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HomeMy WebLinkAbout12/01/2010 a�C 1 � 2Q� DIGITAL RECORDING CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES �� Wednesday, December 1, 2010 The weekly meetmg of the City Council of the City of Bremerton was called to order Wednesday, December 1, 2010, at 5 00 PM m Councd Conference Room 603 of the NoRM DicKS GovERtvnnE�NT CENTER 345 6` Street, Bremerton, Washington, with Councd President Nick Wofford presiding Council Members present were Wdl Maupin, Carol Arends, Dianne Robmson, Greg Wheeler, Roy Runyon, Adam Brockus, Cecil McConnell and Jim McDonald Also present were City Attorney Roger Lubovich, City Clerk Carol Etgen, and Legislative Assistant Lori Smith A CouNCi� BR�EFitvG was then held to discuss General Council Busmess at 5 00 PM m the Councd Conference Room At 5 30 PM the meetmg moved to the Meetmg Chambers The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Council Member Jim McDonald followed by the invocation provided by Reverend Paul Meeker of Our Saviour's Lutheran Church MAYOR'S REPORT Mayor Patty Lent • Proclaimed December 1, 2010 as World A�ds Day in the City of Bremerton, • Presented a Mayor's Apprec�at�on Awards to Cathv Johnson, Actmg Financial Services , Director, and Caroline Thompson, Budget Analyst for their work m preparmg the City Budget ', without a Finance Director position m place [Becky Hasart begms w►th the C►ty today as the new Financial Serwces Director ] �, • Announced that the City of Bremerton, along with only one other City, was awarded a 2010 , Drinking Water State Resolvmg Water Fund (DWSRWF) Award • Thanked the Public Works Department crews for their outstandmg work during the extreme weather conditions experienced last week PUBLIC RECOGNITION 8 ANNOUNCEMENTS Jerrv McDonald explained that he was an owner of a waterfront condominium and expressed his concern about a recent rash of graffiti near their building He would like to see the City implement a consistent process for atizens to report graffiti Dave Ferqus thanked members of the public and the Council who provided mput regarding the 9-11 Memorial, and reported that nearly $20,000 was raised at the fundraiser last week which shows the�re is a lot of support in the commurnty for this proJect , � CONSENT AGENDA '� A Check Numbers 340587 through 340745, and EFT-10367 through EFT-10410 in the amount of'� $1,868,198 43, Regular Payroll in the amount of $715,638 29 for the pay penod ending ' November 15, 2010, and Retiree Payroll in the amount of $78,413 31 for the pay period ending � November 30, 2010 ' B Minutes of Meetmg — November 17, 2010 I, There were no quest�ons or comments from the publ�c I 05 45 45 M/S/C (Arends/Wheeler) Move to approve the CotvsErvT AGEN�a as amended i Voted m favor of Motion McDonald, McConnell, Brockus, Wheeler, Robinson, Arends, Maupin, � Wofford � Abstained Runyon i Motion carried 8-Yes, 1-Abstention , GENERAL BUSINESS 6A— ORDINANCE NO 5115 AMENDING CHAPTERS 5 02 040 AND 5 02 070 OF THE BREMERTON MUNICIPAL CODE (BMC1 RELATED TO LANDLORD LICENSE FEES Council President Nick Wofford stated that the current provisions of the Bremerton Municipal Code (BMC) tlo City Councd Reg Mtg Minutes Wednesday, December 1, 2010 Page 2 of 6 not require a separate business license for each rental property location The City desires to require a busmess license for each property location There were no comments in favor of the ord►nance Comments aQamst the ordmance were provided bv and summarrzed as follows Jeff Perdine (Landlord who believes this extra fee is only a tax to offset the City's budget problem, sends a message that the City is anti-growth, and pointed out that landlords do not get notified when their tenants contact 911) Mark Coleman (Landlord and member of PROA which he said helps to make him and other members a better landlord, fully understands that services are not free, and if the extra fee is passed, he will label it a"Nick Wofford Surcharge" on ail future rental agreements) Jerrv VanFossen (Landlord and member of PROA read a statement listing several reasons why he is against the passage of this ordinance) Christina Montenance (Property Manager and member of PROA attested that the properties managed by her are inspected regularly, and pointed out that many of her landlords are military personnel that become landlords when they are deployed and this extra fee is unfair to them, and wdl do nothmg to promote growth of business in the area) Dave Cooper (Landlord and local business owner of Cooper Fuel & Auto Repair did not like the government to be so willing to take from any profits that they are able to make and would �ust as soon pull his business and rentals