19840312 City Council MinutesMarch 12, 1984 - Special Meeting - Monday
The special meeting of the Edmonds City Council was called to order at.7:30 p.m. by Mayor Larry
Naughten.in the Plaza Meeting Room of the Edmonds Library. All present joined in the flag salute.
PRESENT ABSENT STAFF PRESENT
Larry Naughten, Mayor Brian Stewart, Irene Varney Moran, City Clerk
Jo -Anne Jaech Student Rep. Jim Adams, City Engineer
Laura Hall Pat LeMay, Personnel Director
Steve Dwyer Art Housler, Finance Director
Lloyd Ostrom Mark Eames, City Attorney
John Nordquist Marlo Foster, Police Chief
Bill Kasper Jack Weinz, Fire Chief
Jack Wilson Bobbie Mills, Public Wks. Dir.
Shirlie Witzel, Recorder
CONSENT AGENDA •
Items (B), (F), and (H) were removed from the Consent Agenda. COUNCILMEMBER HALL MOVED, SECONDED BY
COUNCILPRESIDENT JAECH, TO APPROVE THE BALANCE OF THE CONSENT AGENDA. MOTION CARRIED. The approved
items on the Consent Agenda included the following:
(A) Roll call.
(C) Interlocal agreement for Snocom.
(D) Amendment to Investigative Contingency Fund.
(E) Authorization to solicit letter of interest from
consultants
(Fremont Water line $30,000)
(G) Authorization to solicit bids for Meadowdale Club
House and
site improvements
APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF MARCH 6, 1984 [Item (B) on Consent Agenda]
Councilmember Kasper noted that the last line of the first
read "Councilmember Kasper said the Council had not been consulted
paragraph on
on
page 2 of the minutes should
the change of attorneys."
COUNCILMEMBER KASPER MOVED, SECONDED. BY COUNCILMEMBER HALL, TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF THE MARCH 6,
1984, MEETING AS AMENDED. MOTION CARRIED.
AUTHORIZATION TO SOLICIT BIDS FOR BOY'S CLUB RENOVATION [Item (F) on Consent Agenda]
Councilmember Kasper asked if there were a roster of what is being done on the Boy's Club? City
Engineer Jim Adams said it is a HUD grant project to do the insulation and windows. COUNCILMEMBER
KASPER MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILPRESIDENT JAECH, THAT AUTHORIZATION BE APPROVED. MOTION CARRIED.
I is
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• March 12, 1984 - continued
AUTHORIZATION TO PURCHASE MUSEUM ELEVATOR [Item (H) on Consent Agenda
Councilmember Nordquist expressed concern, since.the project cost is $69,000 and the purchase of the
elevator is not to exceed $30,000. He asked if $39,000 was to be used for design costs. City
.Engineer Jim Adams noted there were two schedules being bid. One is the purchase of the elevator
and the other.is the structural elements. Separate schedules are.being used because the plans and
specifications.are not completed for the structure, but the time frame involved makes it necessary
to go out for bids on the purchase of the elevator at this time. Mr. Adams added that the architect,
Warren LaFon, is being pa.id.approximately $7,000 for design fees.. Councilmember Kasper commented
that one problem with the grant program funding is that a specific project is approved and the City
ends up rebuilding half the building. He believes the grant money should be more closely tied down
to make the funds go further. COUNCILMEMBER NORDQUIST MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER KASPER,
PASSAGE OF ITEM (H) AS SUBMITTED. MOTION CARRIED.
Mayor Naughten said he had advised Michelle Walsh, who is to .present Item 2 on the Agenda, that the
Council would be ready to hear her at 8:45. Since the Council is ahead of schedule, he suggested
Item 3 be considered at this time, and they come back to Item 2 later.
DISCUSS MAYOR'S REORGANIZATION MEMO
Mayor Naughten explained the reorganization would.affect four departments and resulted from employees
leaving, retiring, or changing jobs. He wished to take advantage of the opportunity presented by
the circumstances. Of the four.items on the Memo submitted to the'Council.on March 1, only two
require Council approval. Item:l,.the City Clerk position, involves a change of grade from E-07 to
E-03, change of duties;.and moving the position to supervision under the Finance Director. The
Deputy City Clerk.position would be contracted under a personal services contract for all City
minutes, i.e. City Council, Architectural Design Board,.and Planning Board. In addition, the con-
tract would include assistance to the City Clerk for a period of three (3) months to assist with the
files and microfilming.
