Council MINS 01-07-2000 & 01-08-2000 Retreat
FEDERAL WAY CITY COUNCIL
Planning Retreat
7-8 January 2000
Ocean Shores, Washington
SUMMARY
of the Key Decisions and Agreements
The following is a summary of the key decisions and agreements of the
seven F ederal Way City Council members at their annual strategic planning
retreat, which this year occurred on January 7th and 8th in Ocean Shores,
Washington.
COUNCIL MEMBERS AGREE ON THE RETREAT'S GOALS
The Council members' three goals for this year's retreat were:
1. Reach agreement on the policy direction for issues of mutual interest among the
Council members.
2. Get a sense of the Council's philosophy and goals for the future.
3. Strengthen and/or build relationships among the Council members and between them
and the staff.
COUNCIL MEMBERS DEFINE THEIR INTERESTS IN THE COMING YEAR
Here are the primary interests of each Council member for 2000:
Dean McColgan
o Continue programs for youth, focusing on teens. Create partnerships with schools
and other organizations to help achieve this goal.
o Fiscal responsibility.
o Add park space-both passive and active-to the City's inventory.
FEDERAL WAY CITY COUNCIL PLANNING RETREAT
Summary of the Key Decisions and Agreements, page 2
Michael Hellickson
o Public safety: facility; more officers.
a Transportation: substantive improvements to traffic.
a Government accountability: public power; offset deficit of Knutsen Family Theatre;
public votes directly for Mayor.
Linda Kachmar
o Be responsive to citizens; reach out particularly to new people.
a Public safety.
o Capital facilities plan.
a Affordable housing.
o Codes.
o Traffic.
o Make government more entrepreneurial.
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Mary Gates
o Help people understand government better by speaking English rather than using
acronyms and other bureaucratic phrases and language.
o Capital facilities and financing plan.
o Catch up and progress on infrastructure.
a Human infrastructure: community policing.
o Address "revenue leakage:" is the City collecting all its revenues?
o Help citizens do for themselves.
Jeanne Burbidge
a Ensure the effective implementation of major endeavors.
o Continue to look for innovative ways to achieve goals.
o Continue improving communication with the public.
o Fiscal responsibility, including "revenue leakage."
Phil Watkins
o Law enforcement: police and municipal court facility.
o Growth management: update the Comp Plan; downtown development; transportation.
a Build confidence of citizens in local government, especially in meeting the demands
ofI-695.
Mike Park
o Capital facilities plan.
a Public safety.
o Entrepreneurial government: departments run more as a business with incentives for
saving and creating efficiencies; improve cooperation among departments.
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FEDERAL WAY CITY COUNCIL PLANNJNG RETREAT
Summary of the Key Decisions and Agreements, Page 3
COUNCIL AGREES ON A FRAMEWORK FOR ADDRESSING INITIATIVE 695
The Council members agreed on key interests to be attained as the City addresses
Initiative 695. They also agreed on a framework for involving citizens in the tough
choices that will be made to meet the spirit and intent ofI-95.
The interests the Council agreed on are:
Don't punish the public for having voted for 1-695 by cutting necessary services.
Objectively prioritize functions through structural/functional analysis, which may
include tools such as cost-benefit analysis, zero-base budgeting, performance audits.
Create efficiencies by combining similar tasks and work, including across
departments.
Use intergovernmental partnerships to achieve savings.
IdentifY ways to generate additional revenues as well as cost-cutting measures.
Invest in human and capital infrastructure to stimulate economic opportunities, thus
helping maintain the community's value and quality of life.
Consider which programs benefit the most people.
Consider services that only City government can provide.
In addition to these interests, the Council agreed that the following principles should be
considered in making decisions that help implement the initiative, although they agreed
that these principles need more clarification and refinement:
1. Protection: life and safety
2. Enforcement: codes and regulations
3. Maintenance: facility and infrastructure
4. Mandates: legal and contractual obligations
Finally, the Council members reached consensus that the City should use the following
tools and techniquesfor involving the public in making decisions that implement 1-695:
1. A Citizen Advisory Committee, provided that it is given: a specifically defined
mission; clearly delineated roles, responsibilities and authority; and a timeline for
achieving its mission. The Committee should be broad-based, drawing expertise
from many interests around the community. One of its purposes should be to educate
and build support among the citizens to discuss City financial restrictions and
efficiencies.
2. Public forums at which citizens not on the advisory committee are able to provide
their recommendations.
