HomeMy WebLinkAboutSpecial Council March 9 20041
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DISCLAIMER: This document contains the Whatcom County Council or Committee
minutes, as approved. However, unless an attested signature page is attached, they
are not the final approved minutes.
WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL
Special County Council
March 9, 2004
Council Chair Dan McShane called the meeting to order at 12:10 p.m. in the
Council Chambers, 311 Grand Avenue, Bellingham, Washington.
Present:
Barbara Brenner
Laurie Caskey- Schreiber
Sam Crawford
Seth Fleetwood
Sharon Roy
Absent:
L. Ward Nelson
1. DISCUSSION REGARDING WHATCOM COUNTY'S MASTER FACILITIES
PLAN (AB2003 -288)
McShane stated the administration submitted the draft evaluation criteria to
use on the various options they'll evaluate.
Dewey Desler, Deputy Administrator, stated they're still in the middle of
determining the evaluation criteria.
Fleetwood asked the purpose of today's meeting.
McShane stated they want to make sure they all agree on how they go
through the evaluation process. Simply decide if the criteria are correct, without
weighting them.
Brenner referenced the memo from Chief of Corrections Wendy Jones dated
February 19, 2004. She got the impression from the memo that it's not as a good
idea to have a remote jail facility as it is to have a jail facility and other law and
justice functions together.
Wendy Jones, Chief of Corrections, stated that's correct.
Brenner asked why they would need less acreage. Jones stated they would
need fewer acres if just the jail is remote, and more acres if an entire law and
justice facility is relocated.
Brenner stated it seems that everyone in the criminal justice system feels
like they shouldn't separate the jail from the court system. There are many more
disadvantages than advantages.
Whatcom County Council- Master Facilities Plan, 3/9/2004, Page I
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DISCLAIMER: This document contains the Whatcom County Council or Committee
minutes, as approved. However, unless an attested signature page is attached, they
are not the final approved minutes.
Fleetwood asked whether there was any consideration given in the planning
process to a scenario where they keep the existing jail as a processing jail for those
involved in the court system and a separate facility for those prisoners who are
already sentenced. Desler stated there was initial analysis of that option. They
want to avoid duplicating jails because of the expenses associated with duplicate
jails. The community isn't large enough to allow it.
Don Hogan, HDR, stated there is some possibility to use the existing jail for a
short duration. It will be a functional jail for about 10 more years. The numbers of
pre- adjudication versus post- adjudication are such that the pre- adjudicated
prisoners can't all fit in the existing jail. The planning studies looked at trying to
keep the existing jail for a ten year period. The original design for the jail was to
accommodate approximately 150 prisoners. The jail can be used for initial
processing.
Caskey- Schreiber asked if the Council is going to discuss the temporary jail.
McShane stated it's a separate issue from the master planning process. How
they proceed with the master planning process might influence how they view a
temporary jail.
Desler stated the Council authorized a review of a building on Port property,
which resulted in a series of recommendations. They're still waiting for the Council
to conclude with the master facilities plan before continuing with the temporary jail.
The administration wants to set up a separate facility that includes non - dangerous,
sentenced offenders; a mental health and substance abuse triage program, and;
storage. They started discussions with the City of Bellingham about zoning
property. The zoning has been established. The administration is having
discussions with the City about acquiring the problem. Before discussions are done,
the administration will make a presentation to the County Council about acquisition
and design.
Caskey- Schreiber stated the zone expires soon. Desler stated it expires the
end of June. The County has to enter into negotiations and acquire the property by
that deadline, or the City can change back the zoning.
Caskey- Schreiber stated the temporary jail is something the County needs
right now. Move the process along. They need to go through a lengthy public
process just to have a plan of where they want to go.
Roy agreed with Councilmember Caskey- Schreiber. A temporary jail has
been in discussion for a long time. It's related to this issue. Desler stated the
administration is concerned, and believes the County will have to ask for the
public's support for any kind of facility. Getting the public's support hinges on
having a plan. The Master Facilities Plan is critical. When they talk to the public,
the groups must see that the County has been thinking about short- and long -term
arrangements for the community.