out of Bremerton and relocate to an area that appreaated and supported landlords and business owners) Jim Adr�an (Landlord for over 30-years and one of the few who resides m Bremerton, had statistics to show that property value m Bremerton has continued to go down, while property taxes continue to go up, and the vacancy rate has remamed high over the last 3-years, fluctuatmg between 6 7% and 7%, also pomted out that he is currently aware of several busmesses that do not have any business license at all and could be easily identified by reviewing water bills) Brett Warner (Busmess owner agreed with a pomt raised by Jim Adrian about this action by the City punishes the honest business owners and landlords, and the City should mstead actively identify those dishonest business owners and landlords that do not obtain a license at all, and also believes that the City already has enough laws in place to deal with enforcement, and has information avadable on a case in Mukdteo if any of the Counal Members are mterested ) Mr Wofford agreed that he was amiss m not pointing out that 90% of the landlords operatmg m the City are indeed honest and law abiding busmess owners, and pointed out that this proposed action would not affect anyone in the military that was renting out their one home because this action only affect multiple rental units 06 22 30 Mot�on was made by Runyon, and seconded by Maupm, Comments were then prowded by the Councd Mr Runvon asked for clarification about the difference between a fee and a tax Roaer Lubovich, City Attorney, stated that a fee is to cover the costs to admmister a particular program and a tax is basically funds that are collected and then disbursed to cover a wide rage of costs Mr Runvon then asked for specifics about how the funds collected from the ticense fee would be used Mr Wofford responded that the funds would go mto the Generai Fund, and also discussed a proposed amendment to the ordinance m the future that wouid provide a reduction in the fee for landlords whose properties do not have any violations in the previous year Mavor Lent talked about a brochure bemg distributed titled "Property Maintenance for Landlords", City Councd Reg Mtg Minutes Wednesday, December 1, 2010 Page 3 of 6 discussed the recent "Beautify Bremerton" event, and the City is currently working with Utility Billmg to identify all rental landlords who have a current busmess license and hopes to have a full and complete list by the end of December She believes that an amount equal to this proposed fee could be generated in this way Mr Wofford pointed out that the brochure was an additional expense that ha� to be paid out of the General Fund Mr McConneli asked about the ownership of cont�guous urnts, and pointed out that he has never seen a license fee or a tax go down, they only go up He also asked how many rental units were currently in the City, and how many licensed landlords Mavor Lent responded that current research shows there are 2,000 rental urnts and 1,000 licensed landlords Mr McConnell ended by saymg he was not in favor of this proposed ordmance Mr McDonaid and Mr Mauain both discussed their reasons for bemg in favor of this proposed ordinance Mr Maupm established that landlords are reqwred to have a license for a reason, but the City has historically not treated the ownership of rental units as a busmess as it should It was also pointed out that this was not a significant fee and was also tax deductible Mr Brockus has listened to all of the input both for and against, and even though he was going to vote in favor of this fee, he did not believe that members of PROA have taken the time to understand why the Council has proposed this fee Mr Wheeler has three or four different important reasons to be against this action, with the most important bemg his concern for the low-income, elderly, and unemployed residents and does not want to be responsible for one more fee being passed on to them Ms Robinson was not in favor of this fee, and was also concerned about the low-income residents of her district She has been frustrated that during her time on the Councd, she has not seen any progress to improve that area by the City 06 47 47 M/S/F (Runyon/Maupin) Move to approve Ordinance No 5115 amending Section 5 02 040 of the BMC entitled "Definitions" and Section 5 02 070 of the BMC entitled "Separate General Business License Required" Voted m favor of Motion Maupin, McDonald, Wofford Voted against Motion McConnell, Brockus, Runyon, Wheeler, Robinson, Arends Motion faded 3-Yes, 6-No 66 — ORDINANCE NO 5130 TO AMEND AND REPEAL CHAPTER 3 01 OF THE BREMERTON MUNICIPAL CODE (BMC), AND RESOLUTION NO 3128 TO ESTABLISH AND UPDATE CERTAIN RATES