HomeMy WebLinkAbout1997.08.04 Council MinutesMINUTES
PASCO CITY COUNCIL
REGULAR MEETING AUGUST 4, 1997
CALL TO ORDER
The meeting was called to order at 7 30 P M by Charles D Kilbury, Mayor
ROLL CALL
By Deputy City Clerk Councilmembers present Michael Garrison, Joe
Jackson, Chris Jensen, Charles Kilbury, Dan Lathim, Rebecca Francik, and
Carl Strode Also present Gary Crutchfield, City Manager, Leland B Kerr,
City Attorney, Dan Underwood, Finance Director, Dick Erickson, Parks 86
Rec Director, Dave McDonald, City Planner, Denis Austin, Police Chief,
Bob Alberts, Public Works Director, Richard Smith, Community 86 Economic
Dev Director, Kurt Luhrs, Personnel/Risk Manager, and Tim Arntzen,
Management Assistant
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
The meeting was opened with the Pledge of Allegiance
CONSENT AGENDA
MOTION Mr Garrison moved to approve the Consent Agenda Seconded
by Mr Lathan Motion carried unanimously Consent items are as follows
A) Approval of Minutes To approve minutes of Regular Meeting held Just
21, 1997
B) Bills and Communications To approve General Claims in the amount
of $853,966 37 ($105,352 47 being in the form of Wire Transfer Nos
3081, 3083 and 3084, and $748,613 90 consisting of Claim Warrants
numbered 103417 through 103640)
Payroll Claims To approve Payroll Claims in the amount of
$653,239 92, Payroll Voucher Nos 4913 and 5478
Bad Debt Write-offs To approve bad debt write-offs for utility billing,
ambulance, cemetery, Municipal Court non-criminal and criminal
accounts receivable in the total amount of $82,210 63 and, of that
amount, authorize $80,877 46 to turned over for collection
C) Setting a Public Hearing date on the Final Assessment Roll for Frontage
Road Prolect No 93-3-05 LID No 125 To set Tuesday, September 2,
1997, at 7 30 p m in the City Council Chambers as the time and place
for a public hearing to consider the Final Assessment Roll for LID No
125
D) Renaming a Portion of East Lewis and Dietrich Road (MF #97-76-I To
set 7 30 p m, Monday, August 18, 1997, as the time and date for a
hearing to consider renaming certain streets in the vicinity of the
Lewis Street/SR-12 Interchange
PROCLAMATIONS AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Yard of the Month Award Mayor Kilbury presented Yard of the Month
Awards for July, 1997 to the following Pasco residents
Joel 85 Alicia Izagirre, 316 N Beech Ave
Jose, Jr 86 Marbelia Elizondo, 711 W Ainsworth Ave
Larry 86 Zona Lenhart, 1319 W Irving
Muriel Culbert, 1620 W Brown St
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PASCO CITY COUNCIL AUGUST 4, 1997
Russel 86 Ann Snyder, 1507 W Jay St
Dave 86 Lee Malcheski, 3805 Meadow Beauty Dr
J R 86 Lee Bias, 700 Road 32, #204
VISITORS
Mr Juan Bayona, of 1715 W Octave St, addressed concerns regarding the
Road 36 soccer fields Mr Bayona was concerned that from time to time
mechanical failures hinder the proper maintenance on the fields,
specifically, the irrigation system malfunctioned and the fields dried up
This resulted in the soccer teams being forced to look for other fields for
practice and competitions There is also a need for bathroom facilities and
fresh water at the field
Mayor Kilbury asked if the soccer teams had access to the soccer fields near
the baseball stadium 9
Mr Bayona explained that he was informed that those fields couldn't be
used
Mr Crutchfield reported to Council that staff was aware of the incident that
lead to the fields drying out at Road 36 and is addressing it internally to
prevent a future recurrence of this problem It was Mr Crutchfield's
suggestion that Mr Bayona and the Director of Parks 86 Recreation get
together and approach the Parks Advisory Board regarding the installation of
bathrooms and drinking water for it's recommendations
Mr Crutchfield reminded Council that the soccer fields near the baseball
stadium was a complex developed jointly between the City and the Tr-Cities
Junior Soccer Association The Soccer Association raised all the money
necessary to level the land, install the irrigation system and seed the grass
By virtue of the agreement between the City and the Soccer Association, they
will have priority use of the fields in fall and spring The summer period is
used as a time for rehabilitation of the fields between the two seasons
Mr Jensen asked if the Mr Bayona's soccer teams could use the Road 68
fields, on a limited basis if a problem occurs, if it wouldn't conflict with the
Soccer Association'?
