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PRHSPSC MINS 10-13-2009City of Federal Way City Council PARKS, RECREATION, HUMAN SERV ICES & PUBLIC SAFETY COUNCIL COMMITTEE Tuesday, October 13, 2009 5:30 p.m. SUMMARY Committee Members in Attendance: Committee Chair Jeanne Burbidge and Committee members Mike Park and Jim Ferrell Council Members in Attendance: Linda Kochmar Staff Members in Attendance: Interim City Manager, Brian Wilson, Amy Jo Pearsall, City Attorney, Interim Deputy Chief Neal, Interim Commander Stieben, Public Works & Park Director Cary Roe, Community Development Director Greg Fewins, Human Services Manager Lynnette Hynden, Parks and Facilities Manager Steve Ikerd, Parks Supervisor Tim Dickinson, Dumas Bay Centre Coordinator Rob Ettinger, and Mary Jaenicke, Administrative Assistant II. Guests: Fred Konkell, Chair Parks Commission, Susan Honda, Chair Arts Commission, H. David Kaplan, Citizen Chair Burbidge called the meeting to order at 5:34p.m. Commission Comments: Ms. Honda invited the City Council to attend the Arts Alive Reception on October 20 at 6:00pm. She stated that the Arts Commission has been working hard, and will be creating a face book page to increase communication. They are also working on a Public Arts Brochure. Mr. Konkell encouraged the Committee to approve option 1 for the playground replacement projects. He stated that although the poured in place fall protection is more expensive, it will increase longevity of the playground, cut down on maintenance and improve safety. APPROVAL OF SUMMARY Council member Park moved to approve the September meeting summary. Council member Ferrell seconded. Motion passed. BUSINESS ITEMS Playground Replacement - Alderdale Mr. Ikerd stated that staff worked with the Parks Commission and has identified five playgrounds that need to be replaced. They are moving forward to replace four playgrounds. They are recommending NW Playgrounds for Alderdale Park. Funding sources for the new playground will come from the CIP funds for playground replacement and area C mitigation improvement funds. Council member Ferrell moved to approve option #1 the request to purchase the playground system with poured in place fall protection from Northwest Playground Equipment, Inc. and authorize the Interim City Manager to execute an agreement for the supply and installation of a playground system for Alderdale Park in the amount of $97,312.00. Council member Park seconded. Motion passed. Playground Replacement – Steel Lake Annex, Sacajawea and Saghalie Parks Mr. Ikerd reported that staff is recommending Sitelines Park and Playground Products to replace the playground equipment at Sacajawea, Steel Lake Annex and Saghalie Park. Saghalie Park would receive the poured in place fall protection material, and Steel Lake Annex and Sacajawea Park will receive wood chips. Council member Parked to approve option #1 the request to purchase the playground system with poured in place fall protection from Sitelines Park and Playground Products and authorize the Interim City Manager to execute an agreement for the supply and installation of playground equipment for Steel Lake Annex, Sacajawea and Saghalie Parks in the amount of $130,339.00. Council member Ferrell seconded. Motion passed. PARKS, RECREATION, HUMAN SERVICES & PUBLIC SAFETY COUNCIL COMMITTEE Tuesday October 13, 2009 Summary Page 2 Purchase New Mower for West Hylebos Wetlands Park Mr. Ikerd stated that when the City received the West Hylebos Wetlands Park property they did not have the equipment to maintain the turf. They have been using a surplus mower from Celebration Park. The motor on that mower has failed. Parks maintenance staff has demoed mowers and solicited bids from manufacturers. They are recommending purchasing the Toro G3 mower from Western Equipment. The reserve balance from the mower being taken offline is $5,539.00 and there is $939.00 from excess reserve balance. The mower will be primarily used for the West Hylebos Park, but it could also be used at other sites. Council member Ferrell moved approval to accept the bid from Western Equipment and authorize the Interim City Manager to execute a purchase agreement for the Toro G3 mower in the amount of $6,477.13. Council member Park seconded. Motion passed. Second Amendment for Landscaping Services at Dumas Bay Centre Mr. Ettinger stated that when the contract with Trugreen Landcare was amended in November of 2006 there was a miscalculation in the compensation fee schedule, which resulted in a funding shortfall to complete the contract. He is requesting to increase the contract in the amount of $5,000.00. Council member Park stated that he would like to see more information in the packet. He wants to see the existing contract dollar amount. Mr. Ettinger reported that we have been paying Trugreen Landcare $16,000 annually. This contract will expire on November 30, 2009. Parks and Public Works Director Roe stated that we will be looking at options for 2010. We will either bid the contract again, or look at doing it in-house. Council Member Park moved to amend the amount of the contract for an additional $5,000.00 and authorize execution of the amendment. This contract will expire November 30, 2009. Council Member Park Seconded. Motion passed. Community Liaison Position Ms. Hynden is proposing a realignment of some Employee positions that she has in her division. The title would be Community Liaison. Ms. Hynden stated that she has been asked numerous times when is the City going to become a community that is more inclusive. Ms. Hynden has been doing research and looking at what inclusive means. How would this be a part of Federal Way? The underserved populations tend to have barriers, such as languages, culture, age and abilities. Having a community that supports inclusiveness will speak to all residents, not just a few. Creating an inclusive community would involve creating a language bank; this is something that has been needed and has been suggested from people in the community. Ms. Hynden stated that