Good afternoon, everybody.
Do a call to order.
Councilmember Harrell, soon as Councilmember Harrell sits down, it'll all begin.
He knows how it works.
All right.
The February 24th, 2020 meeting of the Seattle City Council will come to order.
It's 2.05.
I'm Deborah Juarez, President Pro Tem Council.
Will the clerk please call the roll?
Herbold?
Here.
Lewis?
Here.
Morales?
Here.
Mosqueda?
Here.
Peterson.
Here.
Sawant.
Straus.
Present.
Council President Pro Tem Juarez.
Thank you.
Doven present.
Thank you.
So we will start with presentations.
So do I need to suspend the rules?
If there's no objection, the council rules will be suspended to allow Council Member Mosqueda to present the proclamation and to allow brief comments and remarks from the council.
This is regarding Black History Month proclamation, and we have the Honorable Council Member Bruce Harrell here.
Council Member Larry Gossett, King County Council.
Where are you, Larry?
There you are.
We should...
We should have Reverend Harriet Walden here as well.
There you are, Reverend.
And we should have community leader Mary Flowers here as well.
Mary's not here yet.
Is she here?
There you are.
All right.
Hearing no objection, Council Member Muscat, you want to begin?
Thank you, Madam Pro Tem.
It is my great honor today to be able to bring forward this proclamation recognizing February 2020 as Black History Month here in Seattle.
This proclamation recognizes the legacy of resilience, resistance, and leadership by Seattle's black community in the fight for civil rights, housing justice, workers' rights, and police accountability.
This proclamation celebrates the artists, the business leaders, the organizers, the activists who've made a tremendous and enormous contribution to our community and to the fight for justice across this country, led right here in Seattle by these incredible leaders.
Today, we're honored to be joined by the four leaders that the Council Pro Tem has just announced.
These are Black leaders in the community who have done so much to improve the lives of not just those in the Black community, but for all of Seattle.
King County Councilmember Larry Gossett, Seattle Councilmember Bruce Harreld, Community Leader Mary Flowers, Reverend Harriet Walden.
We honor and recognize the work of not only the folks in the room, but the generations who have fought for equity in this city, in this region, and in this country.
This is the first time in 52 years that we have not had Black representation on Seattle's council.
And we think it's important to acknowledge that representation matters, your leadership in the community, in the council positions that you've had, and the ongoing fight for justice and equity that is represented in this room is so tremendously important.
Today, we recognize that as one day in one month that is nationally recognized as Black History Month is not enough.
But we are honored to bring forward this proclamation to celebrate month of February 2020 as Black History Month here in the city of Seattle.
It has been signed by all of the council members and the mayor of the city of Seattle.
It's an exciting opportunity for us to talk about communities of color who have fought to make sure that unprecedented displacement and the pressures of the economic crisis of inequity in our city continue to be lifted up, that the history of exclusion and discriminatory practices, for example, in the housing arena are not forgotten, and that we continue to remind ourselves that we must do better.
This is an opportunity for us to talk about not just the legacy of activism, but the ongoing work of activism that is thriving here in our city as we call for greater equity across this region.
It is my incredible honor to now stop talking and be able to present this proclamation to the four incredible leaders that we just met from.
And I think what we're going to do, Madam President, if it's okay with you, is invite our colleagues up here for a photo and then to speak.
Or how would you like to do that, Madam President?
Before we begin, I would like to know if any of my colleagues have, oh, we got more clapping to do.
But if we want to go ahead with the photo op and then do comments Well, you already started it you're the man so let's just do that and then we'll do comments come on up council president
Can we get everybody underneath the city seal, please?
Yeah.
Control these people, but apparently they got their own big.
I'm hoping Councilmember Harrell would take over for a minute here, but he declined.
Before we have the phenomenal four illuminaries of our great city speak, I just want to say a few words.
I want to start with my history with Councilmember Larry Gossett, who I have known for almost 30 years.
Larry Gossett is the one that encouraged me to run for office.
He was an uncle with me with Bernie Whitebear, Uncle Bob, and Roberto Maestas, the Gang of Four, and the days when he had an Afro.
