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HomeMy WebLinkAboutM041607 District No.1 Commissioner: Phil Johnson District No.2 Commissioner: David W. Sullivan District No.3 Commissioner: John Austin County Administrator: John F. Fischbach Clerk of the Board: Lorna Delaney MINUTES Week of April 16, 2007 Chairman Phil Johnson called the meeting to order in the presence of Commissioner David W. Sullivan and Commissioner John Austin. PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD: The following comments were made by citizens. Staff and Elected Officials need to treat all citizens and projects that come before the County equal; several people commented on the EIS consultant selection process for the Pit-to-Pier project; property rights for agricultural lands in the County need to be maintained; a comment was made on how information is received and disseminated in the course of developing public process; the County needs to reach out and encourage existing businesses instead of trying to shut them down; prevention is an important part of preserving the environment; a comment was made about the estimate ofthe number of staff hours spent on public records requests; and a request was made that an agenda be provided for the County Administrator Meeting on Monday afternoons. APPROVAL AND ADOPTION OF THE CONSENT AGENDA: Commissioner Austin moved to approve the Consent Agenda. Commissioner Sullivan seconded the motion which carried by a unanimous vote. 1. ORDINANCE NO. 02-0416-07 re: Establishing a Process for the Establishment of No Shooting Areas in Specifically Described Unincorporated Areas of Jefferson County (Repeals & Replaces Ordinance No. 03-0227-95) (Final Approval with Technical Corrections - Section 10) 2. AGREEMENT re: Lease ofT1 Line to Provide Network Phone Connection to the Castle Hill Facilities; Jefferson County Central Services; Qwest 3. AGREEMENT re: Lease ofT1 Line to Provide Network Phone Connection to the Sheriffs Office; Jefferson County Central Services; Qwest 4. AGREEMENT re: Lease ofTl Line to Provide Network Data Connection to the Sheriffs Office; Jefferson County Central Services; Qwest 5. AGREEMENT NO. 07W4W A9500 re: Water Resource Investigations; Jefferson County Public Health; US Department of the Interior, US Geological Survey 6. AGREEMENT NO. G0700277 re: Chimacum Basin Groundwater Study; Jefferson County Public Health; Washington State Department of Ecology 7. AGREEMENT re: Derelict Vessel Removal and Disposal; Jefferson County Public Health; Marine Assist of Port Hadlock Page 1 Commissioners Meeting Minutes: Week of April 16, 2007 8. AGREEMENT re: Prepare Development Regulations for Critical Areas; Jefferson County Community Development; Cascadia Community Planning Services 9. AGREEMENT re: E911 Telephone Service; JEFFCom; Level 3 Communications, LLC 10. Payment of Jefferson County Vouchers/Warrants Dated April 9, 2007 Totaling $487,432.65; Dated April 10, 2007 Totaling $298.08 and $2,674.02 (Records of all claims submitted for payment along with vouchers approved and signed by the Board of Jefferson County Commissioners are retained by the Jefferson County Auditor and Public Works Department.) 11. Payment of Jefferson County AlP Warrants Done by Payroll Dated April 5, 2007 Totaling $599,837.41 (Records of all claims submitted for payment along with AlP Warrants approved by the Payroll Services Manager are retained in the Jefferson County Auditor's Office.) 12. Request for Waiver of Tipping Fee for Groups Participating in the Fifteenth Annual All-Volunteer "Earth Day Cleanup" on April 21, 2007; Jefferson County Public Works 13. Advisory Board Resignation; Gardiner Community Center Board of Directors; Patricia Warner 14. Advisory Board Appointment; Gardiner Community Center Board of Directors; Three (3) Year Term Expiring April 17, 2010; Suzanne Rehder COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR'S BRIEFING: Treasurer Judi Morris reported that the County's bond rating was recently upgraded by Standard and Poors (S&P) from an A- to an A. After an interview with key County Officials, the S&P changed the rating citing that the County is well managed, there are good fiscal controls in place, and the proposed Port Hadlock Sewer Project indicates a plan for economic development that will open up a continuing revenue source. The interest on the bond for E-911 improvements will cost $98,000 less as a result of the upgrade. County Administrator John Fischbach updated the Board on the following items: · The affordable housing meeting advertised in the newspaper as a County/City meeting today at 3 p.m. is a Housing Assessment Needs Plan Network (HAPN) meeting. · In the past, the draft minutes of the Board's meetings have been posted on the bulletin board outside the Commissioners' Office and the Board, the