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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCounty Council February 5 1991WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL Regular Meeting February 5, 1991 The meeting was called to order at 7 p.m. by Council Chairman Dan Warner. Present: Absent: Don Hansey Emily Jackson Dennis Vander Yacht Mary Vanderpol Marge Laidlaw Bob Imhof EXECUTIVE ITEMS 1. BID AWARD RECOMMENDATION FOR A DIESEL TANDEM AXLE DUMP TRUCK TO THE LOW BIDDER, MORGAN BROTHERS OF EVERETT, INC., FOR $88,574.49 (AB91 -002) 2. BID AWARD RECOMMENDATION FOR ALL -WHEEL DRIVE ARTICULATED MOTOR GRADER TO THE LOWEST /BEST BIDDER, NC MACHINERY COMPANY, FOR $137,324.81 (AB91 -003) County Executive Van Zanten explained the above items. The Purchasing Department called and the low bid will still be honored as originally quoted. Vanderpol reported Finance recommended approval on both items now that questions had been answered. HE SO MOVED. The motion passed 6 -1 with Imhof against. 3. EXECUTIVE'S REPORT Van Zanten explained the progress on the one -year road program and the traffic lights are installed on Northwest Avenue and Bakerview. Flood issues: Dealing with the damage is a long and slow process; even though the river is below flood stage, the roads continue to flood because of the broken dikes, but the Corps of Engineer can no longer consider it an emergency when the river is below flood stage. A press release has gone out as requested to alert the public of the road condition. Silver Creek Park will be done in two parts; first the trees will be taken out in the horse camp area, then the campgrounds will be repaired. The trees will have to be surplussed. There will be another meeting at the Lynden Middle School to try to give a comprehensive briefing to everyone who is interested in the progress and get input from the public. Staff is in the process of identifying a number of projects that can be referred to FEMA. That program now allows ten percent of the damage to be used in mitigation. Warner asked about the Lake Whatcom Connector. Van Zanten said she had not had a chance to speak to the contractor. INTRODUCTION OF RESOLUTIONS AND ORDINANCES ( *Consent Items) 1. RESOLUTION RECOGNIZING THE EXCEPTIONAL PERFORMANCE OF COUNTY EMPLOYEES, CITIZEN VOLUNTEERS, CORPS OF ENGINEERS, NATIONAL GUARD AND PUGET POWER EMPLOYEES (AB91 -027) HANSEY MOVED FOR THE ADOPTION OF A SPECIAL RESOLUTION TO RECOGNIZE THE EXCEPTIONAL PERFORMANCE OF COUNTY EMPLOYEES, CITIZEN VOLUNTEERS, CORPS OF ENGINEERS, NATIONAL GUARD AND PUGET POWER EMPLOYEES. Warner said the administration has had to work hard to coordinate these efforts. The motion carried unanimously. COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE 1. REPORT ON PHASE ONE OF THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS PROJECT BEING PERFORMED BY TELCOM MANAGEMENT CONCEPTS, INC. (AB91 -028) George Reid, Information Services said they had been working on this for some time. Te1Com Management Concepts, Inc., was the firm awarded the bid. Reid introduced Gary Hayes, Project Manager and Mike Peterson, Consultant. Peterson showed slides and explained the project goals. The major concern initially was the inability to communicate internally; this costs the taxpayer and employees time and money and reduces productivity. Maintenance costs are high on the old systems as that system isn't made anymore. Seven departments have purchased separate systems which causes problems knowing who maintains each system. Peterson said a uniform system of wiring is needed; this would be extended into the new building. Hayes expressed his appreciation for the high level of cooperation and candor shown by the different departments and particularly by Tom Sutberry and George Reid. A review of the options was shown. Hayes explained the growth projections; TelCom is suggesting 750 phones instead of the 500 phones in place today as many employees are currently sharing units. Hayes said it is imperative the Council buy something big enough to last a reasonable length of time; the recommended system could be added to and paid for at the time it was needed. The cost would be $536,500; the remote site location would cost about $75,000.00 and the wiring plan would be $118,750, making a total of $720,250. This should be in place when the building is being built. The benefits will be the ability to serve the county and be increased when the need arises. Hayes said that increased productivity is hard to put a Minutes, 2/5/91, Page 2 value on but there are a number of areas where a new system would be appropriate. Jackson asked what floor space would be needed for the equipment. Hayes said a 12 x 16 room would be needed and would handle up to a thousand phones. Jackson asked if we could protect ourselves from buying now and having new equipment out of date soon. Hayes said the buyer is protected from the equipment becoming obsolete because its an add -on system. Warner said on page 28 there's a cost projection of the old and new system; he asked if there is a solid