And so I cannot tell you what an honor it is, sir, to stand before you as a mentor.
You have given women like me, women of color like me, so much access and wisdom.
And I just want you to know, you know, Indian country loves you for that.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Before we um, I want to see if my colleagues want to share anything and then I would like you to speak and then we'll just go down the line.
Is there anything else would like to say anything to Council Member Gossett?
Go ahead Council Member Strauss.
I mean I can wait until after your comments.
He needs to hear it now, he likes it.
You and I don't know each other very well.
Councilmember, but I grew up not far from the India from the Daybreak Star Center, and I spent a lot of time growing up there and so The gang of four was important to me even though as a white man growing up in Ballard white boy growing up in Ballard at that time It was very distant and so I actually I have gang of four book here And and I keep it in my office because it reminds me of the interconnectedness Between you and the other members and I'll let others speak to this but something that I want to just point out is a the afro that councilmember Juarez was talking about When you signed this book, you signed it.
You already signed it.
When you signed this book, you signed it to the people of Seattle.
And that's very meaningful to me, and that's why I keep it here in my office here at City Hall.
And so I just want to thank you for all your work.
Big, big shoes to fill.
Thank you.
I believe Councillor Lewis.
Go ahead.
Thank you, Madam President Pro Tem.
So Council Member Goss, I just wanted to take a moment to recognize your commitment, not just as a public servant, but also a mentor and as a figure that has had such a big impact on the community, not just as an elected official, but also as a private citizen.
And, you know, I have the great honor of having on my council staff Camila Brown, who's in the audience in the back row right there, who for 17 years worked for Councilmember Gossett.
has just been...
has just been an excellent member of my council staff.
She staffs public safety issues for me as well as other policy matters that come up and just really appreciate that.
I think that the mark, and I'm getting to learn this more as a public official who's just in my first few months of service, that our impact is broader than just the policies or the resolutions that we vote on, but it's also how we are as mentors and how we are in empowering our staff, working with our staff.
And I can just say from working with Camila and the way Camila talks about you as a mentor and you as a public servant, it's really clear that for years to come from all the folks that went through your office as interns, as staff, that your legacy through the work of those folks that you mentored is gonna be affecting this region for decades to come.
and I am so grateful for your service, and it's so great to see you here today to be recognized, and thank you so much for everything you've done.
Thank you, Council Member.
First Council Member.
As usual, you know how to use that mic.
Don't get shy now.
Thank you to the City Council.
I'm particularly impressed that somebody, one or more of you or your staff, Besides identifying four or five of us to represent the entire community as leaders, you also spent time in calling other community organizers, other community advocates, other African American community leaders, and notifying them that this is taking place on this afternoon, this special African American history recognition.
And that is unique, it hasn't, you pointed out, Theresa pointed out that there are not currently any African-Americans on the city council, but the fact that your consciousness of that fact is being recognized in the manner of having this special African-American salute today is really appreciated by all of us, so thank you.
to talk for one more or one and a half more minutes about African American history as it relates to Seattle, Washington, because I am so proud of the work to make our entire community better, that the black community has played a leadership role.
and over these many years that I've had the pleasure of being here.
I was born on February 21st.
A couple days ago was my birthday, 1945, in King County Hospital.
Y'all call it Harborview today.
So I am definitely a homeboy.
I'm straight up out of Seattle.
What I'm proud of is how we have been able to create this service orientation and this ability and willingness to push hard at working well with other communities of color and progressive whites on many issues that all of us have in common.
I remember that it was in 1999 that Eddie Wright Jr., who's here with us today, I want to say a few words about Martin Luther King.
He stood up at one of our annual Martin Luther King salutes to his legacy that we always have in Seattle.
In 15, 20, 30 organizations always get together and build special salutes to Dr. King's legacy that manifest themselves in workshops at Garfield.
a huge rally in Garfield Gym, and then always a march around two or three critical issues impacting the black, the third world, and other communities that are in need.
And no other community does that.
Because the Southern Christian Leadership Conference found out about the efforts we made to rename this county after Dr. King in 2009, invited me to be I didn't even know they were still having board meetings, but they invited me to a board meeting in Atlanta, Georgia.