Mr Crutchfield felt it may be possible, but it was his understanding from
Mr Erickson that there is a working arrangement with the Pasco School
District which will allow the use of Capt Gray soccer fields in those
instances where a back-up field is needed
Mr Strode wanted to express his appreciation to Mr Bayona for his efforts
to maintain the Road 36 soccer fields
REPORTS FROM COMMITTEES AND/OR OFFICERS
None
PUBLIC HEARINGS
Street Vacation - Vacating Portions of Trinidad and Superior Street (MF #97-
61-V) Mr David McDonald, City Planner, addressed Council and noted for
the record that notice of the public hearing was published as required by
law
Mr McDonald explained that Tippett Land 86 Mortgage has been working for
several months with several businesses in an attempt to entice them to
expand and locate in the Frey's Addition on Oregon Avenue To assist in
that effort the businesses have requested that portions of Trinidad and
Superior Streets be vacated
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The Public Works Department has requested an easement be retained on
Trinidad Street to cover the sewer and water lines No other utilities have
requested easements
MAYOR KILBURY DECLARED THE PUBLIC HEARING OPEN TO CONSIDER
VACATING PORTIONS OF TRINIDAD AND SUPERIOR STREETS
Following three (3) calls from Mayor Kilbury for comments from the floor,
either for or against, and there being none, the public hearing was declared
closed
ORDINANCE NO. 3244
AN ORDINANCE VACATING PORTIONS OF TRINIDAD AND
SUPERIOR STREETS FROM OREGON AVENUE TO COLORADO
AVENUE
MOTION Ordinance No 3244, was read by title only Mr Garrison moved
to adopt Ordinance No 3244, vacating portions of Trinidad and Superior
Streets Mr Strode seconded the motion Motion carried unanimously
Tax Credit Financed Rental Apartment Project Mr Smith reported that the
developer, Devco„ Inc of Washington, has asked the City to pass a
resolution indicating that the proposed 51-unit complex is in accordance
with the City's adopted and approved Consolidated Plan, and that the
Council supports the proposed project
If the resolution is approved by the Council the information would be
transmitted to the Washington State Housing Finance Agency, which has
final authority on the allocation of tax credits in Washington State
Mr Crutchfield read a letter into the record received from Mr Steve
Dennison that stated Pasco should strive to get the best deal possible from
the developer since the funding for the project will come from Franklin
County and City of Pasco residents who pay federal income taxes Mr
Dennison felt there was a lack of supply of three and four bedroom rentals
to fill the needs of lower income families with three to six children These
larger families try to rent one and two bedroom rentals because they are
cheaper than three bedroom rental housing units available on the market
Mr Dennison stated that if the City of Pasco was going to support the
developer, the developer should be forced to provide at least twenty-four
three bedroom apartments and twenty four bedroom apartments, which will
have rents lowered to an amount that the developer doesn't reap a windfall
profit from the rent in addition to the tax credit subsidy
Mr Crutchfield read a letter from P S Nettleship, of the Pine Crest
Apartments Co (54 units of HUD financed housing), expressing their
objections to the proposed project They objected strenuously to another
subsidized housing project in our small area and felt any tax relief should be
provided to existing properties not new projects
Mr Crutchfield read a letter from Ms Catherine Duffey, of Guardian Realty
of Kennewick, stating that if building is allowed to continue with little
consideration for existing units for the long term there could be a repeated
scenario of the 1980's There are a lot of owners that are having difficulties
meeting present debt service and if more building is allowed this will
perpetuate the problem Ms Duffey felt that before the City of Pasco goes
any further with the proposed project they should look at the rental market
situation When properties start offering deals in order to rent units then
it's fairly certain that there are some problems in the rental market
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The Clerk read a letter from Ms Glinnette Evans, of Prosser, that was in
opposition to the proposed project and stated that the Tr-City area was
already greatly over-built with apartment complexes Ms Evans requested
that the Council vote against the Devco proposal
Ms Francik pointed out that the Pasco Housing Authority has stated that
they have a waiting list of over one hundred families, however, Pine Crest
Apartments has stated they have a 20% vacancy and they are a HUD
approved facility
Mr Smith explained that HUD operates a number of subsidy programs and
the Pasco Housing Authority takes the very low income families The
subsidy would not be as much for HUD approved organizations outside of the
Pasco Housing Authority
MAYOR KILBURY DECLARED THE PUBLIC HEARING OPEN TO CONSIDER
SUPPORTING A 51-UNIT TAX CREDIT FINANCED APARTMENT COMPLEX
LOCATED WITHIN AN AREA BOUNDED BY WEST LEWIS STREET, 20TH
AVENUE, WEST COURT STREET AND 1-182
Mr Josh Tippett, of Tippett Land 8v Mortgage, spoke in favor of the proposed
project Mr Tippett felt the project would be good for Pasco because there
have been no major apartment construction projects in Pasco since 1979 and
this would provide low income housing as planned for in the City's
Comprehensive Plan Mr Tippett explained that it would be less expensive
