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2021, 05-04 Study Session MINUTES City of Spokane Valley City Council Study Session Meeting Tuesday,May 4,2021 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 Bill Helbig, City Engineer Linda Thompson, Councilmember Morgan Koudelka, Sr. Admin. Analyst Arne Woodard, Councilmember Erik Lamb, Deputy City Attorney John Bottelli,Parks,Rec&Facilities Director Tina Gregerson,Recreation Coordinator Adam Jackson,Planning/Grants Engineer Christine Bainbridge, City Clerk ROLL CALL: City CIerk 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. ACTION ITEMS: 1. Motion Consideration: Potential Grant Opportunity, Wa. Traffic Safety Commission—Adam Jackson It was moved by Deputy Mayor Peetz and seconded to authorize the City Manager or designee to finalize and submit an application to WTSC for the School Zone Flashing Beacon project. Mr. Jackson explained the background for this potential grant opportunity to purchase school zone flashing beacons,and noted the three proposed projects include Horizon Middle School, Continuous Curriculum School, and City School, and the cost for each location is a one-time upfront cost of$20,000. There were no public comments. Vote by acclamation: in favor: unanimous. Opposed: none, Motion carried. 2.Motion Consideration: Law Enforcement Contract Amendment—Morgan Koudelka It was moved by Deputy Mayor Peetz and seconded to authorize the City Manager to execute the addendum to the Interlocal Agreement for Law Enforcement Services in the City of Spokane Valley. Mr. Koudelka explained that the main change in this amendment is the addition of a TAC, or Tactical Unit, the purpose of which is to provide crowd control. He also noted the other changes dealing with changing locations of personnel, and other minor changes,many of which are housekeeping in nature; and that the modifications include those services which were consolidated into the Spokane Regional Emergency Communications umbrella,updating name changes to service units, and reflecting changes to shared personnel. Mayor Wick invited public comment, and there was one person who had signed up to comment. Ms. Barb Howard, Spokane Valley: voiced her concern about overtime and said she has been trying to find out what overtime has been paid but seems no one at City Hall knows; asked if the money isn't used where does it go; also questioned if the Tactical Unit is for all of Spokane or if Spokane County and the City of Spokane would have their own crowd control. There were no other public continents. Mr. Koudelka said if the money is not spent it could be used in the Sheriffs Office if other needs arise. Vote by acclamation: in favor: unanimous. Opposed: none. Motion carried. Council Meeting Minutes, Study Session: 05-04-2021 Page 1 of 5 Approved by Council: 05-25-2021 3. Motion Consideration: Barker Rd/BNSF Grade Separation Avista Agreement Amendment—Bill Helbig It was moved by Deputy Mayor Peetz and seconded to authorize the City Manager to finalize and execute the Amendment #1 to the Utility Construction Agreement with Avista Corporation with a contract not to exceed $910,907.22. Mr. Helbig went over the background of this agreement and the purpose of the amendment; said that the contract amount increased by over$161,000 which amount was based on Avista's actual cost for completing their transmission and distribution work; said the majority of the cost difference was that Avista originally under-estimated the size of steel structures needed for the relocation, which also resulted in higher material costs and additional labor and equipment.There were no public comments. Vote by acclamation: in favor: unanimous. Opposed: none. Motion carried. 4. Motion Consideration: Appleway Property Acquisition—Bill Helbig It was moved by Deputy Mayor Peetz and seconded to authorize staff to finalize and execute any documents necessary to acquire Spokane County parcel numbers 45191.1308 and 45191.9035 from Spokane County for future parks, recreation and stormwater facility use. Mr. Helbig explained about plans for extending the Appleway Trail west to the Dishman Hills Natural Area, immediately west of Sargent Road, and when the trail is extended, the two parcels identified in the proposed acquisition are going to be critical for providing stormwater management facilities and trail segments;he noted that Spokane County approached us indicating they would surplus the parcels for public sale if we did not wish to purchase them;that given the need for property along that portion of Appleway Boulevard for storm system and trail system development, staff recommends we proceed with the acquisition. There were no public comments. Vote by acclamation: in favor: unanimous. Opposed: none. Motion carried. NON-ACTION l'l'LMS: 5. Flora Road and Montgomery Avenue Property Acquisition—Bill Helbig Mr. Helbig stated that the development of additional parking facilities and trailheads has been an integral part of expanding the trail facilities; that this parcel connects to the Centennial Trail and could connect to the City's Spokane River Loop Trail at Flora Road so this is an ideal spot for a trailhead.Mr.Calhoun noted that the $286,000 is not included in the 2021 budget, but if Council wants to pursue this property, we will factor that into the budget amendment. There was consensus to move this forward. 