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HomeMy WebLinkAbout120213 CITY OF PORT TOWNSEND MINUTES OF THE BUSINESS MEETING OF DECEMBER 2, 2013 CALL TO ORDER AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE The Port Townsend City Council met on December 2, 2013 in the Council Chambers at 540 Water Street. The meeting was called to order at 6:30 p.m. by Mayor King. ROLL CALL Councilmembers present at roll call were Robert Gray, David King, Kris Nelson, Catharine Robinson, Michelle Sandoval, Deborah Stinson, and Mark Welch. Staff members present were City Manager David Timmons, City Attorney John Watts, Deputy Finance Director Corena Stern, Special Projects Assistant Bob Jean, Public Services Director Rick Sepler, Public Works Director Ken Clow, Interim Library Director Bev Shelton, and Deputy City Clerk Joanna Sanders. CHANGES TO THE AGENDA New Business Item A Resolution 13-038 Adopted in connection with the 2014 Budget Listing City Council Priorities for Action in 2014 was addressed before the public hearings. SPECIAL PRESENTATION Status Climate Action Committee Update Senior Planner Judy Surber introduced Climate Action Committee Chair Cindy Jayne and Vice Chair Brian Goldstein. Ms. Jayne provided an update on the Climate Action Committee mission, work plan, and progress. Mr. Goldstein reviewed Green House Gas [GHG] emissions, challenges and recommendations. The recommendations were to extend the Climate Action Committee beyond 2014, replace the resource conservation manager (RCM) measurement duties, and dedicate .25 FTE for Climate Action activities. Questions and comments from Council to which Brian Goldstein, Cindy Jayne, and Judy Surber responded related to the following: County participation and community outreach efforts. There was also a discussion of PUD emissions and how emissions are measured. COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC City Council Business Meeting December 2, 2013 Page 1 of 6 Public comment Steve Oakford spoke in support of PTTV equipment upgrades. He also urged City and County working on community center solutions. City staff response CONSENT AGENDA Bills, Claims and Warrants EFT in the amount of$34,148.34 EFT in the amount of$31,012.43 Vouchers 122162 in the amount of$1,725.00 Vouchers 122154 through 122161 in the amount of$7,134.08 Vouchers 122167 through 122235 in the amount of 112,080.89 Vouchers 112236 through 122236 amount of$313.84 Vouchers 122163 through 122166 amount of$30,432.94 Approval of Minutes: November 12, November 14 Workshop and November 18, 2013 Motion: Catharine Robinson moved to approve the consent agenda with corrections to the November 12 minutes as follows: On Page 1, the fourth paragraph would be corrected to read "Acknowledging all council members have property, there is no special financial or property interest in connection with the matters." On Page 2, in the last paragraph, the sentence which states "This is the first reading of the budget"would be removed. Kris Nelson seconded. Vote: motion carried unanimously, 7-0 by voice vote. RESOLUTION 13-038, ADOPTED IN CONNECTION WITH THE 2014 BUDGET LISTING CITY COUNCIL PRIORITIES FOR ACTION IN 2014 Staff presentation City Manager David Timmons reviewed the list of items in the resolution noting these issues were identified during the budget process as needing to be addressed by Council in 2014. He suggested adding new item K. System Development Charges and L. Council Reserve Allocation (1% or approximately $60,000). He solicited additional items from Council. Public comment Jim Todd spoke about the promise that the library lid lift savings would go to parks. He urged restoring one parks position. Council deliberation and action City Council Business Meeting December 2, 2013 Page 2 of 6 During discussion, there was a suggestion to add an assessment of citizen priorities and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. There were several concerns about a lack of Council input in a workshop/retreat setting before the resolution was presented for action. Mr. Timmons reviewed the items with direct financial impact. Another comment was that missing this year were the presentations by advisory board and committee work plans at Council committee meetings and then those work plans working their way into the budget discussions. Only two Council committees met in 2013, so the list is primarily a list of Council Finance and Budget Committee priorities. The mayor proposed two alternatives to approving the resolution as written: adding this list to Attachment 3 under 2014 budget or splitting apart into a separate resolution those priorities that relate to the finance work plan. Motion. Michelle Sandoval moved to approve delaying passage of Resolution 13- 038 until a Council workshop or retreat in January where other priorities could be considered. Catharine Robinson seconded. Vote: motion carried unanimously, 7-0 by voice vote. PUBLIC HEARINGS (CONTINUED) Public Hearing Ordinance 3099, Adopting the Budget for the City of Port Townsend, Washington, for the Fiscal Year Ending December 31, 2014 Special Projects Assistant Bob Jean reviewed the budget goals from the Council workshop - maintain current service levels, meet capital improvement objectives, and rebuild reserves and contingency funds. He then reviewed changes from Budget II to III pertaining to the ending fund balance reserve and the fund summary. Mr. Timmons noted other goals to work on over the next year include restoring parks funding and establishing a program for streets. With some economic recovery, the City may need to look at land use policies as it affects economic growth and development pertaining to the Howard Street corridor. Staff responded to questions from Council about the 2013-2014 Budget III Updates Summary of List of Deferred Items. Discussion ensued about the impacts of the deferred items and the additional work to be done on