Loading...
2020, 09-22 Regular Formal MINUTES SPOKANE VALLEY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING FORMAL FORMAT Spokane Valley City Hall Spokane Valley,Washington September 22,2020 Mayor Wick called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. The meeting was held remotely via ZOOM meeting. Attendance: Councilmembers Staff Ben Wick, Mayor Mark Calhoun, City Manager Brandi Peetz, Deputy Mayor John Hohman, Deputy City Manager Pam Haley, Councilmember Chelsie Taylor, Finance Director Tim Hattenburg Councilmember Cary Driskell, City Attorney Rod Higgins, Councilmember Erik Lamb, Deputy City Attorney Linda Thompson, Councilmember Mike Stone,Parks &Recreation Director Arne Woodard, Councilmember Morgan Koudelka, Sr. Admin. Analyst Lori Barlow, Senior Planner Jenny Nickerson, Building Official Christine Bainbridge, City Clerk ROLL CALL: City Clerk Bainbridge called the roll; all Councilmembers were present. APPROVAL OF AGENDA: It was moved by Deputy Mayor Peetz, seconded and unanimously agreed to approve the agenda. INTRODUCTION OF SPECIAL GUESTS AND PRESENTATIONS: n/a COMMITTEE,BOARD,LIAISON SUMMARY REPORTS: Councilmember Woodard: mentioned the HCDAC (Housing Community Development Advisory Committee)meeting last week; said they had a public hearing on a few different five-year plans but no one showed up to speak. Councilmember Haley: said she attended the STA(Spokane Transit Authority)board meeting and they too had a public hearing on the 2021 Transit Development Plan,which is a six year plan updated annually; said they approved the plan but with the COVID the plan has been adjusted and they continue getting updates on the Division connection study; said they applied for a rapid transit grant and they are holding onto the commitment to do the central city line on time and under budget; mentioned that STA CEO Susan Meyer said she would be happy to come out and talk about park and rides; concerning the Young Adult Housing, said she will know more October 5tl'. Councilmember Higgins: mentioned that the smoke caused near record setting poor air quality. Councilmember Thompson: reported she attended an AWC (Association of Washington Cities) equity training in partnership with the NLC (National League of Cities), with about 120 city leaders meeting on Zoom; said she is chair of the AWC Large City Committee and they had some good discussions about what people are doing in their cities to try to reduce the impact from COVID, as well as working together with schools, towns, etc.; said the Board of Health meeting will be held this week; and she took a moment to honor Ruth Bader Ginsburg,and said she inspired so many to get involved with their communities,and that her death is a huge loss to our nation. Councilmember Hattenburg: mentioned that he also attended the STA meeting where the main goal continues to stay under budget; said they might have to delay some things for a year, but they will still happen; mentioned the Barker Road roundabouts, said the north side is complete and the south side ramps will be closed for another few weeks. Regular Formal Council Meeting: 09-22-2020 Page 1 of 6 Approved by Council: 10-13-2020 Deputy Mayor Peetz: said she attended the Law & Justice Council meeting where they talked about data; that they have a new data dashboard but that isn't for public use, adding that she is hoping to get a presentation about that,especially if they can separate the data for Spokane Valley; said the Property Crime Task Force has recovered a lot of stolen property, including some vehicles and firearms; said she went to the Visit Spokane meeting and they are working to get out of their Iease as it is very expensive, and they have proposed a sub-lease with GSI (Greater Spokane, Inc.); concerning the Tourism Promotion Area committee, said 62 hoteliers have agreed to raise the per night rate and said there will also be a change in the benefit for membership for Visit Spokane so more businesses can participate; said the Valley Chamber Government Action meeting forum will be held in October and that the Chamber will be changing its location in November; and that she attended the Business Connections Breakfast/lunch where they discussed COVID impacts on businesses. MAYOR'S REPORT: Mayor Wick explained that the closer we get to the legislative session, we will be hearing a lot about transportation; mentioned the reduction of the car tab revenues are also driving some large deficits; he mentioned the freight Mobility Strategic Investment Board's focus will be on trying to deliver projects and how to get projects done on that list with an either spend it or lose it process; said he attended the Regional Mayor's monthly call to discuss what's going on in different municipalities and how to get through these COVID times including school openings;said the Governor changed the phase on the safe start plan so that phase 3 mostly resembles phase 2; said the Regional Health Board held a budget and committee finance meeting and they anticipate a shortfall just under$4 million;and he also mentioned that the fair will not be held this year although there was a drive-through fair food event which was well-received. PROCLAMATION: Deaf Awareness Week Mayor Wick read the proclamation for Deaf Awareness Week,which was accepted with thanks from Ms. Sandra Carr with the Washington Advocates of Deaf&Hard of Hearing. GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT OPPORTUNITY ill: There were no public comments. 