FEDERAL WAY CITY COUNCIL PLANNING RETREAT
Summary of the Key Decisions and Agreements, Page 4
3. Non-traditional public involvement processes, such as focus groups, polling and
surveys. These efforts should still be focused so that they produce tangible results
upon which the Council can then base its decisions.
Council directed staff to recommend a more detailed proposal that includes these
strategies and techniques at the Council's first meeting in February.
COUNCIL BRAINSTORMS A "DYNAMIC" LIST OF WAYS TO MAKE CITY
GOVERNMENT MORE ENTREPRENEURIAL
As part of the City's response to Initiative 695, the Council members agreed City
government must examine new ways of doing business. There is the expectation among
the Council that by being more entrepreneurial, the City will save resources and generate
new ones.
The following is an initial brainstormed list of opportunities for entrepreneurship. It is
not a complete list, as more ideas will be generated throughout the year by Council
members, staff and citizens. It is also clustered around those ideas that could be
implemented soon (short-term) versus those that may be implemented in the future (long-
term), and those ideas which save revenue versus those savers which could generate it.
Council members directed staff to further develop a few of these ideas as initiatives for
Year 2000 and to bring back to them the proposals.
In the short-term to create savings:
1. Combine payroll with such organizations as the School District, Lakehaven Water
and Sewer District and the Fire District.
2. Use the internet and web-based commerce to collect fees.
3. Have more eyes on the community by expanding "safety" vehicles to include solid
waste vehicles and school buses.
4. Partner with "safe businesses" to serve the needs of "latch key" kids.
5. Provide incentives for department managers and their staff people to save money and
create efficiencies.
6. Share work with other cities, such as producing ordinances and joining together on
litigation.
7. Create public safety "work crews."
FEDERAL WAY CITY COUNCIL PLANNING RETREAT
Summary of the Key Decisions and Agreements, page 5
In the shoTt-term to generate revenues:
1. Knutsen Theatre and Dumas Bay Center: privatize? Market cable opportunities.
2. Use web-based commerce to market City facilities.
3. Site lease agreements.
4. Organize sports tournaments.
5. Sell advertising at city facilities such as park benches and bus stops.
6. Share work with other cities.
In the long-term to create savings:
1. Create a public power utility.
2. Share work with other cities.
3. Public safety: police reserves.
In the long-term to generaJe revenues:
I. Create a public power utility.
2. Develop software programs for external customers.
3. Attract .interriational governments and businesses to Federal Way through internet-
based educational programs. Would include installing fiber networks in downtown.
4. Build an ice arena.
5. Turn.parks into revenue generators.
6. Create a "fiber network business center" east of Interstate 5.
7. Explore business opportunities, such as a driving range or City cemetery.
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COUNCIL AGREES ON DIRECTION FOR THE CONTINUED DEVELOPMENT OF
DOWNTOWN
The Council endorsed the strategies found in Section 9 of the City Center discussion
paper to guide the development of downtown for the next 5 years. The two that were
discussed in most detail, and are expected to be addressed when the City updates its
Comprehensive Plan, were:
1. Explore performing a Planned SEPA for the downtown "core."
2. Examine potential incentives for downtown development, including establishing
height limits outright for both commercial and residential uses.
The Council members also agreed that the City should market itself better, emphasizing
the City's efficient permitting processes, healthy business climate and positive
government-business relationships.
FEDERAL WAY CITY COUNCIL PLANNING RETREAT
Summary of the Key Decisions and Agreements, page 6
COUNCIL AUTHORIZES STAFF TO ASSESS PUBLIC SAFETY OPTIONS
Council members reviewed and discussed options for the future headquarters of the
City's police department and municipal court. They reached consensus that staff should
conduct a preliminary assessment of the advantages and disadvantages of four options,
including issues of location, and report to them in approximately three months. At that
time the Council will determine if any option should be dropped before a consultant is
hired to conduct a more detailed assessment of the options, their costs and strategies for
implementing them.
The four options to be analyzed are:
1. A municipal complex housing the police department, municipal court and City Hall.
2. One building housing the police department and municipal court and
a separate building for City Hall.
3. Separate buildings for the police department, municipal court and City Hall.
4. An "expandable" police department building that upon its opening would
not include City Hall but could be enlarged to house it at a later date.
As part of this assessment, it is expected that there will be some analysis of the
advantages and disadvantages of remodeling existing buildings and constructing new
ones.
There was also consensus among Council members for the City to build a coalition of
cities to convince the Washington State Legislature in this year's session to make
changes to the "design-build" law to enable a city of Federal Way's size to take
advantage of the law's provisions.
