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11-22-16 MinutesYELM CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2016 MINUTES Mayor Foster called the meeting to order at 6:00 pm. 2. Roll Call Present: Jennifer Littlefield, Tad Stillwell, Tracey Wood, Joe DePinto and Russ Hendrickson. Councilmember EJ Curry will join the meeting by phone after the Executive Session. 16-136 MOTION BY JENNIFER LITTLEFIELD EXCUSING COUNCILMEMBER MOLLY CARMODY FROM THE MEETING. SECONDED BY RUSS HENDRICKSON. MOTION CARRIED. 3. Agenda Approval 16-137 MOTION BY JENNIFER LITTLEFIED TO REMOVE 9. a. CONTRACT FOR SERVICES-YELM COMMUNITY SERVICES TO THE DECEMBER 13, 2016 MEETING. SECONDED BY TRACEY WOOD. Councilmember DePinto asked why the item was postponed. Councilmember Littlefield explained that some members of the Council had additional questions. Councilmember Wood stated there were further question on the funding and the existing programs. MOTION CARRIED. 16-138 MOTION BY TRACEY WOOD TO APPROVED THE AMENDED AGENDA. SECONDED BY RUSS HENRICKSON. MOTION CARRIED. 4.. Special Presentations — 5. Public Comment - Michael Anderson, updated the Council on the new formed Yelm Special Needs PTA group stating that the group is in the final phase of getting established and have had their charter meeting. The group will meet at the New Life Christian Center on Morris Road on December 15, at 7 pm. At the initial charter meeting, they will establish nominations and vote for new officers. They will also vote for their base line standard rules that will mimic the state rules and select committees. The committees will be made up of individuals from different schools in Thurston County. Annual membership dues will be $10-$11. Mr. Anderson encouraged all parents, grandparents, students, school staff and community members. Councilmember DePinto thanked Mr. Anderson for coming out and explaining the membership and stated he will be attending the meeting. Councilmember Littlefield asked if the PTA will be an advocacy role or do they plan on running programs. Mr. Anderson stated the group will be both. The goal of the group is to get special needs students included and not excluded into programs and functions. At 6:11 Mayor Foster announced that Council will go into 15 minute Executive Session for the purpose of discussing the proposals made in collective bargaining negotiating sessions for the AFSCME group RCW 42.30.140(4)(a)(b). At 6:26 pm, Mayor Foster reconvened the meeting. Councilmember EJ Curry joined the meeting via phone at 6:26 pm. 11-22-16 6. Consent Agenda Minutes - Regular Meeting November 8, 2016 Payables - Checks #67977 - #68046 Totaling $180,186.27 YCP, Annual Christmas in the Park, December 2-3, 2016, Open to the Public. 16-139 MOTION BY RUSS HENDRICKSON APPROVING THE CONSENT AGENDA AS PRESENTED. SECONDED BY TRACEY WOOD. MOTION CARRIED. 7. Public Hearing - Ordinance No. 1016, 2017 Budget Receiving no additional comments from the public, Mayor Foster closed the Public Hearing at 6:28. 8. New Business - a. Ordinance No. 1016, 2017 Budget Finance Director Noah Crocker stated that the 2017 Budget was presented to Council on October 26, 2016. On November 8, Council held the first public hearing on the budget. An update was presented to Council at the Study Session on November 16. Mayor Foster and staff presented a $7.390 million dollar balanced budget. It is a moderately aggressive approach to revenue projections ($5.190 million), as well as a thorough analysis of planned expenditures. It maintains current programs, contracts and levels of service provided to the community. Highlights of the 2017 Budget include: fills necessary staffing positions in City Hall, Public Works and the Police Department; replaces failing equipment and adds needed equipment; SR507 Sidewalk Project; AC water line replacement projects; Cochrane Park Control System and SCADA repairs; Spray Park; completion of the Sewer Capital Facilities Plan and the completion of the Water Comprehensive Plan. 16-140 MOTION BY TRACEY WOOD TO ADOPT ORDINANCE NO 1016 APPROVING THE 2017 BUDGET FOR THE CITY OF YELM. SECONDED BY RUSS HENDRICKSON. Mayor Foster read Councilmember Carmody's letter in support of adopting the 2017 Budget (attached). Discussion followed. Mayor called for the vote: 5 -AYE, 1 -NYE (DEPINTO). Mayor Foster asked Councilmember DePinto why he voted no on the budget. Councilmember DePinto declined to comment at this time. b. Washington State Council of County and City Employees, Council 2, AFSCME Union Contract November 22, 2016 -December 31, 2018 Mayor Foster stated the previously non -represented City of Yelm employees, moved to organize and seek union representation to better negotiate wages and working conditions. The negotiations for the first contract started earlier in the year with Mayor Harding and continued with Interim City Administrator Bill Brandon. Final negotiations were completed by Mayor Foster with assistance from our legal representative, Peter Altman. The union membership has agreed to this contract and the 2017 Budget has been amended to reflect changes made to compensation. 16-141 MOTION BY TRACEY WOOD AUTHORIZING MAYOR FOSTER TO SIGN THE CONTRACT WITH THE EMPLOYEES REPRESENTED BY THE AMERICAN 11-22-16 FEDERATION OF STATE, COUNTY AND MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEES (AFSCME). SECONDED BY JOE DEPINTO. MOTION CARRIED. C. Appointment of City Administrator Mayor Foster stated there were three very qualified candidates that were interviewed last Wednesday. Mayor Foster thanked everyone for their work and time spent vetting the candidates. Michael Grayum accepted the position as City Administrator and will start December 15 as a soft start and then full time on January 3, 2017. 