AND FEES FOR 2011 Cathv Johnson, Interim Financial Services Director, explained that in conJunction with preparation of the 2011 Proposed Budget, the admirnstrat�on is recommending that the rate and fee schedule found m Chapter 3 01 "Rate Tables" be removed from the code, and that the rates and fees be re-established and amended by separate ord�nance This will create a cost savmgs m eliminatmg ordinance publication and codification expenses each year A link to the rate table will be available on-line m the Code and on the City's website, or available in hard copy through the City Clerk's Office There were no questions or comments from the public 07 01 07 Mot�on to pass Ord�nance No 5130 was made by Brockus, and seconded by McDonald 07 01 58 M/S/C/U (Brockus/McDonald) Move to pass Ordmance No 5130 repealing and replacing Chapter 3 01 of the Bremerton Municipal Code as amended 07 02 01 Motion to adopt Resolution No 3128 was made by Brockus, and seconded by Runyon, City Council Reg Mtg Mmutes Wednesday, December 1, 2010 Page 4 of 6 07 02 31 Mot�on to amend Rafe Table D was made by Maupin, and seconded by Runyon There were no questions or comments from the publ�c on the amendment 07 03 15 A-M/S/C (Maupin/Runyon) Move to amend Rate Table D m Resolution No 3128 to include the chicken license fees previously adopted in Rate Table D in Ordmance No 5126 Voted m favor of Amendment Runyon, Wheeler, Robmson, Maupin, McDonald, Brockus, Wofford Voted against Amendment Arends Abstained McConnell Amendment carried 7-Yes, 1-No, 1-Abstention 07 04 15 M/S/C/U (Brockus/Runyon) Move to adopt Resolution No 3128 establishing and updating certain rates and fees for 2011, as amended 6C — ORDINANCE NO 5131 TO REPEAL AND REPLACE CHAPTER 15 06 OF THE BREMERTON MUNICIPAL CODE (BMC). AND ORDINANCE NO 5132 TO ESTABLISH AND UPDATE CERTAIN RATES AND FEES FOR 2011 Vincent Akhimie, Public Works & Utdities Director, explained that in con�unction with preparation of the 2011 Proposed Budget, the administration is recommending that the rate and fee schedule found m Chapter 15 06 be removed from the code, and that the rates and fees be re-established and amended by separate ordinance This will create a cost savings in eliminating ordinance publication and codification expenses each year A Imk to the rate table will be avadable on-line m the Code and on the City's website, or available in hard copy through the City Clerk's Office There were no comments from fhe publ�c 07 06 30 Mot►on to pass Ordmance No 5131 was made by McDonald, and seconded by Runyon, Comments were then prov�ded by the Councd 07 12 15 M/S/C/U (McDonald/Runyon) Move to pass Ordmance No 5131 repealing and repiacmg Chapter 15 06 of the Bremerton Murncipal Code, as amended 07 12 45 Mot�on to amend Ord►nance No 5131 to increase Water Utdity rate by 2% was made by Maup►n, and seconded by Brockus, Comments by the Councd were then prowded There were no quest�ons or comments from the publ�c on the amendment 07 30 58 A-M/S/C (Maupm/Brockus) amendment to increase Water Utility rate by 2% Voted in favor of Amendment Arends, Maupin, McDonald, McConnell, Brockus, Runyon, Wofford Voted opposed to Motion Wheeler, Robinson Amended Motion carried 7-Yes, 2-No 07 31 58 Mot►on to amend Ordinance No 5131 fo �ncrease Stormwater rafe by 2% was made by Brockus, and seconded by Runyon, Comments by the Council were then prov�ded There were no quest�ons or comments from the publ�c on the amendment 07 37 39 A-M/S/C (Brockus/Runyon) amendment to increase Stormwater rate by 2% Voted in favor of Amendment Maupin, McDonald, Brockus, Runyon, Arends, Wofford Voted opposed to Motion McConnell, Wheeler, Robinson Main Motion carned 6-Yes, 3-No O7 38 10 M/S/C/U (McDonald/Runyon) Move to adopt Ordinance No 5132 establishing and updatmg City Council Reg Mtg Mmutes i Wednesday, December 1, 2010 I Page 5 of 6 i certain rates and fees for 2011, as amended � i PUBLIC HEARING(S) � 7A — ORDINANCE NO 5133 ADOPTING THE 2011 CITY OF BREMERTON BUDGET Cathv � Johnson, Actmg Financial Services Director, summarized that the City of Bremerton prepares its budget on an annual basis under the authority granted by Chapters 35 33 RCW The budget process � is designed to meet the operations and service needs of the City by integrating the planrnng and � implementation of City programs and ob�ectives with the allocation of resources sufficient to support such services and programs — within the limits of avadable funds A prelimmary annual budget for fiscal year 2011 has been prepared and filed with the Office of the City Clerk Public hearings have been held for the purpose of fixing the final City Budget and the City Council has deliberated prior to � the approval and