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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2002, 11-14 Members-Elect Meeting 1. ll City of Spokane Valley City Council Members-Elect Meeting Redwood Plaza Thursday, November 14, 2002 - 6 p.m. The meeting was called to order by Council Member-Elect Dick Denenny and commenced at 6:02 p.m. A quorum was present. Mr. Denenny led the Pledge of Allegiance and Rich Munson gave the Invocation. The following Council Members-Elect were present: Diana Wilhite — Position 1 Richard (Rich) Munson — Position 5 Steve Taylor— Position 2 Mike Flanigan — Position 6 Mike DeVleming — Position 3 Dick Denenny — Position 7 Gary Schimmels — Position 4 Stanley Schwartz from the law firm of Witherspoon, Kelley, Davenport &Toole provided voluntary advisory attorney services. Mr. Denenny asked if there were any Citizen Comments from the audience. The following people spoke: County Commissioner Kate McCaslin said she talked with the Commissioners at a recent budget session and would like to know how much seed money the City would like so the Commissioners can start discussing it. Mr. Bill Gough (no address given) — Expressed his congratulations and said this is a very exciting venture for all of us! Mike Dixon (lives by West Valley High School) had three comments: (1) He is concerned that the city streets are being torn up too often due to repaving, cracking, and other repairs and hopes the Council will consider finding companies who can put in Valley streets the correct way the first time and recommends the Council consider issuing a moratorium for the streets for a specific amount of time. Mr. Dixon would also like the Council to address this issue at a future City Council meeting; (2) he favors a new name for the City; and (3) he would like to know if the City could find out how much the Sheriff's services contract will be versus the costs from the City of Spokane, since he read an article in today's newspaper that the Sheriff's costs to Millwood will be rising over the next one to two years. In response, Diana Wilhite mentioned there was a recent survey about the possibility of changing the name in the Valley Voice. Dick Denenny said they have received proposals from • C.+Spekene vaneyy6iutesy4inuta-11-14-02.6oc City of Spokane Valley City Council Members-Elect Meeting Thursday, November 14, 2002 Page 2 of 8 the Sheriff's office as well as other offerings and will be receiving the Transition Committee reports in the near future and will include discussion of these items on future agendas. Scott Creighton, Creighton Engineering (no address given) — Asked about the status of the Transition Committee reports for the development of an in-house building department or whether these services will be contracted out. In response, Mr. Denenny replied that there was no specific transition committee for this issue, although the Planning and Zoning Transition Committee may have researched it. Rich Munson added that the interim management team will address this issue between now and the date of incorporation; and in the meantime, County services will be used. Mr. Munson said the City Council is aware of these issues and will also be working with the new City Manager. Mr. Munson expressed his appreciation for Mr. Creighton's comments. Tony Lazanis (no address given) - Congratulated everyone and hopes that the City Council will continue to make sound decisions for the Valley residents. Meeting Topics of Discussion: 1. Approval of the Minutes from November 12, 2002 A motion to approve the Minutes from the November 12 meeting was made by Rich Munson, seconded by Diana Wilhite, and unanimously approved. 2. Proposal from the Liberty Lake City Council by Mayor Steve Peterson City of Liberty Lake Mayor Steve Peterson thanked everyone for being invited to speak. Brian Sayrs (Councilman), Lewis Griffin (City Administrator), and Arlene Fisher (City Clerk/Treasurer) were also present. The City of Liberty Lake proposes an upcoming retreat session to discuss cityhood issues. Mayor Peterson also offered startup money of$50,000 with little or no interest due by June 1, 2003, and invited the Council to a Mayors Meeting in Cheney on December 5. He looks forward to working together with the new City of Spokane Valley. Councilman Brian Sayrs offered his sincere congratulations to the City and offered to help. After a brief discussion, the Council Members-Elect accepted Mayor Peterson's offer. Mr. Denenny thanked Mayor Peterson, Mr. Sayrs, and Stan Schwartz for their assistance during the past several months. CA$pol®x ValkAMIrtuteslMinutn-11-14.01doc City of Spokane Valley - City Council Members-Elect Meeting Thursday, November 14, 2002 Page 3 of 8 3. Discussion of Contract Services Proposal from the Prothman Company Greg Prothman thanked everyone for the invitation to answer additional questions regarding their initial proposal. He addressed questions from the Council Members- Elect related to estimated costs in their