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2014, 02-18 Special WorkshopFebruary 18, 2014 Attendance: Councilmembers MINUTES SPECIAL WORKSHOP MEETING SPOKANE VALLEY CITY COUNCIL City Council Chambers 11707 E. Sprague Avenue Spokane Valley, Washington Staff 8:30 a.m. Dean Grafos, Mayor Arne Woodard, Deputy Mayor Bill Bates, Councilmember Chuck Hafner, Councilmember Rod Higgins, Councilmember Ed Pace, Councilmember Ben Wick, Councilmember Others in Attendance: Dave Wasson, Spokesman Review Ron Schmidt, Fire Commissioner One or two occasional citizens Mike Jackson, City Manager Cary Driskell, City Attorney Mark Calhoun, Finance Director John Hohman, Community Development Dir. Eric Guth, Public Works Director Morgan Koudelka, Sr Administrative Analyst Mike Stone, Parks & Rec Director Erik Lamb, Deputy City Attorney Michelle Rasmussen, Administrative Assistant John Whitehead, Human Resources Manager Rick VanLeuven, Police Chief Matt Lyons, Police Precinct Commander John Pietro, Administrative Analyst Carolbelle Branch, Public Information Officer Chris Bainbridge, City Clerk Mayor Grafos called the meeting to order at 8:30 a.m. City Clerk Bainbridge called the roll; all Councilmembers were present. 1. Welcome — Mike Jackson City Manager Jackson explained that today's meeting is an opportunity to sit down in a workshop setting for a type of two -way communication, to discuss ideas and concepts, whether currently proposed, new, or old; that we will discuss the legislative agenda and the code enforcement lien issue, and converse about what we're hearing and what it means. Mr. Jackson said we might also get some further direction on our legislative agenda. Mr. Jackson said anything requiring formal action would return to Council at a future meeting. Mr. Jackson briefly discussed the material under Tabs A and B, which respectively included the Annual Work Plan for 2014, and the Legislative Agenda which is listed under item #5 as well. Mr. Jackson noted that the Business Plan, a copy of which is included with the agenda materials, gets updated every year about this time, that it changes as needed, and gets published each spring after the budget adoption the prior fall; and is also posted on our Website. Business Plan page 15 was mentioned by Mr. Jackson, who explained that this was prepared by Finance Director Calhoun, and that the chart shows our revenue trends; he said it is important to realize that we are still providing the same essential services as we did in 2007, the high mark of our revenues over the years, that we are doing so with less money but we have added programs and are compensating for inflation, and as noted on the chart, he said the line does not trend upward over the years. Mr. Jackson then invited Community Development Director Hohman to discuss economic development. 2. Economic Development Update, Certified Sites Program — John Hohman Director Hohman went over the background of the Economic Development program explaining that it is based on the five levels of Economic Development of the Washington Department of Commerce, and said his department's goal is to work more on level #4: Business Growth and Investment. Mr. Hohman explained the short-term goals and projects as noted from the Economic Development Ad -Hoc Workshop minutes: 02 -18 -2014 Page 1 of 13 Approved by Council: 03 -11 -2014 Committee's report; and in conjunction with working more on Business Growth and Investment, explained some of Mr. Basinger's duties as the Economic Development Staff Coordinator, which position Mr. Hohman explained was created in 2013. Director Hohman briefed Council on the Department's Work Plan and Streamlined Permitting and mentioned that staff has received many citizen compliments on this process and of the overall friendly nature they experience. Mr. Hohman said staff has no desire to become complacent and they treat every interaction as if it is the most important one. Mr. Jackson added that now that permitting has been streamlined, they will begin to focus more on marketing. There was some discussion about the Washington State Department of Commerce and of the potential resources for our City with Mr. Hohman stating that we strive to be made aware of every opportunity to be at every regional table, and said a good example of that is Mr. Basinger working on a one -page city recruitment handout which summarizes our City; said Mr. Basinger is working with MDI (Marketing Directors, Inc.) and has sent a draft to GSI (Greater Spokane, Inc.) and Visit Spokane for detailed comments; he said our staff works collaboratively with others to make this the best product possible. Councilmember Hafner said there are times when he gets material for some committee meeting, but doesn't receive the material in ample time to digest the contents; and Mayor Grafos agreed and said we need to be more proactive and said it is very interesting to hear what's going on now that he is participating in the GSI meetings and suggested we need a plan of "talking points" of our City and our uniqueness. Deputy Mayor Woodard agreed and said we need to let those organizations know we want the information, and suggested it would be beneficial to know when to expect such committee or other materials. Mr. Jackson concurred and said staff is here to support Council and that we can work on those issues this year. Conversation moved to the idea of having a long -term marketing plan. Director Hohman confirmed that no formal plan exists yet, and Mr. Jackson said we do have a plan as we move forward; that this is only the second year of our major marketing efforts as we work to connect with the public's needs; and said those ads are still effective as we reach out to the community. Councilmember Pace suggested including the topic of a marketing plan on an advance agenda including having measurable, quantifiable goals to show for example, explicit examples of how GSI uses the funds we give them. Councilmember Wick agreed that would be beneficial to tie such plan to the goals of the Ad Hoc Committee. Mr. Jackson added that granting funds to outside agencies was primarily a political aspect, but said we have made great progress to be able to see and measure what's happening. Mayor Grafos said that issues such as GSI's discussion about a port district are difficult to measure, with Councilmember Pace reiterating his idea of having quantifiable results concerning the funds we supply to these agencies. Councilmember Hafner acknowledged that our City's objectives are different from those of Spokane County or Spokane City and that sometimes we are not included as a partner, even though that is an important objective. Deputy Mayor Woodard said part of the economic plan was how do we let people know we've changed our permitting process; said he agrees with the need for a longer range plan and asked if there are other ads being considered, and Mr. Hohman said there is nothing in production at the moment. Concerning the Economic Development Coordinator position, Councilmember Pace asked what the performance measures are for that job and Mr. Hohman referenced slide #5 which explains the duties of the coordinator; he said the duties include