Whatcom County Council- Master Facilities Plan, 3/9/2004, Page 2
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DISCLAIMER: This document contains the Whatcom County Council or Committee
minutes, as approved. However, unless an attested signature page is attached, they
are not the final approved minutes.
Roy asked if there won't be a temporary jail until the County asks the public
for the money. Desler stated his personal belief is that the County needs additional
revenue capacity from the community to pay for the operation of an interim facility
that will be a minimum security jail for offenders. They're adding capacity of 150
people. The cost is significant. The County can build a jail. The County doesn't
have the capacity to pay for the operational costs without support from the
community.
Roy stated it seems that the interim jail won't happen in the near future.
She predicts that they'll decide there's no point in developing an interim jail
because they'll be so close to completing the master plan, and they'll never discuss
an interim jail.
McShane stated it's up to the Council. It's the Council's decision.
Caskey- Schreiber asked what happens if the public doesn't support the
funding for this master plan and the temporary jail doesn't happen because the
public doesn't support the big master plan. She asked the County's responsibility
to ensure that there's space for the problems now. Desler stated the master plan
would run over 20 or 25 years. The administration will recommend that every time
there's a major phase of the plan that needs to be implemented, the County will go
to the public and ask the public's support of that phase. The additional operating
cost of operating a minimum security jail that would accrue to the County in the
amount of $1 million or more is money they'll have to find in the current budget or
from additional revenue capacity. To construct a major new jail, they would need
to ask the public's support. Otherwise, the Council will have to issue bonds that will
be paid back with existing revenue sources.
McShane stated he wants to focus on the master facility plan.
Crawford stated he wants to pursue a temporary jail. He wishes they had
the master facilities plan in terms of it being an idea of which way they are going so
they can invest efforts in an interim facility at the site. The only drawback to the
Bakerview site is that it's not a site with the capacity to grow and extend over the
long -term. If there is another site that has the capacity to be a long -term site, he'd
be more comfortable in allocating the money and determining the operating
budget. It's worthwhile at another meeting to talk about and decide whether or not
the County is going to pursue the Bakerview property. If they can overcome the
operational cost hurdle, the Council may be willing to go ahead and building the
temporary facility today. He recalled that Sheriff Elfo and Ms. Jones have said that
the County could recover a sufficient amount of the operating costs from the cities.
As important as the master facilities planning is, the County needs to continue
having the discussions about the temporary facility.
McShane stated they are going to have these two issues somewhat separate
from each other. The temporary jail may have an influence on how they decide on
Whatcom County Council- Master Facilities Plan, 3/9/2004, Page 3
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DISCLAIMER: This document contains the Whatcom County Council or Committee
minutes, as approved. However, unless an attested signature page is attached, they
are not the final approved minutes.
the large facility planning. A temporary jail location will not be the location of the
long -term facility that will require environmental impact statements to develop,
which take a long time. They can't even think about a site for a long -term facility
right now, only the interim facility. Have a separate meeting on the interim facility.
Roy stated that criteria 4.a is unnecessary because it's a given. They're not
going to propose a jail that is unsafe for the public and staff. Desler stated the
criterion is about much more than the jail. It's for all the facilities of the County.
Caskey- Schreiber stated criteria 2.d and 4.a are the same. However, they
need to get to weight the criteria. A lot of the options are going to steer them
toward a 50 -acre dream site. However, they may adversely impact businesses by
relocating. They should weight that possibility.
Brenner stated criterion 2.f is supposed to be, "The option is located near
efficient mass transit." Some mass transit isn't frequent enough.
McShane moved to amend criterion 2.f, "The option is located near efficient
mass transit."
Motion carried unanimously.