The Mayor said Item 2 is a request to change the Mayor's secretary position from an NE-08 to an NE-
07,.changing responsibilities and duties of the position now that there is a full-time mayor.
Mayor Naughten explained that the TVB Clerk position was empty because the employee had left.
In analyzing the position, it was found that half thetime was spent on TUB duties and the other
half as clerical support to police staff. Mayor. Naughten proposes moving this position from City
Clerk supervision to Po lice Department supervision. He added that the position is under Police
Department supervision in most cities.
The Mayor said the Purchasing/Communications Coordinator position will be merged with the Mail/Copy
Clerk position. The Mail/Copy clerk position was not a full time job, by changing some responsi-
bilities and duties these two positions could be merged, with assistance provided through a personal
service contract for eight hours a week.
He said the results of these actions will bring a savings of $38,500 dollars to the City and will
reduce the full-time benefitted staff from five to three. Again, Mayor Naughten noted that Items 1
and 2 will require Council action.
In response to questions from the Council, Mayor Naughten said there were no benefits for personal
service contracts and the hourly rate would be $8.00. He said the same person would fill the new
Purchasing/Communications Clerk position that had been in the Coordinator position, and the Mail/
Copy clerk had been promoted:to another position. The Mayor noted that the Mayor's secretary posi-
tion will be advertised at the new grade and Mrs. Bock would have the opportunity, along with anyone
else, to apply for the new position as an NE-07. .
COUNCILMEMBER KASPER MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER HALL, TO DISCUSS THE RAMIFICATIONS OF THE
EXECUTIVE SECRETARY POSITION.CHANGE IN EXECUTIVE SESSION. Discussion followed as to advisability of
moving this to executive session. City Attorney Mark Eames stated the only time an executive ses-
.sion is permitted as an exception to the Open Public Meetings Act is to discuss the hiring or termi-
nation of a particular employee or the job performance of a particular employee. It is not proper
to discuss the position itself, what happens to that position or any ki.nd..of a reorganization.
Councilmember Hall withdrew her second to the motion. Motion failed for lack of a second.
Councilmember Kasper.questioned the partial reorganization. He stated the City should not statea
persod is not desired for a job and then say they can bid for the job when it has been reduced. He
also said he feels the positions should be held open until the entire reorganization is done.
Anything done.before that time should be temporary. For example, the Deputy City Clerk position
should be filled on a temporary basis. That way no one.has to be laid off until the entire reorgani-
zation is completed. He also said he questions that the City will save much money by taking someone
out .of that. position for a matter of 3-4 months.
Mayor Naughten replied that no lay-offs would be necessary to effect the changes. Filling these
positions, at this.time, is necessary since the Council will not be meeting,unti.l April to discuss
reorganization. Councilmember Kasper pointed out that City Clerk positions today require attending
schools and certification. He said these requirements should be met before filling the position on
a permanent basis. He does not believe anyone should be removed from a position until the reorgani-
zation is final. He said. he wished to discuss the executive secretary position in executive session,
because it is his understanding this position is being opened at a reduced grade and the present
employee could apply for the new job. If that i.s the case, he asked, why would it be put out for bid
or opened up if it is a downgrade? Even with a changeof duties, the person that was eligible for
the executive secretary position would certainly be eligible for the position being downgraded.
Councilmember Hall said the Mayor had dismissed Di.a Bock two days after assuming office, which was
within his purvue. She also said it was her understanding that a grievance was pending. She said
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March 12, 1984 - continued
the Council was on thin ice. There is a full-time mayor in office now and the Mayor has loyal
Department heads, who are willing to work to make the City run. She said she realized the need for
a fulltime mayor. It was her hope that the person occupying that chair.would get acquainted with
the Department heads, look at the needs of the City, see how the City is run, possibly update and
possibly consolidate, but due to community pressures and _travel the Mayor has not been in the chair
that long. She said the Mail/Copy clerk position is an entry level position that is vital. She
envisions people with higher responsibilities leaving desks to deliver and pick up mail, standing in
line at a Kodak machine, leaving the desks and phones unmanned. The City is now in a campus setting
that requires more time to get around to other areas. The time involved is a dollar figure that can
be determined. .She said the $38,500 is not a dollar saving amount when you look at time and effi&`
ciency.. Councilmember Hall said, in looking at the executive secretary position, she cannot believe
the position would be downgraded by a full-time mayor. She said the positionwarrants an executive
secretary level from her experience. As an example, she mentioned Willis Tucker's secretary, who can
give the caller as much information as might come from Mr. Tucker himself; this is the type of
secretary the City needs.