recommendation. Hayes said on page 21 of the packet there is a recommendation the County put out a request for proposal to equate the installers. Sutberry said this is the perfect time with the building plans to get an up -to -date system so we can improve the productivity of the employees and make it easier for the county residents to call in. He said he thinks it is critical to buy a new system and he is asking for approval to go on with the second phase. Jackson asked if we could sell our old one. Sutberry said he doubted it, maybe a penny on the dollar. Laidlaw asked when it might be completed and how it would be funded. Sutberry said it would be shortsighted to not go to the new system, but it would be difficult to roll this into the building cost. Jackson said this is not going to get any cheaper. Hayes said three to four months maximum and a new system could be operational by August. There was consensus among Council Members that the committee should continue on to the next phase. Warner thanked Hayes and Peterson and also Reid and Sutberry for the presentation. 2. REPORT ON SOLID WASTE PROGRAM: (1) UPDATE ON IMPLEMEN- TATION OF COLLECTION & SERVICE LEVEL ORDINANCES; (2) FINANCING OF SOLID WASTE PROGRAMS & A FLOW CONTROL ORDINANCE; AND (3) STATUS OF NEW LANDFILL SITING EFFORTS (AB91 -025) (1) Van Zanten said the first item is an update on implementation of the collection and service level ordinances. She said she immediately got a memo out to staff when she received the letter of intent, and the letter from John Davis saying they would not pursue the referenda. Jack Weiss, Solid Waste Division, said they are trying to institute the service level ordinance programs. He said on garbage collection they are changing can sizes and frequency as well as trying to work on the rate structure issues with UTC. In regard to curbside recycling, the suppliers should still be able to provide us with the containers despite the delay. The recycling trucks may be hard for the haulers to get in place in time, said Weiss. Next week's solid waste staff report will show the number of businesses who have requested some sort of recycling service. Weiss said he hopes the mandatory garbage collection can be started on June 1st. He said he thinks the County needs to send a letter to residents telling them of the progress. Vanderpol asked if an exemption form will be sent out. Weiss said it would not but there would be a four page informational folder. If residents request an application, it would then be sent out. Warner said it had been mentioned it would be called universal instead of mandatory collection. There was discussion between Laidlaw and Weiss regarding UTC approval and when it might be expected; Weiss said UTC usually comes up with the decision just before it is Minutes, 2/5/91, Page 3 to go into effect. (2) Van Zanten spoke on the financing of solid waste programs and a flow control ordinance. She stated the constitutionality of an excise tax is being looked at in June or July and it would go to the voters in November. She said she and the solid waste staff met with the representatives of all seven cities; they endorsed the original plan and their preference is to wait until the excise tax is voted in before putting in a surcharge. The functional difference between excise tax and surcharge is if you have your can picked up once a month for $6 they would charge you 10 percent on that charge. A surcharge would be a fixed amount on a ton of garbage; the hauler would pay the surcharge on each ton he brought to the facility. The surcharge is more volume based. It was noted by Weiss that exempt people would pay the surcharge on what they brought to the facility. Van Zanten agreed the surcharge is the only viable option. Imhof asked if there was a way the Executive could negotiate with the cities for a surcharge over the interim. Van Zanten said she would approach the cities even though they had said they would prefer to wait. Jackson said the Council passed an ordinance providing the opportunity to collect a fee in 1987; Van Zanten said the legal advice on that ordinance was that it needs to be rewritten and combined with a flow control ordinance. Vanderpol said we should encourage the administration to get the flow control ordinance underway and establish a surcharge so the residents know what to expect. He also said a facility receiving the waste would be suspect to being a monopoly. Van Zanten said it wouldn't because it could go to any site that meets the criteria. Jackson said the Council needs to get on with some realistic funding; Van Zanten said she is here tonight asking for some clear direction from the Council on funding. She cautioned the Council that it will take time to get things in place quickly because she does have to renegotiate the interlocal agreement with the small cities. Van Zanten said she would not agree with it if all of the County residents were not paying their share. Jackson said we could put an interim surcharge on based on the old ordinance so the haulers could file for a tariff