2010, 12-07 Study Session Minutes
MINUTES
SPOKANE VALLEY CITY COUNCIL
REGULAR MEETING
STUDY SESSION FORMAT
Spokane Valley City Hall Council Chambers
Spokane Valley, Washington
December 7, 2010 6:00 p.m.
Attendance:
Councilmembers Staff
Tom Towey, Mayor Mike Jackson, City Manager
Gary Schimmels, Deputy Mayor Cary Driskell, Acting City Attorney
Rose Dempsey, Councilmember Mike Stone, Parks & Recreation Director
Bill Gothmann, Councilmember Ken Thompson, Finance Director
Dean Grafos, Councilmember Rick VanLeuven, Police Chief
Brenda Grassel, Councilmember Morgan Koudelka, Sr. Administrative Analyst
Neil Kersten, Public Works Director
Absent: Carolbelle Branch, Public Information Officer
Bob McCaslin, Councilmember Chris Bainbridge, City Clerk
At the Mayor's request, City Clerk Bainbridge called roll; all councilmembers were present except
Councilmember McCaslin. It was moved by Councilmember Grafos, seconded and unanimously agreed
to excuse Councilmember McCaslin from tonight's meeting.
ACTION ITEMS:
1. Public Hearing: Amending 2010 Budget - Ken Thompson
Mayor Towey opened the public hearing at 6:02 p.m. and invited Finance Director Thompson to the
podium. Mr. Thompson explained that the reason for the proposed amendment is to recognize the
increase in premiums for liability, unemployment and property insurance for 2010, and to adjust for the
accrual of December's debt service expense to be paid in 2011; that the debt service adjustment would be
$25,000; and the insurance adjustment would be $60,000. Mayor Towey invited public comment; no
comments were offered and Mayor Towey closed the public hearing at 6:04 p.m.
2. First Reading Proposed Ordinance Amending Spokane Valley Municipal Code 2.75 (Public Records)
Cart/ Driskell
After City Clerk Bainbridge read the ordinance title, it was moved by Councilmember Dempsey and
seconded to advance this ordinance amending Spokane Valley Municipal Code 2.75 relating to public
records, to a second reading. Acting City Attorney Driskell explained that of the changes noted in the
document, three are substantive: (1) adding the provision of providing an internet address and/or link to
assist in record location; (2) that if the requestor is making copies, the City may stop such copying if
records are being damaged or becoming disordered; and (3) removing the fees from the ordinance and
placing them in the master fee schedule, adopted by resolution. Mayor Towey invited public comment;
no comments were offered. Vote by Acclamation: In Favor: Unanimous. Opposed: None. Abstentions:
None. Motion carried.
3. First Reading Proposed Ordinance Amending 2010 Budget- Ken Thompson
After City Clerk Bainbridge read the ordinance title, it was moved by Councilmember Gothmann and
seconded to advance the ordinance amending the 2010 budget to a second reading. Finance Director
Thompson noted that the second reading is set for the December 14 council meeting. Mayor Towey
Council Study Session Minutes, December 7, 2010 Page 1 of 5
Approved by Council: December 28, 2010
invited public comment; no comments were offered. Vote by Acclamation: In Favor: Unanimous.
Oppose& None. Abstentions: None. Motion carried.
4. Proposed Resolution 10-019 Amending Master Fee Schedule - Ken Thompson
It was moved by Deputy Mayor Schimmels and seconded to approve resolution 10-019 amending the
master fee schedule for 2011. Finance Director Thompson explained that each year we amend our fee
schedule as necessary; and explained that the changes for 2011 include (1) new fee of pipe and drape
rental at CenterPlace for $100.000 per day; (2) new fee of chair cover rental at CenterPlace for $3.00 per
chair per day; (3) amending the binding site plan alteration fee from $1,474 to $278.00; (4) clarifying that
the commercial site plan review of $550 includes $275.00 for one division review in planning or
engineering, and $550 for two division review; (5) new fee of $50.00 for single family/duplex site plan
review; (6) correcting a typographical error for a mechanical permit fee for heat pump/air conditioner
from $437 to $37.00; and (7) adding in the aforementioned fees associated with public record requests.