Councilmember Hall continued, saying the City Clerk position requires training. She is also bothered
to think there is an implication that the present City Clerk is leaving the files in a state where
they need revamping and the Deputy City Clerk can hardly wait to get them done. The implication of
inefficiency bothered her quite a bit. She said the City Clerk could be filled from within the City
and also sees a transfer of the present executive secretary to the Deputy City Clerk position. In
addition, she questioned having the Finance Director placed .in the position of making these recom-
mendations. She asked the Mayor. to.go easy, study the City department by.department. She said she
had met with.many department heads.since the rumors have been flying, she would like to see these
changes discussed with those persons most directly involved,.giving them a sense of ownership, and
start at the bottom up. In the questionaire, one of the findings was "understaffed and overworked"
Then in a limited reorganization, she said, we are discussing less employees. Councilmember Hall
said she would like to send this item back to the Mayor and ask him to bring it before the Council at •
a later time.
Mayor Naughten responded that he disagreed with Councilmember Hall. He said the people who had
elected him full-time mayor of the City would not expect him to wait for a seminar to make plans for
a reorganization. This situation has arisen because people have transferred, retired, or have left
the position. The Mayor said Mr. Housler, several staff people and he had sat down and come up with
these recommendations. He said they were all trying to find ways to cut costs and save taxpayer
money in the City. The people involved in these recommendations, as well as the Mayor, feel the job
can be done. The overworked situation mentioned is not in the executive offices. It is an oppor-
tunity to save the City some money and improve efficiency, he said, and the City should take advan-
tage of it. It is the opinion of managers of the City that these things can be done.
Councilmember Dwyer said the flip side of the Mayor jumping in too quickly to reorganize, after only
being in office 3 months, is to say he has been in office a quarter of a year and hasn't done any-
thing yet. He said he does not agree with Councilmember Kasper's view that since we don't seem to
have someone with the qualifications to fill the position that we shouldn't reorganize. Council-
member Dwyer said that is confusing choosing a person to fill a spot with an administrative decision
to put that spot underneath another administrative heading. As to the Mayor's secretary position, he
said, deference on the part of the Council was appropriate, since any chief executive would have
strong feelings on the type of position that his secretary should have. In making the shift to a
full-time mayor, there was a general concensus that there would be some type of reorganization within
the City. .
Councilmember Kasper commented that he is not against the move of the City Clerk position. He feels
it is an opportune time to do so; however, his concern is in making it a permanent transfer. It
should be a temporary change until everything is done. As for the second item, Councilmember Kasper
agrees that he would also want his own confidential secretary, but to say the position is voided and
say they could bid in on it, is wrong. Mayor Naughten interjected that legally the City must do •
that.
Councilmember Wilson said he is bothered that the retreat has been planned as a reorganizational
session, and now this is a preretreat reorganization. He said his enthusiasm is dampened for the
retreat. He asked if a grievance had been filed in the secretarial case and asked if the Council
shouldn't have been notified.
Mr. Eames said the procedure under the personnel rules for an employee, who has a grievance with an
action that has been taken, is to file a grievance with their department head and, ultimately, with
the Mayor. It is not something that has to be filed with the City Council. As was discussed at the
weekend meeting, Mr. Eames said, it is the Mayor's prerogative to hire and to fire. That is why the
personnel rules are set up in that fashion. Councilmember Wilson asked what was the end result of a
grievance, if the grievance is filed and is successful? Mr. Eames stated that there is a possibility
that money could change hands, but it would depend on the circumstances. In this case, no action has
been taken." Legitimately there is no grievance that could be filed. He said, there has been a letter
of intent to file a grievance and that is being processed along the same lines as a grievance.
