A RESOLUTION relating to Council direction on budget and other matters related to the North Precinct capital project (A1PS107).
Next agenda item, please. Agenda item 14 Resolution 316 98 relating to council direction on budget and other matters related to the North Precinct Capital Project. Councilmember Gonzalez, I believe. Will you lead the discussion, Casper and Burgess. I will. I will walk us through the components of the resolution that is before us. This is a resolution related to the existing proposal to construct a north precinct in north Seattle. This resolution, if approved by the city council, would it would direct the Department of Finance and Administrative Services to do several things. First, it would require that the Finance and Administrative Services Department hire an independent third party cost estimate or to ensure that the estimated project costs are are accurate and reasonable with an eye towards finding additional cost savings. The resolution also directs the Finance and Administrative Services to engage in that independent cost estimate analysis in two different junctions throughout the project. First, it would be at the 60% construction documents submittal phase, and then again at the 90% construction documents submittal phase. Again, all towards and I of trying to continue to reduce the costs associated with the this particular project. It also would direct the Finance and Administrative Services Department with the assistance of the Seattle Office for Civil Rights, Department of Neighborhoods and the Seattle Police Department to engage in a full racial equity toolkit. Analysis of the facility's design and operations, including the interior and exterior building design for all plan programmatic assets. Cost of the facility, consistent with the city's race and social justice initiative and consistent with Council Resolution 31164, which was passed in 2009 and reaffirmed excuse me, and directed city departments to use the available tools to assist in the elimination of racial and social social disparities. As part of the Racial Equity Toolkit analysis that is directed via this resolution, FISA will be required to solicit community perspectives from historically underrepresented populations, vulnerable populations. Those are most likely to interact with the police, those historically and disproportionately impacted by police action, and those most likely to be victims of crime. The resolution directs FASB to provide my committee the Gender Equity Safe Communities and New Americans Committee with report of its intended community engagement plan. It also requires that the race excuse me that the Racial Equity Toolkit analysis be completed by October 3rd of 2016. The results of the analysis are to be provided to the Gender Equity Safe Communities Enumerations Committee. Upon completion of the analysis and the resolution specifically expressly states that the results of the Racial Equity Toolkit analysis will help to inform the Council's decision on what is the appropriate total project cost of the North Precinct project in the course of the City Council's ordinary budgeting process around capital improvement programs. So in other words, the racial equity toolkit, because it will be completed on October 3rd and because City Council doesn't vote on the budget until the end of November, which we should and the community should have an opportunity to have the results of the racial equity toolkit analysis approximately 4 to 6 weeks before any decisions have to be have to be made. And I want to make sure that my colleagues know that we did speak with the Office for Civil Rights. They've indicated that they need approximately eight weeks or so to be able to complete the racial equity toolkit analysis and do it some justice. And so October 3rd is slightly shy. It's about a week shy of that eight week mark. So we may need to provide the Office for Civil Rights a little a little wiggle room around that October 3rd deadline, just to make sure that they they are able to fully engage in their in their toolkit analysis process and wanted to just disclose that for the benefit of the public and for the benefit of us. The resolution also directs FASB to provide my committee with regular progress reports, both written progress reports to the full council, but also progress reports to my committee. It will. Those progress reports are directed to include information on the current project status, design and community engagement efforts, along with the outcomes of community engagement efforts. A detailing of life to date expenditures. The most recent total project cost estimate with explanation of any changes since the last report and budget risk issues that may be identified in the course of and of all of the work that we anticipate that they're going to continue to do on the with respect to both the community aspects of the the north precinct facility and with regard to the training facilities of the North Precinct, it provides that both of those will be informed by the race and equity toolkit analysis that we anticipate receiving sometime in October. The last part of the resolution indicates that that it is essentially messages on the front end that we have to do something with the existing north precinct property and building. And to the extent that that that that occurs, which we anticipate it will, then then all of the funds that are appropriated, all the proceeds from the sale of either the property or the building where the current north precinct is sited would be wholly allocated to to meeting the city's affordable housing and affordable housing needs. And we haven't got an evaluation of that property quite yet. But the the the city budget office has indicated that it would be several millions of. That is the nuts and bolts of the resolution. And so I move for the adoption of resolution 31698 second. Council members now have good time to comment. As any council member. I'm probably going to see a bunch of hands go up here in a minute. If I wait long enough. We'd like to comment. Councilmember Brian. Yeah, I would like to comment. I want to