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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2018-09-17 City Council Minutes Approved City Council Minutes—September 17, 2018 At 6:00 p.m. Mayor Laurie Gere called to order the regular Anacortes City Council meeting of September 17, 2018. Councilmembers Eric Johnson,Anthony Young,Brad Adams,Liz Lovelett and Matt Miller were present. Councilmembers Bruce McDougall and Ryan Walters were absent. The assembly joined in the Pledge of Allegiance. Ms. Lovelett moved, seconded by Mr. Adams,to excuse the absence of Mr. McDougall. The motion carried unanimously by voice vote. Announcements and Committee Reports Mayor Gere reminded that September 24-30, 2018 is Diaper Need Awareness Week in Skagit County. She encouraged the public to reach out to the Diaper Bank of Skagit County or local agencies to help those in need. Mayor Gere reminded that September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. She said that cancer impacts children in every state in the country and remains the#1 cause of disease related death in children in the U.S. Appointment to Arts Commission: Mayor announced that she had appointed Zachary Conkin Wight to the Anacortes Arts Commission to a term expiring in 2020. She introduced Mr. Conkin Wight to Council. Mayor Gere introduced Fire Chief David Oliveri of Crestwood,Missouri who was in town interviewing for the position of fire chief in Anacortes. Finance Committee: Mr. Johnson reported from the committee meeting the prior week at which the topic was the EMS transition. Mr. Johnson deferred to discussion of this topic later on the agenda. Personnel Committee: Ms. Lovelett reported from the committee meeting the prior Friday at which the first topic was the updated Teamster bargaining unit agreement which would be addressed later on the agenda. She said staff had also provided an update on recent rulings affecting union representation of non-members. Ms. Lovelett reported that the committee may bring before full Council an ordinance codifying to opportunity for councilmembers to have health benefits under specified conditions. She said the committee would schedule a future session to review the new position requests that would be included in the 2019-2020 budget. Public Works Committee: Mr. Adams reported from the committee meeting earlier in the evening at which the topic was the possible acquisition by Anacortes of the Skagit PUD water system on south Fidalgo Island. He said a preliminary feasibility study had been complete and staff was now studying the matter in more detail with particular attention to potential revenue vs.projected significant capital expenses and liabilities. Ms. Lovelett reported that she had attended the Skagit County Commissioners meeting at which the commissioners, acting as the County Board of Health,voted unanimously to endorse the Population Health Trust First 1000 Days Plan. She said the Board also unanimously passed a resolution adopting the SCOG Affordable Housing Strategic Plan. Ms. Lovelett added that the Board was still seeking endorsements for its safe pharmaceutical return policy. Public Comment Martha Hall,2617 16th Street, asked Council to address a continuing lack of transparency and failure to involve the public in at least two city departments. She said Council and the general public were not receiving information that was being provided to the Anacortes Parks Foundation. Ms. Hall charged that the Parks and Planning departments had failed to follow city codes for sports facilities built at Smiley's Bottom and that there Anacortes City Council Minutes September 17,2018 1 had been little or no public involvement or transparency for those projects. Ms. Hall said she was not against these projects per se but was against not getting permits or following code or involving the public. She referenced a collection of documents she had assembled and shared with some councilmembers elaborating on her concerns. Ms. Hall objected that the committee formed to plan mitigation for some Smiley's Bottom projects was secret,that its meetings were not open to the public, and that its members did not in fact represent a variety of interests including the general public and people interested in open space and wetlands. She posed three questions to Council: Do you really care about transparency and public involvement in the parks?Who enforces city codes?And could this item be addressed on a future agenda for longer than three minutes?Ms. Hall said she would provide councilmembers a packet of additional information the following day. Kathleen Lorence-Flanagan,2005 10th Street, spoke about the Anacortes Parks Foundation.Ms. Lorence- Flanagan expressed appreciation for the extensive time and fundraising effort contributed by the Foundation but said she had concerns about public input and transparency. She cited email indicating that several foundation members had been invited to and attended"mostly internal"staff meetings about the Guemes Channel Trail to which the general public was not invited. She listed information shared at such meetings that she did not