6. Geographic Information System (GIS)Mapping,In-house Services—John Hohman, Morgan Koudelka Deputy City Manager Hohman explained that we have always contracted with Spokane County for GIS services; said the individual who works at City Hall is a County employee and not supervised by anyone which is a bit of an unusual situation; said we have some different issues that need to be done by an in- house person,including housing market,and growth management issues; said staff is looking for consensus for us to move forward and re-negotiate the County contract and remove that full time GIS Analyst and bring it in-house and have our own position. Senior Administrative Analyst Koudelka said that staff feels that the most appropriate grade for this position would be grade 15, so with benefits that would amount to just over $125,000 annually; said we already have a work station and cubicle,but that he did include$5,000 for supplies and training; said the end result of having this position in-house would amount to about $27,000 less than what we are currently paying, and we would get more than 300 additional hours of service; said we would prefer to keep this contract in place as it also affords us use of STORMBILL services, which deal with stormwater; he noted the County has a high degree of expertise in GIS and we are hopeful they would assist us and be available in case we need some expertise; that the County is willing to provide that service to us and amend this contact, and if Council is agreeable, we would give written notification to the County to transition away from their GIS employee and continue with other support services. Mr. Koudelka said he expects an overlap of about a month to assist with the transition. Mr. Hohman added that we have not put out the job description or advertised for this position, so the individual currently serving in that capacity could apply and be considered, and he added that the current County GIS employee would continue their employment at the Council Meeting Minutes, Study Session: 05-04-2021 Page 2 of 5 Approved by Council: 05-25-2021 County and said they have enough work to keep him busy. There was no objection to move forward with this proposal for our own in-house GIS employee. 7. Department of Emergency Management Services Interlocal Agreement—Morgan Koudelka Mr. Koudelka explained that the City of Spokane Valley has always contracted with Spokane County for emergency management services, which is a department under the direction of the County Sheriff's Office with the Sheriff acting as the Director. As shown on the Request for Council Action, Mr. Koudelka went over the six items the County presented in a new interlocal agreement for consideration.Mr. Calhoun added that the changes in the interlocal provide clarity of expectations for us and the County; and he said staff recommends carrying this forward for a motion consideration. There was no objection to move this item forward as recommended. 8. 2021 Budget Amendment—Chelsie Taylor Finance Director Taylor went over the background of the proposed budget amendments as included in the Request for Council Action. Councilmember Woodard asked about the$7,106 increase in benefits cost for Council related to providing pension benefits.Mr. Calhoun said that has always been an option and in the latter part of 2020 or early 2021, Mr. Whitehead sent an email to Councilmembers asking them if they wanted to consider this option; he noted that some of the Councilmember's monthly paycheck would be applied to that and the City would spend a matching amount.Ms.Taylor continued discussing the proposed amendments to the 2021 budget, and ended with bringing Council's attention to the change in the salary schedule, which adds the GIS position at grade 15. Director Taylor added that a public hearing on the proposed 2021 budget amendment is set for May 18,along with the first reading of an ordinance to amend that budget. There were no objections to moving forward as planned. 9. Spokane Regional Transportation Council Interlocal Agreement Cary Driskell City Attorney Driskell went over the background of the proposed replacement Spokane Regional Transportation Council interlocal agreement; mentioned the addition of offering voting membership to the Spokane and Kalispel Tribes, and that we would have two seats instead of one on this council. There were no objections to moving forward as planned for a motion consideration next week to consider the proposed replacement interlocal agreement. 10. Ponderosa Property Cary Driskell City Attorney Driskell explained about the six parcels owned by the Central Valley School District,which parcels are Iocated at or near Bates Road and 44th Avenue in the Ponderosa area; and said there have been mutual discussions about a sale from the school district to us for park purposes; he also mentioned that the area was identified in the recent Parks Master Plan Update as an area needing additional park space; and that we also learned that Fire District 8 would likely be interested in participating in the acquisition as they have a station on the southwest corner of the intersection of 44th and Bates, and they may want to replace their older district with a modern facility. Mr. Driskell noted that the City has been negotiating an interlocal agreement with the Fire District similar to what we did with the County Library District for the Balfour property;that in the current situation, once the City owns the property, we would sell three to four acres to Fire District 8 then enter into a joint site development plan. Council had no objection to bringing this forward for a motion consideration. Mr. Calhoun noted such a purchase is not included in the 2021 budget so if Council agrees,we would add that to the 2021 budget amendment with funds coming from Fund 312, the capital reserve fund. Again,there were no objections from Council to proceed. 11. Splashdown Contract Update—Cary Driskell,John Bottelli After Mr. Driskell went over the background information concerning the Splashdown facility and the issues involved with not being able to open this year again due to Covid-19, Council agreed to move the contract forward to an upcoming agenda for a motion consideration. Council Meeting Minutes, Study Session: 05-04-2021 Page 3 of 5 Approved by Council: 05-25-2021 12. Aquatics Update—John Bottelli,Tina Gregerson Director Bottelli stated that the biggest challenge this year with the aquatics program is staffing,in particular lifeguards; said the YMCA has about 30% of the seasonal staff they'd normally have by this time of year; with Covid still impacting our lives, he stated that the focus this year will be on swimming lessons and drowning prevention. Recreation Coordinator Gregerson went through the PowerPoint explaining about some of the phase restrictions due to Covid-19 and how that affects our pools; she mentioned the YMCA's recommended best practices such as dedicated staff for monitoring and enforcing physical distancing, for sanitizing locker rooms and other high touch areas, PPE, sneeze guards, sanitation, signs, and colored wristbands to identify same household groups. Ms. Gregerson also noted their ongoing lifeguard recruiting efforts; mentioned the scenarios for pools with their recommendation of operating all three pools on a two- week rotating schedule to help maximize swim lessons, and that with the proposed schedule, there is the ability to expand if staffing numbers improve. In response to a Councilmember's question,MS. Gregerson stated that vaccination is not mandatory to enter the pool or for swim lesson, as many of the patrons would not be eligible due to age.There were no objections from Council to move forward with the recommended rotating schedule. 