proposal and administrative/financial matters. Mr. Denenny asked Mr. Prothman about an estimate for a number of employees that will be needed to start the City. Mr. Prothman feels that it will take approximately 18 to 22 people for in-house departments such as planning, building, finance, personnel, city manager's office, city clerk's office, and minor engineering functions; and said that approximately one-half million dollars ($.5 million) would be needed to start the City, with the majority of costs for contract services and legal expenses. Mr. Prothman further replied that the Council will be able to determine the number of interim employees and suggested a retreat format with the interim staff and Council to discuss the details of the proposed work program and that the contract would be written to allow the Council full discretion regarding the interim staffing. Rich Munson asked about the permanent City Manager search and Mr. Prothman replied that his company would be willing to help us determine their qualifications and they would be thrilled to help us with this search. Mr. Prothman proposes starting the City Manager search in January 2003, who would be hired around the incorporation date. The City Manager would then start searching for the department managers a month later, who would pick their team. He felt it would also be necessary to have an overlap with the temporary management staff bridged with the permanent staff and said the City may decide to retain some of the personnel hired by Prothman Company, which would then be on the City's payroll. Mike Flanigan asked Mr. Schwartz how a contract could be structured and Mr. Schwartz replied that the contract could be written in a way that the Council could replace staff at their discretion or by limiting the number of staff hours to control costs. Mr. Schwartz would like to review the Prothman Company contract. Mr. Prothman said the City Council will have full control and flexibility in the terms of the contract. Steve Taylor inquired about the number of billable hours. Mr. Prothman replied that the team would not bill for all hours actually worked and encouraged the Council to meet the proposed management team at a future meeting. Rich Munson asked about the philosophical aspect of receiving the trop value for the City's dollar. Mr. Prothman replied that he foresees an open dialog with the Council and to ask questions on an ongoing basis; there is a strong motivation for the City to be happy with the Prothman Company's services and that it will not go unnoticed. C:;SpoMane VafkyJ nttes%Mhr. a-11-1+02.doc , I City of Spokane Valley City Council Members-Elect Meeting Thursday, November 14, 2002 Page 4 of 8 Mr. Denenny invited comments/questions from the public and included the following: Bob Davis had questions about the cost of the services in relation to the other proposals received; Mike Dixon felt that the proposed housing stipend of$500 to $600 was low; Mr. Prothman noted that the stipend figure wasn't intended to be a 100% coverage for living expenses; Cory Pederson stated no one will ask in the future about the amount of the stipend, but he felt it was important that the company chosen for contract services should have the most invested interest in the Valley; Tony Lazanis the Valley people have the experience and background, so how can we make sure they can be hired by the Gty Manager?; and Deanna Hormann she felt that the Council should look at experience level of the team and we shouldn't have to pay for mistakes. Upon invitation, Dale Strom, a local Valley resident, provided additional information regarding his proposal for contract services. He realized the importance of public works issues and that wastewater treatment plant services should be added to his initial proposal. He said he has been approached by various people for consulting services such as police and information technology (1T) functions and there was built- in slack for those consulting fees in his proposal. A critical element is for the recruitment of a permanent City Manager. Under Public Works, he has identified a $10,000 component designated for consulting services and said there could be two routes to go, that include a local consulting company or by recommending a person who has experience with County utilities. 