Council MIN 03-25-1992 Special
city council
Study Session
February 25, 1992
1.
CALL MEETING TO ORDER
A Federal Way Study Session was called to order by Mayor Bob Stead,
at the hour of 6:05 p.m., in Council Chambers, Federal Way City
Hall, 33530 First Way South, Federal Way, Washington, on the 25th
day of February, 1992. Councilmembers present: Deputy Mayor Joel
Marks, Ray Tomlinson, Mary Gates, Ron Gintz, Lynn Templeton and
Skip Priest. Staff present: J. Brent McFall, City Manager, and
Maureen Swaney, City Clerk.
ll.
STATE OF THE CITY REPORT
Mayor Stead handed over the gavel to Deputy Mayor Marks and gave
his State of the city address to the City Council. A copy is
attached hereto as Exhibit "A" and made a part of these minutes.
lli.
LONG RANGE FIRE DISTRICT PROTECTION PLAN REPORT
Larry Springer and Paul Quarterman, Long Range Planning, reviewed
the Long Range Fire District Protection Plan for the Council. King
County Fire District #39 representatives were present to answer
questions.
This item will be on the March 3, 1992 agenda for action.
IV.
FIRE DISTRICT DE-ANNEXATION
Mr. McFall told the Council they needed to decide if staff should
study and analyze this issue and whether to include the Fire
District in the review. The Council agreed to refer this issue to
the Council's Contract Sub-Committee and request input by the Fire
District.
The meeting recessed at 7:25 p.m. and reconvened at 7:45 p.m.
v.
AIRPORT EXPANSION
Mr. McFall announced that the puget Sound Regional Council has
scheduled a hearing, in Federal Way, on the airport expansion
issue. This hearing is tentatively set for March 12, 1992.
VI.
KING COUNTY ROAD MAINTENANCE CONTRACT STATUS
REPORT
Phillip Keightley, Public Works Director, reviewed the status of
ORIGINAL
study Session
February 25, 1992
page Two
the King County road maintenance contract. The Council requested
additional information and will review this contract on March 10,
1992, and decide on March 17, 1992 whether or not to renew the
agreement.
Vll.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
The Council agreed with Mayor Stead's suggestion that at the end of
each Regular Session, they review upcoming agenda items which are
scheduled for meetings within the next 30 days.
In response to a question from Councilmember Tomlinson, the Council
will receive copies of all Parks Commission applications; the Mayor
and Deputy Mayor will recommend an appointment process at the March
3,1992 meeting.
Mayor Stead reminded the audience and Councilmembers of a Special
Session, to be held Monday, March 2,1992, at 7:00 p.m.
The Council reaffirmed their suggestion from the recent retreat, to
have quarterly Council meetings outside of city Hall but within
various areas of the community.
Mayor Stead reminded the Council of the city's 2nd Year Open House,
on Thursday, February 27,1992, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Vlli.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting adjourned at 8:40 p.m.
State of the City Address
Mayor Bob Stead
February 25, 1992
Fellow Councilmembers, City staff, and citizens of Federal Way, 1 am very pleased to have the
opportunity to stand before you tonight on the eve of the second anniversary of our cityhood to
report on the progress we have made and to outline for you some of the challenges that face us.
Our first full year of incorporation, 1991, was filled with accomplishment and promise. We
acquired over 100 acres of park land. This includes property adjacent to a school site, which
will be developed jointly with the school district as a shared use facility. We dedicated a newly
redeveloped neighborhood park, Coronado Park, that is now heavily used by neighborhood
children and families. 1991 also marked the beginning of the city's recreation program, as we
took on this responsibility from King County in September. Other activities in Parks included
capital improvements such as tennis court lighting, irrigation systems, and parking lot
improvements.