internal as well as external projects, and either the task gets completed or it does not. Mr. Hohman gave as an example the permitted use matrix update which Council will see next week which was an internal activity that Mr. Basinger made sure met the desired timeframe. Mr. Hohman said measuring on a regional scale is more difficult to determine as we are trying to define where to participate and what is most effective. Mr. Hohman also spoke concerning the idea of staff being available to assist Council on some of the committee meetings, such as Visit Spokane or GSI; and said other than trying to forward our goals, this is not something that is particularly measurable. Councilmember Pace suggested the focus rest on setting expectations based on results and not just activities. Workshop minutes: 02 -18 -2014 Page 2 of 13 Approved by Council: 03 -11 -2014 City Manager Jackson said this also fits in with the business philosophy; and said this is an emerging area; he said we run a very lean staff and instead of having a program and hiring people, we work to a point and if we hit a roadblock, we work on that; he said we can't say this position should result in x number of retail businesses. Councilmember Wick said he heard from representatives from GSI and Visit Spokane who indicated they appreciate our changes. Mayor Grafos said that now that staff is moving into economic development, he would like Mr. Hohman to look at the staff he has for example in the planning department; said there were about six planners in 2008 and 2009 and at that time we were working on a City Center and SARP (Sprague /Appleway Revitalization Plan) and now we have a lot less activities and maybe some of those people could be moved to the economic development side. Director Hohman said the department is evolving and changing with significant changes made over the past few years and that from a staffing viewpoint, a greater shift into economic development activities has not yet been determined; that he is getting to the point where the foundation is set and he is still working on the next steps. Mr. Jackson pointed out that the Economic Development Coordinator position is an example of a shift from planning to Economic Development, as Mike Basinger is a senior planner. Councilmember Pace said that job changing has been a part of the work force forever, and as technology goes obsolete jobs go obsolete; and said it sounds like the big scale planning job is getting obsolete and economic development is what we need, and that people have to either adapt or look for opportunities elsewhere. Mr. Hohman suggested we need to do a better job at business recruitment; that we don't have large long range plans; and that one of the major projects coming up in the future is an overall comprehensive plan update which must be completed by 2017 and so a plan must be developed on how that will be accomplished. There was further discussion on comp plan specific docket amendments, private and city - initiated amendments, and the overall update of the comp plan; with Mr. Hohman adding that we will want to reach out to property owners and real estate brokers concerning land particularly along Sprague, to see what type of process should be initiated, and said all that will help staff prepare a plan to bring to Council; and that this will likely be part of the June budget workshop discussion. There was also mention of the increased number of new businesses which will include hopeful increased tax revenues. Mr. Hohman continued through his materials by discussing the development code review process; he explained that there are various components of the development code that don't work well, such as the permitted use matrix, which he said is scheduled for next week's council meeting; and he mentioned there are some small items that cause problems with businesses such as preventing loading docks across the fronts of all businesses, but said it is logical to have them in the industrial, and he said staff is working to change that. Director Hohman also noted that there have been significant changes across the country concerning big box stores as many are getting smaller as people increase their purchasing over the Internet, and said he feels that trend will continue. Mr. Hohman mentioned industrial land inventory and said we want to learn where these vacant properties are and what type of infrastructure it will take to bring them on line, and said staff will work with property owners to accomplish that; said they are also looking at street connectivity and are trying to promote that public infrastructure, as some infrastructure tends to foster development. Concerning marketing and the advertising campaign, Mr. Hohman said that the advertising campaign will focus less on permitting and more on general economic development principles such as highlighting the City's positive aspects of affordable living, abundant education offerings, and a trained and available workforce. Director Hohman said staff continues to coordinate with our economic development partners to participate in business recruitments and to market the key city attributes, as well as ensure a consistent theme and message in our marketing materials; and he said staff continues to work with MDI to consider different types of marketing materials. Deputy Mayor Woodard suggested having Visit Spokane include our mobile app as they promote our City; and Mr. Jackson noted that the real power is getting businesses involved, and said we want more detail about their business on that mobile app; he said a major focus of marketing tourism is on dining and shopping, which is one of the objectives in having our mobile app. Director Hohman said that although Mike Basinger is the designated coordinator, many staff members are involved, including John Whitehead and Carolbelle Branch to ensure this will be our best product to put Workshop minutes: 02 -18 -2014 Page 3 of 13 Approved by Council: 03 -11 -2014 forward. Mr. Hohman said there are other marketing ideas including refming our partnership with GSI; and said we have placed ads in the Choose Washington publication. Moving to the topic of the regional site selector, Mr. Hohman said the focus is to support and improve the website and see what other jurisdictions are doing; he said next steps include analyzing the retail sector, evaluating options for business recruitment and involving the real estate brokers, and implementing new initiatives as time allows; he said he has a lean staff and it is challenging to implement new initiatives but will do so as existing staff time allows, and said there might be some opportunity to shift some staff members to this focus. Mayor Grafos suggested getting more information to the people in the field who provide those services, such as the Trader's Club. Concerning the Certified Sites Program, Mr. Hohman explained what the Certified Sites Program includes, said this is another marketing effort to get into the details or attributes of a property, and we want our program as detailed as possible. Brief discussion followed concerning the 400+ acres in the Industrial Park and of the many areas waiting for sewer, with