for a private development to build the rental units than the Pasco Housing
Authority because of the necessity to pay prevailing wages
Mr Bud Williams, of 2017 W Yakima St , felt the City would be better off
with commercial development rather than with the building of apartments
Mr Williams, as a citizen of Pasco and a tax payer, was opposed to having
his federal tax dollars used for a project of this type
Mr Fred LaMothe, of 10024 W Court St, stated he had mixed emotions
concerning the proposed project and asked Council and staff to reflect
objectively on the project Mr LaMothe pointed out that currently the Tr--
Cities is experiencing escalating vacancies, decreasing rents, free month's
rent or lowered rents Mr LaMothe felt that now would not be a good time
to build new apartments
Ms Francik asked Mr LaMothe if he felt that if Devco, Inc is not endorsed
by the Council that the private sector would reduce their rates to allow low
income citizens to rent an apartment 9
Mr LaMothe stated that he was a firm believer in the private sector economy
and letting supply and demand take care of itself Currently in the market,
rents are going down, vacancy factors are going up and at the same time
expenses are going up Mr LaMothe wanted to stress that he was not
opposed to the project as proposed, but that the timing of the project is not
right
Mr Steve Dennison, of 4310 Desert Place, explained that Devco, Inc , is
saying that their criteria will be to rent to anybody that has an income less
than 50% of the median income Mr Dennison felt that Pasco needs more
three and four bedroom rental units for the truly poor and that HUD
subsidizing works for the renters and the landlords A tax credit system
would mean tax payers would be financing the project for somebody else
Mr Dennison felt the project, in terms of the total cost at 75% in tax
credits, would not provide what is really needed in Pasco
Mr Tippett felt the audience should understand that the developer would be
putting in amenities such as barbecue areas, laundry facilities, swimming
pools, etc This will cause the unit cost for construction to be higher than a
project without these amenities
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Mr Jenson stated that he had mixed emotions about the project and he
wanted to know if rehabilitation of existing apartment units could be
financed with tax credits or does it have to be new construction'? He was
concerned that new subsidized housing would cause renters in older units,
that are in disrepair, to move to the newer units This would cause the
decline of the older units even more than they already are
Mr Dennison pointed out that if Council would read Devco, Inc 's proposal
closely, it says that the federal and state guidelines are to restrict the
incomes to less than 60% of the median income His question to Council is,
what would be the criteria that the City would allow"?
Following three (3) calls from Mayor Kilbury for comments from the floor,
either for or against, the public hearing was declared closed
MOTION Mr Jenson moved to table the proposed resolution until there's
clarification concerning the median income and whether or not
rehabilitation of existing units is possible Motion failed due to lack of a
second
Mr Strode pointed out that the proposed project is very specific and aimed at
new construction with terms that are clearly using the 60% criteria and he
felt that supply and demand should be looked at Increasing the supply at a
lower than demand rate can do nothing but damage those people that are
attempting to do business in the City of Pasco Without adequate rents the
maintenance will deteriorate further and make situations worse Mr Strode
urged Council to take action on the proposed project and turn it down
Mr Jackson felt it was important that Council thoroughly understand the
tax credit issue He pointed out to Council that there had been a significant
amount of discussion regarding vacancy rates in the Tr-Cities, but there
hadn't been any statements made concerning any vacancy rates for low
income housing Mr Jackson reminded Council that the real issue being
discussed was low income housing for citizens of Pasco and that most of the
housing available, that falls under the umbrella of subsidized housing, is
competitive with the market Mr Jackson encouraged Council to be sure
and look at the operative statement of the proposal, which is dealing with
low income affordable housing
Mr Jensen felt Mr Strode was correct when he said that the proposal
before the Council does articulate the desire to build new construction
Council can send the proposal back with a "no" response, or Council can
take an opportunity to wait 30 days for answers to the questions being asked
by Council and those giving testimony Mr Jensen felt the tax credit
program could help with Council's desire that existing rental units get
rehabilitated and that the message sent back to Devco, Inc should reflect
that desire
Ms Francik voiced her support for Mr Jackson's position and also pointed
out that while the median income is $40,000 in the Tr-Cities, the median
income in Franklin County is $23,918 Therefore, if a citizen is paying
30% for rent and utilities, the most that can be paid is $538 15 per month
Mr Lath= stated that he has been opposed to this project since it was
presented to Council, but he wanted to point out that citizens of Pasco have
more than their fair share of low income housing
Mr Garrison asked if the program had any portion that speaks to
rehabilitation of existing units'?