Brenner stated criterion 1.e is very important. During the last meeting
about this, they discussed how important it is for people to have predictability in
where the courthouse and jail are. They're going to have less of a public outcry if
they can make the downtown core work. She moved to add a criteria to section 4,
functional evaluation criteria, "d. The option provides acceptance and
predictability."
McShane stated that if someone has already made up their mind not to move
the facility, it's not really a criteria.
Brenner stated it may not be a criteria, but it's important to her.
McShane stated this will have to go to the public. The Council will have to
hear from the public about these options, which will have influence. Base the
political process on some objective criteria.
Brenner amended and restated her motion to add a criterion to section
2, strategic evaluation criteria, "g. The location provides acceptance and
predictability for stakeholders."
Motion carried 5 -1 with McShane opposed.
Fleetwood referenced option 2.d. This is important, however, it says the
option must provide the greatest safety. There could be a scenario where two
options are both necessarily and sufficiently safe, but one will be weighted more
Whatcom County Council- Master Facilities Plan, 3/9/2004, Page 4
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DISCLAIMER: This document contains the Whatcom County Council or Committee
minutes, as approved. However, unless an attested signature page is attached, they
are not the final approved minutes.
even if it is safe to the point of being unnecessarily safe. He moved to amend
criterion 2.d, "The option provides the greatest necessary and sufficient safety to
the public and employees." That's what they should be looking at.
McShane offered a friendly amendment to include the word "more."
Fleetwood did not accept the friendly amendment.
Motion carried unanimously.
Fleetwood referenced criterion 2.c. He moved to add a criterion to section
2, strategic evaluation criteria, that may be redundant to criterion 2.c, but it's
necessary. "h. The option reflects GMA requirement to preserve rural character,
maximize urban density, and minimize sprawl."
Motion carried unanimously.
McShane moved to approve the criteria submitted today, as amended.
Motion carried unanimously.
McShane stated there are four broad criteria. Add a percentage evaluation to
each four, such as 25 percent. Rank the criteria individually within the categories.
(Clerk's Note: End of tape one, side A.)
McShane explained how his suggestion for weighting the criteria within the
four categories.
Brenner stated she doesn't want to weigh the four categories equally. She
doesn't want one important criterion to get lost in only 25 percent of the total
weight. She doesn't agree with Councilmember McShane's suggestion to weigh
each category equally. Instead, weight each individual criterion equally.
Caskey- Schreiber stated she agreed with Councilmember Brenner. For
example, for whatever location they choose, they are going to make it functional.
They're going to bring in the best technology. The public and staff will be protected
and safe. Whatever option they choose will address how the departments interact.
The functional evaluation criteria aren't as important as the other three categories.
Roy asked how this will work accurately statistically. Instead, assign a total
limited number of points to each councilmember. Each councilmember can
distribute his or her points to all the criteria.
Desler suggested that each councilmember assign a factor of one to four to
each criteria, and then average the total. Once they establish the weighting factor,
use whatever number of points to apply to each criteria. Multiply the total number
Whatcom County Council- Master Facilities Plan, 3/9/2004, Page 5
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DISCLAIMER: This document contains the Whatcom County Council or Committee
minutes, as approved. However, unless an attested signature page is attached, they
are not the final approved minutes.
of points assigned by each councilmember by the weighting factor to achieve the
score. Then, think about the scores for a couple of weeks to decide if that's what
they really want to do.
Fleetwood asked if this system is a guide or of they will be bound to the final
score.
McShane stated they're looking at what they do and don't value. He will
write up his proposal for a ranking system for the Council's next meeting on this
next week.
ADJOURN
The meeting adjourned at approximately 1:10 p.m.
Jill Nixon, Minutes Transcription
The Council approved these minutes on April 6 , 2004.
ATTEST:
Dana Brown - Davis, Council Clerk
WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL
WHATCOM COUNTY, WASHINGTON
Dan McShane, Council Chair
Whatcom County Council- Master Facilities Plan, 3/9/2004, Page 6