Mr. Hohman explaining that staff has contacted and is working with Centennial Properties, which is one of the largest land owners, and said they are focusing on the property near the new medical center. Mr. Hohman said we have extensive files from the County on properties and are working to scan those documents to make them available to the public; and in the meantime, he said staff is working to pull as much information together as possible so that we can determine the level of completion of properties; he said we need to identify the needs and put a plan together so a building could be completed as quickly as possible; said staff is working to expand the website to include the list of certified sites as well as having an additional opportunity for property owners to use that as a marketing tool. Mayor Grafos suggested adding another category to the site selector to include Certified Sites in Spokane Valley. A recess was called at 9:55 a.m.; the meeting reconvened at 10:05 a.m. 3. Law Enforcement Analysis — Morgan Koudelka, Mike Jackson Mr. Jackson said we have had previous discussions about the size of our Police force and talk about adding resources; he said Senior Administrative Analyst Morgan Koudelka, Police Chief VanLeuven, and Precinct Commander Matt Lyons have been working with the budget in that regard to show the correlations with adding positions; and said if a decision is made later to add to the work force, staff will look harder at the budget figures, but that today's discussion will focus on the concept. Mr. Koudelka explained that they are examining and evaluating the staffing levels to make sure those levels are appropriate for our current needs; and that today he will be sharing some of the highlights of their analysis. Mr. Koudelka referenced page one of his background materials which explains the purpose and analysis of the components used for their research, then moved to page two and gave a brief history of our law enforcement services. Mr. Koudelka said our current Interlocal Agreement operates in four year terms, that a new four -year cycle started in 2014, and they wanted to look at this issue to see if everything is working well or for any potential modifications. He said the Sheriff's Office finance director came up with a new methodology which is easier to administer, has a potential for greater accuracy, is easier to understand and could better accommodate our needs, and said that will be brought forward to Council at a future Council meeting. Mr. Koudelka went over the charts and figures on the following pages; said page four shows the impact from the change in workload while page five describes reported crimes, and page six figures show that we have had the same number of patrol officers since our incorporation; said if all things remained constant, the red line would indicate patrol officers that would have been needed if we adjusted for population, and the green line shows the number of patrol officers that would have been adjusted based on the calls for service. Mr. Jackson added that this chart illustrates the level of our police department, and does not mean we would add officers each time the population increases; he said we are also working to improve efficiencies and in looking at the flat blue line, it is interesting and extraordinary to note that we have kept the same number of officers for all those years while most every other city in the United States has cut their police force. Mr. Koudelka said they looked at other cities' level of police officers over time, especially cities similar to our size, and said it is very Workshop minutes: 02 -18 -2014 Page 4 of 13 Approved by Council: 03 -11 -2014 typical to see a reduction of officers, usually done during an economic downturn, which is the worst possible time; he said we don't want to make a temporary staffing change; we want to look at all the needs and the availability of funds over time and if a change is made, staff hopes it would be permanent so citizens can know what to expect, rather than add a few officers one year simply to remove them the following year. Chief VanLeuven said that the minimum staffing level is six, which represents one officer for each district; that normally the level is kept at ten or eleven to accommodate officers out for sick or vacation leave, or attending training; and said they are fairly successful in maintaining the desired staffing levels; said he looked at the annual overtime costs and they are not as significant for our City as they are for the unincorporated area. Mr. Koudelka said they looked at the construction of the cost methodology to come up with a per - officer cost, which means everything including overtime; and said this new methodology has some opportunities to segregate the Spokane Valley Costs, and he went over the figures on pages seven through nine of his materials; then explained the recommended change as noted on page ten, followed by additional explanation from Lt. Lyons on how the process works with the power shy schedule and that the new process would be a better and more efficient use of our resources as it matches the call loads. Mr. Koudelka said this is a first step recommendation and incorporates some efficiencies and some additional staff, and we would be able to measure our goals to determine if we are achieving the desired outcome. Mr. Jackson said that we have not reached a conclusion of how many deputies we really need, but today's discussion shows that we are trying to take a better approach to this, that this is a start, and most likely the number of additional deputies would be more than two, but we are not yet at the point to make a definitive determination. Chief VanLeuven added that for most of last year, he and Lt. Lyons have worked closely with Mr. Koudelka to perform a tremendous amount of analysis of crime data; and that they collectively agree this would be the best use of the resources. Mr. Koudelka added that staff feels this is a good measured approach and that they could measure the impact of this recommendation if approved by Council. In response to a question from Council, Mr. Jackson said he would look at our finances, but if all agreed, the proposal would be implemented in 2014. Councilmember Pace said he would like to see indicators or factors that affect morale, such as officers calling in sick and/or incidents between a supervisor and a deputy. Deputy Mayor Woodard said he also feels we are in a unique situation as we look at efficiencies as most cities are still laying off officers. Lt. Lyons said he appreciates that morale is a concern of Council and said that a big factor of morale exists in the officer initiated incidents as most officers feel it is beneficial to be able to take the pro- active step to stop crime as they want to see results of their labor; said the minimum staffing numbers versus the total staffing numbers is problematic in the unincorporated areas, but not so in Spokane Valley where other officers are attempting to bid to work. Mr. Jackson explained that legislatively, Council has given huge boosts of morale over the years by stating that we will not cut law enforcement. After Mr. Koudelka went over the material on page 12 and 13 concerning property crimes and cost and funding options, Mayor Grafos said he feels we should make those one -time expense repairs to the precinct as that would also help morale; and suggested Council have another tour of the precinct building. 