Public safety was enhanced through several actions taken. The City's contract for police service
with King County was renegotiated in a manner that allows Federal Way to determine the
appropriate level of police service for our community. As a result of this renegotiation, we were
able to add three commissioned police officers to the service as well as two community service
officers and one clerical position. The City also opened its first police substation in the Westway
Community Center. This is an important step in reaching out to the community and bringing
law enforcement services closer to our citizens. Significantly, Federal Way led the way for the
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entire state in taking a strong stand on drunk driving. The City Council adopted the toughest
drunk driving law in the state of Washington, and we have successfully defended challenges to
this legislation.
Human services is another area where significant progress has been made. The City, on the
recommendation of its Human Services Commission, has entered into contracts with human
service agencies to provide much needed services to our citizens. Federal Way is expending
approximately 2.5% of its general fund on contracts for human services. Also in 1991, we
began the fIrSt phase of our Community Development Block Grant program which has provided
additional funding for human services agencies as well as funding for a housing rehabilitation
program that will result in the fixing of some 14 or more low-income homes. The Westway
Community Center was also rehabilitated using CDBG funds.
In Public Works we have done a number of things to improve the city's infrastructure. Traffic
signal improvements have been accomplished at several intersections throughout the community,
thereby helping traffic flow. Additionally, maintenance of our street system has improved. In
1991 we undertook the first step of what will be an ongoing program of asphalt overlay and
pavement maintenance to enhance street surfaces and prolong the life of these valuable assets.
Community development, one of the first programs on which the City embarked, continued to
be an area of special concern. This past year saw the beginnings of a true partnership with the
community as we began the process of doing a downtown plan that will ultimately give us
direction and policies that will shape the destiny of our community. As a part of this process,
we have begun reviewing the city's codes to determine their workability and amending those to
which we determine adjustments are necessary. Compliance with the state growth management
legislation continues to be a major effort as we work toward adoption of a comprehensive plan
and implementing policies that will meet the requirements of the law and this city. This effort
will continue through 1994. Meanwhile, new construction and permit issuance continues with
no sign of slowdown. Permit values in 1991 totaled $44,180,467, while our population grew
by 5% to 70,660.
In administration and finance we have made significant progress. The City's minority work
force now makes up 11 % of the total staff. This has been accomplished through aggressive
recruiting, which has helped us attract one of the most capable municipal work forces in the
region. The City's financial condition continues to be strong. The ending fund balance in the
general fund at December 31,1991 was $1,703,954, or 11.4% of budgeted revenue. This does
not include an additional $2 million that was transferred into a strategic reserve fund at year end
as a hedge against unfavorable revenue performance in future years.
This remarkable
achievement has been accomplished while maintaining a tax rate lower than that paid by property
owners in the unincorporated parts of King County.
Now, please allow me to address some of the major issue that I see facing Federal Way in this
coming year. First is the matter of regional issues. Federal Way must be active in the region
on such issues as high capacity transit, establishment of urban growth boundaries,
implementation of county-wide growth policies in compliance with the growth management act,
and more. We must work with neighboring jurisdictions to deal with transportation problems
and land use issues. We exist in a metropolitan region that demands our participation. The
problems we face do not respect city limit lines, and only through statesman-like efforts will we
find solutions.
We must define our services. Determining what we want to be in terms of recreation programs,
surface water management, and public works will be essential to our long-term success. We
must develop a strategic plan for implementation of our City Improvement Plan, which outlines
the various funding options available to us and details how we will approach the significant and
costly job of catching up with community needs for facilities.
Finally, we must move ahead on the development of our comprehensive plan and transportation
plan, as these two important plans will shape our future.
Working with citizens, our
coordinating committee, and staff, we must pull together a economically viable, plan based upon
achievable reality, that will guide the transformation of Federal Way into a city of the future.
I expect to stand here next year at this time and report the completion of many of these goals.
Thank you all for your continuing efforts in support of Federal Way. Working together there
is little that we cannot accomplish. We are only limited by our imagination and creativity. I
look ahead to a productive year in service to our community.