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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes 08/15/2000 4265 CITY COUNCIL MEETING Port Angeles, Washington August 15, 2000 CALL TO ORDER - Mayor Doyle called the special meeting of the Port Angeles City Council to order at SPECIAL MEETING: 5:05 p.m. ROLL CALL: Members Present: Mayor Doyle, Councilmembers Campbell, Erickson, Hulett, McKeown, Wiggins, and Williams. Members Absent: None. Staff Present: Manager Quirm, Attorney Knutson, Clerk Upton, B. Collins, G. Cutler, D. McKeen, T. Riepe, and J. Hicks. Public Present: B. Uhrich, L. Beebe, J. Miller, B. J. Warren, P. Chinneth, G. Miller, L. Meyer, O. Brooks, J. Duyshart, K. Burgess, V. McFrederick, B. Thompson, C. Reid, P. Walker, A. Harmson, M. Hauff, K. Miller, C. Collins, H. Knettle, A. Collins, L. Kirk, H. Wilmot, L. Lee, J. Swedstedt, G. & B. Middleton, M. Otto, S. Powell, R. Martin, D. Dundon, M. Miller, T. O'Neill, D. Neupert, R. Warolin, D. Willcox, C. Steinman, D. Pollock, and B. & K. Miller. ADJOURN TO The special meeting was adjourned to Executive Session at 5':05 p.m. to discuss EXECUTIVE SESSION: potential litigation for one hour. ADJOURN SPECIAL The special meeting was adjoumed at 6:05 p.m. MEETING: CALL TO ORDER - Mayor Doyle called the regular meeting of the Port Angeles City Council to order at REGULAR MEETING: 6:08 p.m. PLEDGE OF The Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag was led by Mayor Doyle, followed by a moment ALLEGIANCE: of silence for Clallam County Sheriff's Deputy Wally Davis and former Councilman Larry Schueler. CEREMONIAL Louise Meyer extended an invitation to the Council to attend the Clallam County Fair, MATTERS/ which opens August 17, 2000. She presented the Mayor with a Fair t-shirt and'the PROCLAMATIONS: Councilmembers with Fair pins. Louise Meyer - Clallam County Fair Proclamation Recognizing Mayor Doyle presented Scott Brodhun, former Director of Parks & Recreation, a Scott Brodhun framed proclamation recognizing his contributions to the City from March 1, 1984, to August 1, 2000. WORK SESSION: City Council Goals: Mayor Doyle noted that, at the last Council meeting, the Council was presented with goals and objectives that had been reformatted into a policy-oriented City Council Goals document. The Council was asked to review the document for any changes or additions and to provide the City Manager with input as to the desired priorities. Manager Quinn indicated it would be acceptable if the Council wished to prioritize the goals at a future date; he offered to tabulate the Council's input so that staff could have a working document to use in preparation of the preliminary budget. -1- /,266 CITY COUNCIL MEETING August 15, 2000 WORK SESSION: Discussion followed on the need to prioritize, and Councilmembers offered suggestions (Cont'd) on certain priorities, such as making the 8th Street reconstruction a top priority. Manager Quinn responded that particular project is going out to bid, and construction City Council Goals should commence this fall. In addition, under the category of Economic Development, (Cont'd) it was suggested that a decision be made within six months on the matter of a Convention Center. Discussion was focused on the Ehnis Creek Estates property, and Mayor Doyle recommended the inclusion of language in the goals to the extent that as much surplus property as possible should be sold. A question was raised on the matter of extending the City's Zoning Code and Comprehensive Plan into the Urban Growth Area at the time of annexation. Director Collins offered clarification in that the established zoning in the area is the Comprehensive Plan designation. After further limited discussion, the Council agreed to provide the City Manager with input as to the goals and suggested priorities. LATE ITEMS TO BE None. PLACED ON THIS OR FUTURE AGENDA: FINANCE: 1. Travel Request - Jim Harper, IS Department - to series of classes for Oracle Certification Travel Request - Oracle Certification Mayor Doyle reviewed the information provided by the Department of Information Services. Manager Quinn indicated the City uses the Oracle Database software, and he has encouraged the certification training of this particular employee. Mayor Doyle expressed the hope that the employee would remain with the City for some period of time due to the City's investment in education. On another matter, Councilmember McKeown requested clarification from the City Manager as to the payout for Scott Brodhun's departure from City employment. Manager Quinn indicated Mr. Brodhun would not be seeking retirement benefits, as he would continue to be a PERS I employee under the State Retirement System by virtue of the fact he was employed by the Port Angeles School District. Further consideration was given to the travel request for Mr. Harper, and Councilman Wiggins moved to approve the travel costs for the Oracle course attendance in the