-of-way vacation ordinance as per her PowerPoint presentation; including the necessary criteria to approve street vacations. There was discussion about the payment amount as noted in #9 Conditions of vacation under section 5, and Ms. Janssen indicated she will research the exact verbiage of Resolution 07- 009 which adopted polices for imposing vacation charges. Mayor Munson invited public comment; no comments were offered. Vote by Acclamation: In Favor: Unanimous. Opposed: None. Abstentions: None. Motion carried. 5. Motion Consideration: Approval of Project List for TIB Grant Applications— Steve Worley It was moved by Councilmember Taylor and seconded to authorize staff to move forward with submitting TIB grant applications for the Indiana Avenue Extension Project, the Mansfield Avenue Extension Project, and the Flora Road Improvement Project. Senior Engineer Worley explained the changes from the July 22nd meeting, as noted in his August 12, 2008 Request for Council Action form. Mayor Munson invited public comment; no comments were offered. Vote by Acclamation: In Favor: Unanimous. Opposed: None. Abstentions: None. Motion carried. 6. Motion Consideration: Sponsorship with WSDOT for"Reinvent Your Commute:"—Mayor Munson Mayor Munson explained that he received the attached letter asking if Council would be willing to partner with WSDOT for a new "Reinvent Your Commute" public education campaign, and he suggested Council participate as a"contributor" with a $5,000 donation;but opened the topic for council discussion. After brief discussion on what this funding would involve and what the sponsorship would mean, and mention that the deadline for WSDOT to receive an answer is August 15`h, it was determined Council would prefer not to make a motion on this issue. PUBLIC COMMENTS: Mayor Munson invited general public comment. Joe Schoener, 14301 E 121 Avenue; said that he wonders if the different governing bodies ever coordinate their efforts, such as schools, and various governing bodies, as an individual tax of, for example, 430 on the dollar sounds small, but add it all up with all the other taxes and it represents a substantial increase; and he asked elected officials to think about these things and to do their best not to indebt future generations; and to spend more time on issues. ADMINISTRATIVE REPORTS: 7. Outside Agencies (Social Services)Presentation to Council—Ken Thompson Finance Director Thompson explained that there are funds set aside for 2009 outside agency funding; and the 2009 requests amount to approximately $294,000 with a total budgeted amount of $151,000; he mentioned that next week Council will hear from the Economic Development agencies, and afterwards, he suggested Councilmembers provide him with their suggestions for grant allocations, which is scheduled to come to Council for such motion consideration at the August 26 meeting. Mayor Munson also mentioned that last year Council split the funds with $36,000 for social service agencies, and the remainder for the Economic Development agencies, but that distribution is at Council's discretion. Mr. Thompson also suggested that one funding request asks for funding to acquire a capital asset, which could bring up the question of who actually owns such if it were funded by the City; and another request seeks assistance with a portion of a salary, which begs the question of having to make sure timesheets are completed and validated; and said he mentions these issues for Council to consider. Councilmember Gothmann said he had recused himself last year after disclosing he had given funding to one of the then requesting agencies, but mentioned he is not on any associated boards this year and feels that prior affiliation will not affect his decision making. Council Regular Meeting:08-12-08 Page 5 of 9 Approved by Council:08-26-08 Aging & long Term Care of Eastern Washington Michael Hilborn explained his request, and mentioned he has with him tonight, Mr. Sherman Phillips, a member of the volunteer escort program; he said their request provides transpiration services, and without such, many people would have no other way to get to their medical appointments and pharmacies; and Mr. Phillips said he has been driving for over four years now, enjoys it, knows the system, and encourages Council's support of the program, adding that the people he escorts are greatly appreciative of the services provided. Although there are no wages involved, Mr. Hilborn explained that the agency is proposing a portion of this funding be used to reimburse drivers for their mileage; and that they don't keep records of which people are within the City of Spokane Valley, but estimates last year there were 112. Spokane Valley Arts Council Mr. James Harken explained that they seek$14,700 to address increased programming; he mentioned the image of the sculpture (Mountain Man sculpture) to be placed in Mirabeau Park, and of the need for promoting the arts, including their 30-minute television program currently