Loading...
01/29/1991 City CouncilTHESE MINUTES SUBJECT TO FEBRUARY 5, 1991 APPROVAL EDMONDS CITY COUNCIL MINUTES JANUARY 29, 1991 (WORK MEETING) The special dinner meeting of the Edmonds City Council was held at 6:30 p.m. at the Cafe De Paris. Restaurant, followed by a business meeting called to order by Mayor Larry Naughten at 9 p.m. at the Library Plaza Room, 650 Main St., Edmonds. All present joined in the flag salute. PRESENT Larry Naughten, Mayor Jeff Palmer, Council President Steve Dwyer, Councilmember Roger Hertrich, Councilmember Jo -Anne Jaech, Councilmember William Kasper, Councilmember John Nordquist, Councilmember Kristen Hughes, Student Representative CONSENT AGENDA ABSENT STAFF Jack Wilson, Art Housler, Admin. Svc. Director Councilmember Peter Hahn, Comm. Svc. Director Bob Alberts, City Engineer Jackie Parrett, City Clerk Margaret Richards, Recorder Item (B) was removed from the Consent Agenda. COUNCILMEMBER DWYER MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEM- BER HERTRICH, TO APPROVE THE BALANCE OF THE CONSENT AGENDA. MOTION CARRIED. The approved item on the Consent Agenda includes the following: (A) ROLL CALL APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF JANUARY 22, 1991 rITEM (B) ON THE CONSENT AGENDAI Councilmember Kasper referred to the last paragraph on page 3 and requested the .following sen- tence to be included, "CWC-HDR, Inc. never told the Council that the landscaping plans that were shown to the Council during the public hearing were within the State right-of-way". COUNCILMEMBER KASPER MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER HERTRICH, TO APPROVE THE MINUTES AS AMEND- ED. MOTION CARRIED. PROPOSED ORDINANCE 2822 AUTHORIZING REFUNDING OF 1980 LIMITED G.O. BONDS, AND CONSIDERATION OF PURCHASE DAIN BOSWORTff-- Administrative Services Director Art Housler noted that the Council authorized Staff on -January b o5 22, 1991 to proceed with refunding the bonds. Mr. Housler introduced Hugh Spitzer of Foster, Pepper & Shefelman; Dick Ehlers of Dain Bosworth; and Mary Hughes of Yeasting & Hughes. Ms. Hughes explained that she would review Bob Yeasting's letter of recommendation for the pro- posed bond issue to the Council because he was on vacation. Ms. Hughes said the City would realize a savings of .$158,000 present value if the Council accept- ed the purchase offer from Dain Bosworth that evening versus the $144,000 savings that was esti- mated several weeks ago. Ms. Hughes noted that interest rates are about the same as they were a month ago, but the crisis in the Persian Gulf has a temporary effect on rates. She said there is a strong demand for munic- ipal bonds. Ms. Hughes referred to the newsletter from Mr. Yeasting, which depicted the movement of municipal interest rates from 1989 to 1990. She noted that the interest rate at the present time is approx- imately the same as it was a year ago. Ms. Hughes said Mr. Yeasting has recommended that the City proceed with the refunding because the City will gain nothing by waiting, provided that interest rates remain at the present rate. Ms. Hughes said Dain Bosworth has offered to buy the bonds for an underwriter's discount of $12.01 per thousand, which is average for a bond issue of the size, type, and quality of the City's bond issue, and includes a take -down of $5.46 per thousand direct commission. At the re- quest of Councilmember Palmer, Ms. Hughes explained that the term "take -down" is the gross commis- sion that the underwriter receives. Ms. Hughes reviewed information listing comparable municipal bonds that were recently sold in Washington with that of the City's bonds as a comparison of what interest rates were and will be from 1991 to 2,000. Councilmember Hertrich inquired about the savings differential between the previous offer and present offer. Mr. Hughes said the previous offer of $144,000 was based on estimated interest rates as opposed to the present offer of actual interest rates. Councilmember Hertrich assumed the City's bonds would be easier to sell because of their A-1 rating. He inquired if the take -down for the Kennewick bonds is the same for Edmonds' bonds. Ms. Hughes said that information was not necessarily available. She explained that there is a very narrow range in what underwriters are able to receive in the way of compensation, noting that $12.01 is within the bare -bones range. She surmised that the spread on some of the larger bond issues would be less because expenses are spread over a larger issue. Councilmember Hertrich inquired if the City has made a better choice by