start by thanking my colleagues, especially council member Gonzales Councilmember Herbold. And I know probably everyone at this table worked over the weekend and this morning to make some changes to this legislation, to get it to a point where I think it's a lot stronger this resolution. I want to start by saying that I do not support the north precinct in its current design. I. I do not I do not support the current budget for this. I've raised concerns, as have many others, through the number of meetings we've had, both public meetings and private meetings. And frankly, the answers we've gotten back have been not particularly satisfying. There's a lot of work to do going forward. I think this resolution actually does a good job laying out what some of those steps are, including the racial equity toolkit. I want to highlight what that racial equity toolkit is. It's not a simple exercise in checking a box and moving on and producing a document. It is an exercise in working with community to understand the impacts, not because we as government know what the impacts are, but because we have a conversation with community to understand what those are and we address those. That is a very important process, and to be meaningful, it's got to influence the outcome. I believe the language in this resolution leaves room for that to happen. I came into this meeting prepared to vote yes for this resolution because there's been good work done on it. But what's become apparent to me is despite a number of amendments that folks worked on over the weekend and this morning, the community has not had time to see those, to digest those, to talk to us about that, to give us input on it. I. I think there are productive conversations that can be had with the community. In fact, if we're going to be successful on doing a racial equity toolkit, we need many of you engaged in that process and we have some work to do on our end to build that trust, to have that conversation when we introduce a resolution and vote on it the same day. I do support that, but I weigh that versus what the urgency of that resolution is, but versus the drawbacks of that. And based on what I'm hearing today, I know the community has serious concerns, and I would like to give the community more time to see that. When I look through this resolution, there is nothing in here that's that rises to the level of urgency to move forward. Everything the good parts of this resolution don't require the resolution being passed to move forward. And frankly, I would hope that the city, regardless of this resolution, can start work on a racial equity tool kit today . I hope that we can. I. I hope that we can do the work called out to look at the design elements and figure out other ways to reduce the costs. None of that requires this resolution to happen. And so I would actually like to make a motion to table this resolution until September 12th, the meeting after the second meeting after we come back from recess. For before we. Okay. Before. So I think you used the term table, but I think we mean a motion to. Hold motion the whole thing. So before we proceed that online, why don't we shy that? Why don't we have some discussion first and see? Some of my colleagues would like to. I didn't hear it in the form of a form of motion yet. So would you like to make the motion? Yes, I would like to make a motion to hold this resolution until September 12th. Okay. 0303. We? Is there a second to hold to? We got about 100 seconds, but these are the seconds that count. Is there motion? Is there a second? I would like to hold the emotional hold till September 12th. Made up a few. So why don't we withdraw the motion just for timing? Have more. Have more conversations. So because. Because you took a chance here. And, you know, I like these things in the morning, by the way. So he raises an issue about it being time sensitive now. One could say you rip off the Band-Aid. I don't know if we've done a great job of explaining what's in the resolution, because, quite candidly, I don't know how anyone could support the precinct in its current state, quite candidly. I mean, even if you are fighting passionately for Black Lives Matter or you are a fiscal conservative on the far right that doesn't even care about Black Lives Matter, we have a lot of challenges with this this capital project. I think we all can agree on that. So. So I think one of the issues you raised about is a time sensitive. And so, again, this motion, this resolution, I don't think endorses the structure as it is. And so maybe so, so maybe someone could speak to. I think what's most important is people to understand what's in the resolution. There's language in there. And Catherine, I think you did a good job. There's language know that makes it clear. It's not it's not an endorsed project. It says very clearly in the resolution that we are as far as it's cost it, we're waiting for feedback based on the race and social justice toolkit and that you're asking for other cost updates. So I don't see this as an endorsement of the 149 price tag and surely not the 160 price tag, but maybe someone could speak to what we're endorsing. We're not endorsing through the resolution. I need to communicate that here. Would you like to. I, i, i, i just I spent about 10 minutes going through each of the components of the resolution. I believe that this resolution does does not endorse the 149. I think it creates a a framework by which we direct the department to look for additional cost savings, which is what I heard community wanted it also. It also provides it also provides it also provides for a path forward and a plan, a very concrete plan on performing the racial equity toolkit. And I think that those are important. I think those are important components of the work that we are trying to accomplish here. And the budgetary decisions related to the appropriations related to the ultimate cost of this project will be done in my mind once we have the value of all of this information in the course of the in the course of the budget process. So that is that is why we are not indicating or providing or endorsing a number is because that number has to be defined by the information we are directing efforts to get. Thank you. But any other? I was talking to Councilmember O'Brien. I don't disagree with what you said. In fact, I agree with what you said. But Councilmember O'Brien, if you would like to make the motion, I would second it to further the conversation. Yeah. I will move to. I will move to. Hold this resolution until September 2nd, September. 