11:30 a.m. Telephone Call Mr. Jackson noted we set the time of 11:30 a.m. today to call our Legislative Analyst Briahna Taylor, so the topic of law enforcement was briefly interrupted to move to this agenda's item #5: Legislative Update. Ms. Taylor explained that there have been some proposed changes to show how revenues or expenditures will change over the last few months; said there will be a supplemental operating budget, that this session is a short tone and the supplemental budget will be amending the budget adopted last session. She then went over our City's legislative agenda items: Appleway Trail Project: said this request was submitted this year to prepare the legislation to allocate funding in the 2015 session with the recognition that it would not likely be successful this year, but rather to lay the groundwork for next year; said this project was discussed with the legislation and they will see Workshop minutes: 02 -18 -2014 Page 5 of 13 Approved by Council: 03 -11 -2014 if they can get funding in the supplemental capital budget, although that is not anticipated, and that she will continue to work with the delegation in preparing for 2015. Protect the Local -State Shared Revenues: she explained that the liquor revenues and potential marijuana revenues are the two types of revenues being discussed the most this session; that concerning the liquor revenues, the matter was not given a hearing as the legislators have no solution on how to fund education, as the Supreme Court said they must come up with a four -year plan, which she said is the goal before considering restoring any liquor revenues. Ms. Taylor acknowledged that was a disappointing response. Concerning being entitled to a portion of tax revenues generated by the sale of marijuana, Ms. Taylor said the Senate proposed allocating 10% to local jurisdictions, even though Cities were looking for 50% in order to mirror the same division with liquor; but she said the highest percentage made into a bill is 10 %. Ms. Taylor again said that legislators were resistant to include a higher number since it is not clear how much revenue will be generated, as some feel it will be higher and some feel it will be lower; and that they want to keep revenues to fund education. Additional Lien Authority to Recoup Code Enforcement Costs: Concerning the code enforcement lien for abatement purposes, Ms. Taylor said that a bill was introduced last year and it is still alive, but a replacement amendment was proposed to address concerns about the community banks' issues, including that they want the opportunity to clean up the property before the City steps in, or to at least be notified. Ms. Taylor said banks and legislators are working to come to an agreement on language but a few weeks ago it was clear they were not reaching an agreement. Ms. Taylor said the amendment draft didn't have the support of the bankers so it has moved forward to include notifying the mortgage holder and once the abatement has been completed, to notify the property owner as well. She said the legislators are also concerned about abatement costs on property tax statements that allows for the foreclosure process to begin if not paid within three years; and she said the current law requires anything to be paid in full. She indicated that Representative Christian is not a viable option; she said if the bill gets amended, it would include any nuisance cost to become a first priority lien with no recourse to recover when the property is sold; she said the bill will go to the Senate with an opportunity to amend, and then it moves to the floor. City Manager Jackson said the real issue is whether the higher lien authority meets the City's objective; said he understands legislators' hesitancy to put for example, a $2,000 lien on someone's property tax of $500; and said perhaps there is an opportunity to compromise and have an arranged payment plan; said he wants to move forward in the present form and said it was Council's intent to recoup a reasonable amount over time in the City's investment of the property; adding that this lien would only take place after the property owner refused to clean up the property and the matter taken to court for an order to clean up the property. City Attorney Driskell said the City gives people every opportunity to do this themselves; said the amended language would give us a higher priority if they filed bankruptcy, but that currently we don't have priority; and if passed, we would still be in the same position without any opportunity to enforce this and recover the public's funds; and gave a suggested alternative of only putting a certain percentage of the amount owed on any particular year and to divide out the cost over time; he said if it was serious enough to go to court, he also questioned how long we want public funds to just "sit out there." Councilmember Pace said he thinks we should pursue this as originally stated; said he felt Representative Christian backed away from supporting it and that Representative Shea followed him; said we need to seek Representative Shea and Senator Padden's encouragement in that regard. Mayor Grafos said he favors keeping the language the way it was presented and City Attorney Driskell said he agrees with putting it on the tax rolls as opposed to having a higher priority. Deputy Mayor Woodard also expressed disappointment in Representative Christian's position, and said we need the lien priority and agrees with an incremental payment plan as we need to know our taxpayers are being reimbursed, and said this has nothing to do with a scenario of someone's 90 -year aunt losing their home; and that perhaps we could eliminate the elderly or very poor from losing their property by means of a tax exemption. Mr. Driskell said if that were the concern, we'd have to look at income levels and make that determination, and he Workshop minutes: 02 -18 -2014 Page 6 of 13 Approved by Council: 03-11-2014 asked if we can keep in place the ability to place the amount on tax rolls incrementally or have a payment plan, and Councilmember Pace and Deputy Mayor Woodard agreed, and Councilmember Wick said he would want to put it on the tax rolls. Mr. Jackson asked if we move forward and get the higher priority, and then come back next year to put it on as a property tax lien, is that stronger or weaker? Ms. Taylor recommended amending the bill this year in an attempt to remedy the situation and not lose the bill entirely. Mr. Jackson replied that it is important to understand this City's tendency not to tax, and he hesitates spreading this cost out to every property owner instead of just to the individual; he said we need to tell someone that if they don't clean up their property, we will and we will place a lien on the property when the property tax is due, and he suggested if we follow that process, the property owner will get the property cleaned