total amount of $12,355. The motion was seconded by Councilmember McKeown and carried unanimously. Agreement with CH2M 2. Consultant Agreement with CH2M Hill for Water System Services' Hill for Water System Services Mayor Doyle reviewed the information from Public Works Director Cutler on the matter of a consultant agreement with CH2M Hill. Director Cutler informed the Council that a previous agreement with CH2M Hill encompassed services pertaining to the Rayonier mill closure, Elwha dam removal, water regulations, and other water rights issues. In order to ensure that ongoing services are provided to the City with regard to future water issues, Director Cutler recommended the City enter into a new agreement with CH2M Hill. The Scope of Services under the new agreement would include areas such as Elwha dam removal mitigation, GWI compliance assistance, Black Diamond improvements, the cover for the Peabody Heights Reservoir, an update of the Water System Plan, as well as other necessary, related services. Director Cutler noted the City has had a good working relationship with CH2M Hill, and the results have been very good. In the discussion that followed, Mayor Doyle was pleased there were so many in. attendance at this Council meeting, as he felt it important for the public to have a good understanding of the requirements placed on this utility. Councilman Wiggins inquired as to how much the City has burdened the water utility with outstanding loans, information that will be provided by Directors Cutler and Ziomkowski at a later date. Councilman Campbell indicated most of the issues identified are driven by Federal law, and the City has very little choice but to proceed with this plan. -2- CITY COUNCIL MEETlNG 4267 August 15, 2000 Agreement with CH2M Councilmember McKeown moved to enter into the agreement for professional Hill for Water System services with CH2M Hill, Inc., in an amount not to exceed $660,072, and authorize Services (Cont'd) the Mayor to sign the agreement. The motion was seconded by Councilman Campbell and carried unanimously. CONSENT AGENDA: In considering approval of the Consent Agenda, Councilman Wiggins indicated he would abstain from the vote on approving the Council minutes, as he was not in attendance. Also, Councilman Campbell indicated he would be abstaining from the vote on approving the August 3 Council minutes for the same reason. Councilman Williams referenced the second paragraph of Page 31 in thc Council packet, the City Council minutes of August 1, 2000, questioning whether the reference to Highland Courte in the second linc should actually read, Highland Commons. Planning Director Collins agreed this correction should be made. Reference was made to the checklist, and an inquiry was submitted with regard to a penalty paid on real estate taxes. Also, a question was asked about the payment to Retail Lockbox, as it was thought the City no longer conducted business with that company. An explanation from staff will be forthcoming. Councilman Hulett moved to accept the Consent Agenda, to include: l) City Council minutes of August 1, 2000, regular meeting and August 3, 2000, special meeting; and 2) Check list - August 9, 2000 - $928,123.08. The motion was seconded by Councilmember Erickson. A vote was taken on the motion, which carried 5 - 0, with Councilmembers Wiggins and Campbell abstaining as set forth above. CITY COUNCIL Councilmembers Hulett, Erickson, and McKeown had no committee reports to offer. COMMITTEE REPORTS: Councilman Campbell reported on his attendance at a Port Angeles Works! Committee meeting, at which time a report was submitted by DenRee Productions who is preparing for the E-nabled Visions Tour. Also at that meeting, discussion was held with regard to the business incubator concept, a matter which will receive further consideration at the next meeting of the committee scheduled for September 12. Councilman Campbell urged other Councilmembers to attend that meeting if they had an interest in the business incubator discussion. Councilman Wiggins advised the Council of his attendance at thc Mayors' meeting, during which the group discussed the possibility of jointly planning a tourism event in the fall of next year. Also, Councilman Wiggins reported on a recent meeting of the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee, at which time the Visitor & Convention Bureau reported on a 10% increase in lodging taxes. The allocation of lodging taxes will be forwarded to the Council at an upcoming meeting. Councilman Wiggins reported there is an Economic Development Council meeting this coming Thursday, 11:30 a.m., in the City Council Chambers. A timber supply report will be provided at the meeting. The search for a new Executive Director of the EDC is ongoing. Also, Councilmembers Wiggins and Campbell attended a meeting earlier in the day at the County where the Elwha dams were discussed, as well as the potential