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PRHSPSC MINS 08-14-2018City of Federal Way City Council PARKS RECREATION HUMAN SERVICES & PUBLIC SAFETY COUNCIL COMMITTEE Tuesday August 14, 2018 5:00 p.m. SUMMARY Committee Members in Attendance: Chair Johnson, and Committee member and Moore. Committee member Koppang attended via phone. Staff Members in Attendance: Eric Rhoades, Assistant City Attorney, Chief Andy Hwang, Steve Ikerd, Parks Deputy Director, Yarden Weidenfeld, Senior Policy Advisor, Cody Geddes, Recreation Manager, David Schmidt, Senior Services Coordinator, and Mary Jaenicke, Administrative Assistant II. Guests: None Chair Johnson called the meeting to order at 5:00pm Commission Comment: None Public Comment: Public comment was given later in the meeting. BUSINESS ITEMS Approval of Minutes Committee member Koppang motioned to approve the July 10, 2018 minutes as written. Committee member Moore seconded. Motion passed. King County Veterans, Seniors and Human Services Levy Mr. Schmidt reported that they applied for the grant in May, and were awarded $130,000. The grant will be used for the congregate meal program, marketing and repairs to the kitchen, senior lounge and the community room. Committee member Moore moved to forward option 1 to the September 4, 2018 consent agenda for approval. Committee member Koppang seconded. Motion passed. King County Rezistered Sex Offender Cost Reimbursement Agreement Chief Hwang reported that this is a continuing annual grant. The amount of the grant is $23,578.44 and the funding will be used for reimbursement of overtime expenses incurred while verifying current addresses and residencies for registered sex offenders in Federal Way. There are three classified levels of offenders. Level one offenders are least likely to reoffend, and are checked once a year, level two offenders are visited every six months and level three offenders are visited on a quarterly basis. Committee member Koppang moved to forward the RSO Overtime Cost Reimbursement Agreement between the Federal Way Police Department and the King County Sheriffs Office to the September 4, 2018 Council consent agenda for approval. COUNCIL DISCUSSION ON EMERGING ISSUES Update on Homelessness Task Force Mr. Weidenfeld provided an update on the Homelessness Task Force meetings. The Task Force is divided up into four Task Groups and a quasi -management team. The management team meets one week before the meeting, and then they float around to each Task Group during the regular meeting. Mr. Weidenfeld reviewed his minutes from the July 11 and July 25 meetings. Task Group 1 is looking at the state of the homelessness in Federal Way. This includes data on numbers and demographics of homelessness. They will conduct surveys and speak with people that are experiencing homelessness in Federal Way. What has caused people to become homeless and what are the barriers they are facing. They are also creating questions for providers and for homeless people and focus group questions for the K:\PRHSPS Committee\20t8\08-14-2018 Mins.doc 3 PARKS, RECREATION, HUMAN SERVICES & PUBLIC SAFETY COUNCIL COMMITTEE Tuesday, August 14, 2018 Summary Page 2 homeless. Their goal is to have this done by September 5, and administer the surveys and focus group questions by October 5"'. The information received will be compiled and reviewed, and a draft report will be created by October 24. Task Group 2 deals with resources and services with a focus on how people are dealing with homelessness, housing and day services. They are looking at what's available, and where the gaps are. Is there a duplication of services? How accessible are the services, and what population is served. Task Group 3 is looking at the effects of homelessness on other people in the community. They are looking at quality of life, public health and safety. They are looking at ways to alleviate this and what kind of environmental concerns are raised by homelessness. What ways can Police and Code Compliance alleviate the effects. What new state laws and ordinances might be needed? They are also looking at what other communities are doing. Task Group 4 is looking at other services that help people who are experiencing homelessness but are not geared directly towards homelessness. They are looking at the availability of workforce development, healthcare, domestic violence services, legal resources, foodbanks etc. At the July 25 meeting there was a presentation from Battlefield Addiction. It's a three year old organization, -and their main facility is olose to City Hall and they also havetwosober living facilities in Federal Way. They say that they're the first organization that has made treatment a family oriented issue. At the August 8 they discussed the data collected on the one -night -count. The data was separated out by City. Committee member Moore stated that he is interested in the panhandling issue. He feels it's gotten worse in Federal Way, and would like to discuss signs regarding panhandling placed at different locations in Federal Way. He would also like an update on the Task Force at a future City Council meeting. Chair Johnson requested to have the report or a subjugated component of the report prior to November 21, which is when the Council will be making a lot of budget decisions. Mr. Weidenfeld will follow up with the Mayor. Committee member Moore would like to discuss the Albuquerque project. Mr. Weidenfeld replied that he had an intern review this program, and there are a lot of logistical hurdles to the program. The consensus was that it would have to be done by an outside agency, and there would be a cost, and there would still need to be a City staff person managing the program. Both the Parks and Public Works department do not have enough staff to manage the program. Committee member Moore asked when the public would be engaged in these conversations. Mr. Weidenfeld answered that when the report goes to the Council it will become a public discussion. Chair Johnson stressed the importance of getting a report prior to budget decisions being made. There was discussion on the current ordinance and that it prohibits aggressive panhandling in Federal Way. There is a very fine line on what is harassment; you cannot prohibit someone from asking a person for money. Chair Johnson allowed members of the public to ask questions at this time. Dennis Lamont Styles commented on panhandling. He stated that there is an issue with arresting panhandlers and then having to provide a bed for them. He also stated that having the report out prior to the budget being approved should be a priority. 4 PARKS, RECREATION, HUMAN SERVICES & PUBLIC SAFETY COUNCIL COMMITTEE Tuesday, August 14, 2018 Summary Page 3 Mr. Ikerd asked if there had been any considerations of the actual costs of cleaning up the homeless encampments when the budget is discussed. Mr. Ikerd stated that both Parks and Public Works have cleaned up encampments on City property; it takes time and resources and there is not a line item for this in the budget. NEXT REGULAR MEETING September 11, 2018 ADJOURNMENT Meeting adjourned at 5:47p.m.