Council Meeting Notes: Oct. 5, 2009

The meeting was called to order by Mayor Hopkins at 7:01 pm. All council members were present. After the agenda was approved, the minutes were approved with minor clarifications.

Public Comment
Jim Wingard was concerned that the council is spending lots of money without question on many issues but won’t allow a raise for town employees.

Kevin Moser did not like the street lighting in his area on the new Stack Hill development. He read a letter he had sent to the Ruston council. He wanted the lights changed so the light is directed down and does not want the same lights used in other parts of town. The new lighting has already been put out to bid, so it may be too late to make any changes. When his two minutes ran out the council gave him permission to finish his comments. Hunt agreed with the problem. Mayor said he is talking to Point Ruston about solutions. Albertson complained about same problem with The Commencement condo's outside lighting.

JJ McCament noted that Point Ruston supports dark sky maintenance. A previous town engineer approved the current lighting. They would be concerned about security if streetlights were turned off in the area where homes are not built yet, but they firmly support shielding lights.

Business
There was a lengthy discussion about transferring money to cover electrical engineering costs that had been approved. It was unclear what the requirements were, so the council held public hearing to be safe. Mosier commented that he thought it was ok to move the funds. Edie Tallman said she didn’t care. Mayor then closed public comment. The second reading will be at the next meeting.

Albertson outlined his concern about arsenic in Ruston. He gave a rundown on what high levels of exposure could cause. He said he was recently provided with tests done by a Seattle lab from outside the Point Ruston gate, which were above the EPA remediation levels. He wants someone from the town to monitor situation to ensure the town will not get re-contaminated. He suggested that the regulators to attend a council meeting and answer questions. The Mayor asked if Albertson had talked to EPA. He had not, only to Citizens for a Healthy Bay (a local environmental group). CHB said they would give presentation to the council. After more discussion, Albertson said he would contact EPA and ask them to attend a council meeting.

The mayor outlined changes with deposits for the electrical meters, where deposits will only be held for one year in the future. The town recently wrote off $11, 294.00 in uncollectible utility charges. He will work to ensure we don’t get upside down on accounts so much again. Many of these were very old accounts that had gone to collections but could not be recovered. Hunt wants to be sure the property owner is required to pay the bill if their tenant skips out. Stebner wants to ensure meters are pulled (and the electricity cut) but was told it is against the law to cut off someone’s power during the winter months. The council will hold study session to discuss the issue in detail.

Claims and Payroll
Hunt wanted to ensure that any cost for the school building is coded separately so that tenants get charged for all costs. Claims and payroll was approved 3-1-1 with Albertson voting no and Stebner abstaining.

Mayor's time
Hopkins had nothing.

Council
Stebner expressed support for an email from the mayor where he had suggested using the surplus property fund to pay for some of the sewer costs. He does not want the residents to have to pay too much. The Mayor clarified that his proposal was to pay for half of the project from town reserve funds and repay ourselves at 3% interest rather than give the interest to the bank. The bank has requested that the town invest their reserve funds with them. The Mayor also noted that the town needs to set an investment policy.

Huson had nothing.

Hedrick had nothing.

Albertson liked the idea of paying cash up front if possible for the sewers, but he is still worried about running out of money before development starts generating tax income. He wants to check on the Point Ruston timeline to see if their completion schedule has slipped. The Mayor inserted that he has discussed next year’s budget with staff and wants to base the budget on what the town's revenues only (not reserves). He said services will have to be cut and it will be painful to balance the budget next year. Albertson complained that The Commencement is not completed yet. The Mayor explained they are still finishing up some items and the town will require a bond for things not done before the occupancy permit is issued.

Hunt agreed. She wants a current timetable from Point Ruston and when revenue will be generated. She wants a 5 and 10 year plan for town. She does not want occupancy allowed in The Commencement until all their obligations are met. She hoped the new community center could host classes for gardening with local experts.

The meeting adjourned at about 8:10 pm.