Mayor Naughten said he was not precluding the reorganization of the City. They are taking advantage
of situations as they occur day to day and can't wait until April. The only item being discussed
that pertains to reorganization would be the City Clerk position. He said the inference was not that
the present City Clerk is not doing her job, the inference was that the person on the personal ser-
vice contract could assist the new City Clerk with some areas that City Clerk Irene Moran has men-
tioned in the past as needing to be cleared up.
Councilpresident Jaech mentioned a report she had found from Personnel Director Pat LeMay prepared
two years ago, comparing different positions with similar positions in other cities. In all cases,
the City Clerk was combined in function or under the Finance Director. Ms. Jaech stated this was a
good move for the City at this time. COUNCILMEMBER JAECH MOVED, SECONDED BY LLOYD OSTROM, TO APPROVE
THE GRADE CHANGE AND JOB DESCRIPTION FOR THE CITY CLERK.
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• March 12, 1984 - continued
Councilmember Hall mentioned cities of similar size, Renton, Mountlake Terrace, as having City Clerks
as Edmonds does. Counci.lmember-Kasper questioned.whether the City Clerk should be under the Finance
Director or if the Finance Director should be the'City Clerk. Councilmember Hall said the Finance
Director would become an Administrator, rather than a working administrator who puts the figures on
the paper. If.the City Clerk is placed under Finance, time will be required and someone will have to
be hired to assist the Accounting Supervisor.
Mayor Naughten reiterated that the situation had been analyzed by the managers of the City and they
feel it can happen. He asked, why not try to effect efficiency and save some money.
Councilmember Dwyer said the Optional Municipal Code requires that the City have a City Clerk. There
are a. few duties assigned that the clerk must perform; there is no requirement as to whether the
clerk..has to be a department head.or fit under anywhere. There are several municipalities where the
Finance Director is the City Clerk.with an assistant that actually performs the duties. Council -
member Nordquist.read from a.memorandum from the Mayor dated .March 1, "I have decided the City Clerk
position will become a sub -department head position and.will report -to the Finance Director" In
effect, the position would report to Mr. Housler and.retain the title of City Clerk. Council
President Jaech called for the question. The Mayor asked fora roll call vote: Those voting yes
were Councilmembers J.aech., Dwyer, Ostrom, Nordquist; those voting no were Councilmembers Hall,
Kasper, Wilson. MOTION CARRIED.
COUNCILPRESIDENT JAECH MOVED, SECONDED BY COUNCILMEMBER.NORDQUIST, FOR APPROVAL TO CHANGE THE JOB
GRADE, AND CLASSIFICATION.OF. THE MAYOR'S SECRETARY FROM NE-08 TO.NE-.07
The Mayor asked for a roll call vote: Those voting.yes were Councilmembers Jaech, Dwyer, Ostrom,
Nordquist; those voting no were Councilmembers Hall, Kasper, Wilson. MOTION CARRIED.
Councilmember Ostrom was surprised that this had.become a controversial item. There is a great deal
• of logic, it saves the City some money, and he said he is expecting the Mayor to come to the Council
with recommendations on this type of thing. He said there would be no sense in having a full-time
mayor if the mayor were not expected to run the City. If this plan does not work, it will be up to
the Mayor to fix it.
Councilmember Nordquist commente& that the City had a purchasing agent in the past, who had not done
a good job, resulting in elimination of the position. Later a.position was created to purchase
office supplies. He asked who was doing the other purchasing for the City.and Mayor Naughten said
individual. departments were purchasing for their own needs other than office supplies.
Councilmember Hall questioned the figures cited in the Mayor's memorandum concerning the Purchasing/
Communications Coordinator position. She said the correct figures should be 223 total purchase
orders, 187 for all city departments and 36 for blanket purchase orders. That does not consider the
Petty Cash, where items such as.frames for resolutions are purchased.