waiting to refund the bond issue until 1991. Ms. Hughes said the savings are greater, but the City has had to wait longer to receive the savings. She said, however, the City made the most prudent decision to refund now rather than three or four years ago. Councilmember Kasper inquired if the interest rate is guaranteed. Mr. Ehlers said the offer would expire at midnight that night. Councilmember Palmer inquired if the City Attorney has reviewed and approved the contract. Mr. Housler replied affirmatively. COUNCILMEMBER KASPER MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER HERTRICH, TO ACCEPT THE PURCHASE OFFER. MOTION CARRIED. COUNCILMEMBER DWYER MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER KASPER, TO ADOPT PROPOSED ORDINANCE 2822. MOTION CARRIED. INITIAL STATUS REPORT ON RECYCLING PROGRAM kAXT U Community Services Director Peter Hahn reported that on August 1, 1990 Edmonds became the first city in Snohomish County to implement a residential recycling program. He noted that this report was scheduled several times earlier but was postponed due to the Council's agenda. Mr. Hahn said the haulers feel the program is a success based on Seattle's program, a nationally recognized program, which did not achieve the same participation level as Edmonds until the pro- gram's fifteen month in comparison to Edmonds' 60% participation level in the sixth month of operation. To further increase participation, Mr. Hahn proposed two specific strategies for the Council's consideration: 1) provide the recycling container to nonparticipants and require them to opt out of the program if they do not want the service; and 2) immediately commence with the preparation and mailing of a brochure similar to the City of Lynnwood's (included in the Council packet). Mr. Hahn distributed a sheet of suggested questions regarding recycling to the Council. Councilmember Hertrich inquired if an ordinance was forthcoming for separation of waste for multi- family units. Mr. Hahn noted that the existing ordinance provided for that. Because Snohomish County will be mailing literature within the next several seeks to multifamily unit owners, he suggested that the City coordinate its efforts with the County and disseminate its information at the same time rather than separately. Councilmember Kasper noted that residents of multifamily units are usually not as conscientious as single family residents and may have very little interest to recycle. Mr. Hahn said the ordi- nance addresses that very issue and specifies that haulers will work with representatives of the multifamily community in developing approaches to the recycling issue. Councilmember Jaech felt the service charge for multifamily service should increase proportionate- ly with an increase in the service charge for single family units so that single family residents do not subsidize the service for multifamily residents. Mr. Hahn noted that Office --Administrator Rhonda March was extremely helpful in answering customer inquiries regarding the recycling program. EDMONDS CITY COUNCIL MINUTES Page 2 JANUARY 29, 1991 Councilmember Hertrich suggested that the City disseminate public information for multifamily unit recycling in the same mailing with the County and that the City subsidize the County's cost. Councilmember Palmer requested Staff to provide the Council with information regarding the recy- cling tonnages by product. Mr. Hahn apologized. He said that information was available, but he inadvertently excluded it from the Council packets. Councilmember Nordquist referred to the sheet of suggested questions. He inquired why Staff did not communicate with the haulers between August 27, 1990 and January 11, 1991 if there were any concerns. Mr. Hahn said Staff did communicate with the haulers on many occasions. He said the list of suggested questions was provided to the Council simply as an aid in the discussion. Councilmember Nordquist requested Mr. Hahn to provide him with all of the correspondence that occurred between August 27 and January 11. Councilmember Kasper inquired about the rate structure. Evelyn Nicholson, Sound Disposal, said customers are credited $1 per month if they do not avail themselves of the recycling program. She noted that garbage collection for one can with a recycling bin and yard waste bin is $14.80 per month. In response to Councilmember Hertrich's comment regarding the suggested questions, Nels Johnson, Lynnwood Disposal, said the citizens of Edmonds should be proud of their participation in the recycling program, especially when considering