And, you know, of course, I wore my King County pin because after Eddie and all the people put pressure on me to lead the effort, with them, along with them, to get this county's namesake name, because he was very articulate, and other people that did the research, pointing out to us the William Rufus Devane King.
was very racist.
He was only the vice president with Franklin Pierce for five weeks, and then he passed away.
He died.
And when he died, he had 169 slaves on his plantation in Georgia.
He had been a senator.
from Georgia, that is not a meaningful symbol for a striving multiracial democracy like it is that we in the greater Seattle area have been trying to fill.
But anyway, when I walked into the meeting, usually people clap and give you accolades.
I got about three or four steps inside the door.
I don't know how they knew I was me. but they start clapping and the clapping lasted for seven minutes.
And that wasn't for me as an individual black man, it was for me as the symbolic representative of Martin Luther King Jr.
County and how proud in the birthplace of Martin they were.
And the fact that we put forth a movement that got that changed, they thought it was masterful.
It's not a street, it's an entire county.
And those are the kind of things I think that we should be proud of.
No other community has had that kind of grassroots salute.
every year.
When I was a youth, we organized a Black Student Union and a Black Panther Party in Seattle, Washington.
And after the BSU led the effort to have a sit-in at Franklin High School on March 29, 1968, the city was in an uproar.
They said, they kept saying, our Negroes don't act like this.
Well, most of us was from Seattle.
Charles Carroll was a prosecuting attorney at that time.
He said, we got to do something about getting these kind of people in jail.
And they arrested the leaders.
But the only reason I'm telling you that, they arrested me, Aaron Dixon, Carl Miller.
They thought that was going to kill the struggle.
And what it did, we were in, they put us in jail on the morning of April 4th.
On that very day, this synergy is really something here.
On that very day, Martin Luther King Jr. was killed.
So we had the combination of the black community being very upset because young black students were advocating the two girls that had got kicked out of Franklin for wearing their hair natural.
And then the principal sent a note home saying, your daughter can no longer attend Franklin High School until she looks ladylike.
That was outrageous.
So the entire Black student population there mobilized, and we had the first sit-in.
The important thing I want to say about the Black community, though, is that that next morning, more Black people entered the King County Courthouse on that morning than had ever entered the King County Courthouse before or since.
For our arraignment, we had 1,500 And 85 people, because we had some BSU brothers counting everybody that was there, 1,500 black.
And in 68, the black population was about 31,000.
So that's a pretty good percentage that was all down here.
So we've, and then finally, since all y'all are politicians, I ran eight times, Bruce knows this, I ran eight times for King County Council, and every time, because the county runs it and we do analysis of the voting, every time I got 92% of the vote, even this ninth time, when I lost, I got 92% of the African American vote.
So you, nobody could ever tell me that see how blacks don't stick together when it's necessary, when the benefits are coming.
Thank you very much.
Thank you, Council Member Larry Gossett.
At this time we have our Reverend Harriet Walden.
Where's Harriet?
Before we begin, Reverend, I just want to say a quick few words.
Again, as we said, you have been an inspiration not only in your work with the Community Police Commission, but social justice, equality, civil rights.
You have been a leader and an inspiration for many of us, and it's always a pleasure and an honor to be in your presence.
Thank you so much.
Thank you.
Great.
Well, I just want to thank you for this opportunity in acknowledging African-American black history.
You know, it's been 157 years since Lincoln signed the paper.
That's how long this has taken to get here.
History, a change in the system takes a long time.
And one of the things that we've done and continue to do is to stay at the table.
I mean, through all of this ups and downs, we never take our marbles and go home.
We stay at the table.
And I stay at the table not only for myself, but for my ancestors who didn't have this table to sit at.
And for all the young people to know that sometimes we want it right now, but it does not always happen right now.
But really, the measure of it is that you stay.
And I stay.
I won't stay till I'm 99. I guarantee you that.
Some people say you need to go home.
OK, you know, and it's OK.
But I love Seattle.
I love any dogs in the house here.
I love Garfield.