aired on channel 4; and that funds would be used for the membership drive. In response to question, Mr. Harken said they owe approximately $35,000 on the purchase of the sculpture, and have an auction scheduled at Valleyfest with the artist receiving 45%, and the balance going toward the sculpture purchase. Big Brothers/Big Sisters Darin Christiansen thanked Council for their support in the past, and said their request is for focused mentors for the children to help them reach their potential; that their program is a one-on-one program, and aids substantially in the success of these children. Coalition of Responsible Disabled Linda McClain said she has served for over 20 years, and envisions serving more; that they see more and more returning vets coming into the community; and explained that each center offers different services, such as affordable, safe and accessible housing, and that they offer services to all ages with low-to- medium income and significant disabilities; and said they successfully transitioned fourteen people from nursing homes into the community, as the goal is that of independent living; and said that Diana Hanson, independent living consultant works with people to teach them tools on how to solve barriers. Greater Spokane Substance Abuse Council Executive Director Linda Thompson said she appreciates Council's past support, that their billboards have likely been seen by 30,000 daily, and is a great way to start conversations with kids about not having alcohol in celebrations like graduations and proms; and that she realizes the tight economy and therefore, said she withdraws her application so the funds could be used by others. Mayor Munson thanked her for her generosity, and asked that she follow up with a written withdraw. Hearth Homes Director Karen Fournier said she is new to this area and new to this process; and their organization's goal is to keep moms and kids together; without their assistance several of these moms would not have lived in a family safe atmosphere; that they work with social workers, attorneys and others to progress their self- sufficiency in the community; and several moms also spoke of the terrific benefits of this program, and said without these programs, they might have been homeless. Meals on Wheels Pam Almeida said that this year's request is for $5,400 with the extra$400 representing the 8% increase in their meals; she stressed the program's impact on nutrition and assistance with the aging process of many; and said older adults will have a reduced quality of life without this assistance; and they see their Council Regular Meeting:08-12-08 Page 6 of 9 Approved by Council:08-26-08 program as a prevention program as many participants are at 90% nutrition risk and getting these meals make it possible to have meals in their homes and remain living in their own homes. Project Access Mr. John Driscoll quickly went through his PowerPoint presentation, stating the agency seeks $25,000 this time, which equals 28 cents for citizens living in Spokane Valley; and he mentioned that the Community Health Care Collaborative Grant expires in 2009, and such grant was for operating costs and did not include pharmaceuticals. Spokane Valley Partners CEO Ken Briggs explained that they do the work that governments can't do; and if they could, it is estimated it would cost a government entity five times as much to do so; he said they are not asking for capital expenses or salaries, but the actual cost of utilities and maintenance; that although the School District has been generous, finding the funds to use a school district building is challenging, which generally adds up to approximately$15,000 annually. Vanessa Behan Crisis Nursery Development Director Mary Savage explained that their nursery is a child abuse crisis prevention center; and last year was a record year for families needing their support; that last year they provided support to over 900 kids; that they support children between the ages of birth through six, and they are the only nonprofit organization that is always open; and that they seek $5,000 to help fund their emergency child care program. Mayor Munson called for a short recess at 7:55 p.m., at which time Councilmember Wilhite arrived. Mayor Munson reconvened the meeting at 8:06 p.m. 8. Presentation of Preliminary Budget—Dave Mercier City Manager Mercier said this is the sixth consecutive balanced budget for Council's consideration; is consistent with previous approaches, and provides support for the six goals, and concentrates energies on the coming year; and this information will be brought back again at the January retreat. He said we continue to use conservative long-term financial measures on constructing the budget, and have conservative revenue estimates; and over the course of time, we have narrowed the variance between the actual and the projected revenues. Mr. Mercier said there are no new programs, and staff continues to strive to break even for the operation of