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HomeMy WebLinkAbout121712 CITY OF PORT TOWNSEND MINUTES OF THE REGULAR SESSION OF DECEMBER 17, 2012 CALL TO ORDER AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE The Port Townsend City Council met in regular session the seventeenth day of December 2012 in the Council Chambers at 540 Water Street. Mayor David King called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. ROLL CALL Councilmembers present at roll call were Robert Gray, David King, Kris Nelson, Catharine Robinson, Deborah Stinson, and Mark Welch with Michelle Sandoval excused. Staff members present were City Manager David Timmons, City Attorney John Watts, Public Works Director Ken Clow, Deputy Finance Director Corena Stern, City Engineer David Peterson, Public Services Director Rick Sepler, Library Director Theresa Percy, and Police Chief Conner Daily. CHANGES TO THE AGENDA Mr. Timmons stated that an executive session will be scheduled at the end of the meeting to discuss personnel issues. The session is expected to last approximately 20 minutes with no action expected. COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC Public comment Linnea Patrick commented on the Library's space needs. William Wickline commented on his building permit issues. He suggested a third party reviewer to save time and money. Jim Todd commented on the Library's three-star rating from the Library Journal and public process on the Library expansion project. CONSENT AGENDA Bills, Claims and Warrants Vouchers 119346 through 119430 in the amount of$301,558.50 EFTs in the amount of$27,926.43 Vouchers 119431 through 119440 in the amount of $207,565.85 Voucher 119441 in the amount of$100.00 City Council Business Meeting December 17, 2012 Page 1 of 5 Vouchers 119442 through 119443 in the amount of$395.20 Vouchers 119444 through 119445 in the amount of$21,333.33 Vouchers 119446 through 119466 in the amount of$9,885.67 Approval of Minutes: December 3, 2012 Appointment of Denise Winter to the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee (Position 7, Recipient, Term expires May 1, 2016) Authorization to Purchase a Replacement Backhoe for the Waste Water Utility Approval of amendment to Ordinance 3087 Appropriating the Sum of $6,157 to the Housing Trust Fund; $3,233.00 to the Library Fund; $11,244.00 to the Community Services Fund; $29,000 to the Streets Capital Improvement Fund; and Making Findings and Declaring an Emergency. Motion: Catharine Robinson moved to approve the consent agenda. Mark Welch seconded. Vote: motion carried unanimously, 6-0 by voice vote. UNFINISHED BUSINESS Ordinance 3086, Adopting the Budget for the City of Port Townsend, Washington, for the Fiscal Year Ending December 31, 2013 City Manager David Timmons presented the staff report. He noted the ordinance has been modified to comply with the Revised Code of Washington by adding a column showing estimated revenues as well as estimated appropriations. In addition, adoption of the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) has been added to the ordinance in conformance with the City's Comprehensive Plan which suggests annual adoption of a CIP. Further discussion and review of the CIP for 2014 and on should take place in the first quarter of 2013. Mr. Timmons reviewed the information provided and highlighted the changes made since the last budget review. He also went over historical city financial data and discussed potential improvements to budget reporting, both internally and externally. He reviewed the format of the fund summary pages and reviewed the information contained there. There was discussion about the difficulty of comparing the budgets of various jurisdictions because there is large amount of data to be mined relative to variables such as junior taxing districts. Clarifying questions from Council members covered issues including school safety, City Council Business Meeting December 17, 2012 Page 2 of 5 police car purchase, and the Mountain View lease. Public comment Barney Burke regarding the City's financial situation. Anita Edwards, Jefferson Aquatic Coalition, regarding pool funding. Mr. Gray stated that he is disappointed the budget narrative is not part of the budget discussion. He added he would like to support the budget but he does not feel he understands what is in the budget and does not feel sufficient understandable information has been provided for the Council or the public. Ms. Nelson asked numerous questions about budget details which have changed since the last presentation. Staff members replied to her questions. It was noted that each Council has a different idea of what they want to see in budget documents and this should be resolved so that staff can provide an appropriate format. There was also discussion of providing year to date budget and work plan summaries at the same time the next year's budget is discussed. Motion: Catharine Robinson moved to approve Ordinance 3086 Adopting the Budget and Capital Improvement Plan for the City of Port Townsend, Washington, for the Fiscal Year Ending December 31, 2013. Mark Welch seconded. Vote: motion carried, 4-2 by voice vote, Robert Gray, and Kris Nelson opposed. Motion: Mark Welch moved to approve directing staff to schedule a workshop meeting for review and discussion of the capital improvement plan in the first quarter of 2013. Catharine Robinson seconded. Vote: motion carried unanimously, 6-0 by voice vote. Mayor King announced a recess at 8:10 p.m. for the purpose of a break. The meeting was resumed at 8:20 p.m. NEW BUSINESS Resolution 12-047 Authorizing the City Manager to Approve and Sign all Documents Related to the Construction of the City Lake Outlet Pipeline Replacement Phase 2 - Outlet Pipe and Control Structure within the Available Funding and Approved Budget for the Project City Engineer David Peterson presented the staff report. He emphasized the critical nature of the project and stated the bid has been awarded to Strider Construction. He discussed the means of funding the project, including a FEMA grant, a loan, and funds from the OGWS Pipeline replacement fund. City Council Business Meeting December 17, 2012 Page 3 of 5 City Manager Timmons also commented on the critical nature of the project and the risks to the contractor, including the potential of high turbidity by bypassing the lake, need for tunnel work, and blasting in proximity to a public water system. These factors resulted in uniformly higher bids than expected. There was further discussion including the need for additional monitoring (which will be built into the operational budget), availability of funds from the Pipeline Replacement fund, the inclusion of the contingency in the current project estimate which is part of the capital budget, the new standard of safety and predictability of the water supply associated with the completion of the project, and an estimate of time to refill the lake (one month). There was no public comment. Motion: Catharine Robinson moved to approve Resolution 12-047 Authorizing the City Manager to Approve and Sign all Documents Related to the Construction of the City Lake Outlet Pipeline Replacement Phase 2 - Outlet Pipe and Control Structure within the Available Funding and Approved Budget for the Project. Kris Nelson seconded. Vote: motion carried unanimously, 6-0 by voice vote. Amendment Extending Exchange Agreement with the USPS Concerning the Customs House City Manager David Timmons presented the staff report, noting that the action requested is to enter into a three-month extension of the June 12, 2012 exchange agreement with the U.S. Postal Service (to March 31, 2012). This will allow additional time for the parties to reach preliminary agreement on terms and conditions of lease documents relating to construction of a new USPS distribution facility and a USPS leaseback of a portion of the Customs House for a retail postal facility. There was brief discussion following a question by Ms. Robinson, regarding the potential for the City to require protection of the first floor interior space in the Customs House under the Historic Preservation Act. Mr. Sepler suggested that the Historic Preservation Committee be tasked with preparing background materials for a nomination draft. There was no public comment. Motion: Catharine Robinson moved to authorize the City Manager to execute documents with the US Postal Service that provide for a three-month extension of the June 3 2012 Exchange Agreement, and preliminary approval of draft lease terms. Robert Gray seconded. Vote: motion carried unanimously, 6-0 by voice vote. PRESIDING OFFICER REPORT City Council Business Meeting December 17, 2012 Page 4 of 5 Mayor King reported on discussions with the County about the Clean Water District and a potential fee assessment on septic systems within the City. Other items included local transportation options, and the Metropolitan Park District process. He noted that Catharine Robinson will replace Mark Welch on the Joint Fire District Oversight Board. CITY MANAGER REPORT Mr. Timmons noted the Public Development Authority has received approval from State Parks to continue their process and Council will receive an update in January. He asked Council to be aware of monitoring legislative topics that will need to be addressed, including ferry system changes and state park funding. These could have serious implications for the City. The City has also received a refund check from the AWC retro program. SUGGESTIONS FOR NEXT OR FUTURE AGENDA, REGULAR MEETING AND/OR STUDY SESSION Upcoming items for Council meetings include an update from the Public Development Authority, appointments to the PDA Board, and a demonstration of Mayor King's worksheet that shows the impact of various potential ballot measures to the City and individuals. Committee assignments and schedules will also be reviewed early in 2013. COMMENTS FROM COUNCIL EXECUTIVE SESSION At 9:00 p.m., Mayor King announced that the council would go into executive session to discuss personnel issues and a collective bargaining unit agreement. He stated the session would take approximately 20 minutes and that no action would be taken after the session. ADJOURN The meeting reconvened at 9:25 p.m. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 9:26 p.m. Attest: Pamela Kolacy, MMC City Clerk City Council Business Meeting December 17, 2012 Page 5 of 5