I know it's always some dogs in the house.
People think I went to Garfield.
I did.
I grew up in Florida.
But I'm an honorary bulldog.
I love Garfield.
All right.
And I love Seattle.
And I thank you for recognizing me and also for all the other people who actually do good work.
Every day all over America, people wake up doing good.
They don't make the news.
They don't get paid for it.
They're serving children.
They're working with homeless people, people without homes.
They're working with mothers who've been abused.
Every day, there's millions of people who volunteer in America because they love their community.
And my Seattle is not dying, all right?
Thank you.
We would like to honor and call up our community leader, Ms.
Mary Flowers.
Got a fan club back there.
Good afternoon.
I want to thank you.
I came here for them, for Larry Goss.
I came for him.
I didn't know that this was happening, so I'm not really prepared.
But I guess you always have to be ready.
You always have to be ready.
And as we talk about Black History Month, my father was born here in 1910. So he knew.
And so as we talk about that, we heard the history every day at the dinner table.
the current history too about how people were dealt with during the course of that day.
And every day there was a different story about how they had to deal with racism.
And that was as my father was coming up, as I was coming up, and as my children are still coming up right now.
So nothing has changed.
As Reverend Walden said, you know, we try to stay at the table.
But what we need to be real clear about is we've already bought the table.
And we own the table.
And we have to come in that way.
And so I work for the city of Seattle.
I work in homelessness.
We are in the midst of reorganizing.
And I hope it's not just reorganizing chairs.
But I hope that we're really real about what's going on.
Because Seattle may not be dying, but our people are dying.
Our people are dying.
And today, I was advocating for a person who was born on Dr. King's birthday.
And I remember when he was 10 years old.
what our expectations were for him.
And now he has been through, well, not been through, fallen through every single system that we have.
I have to leave here and go back and advocate for him in a way that is so hurtful.
It is so hurtful and harmful because our systems are so broken and they don't work together.
And I have to advocate it for him in a way that is going to be really harmful.
There's no win for him.
He's in his 40s, and we've got children four years old still going through this process.
We talk about a race and social justice initiative, which really has now been turned into something that really maintains the system.
And I hope that it does not take those of you, there were council people that just left.
And I can remember when we were going through a campaign and sat down with them, they had an epiphany.
And I'm thinking, my God.
You're on your way out.
Now, I'm hoping that you can have your epiphany now.
Because it's not just having that book with the four amigos.
It's not about that.
It's really understanding what it took then.
That's history.
But it's even more complex now because everybody has the words for it.
And we have created more skillful races now who can use the language of equity and step on our feet and step on our head.
That's more harmful than Jim Crow any day.
So I hope that all of you council people really get serious about going to community, being in community, taking leadership from community, and not using lip service when you talk about race and social justice.
I'm grateful for this, but we have to speak the truth.
Thank you.
And last, it gives me great honor and pleasure to introduce and ask that we have our former council president, Mr. Harrell.
Yeah.
There he goes.
Yay.
Thank you very much, Council President.
And thank you, Council Member Mosqueda, for scheduling this.
I think you put some work on.
Mary Flowers, you said you came here to see me.
You didn't acknowledge it.
You said you came to see Larry.
Okay.
All right.
Well, I came to see Larry.
In all seriousness, thank you.
Thank you, Council Member Morales, Peterson.
Herbold, Strauss, and Lewis.
Thank you very much.
Most of our roots have come from somewhere down south.
Mine hail from Louisiana, part of the great migration.
And the community has historically, if you read Isabel Wilkerson's book, historically gone where there are jobs and opportunity, a thirst for justice.
And I think you've heard from our great speakers about certainly it's not over.
and largely due to the people standing behind me, and I apologize for my back being to you.
I have my fraternal brothers from the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.
I have my Esquire brothers, community leaders.
I have my business partner, Godwin Gabriel here, in case you wanted to know what I'm doing now.
He's technically my boss, actually, although I'm more like a big brother to him.
My wife could not be here.
I know that because I took her to the airport at 4 o'clock a.m.