Mayor Towey invited public comment; no comments were offered. Vote by Acclamation: In Favor:
Unanimous. Opposed: None. Abstentions: None. Motion carried.
NON-ACTION ITEMS:
5. Lodging Tax (Hotel/Motel Grant) Proposals for 2011 - Ken Thompson
Finance Director Thompson explained that lodging tax receipts are used to promote tourism, and each
year we ask the public to suggest methods to promote tourism; he said the lodging tax advisory committee
reviews the requests and makes recommendations to council. Mr. Thompson said we usually have funds
remaining at the end of the year as the agencies don't always spend all their allocation; and he estimated
we would have $30,000 left over after these allocations, which motion is scheduled for next week's
council meeting. It was mentioned that the HUB presentation was not included on the minutes, and Mr.
Thompson said he will get those minutes corrected. Council concurred to have this brought forward at
next week's meeting.
6. Street and Stormwater Maintenance Contract Renewals - Neil Kersten
Public Works Director Kersten said that the Poe Asphalt Paving contract was in response to a Request for
Proposal (RFP) issued in 2007; that the contract has seven, one-year renewal options ; that Poe requested
a 4% increase to their unit bid prices for labor, and a 1.2% increase for equipment rates, which is the
Consumer Price Index-Urban areas rate. Mr. Kersten said Poe has done an excellent job; that their
contracts are based on actual labor and equipment costs; since they have union agreements, the labor went
up 4%; he said Poe's workers are highly skilled and said that many times leads to the work getting done
faster and more efficient. Councilmember Grassel said she would like to use as many local businesses as
possible and perhaps that is something to discuss in the future; and Mr. Kersten agreed that would be a
separate discussion in terms of purchasing and in keeping within code and state statute provisions. There
was no objection from Council to move forward with a motion consideration for the contract at next
week's meeting.
7. "AAA" Sweeping Contract - Neil Kersten
Public Works Director Kersten said this RFP was conducted about same time as the Street and
Stormwater Maintenance proposal; that this contract also has seven, one-year renewal options; that AAA
has done excellent work; that we have increased the service from just sweeping in the spring and fall, to
include sweeping the arterials every couple of weeks, which helps keep materials out of the drywells and
keeps the dust down; and he noted the rates are going up by the CPI of 1.2% as noted in the contract. Mr.
Kersten brought Council's attention to the corrected Exhibit A which contains this year's figures rather
than last year's figures. Mayor Towey said he has received many citizen comments about how clean our
streets are. There was no objection from Council to move forward with a motion consideration for the
contract at next week's meeting.
Council Study Session Minutes, December 7, 2010 Page 2 of 5
Approved by Council: December 28, 2010
8 "AAA" Vactoring Contract - Neil Kersten
Mr. Kersten said this contract is similar to the sweeping contract, but this was done for only five years
and this is the last year; he explained that vactoring cleans out the drywells much like a huge vacuum; and
he mentioned the allowed increases at the rate of the CIP-U rate of 1.2%. There was no objection from
Council to move forward with a motion consideration for the contract at next week's meeting. Mr.
Kersten also mentioned that staff is working on the underground injection control program and that we
have to meet certain guidelines; that we are on track but this cost will increase over time.
9 Quiet Zones (Railroad Crossings) - Neil Kersten
Mr. Kersten said this information was included in a previous council packet as an "information only"
item; that a group of neighbors in the northwest part of Spokane Valley submitted a petition with
approximately 170 signatures, asking for the installation of a Quiet Zone at the Union Pacific crossings at
Park Road and at Vista Road; he mentioned that the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has very
specific guidelines on how to go through this upgrade, and said it is very expensive. Mr. Kersten
explained that because Park Road crossing does not currently have gates, the improvements would be
substantial; and installation of a quiet zone at Vista would likely be less expensive depending on the
option selected; and mentioned that the attached information shows estimates between $100,000 and
$500,000 for each crossing. Mr. Kersten said that some options would require the closure of the
intersection of Rutter Avenue at Park Road and Euclid Avenue at Vista Road because of their close
proximity to the tracks. Mr. Kersten said there are no funding programs specifically for quiet zones,
although the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission offers a small grant program of
generally less than $20,000 for crossing safety improvements. Mr. Kersten said he spoke with the Union
Pacific (UP) representative and their review time alone was 12-16 months, so this is at least a two to three
year process and would require a lot of staff and consultant time, plus time to actually do the project, that
there is a clear process and said he is looking for council direction; and said that he has been working for
years with UP on the Pines crossing and it is still not resolved on who pays for what in fixing that, adding
that it is a very slow process.
