FLAGS FIVE GRAND, EMPLOYEES ZERO

Ruston Town council meeting Tuesday Sep. 8th, 2009 7pm:

PUBLIC COMMENTS
Mainly concerning Pearl Street zoning 52nd to 54th whether to make permanent change to residential. One for residential, four favoring commercial. Memories are very short on this council with Wayne now the senior council person. Remember a while back after spending a $35,000 grant to study this it was approved commercial 51st to 54th on Pearl street by the Planning Commission. All this was wasted when the bedroom community cabal duo, Wayne and Bob E., managed to amend out two blocks and lower the height limit basically emasculating the grant. Wasted grant and wasted effort town of Ruston vs. the cabal getting us to where we are now.
The present council isn't a lot of improvement doing over the do over. There is no long range planning here sticking to their campaign pledge of four years ago to turn Ruston into a bedroom community and annexing it to Tacoma.
One other comment requested accounting of legal costs of Point Defiance Cafe and Casino vs. Ruston eliciting a very still silence. All other comments received numerous responses from mayor and Council persons. One public commentator asked why and got response "too technical". My guess exceeding $50 thousand dollars and we haven't even gone to court yet. Will file FOIA public records request.
BUSINESS
STREET LIGHTING - COMMERCIAL DISTRICT
Wayne - can new pole standards hold flags and flower pots?
Mo -
.They are 150 feet apart not capable of handling banners.
.Increased costs above 50 pounds plus cross arms to hold.
.Cross arms approximately $4 hundred dollars. Beefing up poles increases to $5 hundred dollars.
.Design changes needed.
Jane - to Mo. can you provide pictures of what poles look like?
* look at new street lighting on Karen's blog RUSTON HOME.
.Possible to hang flag and picture of flower pot?
.Cross arm must go up at installation?
Wayne - need to advertise out request two bids.
Mo - Will need to write new specs, advertise.
Wayne - Costs? Need to move on this. Any council comments.
Mayor - $20 thousand dollars additional costs.
Mo - Nothing on 51st street.
Beth - Community would support, find dollars.
Mo - Would be higher. Different poles adding 250 pounds weight.
Jane - Add flag no weight?
Mo -
.Cost of concrete poles is higher to handle more weight.
.$5 thousand dollars added cost just for flags.
.There are standards we have to follow.
Jane - Agree with Wayne. We should have talked about this four months ago.
Bruce - we have incurring extra engineering costs.
Wayne - Makes motion to two require two separate bids, with without flags.
Jane - Second.
David - Expending added costs not valid on motion.
Mayor - Come back next week.
Mo - Get one bid on Pearl street, one on rest else higher costs two bids.
*Dipsy-do, got hit in the head with a screwball! As usual chasing their tails in an endless game of round and round we go.
RESOLUTION No. 454 - Building Department Services
Jim - One firm, need to terminate others?
Bruce - Will do tomorrow.
Jane - Benefit Town tremendously.
Jim - Lots of development, need Professional Services.
Wayne - In support of, can not support not getting more bids.
Bruce - Set fee schedule, no benefit RFP.
Wayne - Need to go out for bids. This is not right.
*Gee, way to slow things down Wayne who is functioning on his own sans Dan.
Bruce -
.Not random act. This was done systematically.
.We need automation, fund accountability. We need to know what is coming in going out, currently unknown, unacceptable.
Jane - They do a good job. Other towns quite happy.
Passes 4-0.
Ordinance 1295 - Building Department Services Fee Schedule
(first reading)
Ordinance 1296 - maximum Load Limits
Wayne - What is purpose.
Rob - Stop truck traffic over Burlington Northern trestle.
Wayne - If OK with BN. We need road rebuilt to new standards, new curbing.
Jane - We don't want a school bus dropping into tunnel.
Don T -
.My understanding not a weight issue, not engineering situation.
.Do not see a problem. Tacoma brings Ryder trucks.
Bruce - Need engineering approval.
Don T - Go a different agenda.
ITEM 5. Salary Provisions for Collective Bargaining Agreement
Bruce - Negotiator accepted council provisions except salary.
Jim - Passed last week on overtime hours.
Bruce -
.Can't talk on this, ongoing negotiations.
.Need council guidance to go back to negotiation.
Jim - Can we exclude some employees.
Bruce - Negotiations are torture session. Don't have right to call EXECUTIVE SESSION.
Jane - other commercial rate.
Bruce - Next step arbitration.
Jim - Go back to union with different numbers.
Jane - We can't approve, not in budget. Can't agree with this.
*But of course the flags and flower pots were in the budget???? Right? Wrong.
Wayne - make motion to approve so I can vote against.
Mayor - COL, 2 1/2 percent of 1.7 percent?
Jim - Hiring freezes all over, come back in 2011 and revisit.
Jane - second.
Passes 4-0.

*Does this really make sense. Stiff the Town employees for four years. All sorts of money for flower pots and flags though. Ongoing vendetta against town clerk goes on. Shameful. Just last month they voted to have fiscal, budget impact statements but none have been forthcoming.

All for now. Sorry for my short hand notes. More and better reporting on Karen's blog Ruston Home re: Council meeting. Finish later.

Town of Ruston officials:
Mayor, Bruce Hopkins
Council, Bradley Huson, Jim Hedrick, Wayne Stebner, Dan Albertson, Jane Hunt
Attorney, David Britton
Planner, Rob White
Clerk/Treasurer, Karen Carlisle
Fire Chief. Don Torbet
Police Chief, Jeremy Kunkel
Mo - Town Electrician