Council Meeting: November 27, 2011

The meeting for November 27, 2011 began at 7:02 pm with town planner Rob White calling the meeting to order. The mayor arrived within a few minutes. Councilmember Hedrik was absent. Resolution 496 was added to the agenda and the agenda approved 4-0. There were no minutes presented. Chief Torbet gave the fire department report for October. Sergeant Lawless gave the police department report. Jerry Morissette provided an update on the sewer project and the council authorized continuing the work as long as the dry weather allows.

Public Comment
Beth Torbet thanked the sewer contractor for supporting her business by coming in Don’s Market for lunch. The business is suffering with the Ruston Way road closure. She mentioned the upcoming tree lighting event.

Business
1. Ordinance 1346 – Amending the Town’s Noise Ordinance (1st reading): The town attorney felt this would clean up the town’s ordinance and make it enforceable. The town planner said the required SEPA review had been completed. Councilmember Hunt wanted the RCW’s listed in ordinances provided with each draft from now on, but the mayor felt that would involve too much attorney time and drive up costs. Councilmember Huson was concerned that this allowed repeat violations. Huson moved to set a public hearing on the issue, which passed 4-0

2. Ordinance 1340 – Adopting Standards for Street Excavation Permits (2nd reading): This was a public hearing that had been advertised in the paper, although Huson wanted to withdraw the issue from discussion since his previous questions had not been addressed yet. The planner outlined again the reasons for this proposal. Huson confirmed the mayor enforces the permit requirements. Hunt was concerned that residents would not know they needed a permit to dig in their front yards if it was within 15 feet of the right of way. Advertising would be needed to inform people. The planner said other jurisdictions enforce this because of concerns that digging close to a sidewalk or other structure could undermine it – although there are already provisions to require owners to repair any damage they might cause. Councilmember Hardin wanted to know if this proposal had been tested in the courts yet. He was concerned about a future mayor using it arbitrarily or inconsistently.

Public comment reflected the same concerns. The issue was tabled until the next meeting when the town attorney could be present to answer more questions.

3. Ordinance 1344 – 2012 Budget and Public Hearing: The mayor reminded everyone that the budget is available on the town web site and noted the $306,000 projected deficit for the coming year. The only public comment was from Beth Torbet, who felt the fire department ran a very lean operation.

The Fire Chief Torbet outlined his budget, noting the increased cost for vaccinations for fire fighters is required by Labor and Industries. Sergeant Lawless answered council questions on the police budget. Huson did not like the proposed pay increases, preferring a 15% paycut instead. He thought since Tacoma is laying off officers there would be plenty of choices if Ruston officers quit. Councilmember Kristovich said she had not studied the budget in detail yet. Hardin expressed appreciation for all the department does, but did not feel the town could increase pay or medical benefits right now. The budget included new medical coverage for officer families (who have not been covered to date). Hunt had not read the budget in detail yet, but was concerned how the new law regarding liquor sales would impact Ruston. Huson stated he wanted to see a 15% reduction in the overall police budget.

The mayor then outlined the overall budget, calling it very bleak. Councilmember Hedrick had sent word that he is checking to ensure that sales tax on the Point Ruston project gets paid to Ruston. The mayor was hopeful that having the Commencement project back up and running would generate some tax not reflected in the current forecast. He felt the utility funds were doing well but the general fund was hurting. He would talk to council members outside the meeting about ways to charge more of the cost for services to the utility funds.

Hunt was concerned about the cost of keeping the school building open. The mayor noted that there was only $26,000 in rent for the year and a $50,000 transfer into that account would be needed to keep it afloat. He is open to all ideas from shuttering the building to selling it. Hunt will explore appraisal options. She wanted to see the building in private ownership so it could be on the tax rolls. Hedrick sent word that he would rather see the building shuttered than continue to operate at a loss.

Huson felt the town needed to decide if it was going to maintain services or outsource them before making decisions on real estate. He reiterated his belief that the town structure needed to change and be managed by a professional, not a part time mayor. Mayor Hopkins would be gone after this term and the town will probably get another idiot instead. There is a highly intelligent council and mayor right now and that won’t happen again. The town needs to change is structure now to protect from the usual types of leaders running the show.

The mayor noted that the town garbage truck is ageing, as is the town maintenance staff. He wants to look again at outsourcing that service, as well as possibly the local court. He said it is difficult to continue to wait for the Point Ruston development while still providing services.

4. Resolution 496 – Property Tax Levy for 2012: The levy included a 1% increase over the base amount as allowed by state law – passed 4-0.