Mayor Towey asked if there is anything that could be done to try to resolve some of the issues the
neighbors have addressed. Mr. Kersten said there are specific guidelines on how to blow the whistle, that
we could try to monitor that but that has never been done and they would need to research options; he said
we don't have the authority to enforce regulations but could research to see about repercussions of UP not
following rules. Councilmember Dempsey said she would like to start now and Councilmember Grafos
agreed. Deputy Mayor Schimmels asked about the long period of parking the trains and Mr. Kersten
agreed that too would have to be researched. City Manager Jackson agreed staff can perform the research
but said we don't have authority and perhaps we could examine what other cities have done to address
similar issues. Mr. Kersten said if we move ahead with a design and getting the approval, there would be
costs associated with that, but that he can research that and bring Council those figures. Councilmember
Gothmann agreed it would be good to get things started, and suggested Park Road is the higher priority of
the two roads. Mr. Kersten concurred that the traffic volume is probably higher on Park and staff will
research that as well. Mr. Jackson said staff will work on gathering the research and will schedule
another administrative report to council with more detail.
10 Interlocal Agreements Amendments: Jail and Geiger Site - Morgan Koudelka
Senior Administrative Analyst Koudelka explained that the Geiger Confinement Work Crew Contract and
the Jail Services Contract each have a proposed amendment; that beginning January 1, 2010, Spokane
County combined the Jail and Geiger operations into one budgetary department and the Sheriff's Office
implemented a new billing methodology, but it would conflict with existing agreements. Due to this
conflict, he explained, the City has been paying the rates from the previous year as directed via contract.
He explained that staff has been negotiating with County staff to develop a new contract for detention
services, but in the meantime, staff recommends that the current agreements be amended to allow the City
Council Study Session Minutes, December 7, 2010 Page 3 of 5
Approved by Council: December 28, 2010
to pay according to the County's proposed methods, adding that a settle and adjust reconciliation will still
occur after the year is complete in order to adjust to actual costs. There was no objection from Council to
move forward with a motion consideration for these contracts at next week's meeting.
11. Animal Control Regional Facility - Morgan Koudelka
Senior Administrative Analyst Koudelka went through the PowerPoint presentation, which was the
presentation given by Spokane County to managers and elected officials November 3, 2010; and
explained that the two issues driving the consideration of a new facility are (1) if Spokane joined the
County Animal Control, they would be a large consumer and the current facility can't handle that; and (2)
the current facility would need some major system improvements in the next few years which could cost
millions as there are a lot of shortfalls with the current facility. He added Animal Control feels the
facility is inadequate for long-term services; he said the land is owned by the County Road Department
and they were told they'd have to begin charging for a lease to animal control for use of that land. Mr.
Koudelka said we have been part of a committee that was formed to examine options for a facility moving
forward; and said if they moved forward, they would be looking at $15 million over 20 years, and they
could be looking at placing this on the August 2011 ballot. Mr. Koudelka said the County is looking at
costs first; and if that is not possible, the other issues are not worth being pursued, and he said the City of
Spokane doesn't want to pursue this unless everything else in line to make that happen. It was noted the
regional committee will report back to the jurisdictions in March of 2011.
Mayor Towey called for a recess at 7:20 p.m. and reconvened the meeting at 7:30 p.m.