13. Advance Agenda—Mayor Wick Councilmember Woodard said he would like to have a report on what constitutes residency in our city, or state or even the nation as apparently it has something to do with the homeless problems we have and if you have a mailbox you can be considered a resident. Councilmember Haley said she spoke with Mr. Calhoun and Mr. Lamb about a particular property with many homeless people living on it, living under tarps, that they burn wood for heat and cooking purposes which can be a fire hazard, and that there was already one fire incident; and she asked why the people can't be removed from the property. Councilmember Higgins said some of these houses are running illicit businesses or usually having multiple tenants in a building not equipped for it so we need to define resident.Councilmember Thompson suggested it sounds like a bigger problem of determining where people can camp out and what a private citizen can do on their own land, and said she would like more clarification. Councilmember Higgins said there are people living where they should not be living as the grounds or buildings have no sewage, water or electricity, but they have a mailing address and said that is apparently sufficient for police not to address these instances as a nuisance. City Attorney Driskell said staff will talk internally as residency and citizenship do not likely have a big impact on whether someone is homeless; and he asked if Council was interested in getting some research/report on what might be driving some of the homelessness, and a majority of Councilmembers nodded in agreement.Mr.Driskell also noted that he and Mr.Lamb will discuss what constitutes a dwelling unit and what that entitles residents to do or prohibits them from doing. Mr. Calhoun said he will follow up with Councilmember Woodard and staff will do research and come back with an administrative report.Mr. Driskell said he is also curious about the issue of having a post office box and of the police not having the ability to enforce a nuisance, and said he will contact the police for further information. 14. Finance Monthly Report This report was for information only and was not reported or discussed. 15. Council Comments--Mayor Wick Councilmember Thompson encouraged people to get vaccinated and to tty to do all we can to stay in phase 3,and to wear masks and protect each other and comply with the health guidelines.Councilmember Higgins said he read the letter to the Board of County Commissioners regarding the SRLJC(Spokane Regional Law and Justice Council) and said it doesn't comport with the agreement or where we are going and said he would prefer not to have his name associated with the letter. Councilmember Woodard voiced his agreement. Council Meeting Minutes, Study Session: 05-04-2021 Page 4 of 5 Approved by Council: 05-25-2021 16. City Manager Comments—Mark Calhoun City Manager Calhoun said the aforementioned letter is his one comment in follow-up from conversations last week. City Attorney Driskell stated that he is looking for comments from Council,as he tried to capture what he understood Council was looking for in this letter; not a commitment to a second committee, but more interested in continuing to have a venue where we could participate on issues,and said he is happy to modify the letter if Council has specific suggestions. Discussion included what can be kept according to state statutes on the original mandated committee; keeping the 13 mandated members but having a subcommittee or even a smaller statutory group for Council and others to give some input; keep the original committee but include community voices; having a committee to discuss jails and the other committee to discuss victimization; we don't want victims and perpetrators on the same committee in the same room; whether we need a letter; that the current letter captures our desire to stay involved; what is the power of the committee and can staff give an explanation so Council has a full understanding of what this committee can do; perhaps edit one of the paragraphs to state we recognize the need to have a different structure and would like a regional venue or committee where our Council could be part of the discussions; and the idea to advocate for keeping the current committee and work together to have voices at the table. Mr. Driskell stressed that if we want to talk about alternatives to jail then a second committee would be needed; or if council only wants the statutory issues, then a letter isn't needed, but if Council wants to talk about other things,then a letter would be appropriate. Regarding the current letter,Mr.Driskell said he was trying not to overstate what he heard from Council and was trying to be more general; said he didn't hear specifically about a second committee, and that he could change the first sentence in the last paragraph to state that Council supports having a second committee to act as a regional venue. Mayor Wick said he likes the language and agrees it doesn't have to be a subcommittee. Due to the uncertainty of the timeline, Mr. Driskell said he could edit the letter and with Council approval,have the Mayor sign it and send it on;that he would change the Iast paragraph to state that we can have a second committee to act as a regional venue where these issues will continue to be discussed. The majority of Councilmembers agreed with that language change and to have Mr. Driskell prepare the letter for the Mayor's signature. It was moved by Councilnrember Woodard, seconded and unanimously agreed to adjourn. The meeting adjourned t 8:10 p.m. A S . s Ben Wick,Mayor ttut hristine Bainbridge, City Cler Council Meeting Minutes, Study Session: 05-04-2021 Page 5 of 5 Approved by Council: 05-25-2021