up. Mr. Jackson said it is not effective to tell the property owner that some day if they sell the property, they'll have to pay us back. Ms. Taylor suggested trying for an amendment so as not to lose the bill. Mayor Grafos, Deputy Mayor Woodard, and Councilmember Pace said they agree from a strategic standpoint and Ms. Taylor said she will do the best she can. Mr. Jackson agreed to pursue that option and have her work out the details with City Attorney Driskell. Transportation Projects: Barker Road /BNSF Grade Separation: Ms. Taylor said the proposed 11.5¢ gasoline tax increase is tied to several reforms and there is the reality of the transportation revenue negotiation package coming in very low and that the House and Senate are far from agreement; said if there were no new projects, there would be no new sales tax and the budget would remain the same; that the current forecast is not to account for any of those projects being funded; she said there aren't enough funds to provide liquor and marijuana revenues so an increase in sales tax would make the revenue more available; said if the funds all went to operating, it would be allocated to education; and again mentioned legislators are a long way from reaching agreement on that reform. The question of banking and marijuana was broached and Deputy City Attorney Lamb said federal guidelines for banks were issues directing them to look at funds in the businesses and be able to report that a reputable marijuana provider is complying with state law; and said this is not a change and the banks still feel they have a "red light" to proceed at their own risk; adding that none of the big banks would rely on this. Everyone thanked Ms. Taylor for her input and the telephone call ended at 12:10 p.m. Councilmember Hafner asked how much we lose annually on the code abatement issue. Mr. Driskell said he does not have exact numbers with him, and that the City doesn't do some abatements due to limited City funds. Mr. Jackson said we budgeted $20,000 but rarely spend that. Councilmember Wick asked about the Council of Governance meeting next week and the issue of marijuana, and Mr. Jackson said he has not heard back but has asked staff to be prepared to address the issue at that meeting. Councilmember Wick said Commissioner O'Quinn told him she would try to fit in the topic. The discussion returned to agenda item #3: Law Enforcement Senior Administrative Analyst Koudelka went over the material contained on pages 14 and 15 of his material; said concerning staffing that they are facing some considerable challenges now with officers retiring and /or transferring elsewhere, and of the need to fill those positions before new officers are added; he mentioned academy training and that it takes at least a year to get new officers out on their own; he said that our Police Department has great things to say about our Community Development Department and feel there would be additional opportunities to have police involved in some land use decisions; that a while ago a big box store and a subsidized housing complex were added, both of which caused several hundred additional annual calls to the Police. Chief VanLeuven said that as our City grows we need to evaluate those issues as certain types of business will have a impact on call load and services and that early collaboration could be critical to the growth element of the City. Concerning police staffing, he also noted the hiring process takes two to three months and then the academy training; and said we will have some vacant positions that will have to be filled immediately; and mentioned that a lateral change comes in at a more accelerated pace. Chief VanLeuven said he will keep Council apprised. Concerning the changes involving corporals, Mr. Koudelka said the issue is still a work in progress as bargaining would be required, adding that some changes would occur over time through attrition. Mr. Jackson said the Chief will have further discussions with the Sheriff's Office, and that this issue will be Workshop minutes: 02 -18 -2014 Page 7 of 13 Approved by Council: 03 -11 -2014 scheduled for a future Council for approval consideration; and in that connection, a budget amendment would be scheduled for later in the year. The meeting recessed for lunch at 12:30 p.m., and reconvened at 1:00 p.m. Mr. Jackson said any items that we don't have time to address today could be scheduled for a future meeting. 4. Criminal Justice Update —John Pietro, Morgan Koudelka, Cary Driskell Mr. Jackson said the documents included with this agenda item are excerpts from a large Criminal Justice Commission Report, and said we see these steps as a positive move forward. Administrative Analyst John Pietro explained that the purpose of the report is to explore current operations and efficiencies, identify duplication of services, and develop a blue print for successful reform that better meets the needs of those processed through the criminal justice system; and said our goal is to monitor the process and make sure we are included in this endeavor to identify potential costs and service impacts. Mr. Pietro mentioned some of the history of Spokane County and City developing a memorandum of understanding to cooperate to a greater degree as it pertains to the criminal justice system, and how to make the system more offender centered instead of offense centered. He mentioned that there was also discussion in the report about whether the proposed $200 million jail facility is truly needed as they recognize there are effective known alternatives to incarceration; said the report includes 43 total recommendations; and said the report is more of a narrative instead of a list of cost items as that would have been beyond the scope of the group conducting the search. Mr. Pietro briefly discussed included section 5.5.3 on page 36 which addresses unnecessary duplication of efforts within the court system; then went on to discuss included section 5.6(2) on page 41, which addresses developing a true driving while license suspended (DWLS3) diversion and relicensing program, and said that DWLS3 is the most charged crime in Washington; and under the relicensing diversion programs, offenders are required to agree to a payment schedule and that upon full payment and other holds removed, the license would be reinstated. Mr. Pietro explained that the report states the programs have proven highly successful and in King County, 1,330 jail days were cut and they saw a $2.00 return on every dollar spent. Mr. Jackson said that we can encourage a diversion program and other recommendations in the study, and keeping in mind that the City of Spokane and Spokane County are primary providers of these services, we would work through them. Mr. Koudelka explained that even before this report was published, we realized we have an issue with these kind of cases and we met with the Prosecutor's office to discuss differences and obstacles, and asked if Spokane could consider the true diversion, which is to divert to the program before the offender gets into the system, and said it appeared Spokane was experiencing success, although there was some initial concerns about representations