12. Senate Bill 6225 and Letter of Support - Mayor Towey
Mayor Towey said he reviewed the proposed bill and the November 17 request for support letter from the
City of Connell concerning the proposed legislation to address population issues as well as number of
councilmembers in small cities; and he asked if Council was in favor of sending a letter of support to the
City of Connell, adding that Connell and Airway Heights are the only two cities which would be affected
by small city populations and including prison populations. Discussion included support from Association
of Washington Cities on this issue; grant opportunities based on city populations; and of this Council's
desire to assist sister cities in eastern Washington. Council determined it would be reasonable and
justified to send both cities a letter of support, supporting the cities in their endeavors to enhance their
citizens without getting into the details of the proposed bill; and that staff will draft two letters for next
week's council meeting motion consideration.
13. Advance Agenda - Mayor Towey. Council decided not to meet December 21, 2010.
14. Information Only: Department Reports, Permit Tracking System, Hazard Mitigation Plan, School
Zone Speed Limit, Response to Public Comment (Hotteez), Governance Manual Televideo Participation,
and Coyote Rock were for information only and not reported or discussed.
15. Council Check In - Mayor Towey
Mayor Towey mentioned he received a notice this afternoon that Parks and Recreation Administrative
Assistant Patty Bischoff was recently awarded the 2010 Customer Service Award from the Park &
Recreation Association.
16. Ci , Manager Comments - Mike Jackson.
Mr. Jackson said he would like to give Council an update on the snow plowing effort; he said the new
Citizen Request System is in and they recorded about 350 calls; and through this new system they are
able to guarantee resolution on those calls as they track not only the call but where the call generates
from; he said staff has done a very good job and emphasized the great work done by the front counter and
public works staff. Mr. Jackson said they might not have made everyone happy, but the effort was made.
Council Study Session Minutes, December 7, 2010 Page 4 of 5
Approved by Council: December 28, 2010
Public Works Director Kersten said they started to hit the streets over the weekend and on Thanksgiving
day in the afternoon to try to have the roads ready for the 4:00 a.m. Black Friday shopping frenzy; he said
they handled the arterials and keep the de-icing in pretty good shape and by Saturday could see that they
would have to get the residential streets as well. Mr. Kersten said they felt they had almost every street
completed by the following Wednesday, but it kept snowing and by Thursday night they were receiving
complaints; he said they didn't want to plow again but after he and Mr. Jackson drove around they
determined it would in fact be necessary to plow again, which was ultimately completed by Sunday.
Mr. Kersten said they had one contractor decide not to work with us anymore; that there is a small but
vocal group of people who don't like berms across their driveways and they made their displeasure
known to the contractor, who informed Mr. Jackson that the job wasn't worth it. Mr. Kersten said they
did get a replacement, adding that it's a tough job, that 80-90% of the population wants their street
plowed but a very small but very vocal group do not. Mr. Kersten said he received a lot of compliments
overall; that they did miss a few streets but went back out and got them, adding that all the crews did well
and put in a lot of hours. There was some discussion about the 2-1-1 help line and Mr. Jackson said he
will check to see if we can get some data on those calls. Mr. Jackson also mentioned that the information
line is updated twice a day, even on weekends as staff can remotely access that voice mail. Mr. Kersten
said he met with others in the area involved with road maintenance, and the system has improved and
everyone is more organized, keeping in mind there's always room for improvement; and said one of the
best improvements is the GPS units in the plows, which has proven to be a great system for management.
17. Executive Session: Pending Litigation [RCW 42.30.1106)]
It was moved by Mayor Towey, seconded and unanimously agreed that Council adjourn into executive
session for approximately thirty minutes to discuss pending litigation, and that no action would be taken
upon return to open session. Council adjourned into Executive Session at 8:10 p.m. At 8:40 p.m. City
Manager Jackson announced the meeting would be extended for approximately 20 minutes. At 9:05 p.m.
it was announced the meeting was again extended for an additional 30 minutes. At 9:17 p.m. Mayor
Towey declared Council out of Executive Session, after which it was moved by Councilmember Dempsey,
seconded and unanimously agreed to adjourn.
4omasowey, Mayor
ATTEST:
r 1 ~ -
Christine Bainbridge, City Clerk
Council Study Session Minutes, December 7, 2010 Page 5 of 5
Approved by Council: December 28, 2010