in July; our legal department could advise us on how the old ordinance could be spruced up to bring it up -to -date. Van Zanten said she does not think UTC would agree to a voluntary surcharge but would have to consider it if it was mandated as part of a flow control ordinance. Jackson disagreed saying UTC sets their rates on costs. Vanderpol said he would like the rate to be given to the residents as soon as possible so there are no surprises. Warner said it was important that those who are allowed an exemption pay their fair share of the recycling program. Terry Klimpel was delegated to come and observe on behalf of LENS; Patrick Floyd, interim City Manager of Blaine was also present. Warner said he is getting the impression the members want Van Zanten to proceed with a flow control ordinance and surcharge. Van Zanten answered a question by Barbara Brenner stating that the only contract entered into will be the price per ton surcharge with each facility. (3) Van Zanten said the siting of a new landfill ran amuck due to wetlands concerns. Jurica explained the procedure that must be followed. Jurica said the County did make application to the Corps of Engineers for a 404 Wetlands Permit when it was discovered that the priority site had 70 percent of its area covered with wetland soils. he siad the Corps Minutes, 2/5/91, Page 4 asked the County to look at all nine sites to make sure the priority site is the best one. Because this is wetland area there is a no net loss requirement meaning if a hundred acres of wetland is taken out it would have to be replaced with another hundred acres or something else of equal value would have to be enhanced; the application is still being finalized. He said some of the benefits of having a landfill would be having backup capability so the Councy would not be totally dependent on out -of County or out -or -State facilities; it would also take care of yeard waste, mulching, asbestos burial, construction demolition and recycling disposal. Jurica said zoning restrictions are being tightened. He said a disposal site would protect us for taking care of garbage disposal for future growth. Jurica said some of the disadvantages are that it is costly and means long -term liability. Jurica said the facility accepting our waste is only licensed until May 1992 and will have to go through the permitting process again. If the County abandons the siting process, it would have to change the comprehensive plan, release options on proposed sites it now holds, withdraw the 404 Wetlands Permit application, redeem the bond notes with a possible penalty, terminate a contract with Harding Lawson and possibly lose data, time and money already expended. A representative from Department of Ecology said Snohomish and Klickitat Counties are currently working on new landfills. Jurica recommends taking a wait and see attitude during 1991 and by budget time more information may be available making it easier to reach a decision. Imhof asked what options are costing per year. The top site (DNR) is very little; the second site is not costing anything. The option is for a year or a year and a half. Brenner asked how long it took for Snohomish to get approval; Jurica said they were not in a wetland but it took several years. Warner said the wait and see mode seems in order since it would not cost much if anything to wait. Van Zanten said it would be beneficial to have the Solid Waste Advisory Committee (SWAC) discuss this issue. She said the administration would like to know what Council wishes in the next four to six weeks regarding siting a new landfill. RETURN TO THE REGULAR MEETING. HANSEY MOVED TO ASK THE ADMINISTRATION TO PROCEED WITH PHASE 2 AND PHASE 3 OF THE NEW TELEPHONE SYSTEM. The motion carried unanimously. LAIDLAW MOVED THE COUNCIL ASK THE ADMINISTRATION TO DEVELOP A FLOW CONTROL ORDINANCE, INVESTIGATE THE NECESSARY INFORMATION ON SURCHARGES AND BEGIN NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE SMALL CITIES. The motion carried unanimously. JACKSON ASKED THE PROSECUTING ATTORNEY'S OFFICE TO LOOK AT THE EXISTING ORDINANCE AND REPORT BACK TO THE COUNCIL WITH ITS USEFULNESS. Minutes, 2/5/91, Page 5 USEFULNESS. Hansey said it had been looked at recently and considered not too useful. The motion failed 5 -2 with Hansey, Warner, Imhof, Laidlaw and Vanderpol against. REPORTS AND OTHER ITEMS FROM COUNCIL MEMBERS Redistricting Committee: Hansey said the Redistricting Committee was presently meeting at the Courthouse. Planning Commission Vacancy: Warner said that Lyle Balcom has resigned and the staff is asked to advertise the vacancy. Flickering lights: Vanderpol asked that the lights in the Chambers be looked at because they flicker. Fullner concern: Laidlaw said Mr. Fullner had written and asked about streambank protection; she said she would refer the letter to engineering. The meeting was adjourned at 9:28 p.m. ATTEST: Bar6ara Maher, Deputy Clerk WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL WHATCOM COUNTY, WASHINGTON Daniel M. Warner, Chairman Minutes, 2/5/91, Page 6