1.PUBLIC HEARING: 2021 Budget Revenues and Property Taxes—Chelsie Taylor Mayor Wick opened the public hearing at 6:22 p.m. Finance Director Taylor went over the material included in her Request for Council Action, and mentioned that the figures in blue font represent updates since the last time Council saw these figures, and are attributable to updated data from engineering on different capital projects and their funding sources; mentioned that the total appropriations are $97.9 million; stated that the FTE (full time equivalent employees) is the same as in 2020; that as part of the budget workshop, Council decided against creating a new Housing & Homeless Services Division, however, staff was asked to research the possibility of repurposing a current vacant position and said that staff determined that a vacant engineer position could be repurposed, which could be included in a future 2020 budget amendment; she mentioned revenues and expenditures as shown on the PowerPoint slides;she went over other funds such as motor vehicle fuel tax and telephone taxes; mentioned fund challenges such as declining revenues in the Street O&M fund, and ended with upcoming dates for future Council budget discussions. There were no public comments and Mayor Wick closed the public hearing at 6:34 p.m. 2. CONSENT AGENDA: Consists of items considered routine which are approved as a group. Any member of Council may ask that an item be removed from the Consent Agenda to be considered separately. Proposed Motion:I move to approve the Consent Agenda. a. Approval of claim vouchers on Sept 22,2020,Request for Council Action Form Total: $3,180,962.65 b.Approval of Payroll for Pay Period Ending September 15,2020: $388,401.66 c. Approval of September 8, 2020 Council Meeting Minutes,Regular Formal Format d.Approval of Resolution 20-013 Setting Planning Commission Public Hearing for Street Vacation e, Approval of Motion to Set 2021 Budget Hearing#2 for October 27,2020 It was moved by Deputy Mayor Peetz, seconded and unanimously agreed to approve the Consent Agenda. Regular Formal Council Meeting: 09-22-2020 Page 2 of 6 Approved by Council: 10-13-2020 NEW BUSINESS: 3. Second Reading Ordinance 20-011 Amending SVMC 9.20 Motorized Personal Transportation Devices —Erik Lamb After City Clerk Bainbridge read the ordinance title, it was moved by Deputy Mayor Peetz and seconded to approve Ordinance 20-011, amending chapter 9.20 SVMC as proposed. Legal Intern Johnson briefly went over the proposed changes to the code. There were no public comments. Vote by acclamation: in favor: unanimous. Opposed: none. Motion carried. GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT OPPORTUNITY 121: There were no public comments. ADMINISTRATIVE REPORTS: 4. Code Text Amendment 2020-0003 Nonconforming Use—Lori Barlow Planner Barlow went over the proposed code text amendments, and explained the difference between the current and the proposed regulations; adding that the code does not currently define `adjacent.' After Ms. Barlow went over the staff's proposed regulations and the Planning Commission's recommendation, there was lengthy discussion about the criteria, different scenarios based on either proposal, where a nonconforming use might be expanded to an adjacent lot, whether staff's proposal is too restrictive, inconsistency with the comp plan and an increased impact with surrounding neighborhoods, to make sure whichever recommendation is chosen is clear and easily enforceable and one of the reasons for this proposal is that the current code language is not easily interpreted. It appeared that some Councilmembers were leaning toward the staff proposal, while others were leaning more toward the Planning Commission recommendation. City Attorney Driskell suggested considering all the mentioned concerns and issues,to have staff come back with another administrative report,and said that there is no hurry on this amendment. Council agreed to have staff bring back another administrative report later. 5. Homeless Shelter Updates—Mark Calhoun,John Hohman, Morgan Koudelka City Manager Calhoun explained that this is an opportunity for Council to hear an update on the homeless shelter projects; he said there has been no commitment of any general fund money thus far, and that staff will proceed very cautiously and any future commitment of any money will be done through separate Council action.Mr.Koudelka went over the information on the Bridge Housing Project.Mr. Koudelka said options for Council consideration are: (1) stay with the 18 month commitment of HIIAA (Homeless Housing Assistance Act) funds; (2) commit to five years of operational funding through Spokane Valley HHA.A funds; and (3) commit to five years of HBAA funds with the ability to withdraw at 18 months if Spokane Valley's needs and clients are not being served adequately. Deputy City Manager Hohman stated that staff is working with a consultant on the housing action plan, and as part of that plan we are looking at the issue of these HHAA recording fees and what it would take if we received those directly from the County and expended the funds directly; said we will be looking at that soon and there will be more information to follow.Mayor Wick asked about the amount of recording fees for Spokane