Edmonds surpassed the City of Seattle's 60% partic- ipation rate in a shorter period of time. In response to an earlier concern by Councilmember Jaech, Mr. Johnson said the single family recycling program is not subsidizing the multifamily recycling program. Mr. Johnson said the City of Seattle has been studying the issue of a recycling program for multi- family units but has not yet resolved the matter. He said although apartment owners have an incentive to lower their garbage bill by recycling, they are unsure how to translate that savings to their tenants. Mr. Johnson said he would be opposed to distributing recycling containers to the remaining custom- er who have not signed up for the program because there will always be at least a 20% nonpartici- pation rate and it would be an additional cost to distribute the toters and then collect them again from non -users. He said Lynnwood Disposal intends to embark on a door -belling campaign and follow-up mailers targeted at people who are not recycling. Councilmember Palmer suggested that the follow-up mailers be accompanied with a sign-up card stating that service will be provided unless the card is returned. Councilmember Kasper did not understand what incentive nonparticipants would have to participate when the credit they receive is only $1 per month. Councilmember Hertrich said participation in the recycling program reduces the volume of regular garbage and thereby reduces the basic garbage rate. Mr. Johnson said once -a -week service for a 90 gallon toter is $16.35 per month and $9.75 for a 19 gallon toter. Councilmember Hertrich suggested that recycling information be provided on the lid of containers so that customers can refer to it at any time rather than looking for pamphlets that were sent through the mail. Mayor Naughten inquired if milk cartons are currently recycled and, if not, will they be added to the list of recyclables. Lolly Miller, Lynnwood Disposal, said milk cartons are not currently recycled because they are coated with wax on the inside, and there is no market to recycle the cartons as there is only one company on the east coast that recycles those containers. Mayor Naughten inquired if a rate increase is being contemplated. Mr. Johnson said a rate in- crease is not contemplated by Lynnwood Disposal. Councilmember Hertrich noted that hazardous waste will eventually be required to be separated from the normal waste stream, and the County anticipates there will be a $2 per ton tipping fee for hazardous waste. With regard to customer inquiries, Ms. Miller said Lynnwood Disposal has two 800 lines with 5 people answering calls 9 hours a day, as well as an answering machine for after hours. Ms. Mill- er said Lynnwood. Disposal is looking at a new telephone system that will have voice mail capabili- ties, call forwarding, call sequencer, and information about recycling. Councilmember Palmer inquired what percentage of the total residential customers had•been distrib- uted recycling containers. Mr. Johnson said he did not know but Paul Glasgow, Lynnwood Dispos- al's controller, spoke with City Staff about the issue. Mr. Johnson said the participation rate was much lower than 60% initially. EDMONDS CITY COUNCIL MINUTES Page 3 JANUARY 29, 1991 As a procedural matter, Mayor Naughten adjourned the meeting at 10 p.m. COUNCILMEMBER DWYER MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER PALMER, TO EXTEND THE MEETING FOR THE PURPOSE OF THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL PORTION. MOTION CARRIED. MAYOR Mayor Naughten said he received a letter from Alice Dawson stating that she was in favor of re- turning the parking lot at the Senior Center to a configuration that retains as much parking area as possible. Mayor Naughten said the agreement between the City and State regarding the ferry study includes a provision that the City and State will establish a technical advisory committee to review the work by the consultant and establish a policy committee to oversee the project and set a policy relative to the study. Mayor Naughten noted that he received a letter from Admiral Parker stat- ing that Chairman of the Transportation Commission Bernice Stern is coordinating a policy commit- tee and has appointed Admiral Parker to serve on that committee with Don Nutter as his alternate, herself and an alternate, and she has requested Mayor Naughten to serve on the committee and to appoint an alternate. Mayor Naughten said he spoke with Council President Jeff Palmer, and they both agreed to send a letter to Admiral Parker, unless the Council