Mr Smith explained that rehabilitation is an eligible activity under the tax
credit program
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MOTION Mr Jenson reintroduced his previous motion to continue this
matter for 30 days
Mayor Kilbury informed the audience that he was the owner of one of
Pasco's large low income housing projects and it's still in good shape and
well maintained, but he wondered how long Pasco is going to be subject to
low income projects Mayor Kilbury in formed Council that the City has 575
units in the Pasco Housing Authority and within that number are all of the
farm worker housing units in Franklin and Benton Counties No other
jurisdictions will allow any farm worker housing units and Pasco's sister
cities are not doing their share
Ms Francik seconded Mr Jenson's motion to table Motion failed by the
following voice vote Yes - Jenson, Francik, No - Kilbury, Garrison, Lathim,
Jackson, Strode
RESOLUTION NO. 2325
A RESOLUTION SUPPORTING A 51 UNIT TAX CREDIT
FINANCED APARTMENT COMPLEX LOCATED WITHIN AN
AREA BOUNDED BY WEST LEWIS STREET, 20TH AVENUE,
WEST COURT STREET AND 1-182
MOTION Mr Strode moved to deny Resolution No 2325 supporting a 51
unit tax credit financed apartment complex located within an area bounded
by W Lewis Street, 20th Avenue, W Court Street and 1-182 Mr Garrison
seconded the motion
Mr Jackson questioned Mr Strode's motion as the motion on the agenda
made no reference to denying the resolution
Mr Kerr explain that the motion needed to go forward on a positive action,
but if the motion does not carry by an affirmative majority vote of the Council
it will die
Mayor Kilbury declared Mr Strode's motion to deny improper and called for a
motion to approve the resolution
MOTION Ms Francik moved to approve Resolution No 2325, supporting an
51 unit tax credit financed apartment complex located within an area
bounded by West Lewis Street, 20th Avenue, West Court Street and 1-182
Mr Jackson seconded the motion Motion failed by the following roll call
vote Yes - Jackson, Francik, No - Garrison, Jenson, Kilbury, Lathim,
Strode
Mr Jenson wanted the record to reflect that his negative vote deals only
with the proposal before Council, but he asked Mr Tippett to try to convince
Devco, Inc to take an alternate path and get into rehabilitation
ORDINANCES/RESOLUTIONS NOT RELATED TO PUBLIC HEARINGS
None
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
None
NEW BUSINESS
Market Analysis for East Pasco Grocery Store
MOTION Mr Garrison moved to accept the July 7, 1997 Final Report for
the East Pasco Grocery Store Feasibility Project and authorize the City
Manager to use the information contained herein to facilitate the
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development of a grocery store in the East Pasco neighborhood Mr Strode
seconded the motion Motion carried unanimously
Amendment No 7 to HDR Engineering Professional Services Agreement for
the Wastewater Proiect - 9th and Washington Pump Station Construction
Management Services - Proiect 96-1-07
MOTION Mr Garrison moved to authorize the Mayor to sign Amendment
No 7 to the HDR Engineering, Inc Professional Services Agreement for the
Wastewater Project - 9th and Washington Pump Station Construction
Management Services Mr Lathim seconded the motion Motion carried
unanimously
MISCELLANEOUS - INCLUDING SUGGESTIONS FROM COUNCIL
None
ADJOURNMENT
further business, the meeting was adjourned at 9 01 P M
arles D Kilbury, M or
ATTEST
Catherine D Seaman
Deputy City Clerk
PASSED and APPROVED this _18_ day of August , 1997
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