letter from thc County to Senator Gorton relative to thc removal of both dams in concert. Although the City has not taken a position on the matter, the Elwha Citizens Advisory Committee discussed the matter further. Also discussed was the idea of a timberland trade, which Councilman Wiggins indicated is still a possibility. Councilman Williams had no report. Mayor Doyle indicated a meeting had been set regarding renovation of the Carnegie Library. He felt it timely for the City Council to appoint a representative to this effort, and Conncilmember McKeown had expressed interest in being appointed. A meeting has been scheduled for August 31st to discuss the renovation, to include the City, County, School Dislrict, and Historical Society. By consensus, the Conncil was pleased to have Councilmember McKeown serve as the City's representatiye. -3- CITY COUNCIL MEETING /4268 August 15, 2000 ORDINANCES NOT Ordinances Not Requiring Public Hearings: None REQUIRING PUBLIC HEARINGS: RESOLUTIONS: Resolutions: None. OTHER 1. Household Hazardous Waste Amnesty Days Agreement CONSIDERATIONS: Mayor Doyle reviewed information submitted by Public Works & Utilities with regard Household Hazardous to the City's participation in the annual Household Hazardous Waste Amnesty Days, Waste Amnesty Days sponsored by the County Department of Environmental Health and the Department of Ecology. Councilman Campbell moved to authorize the Mayor to sign the agreement with Clailam County to provide a maximum of $7,500 toward the cost of the Household Hazardous Waste Amnesty Days event. The motion was seconded by Councilmember Erickson and carried unanimously. City Council Term Limits 2. City Council Term Limits Mayor Doyle referenced the memorandum from the City Clerk setting forth the results of the recent opinion survey conducted on the matter of City Council term limits. He noted that term limits were imposed in 1985 by the City Council in office at the time. There are 279 cities in Washington, and only three other cities have term limits as · restrictive as those in Port Angeles. One other city has term limits of three four-year terms. Also, Mayor Doyle indicated that most term limits for Congress and the like have been rejected. Councilman Wiggins wrote the article in support of eliminating term limits, but he felt the public had spoken in a strong way through this survey. He felt one could argue that respondents to a survey are usually those in opposition; however, he felt it obvious that the mood of the people was to retain term limits for the City Council, whether they opt to stay with two-term limits or three-term limits. Councilman Wiggins felt the points he made in his article were still valid, as the Council has a learning curve which is quite steep. By the time the Council members have a full grasp of the issues, they are in their second term, and their contribution may be somewhat limited because of the term limits. Councilmember McKeown disagreed with a newspaper article indicating that Council members had expressed the desire to run for a third term. On the contrary, she was unaware of any Council member having made such a statement. Further, she felt that the number of respondents was a rather low number, and she wondered if it was a fair representation of the people. Councilmember McKeown voiced her plan to still vote to be rid of term limits, as she preferred to implement term limits at the polls. Had a larger representation of the population spoken, she would be more inclined to vote in support of the majority opinion. Manager Quinn reminded the Council that the opinion surveys only allowed one response card per household, so it didn't equate with voting registration and the percentages should be viewed in that context. Councilman Campbell pointed out that, although this was likely a statistically valid return, about 70% of the households are at least arguably neutral on the issue of term limits. However, he felt the Council would have to live with the results and oppose the repeal of term limits. Mayor Doyle advised the Council that he had contacted the reporter at the Peninsula Daily News to inquire as to which Councilmembers had indicated a desire to run for a third term. The reporter was unable to identify any Councilmembers in that regard. Mayor Doyle noted that he had no present plan to run for a third term, and he was unaware of any other Councilmember intending to run for an additional term. Councilman Williams expressed opposition to term limits, as he felt the ballot box was the best place to institute term limits. However, he joined the City Council with the knowledge he would be limited to two terms. He referenced a study he conducted on the City's history with Council terms of office. He concluded that a majority of the Council had served for one or two terms. Up to the time term limits were instituted, only six had more than two terms. He further reviewed the results of