4. Discussion of City Council Meetings for Date, Time, and Location Mike Flanigan asked Mr. Schwartz how many meetings a week he felt were necessary. Mr. Schwartz replied that two meetings per week would probably be required in the next six to eight weeks and there is a lot of work to be done and recommended to not overload the staff or the Council. Steve Taylor said he prefers the Tuesday-Thursday schedule, where one meeting would be for actions to be taken and the other meeting would be a study session. Mr. Schwartz suggested that Tuesdays could be a work/study session to iron out issues and discuss them, and then on Thursdays the decisions could be voted upon. Mr. Schwartz felt it would be ideal to have agendas prepared in advance. Mr. Prothman recommended the City Council meetings be held on Thursdays and establish work sessions where the attorney won't be needed. He agreed with Mr. Schwartz that developing an advanced Agenda is a good idea and suggested to have some space between a work session and the time for adoption work so the staff would have enough time to get the necessary work accomplished. C:rSaokane Va VlimtaV4in s•11-14-024a ' I City of Spokane Valley City Council Members-Elect Meeting Thursday, November 14, 2002 Page 5 of 8 There was a brief discussion about the location of the first City Council meeting on Tuesday, November 26. Suggestions included the Valley Community Center, Pines Nazarene Church, Baptist Church on Pines, Valley Senior Citizen Center, Modern Electric, West Valley High School, the Boundary Review office across from the Chamber, office space at Redwood Plaza, and the Valley Mall foyer. It is anticipated that there will be several hundred people at the first City Council meeting and it was decided to find a suitable facility that would be large enough to accommodate hundreds of people. Rich Munson suggested that two or three locations be recommended at the next meeting; Mike DeVleming and Mike Flanigan volunteered to check into it. Liberty Lake City Clerk/Treasurer Arlene Fisher offered to loan the City their portable sound system. 5. Discussion of RFPs for Banking Services Dick Denenny said that many RFP samples are available and MRSC has several as well on the Internet. Mike Flanigan asked Mayor Peterson if they would help us and Arlene Fisher replied that they would. Mr. Schwartz said he would talk to the Finance Director about a RFP and will draft one. Mr. Prothman suggested the RFPs for the interim period only and to utilize the services from MRSC. A City checking account will need to be opened as soon as possible. 6. Continued Discussion on Office Equipment and Post Office Box Mike DeVieming and Mike Flanigan suggested these decisions to be tabled until a later date for the Interim staff to handle. Brief presentations were made by the following copier companies: Yousif Kaddoura from H&H Business Systems. They are offering the City a copier and fax machine at no cost or obligation until the RFPs are issued and will not charge for the supplies, service, toner, training, moving, and the fax machine. The only cost to the City would be for the copy paper. > Jannean Judy from Office Tech in the Valley. She had prepared a written verification of their interest and offer for the complimentary use of a Xerox copier with no obligation to the City. They will present a formal proposal when they receive the RFP request. Mike Flanigan asked about the status of the telephone system. Robin Palachuk said his MIS subcommittee had put together some phone proposals and that Roy from Phones Plus was in attendance. Mr. Palachuk recommended that the management team make the decision. Roy suggested that the City order its immediate local service from Qwest, due to a quick turn-around time and estimates the cost for the phone CASpeket>k Valrf 1M7mutetWu► s-11-1402.dx City of Spokane Valley City Council Members-Elect Meeting Thursday, November 14, 2002 Page 6 of 8 installation to be between $600 and $1000. Internet service and network services will also be needed. Phones Plus has proposed a phone system under $10,000 (including voicemail) initially. Mr. Denenny said the Transition Committees will be providing the Council with their research information in the near future. There was a short discussion regarding a Post Office box at the Opportunity Post Office. Mr. Denenny recommended a full mail drop due to the large amount of mail that will be received. A portable sound system will need to be acquired for City Council meetings in the near future. Mr. Munson suggested holding the Council meetings at different locations around the city. Mr. Palachuk said that the ten donated computers from Resource Computing would not be networked. 7. Swearing-In Ceremony (Wednesday, November 20, 7 p.m., University High School Gymnasium) The Swearing-In Ceremony will be held on Wednesday, November 20, at 7 p.m. at the University High School Gymnasium. Mike Dixon, a Spokane Valley resident and employee of Gonzaga University, offered to voluntarily assist with technical coordination for multimedia sound equipment and/or videotaping for the Swearing-In Ceremony as well as helping to find a photographer. Mr. Denenny recommended that Mr. Dixon contact the Valley Chamber, as they are coordinating this event. 