County Administrator and the Central Services Director have received a copy in their meeting packet. Starting this week, the draft minutes will be included in all the meeting packets. · According to the statute, an agenda is not required for the County Administrator's meetings scheduled on Monday afternoons. Many of the items for discussion come up after the Board's regular meeting agenda is finalized on Thursdays. · The County is moving forward with the Irondale/Port Hadlock UGA Sewer Project. A local review committee is not required at this point in the process. · HB1005, the bill relating to setting Equipment Rental and Revolving (ER&R) fund rates, has gone to the Conference Committee and then will go to the Governor. It is expected to pass and will enable the County Commissioners to name a position other than the County Engineer to oversee the ER&R Program and set the rates. Page 2 Commissioners Meeting Minutes: Week of April 16, 2007 . He contacted Senator Hargrove regarding the legislation for the $100,000 grant for counties that enacted the 1/1 0 of 1 % sales tax for mental health. Jefferson County was the first county to implement the tax. The grants were authorized last year in the Legislature but were not budgeted. There is $1.2 million in the Senate budget, but there is nothing in the House or Governor's budget. The Senator is fully supportive of keeping the funding in the Senate Budget and he knows that Jefferson County wants to be the first in line for grant funding. . HB1965 proposed changes in the industriallandbank legislation including an extension of the deadline. It has passed the Senate unanimously and is going to the Governor's desk. . He will get additional information on a bill that passed that allows counties and cities to implement vehicle license fees of up to $20 with a vote of the legislative body. The revenue would be used for roads and transportation. . Environmental Health has produced a brochure targeting abatement issues. The Department is aggressively pursuing the clean up of the County and more thanl,OOO junk vehicles have been removed since the law passed. Over the next few months they plan to remove1,000 more vehicles. They have also removed 1,000 tires that were dumped illegally. He authorized an additional $10,000 for a loan program for the clean-up of junk cars when liens are placed against property. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Commissioner Austin moved to approve the minutes of the April 2, 2007. Commissioner Sullivan seconded the motion which carried by a unanimous vote. BID OPENING re: Sale of Certain Computer Equipment as Authorized (Rescheduled from March 26, 2007): Central Services Director Allen Sartin noted that two corrections were required in the list of assets originally approved by the Board. As a result, the Auditor requested that the process be redone. He recommended that the bid opening be cancelled and that the Board make a motion directing him to notify any bidders of the circumstances that have occurred to give them an opportunity to withdraw their bids. Commissioner Austin moved to cancel the public hearing and direct Allen Sartin to notify any bidders and give them an opportunity to withdraw their bids. Commissioner Sullivan seconded the motion which carried by a unanimous vote. HEARING re: Findings and Determination to Declare Certain Personal Property as Surplus and Authorize Disposal: Chairman Johnson opened the public hearing. Allen Sartin stated that this is the same process that was started earlier but the original list of equipment has been corrected. Two laptops were listed in the advertisement as PCs and the projector on the original list is not available for disposal. Page 3 Commissioners Meeting Minutes: Week of April 16, 2007 Chairman Johnson opened the public testimony portion of the hearing. Mike Belenski, stated that there are no serial numbers or model numbers to identify the equipment to be surplused. He suggested that when a hearing regarding surplus equipment is on the agenda, the equipment should also be listed. Why isn't the projector available? He was told that flat screen monitors don't have a tag number. Why isn't a better job done keeping track of County equipment? The Board never authorized the removal and destruction of the harddrives from the PCs; and he wants to see the certificate of records destruction from those harddrives because those are public records and should be kept. When equipment is surplused, it should be identified so that it can be checked against the inventory list. Hearing no further comments, the Chair closed the public hearing. Commissioner Sullivan moved to approve RESOLUTION NO. 36-07, declaring certain property as surplus and authorizing the advertisement and disposal ofthe surplus property. Commissioner Austin seconded