we can encourage dialogue and be inclusive by offering citizens feedback and enlist natural leaders in the community. Citizens would be on a panel and work together based on common interests. This is similar to what Auburn and Renton currently have. Ms. Hynden reviewed the demographics of Federal Way. Many of the cultures in the community groups that she works with want to build an inclusive community and be accessible to all. They want their unique barriers to be seen as strengths. Federal Way can formally become a City of Distinction via the National League of Cities. Ms. Hynden stated that the benefits far outweigh the impact of any one group in the city. The Korean and Spanish language services that we currently offer can be expanded in the language bank. The liaison would facilitate – they would not be a direct service provider. They would pull people together and facilitate action within the community. Interim City Manager Wilson stated that currently we have a .5fte Hispanic liaison and a .5 Korean liaison position. The Korean liaison position has recently become vacant, which is what prompted this discussion. This would be a change from where we have been, and we are looking for Council input on this recommendation. If Council decides to move forward in this direction then it will be added to the mid-biennium budget. Council member Park stated that the National League of Cities tried to implement this three years ago. There are a very significant number of Koreans and Hispanics in Federal Way, which is why the liaison positions were created. He believes that we will not be moving forward we will be taking a step backwards if we create a Community Liaison position. The level of service that we have been providing to the Korean and Hispanic population would decrease. Council member Ferrell stated that he agrees with Council member Park. Ms. Hynden stated that she has been getting requests for a Ukrainian liaison. There are more people that have barriers than two prominent languages. Ms. Hynden stated that we are not just looking at language barriers; we are looking at the elderly, developmentally delayed and baby boomers. Council member Burbidge is interested in this proposal but she is also concerned about the fact that we have had a system in place that has been providing services, and she does not want to make an abrupt change. She does not want a decrease in the level of service. Interim City Manager Wilson stated that instead of focusing on the Korean and Hispanic population, this position would be broader and it will be a different level of service to them. Council member Ferrell is concerned that by trying to spread out the services that we will diffuse the value of the services. Council member Kochmar stated that at some point we need to be able to provide services to all diverse groups. PARKS, RECREATION, HUMAN SERVICES & PUBLIC SAFETY COUNCIL COMMITTEE Tuesday October 13, 2009 Summary Page 3 Interim City Manager Wilson stated that currently there are two different models being applied. This Hispanic liaison position is operating more similar to the proposal that was presented today. It is different than how the services are being provided by the Korean liaison. He is recommending continuing with the program that we currently have. He said that staff will need to come up with options to address the needs of the diverse Community. Community in Schools and Human Services Division Memorandum of Understanding Ms. Hynden reported that for the past year and a half she has developed a good relationship with the Community In Schools non-profit group. She has been on their core team to build a database for the schools. The database is a resource of human service agencies that provide services in the City of Federal Way. The City will provide office space for the part-time Community In Schools employee. They will be able to exchange information about Human Services and keep the database up to date. The budgetary impact is very minor. We will provide office space, computer and a phone line. Human Services Challenge Grant Ms. Hynden stated that they are awarding the Challenge Grant to the Federal Way Senior Center. The City earmarked $10,000 for a Challenge Grant to challenge the community to support human services. The Federal Way Senior Center had an unanticipated budget shortfall from their operating budget due to the cuts and reduced funding from King County. This has impacted their ability to continue with their ICAN project. This project has been in the works for about two years. Council member Kochmar stated that the $10,000 was supposed to go to the food bank. Ms. Hynden stated that the response from Mayors month of concern provided the food bank enough food to get them through the holidays. Council member Kochmar stated that when the money was put in the budget, it was supposed to go to the food bank to challenge the community to donate, and this was supposed to occur in January 2010. Ms. Hynden stated that this money is in the 2009 budget. It is still budgeted as an ongoing item, and they can use the $10,000 in 2010. Ms. Hynden stated that she met with the Multi-Service Center, and she specifically asked them, and they stated that they could not take the money in 2009. There will be money for the food bank in 2010. Council member Park was excused from the meeting at 6:45pm. Public Comment H. David Kaplan is opposed to the City Of Federal Way having our own animal control. He stated that the City needs to pool resources, and license fees would have to pay for it. If people are going to own animals, then the pet owners need to pay for animal control. Animal Control Services Acting Commander John Stieben presented the information. Currently there are 39 cities in King County; 34 of those cities contract with King County for animal control services. The city entered into an Interlocal Agreement with King County in 1990. King County collects all of our pet licensing fees. We keep a very small part of that fee. Almost $275,000 was collected in 