Councilmember Nordquist asked again, concerning purchasing for the City, if different vendors called
on all departments for the same product, and if this would be pulled under some control? Mayor
Naughten said their plan was to have a centralized purchasing. This plan is being analyzed at this.
time. The purchasing may rest in one person, it may also be split between two people, one in Public
Works to handle the more technical supplies. and the.other to handle.office supplies, both under the
supervision of one person, who would be'responsible for all purchasing. Councilmember Nordquist
urged study and implementation.of centralized purchas.ing.as soon as possible.-
Councilmember Hall.said the remodeling efforts involved in the administrative.changes are also a
consideration., She said the.right-to-know has just passed the legislature and feels the City will
be hearing from some organization against the City. She said the City could.not place a person next
to a Kodak machine with no protection and make it into a factory. The reorganization is on a
limited, temporary basis and, when further reorganization is done, this will have to be done again.
• Mr. Housler responded to comments regarding the source of information concerning the figures on
purchasing. He said Accounting Supervisor Jeff Ristau had .gone through finance records which showed
there were 125 catagories of items in the inventory, that 91 of.those categories were replenished in
1983, there were.38 purchase.orders processed to vendors outside the City and 165 requests for
supplies to the departments were filled. The -actual amount that was purchased during the year was
$1.0,147. Mr. Housler said.he defines a purchase order.as going outside the City and a requisition
as a supply request from a department. Purchase orders require bidding and telephone work, he said.
PERSONNEL COMMITTEE MEETING
Mayor Naughten introduced Michelle Walsh, a student at Central Washington University, who compiled
the results of the recently completed employee survey.. Ms. Walsh explained that there had been a
69% response to the mail survey, 110 employees, which is considered a very high response rate. She
explained the responses to the survey on a question by question basis, answering any questions the
Council had. She explained that exempt employees received the.same.basic .questionaire which con-
tained two additional questions. At the conclusion of the explanation, Mayor Naughten thanked Ms.
Walsh for her work and Central.Washington University for.their help. He said Personnel Director Pat
LeMay and he were analyzing the responses and would give their analysis to the Council when completed.
The Mayor said he believed this would prove a very useful tool.and the project cost the City only
$42.00. Councilmember Nordquist suggested a letter be sent to Ms. Walsh and the University.
MAYOR
Mayor Naughten mentioned that the Woodway Girl's Basketball team had won the State Basketball Champion-
ship -the other night. He said the Council would probably be preparing a proclamation and delivering
it to the team.
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March 12, 1984 - continued •
The Mayor said the City. of Edmonds was being asked to join with 20 other cities.to form a South
Snohomish County V.isitor's.Information Center to be located in Mountlake Terrace. Ms. .Joanne
Stevens,.Tourism Director with the Edmonds Chamber of Commerce and also involved with the South
County Chamber, has.been appointed by the Mayor as Edmond's representative for this.project. Mayor
Naughten explained this item was,orginally scheduled for the March 20 agenda and had been moved to
this evening because this Wednesday a letter of understanding must be presented to the Task Force by
the City.
Ms. Stevens distributed a hand-out to the Council members. She described her background in tourism
and emphasized the importance of tourism as an industry. Ms. Stevens explained their dilemna in
locating a si.te prior to the end of March in order to satisfy State requirements and obtain the
proposed State funding for the Visitor Center. She asked the Council to give this project a high
priority and support the Mayor in its formation. The task force learned of this requirement (the
need for a site prior to March 31).within the last two weeks. The reason the task force has not
selected a site is their wish to leave site selection to the Board that would be formed after the
Interlocal Cooperation Agreementhad been signed by the 20.cities involved. If the site is not
located by the deadline, the opportunity to have a Visitor Center in this area will be lost. Ms.
Stevens explained.the cost.break-down for the cities. 'Edmond's portion would be $1,638, coming from
the hotel-motel.tax,.she said, which should increase tremendously. In response to questions from
the Council, Mr. Housler explained that the present ordinance designates 50% of the hotel -motel tax
for development and planning and 50% for construction of the Performing Arts Center.
Councilmember Dwyer raised a question concerning the first paragraph under item 6 of the agreement,
allocation of pro-rata financial participation by the City of Edmonds. He asked if these figures
had been examined by City staff to see if they were beneficial to the City. He also questioned the
last portion of the same paragraph regarding new service, which would be assessed using a formula
approved by the Board of. Directors. Councilmember Hall asked if there were a sunset clause in the
agreement and was advised that paragraph 10 provided six month notice for withdrawal. .