setting priorities and securing funding. Other questions related to changes in revenues reflected in the fund summary and there was a request for explanation of the training and training travel budgets. Staff noted that at the next meeting there would be new budget summaries, line item supporting details, the budget message, and the appendix on in-kind services. The Budget in Brief would be finalized after the budget is approved. In a discussion about the full time equivalent staffing history, it was suggested that the comparison go back to the beginning of the recession in 2006. There was concern about meeting current demands, increasing Council committee work, or bringing about policy changes with the current staffing levels. It was City Council Business Meeting December 2, 2013 Page 3 of 6 noted that general fund monies were used to front load the library levy lid lift over a three year period which negatively impacted the general fund budget. Steve Oakford said he appreciated hearing the diverse viewpoints toward one budget goal. There was no other public comment. During Council deliberation, there was a desire to see the line item detail. A correction was made to Ordinance 3099 in the third whereas, it should state December 2 versus December 5. There was some concern about the General Fund ending fund balance reserves at 5.4% versus 6-8% in previous years. Mr. Jean explained that a big change over previous years is that the overhead cost, assuming all projects stay on schedule, allows for a 10 percent recovery. This year, the City is only budgeting 70% of the recovery rate. With the contingency, it is nearly 8.5%. The Council reserve allows for unanticipated expense. There was a suggestion to refer to community services "in-kind investments" rather than "in- kind contributions" and including up to $50,000 in the City budget for community service support. Another suggestion was to ensure that the budget message includes reference to the "Financial plan and five-year financial forecast model" and a review of the "travel and training budget." Motion: Catharine Robinson moved to approve first reading of Ordinance 3099, Adopting the Budget for the City of Port Townsend, Washington, for the Fiscal Year ending December 31, 2014 as amended. Mark Welch seconded. Vote: motion carried, 6-1 by voice vote, Robert Gray opposed. Public Hearing Ordinance 3100, Adopting 2013 Supplemental Budget Appropriations and Making Findings and Declaring an Emergency Mr. Timmons reviewed the supplemental budget changes largely to the general fund (development services were changed to address increase permit activity, drawing down reserves), but also adjustments in utility projects. Mr. Jean then talked about overhead cost recovery and noted that pool and facilities costs were off by $60,000. There was no public comment. Motion: Catharine Robinson moved to approve first reading of Ordinance 3100, adopting 2013 supplement budget appropriations and making findings and declaring an emergency. Michelle Sandoval seconded. Vote: motion carried unanimously, 7-0 by voice vote. UNFINISHED BUSINESS - NONE NEW BUSINESS Ordinance 3102 amending the Port Townsend Municipal Code Chapter 3.04 to Create a Separate Real Estate Excise Tax Fund, and to Close Out the 2008 and 2010 Bond Funds City Council Business Meeting December 2, 2013 Page 4 of 6 David Timmons explained that this ordinance establishes a separate fund to better track real estate excise tax revenues and expenditures. It also amends the' Port Townsend Municipal code to remove the requirement to deposit monies into the Capital Improvement Fund and sets forth state laws which form the basis of the existing tax. The ordinance also closed out 2008 and 2010 bond funds and transfers remaining funds to the Capital Improvement Fund. Motion: Kris Nelson moved to approve first reading of Ordinance 3102 Port Townsend Municipal Code Chapter 3.04 to Create a Separate Real Estate Excise Tax Fund, and to Close Out the 2008 and 2010 Bond Funds Robert Gray seconded. Vote: motion carried unanimously, 7-0 by voice vote. PRESIDING OFFICER REPORT David King reported upcoming meetings with state representatives Steve Tharinger and Derek Kilmer. CITY MANAGER REPORT Mr. Timmons reviewed a memo prepared to suggest a course of action on Mountain View. Public Services Director Rick Sepler then reviewed the process flowchart for a series of town forums to review the challenges at City facilities and specifically at Mountain View. The goal is to arrive at a "roadmap" for moving forward and securing a time and location within a week and then bringing forward a recommendation to Council. Council questions centered on how much time would be allotted to getting school and county participation. Councilmembers were concerned about the need to broaden the scope of the conversation to include County and school facilities. Suggestions were to locate at either the Community Center Gym or at Fort Worden Commons. There was support for employing the use of new technology for collecting public feedback. There was some concern about how to best to include other jurisdictions in the discussion considering the short timeframe and whether the City was the entity to organize a forum for all community facilities of concern. SUGGESTIONS FOR NEXT OR FUTURE AGENDA, REGULAR MEETING AND/OR STUDY SESSION COMMENTS FROM COUNCIL Ms. Sandoval reported on the Jefferson County Community Foundations' receipt of a grant which provides access to the community vitality index data for Washington from 2008 to 2012. Local agencies will have the ability to review the data and assess what arts does for the culture of the community. EXECUTIVE SESSION ADJOURN City Council Business Meeting December 2, 2013 Page 5 of 6 There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 9:25 pm. Attest: 33 Pamela Kolacy, MMC City Clerk City Council Business Meeting December 2, 2013 Page 6 of 6