So I'm a little punch-drunk But I will tell you that our community is vibrant and strong and we have been motivated Not by hatred but by love Love for our community our faith right Reverend our faith Seattle is in a unique position to be a world leader and all of you congratulations to the new council members that are And you're doing a marvelous job.
You're probably not told that enough.
I will tell you that because I wasn't told that enough.
Because you're simply trying to come up with the best ideas.
You don't have to be denigrated when you're just coming up with ideas.
And people may not agree with all of your ideas, but that is what they are, ideas to improve our lives.
So again, the African-American community is strong, vibrant, unique, powerful.
And just because there's not an African-American on that side of the dais, and there will be, there will be again.
I'm going to make sure of that.
There will be.
But I know you understand what diversity and inclusiveness is all about.
You're demonstrating it today.
So thank you for letting me receive it.
Interestingly enough, I read the proclamation and none of the recipients' names are in there, and that's good.
That's good because we're just receiving it on behalf of our community, right?
It's not about us.
We just play a very small role.
So, and Council Member Morales, I know Unity Day is coming up Friday.
Thanks for your leadership there.
And again, I humbly take this in the spirit with which you've given it to us, to our community, which is love for our community that is so sacred to us.
So thank you very much.
Thank you, Council President Harrell.
do you want to do some closing remarks?
Sure.
Thank you, Madam President.
First, thank you all for being here.
I wonder if before we leave this agenda topic, Madam President, if we might want to do a group photo that way so that the entire room that is represented in terms of receiving the proclamation can be documented as well for this historic day.
I think that you all have said it more eloquently than anybody can.
This is not about just looking in the rearview mirror in terms of history.
This is about thinking what the action, the motivation, and the strategies are now and into the future for actualizing what we are here to do, and that is to live out the declaration of Martin Luther King Jr.' 's proclamations, to live out Malcolm X's call for equity in the truest sense, to make sure, as Ms. Flowers said, that we're not just providing lip service.
So what you all have called on us to do is to hold us accountable in the future, to make sure that we are not only held accountable, but that we are truly working in community and not taking these positions without recognizing that it is you all who need to give us direction, not us who are just up here coming up with ideas.
The ideas for true equity, inclusion, and justice are coming from the communities, and we're all here to work together to make that possible.
Today recognizes the work of the black community in terms of history, but let's make sure that that history, that we're building on that history and creating opportunities for greater equity in the future.
So thank all of you for being here.
You inspire me.
I think you motivate us all.
And we know we're going to be held to accountability.
So thank you so much for being here.
And thanks to my staff, who is in the back as well, who really thought that we needed to make sure that we brought this proclamation forward this month.
A huge amount of appreciation for them and for all of you.
I just want to say something briefly, and I promise then we'll...
First of all, to Council Member Harrell, thank you for those words about when people come into chambers, a lot of times you hear them say, I want to recognize that we're on indigenous land.
And what drives me crazy is growing up, when we say that when we walk in a room, then you don't just turn around and start calling people names.
It's about behavior.
It's about respect.
It's about a safe place, a sacred place to have a voice, even if we disagree.
And I want to thank you, Council Member Harrell, for always coming to my office and providing me that perspective of, you know, calm down, little sister, calm down.
I want to thank you for that leadership.
And I also want to thank Mary Flowers for what she said.
You said something that I've been saying and heard my whole life, particularly from my Uncle Billy Frank, is that when people chant when we want it, we want it now.
The world doesn't work like that.
And our people paid for the things we have, not just with a t-shirt and a hat and a sign.
Our people died for it.
Our people lost their lives, their dignity.
There were laws passed against our people.
And how did we get here today?
We didn't show up with undeserved confidence and undeserved privilege.
to just say I should have it because I want it, because now it's in my front yard.
And that's what I struggle with.
So I want to thank you for those very, more than inspirational words.
I'm going to carry them with me in my heart.
And so what we say in Indian countries, my hands are up to you.
And thank you.
So I think we'll close on that note.
Are we doing a picture then?
Is that OK?
She wants to do one more picture.
All right, let's do that.
We're going down there.
Okay.
Yeah.
I, uh, I didn't know.
Hi.
Crunch in, crunch in if you can.