the motion which carried by a unanimous vote. Matt Tyler, Parks and Recreation Manager re: Irondale Beach Park: Matt Tyler reported that Irondale Beach Park has been closed since December due to potential health concerns. These concerns have been investigated and the park has been given a "clean bill of health" for humans. It will open again on Wednesday, April 18. There is still a possible concern about the shellfish and a sign will be posted with language from the State Department of Health with a warning that eating a certain amount of shellfish could create a health problem. The park will be subject to a remedial investigation by the State Department of Ecology sometime this spring. During the study, it may be necessary to close all or part of the park for safety reasons because heavy equipment may be used. Matt Tyler added that a neighborhood group in the area of the park has been organized to help with projects, getting information out and clean up. Kees Kolff and Bill Wise re: Presentation and Discussion of Energy and the Economy: Representatives from the Climate Protection Campaign reported that they gave a presentation to the Board a few weeks ago on world global warming. The information today deals with energy efficiency, energy use, cost savings and job creation at the local level. Kees Kolff gave the Board several documents addressing the timeliness of the global warming issue. The Commissioners were present at a rally of 200 people on April 14 who support the campaign. Page 4 Commissioners Meeting Minutes: Week of April 16, 2007 The presentation showed what is currently being done to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by local companies. There are economic opportunities in renewable energy, transportation and energy efficiency for existing businesses in the County. It is also important for local government to encourage new businesses that will work on ways to better utilize energy. Whenever possible, residents should buy locally grown produce and shellfish. Revenue and dollar "leakage" go out of the County when residents drive to other counties to shop. This also increases the amount of gas that is consumed. A joint meeting of the Jefferson County Commissioners and the Port Townsend City Council is scheduled for May 17 and one of the agenda items is climate control and the adoption of a joint climate control resolution. The resolution sets out a strategy to work toward energy independence. The County and the City are encouraged to join the ICLEI (International Council in Local Environmental Initiatives which has been renamed Local Governments for Sustainability, but still goes by ICLEI.) and adopt the five milestone process. The first step is to measure what is already being done in communities throughout the County. Several citizens have volunteered to help. Judi Morris, Treasurer re: E-911 Funding Bond: Judi Morris explained that the $2.5 million bond sale will fund the first phase ofthe E-911 Improvement Project. She introduced Jim Nelson, Martin Nelson & Company who is the Bond Underwriter and Lee Vorhees, Foster Pepper, PLLC who is the Bond Counsel. Jim Nelson distributed the contract of purchase which details the interest rates and payment schedules. The average payment is $185,470. The average interest rate is 4.01 % with fees included the APR is 4.21 %. The County purchased a bond insurance contract for $12,000 which bought the highest bond rating possible (AAA). This will reduce the total interest cost over the 20-year life of the bond by $98,000. The present value savings with insurance is $63,000. The County went before the Standard and Poors, which is a national independent bond rating agency that reviews municipalities when they issue bonds. The participants in that conference call were the Treasurer, the County Administrator and the Director of Community Development. As a result, Jefferson County was upgraded from an A- to an A which is a great accomplishment for a county this size. The rating upgrade helped to lower the cost of bond insurance and the average interest cost on the bonds. The investors look at the AAA rating. He described the process for original issue discount bonds and original issue premiums. Lee Vorhees explained that the resolution before the Board has been through a series of drafts. The bonds were priced last Friday and the final draft became available for insertion. The language is standard language. All things that are necessary to close the transaction are provided for in the resolution. Some of the most significant features from the County's perspective are: · Recitals that sketch in the background and purpose for the financing. · Revenue from the initiative approved by the voters a few years ago is a specific source of funding for the bonds. · The authorization for the