Council President Jaech pointed out that the City of Edmonds would be allowed one representative to
the Board. She asked that Mr. Housler look at the agreement and the cost distribution chart to
determine what the cost will be to the City and where the funds will be found. She also asked that
the City Attorney look at the agreement, particularly the areas questioned by Councilmember Dwyer.
She specifically mentioned the sentence reading, If this should be the case, then after the board
has approved such an addition or operation, then all members participating in the program shall
share in the cost of said program based on an assessment formula approved by the board of direc-
tors." She expressed concern that the City's one vote on a board of 10 would not protect the City.
In signing the agreement, she said, the Council would be giving 9 other people a say in expenditure
of City funds.
Mayor Naughten suggested that this item appear on the March 20 agenda and, that he will convey the
concerns of the council during the Wednesday meeting.
Mayor Naughten said six more people had.donated to the fire -rescue boat fund and letters of appreci-
ation had'been sent.
The Mayor said April 5th had been designated as Cancer Crusade Day for Edmonds.
Mayor Naughten said the May 1 date -for the Ballinger Town Hall meeting had been selected to coincide
with the Ballinger Community Club meeting, as they will co-sponsor the meeting with the Council. He
suggested that the agenda contain only Consent Agenda items to take care of housekeeping and then
have the Town Hall Meeting. Several members commented that the Council meetings should remain in
the Plaza Meeting Room. Councilmember Dwyer suggested that the 5th Tuesday of the month be used for
Town Hall meetings in the future.
Mayor Naughten asked if there were any suggestions on the newest plan for executive office improve- •
ments. There was a brief discussion; no further.suggestions were offered.
Mayor Naughten asked that the.Council review the H: 0. Hutt property on their own. The subject will
be on.the.agendvi.n two weeks. Property Manager Jim Jessel distributed maps to the Council. Council
President Jaech asked if the leases on last week's agenda pertained to the houses located on this
property? Mr. Jessel said yes, and he would arrange a time for the Council to see the houses if
they wished... He also said the Park Board was discussing the -long range disposition of the houses;
tearing down the large house when it became too dilapidated to maintain and keeping the smaller
house as a caretaker's residence. He suggested the Council might wish to look at the property to
determine if they generally agree with the Park Board's recommendation. Council President Jaech
asked that the will or deed pertaining to the property be included in the Council packet so the
Council would be aware of any restrictions on the property.
Mayor Naughten reported that the D-DAT team was in town during the weekend. They spent over 40
hours analyzing the business district. He thanked Planning Director Mary Lou Block and the staff
for spending time with the team. He said a report would be out on March 27. Councilmember Ostrom
commented that he and Councilmember Kasper heard the findings and recommendations of the team and
found them very interesting.
COUNCIL
Councilpresident Jaech reported that a presentation would be made to the City on the findings of the
D-DAT team. She and Ms. Block will discuss the subject.Wednesday and will schedule the report for
March 27 or April 10.
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34 1.
• March 12. 1984 continued
Counci l Pr.esident Jaech said the agenda for the April 3 meeting contains four hearings concerning
signs and the Council would receive the Planning Board's.recommendations on the sign code on March
27. The Council discussed the advisability of having a..hearing on the 27th instead of a work meet-
ing -in .order to be able to act upon the Board's recommendations. The general concensus of the
Council was that the issue was too complex to attempt to enact code amendments during one meeting.
The members decided that all.parties should be notified that the recommendations cannot be acted
upon before the hearing.date.. That they would then have to comply under the current code or would
have the.option to continue the hearings to May 15.
Council•President Jaech advised the Council the latest update.to "Court Decisions and Legal Opinions"
is now available in the City.
Councilmember Dwyer asked for an update on the Woodway fire.contract. Mr. Housler reported that he
had heard from Councilmember Grady that Mayor Day had been out of town. They plan to review the
contract next week and get back to Edmonds.
Councilmember Norquist said he would not be attending the executive session.
Meeting adjourned to executive session to discuss labor negotiations at 10:00 p.m.
N VARNEY MORAN C t Clerk
LARRY . NAU EN, Mayor