believe had been provided to councilmembers or to the public. Ms. Lorence-Flanagan also charged that at GCT visioning workshops held over the winter Foundation members attempted to influence the outcome at individual tables. Ms. Lorence-Flanagan asked if the City Attorney was in fact looking at all foundations associated with city departments as the mayor had previously stated.Mayor Gere assured that the review was under way and progress was being made. Skagit County District#1 Commissioner Ron Wesen,thanked councilmembers and the Anacortes community for their time volunteered at so many events around the county. Commissioner Wesen announced that the Skagit County Commissioners had passed the interlocal cooperative agreement for collection and distribution of impact fees so Anacortes transportation impact fees would be collected for permits issued by Skagit County in the UGA. Mr. Young thanked Commissioner Wesen for his recent presentation on county affairs at the Anacortes Chamber of Commerce. Consent Agenda Mr. Young removed Item 5b from the Consent Agenda. Ms. Lovelett removed Item 5d from the Consent Agenda. Mr. Johnson removed Item 5c from the Consent Agenda. Mr. Johnson moved, seconded by Mr. Miller, to approve the following Consent Agenda items. The motion carried unanimously by voice vote. a. Minutes of September 10, 2018 e. Resolution 2021: Sole Source Procurement of Nokia GPON Equipment for Fiber Network f. Resolution 2020: Updating Petty Cash and Change Funds and Repealing Resolution No. 1967,Passed and Approved July 18, 2016 The following vouchers/checks were approved for payment: EFT numbers: 90561 through 90604,total$413,286.52 Check numbers: 90559 through 90560 and 90538 through 90659,total $268,554.37 Wire transfer numbers: 237530 through 237901,total $2,976.27 b.Approval of Claims in the amount of: $684,784.36 Mr. Young commended staff for the lack of Amazon purchases on the weekly voucher list. He indicated he would abstain from voting on approval of claims because he was a listed payee. c. Contract Award: Library Generator Purchase 18-096-FAC-001 Anacortes City Council Minutes September 17, 2018 2 Mr. Johnson noted that the generator was to be purchased with remaining library building construction funds but would serve the fiber optic telemetry network among its other purposes. He asked for a means of tracking all the direct and indirect expenditures for the fiber system. Finance Director Steve Hoglund explained the city's job cost coding system to summarize expenditures by project. Councilmembers asked if utility funds or emergency preparedness budgets would contribute to the cost of generator since it would also support those functions. Mr. Hoglund and Mayor Gere explained that the generator had been a planned but unexecuted library expenditure for a number of years and was most appropriately treated as a capital expenditure for that facility. d. Contract Modification: Sewer Cost of Service and Rate Design Study 18-099-SEW-001 Ms. Lovelett inquired about the expanded scope of work. Public Works Director Fred Buckenmeyer explained that FCS had initially been retained to evaluate sewer rates only but that evaluation of the General Facility Charges for both water and sewer utilities was now recommended as part of the comprehensive rate analysis. He noted that GFCs had not been evaluated since 2004. Ms. Lovelett reported that City Attorney Darcy Swetnam had advised that councilmembers were free to vote to approve or reject voucher lists on which they were listed as payees. Ms. Lovelett moved, seconded by Mr. Johnson,to approve Consent Agenda Items b, c, and d. The motion carried unanimously by voice vote. OTHER BUSINESS Resolution 2022: Authorizing Execution of Updated Bargaining Agreement by and Between the City of Anacortes and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 231 -Accretion of Library and Museum Employees Administrative Services Director Emily Schuh presented an updated agreement with Teamster Local 231 which would add library and museum staff to the agreement effective October 1,2018. Ms. Schuh reviewed the history and development of the revised agreement as outlined in her memo to Council included in the packet materials for the meeting. She summarized the projected financial impact,noting no additional wage cost in 2018 because non-union staff at the library and museum had already received the same base wage increase as the Teamsters but projecting that in 2019 for the final year of the current Teamster agreement total library and museum wage expense would increase by approximately$23K. Ms. Schuh also summarized the health benefit and leave policy as it would apply to library and museum employees,many of whom are part time. She advised that library and museum staff had already voted to ratify the agreement as presented. Ms. Schuh added that she had committed to and budgeted for a classification and compensation study for library staff in 2019. Mayor Gere invited members of the audience to comment on this agenda item.No one present wished to address the Council. Mr. Young moved, seconded by Mr. Johnson,to approve Resolution 