bonds. · The description of the bonds and the interest rates, the maturities and the payment dates. Page 5 Commissioners Meeting Minutes: Week of April 16, 2007 · Term bonds are shown with a mandatory call. · Pledge of taxes. · Approval of the bond purchase contract. · Acquisition of bond insurance. Commissioner Sullivan moved to approve RESOLUTION NO. 37-07, relating to contracting indebtedness; providing for the issuance of $2,560,000 par value of Limited Tax General Obligation Bonds, 2007, of the County for general County purposes to provide funds with which to pay the cost of capital improvements for an emergency communications 911 Dispatch Center; fixing the date, form, maturities, interest rates, terms and covenants of the bonds; establishing a bond fund and a construction fund; providing for bond insurance; and approving the sale and providing for the delivery of the bonds to Martin Nelson & Co of Seattle, Washington. Commissioner Austin seconded the motion which carried by a unanimous vote. The agreement with Martin Nelson & Company was also approved and signed as part of the resolution. David Goldsmith, Member Services Manager, Washington Counties Risk Pool re: Audit Findings and Report: David Goldsmith explained that Jefferson County was a founding member ofthe Washington Counties Risk Pool (WCRP) which was created when liability insurance was not available for public entities. The WCRP is a consortium that provides liability and property coverage that takes the experience ofthe 28 member counties and resells the insuring agreement in the re-insurance market. He reported that it is necessary for the Risk Pool to have a certain level of risk management at the county level in order to manage and address claims properly and in a timely manner. There are several ways to manage against risk. · Driver's training refresher classes for employees · Vehicle maintenance · Supervisor training to hire, fire, discipline and keep a productive workforce · Incident response and documentation · Risk transfer and contract management · High risk activities such as mental health can be contracted out · Facilities use and how quickly repairs are addressed · Sponsor's insurance for special events on County owned property · Standard operating procedures and policies for law enforcement including the jail operation and community supervision · Road design and maintenance · Land use issues · Professional development training · How probation is handled by the Courts Page 6 Commissioners Meeting Minutes: Week of April 16, 2007 Jefferson County has approximately 3% ofthe claims and 4% of the payout for the Risk Pool which is high for the County's 2.2% of worker hours which is their major underwriting tool. There were two large claims at the jail within the past five years that affected the County's current payout percentage. Suggested improvements include: . The County needs a designated Risk Manager who makes sure things are getting done properly. Certification is required of someone in the organization although it doesn't have to be the Risk Manager. This certification should be completed within two years. . Two representatives from the County sit on the WCRP Board of Directors and attend the meetings three times a year. · The Risk Pool recommends an amount of money that the County needs to hold in the reserve fund. The County may need to look at premium structures and move up to a higher deductible level. · Training is the best defense especially defensive driving and supervisor training. · The Safety Manual needs to be finalized. Another audit will be done in three years. The Board met in Executive Session from 1 :00 p.m. to 1 :40 p.m. with the Deputy Prosecuting Attorney, County Administrator, Water Quality Program Manager, Central Services Director and Water Quality Specialist regarding real estate negotiations. The Board came out of Executive Session for the County Administrator meeting. The destruction of the hard drives on surplus computers was discussed. The Board met in Executive Session from 2:00 p.m. to 2:55 p.m. with the Deputy Prosecuting Attorney, County Administrator, Director of Community Development, Public Works Director and Waste Water Manager regarding actual litigation. Chairman Johnson had a schedule conflict and left at 2:45 p.m. Page 7 o Commissioners Meeting Minutes: Week of April 16, 2007 NOTICE OF ADJOURNMENT: The Board came out of Executive Session. Commissioner Austin moved to adjourn the meeting at 2:57 p.m. Commissioner Sullivan seconded the motion which carried. The next meeting is the Board's regularly scheduled meeting on Monday, April 23, 2007 at 9 a.m. MEETING ADJOURNED JEFFERSON COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS '~\ iLh~, David W. Sullivan, Member rlfl~. Of/1C Julie Matthes, CMC Deputy Clerk of the Board ~~ Page 8