objected, stating that the City is not opposed to the policy committee but is opposed to the representation because there is a perception that there may be a conflict of interest for the two State representatives to serve on the policy committee when they will eventually be the ones to review the issue and make a decision. The objection was noted by the Council. COUNCIL Council President Palmer requested the Council to return the retreat questionnaire to him so that he could submit it to the Council Assistant. Council President Palmer said he would send a memorandum to the Council regarding the proposed dinner meeting with the Lynnwood City Council, and he requested the Council to indicate whether February 27 or February 28 was preferable. Council President Palmer said he sent the Council a memorandum last week regarding the City's participation in a Local Voters' Pamphlet, but he had not yet received a response. He said the n� County is coordinating the mailing with the State, but the City is not required to participate in 7 the pamphlet or in the cost. It was the consensus of the Council to reaffirm their previous decision not to participate in the cost of a Local Voters' Pamphlet. Council President Palmer requested the Council to inform the Council Assistant if they are plan- ning to go on vacation. Council President Palmer said Michael Lantz wrote a letter to the City some time ago requesting that the business license process be reviewed. Council President Palmer said a memorandum on that issue would be sent to the Council. In response to Councilmember Kasper, Mayor Naughten said the Visitor's Bureau Information is being formulated and is scheduled for review by the Council on February 26, 1991. Councilmember Kasper inquired about the negotiations between CWC-HDR, Inc. and the State regard- ing the landscaping on the west elevation of the treatment plant. Mr. Hahn said that issue is scheduled for discussion before the Council on February 26, 1991. Councilmember Hertrich said he attended the first meeting of the Solid Waste Advisory Committee, and hazardous waste will eventually be mandated to be separated from the normal waste stream and will be accompanied by a $2 per ton tipping fee. Councilmember Hertrich noted that the Council discussed retaining Wolf Bauer to review the park- ing and beach configuration at the Senior Center. He said Parks & Recreation Manager Arvilla Ohlde suggested that Mr. Bauer also review Brackett's Landing at the same time. COUNCILMEMBER HERTRICH MOVED TO AUTHORIZE WOLF BAUER AS A CONSULTANT TO REVIEW BRACKETT'S LANDING IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE SENIOR CENTER PARKING AREA. Council President Palmer noted that _a report will be made to the Council on February 5th of Brackett's Landing upland improvements. He wondered if Councilmember Hertrich's motion would be more appropriate following the report. Councilmember Hertrich said the upland improvements are separate from the parking configuration. Councilmember Dwyer suggested that Ms. Ohlde provide the Council with a written proposal. COUNCILMEMBER HERTRICH WITHDREW THE MOTION. EDMONDS CITY COUNCIL MINUTES Page 4 JANUARY 29, 1991 The Council recessed to an executive session at 10:15 p.m. to discuss a legal matter for approxi- mately fifteen minutes and adjourned thereafter. THESE MINUTES ARE SUBJECT TO FEBRUARY 5, 1991 APPROVAL. JACQURLINE G. PAR ETT, City Clerk LARRY S. NAUGHTEN, Mayor EDMONDS CITY COUNCIL MINUTES Page 5 JANUARY 29, 1991 AGENDA EDMONDS CITY COUNCIL JANUARY 29, 1991 6:30 P.M. - SPECIAL DINNER MEETING - FOLLOWED BY BUSINESS MEETING AT 9:00 P.M. DINNER MEETING AT CAFE DE PARIS RESTAURANT, 109 MAIN ST., EDMONDS, WASHINGTON, FOLLOWED BY BUSINESS MEETING AT EDMONDS LIBRARY PLAZA MEETING ROOM 650 MAIN ST., EDMONDS, WASHINGTON 6:30 P.M. DINNER MEETING AGENDA: (CAFE DE PARIS RESTAURANT) (1) 1991 CITY COUNCIL GOALS (2) REVIEW OF 1991 CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE REPRESENTATIVES (3) DISCUSS 1991 LEGISLATIVE GOALS 9:00 P.M. BUSINESS MEETING AGENDA CALL TO ORDER FLAG SALUTE (EDMONDS LIBRARY PLAZA MEETING ROOM) 1. CONSENT AGENDA (A) ROLL CALL (B) APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF JANUARY 22, 1991 2. PROPOSED ORDINANCE 2822 AUTHORIZING REFUNDING OF 1980 LIMITED G. 0. BONDS, AND CONSIDERATION OF PURCHASE OFFER FROM DAIN BOSWORTH 3. INITIAL STATUS REPORT ON RECYCLING PROGRAM 4. MAYOR 5. COUNCIL 6. EXECUTIVE SESSION - POTENTIAL LITIGATION MATTER (20 MINUTES) (20 MINUTES) THE PUBLIC IS INVITED TO ATTEND PARKING AND MEETING ROOMS ARE HANDICAPPED ACCESSIBLE