CenterPlace. Mr. Mercier brought attention to pages 86 and 87 which include the most current projections of the six-year financial forecast; and for the first time, there are some negative growth financial factors as we see a loss in sales tax revenues, and said gambling taxes are down as well. Mr. Mercier further explained that to provide adequate funding for the near term, the street fund will require an interfund loan of$1.2 million, and a second interfund loan to that fund to replenish the winter reserve which was completely exhausted due to the harsh winter. He explained that the positive indicators are there is no new debt, and they anticipate about $24.2 million in capital projects to be undertaken within the next fiscal year, with our share at 37%, which is about a 63% savings on these projects; and said much of the credit for this funding goes to public works and to Steve Worley in acquiring funding. After briefing Council on the adoption schedule for this budget, Mr. Mercier gave highlights of several budget pages, including the budget summary on page 25. He mentioned that the 6% telephone tax will go until effect January, but there will be a few month's lag time before we see actual dollars, which will necessitate an interfund loan, and of course, after funds to come in, the repayment of that loan. Further budget discussion included discussion of the public safety budget on page 41, which Mr. Mercier explained is about a 10% increase and mentioned that the County recently settled a labor contract which Council Regular Meeting:08-12-08 Page 7 of 9 Approved by Council:08-26-08 called for a 4% increase in 2008 and 3.5 increase in 2009 and some other costs as a result of negotiations. Mr. Mercier mentioned government expenditures on page 61, and other expenses such as office supplies, election costs, and implementation of records management system, adding that staff has examined a variety of different systems and we are at the point of trying to select a particular provider. Councilmember Gothmann mentioned an impact fee study, and Mr. Mercier said Council previously discussed that at length to examine all impact fees, and it will require an appropriate study, and said that those figures are a placeholder for now. Mayor Munson suggested that topic for the January retreat. Other pages of interest and discussion included pages 78 through 81, and mentioned that the FTEs for next year include the addition of 1.6 bringing the total to 93.75; that the .6 is in traffic engineering, and the 1 is in finance. Mr. Mercier said page 86 shows the most current rendition of the multi-year financial forecast, and if adopted as proposed, we would be operating at a sustainable level through at least 2012, yet see some challenges in 2013 and 2014, but events could take place earlier that would affect those figures, such as the 1/10 of 1% sales tax; or of a continuing reduction in sales tax figures. Mr. Mercier said that problem statement#2 on page 87 was prepared in advance of the 6% telephone tax, so that will be need to be recalculated; that there are a series of other steps which will be included in the highlights by the departments later, and he invited Council to look through the document as each department has goals and will be giving a report on accomplishments; adding that we still have one-third of the budget year remaining. 9. Uniform Development Code Height Amendment—Christina Janssen Assistant Planner Janssen went through her PowerPoint presentation explaining about the request for a change in the code for certain accessory structures to exceed the height limits in the commercial, office, mixed use and industrial zones, and she showed examples of such, adding that these changes would be in Titles 18 and 19 of the UDC. Ms. Janssen mentioned that this ordinance amendment is scheduled to come to council at the August 26 meeting 10. WSDOT Agreements: Urban Ramps Paving&Mainline PCCP Rehab—Neil Kersten Senior Engineer Worley, standing in for Mr. Kersten, explained the proposed WSDOT agreements for urban ramps pavings and mainline rehab, as per his August 12,2008 Request for Council Action; He said this project has been programmed into the 2009 Transportation Improvement Program and the 2009 budget,but per the WSDOT agreements, advance payment of$3,600 and $45,000 are required to be paid for the preliminary engineer phase and construction phase respectively; and said there are sufficient contingency funds in the 2008 Capital Grants Fund to cover these costs. Due to the overall costs of these projects, these items will come back for a regular agenda item rather then being placed on the consent agenda. 11. Broadway Rehab Project I-90 to Park Bid Award—Neil Kersten Senior Engineer Worley, standing in for Mr. Kersten, explained that this project will remove existing asphalt pavement and place new hot mix asphalt surface payment and upgrade existing storm drain and sidewalks; and that the engineer's estimate is $400,000, and of that, $354,000 would be reimbursed by the general grant and $55,000 would be paid by Capital Grant Funds, and said there are sufficient funds within the 2008 budget to cover the cost of this work. Mr. Worley mentioned that this does not include bridge work only ramps. 