Claims and Payroll
Approved 4-0

Mayor’s Time
Hopkins noted the town attorney’s analysis on how to handle the council vacancy.

Council Time
Huson had no comments.
Hunt had no comments.
Hardin felt it was premature for the council to comment on how they would handle the upcoming vacancy, but that any discussion should be in a public meeting. The mayor said he would receive a formal resignation letter from Dorothy Bailey once the election was certified.
Kristovich had no comments.

The meeting adjourned at 9:05 pm.

Record Number of Visitors Next Door

The News Tribune is reporting (here) that Point Defiance Zoo saw a record number of visitors pass through their gates last year. That means a record number of potential customers for our local businesses traveled down Ruston streets. Given the town's continued budget woes, it would be nice to find more ways to get folks to stop on their way to this world-class venue and visit our unique shops. Any ideas on how to make that happen?

History Book Reviewed

The Tacoma Weekly ran a review of the Ruston history book I authored this week. You can read it by clicking here...  Most of our local shops have copies and I still have a few available for sale (a shameless plug). Contact me if you'd like more details at kpickett22@yahoo.com.

Update On 51st & Pearl

As I turned the corner at 51st & Pearl into town last night, I was struck again with how dark that area is after sunset. What was once a bustling commercial area now sits mostly vacant. It turns out at least some of the darkness is because there is no power to the main building that once housed Ruston Galleries.

I got an update from Melissa at Affinity Investments recently (the owners of the building). The 6 apartments above the retail area have been undergoing extensive remodeling for over a year. The power to the building should be back on any day now. The units were stripped down to the studs and rebuilt with everything new, including plumbing and power.

The current work is scheduled to be completed by the end of February. There will be four studio and two one-bedroom apartments. Melissa said rental rates haven't been established yet, but she should have those numbers available soon.

The retail space downstairs is not being remodeled yet. The owners are waiting for a new tenant to sign on and will redo the lower area to meet the needs of the new occupant. The retail space is being marketed by Brent Taynet of CBRE. His phone number is (253) 922-3900. Let's hope the building is soon filled with light and people once again!

Council Meeting: Nov. 7, 2011

I don't usually make new year resolutions, but I do want to get back to giving updates on the Ruston council meetings. I'll need to start by catching up at bit. Here is a summary of the November 7, 2011 meeting. The sound quality on the town's recording makes it hard to hear some of the comments so the summary may miss some.

The meeting began on time with all 5 council members and mayor present. Item 4 on the agenda was amended to just a budget discussion (rather than first reading of the official ordinance). The only public comment came from Jim Wingard about the lawsuit between Point Defiance Casino and the Town of Ruston.

Regular Agenda:

1. Resolution 495 - Selecting the Town’s Official Newspaper: Tacoma Daily Index was designated as Ruston’s official newspaper for required publications. They were the lowest bidder.

2. Ordinance 1341 – Amending the fees for electrical system service and meter installation fees (2nd reading): Councilmember Hedrick questioned the costs listed and Councilmember Hunt was concerned that the ordinance did not note the $1,000 charge for new meter installation was one time only. Mayor Hopkins confirmed that the $250 charge covers the basic cost for the town, which prompted Councilmember Hardin to ask how $1,000 is justified. The existing ordinance already outlined the costs and no one was sure what the reasons were for setting the charge at $1,000 for new meters. The ordinance passed 5-0.

3. Ordinance 1340 – Adopting Standards and Procedures for Street Excavation Permits (1st reading): Town planner Rob White explained that the current grading permit is not consistent with the rest of the code. In looking to fix that, the town attorney suggested updating everything to be more consistent with other jurisdictions. Hunt questioned the proposed provision that requires a permit to dig within 15 of the town right of way. The mayor noted that the right of way extends deep into many front yards. He mentioned a map of the property lines that is available on the town’s web site (I think he was referring to this page).

4. 2012 Budget Discussion: The mayor said the budget had just been sent to the town clerk. Each department head had submitted their own budget and he planned on having each at the next meeting to justify their proposed increases (police and fire specifically).

The mayor then walked through the specifics. The revenue estimates were very conservative and he hoped for more income than is listed. He warned the town is facing some very difficult decisions, including what to do with the school building. There will be improvements made to the exterior of that building when Onward Investors finishes The Commencement (such as repaving both parking lots), but the building does not have enough paying tenants to come close to covering the utility and maintenance costs. He noted the garbage fund continues to struggle.