COUNCIL AGREES TO WAIT FOR FINDINGS FROM OTHER CITIES
REGARDING CREATING A PUBLIC POWER UTILITY
The Council discussed creating a public power utility and decided to wait for six to
twelve months to see what emerges from the experience of the City of Lakewood. Also,
it was agreed that the report from the City of Olympia may be useful, so copies of that
report will be obtained for Council members to read.
FEDERAL WAY CITY COUNCIL PLANNING RETREAT
Summary of the Key Decisions and Agreements, page 7
COUNCIL REACHES CONSENSUS ON PRINCIPLES TO GUIDE CAPITAL
FACILITIES PLANNING
At the start of the retreat's second day, Council members reached consensus on key
principles to guide the City's capital facilities planning. Upon reviewing these principles,
they also agreed that they want capital facilities planning to be a distinct part of the City's
budgeting process and want that planning to be conducted early enough to allow for part
of the budget to be dedicated for capital facilities. The principles the Council agreed on
include:
1. Implement the Plan
If the City is going to develop a capital facilities plan, it must commit to
implementing it, rather than succumbing to "impulse buying" in which the City
diverts resources to projects not on the CIP list.
2. Be Flexible to Take Advantage of Grants
Some flexibility is needed when implementing the capital facilities plan to be able to
take advantage of federal and/or state grants. If a grant were available that would
ensure the construction of a project third or fifth on the list, the City should be able to
move it up in priority.
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3. Create a Dedicated Capital Fund Source
Annually set aside money to construct capital facilities, whether for the coming year
or a later date.
4. Create a Dedicated Fund to Match Grants
Set aside funds to contribute as the City's share of the cost of building capital
facilities that will be primarily funded by federal or state grants.
5. Merge the Capital Facilities Funding and Budget Processes
As part of the biennial budget process, plan specifically for the funding of capital
facilities. Therefore, as mentioned above, create a dedicated capital fund. This will
require early planning to ensure that capital projects are anticipated and prioritized in
relation to the City's other needs and interests.
6. Provide Flexibility to Take Advantage of Unanticipated Opportunities
Provide sufficient flexibility in the funding of capital facilities to take advantage of
unanticipated opportunities that may not be reflected in the eIP list.
FEDERAL WAY CITY COUNCIL PLANNING RETREAT
Summary of the Key Decisions and Agreements, page 8
COUNCIL REACHES CONSENSUS ON "MISCELLANEOUS" ISSUES
As the final business of the retreat, Council members reached consensus on the direction
to staff for some miscellaneous issues. They agreed that:
National Little League Ballfield
Council members agreed that the City and National Little League may have a mutual
interest in ensuring that the League's players are guaranteed the same playing time as in
the past. The City has previously honored "historical" schedules when it assumed
responsibility for a recreational facility. But the Council agreed the City cannot provide
National Little League with "exclusive" use of the ballpark during any time of the year.
Council members also agreed they cannot commit to a certain schedule for improving the
field or to specific improvements.
In the long-term, the Council is interested in determining whether or not the acquisition
of National Little League's field is a higher priority than acquiring and/or improving
other neighborhood parks, and in identifying the capital and annual maintenance costs of
the facility before taking control of it.
Boards and Commissions
The Council reached consensus that service on the City's various boards and
commissions should be made consistent. To achieve this, the Council agreed to repeal
the limit on the number of terms which Parks and Recreation Commission members may
serve. They directed staff to draft the ordinance that will implement this direction.
"Sister City" Program
The discussion focused on one trip to be taken later this summer to Federal Way's two
"sister cities," one of which is in Japan, the other in Korea. Council members agreed to
have the staff bring back a detailed proposal of the trip's costs and strategies to increase
private investment in the "sister city" program.
Tenth Anniversary Celebration
The decision was made to preserve February 25th as Volunteer Recognition Day and to
kick-off the City's commemoration of its tenth anniversary on February 28th with an open
house at City Hall. Council members agreed that former Mayors, Council members and
Board and Commission members should be invited to this event. They also agreed that
various events throughout the year should be used to acknowledge and/or commemorate
Federal Way's tenth anniversary.
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FEDERAL WAY CITY COUNCIL PLANNING RETREAT
Summary of the Key Decisions and Agreements, page 9
Council Compensation
The Council agreed to defer discussion of this issue for another six to twelve months.
Council Communication
While not a formal consensus, there was recognition that email should be used only to
communicate factual information between Council members. To communicate policy
positions or conduct any kind of negotiation between Council members, personal
meetings or the telephone are preferred methods for communicating.