16-142 MOTION BY JENNIFER LITTLEFIELD TO APPROVE THE MAYOR'S APPOINTMENT OF MICHAEL GRAYUM TO THE CITY ADMINISTRATOR POSITION. SECONDED BY TRACEY WOOD. MOTION CARRIED. Councilmember DePinto stated that Michael Grayum is very qualified and is happy that he was chosen for the position. Michael Grayum will be attending the December 13, 2016 Council meeting where he will be introduced to Council. d. Joint Defense Agreement Mayor Foster reported that at the time of arrest, a Yelm Officer makes a determination of what charges are likely to be brought against the subject. If deemed to be at the felony level, the prisoner is transported to the Thurston County Jail for prosecution. Historically, once the prisoner is in custody of Thurston County, any expenses incurred for the treatment of medical issues that arise in their custody have been paid for by Thurston County. We are now being told that the County would like the municipalities that initiated the arrest to pay for those medical costs. We do not believe that to be our responsibility. This agreement provides us with a cost-efficient opportunity to collectively argue that point. 16-143 MOTION BY TRACEY WOOD AUTHORIZING MAYOR FOSTER TO SIGN THE JOINT DEFENSE AGREEMENT FOR THE PURPOSE OF DEFENDING AGAINST THE POTENTIAL LAWSUIT FOR RECOVERY OF MEDICAL COSTS INCURRED BY THURSTON COUNTY HOUSING FELONY ARRESTS FROM THE COUNTY'S MUNICIPALITIES. SECONDED BY RUSS HENDRICKSON. MOTION CARRIED. Councilmember DePinto asked who prompted this discussion. Mayor Foster explained that this was brought about by combined conversation between all the Cities when the County sent out a letter to all the municipalities that use the County Jail, that they were going to be billing for the services of medical treatment for the inmates. This is in preparation for the potential request for funds. 9m Old Business — a. Contract for Services — Yelm Community Services -TABLED UNTIL DECEMBER 13, 2016. 10. Mayor and Council Initiatives Councilmember Littlefield attended the Thurston Thrives committee meeting where they determined what their roles would be. Mayor Foster thanked Councilmember Littlefield for representing the City at those meetings. Councilmember Curry attended the SE Thurston Fire County Fire Authority meeting where she met with the Chief King and Community Development Director Grant Beck to discuss the Fire Impact Fees. Councilmember Curry also attended 11-22-16 Thurston County Solid Waste Advisory Committee (SWAC) meeting where they are rewriting the manual that is part of the Thurston County Comprehensive Plan and it will be completed next month. Mayor Foster thanked Councilmember Curry for taking his place at the SWAC meeting. Councilmember EJ Curry left the Council meeting at 6:41 pm. Councilmember Stillwell attended the Interviews for the City Administrator last week and then the Study Session that afternoon. Councilmember Wood attended the TComm 911 Admin Board meeting and reported that the 2017 Budget was approved. Councilmember DePinto stated that asking his position on a vote after the vote has occurred is inappropriate and he did not appreciate it. He is happy to discuss his no vote on the Budget but did not feel that was the correct time. Councilmember DePinto stated he appreciates the work and dedication that the Finance Committee has done on the 2017 Budget. He voted no because it did not do enough for Public Safety and in his opinion there was a lack of transparency. Councilmember DePinto attended the Thurston County Law and Justice Committee meeting. Councilmember Hendrickson attended the interviews for the City Administrator last Wednesday. Mayor Foster responded to Councilmember DePinto's testament to not having transparency during the budget process. This year has been the most open, transparent budgeting process that the Mayor has been involved with in the five years involved with Council. The Finance Director, the Finance Committee and the Mayor were available to answer any questions anytime about the budget. Mayor Foster asked Council if they were comfortable and they received enough information about the budget to vote on it tonight. Councilmember Littlefield responded by saying that even though she was unable to attend the Study Session at which the budget was first presented, she did spend some one-on-one time with the Finance Director who repeatedly asked if she had any questions. We have had two Public Hearings on the budget. We approved a responsible budget for the taxpayers of Yelm. Not all things could be included in the budget this year that were asked for by Department Heads. We cannot spend money that we do not have. Councilmember Wood stated as far as police officers and public safety, we would all like to have as many police officers as we could get on the streets but we have to decide where we are going to spend the limited amount of resources in the City of Yelm. Mayor Foster reiterated the question, if the council felt that the process was accessible, open, transparent and the Council was involved in the process. Councilmember Wood stated absolutely. Councilmember Stillwell stated yes. Councilmember Hendrickson stated yes. Councilmember DePinto stated he felt bullied by the Mayor for voting against