Special Saturday Sit Down For Sunnyside City Council

This past Saturday, April 16, the Sunnyside City Council held a Special Meeting to discuss a budget amendment and a proposal to conduct an efficiency review of the police department.

Theresa Hancock Left The Mayor A Voice Mail Saying She Would Not Be Able To Attend. All Other Council Members Were Present.

The council was scheduled to meet for four hours starting at 8:00 A.M.  They ended the meeting at 11:30 though, as another group was waiting outside to use the courtroom for a meeting.  It seemed as if an “Iron Butt” competition was being held when the Mayor asked if Council Members wanted to take a break after about an hour.  The City Clerk, Deborah Estrada, had started recording the session, and then left the room.  Council, however, had a consensus to keep the grind on, and keep slugging through the agenda.  Most of the time was spent reviewing items for the budget amendment.

Even when Council Members had differing opinions, collegiality dominated the atmosphere.  Council Member Don Vlieger suggested several ways to pay expenses while minimizing the impact to the general fund.  For instance, attorney fees of $12,000 that a court ruled the city must pay, following the seizure of drug money, could be paid from the fund they were deposited into in the first place.  In addition, the Special Investigative Fund could pay $39,600 for the purchase of an additional patrol car for the gang task force, instead of taking it from the general fund.

Deputy City Manager Byron Olson had requested that council set aside $50,000 as a reserve for environmental cleanup costs at the airport.  However, the council did not want to do this as part of the budget amendment, because this action has not been discussed in a regular meeting.  Mayor Restucci also stated that he had concerns about the issue being brought up following legal advice the City Council had received in Executive Session.  The cost of the cleanup is not yet known, and will depend on how extensive the contamination is.  Mr. Olson also said that some grants my provide money to help with the cleanup, but it is still too early to know how much that may be.  In addition, the city may pursue prior landowners to recoup this cost as well.

The city now has over $140,000 in its Tourism Expansion Fund.  The City Council is not aware of any plans to spend this money, and may direct a committee on how to spend it if they do not receive any input from them.  Some ideas discussed were producing a publication that could be distributed to highlight attractions and businesses in the city.  Council Members noted that Grandview and Ellensburg both have publications they distribute for their respective cities.  Mr. Olson said that the fund appears to be increasing $15,000 – $20,000 each year, and that he thought it could be better used than simply allowing it to grow because of a lack of a plan on how to spend it.

On a personal note, the city recently decided not to fund flowers on downtown streets from this fund because they did not feel tourists would come to town to see them.  This is short-sided.  I would suggest re-approaching the issue by considering that having the flowers downtown will enhance the atmosphere for events such as Cinco de Mayo, which certainly does attract a crowd downtown.  When linked to an event such as this, approving money for flowers should be a no-brainer.  The city needs to be more creative in finding ways to spend the money in this fund.  Keeping it in the bank is not attracting tourists.

City Council also reviewed a draft document “Request for Qualifications and Proposals, Police Department Review”.  The proposal is to have consultants come and study the department over a period of about three months.  Following this, they will make recommendations on manpower needs, resources and equipment needed, and project future needs which may include building a new jail 20-30 years from now.  Council Members Garcia and Gehlen wanted to immediately commence with this study, while Council Member Vlieger expressed concerns with the timing of it.

“For me the cost and timing are an issue.  The police department is in the midst of ramping up operations by adding six new officers, and four new programs.  The Gang Task Force, Crime Analyst, Drug Dog, and Crime Free Housing programs are being implemented with no increase in administrative staff”, said Vlieger.

Gehlen countered, “I think the police would think this is a good thing because someone from outside will be doing the study, this is one way to get the input.”

After considering putting off the study until after the start of next year, the council instead decided to delay the study until October.  That way the police will not be spending hours doing things besides policing during what Police Chief Radder described as the “hot summer months” when they generally have greater numbers of calls.

At the close of the meeting, Mayor Restucci stopped the recording because the City Clerk, Deborah Estrada, had not returned.