for the people or adding staff to go through the charges manually to segregate the Spokane Valley charges. Mr. Koudelka said we were told they were not able to make the additional investment to adopt a true diversion program at this point, but now that we have this report, Mr. Koudelka said staff are hopeful it will add weight and possibly give us a different outcome. Mr. Jackson said we have not looked at moving in this direction on our own although we could choose to; said these are recommendations and likely the City and County have not had time to decide how to approach this; said part of the recommendations includes hiring a director as an overseer over the entire system, which he said is something we have been encouraging for years; adding that it could likely get more costly at first, but over time the cost would decline. Deputy Mayor Woodard asked how many cases we have and Mr. Pietro replied that charges don't necessarily correspond to case load, but we could get further analysis. Mr. Koudelka said if an offender does any jail time, that includes work from the public defender and court docket which amounts to about $1 million each; he said the next steps are limited, but the hope is that these issues will be discussed and reviewed and an initial investment cost as well as potential long -term impact identified. Mr. Pietro said if we developed a program, we'd expect to see the statistics on the number of cases, reduced budgets, reduced contract costs, and reduced usage percentage; and said if we truly represent a greater portion of DWLS than anyone, we would expect to see fewer costs at the jail, fewer warrants, and decreased public defender costs. Mr. Pietro explained that the next steps include setting up a governance structure as addressed in the report; to leave it up to those on the law and Workshop minutes: 02 -18 -2014 Page 8 of 13 Approved by Council: 03 -11 -2014 justice council to conduct a full analysis, and our next steps would be parallel to theirs, and that perhaps participate in the governance structure. Mr. Pietro said he visited with a representative from Spokane County and they are seriously anticipating a Spokane Valley presence on that Council; he said our goal is to get involved in the process, recommend priorities, and update Council on the progress, as well as assist with the performance measures, and to communicate our expectations to the County; and if an investment is made and performance and outcomes measured, to understand outcomes and make adjustments as needed. 5. Legislative Update — Mike Jackson See above discussion of 11:30 a.m. telephone call to Ms. Taylor. 6. Capital Project Priorities — Mike Jackson, Mark Calhoun City Manager Jackson explained that he previously met with Councilmembers Bates and Pace and a few others to go over this topic; that this is not new as it began two to three years ago; that he will put up a board and identify projects important to Council; said he wants to set the stage for the next discussion on city hall, and see if Council has some common priorities, and if so, at a regular Council session we would proceed to separate some of these funds. Starting at the top of the spreadsheet, Finance Director Calhoun explained the items included under capital projects, potential city sources, convert city hall lease to a bond payment, and potential recurring general fund expenditures; and said the figure of $8.7 million could be applied to a variety of projects shown in the top section. Mr. Jackson also noted the figures shown in Fund 310 of $1.1 million, which was the original fund set aside for a city hall and said that over the years, $2.5 million was spent on Balfour Park and other projects. Concerning the current lease of City Hall, Mr. Calhoun said the earliest date to get out of our current lease would be March or April, 2016. The future potential recurring general fund expenditures, Mr. Calhoun explained, shows funds that we would need as recurring costs once some of those top projects are actually completed, and includes additional police officers. In the discussion of the Appleway Trail project, Public Works Director Guth further clarified some of the expenses associated with that trail, as shown on his February 18, 2014 memorandum trail update. Mr. Jackson stated that at some point, these issues would come before Council to discuss which amenities, if any, Council would like to add, such as benches, or bike racks, or just keep the basic trail with the idea of adding amenities later. Mr. Calhoun continued his explanation of his spreadsheet and said that the transfer station, shown crossed off the list, was just a place holder as we work through the solid waste discussion; and that for the park acquisition, we do not have a particular site in mind. Mr. Calhoun said if we were to move forward with all the project costs, we would be looking at between $78 and $82 million; and Mr. Jackson reminded everyone that these are projects the City is considering; that there is no shortfall, but we are merely looking at what it would cost to build all these projects. Council was asked if they had projects to consider adding, and Councilmember Wick suggested an additional Gateway Sign on the east side of the City, with shared expenses with the City of Liberty Lake. Mr. Jackson said we have funded a second gateway sign in the park budget. Councilmember Pace asked about parkland acquisition and sewer and roads at the industrial property east of Flora. Mr. Jackson said the idea is that we would construct the roads and the County would do the sewer system and spread the cost among the users; said that he and Director Hohman have discussed this and there is no hard evidence that expanding the industrial area is the most critical aspect now and what that return on investment would be; he said at some point we would likely bring someone in to help with those determinations as he'd like more confidence on such an investment as well as more evidence as to the economic impact on that expansion as opposed to investment of another part of our economy. Mr. Hohman added that staff has discussed doing a market analysis to get a better feel for such an endeavor, and Mr. Jackson said staff will continue working on that and bring the idea forward; he said our 2014 budget is tighter than some in the past and to take funds out for these projects would be a big hit out of our funds; said these are really Workshop minutes: 02 -18 -2014 Page 9 of 13 Approved by Council: 03-11-2014 more of a "one -time money" project so it is important to choose the right one for investment. Deputy Mayor Woodard said he would like to see what the County is doing about hookups and feels we would be moving too soon to allocate funds now; and said for our priorities, the question Council should consider is what is the top priority for the next five years and where's the best place to spend one -time money. There was further discussion of project funding options with Mayor Grafos stating that he would like to see $1 million used for the Appleway Trail, University to Pines and to just fund the trail or possibly add some trees, lights, paving and cleaning up of the site and