Thank you.
Yeah.
How's it going?
How are you?
Good, how are you?
table?
I'm just going to try it.
Okay, everyone look at me.
Can I have Council Member Strauss stand next to you?
Can I have Council Member Strauss stand next to you?
Okay, great.
Everyone look at me in one, two, three.
One more.
Okay, good.
One more.
Good.
Okay, thank you all.
I don't know.
Esquire call.
So far so good.
That's right here.
Okay, if you guys we can come back to order Okay
Okay, everybody, let's take our seats.
We have a calendar to get through.
In two years, when we redo things, we'll have something to say about this once-a-month thing.
I mean, I get it now that there's so many committees.
Thank you so very much.
We're going to move on to our scheduled calendar or agenda.
So I'm going to move on to approval of the minutes.
I'm going to ask people if they could...
Jennifer, I see you back there.
I know she is.
Okay, so let's go to the approval of the minutes.
If I can please have a little bit quiet, if you could take your conversations outside.
Thank you.
We got to get through the calendar today.
So there are no minutes for approval today.
Is that correct?
Okay.
So then we're going to go to adoption of the referral calendar.
If there's no objection, the introduction and referral calendar will be adopted.
Hearing no objection, the introduction and referral calendar is adopted.
The next item on the agenda is approval of the agenda.
If there's no objection, the agenda will be adopted.
Hearing no objection, the agenda is adopted.
At this time, we will go into public comment, take comment on the items that appear on today's agenda and the introduction and referral calendar.
We have three people signed up for public comment.
Each person gets 20 minutes.
I'm sorry.
We're going to do it for 20 minutes.
Everyone gets two minutes.
And if a speaker exceeds the two-minute limit, the clerk will turn off the microphone.
Please identify yourself when you come up and speak on the microphone so we can have your name.
And we will start with, let's see, Sean Refno.
Sean?
Hello, I'm Sean Renfro.
Since it is Black History Month, in order for me to have the courage to speak here today, I'd like to thank a King County Metro bus driver by the name of Dante Davis James.
Without his words of encouragement, I wouldn't be sitting up here today around these wonderful African American people today during this special occasion to be able to speak with you on an issue that I have.
I'm from Snohomish County.
When I have to come all the way to King County to speak about false documents for which my law enforcement sit up there and put forward for African Americans to be tried falsely as we were done back in the 60s and the 50s and through the 70s to still be going on today through the Everett Police Department in Stohomish County, and for me to have to come to King County to speak with you about it in order to get something done is sad still to this day, in this day and age.
I really don't know what to say about it, except for, you know, speaking with Chief Daniel Templeman and Mayor Franklin, to find out that there's not one African-American who sits in every police department, who sits on the city council in Stohomish County or on the county council, for that matter, is sad.
You know, today, it's really sad.
You know, and again, I want to say thank you to that King County Metro bus driver who spoke words of encouragement to me, this African-American man who took the time out to give me the courage to speak here today.
Again, his name is Dante Davis James, and I want to say thank you, and God bless him to you and your family.
And to let you know, my name is Sean Anthony Renfro, and I will be seeing and speaking with all of you again, and you will be hearing my name in the future.
Thank you.
Thank you, Sean.
Megan Murphy?
And after that we have, is it Negist?
Negist?
After Megan.
Thanks for letting me speak.
I'm reading, I finished Naomi Klein's A Green New Deal, A Burning Case for A Green New Deal, and then now I'm on Bill McKibben's Falter.
So it seems that global warming is actually occurring, and we can keep pretending that it's not occurring.
However, this will require confronting uncomfortable schema within our societies, such as Right now, if you have money, you're seemingly safe.
If you don't have money, you're not safe.
That only begins with humans.
The fish in the sea, the acidity in the sea is rising rapidly because the carbon is being absorbed by the ocean.
People with a lot of money can waste a lot of money and a lot of resources.
And I think it's good to address the housing crisis by fair distribution of wealth.
And so I'm really disappointed in the vote last week about not allowing the city to tax big, big business.
And I'll be really disappointed if the state in the preemptive clause adopts that way of thinking.