Valley and Mr. Hohman replied that it is probably about$550,000 or more, but we do not have an exact number now, and that figure will also be forthcoming.Mr. Calhoun said that staff is working on our first housing plan and he supposes Council might want to access a portion of those recording fees to complement items that would be adopted in that plan;however, he explained,staff is not seeking a decision tonight and said we will keep Council updated as things progress.Mr.Koudelka stated that in order to assess our future,we need to know what we are getting for our current investment;said he is hopeful when we hire our own housing coordinator that person will be able to pull much of this information together;he noted the funding commitment by the Board of County Commissioners was for a five-year period beginning January 1,2020; and that due to the COVID use of the identified facilities, it is unknown when the Bridge Shelter would become operational, adding that established timeframes may need to be reconsidered as the Bridge Shelter gets closer to fruition. Mr. Koudelka then went over the material on the Young Adult Shelter as noted on his Request for Council Action. Regular Formal Council Meeting: 09-22-2020 Page 3 of 6 Approved by Council: 10-13-2020 Deputy City Manager Hohman reminded everyone that currently our zoning code and Municipal Code only allow this kind of use in multifamily zones, and only then with the approval of a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) which is a lengthy process conducted before the Hearing Examiner; he noted these uses are very controversial depending on location. Mr. Hohman said other options to consider would include having interim regulations or a code text amendment to allow the use; said we have a culture of being thorough and dedicated to data driven information and a public involvement decision, and that process has not been conducted yet; he noted this could be brought forward as a comprehensive plan amendment and stated we are taking applications now before the process closes the end of October; and if Council desires,this issue would be placed on that docket and the proper process brought forward to make this happen, including the needed public involvement; adding that perhaps multifamily isn't the right zone for this either but those discussions need to occur and again, and while staff is not looking for any decision tonight, he asked if Council would like to bring this forward as a City-initiated comprehensive plan amendment or entertain some kind of interim zone or regulation. All Councilmembers agreed to put this item on the docket for a comprehensive plan amendment. Mayor Wick called for a recess at 8:13 p.m.; he resumed the meeting at 8:23 p.m. 6. State Legislative Agenda—Caiy Driskell, John Hohman, Mark Calhoun City Manager Calhoun stated that tonight is the first touch on the 2021 state legislative agenda and once adopted, we will share it with the 4th' District delegation; he noted a copy of the adopted 2020 legislative agenda is included with tonight's materials, as well as the draft 2021 agenda with less items than on the 2020 agenda; that the 2021 agenda has just three items, two of which were carried over from the previous year. Mr. Calhoun explained the rationale for less items is due to past experience where we don't have enough time to include/discuss all items in the agenda,and end up prioritizing on the fly. Mr. Calhoun also noted the legislature will be adopting a capital budget and it is our understanding their preference will be on projects that provide a rapid economic benefit to the community as a response to the current COVID-19 induced recession. City Attorney Driskell noted that Gordon Thomas Honeywell lobbyist team members Ms. Briahna Murray and Ms.Holly Cocci are in attendance via zoom.Mr. Driskell stated that he has had discussions with House Transportation Committee Chair Fey and it was mentioned this would be a good opportunity to try to get the entire $19.3 million to complete the funding on the Pines Road Grade Separation Project. Mr. Driskell mentioned the Economic Development Tools item will allow us to attract more businesses and help those businesses already here; said he feels Council would want to continue to have that on the agenda and that he is seeking Council direction on that item. There was unanimous consensus to include that on the next draft. The legislative agenda items on the 2020 agenda were also discussed and there was apparent Council consensus to keep Defend Local Control, but to shorten the narrative. Mr. Hohman went through the PowerPoint presentation explaining the Fairgrounds Exhibition Center project; said the fairgrounds have been static for a long time and this would hopefully spark some activity, and it should also work well with any changes to the stadium; said the Center would need a four to five year window to design and construct; and we would request $3 million from the state; he also mentioned the possibility of a contribution from the County but said he didn't want to go too far in this concept without bringing this to Council first. Finance Director Taylor went over the financial analysis and as noted on the last slide, stated this project will lose money,and the$445,000 operating expense would be a County expense; she said we will still see an increase in sales taxes and more money