see what happens from there; then use $1 million for City Hall and hold the remainder until we see what happens with the library and with solid waste; he said with perhaps another $80,000 we should be able to extend the trail to Pines, or find another "pot of money" someplace. Councilmember Bates said he feels the trail is important to our citizens and that they expect more than a trail; and suggested maximizing the trail with our first installation to put in those items that will likely get us grants. Mr. Jackson replied that to do that, we would have to plan long term and wait four to five years; and asked if Council wants to do something immediately, what would that be and what would be deferred to another time, adding that he feels we could raise additional money over time. Public Works Director Guth said that they are also looking at an STA Call for Grants; said those are usually smaller but staff will likely put in for a grant in April and find out in late fall if we receive funding. Parks and Recreation Director Stone added that we could build a portion now and raise money for other amenities, but a Parks and Recreation grant is a lengthy process and it would be next July before we found out if we got any funds. Councilmember Hafner said he liked the idea of doing the trail University to Pines with just the basics, and to add extras later. Deputy Mayor Woodard suggested having the City pay for the first part of the project, and using the 2012[3] ending fund balance to go toward a City Hall; and agreed that as we get close to the project, people will support us having our own building. Councilmember Wick said that the Appleway Trail is a good plan but feels we have a good opportunity to go after land acquisition or set aside funds for a City Hall, or even buy the land. Councilmember Hafner added that we need to do what is best for the citizens now; and that the Appleway Trail would be a refreshing situation for our citizens; that we can wait to build a city hall and prioritize so we can do all three — the Appleway Trail, then Balfour Park based on the outcome of the library issue, and then City Hall. Mr. Jackson reminded everyone that nothing we are proposing includes adding debt; and said even the purchase of a transfer station hasn't been discarded as the long -range plan has not yet been determined. List: of issues to bring back to council to define costs $1 million Appleway University to Pines — trail, lighting, etc and consider whether to include any options $1 million — City Hall [Mr. Guth mentioned $2.5 million for full distance to Evergreen with lights and benches] $1 million — approximately for law enforcement [next year's budget] It was suggested to leave the rest for the capital projects fund reserve Fund 312 Land acquisition, and Balfour Park — Councilmember Wick suggested spending $1 million for park land acquisition this year For a future meeting, City Manager Jackson said staff will bring a scope of the trail project from University to Pines as well as the trail amenities project proposal. Councilmember Higgins said that he feels such a scope should be constructed in such a way to accommodate easy add -ons; and Councilmember Bates said he would like to see a comparison of Phase 2, or just up to Evergreen, and would appreciate seeing that option. In response to a question concerning cost, Public Works Director Guth said that University to Pines would be about $1.3 million for just the trail, and for a "fat" version, simply double that amount; and to add in all the amenities if all were chosen, would be about $4.3 million. Mayor Grafos said he feels there is plenty of time to add in those other amenities later, and Councilmember Wick stated he is not ready to spend funds until the issue has gone through at least one Workshop minutes: 02 -18 -2014 Page 10 of 13 Approved by Council: 03 -11 -2014 legislative cycle. Mr. Jackson said we are not likely to secure grants for amenities and are more likely to secure grants for the trail; and said the question is whether to invest funds now to complete the trail from University to Pines. Mayor Grafos called for a recess at 3:00 p.m. and reconvened the meeting at 3:10 p.m. Finance Director Calhoun then finished his explanation of the spreadsheet and future potential recurring expenditures. 7. City Hall — John Hohman, Mike Jackson, Mark Calhoun Community Development Director Hohman said his goal for this topic is to review some of the information brought to Council last July when the consultant was with us, then discuss some new information. Mr. Hohman said we have now been in our current building for eleven years and we occupy about 29,000 square feet, which includes space on the first and third floor, and some space in one of the side buildings. Mr. Hohman said a range of city hall options has been developed and is explained in both the 2008 study as well as the 2013 report, and said that the 2013 is an updated version of that 2008 report. Director Hohman went over his PowerPoint slides explaining a little about each of the studies and in particular, the needs and associated costs found in the 2013 study; he said that based on a two -story building, a minimum of two to two and one -half acres would be needed which would allow for enough parking; he went over the five specific sites, which was narrowed down from an original twenty -one sites, including the current site, which he explained would not include the Tire Rama area. City Manager Jackson invited Councilmembers to vote on their preferences for their expectations of a city hall, which showed the following results: Expectations: • Housing for Staff and Operations - 4 votes priority one (doesn't want a building without the option to expand) • Future cost savings: 2 votes priority one; 3 votes priority three • Spur Growth and Redevelopment: 3 votes priority two; 1 vote priority three • Convenient Access for Citizens /Customers: 2 votes priority two; 3 votes priority three • Community Identity: 1 vote priority one; 2 votes priority two • Community Gathering Point: no votes In response to a question about the police precinct, Mr. Hohman said the existing precinct works well and the City already owns it, and that there would be no distinct savings to combine a precinct with a city hall. Discussion ensued regarding the five sites, with Councilmember Wick expressing his desire to be closer to populations; Mayor Grafos said the building owners indicated to him that they would remove the old JC Penney building and would remodel the Crescent Building; and that with the Balfour Park and hopefully the library nearby, as well as the Appleway Trail and apartments across the street, that University City would be his preference. Councilmember Pace said there would be convenient access and easy parking and bus availability on either of the two Sprague locations. Councilmember Wick added that not only are the Sprague areas closer, but there is more of an identity in that area as it is symbolic of what our history has been, and said trees could be added in the future. Councilmember Hafner said that University is the center of the community, and agreed having the library near would be ideal. Councilmember