Because if we say that we are a green state and we're pro-environment and we advertise that, then we need to actually think about how money impacts the environment.
Because the way it's going right now, the system of money is seriously extracting coal and tar.
We had protests on 3rd Avenue and those things, We're injecting more coal and tar than like 60 Hiroshima bombs, according to Bill McKibben, or maybe it's 600. We have enough carbon, if it's a 25 meter, to go all the way up to the moon of graphite.
So it's pretty serious, thanks.
Thank you, Megan.
The Kingst, hi.
Thank you for City Council.
I email you.
to be on the march.
I email the 66th Congress and the Lieutenant-Colonel and the Governor, be there please.
We'll solve it.
All of you.
You have, I email it for all of you, and including the mayor.
Another thing, I was sleeping in the bridge, under the bridge.
the Birmingham, Washington police, with the police uniform, with the police car, he put two roll of cigarettes, I told, in my bag.
I was sleeping.
He trapped by my boxes, and I caught him.
I open it, it's two roll, like a cigarette.
And I throw it, and a little bit later, and I go to the road to buy bread.
Two full of police waiting for me.
Another thing, This is a, I went to Senator office, Senator Pamela, and I feel after I apply passport, and the passport is not coming.
Thank you for listening me.
Please be there.
We will solve it.
We'll find a way.
Thank you.
So I think that closes public comment.
All right.
So moving down the calendar, let's go to payment of the bills.
Please read the title.
payment of bills council bill 119747 an ordinance appropriating money to pay certain audited claims for the week of February 10th 2020 through February 14th 2020 and ordering the payment thereof.
I move to pass council bill 119747.
Second.
It's been moved and seconded that the bill passed are there any comments?
Please call the roll on the passage of the bill.
Herbold.
Aye.
Lewis.
Aye.
Morales.
Aye.
Mosqueda.
Aye.
Peterson.
Aye.
Strauss.
Aye.
Council President Ores.
Aye.
Seven in favor, none opposed.
The bill passes and the chair will sign it.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Let's continue with our agenda.
So first matter on our agenda, item number one, finance and housing.
The report on the finance and housing committee, please read the report.
Agenda item one, resolution 31931, a resolution establishing a watch list of large, complex, discrete capital projects that will require enhanced quarterly monitoring reports for the 2020 calendar year.
The committee recommends the resolution be adopted as amended.
Council Member Mosqueda.
Thank you, Madam President.
This resolution adopts the 2020 watch list of projects from the city's capital improvement program for which the executive will provide quarterly reports.
This is a list of 17 large, discrete, complex projects that will be subject to in-depth quarterly reporting this year.
This watch list was established, as you all know, I think, by ordinance in 2018 after several projects had significant overruns and delays without the Council or the public's knowledge and involvement, including the $70 million overrun at the Seattle seawall and streetcar.
So this watch list is a result of the hard work of my colleagues, Councilmember Herbold and former colleague Councilmember Johnson, Thank you for all of your work on this, and I'm excited that we were able to have an in-depth conversation in our committee.
Add to the watch list.
This watch list now contains projects that we would like to have additional oversight and transparency on, make sure that there's clear scope, and that we watch for shifting estimates and costs or uncertain capital funding plans.
If there's ill-defined operation costs, plans, or other funding plans, we will be able to have clear, I think, heads up on that and be able to have the legislative branch weigh in on our perceived priorities, identify significant questions, and ask questions about scope, schedule, and budget so that we can ensure that the public's dollar is being well accounted for and that we are on track to fulfilling the council's desired outcomes for these projects.
Happy to bring forward this resolution today and thank our colleagues from the Finance and Housing Committee for their work to make this resolution even better.
Thank you.
Any more comments?
Council Member Herbold.
I just want to flag that one of the things that we talked about in committee was a recognition that the intent of the resolution was for the Finance Committee to be the designated committee to hear the reports overall.
But there is a hope that individual committees that have responsibility for capital improvement projects that are on the watch list, that those individual communities do a deeper dive on monitoring projects that are in the watch list.
and consider spending limitations where appropriate as yet another way to enhance oversight, perhaps by using stage gating or budget provisos to have additional oversight on some of those projects.