the budget. Mayor Foster stated he was asking for clarification as the Mayor he is tasked with the job of creating a budget to bring to Council for approval and heard a criticism from Councilmember DePinto that he had not heard before. Mayor Foster thanked the Finance Committee members and the Finance Director for their transparency through this budget process. Councilmember DePinto stated he shared his dissatisfaction of the transparency of the budget at the last public meeting. Mayor Foster has been working on the budget, various contracts and other important matters and dealing with customer issues and feels very good about where the City is currently and he appreciates Council's and staff's work on 11-22-16 everything. Mayor Foster attended Veteran's Day Celebrations at JBLM and the Yelm Cemetery, and attended the JBLM installation update. Mayor Foster invited Public Works Director Chad Bedlington to share the news of the latest hire and the TIB Grant. Maryanne Zukowski will start December 1, 2016, as the new Public Works Manager. She will be a great addition to the Yelm Team. She is a Professional Engineer with a great resume and is a fantastic grant writer. Chad received good news today from the Transportation Improvement Board that the City of Yelm has been approved for the Cullens Road Pavement Restoration Project. It will require a 10.1 percent match from the City on about a $650,000 dollar project to rebuild the mini loop and fix some of the damage that has occurred from the bypass ending on a residential street. The City of Yelm also received some STP funding for a corridor study of Yelm Avenue and how it will look once the bypass is complete and some alternative transportation funds that will help fund the Fort Stevens Elementary improvement project. Mayor Foster praised Chad's ability to write grants and successfully secure monies for future projects in Yelm. Chief Stancil reported that he hired Tillman Atkins as a lateral Police Officer and he will start on December 1, 2016. Mr. Atkins comes from the City of Roy. On December 12, 2016 is the Executive Seminar on Recovery Exercises through Thurston County Emergency Management for all elected officials. Chief Stancil reported that Chad Bedlington, Public Works Director, needed to inform the neighborhood of Tahoma Boulevard of an excessive amount of chlorine discharged in the lines due to a calibration issue. It was not a harmful quantity but enough to alarm residents. This was the first opportunity to use the AlertSense system. There were some hurdles to get over but unless people sign up for AlertSense, the system will not be as effective as we want it to be. There were only five landlines in the entire development. The link is posted on the City of Yelm Police Department's Facebook page, please sign up. Grant Beck, Community Development Director reported that he along with Councilmember Curry met with representatives from the City of Rainier and the SE Thurston Fire Authority to discuss the Impact Fees in the effort to help Rainier decide if they would be collecting the fees or not. 11, Executive Session - no additional session scheduled. 12. Correspondence included - News Release -Thurston County Auditor Mary Hall's Office awarded 10th Annual Award for Financial Reporting Achievement. 16-144 MOTION BY RUSS HENDRICKSON TO ADJOURN, SECONDED BY TRACEY WOOD. MOTION CARRIED. 13. Adjourned at 7:00 pm. " Attest: 1 Foster, Mayor Lori Mossman, City Clerk 11-22-16 -----Original Message ----- From: JW Foster Sent: Monday, November 21, 2016 7:29 AM To: Molly Carmody Subject: RE: Nov 22 Meeting Thank you Molly. I will read your statement at the meeting. I believe we will have enough members present (EJ will be calling in) to have a quorum, so we should be good. Thank you for your support and for your work with the finance committee. We all learned a lot during the process and will have an even better product by this time next year. Have a good trip! JW From: Molly Carmody Sent: Sunday, November 20, 2016 9:55 PM To: JW Foster Subject: Nov 22 Meeting Hi JW, This is my official notice that I will be out of town for the Nov 22 city council meeting. I will attempt to call in, but anticipate being on an airplane during the actual meeting. During the budget approval section of the meeting, I'd appreciate it if you'd read the following statement out loud, so that it's in the record, during the discussion period: "Fellow Council members: I encourage you to vote to approve this 2017 budget. The Finance Committee spent long hours trying to accommodate everything that the Department Heads requested, but it is simply not possible at this time. At one point in early November, the entire Finance Committee threatened to reject the Mayor's proposed budget, but we all worked together to find an alternative that was acceptable to all. We were encouraged at the open give-and-take negotiation that occurred during our discussions; this was something heretofore lacking, and sorely needed. We hope to revise the 2017 budget at the end of the first quarter to reflect actual 2016 numbers and 2017 projections. In addition, we will be starting the 2018 budget process toward the end of second quarter 2017; this will give us time to dig deep into line items to find additional cuts and revenue. In short, this 2017 budget is far from perfect or desireable, but it is a good start and an acceptable move toward improving our city. Thank you for your time." Thanks JW. Molly Carmody Yelm City Council