2022 ratifying the addition of the library and museum employees to the current collective bargaining agreement with Teamster Local 231 and to supersede Resolution 1983 in its entirety,passed and approved on February 6, 2017.Vote: Ayes—Young, Adams,Lovelett,Miller and Johnson. Motion carried. EMS Transition Update City Attorney Darcy Swetnam updated Council on progress made since its September 10, 2018 meeting on the Skagit County EMS transition to a fire-based model. Ms. Swetnam's slides were added to the packet materials for the meeting. She summarized the structural changes underway and reviewed the timeline for implementation by January 1,2019,noting that a draft agreement would come pack to Council for review and possible action on September 24 with final action required by October 1 to allow the consolidated oral board hiring process to Anacortes City Council Minutes September 17,2018 3 begin. Ms. Swetnam shared the preliminary service area, scope of work and budget documents and highlighted projected revenues and staff and equipment costs associated with the transition. Interim Fire Chief Jack Kennedy responded to councilmember questions about response times to various locations in the expanded service area and increased staffing and equipment needs at March Point Station 3 to meet the target response times. Chief Kennedy anticipated 200 additional calls annually in the expanded service area east of the Swinomish Slough. He also cited mutual aid agreements currently in place providing backup response between agencies when all units are out on calls. Councilmembers noted that closest unit and criteria- based dispatch would help level resources required across the system and urged Skagit County to implement those enhancements as soon as possible. Mayor Gere said that brown outs at Station 3 were a last choice alternative and that staff would be looking for efficiencies and cost savings to meet the challenge of finding sufficient funding. Chief Kennedy responded to councilmember questions about the cost of replacing Anacortes ambulances and annual ERR contributions for those replacements. Ms. Lovelett noted that fire/EMS equipment would need to be discussed in detail for the 2019/2020 budget as the fire trucks did not have adequate replacement reserves. Councilmembers asked if each of the four cities was facing the same funding challenges for the fire-based model. Chief Kennedy and Mayor Gere indicated that Burlington and Sedro-Woolley faced similar funding situations and that Mount Vernon was in a better position due to its higher density and call volume. Mr. Johnson asked if there was a mechanism for the cities to obtain additional funding from the county if significant shortfalls developed after the model was implemented. Ms. Swetnam cited the agreement provisions that allowed mutually agreed revisions and said that all parties had approached the negotiations in the spirit of meeting the target level of service countywide but that there was no specific mechanism to reallocate funding from the current 6-year levy cycle. She noted that the agreement did call for data compilation to allow the next levy to be based on actual cost data under the new model. Mayor Gere invited members of the audience to comment on this agenda item. Wim Houppermans, 3412 K Avenue, asked about EMS response to Shelter Bay and the refineries. Chief Kennedy reported that Fire District 13 provides primary BLS response to those locations,typically within 5-8 minutes, and Anacortes provides primary ALS response from Station 3 during the day and Station 1 at night. He noted that each refinery also has its own BLS fire brigade. No one else present wished to address Council on this topic. Ms. Swetnam listed the daily meetings scheduled throughout the week to continue development of the agreement and address related financing and human resources issues. She invited councilmembers to contact her with questions as the very dynamic process continued on its compressed timeline. She advised that the draft contract that would be presented Monday would likely not be available and circulated to councilmembers until Friday. Commissioner Wesen thanked Anacortes and the other cities for initiating the transition. He advised that to free up funding for the initial phase of the transition, Skagit County had agreed to reduce its EMS cash reserve from approximately$7M(one year of operating costs)to $4.8M. Commissioner Wesen acknowledged that response times in rural areas would always be higher than closer to the hospitals but that the County remained committed to EMS coverage countywide and he thanked the cities for helping to ensure that.He thanked all the cities for dedicating so much staff time to implementing the transition. Mr. Johnson requested statistics on how much an average homeowner pays for ambulance service in outlying areas vs. within city limits. Mr. Hoglund advised that staff could compile those figures. There being no further business, at approximately 7:20 p.m. the Anacortes City Council meeting of September 17, 2018 was adjourned. Anacortes City Council Minutes September 17, 2018 4