Council Meeting Notes: July 6, 2009

This is what I found interesting at the last meeting. Please attend for yourself and see what interests you. ~ Karen

The meeting began promptly at 7 pm with all the elected officials in attendance. The meeting was immediately recessed into executive session for 40 minutes to discuss personnel and pending litigation. The regular meeting began again at 7:40 pm. The meeting minutes from June 15th were approved with minor corrections.

Public Comment
Jim Wingard noted a hearing on the casino is scheduled for Friday. He encouraged folks to read his blog for details.

I noted donations are still being taken for the Bergman family fire fund.

Sherri Forch thanked the police and fire department for the help keeping the 4th of July quiet. She thought the enforcement worked well this year.

Beth Torbet thanked Isabelle Davis for a great kids parade on the 4th. Beth thought Ruston had a budding politician on their hands.

Old Business
Ordinance 1290, Repealing Library Card Reimbursement (second reading): The issue was tabled until the next meeting so the mayor can follow up on some new information he received.

New Business
Ordinance 1291, Development Regulation (granting administrative decision-making authority to the town planner): Hedrick moved to waive the second reading and finalize this ordinance immediately. He felt with the high level of development activity in town, this was a time bomb waiting to go off and needed to be put in place immediately. The vote to waive the second reading was 3-2 (Stebner and Albertson voting no). It was assumed the second reading was waived until Stebner stated that this action required a super-majority vote as required by the council rules. But the town attorney agreed with the majority that the motion had passed.

Albertson voiced his concerns and outlined the intent of that rule when he drafted the council rules. Since this issue is the major basis for “another” lawsuit (the casino tax case), he asked the attorney to change his ruling. Based on Albertson explanation, the town attorney reversed his position.

Hedrick then moved for reconsideration so there could be some discussion about why there was any opposition to this ordinance. He was told he was not on the prevailing side, even though his side had more votes. The two “no” votes prevailed since a super-majority was required for passage. The ordinance will have its second reading at the next council meeting.

Ordinance 1292, Height Increase for part of Pearl Street (first reading): The town planner outlined the proposal and noted the issue had been considered by the planning commission and a public hearing had been held. He recommended approval at the next meeting.

Ordinance 1293, Public record policy (first reading): This ordinance adds a section at the end of the current policy. Hunt wanted to confirm how long LESA kept email records to ensure they are in compliance with the new rules.

Ordinance 1294, Indemnification of public and town employees (first reading): No comment.

Resolution 447: Surplus property: This allows the sale of one of the old police vehicles. It passed 5-0.

Resolution 447, Legal services contract: Hedrick noted this contract included an increase in rates from $125 to $150 per hour for work outside the normal scope (i.e. for lawsuits) and an increase from $4,000 to $5,000 per month in the base rate. The town attorney said he had devoted more hours than.expected and this would “help stop the bleeding”. The resolution passed 5-0.

Professional Services Agreement for Communications Maintenance: The town attorney wanted to draw up a formal resolution authorizing the mayor to sign this agreement. The council agreed to table the issue until the next meeting. Hunt noted that according to the class she had just attended on Roberts Rules of Order, they could not table an issue. It had to be approved or it died. So the issue was moved to the next meeting instead.

Claims and Payroll
Hedrick noted that the invoice for the lawsuit over the Point Ruston shoreline permit was $2,600 this month. This is cost the town must absorb directly and cannot pass along to Point Ruston since the town is being sued separately from Point Ruston. Claims and payroll passed 3-2 with Stebner and Albertson voting no.

Mayor’s Time
Hopkins reported that the first meeting of all the town staff went well. It lasted about 2 hours and opened up communication across the different departments.

He attended the recent AWC conference along with Hunt. His goal at the conference had been to find any money that might be out there. He felt there were some good prospects and he was excited about where the town is headed.

Two banks had turned down funding for the sewer project. The USDA loan program should now be available, with lower interest rates (3.75%) and longer payback time (40-year note). He is planning on including money for the Phase 2 work along with Phase 1 in the loan request. There is still money available in the loan fund and Ruston is 3rd or 4th in line for that funding. He wants to have a study session to discuss the sewer projects in detail (no date set yet).

The mayor thanked planning commission chair Kevin Mosier for volunteering his electrician skills to move the kitchen area at the community center. Mosier had put together a bid for the hard costs and he will volunteer his time to redo the wiring. The estimated cost for the electrical work is about $1,400. The mayor is looking for a bid from a plumber next. He will be asking the council for funding for this work soon.

Council Time
Stebner was concerned about the cost for the sewer upgrades. The citizens will have to pay for these upgrades. He estimates that to complete the full project could cost at least $40 per household. The surplus property fund should be used for this, even though it won’t cover all the costs.

Stebner was also frustrated that there is not anything being done for the street lighting that is also in poor shape. The mayor told him that CTED thought there was funding available for this project, especially if Ruston used green lighting in their design. That change is currently being made to the design, so he is hopeful for grant moneys to help cover some of this cost. Stebner wanted to use the electrical surplus fund, which everyone agreed was the point of that fund. The mayor noted that the rumor is there will be a second round of stimulus money in September, which the town is well positioned for this time around.

Stebner was glad that fireworks in Ruston will be banned next year. He was out of town but found burnt debris in his yard when he returned. The mayor felt there had been an impressive display of patrol and enforcement this year and things had gone well. Stebner wanted to know how many fines had been issued. There had not been any need for fines.

Huson had nothing.

Hedrick thanked everyone for the 4th of July children’ parade. The event exceeded expectation. Folks are talking about adding to it next year, maybe a bike rodeo or safety class taught by the police department. He thought the permit process allowing fireworks went well this year and he was sorry know they would be banned in the future.

He noted concerns about the atmosphere at the Taste of Tacoma the last couple of years. The after dinner crowd does not feel safe. Mayor Hopkins felt that Ruston did not benefit from the event. He was considering shutting down the town and only allowing residents to park in town that weekend. Huson agreed and thought we should make Ruston a “Taste-free zone”.

Alberston wanted to support the idea of a Farmers Market in Ruston.

Hunt outlined the notes from the classes she attended at the AWC conference. The next conference is in August and she encouraged other council members to attend. There are scholarships available for small towns like Ruston.

The mayor noted that the lawsuit between Tacoma City Water and local towns would not impact Ruston. The town had already paid the fees in question. If Tacoma won, there would not be any additional fees for Ruston, if Tacoma lost Ruston would receive a refund.
The meeting adjourned about 8:45 pm.