his study. Councilman Williams acknowledged Councilman Wiggins' concerns in that the -4- CITY COUNCIL MEETING 6 2 6 9 August 15, 2000 City Council Term Limits complexity of government has become such that the City will be losing some influence (Cont'd) if the Council continues to rotate off state and national committees. He indicated he would support an effort to extend term limits to three terms if such a motion were to be introduced. Mayor Doyle felt it is obvious the ballot box is the place to institute term limits, as demonstrated by recent elections impacting the Port and the County. Councilman Wiggins moved to extend term limits to three terms. The motion was seconded by Councilman Campbell. Councilman Hulett was concerned with the intent of the motion, as this was not a stated option on the opinion survey. After further discussion, a vote was taken on the motion which carried by a majority vote, with Mayor Doyle and Councilmembers Wiggins, Williams, and Campbell voting in support of the motion and Councilmembers Erickson, McKeown, and Hulett voting in opposition. Request to Reconsider 3. Request to Reconsider Highland Courte Decision Highland Courte Decision Mayor Doyle indicated the Council had been in an Executive Session earlier, and he inquired of the City Attorney as to whether the Council needed to return to Executive Session. Attorney Knutson responded that an Executive Session would be appropriate, as litigation has been filed against the City and the Neighborhood Group related to the Highland Courte proposal. There has also been a lawsuit filed but not yet served against the City in Federal Court on the same proposal. ADJOURN TO The meeting adjourned to Executive Session in the City Council Caucus Room at 7:05 EXECUTIVE SESSION: p.m. to discuss litigation for approximately .qne-half hour. Attomey Knutson indicated that, if tho Executive Session needed to. bo'extended beyond the one-half hour, the audience would be so advise& At approximately 7:40 p.m., Manager Quinn returned to the Council Chambers to inform the audience that the Executive Session would be extended for an additional one-half hour. RETURN TO OPEN The.meeting returned to Open Session at 8:10 p.m. SESSION: Mayor Doyle indicated that he had previously stepped down from consideration of this issue, as he had a relative who has been party to the appeal. Also, Councilman Wiggins was not present to hear the original appeal. Therefore, Mayor Doyle and Councilman Wiggins departed from the Council Chambers, and Deputy Mayor McKeown proceeded to chair the meeting. Deputy Mayor McKeown indicated the matter under consideration was a request for the Council to reconsider its decision to grant the Neighborhood Group's appeal and deny the Conditional Use Permit for Highland Courte. She advised the Councilmembers there were two choices before them - to leave the decision as is or to rescind the decision. Councilman Hulett moved to rescind the decision of August 7. The motion was seconded by Councilman Campbell. Manager Quinn clarified that the decision was made August 1st and, later in the Council meeting, further clarification was offered in that the final decision was made on August 3. A vote was taken on the motion, which carried unanimously. Councilman Campbell moved to deny both appeals and direct staff to draft findings and conclusions in support of the motion. The motion was seconded by Councilman Hulett and carried unanimously. At this time, Mayor Doyle and Councilman Wiggins returned to the Council Chambers. PUBLIC HEARINGS - Public Hearings - Quasi-dudicial: None. QUASI-JUDICIAL: PUBLIC HEARINGS - Public Hearings - Other: None. - OTHER: -5- 4270 CITY COUNCIL MEETING August 15, 2000 INFORMATION: City Manager's Report: Manager Quinn informed the Council of his intent to assume the duties of Interim Director of Parks & Recreation. He discussed the selection process to be used in filling the position. Manager Quinn expressed the sense of gratification and appreciation to all City staff who assisted with the memorial service for Deputy Davis. Councilman Hulett asked for a status report on the Friendship Bridge. Manager Quinn has discussed the bridge with Christine Anderson from the Port, and an appeal will be pursued with the appropriate State departments. Councilmember McKeown asked Interim Police Chief Riepe if the City's police officers are responding to calls by themselves. Interim Chief Riepe responded that on occasion all law enforcement officers must respond to calls by themselves, but generally speaking Port Angeles officers typically have back-up, particularly on calls of domestic violence or other dangerous situations. On the matter of the Highland Courte decision this evening, Manager Quinn clarified that the City Council had made its f'mal decision at the August 3 special meeting. ADJOURN TO None. EXECUTIVE SESSION: ADJOURNMENT:The meeting was adjoumed at 8:25 p.m. B~cky J.'Up~: -6-