12. Stormwater Vactoring Change Order—Neil Kersten Stormwater Tech Aaron Clary went through his PowerPoint presentation explaining stormwater management, including required inspections of all structures by 2011, and assessment of drywells that pose a threat to groundwater, showing some examples of drywells needing maintenance. After the PowerPoint presentation, Mr. Mercier explained that staff is proposing that the $90,000 change order for vactoring be placed on the next consent agenda; that they have a contractor available and can make advancements in cleaning out those facilities; and at that next council meeting, staff will also seek a Council Regular Meeting:08-12-08 Page 8 of 9 Approved by Council:08-26-08 motion to not only affect this change order, which doubles the amount spent in 2008, but to delegate authority to sign the annual renewals to this contract, much the same as council did previously with the contract for sweeping services. INFORMATION ONLY: The Old Senior Center Building Update and Graffiti Abatement were for information only and not reported on or discussed. EXECUTIVE SESSION: Labor Relations and Public Employee Performance Evaluation It was moved by Deputy Mayor Denenny and seconded to adjourn to Executive Session for about 30 minutes to discuss labor relations and public employee performance evaluation, and that no action will be taken afterwards. Vote by Acclamation: In Favor: Mayor Munson, Deputy Mayor Denenny, and Councilmembers Schimmels, Dempsey, Gothmann and Wilhite. Opposed: Councilmember Taylor. Abstentions:None. Motion carried. Council adjourned into executive session at 9:05 p.m. At 9:30 p.m., Deputy City Attorney Driskell announced the Executive Session would be continued for another fifteen minutes. Mayor Munson declared Council out of Executive Session at 9:43 p.m. It was then moved by Councilmember Gothmann, seconded and unanimously agreed to adjourn. The meeting adjourned at 9:44 p.m. ATTEST" �� e "re and Munson ■ .moo -hfistine Bainbridge,City Clerk Council Regular Meeting:08-12-08 Page 9 of 9 Approved by Council: 08-26-08 Page 1 of 1 Chris Bainbridge From: Janice Austin [greenacresjan @hotmail.com] Sent: Tuesday, August 12, 2008 4:49 PM To: Chris Bainbridge Subject: Testimony for tonight's City Council meeting opposing proposed Utility Tax on telephones Importance: High To Spokane City Council, I want to submit my adamant opposition to the proposal to put a utility tax on telephones tied to Roads funding! Janice Austin 926-8140 Get more from your digital life. Find out how. 8/12/2008 Things to know about the proposed Telephone Utility Tax Why a tax on telephone services? • Telephone utility taxes are one of the means by which the state allows cities to help recover the rising cost of providing services to the community. • Street maintenance costs are increasing rapidly across the state. • At $2.1 million annually, gasoline tax revenues are not enough to cover the $4-5 million per year necessary to provide basic street maintenance services such as snow plowing, street sweeping, pothole repair, etc. • As consumers buy less fuel, gasoline tax revenues decline. • As our street system ages, the need for maintenance increases. • To fully fund preventive street maintenance needed to avoid the heavy costs of reconstructing roadways, an additional $4.5 million a year is needed for a total of approximately $8 million per year. How much would the telephone utilities tax raise? • At 6 percent, the telephone utility tax is expected to generate about $3 to $4 million a year. How would that money be spent? • All the funds generated would be dedicated to the street maintenance fund. Would the tax apply to cell phone charges? '''4\ • The telephone utility tax would apply to all types of telephone service regardless of the way it is delivered, whether through land lines, cellular, satellite, cable, internet or other means. How much would it cost me? it .,• Based on a monthly telephone bill of about $32, the cost I�1 would be just $1.92 a month. I (I When would the telephone utility tax iij / take effect? / I //to � • If adopted, the telephone utility tax would � "'%% take effect as of January 1, 2009. --ft—_ IIN\ fitaili) Putting it into context••• • Of 281 Washington cities and towns, 205 use , i ,, 1 telephone utility taxes to help cover the cost of providing city services, including all of those with ( populations similar to Spokane Valley's. 1% b..d • Six percent is the telephone utility rate used by most cities in Washington. Most cities also charge utility SpoIL ' hhh11h1tax on other services such as ane water, sewer, solid waste, Valley. electricity, and more._ -- ____ _ . _ , ._ _ _For more information, call 688-0232 or email cbranch @spokanevalley.org (2' —/,)-"d(? 1