He is projecting a $308,000 shortfall in 2012, after expecting a $180,000 deficit in 2011 (which does not appear to be as bad as expected). His budget included salary for a part-time utility clerk that may not be needed. Once the new town clerk gets up to speed, she will assess the need for help.

Councilmember Huson stated that he has always felt that Ruston should not be in the landlord business. He felt the town should get rid of any excess property, including the school building. The mayor assigned researching an appraisal on the school, town hall and the fire department bunk house to Hunt. Hopkins said he wants to explore all options, like changing the police department, selling surplus property or others.

Hardin wanted to confirm with the Department of Revenue that Ruston gets all the sales tax due, especially since there is no separate zip code for the town. Hunt asked about auditing Point Ruston to be sure taxes on their purchases are paid to Ruston. The mayor said since their current work is an LID, it is a public process and he already has the town engineer assigned to research that issue.

Claims and payroll was approved 5-0.

Mayor’s Time:
Hopkins noted that the meeting was running late. He is trying to keep the meetings to one hour as a way to save on consultant costs. He had Jerry Morrisette (town engineer) give an update on the sewer project.

Council Time:
Huson referenced the recent flyer from Point Ruston about the nighttime work, calling it a bunch of bull. The reason given (low tide for the shoreline work) did not make since low tide occurs every 12 hours (meaning there is one during the day). There is no need for 12 full hours of work all night. He was upset that the flyer did not include an apology from Point Ruston for the impact on town residents. He felt the town should do everything in their power to stop the work, including issuing citations.

Hedrick did not have any comments.

Hunt agreed the nighttime noise was too loud and they should not be doing any work on the roundabout or other places except the shoreline at night. The mayor stated that he was also very upset. When the nighttime work first started he even went so far as to having the police try to gain access to the site to stop work. Without buying a decibel meter, the town cannot enforce its noise ordinance. The town attorney was also concerned about Ruston's authority to stop work since this is an EPA Superfund project.

Hunt also got permission to research the cost of installing a hump in Commercial Street to slow traffic.

Hardin did not have any comments.

Kristovich did not have any comments.

The meeting adjourned at 8:35 pm.

Bonnie & Clyde in Ruston

I follow the news or web stories about Ruston, which most often leads to stories about the much larger city of Ruston, Louisiana.One of today's stories about our southern namesake involved infamous gangsters Bonnie and Clyde. One of their hideouts was nearby and the final shoot out was just down the road. Ruston's mortician and another witness were kidnapped when they gave chase after the mortician's car was stolen by one of the gang members. You can read more details about the story here...

Meeting Tonight Canceled

The Ruston town council starts their new year with one less council member and no first meeting. There are not enough council members available for the meeting tonight to reach a quorum, so the meeting is canceled. The next meeting will be Tuesday, January 17th at 7 pm at the Joyce Community Center.

News & Announcements

In case you don't religiously read your town newsletter each month, here are some tidbits from the December letter I found interesting:

• Bradley Huson's long service to Ruston has ended, at least in an official capacity. Bradley served on the planning commission, town council and even as mayor for a brief time.
• Dorothy Bailey was elected to Huson council seat, but has since moved to Chicago. She resigned her seat and the town is accepting applications for the open position through the end of January. This will be a two year appointment until the next regular election in 2013. Ruston residents are encouraged to submit a cover letter and resume to town hall.  This is a very important service to our community and I hope the council will have many well qualified applicants to choose from.
• The dry weather in December allowed the sewer contractor to get a bit more work done than expected, but now that the rains have hit they will likely finish up the current work and stop until spring.
• The town managed to end the year while holding onto $3.5 million in their surplus account (mostly from The Commencement project sale several years ago). The mayor noted that the new year still presents many challenges.
• The fire department will be offering free CPR classes in late January. Their goal is to have every resident certified in the procedure.
• The police department reminds everyone to be careful about putting the boxes from your snazzy new holiday gifts out in the alley. They can become advertisements to wandering thieves about the best place to target.

Leroy "Buck" Linke: 1924-2011

Buck Linke was once a common face around Ruston. He lived on Winnifred Street in an old house that still stands in sharp contrast to the new home next door. He worked for the town, seen here driving the shiny new garbage truck in 1958. He was retired by the time I met him, but he was always full of stories. Despite his rough edges, he had a twinkle in his eye and quick smile. Rest in peace, Buck...  You can view his obituary via this link here...

Enjoy The Season

We are blessed to have a world-class zoo on our door step with a spectacular holiday display. It's worth fighting the crowds, so be sure to stop in this season at Point Defiance Zoolights celebration!