And thanks to Chair Mosqueda, I appreciate that she has indicated that she also has interest in figuring out a way whether or not we can, as a council, identify some ways some checks and balances on ourselves to make sure that that enhanced oversight is happening.
We can't rely totally on the budget office and we can't totally rely on our central staff.
I think we have to also think creatively about ways that we can do our part in monitoring some of these projects.
Thank you.
Councillor Muscat, you wanna make a motion?
Thank you, Madam Chair.
I move that the full council approve Resolution 31931 as amended in the Finance and Housing Committee.
Second.
There's been a motion and a second.
With that, let's go to a vote.
All those in favor, say aye.
Aye.
Those opposed, say no.
The ayes have it.
Thank you.
The resolution passes.
Thank you.
Let's go to item number two.
The report of the Transportation Utilities Committee.
Please read the short title.
Agenda item two, Council Bill 119744, an ordinance relating to the Department of Transportation's Hazard Mitigation Program.
The committee recommends the bill pass.
Council Member Peterson.
Thank you, President Pro Tem.
So, this ordinance enables the Seattle Department of Transportation to accept easements for various retaining walls along Rainier Avenue South.
I move to approve Council Bill 119744. Thank you.
Any comments?
All right.
So, we have it moved.
Do I have a second?
Second.
Second.
It's been moved and seconded.
Let's move to a vote.
All those in favor of Council Bill 119744?
Oh, I'm sorry, you're right.
I'm sorry.
I forgot about that.
We got to call out everyone's name.
Okay, go ahead.
Go, girl.
I'll say, will the clerk call the roll on the passage of the bill?
Herbold?
Aye.
Lewis?
Aye.
Morales?
Aye.
Mosqueda?
Aye.
Peterson?
Aye.
Strauss?
Aye.
Council President Ores?
Aye.
Seven in favor, none opposed.
passes and I will sign it.
The next item is, please read item three.
Agenda item three, Council Bill 119741, an ordinance relating to the Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority, authorizing execution of a funding and cooperative agreement for Northgate Station area access improvements between Sound Transit and the City of Seattle and ratifying and confirming certain prior acts.
The committee recommends the bill pass.
Thank you, Council Member Peterson.
Yes, this ordinance approves a spending agreement between the Seattle Department of Transportation and Sound Transit related to the pedestrian bridge that will span I-5 to connect the Northgate Sound Transit Station.
It opens in the fall of 2021.
Where would that bridge be again?
That would be in D-5, District 5, which happens to be Council Member Juarez's district.
I move that we, this was approved unanimously in the committee, and I move that we approve Council Bill 119741.
All right.
We've been moved and seconded.
Will the clerk please call the roll?
Herbold?
Aye.
Lewis?
Aye.
Morales?
Aye.
Mosqueda?
Aye.
Peterson?
Aye.
Strauss?
Aye.
Council President Juarez?
Aye.
Seven in favor and none opposed.
Bill passes.
All right, and the chair will sign it.
So can we please read item number four?
Agenda item four, Council Bill 119743, an ordinance relating to grant funds from non-city sources authorizing the Director of Transportation to accept specified grants and execute related agreements for and on behalf of the city.
The committee recommends the bill pass.
Thank you.
Council Member Peterson.
This ordinance enables the Seattle Department of Transportation to accept grant funds from Sound Transit as already approved at a high level from the Capital Improvement Program CIP budget.
Specifically, this will improve pedestrian access to both the current Mount Baker Station and the future Judkins Park Station.
It was approved unanimously by the committee, and I move to approve Council Bill 119743. Second.
Second.
Any other comments?
Will the clerk call the roll on the passage of the bill?
Herbold?
Aye.
Lewis?
Aye.
Morales?
Aye.
Mosqueda?
Aye.
Peterson?
Aye.
Strauss?
Aye.
Council President Juarez?
Aye.
Seven in favor, none opposed.
The bill passes and the chair will sign it.
So let's move on to other business.
Is there any other further business to come before the council?
Seeing none, we are adjourned.
Thank you, everybody.