2008 for pet license fees. Federal way has approximately 47,000 pets; almost 20% of those are licensed. There are three areas that King County animal control (KCAC) is in charge of: licensing services, field service and shelter service. These are the elements that need to be considered when thinking about doing our own Animal Control. Based on the numbers provided by King County they responded to 991 calls in 2008. This is costing us approximately $185 per call. We have had a decrease in the number of calls for the past three years. A lot of those calls are informational calls. KCAC response times are measured in days because the agency is understaffed. Majority of their money goes to sheltering the animals and not field service. There has been a lot of discussion about what King County is going to do. On September 23, Acting Commander Stieben attended a work group meeting. Kurt Triplett, King County Executive did not say that King County was going to get out of animal control services or close shelters and put it all on the cities. Acting Commander Stieben stated that if we increase our licensing from the 19% range to the 25% percent range we could cover our own animal control in Federal Way. King County has said that they are closing their main shelter in Kent by November 1, 2009. The reason they are doing this is because of the Howard Hanson Dam, and the potential for flooding. King County has stated that the City of Federal Way costs them about $500,000. That is for the licensing fees, field service and shelter. The majority of the cost is for shelter. There are three options to consider: 1) Remain the status quo, assuming that King County keeps doing what they have been doing. 2) Enhanced service. City of Auburn is currently using this service and is satisfied. They have one full time employee from KCAC dedicated to their city. PARKS, RECREATION, HUMAN SERVICES & PUBLIC SAFETY COUNCIL COMMITTEE Tuesday October 13, 2009 Summary Page 4 3) Setup and operate our own animal control. Based on the estimates the startup cost would be $85,000. Acting Commander Stieben used the most expensive possible scenario when projecting what it would cost to maintain and operate our own animal control services. The projected cost to operate and maintain the animal control could cost $350,000 per year. The animal shelter is the biggest variable in the equation. The $350,000 a year includes a shelter contract. We would not run our own shelter. Another option to consider would be the SCORE model. This is a viable way to create an entire system that covers field operations and the shelter or just the shelter. It would be less expensive to do the whole thing on our own. If we decide to take this on ourselves, we have to increase our licensing fees, and increase the percentage of people licensing their pets. Acting Commander Stieben would like to see the city take over the field operations and let King County maintain the shelters. Council member Kochmar stated that she has met with Kurt Triplett, and that they are going to close the animal control facility. They are not going to build a new one because it will cost 1.3 million, and they do not have the money. They are most likely going to contract with the Humane Society of King County. The reason why the shelter costs so much is because over the years the King County Council would not euthanize the animals, they would adopt them out. This is a very big issue in the Seattle area. She stated our costs would be less, and we should be looking into the Pierce County Humane Society sheltering the animals, and having our own Animal Control Officers. Acting Commander Stieben stated that the King County Council has mandated that no more than 15% of the animals be euthanized. Interim City Manager Wilson stated that based on where we are today, we are moving towards either a partnership, or doing something by ourselves with a contract for shelter services. The field services would be brought in house. Council member Burbidge stated that these seem like reasonable recommendations, and going forward and doing additional evaluations makes sense. This will be put on a future Council agenda when they have more specifics. Interlocal Cooperative Agreement between Auburn, Federal Way, Kent, Renton, Tukwila and the Port of Seattle, for the Valley Narcotics Enforcement Team Acting Chief John Neal, reported that Valley Narcotics Enforcement Team provides a good service in our jurisdiction investigating and enforcing laws relating to controlled substances. There was no discussion. Council member Ferrell moved to approve option 1, accept the Interlocal Agency Agreement. Council member Burbidge seconded. Motion passed. Interlocal Agency Agreement with Seattle PD, WASPC (JAG) Grant, Gang Analyst Acting Chief John Neal stated that with this agreement the Federal Way Police Department will be eligible for monies for gang enforcement. There was no discussion. Council member Ferrell moved to approve option 1, accept the Interlocal Agency Agreement. Council member Burbidge seconded. Motion passed. King County RSO Grant Funding Cost Reimbursement Agreement Acting Chief John Neal stated that the RSO program provides for officers out of the CIS Unit to go out and verify addresses of registered sex offenders within our jurisdiction. The amount of funding is $92,700.46. There was no discussion. Council member Ferrell moved to approve option 1, accept the Grant. Council member Burbidge seconded. Motion passed. Pending Interim City Manager Wilson commented that the Lodging Tax Committee is starting to receive more interests for different events to come back to the City. There is interest in partnering with the City for some of the events. In the past we have dedicated lodging tax money to assist with those events. The economic downturn has decreased the amount of money in that fund. There will need to be some discussions on how to allocate those funds. NEXT MEETING December 8, 2009 5:30 p.m. in the Hylebos Conference Room ADJOURNMENT Meeting adjourned at 7:26 p.m.