Bates noted that Sprague Avenue is a primary spot, and that the center of our City has moved toward Sullivan; and if the library and park goes through, he said University City would be a logical spot; and Councilmember Higgins agreed and said it would be an anchoring point for a community center, and said he would have a problem with a City Center in Spokane Valley and said there Workshop minutes: 02 -18 -2014 Page 11 of 13 Approved by Council: 03 -11 -2014 isn't really a city center in Spokane Valley and probably never will be, but this has the possibility of bringing in economic life into Sprague Avenue. City Manager Jackson said the remodel is not something the owners would do for us; he said they are talking about us and the Sheriff's Office and are looking at that old JC Penney building, and said we do not have anything in writing. Director Hohman said as part of the 2013 study, the Crescent building was examined; said it was built in the 1950's and there is a lot of deferred maintenance on that building, that it is about twice the size we need, needs a new HVAC system and update, and said the projected cost was upward to $16 million. As part of the cost range, Mr. Hohman said staff met with the Finance Committee last November and they asked staff to contact property owners in December. Mr. Hohman said the property owners were not available, although staff met with a sales representative; said concerning their future plans, the building was discussed and the Sheriff's Office training center has some serious problems, such as a leaking roof, and the owners anticipate that the Sheriff's Office will need to move out and the building demolished; said the Crescent building has an existing tenant on the first floor as well as a new tenant on the second floor. Mr. Hohman said there was discussion about developing a pad site on Sprague on Dartmouth; said he received a telephone call from the sales representative on behalf of property owner Magnusson, and said the owners have commissioned a parking lot area on the southeast corner and he showed a drawing of the latest University City concept on slide 19; said the idea is to have a municipal building constructed in the parking lot, that with 2.5 acres there would be sufficient parking and it looks like it ties in nicely with development across the street; said the property owners are excited to work with us on this concept; and said there is also a concept for underground parking for securing city vehicles. Mayor Grafos said that the opportunity to buy 2.5 acres would make an ideal site for a city hall, and said he assumes we could get into discussions concerning price if Council concurs. Councilmember Hafner suggested staff get all the facts to determine what is best for the community; and Mr. Jackson said staff will continue to look at this and will bring forward additional materials for discussion. 8. Existing City Hall — John Hohman Director Hohman said as part of the "Roadmap for Enhanced Permitting" as discussed in the past, included the goal to consolidate the Community Development Department to improve efficiency and supervision of staff, and that with the vacating of the Wells Fargo office on the first floor, that area is being reevaluated for options for the permit center. Mr. Hohman went over the options listed in the agenda packet material; and after discussion of the options and costs, it appeared the preferred option was B, which is moving the Finance Department to the vacated Wells Fargo space, and moving the Permit Center back into the section of City Hall currently housing the Finance Department. There was also discussion about the need for carpet replacement, which had been previously discussed with the property manager who is willing to cooperate in that cost. It was noted we would likely remain in the current building for about five or more years. Mr. Jackson said staff will bring back additional details and that this will be discussed further at a future council meeting. 9. CARES Program Update — Michelle Rasmussen Administrative Assistant Michelle Rasmussen explained a little about the history of our CARES program, which came about as a result of the snow storm of 2009 when we realized we didn't have a process to handle and process customer service requests; she said that Carolbelle Branch gave us the title CARES, which stands for Citizen Action Request online Entry System, and under Mike Jackson's direction and the assistance of IT (Information Technology Department), the E -Gov system was implemented. She explained about the ease in reporting and tracking whether by staff or by the citizen, and said we have responded to over 3,500 requests since its inception. Councilmember Wick asked if this has the function of sending a survey, and Ms. Rasmussen replied she would need to research that question. Mr. Jackson said the Paladin Data Systems (Smart-Gov) has a survey function. 10. Miscellaneous Items: were not discussed or reported. Workshop minutes: 02 -18 -2014 Page 12 of 13 Approved by Council: 03 -11 -2014 11. Brainstorming session — open discussion City Manager Jackson said this is an opportunity for Council to share ideas, and the following topics were broached: Alternative Affordable Housing Options City's Self - Promotion: advertise who we are and what we do Coordinate the re- surfacing/paving of Sprague Avenue with the CarMax opening. Have some Councilmembers be part of a City Legislative Committee: in order to track items a little closer; Mr. Jackson said he would also be part of such a committee so he could communicate issues to Briahna Taylor. This topic could be discussed at a future Council meeting. Parkland acquisition: are there available properties. It was mentioned that Director Stone is aware there are properties, but needs authorization from Mr. Jackson to seek out any potential areas. It was mentioned that perhaps this would be a topic for a quick update during a study session. Hold a study session once a month with Councilmembers and Department Directors sitting around the table as they are today. Develop relationships with other agencies. Have a Spokane Valley appointed position on the PFD (Public Facilities District) Board. Report good ideas as you see them. Mr. Jackson reminded Councilmembers that they can send him an e- mail any time. Street Sweeping Schedules: have the area posted with signs of sweeping schedules, or if already signed, make sure signs are current. Expand existing parks. Inform public on regulations of animal keeping; compare our regulations with those of the City of Spokane; make sure we are urban farming friend. In response to a previous question about the amount of money due the City now on outstanding code enforcement, City Attorney Driskell said the amount is $40,000; and said we lost $10,000 because of trustee sales where our City didn't have priority; and said over the years, we received about $20,000 in cleanup reimbursement. It was moved by Deputy Mayor Woodard, seconded and unanimously agreed to' adjourn. The meeting adjourned at 4:44 p.m. ATT ristine Bainbridge, ity Clerk Workshop minutes: 02 -18 -2014 Approved by Council: 03 -11 -2014 Deanfos, Mayor Page 13 of 13