8. Executive Session Mr. Schwartz said the Council would be meeting in Executive Session for approximately 45 minutes to an hour and that action would be anticipated. The meeting was temporarily adjourned at 7:48 p.m. and reconvened at 8:34 p.m. There was a motion by Mike Flanigan to retain the Prothman Company based up on the information received thus far, and subject to contract and staff review and approval for interim city management services. Steve Taylor seconded this motion, with unanimous approval. Several of the Council Members-Elect spoke on their decision to elect a team with startup city management experience. Mr. Munson encouraged the Prothman Company to look at the experience of the local management team as well as the people who assisted on the transition committees for possible staff and they could be excellent resources of information. C?.Spokane ValleMinutesy4inutes-11.1442doc City of Spokane Valley City Council Members-Elect Meeting Thursday, November 14, 2002 Page 7 of 8 Mr. Denenny reaffirmed the handshake agreement offered by the Prothman Company to begin working. Mr. Prothman said he would like to start bringing over the interim city manager and deputy city manager next week, followed by the city clerk and finance director. Mr. Denenny reconfirmed that the Council will have input when it comes to staffing, that the doors are wide open for flexibility to make sure that the team is doing the job and that the Council feels comfortable about it, and further that changes can occur when the Council desires. Mr. Denenny said that some Transition Committee reports are available to get a real sense of where we have gone and a sense of direction and that would be great information for the team to study. With the permission of the Council, Mr. Prothman will work with Dick Denenny on timing and coordination issues of the interim management team. Mike DeVleming suggested that the staff be introduced at next Tuesday's meeting; Mr. Prothman indicated that he will bring over the core team, induding Bob Ely. Rich Munson said they have given Stan Schwartz the power to be our negotiator and Mr. Prothman will send everyone the contract in the morning. 9. Other Discussion Items/Good of the Order Rich Munson discussed the importance for a Strategic Planning Process for the next ten years and suggested the services of Linda Moine from Business Paths Inc. to make a presentation for her company's services on the Agenda for the November 26th meeting. She has been through the planning process with a city government. Mike DeVleming added that Karen Wright has a similar program and capability and knows there are a variety of businesses in the Valley who can provide many services, from copiers to facilitators. He stressed the need to give Valley businesses an opportunity and has also approached a few business associations to give him lists of businesses that might be able to provide services or equipment. Mr. Munson moved to invite Ms. Moine (without obligation) for a 10-minute presentation. Diana Wilhite seconded the motion and it was unanimously approved. Mike DeVleming mentioned he is getting requests to sit on a variety of committees/boards already and thinks the Council should come up with ideas of which boards the Council has to be on, should be on, and other advisory board/transition committees. Rich Munson agreed and requested to give the names and addresses to Karin so she can make a list. Gary Schimmels asked Mr. Denenny if there was any continuation of the County Commissioners'meeting next Tuesday and Mr. Denenny replied that Ms. McCaslin said it was an open invitation. Mr. Munson added if the City sends Ms. McCaslin a letter GASpokane V.feyVeuaaOtlm2a-11.14-02.doc City of Spokane Valley City Council Members-Elect Meeting Thursday, November 14, 2002 Page 8 of 8 asking for $2 million, the Commissioners would consider it; he also asked the County Treasurers office how much money the City would receive in 2003 for road taxes— and the response was $6.7 million. Mr. Munson asked Mr. Schwartz to kindly draft a letter to the County requesting an advance on the road tax for the $2 million but not to put it in terms of providing us constructive receipt of tax dollars. Mike DeVleming asked Mr. Schwartz about the Rules of Procedure handout he had distributed at last week's meeting; Mr. Schwartz indicated that it would be in addition to Roberts Rules of Order and will have the remainder of the document ready by the November 26 meeting and he would email it to Karin to send out to the Council. Rich Munson said there was an article recently in the Valley Voice (written by Lode Hutson) indicating the City's name should not be changed; however, their poll was much different compared to that from the Inlander/KKLY scientific survey. Mr. Munson suggested we would have to have additional letterhead made up if we change the name of the City. Mr. Denenny added the name could be changed after May. 11. Next Meeting Date and Time A motion was made by Mike Flanigan and seconded by Rich Munson that the next meeting be scheduled for Tuesday, November 19, at 6 p.m., Redwood Plaza, and the motion was unanimously approved. 12. Adjournment There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 9 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Karin Bosworth Recording Secretary Approved on C;$po&ne Vaar4 V $-11.1s-ezaoc