adoption of the budget Pres�dent Wofford opened the publ�c heanng for publ�c comment Jeff Perdine thanked the City's Finance staff because he can appreciate the tremendous amount of work that goes into balancing a budget, but still believes that the City's Finance Department is overstaffed, and also believes that Utility Bdling is overstaffed He asked that the Council have the courage to review efficiencies in these two areas next year Pres�dent Wofford then closed the public hear►ng to comments from the public and opened discussion to fhe Council 07 44 08 Mot�on to approve Ordmance No 5133 was made by Brockus, and seconded by Wheeler 07 44 25 Amendment was made to the Mam Mot�on by Runyon, and seconded by Robinson Mr Runvon explained that he proposed this amendment because since the begmnmg of downtown revitalization, the following City-owned tourist facdities have been constructed Harborside Steps, Fountam Park, Memorial Plaza, and the Pacific Plaza He established that the annual operating and maintenance of these facdities includmg the Boardwalk costs approximately $200,000 and is the responsibility of the City Parks & Recreation Department Smce Lodgmg Tax funds may be used to maintain tourist-related facilities, this amendment shifts $10,000 of the award recommended by the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee to the Admiral Theater, to the Parks & Recreation Department as a way to supplement general fund revenue to be used to maintain downtown tourist-related facilities Wyn Birkenthal, Parks & Recreation Director, explained that this action would help his Department maintain this investment He explained that a presentation was made to the Lodging Tax Advisory � Committee I Add�t�onal comments on th�s proposed amendment were provided by the Councd I � 08 06 22 A-M/S/F (Runyon/Robmson) Move to amend Ordmance No 5133 reducing the proposed fundmg award for the Admiral Theater by $10,000, and to award the $10,000 to the City of Bremerton's Parks & Recreation Depa�tment for use in mamtainmg downtown tourist-related facilities including the Boardwalk Park, Fountam Park, Harborside Steps, Memorial Plaza, and Pacific Plaza Voted m favor of the Amendment Runyon Voted against the Amendment McConnell, Brockus, Wheeler Robinson, Arends, Maup�n, McDonald, i and Wofford Amendment failed 1-Yes, 8-No 08 08 18 Amendment was made to the Ma►n Mot�on by McDonald, and seconded by Rob�nson Discuss►on on the proposed amendment was provided by the Councd, as well as Police Ch�ef Cra�q Ro4ers City Council Reg Mtg Mmutes Wednesday, December 1, 2010 Page 6 of 6 08 10 18 A-M/S/C/U (McDonald/Robmson) Move to amend Ordinance No 5133 amendmg the Communiry Relations & Information Specialist from 70 FTE to 1 00 FTE for the 2011 budget The additional cost will be absorbed m the Police Department general fund budget Discussion on the Ma►n Mot�on was then prov�ded by the Counc�l 08 23 42 M/S/C/U (Brockus/Wheeler) Move to approve Ordmance No 5133 adopting the City of Bremerton 2011 Budget as amended COUNCIL MEMBER REPORTS Jim McDonald reported on the Illahee cleanup Adam Brockus encouraged the public to attend a Washington State Ferries Community Meetin� on Thursday, December 16 from 5 30 to 7 30 PM at the Bremerton Ferry Termmal located at 211 1 Street, reported on the recent District 3 Commurnty Meeting and mentioned the last meeting of the year will be on Tuesday, December 14, and lastly, announced First Friday Artwalk and Winterfest festivities to be held this Friday Rov Runvon announced that severe weather shelters will be available through March 31 St at St Paul's Episcopal Church, 700 Cailahan Avenue, The Coffee Oasis, 822 Burwell Street, and First Lutheran Church, 18920 4 Avenue in Poulsbo For more information, please contact the Salvation Army at (360) 373-5550 or dial 211 Greq Wheeler attended send-off celebration for Glen Godfrey, Festival of Trees, and will attend the Artwalk and Wmterfest events this Friday Dianne Rob�nson read a statement to encourage citizens to shop and spend locaily, and a pledge to spend at least $100 Carol Arends encouraged attendance at the Artwalk event downtown Will Mauqin reported on the recently formed Residential Parking Committee, and asked if anyone had a particular problem or suggestion, please contact the Council Office He also talked about Apple Cup and ended with "Go Cougs�" Nick Wofford reiterated thanks to Cathy Johnson and Carolme Thompson for their efforts on brmging a balanced budget With no further business, Pres�dent Wofford ad�ourned the Council Meeting at 8 35 PM Prepared and Submitted by 1 ���1/�/ - LO ITH Legislative Assistant Attest � CAROL N, City lerk N WOFFO , City uncil President W CE Is cg