from tourism stays, but the building would lose money. Ms. Taylor asked if Council would like to bring this forward and if so, staff will have further discussions with the County. It was at this point that Ms. Mun-ay announced she had to leave for another appointment, but will follow up afterwards if there are any further questions. Regular Formal Council Meeting: 09-22-2020 Page 4 of 6 Approved by Council: 10-13-2020 The Fairgrounds project was discussed with Councilmembers Woodard and Hattenburg agreeing to move ahead, and Deputy Mayor Peetz expressing a hesitation in that she feels more discussions are wan-anted.It was noted there was consensus to have further discussions on this with the County,and that staff will be in contact with the County and will follow up on this when the topic comes back to Council in October. At 8:56 p.m., it was moved by Councilmember Thompson, seconded and unanimously agreed to extend the meeting 30 minutes. 7. Washington State Depaitiiient of Transportation Land Acquisition, Flora Road — Cary Driskell, Mike Stone City Attorney Driskell briefly went over the updated information and funding options as contained in his Request for Council Action; and said that WSDOT(Washington State Department of Transportation) still does not have plans to do anything with the property and would like to sell the property to the City. Parks & Recreation Director Stone said that the final presentation was made today before the RCO (Recreation Conservation Office)for the grant application for the Flora Road Property, and he feels a very compelling argument was made about where this falls in the City's priorities and Parks Master Plan; said it was well received and we should know in a few weeks how we ranked;said we were competing with 85 other projects in the state. There was Council discussion about the purchase and the property including mention from Councilmember Woodard of waiting until maybe late November or early December for further discussion and a motion in order to allow more time to see what's happening with revenues due to COVID. Deputy Mayor Peetz said she feels we need to move forward and not wait, that we have the money and won't have to touch our general fund for this,and she doesn't want to miss out on a piece of property like this.Discussion continued about trusting WSDOT to let us know if they have plans to sell; the purchase price was set by appraisal; funding and funding options; and the idea of purchasing this property now and waiting to improve Balfour Park until later. Mr. Driskell said it would probably take a few months to draw up the necessary paperwork to actually finalize the purchase. Councilmember Woodard added that he would like to make this purchase with the condition that if we use any of the Balfour Park funds, they would be put back first out of any surplus in the future,and before we go with anything else.Deputy Mayor Peetz agreed. Consensus to move forward now included Mayor Wick,Deputy Mayor Peetz,and Councilmembers Thompson and Hattenburg. Mr. Driskell said he will put this on a future agenda as quickly as possible. 8. Advance Agenda—Mayor Wick Councilmember Haley said she has been contacted by several businesses worried about L&I; that people were told that experience ratings don't matter so people can lay off staff,furlough them and it won't change their experience rating which she said is true, but the problem is, it will change everyone's rating; so they will take the amount of money they'd spend and divide it among the businesses and they will raise everyone's rates to make sure they cover the losses and any potential continuing Ioss; said this will hurt the small businesses the most; said she doesn't know if this is something to talk to our legislators about or to write a letter to the legislators or Governor,or other ideas. Mr, Calhoun said that when we do an update on the legislative agenda next month, he will ask Lobbyist Briahna Murray to provide some background and then Council can decide whether to include this in the 2021 agenda.Mayor Wick suggested sending a letter as well. Councilmember Woodard said he heard that if we wait to have this on next year's legislative agenda, it will be too late;he suggested we encourage the Governor to take a billion dollars or parts of those CARES dollars and use it to rebuild that L&I insurance system/account. Councilmember Thompson presented the idea of maybe being in support of someone else taking the lead on this, perhaps the Chamber or others. 9. Department Monthly Reports The Department monthly reports were for information only and were not reported or discussed. Regular Formal Council Meeting: 09-22-2020 Page 5 of 6 Approved by Council: 10-13-2020 CITY MANAGER COMMENTS Concerning Deputy Mayor Peetz' comments about the TPA and increasing rates, City Manager Calhoun mentioned that this will be a topic on next week's agenda to look at an amended interlocal agreement. Mr. Calhoun also noted that Finance Director Taylor and Deputy City Attorney Lamb will give an update to Council on the CARES funds and how to address a second round of distributing funds. It was moved by Councilrnember Thompson, seconded and unanimously agreed to adjourn. The meeting adjourned at 9:28 p.m. ATT 4. (Ji Ben Wick,Mayor iristine Bainbridge, City Clerk Regular Formal Council Meeting: 09-22-2020 Page 6 of 6 Approved by Council: 10-13-2020