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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019-11-18 City Council Minutes Approved City Council Minutes—November 18,2019 Mayor Pro Tem Matt Miller called to order the Anacortes City Council meeting of November 18,2019 at 6:00 p.m. Councilmembers Eric Johnson,Anthony Young,Ryan Walters,Brad Adams, Carolyn Moulton and Matt Miller were present. Councilmember Bruce McDougall participated in the meeting via telephone. The assembly joined in the Pledge of Allegiance. Announcements and Committee Reports Mr. Miller announced that he would chair the meeting in place of Mayor Gere who was ill. Mr. Miller welcomed Boy Scout Troop 4081 to the meeting. Skagit County Law&Justice Council: Mr. Miller reported from the meeting the prior Wednesday at which the members discussed a million dollar grant for the Justice Center to reduce recidivism. Public Works Committee: Mr.Walters advised that the committee meeting scheduled for earlier in the evening had been cancelled. Public Comment Mike Pearl, 1617 0 Avenue, spoke regarding the 25-unit apartment building proposed for 18th Street and 0 Avenue. He quoted portions of the 2016 Comprehensive Plan,Policies LU-2.1(B) and(C) and Goal LU-6. Mr. Pearl said the proposed project met none of those goals. Consent Agenda Mr. Johnson moved, seconded by Mr.Adams,to approve the following Consent Agenda items. The motion carried unanimously by voice vote. a. Minutes of November 12,2019 b. Approval of Claims in the amount of: $363,883.76 The following vouchers/checks were approved for payment: EFT numbers: 95296 through 95345,total$255,395.17 Check numbers: 95346 through 95374,total$106,092.60 Wire transfer numbers: 258886 through 259229,total $1,624.22 OTHER BUSINESS Waste Management Recycling Update Public Works Director Fred Buckenmeyer introduced Michelle Metzler,Waste Management Public Sector Manager, for a follow up presentation from her December 3,2018 and August 5,2019 presentations. Mr. Buckenmeyer advised that Waste Management was seeking a rate increase and a contract revision to change the types of material that would be collected. Ms. Metzler reviewed her slide presentation from the packet materials which summarized the state of recycling markets worldwide and the effects on the recycling industry,which include higher costs to prepare materials for market, lower market prices for collected materials, and tighter contamination standards.Ms. Metzler reiterated Waste Management's request for an extraordinary rate increase, a change she said had already been approved by Anacortes City Council Minutes November 18, 2019 1 the WUTC and by a number of neighboring jurisdictions. Ms. Metzler also requested a contract modification to change the list of what would be accepted in the comingled curbside bins. Ms. Metzler responded to councilmember questions about Waste Management's apparent strong financial position,the impact of the proposed reduction in the list of collected materials on the city's solid waste tipping fees, and customer education regarding any changes to the contract. Mr.Walters moved,seconded by Mr.Johnson,to direct staff to prepare a contract amendment consistent with the Second Amendment proposed by Waste Management in the packet materials for the meeting, modified to remove the final sentence of Attachment C on page 3. Mr. Miller invited members of the audience to comment on this agenda item. Douglas Thurber observed that his two-person household filled a small trash tote each week and occasionally put food-soiled items in the recycling bin because the trash was full. Mr. Thurber suggested that the city offer larger trash totes at no additional cost to customers to help avoid contamination in the recycling bins. No one else present wished to address Council on this topic. Vote: Ayes—Walters,Miller,Adams,Moulton,McDougall and Johnson. Nays—Young.Motion carried. Mr.Walters moved,seconded by Mr.Young,to postpone indefinitely consideration of Waste Management's proposed Third Amendment increasing the contract rates.Vote: Ayes—Walters,Miller, Adams,Moulton,McDougall,Johnson and Young.Motion carried. Solid Waste Collection Schedule Review Mr. Buckenmeyer recalled Council's request that staff investigate the merits of switching from weekly to every other week(EOW) solid waste collection. He reported that FCS Group had been retained to perform that analysis. Mr. Buckenmeyer introduced Matt Hobson,Project Manager from FCS Group. Mr. Hobson presented the analysis,referring to his slide presentation that had been included in the packet materials for the meeting. The analysis considered both potential cost savings and potential service level impacts. Mr. Hobson responded to councilmember questions about the City of Seattle pilot study used in the analysis,projections for increased solid waste volume in the future, and whether the analysis would return different results at a higher volume. Michelle Metzler of Waste Management responded to councilmember questions regarding potential impact on organics collection rates if that service were to be made mandatory. Sanitation Supervisor Matt Koegel estimated that since implementing automation,the current sanitation staffing and equipment level could likely continue to meet service demand for another 4-5 years. Councilmembers generally concurred with the staff recommendation not to pursue EOW service at this time. Resolution 2062: Updating Unified Fee Schedule for Updated Sewer Rates Finance Director Steve Hoglund introduced Senior Accountant Philip Steffen to present this item,referencing the slide presentation that had been included in the packet materials for the meeting. Mr. Steffen recapped the history of prior discussion of this topic and the recommendation that sewer rates should be increased for commercial accounts and decreased for residential customers to shift the rate burden to be more equitable. He noted that his slide presentation had been updated from the version included in the packet materials. Mr. Steffen recommended adoption of Resolution 2062. Mr. Walters observed that Resolution 2062 did not address removing the tiers from the winter averaging calculations, a change that had also been recommended by FCS Group. Mr. Walters said he supported the rate revision but urged adopting Resolution 2062 in conjunction with an ordinance amending AMC Title 13 to remove conflicting code regarding winter averaging and definitions. Councilmembers generally concurred. Mr. Anacortes City Council Minutes November 18, 2019 2 Steffen said staff would prepare the code change,which was already underway, and bring Resolution 2062 and an accompanying ordinance back to Council for consideration and action in the near future. Resolution 2065: Updating Unified Fee Schedule for Updated General Facilities Charges(GFCs)for Water and Sewer Mr. Steffen recapped the history of Council's consideration of this topic,referencing the slide presentation that had been included in the packet materials for the meeting. He noted that his slide presentation had been updated from the version included in the packet materials. Mr. McDougall inquired whether GFCs could be based on square footage of building footprint rather than on ERU. Mr. Steffen indicated he would investigate constraints in the statutes and report back. His presentation concluded with a slide outlining a one-time and a 3-year phased implementation of the recommended new GFCs,which would be significantly higher than present for water and slightly lower than present for sewer. Mr. Steffen recommended adopting Resolution 2065 as presented with a one-time adjustment effective January 1,2020. Mr. Walters noted that the current UFS included separate lines for single family and duplex residences. Mr. Steffen advised that the revised UFS would reflect sewer GFC calculation strictly by ERU. Mr. Miller invited members of the audience to comment on this agenda item.No one present wished to address the Council. Councilmembers discussed one-time vs.phased implementation at some length. Mr.Young moved,seconded by Mr.Johnson,to adopt Resolution 2065 to adjust the water and sewer GFC's as presented.Mr. Walters asked that AMC 13.08.020 be revised to be consistent with Resolution 2065 as soon as possible. Vote: Ayes— Adams,Moulton,Johnson and Young.Nays—McDougall,Walters and Miller.Motion carried. There being no further business,at approximately 8:06 p.m. the Anacortes City Council meeting of November 18,2019 was adjourned. Anacortes City Council Minutes November 18, 2019 3