12th, and our second that so when. One thing that has occurred to me is that I know almost every council member, but in particular council members Herbold and Burgess and Gonzalez and Juarez have worked feverishly since Thursday and Friday and Saturday and Sunday trying to come up with a resolution that works. And I think we are hoping to get celebration on this resolution. And this is not exactly a celebration. And so I do question the wisdom of saying let's pass it and then sell it versus sell it and then work with the community. I think, you know, in how long this. How long this part. That that a lot of the public comment that I hear, I think are heartfelt and accurate about are we listening to what's happening in this country with, you know, you don't have to hammer me with Black Lives Matter. No, you don't. You don't have to. My three kids are black. I'm black. My wife is black. You do not have to tell me that black lives matter. I've spent a lifetime for black people. I think we need to tell you because I'm. So, so. So as we speak, as we speak, as we speak about this, I think it's very important what's happening in this country. This shadow could lift all boats. I mean, we have an opportunity here. We have an opportunity here. So I just would suggest possibly we could take a little time and explain it and maybe even tweak it and come back for a couple of weeks. But that's just that's just where I am on this. But I'll certainly defer to my colleagues. I think that there's there's people that my have there there are people that whose comments I routinely ignore because they don't have the credibility I like. But there are a lot of credible folks out there. So I'd like to hear from you. And if not, I'll just call on the motion to hold. I'll call. Catch my words if you want to speak. Thank you. Show some respect, sir, as I try to sharpen cuts. Final words. I'm just so I'm clear as. Because, you know, I just got elected. I've been on this job nine or ten months. So just to be clear, please be respectful because I wasn't raised the way you were, apparently were raised. I was raised. In Indian Country. I was raised for respect. Please. Respect. Please. Respect. Please. Please have respect. Please proceed. Please proceed. Folks, I want to say that I. You know, I'm with you all and I want to I want a chance for my colleagues to express themselves. And I know this is tense and I know we have different opinions and there's space for that. But if folks would please, I'd ask folks to. Please just just give us a few minutes to have a dialog so I can hear their points and they can hear our points. Okay. What I'm saying is this. I have listened to you. I've lived this life. I understand. Please, just let me talk. Thank you. So I was raised to listen, to try to understand and to try to do the right thing. And I think one thing that I want to point out here is I respect everybody who I sit with today. We've all worked very hard. We've met with groups. We've met with communities. We've met with the Chief O'Toole, FARC. I mean, you name it. So I just want to point something out. On August 17th, this council passed a law, and in that law it said 160 million. I wasn't here then for a police station right here. The vote was 8 to 0 five. Of those people that voted yes are on city council today. And before we got to that vote, we had 11 other votes ahead of that. So this is my job here. My job here isn't to do my job and to be called names. I've worked too hard in my life to get where I'm at. And so has Councilmember Gonzalez. My job here today is to look at something that a former don't flip me off. My job here today. As you know, out. Here in my job here today, is to do my job. And our job was to look at this number and bring it down and bring it down and bring it down. I wasn't there. Many of us were not here when this was passed for $160 million on August 17th, 2015. Now, I just want to again go back and reframe the issue. Do I believe what it means? It has to do with public safety. Every district in this city has a police station. Every district in this city has a police station. This police station isn't a District five issue. It's not even a district for six. It's about three communities with well over 300,000 people. Well. Five hospitals, two shopping malls. We have over 39 schools. Northgate alone has well over 2000 employees. North Sale College has 15,000 students. I won't go through all the stats of all of this, but I do know as light rail coming in in 2021 that we are looking at upswing in density, transit oriented housing and transit or development. I also know that if we're looking at 130th Street Station, we are looking at more density. My concern is this when I've read everything is that we were looking at the replacement of this facility for a 50 year life expectancy to accommodate population growth and associated public safety needs in regards to transportation, housing and social services. 40% of the population population lives north of the ship canal. I never thought that this was something about against anybody. I thought it was about doing my job and not sacrificing political correctness or political expediency for my career. I mean, I. I. Can I finish? So. Okay. May I finish? Yes, ma'am. Thank you. Thank you. My main concern is that we deliver a brick and mortar building that fits a price tag that we can live with, that we can justify essential governmental function to serve and deliver an essential governmental service that is public safety for everybody. And that is my goal. I'm not sure you can. Extend that down. So anyway, with that, I just want you to know that I heard you loud and clear. I'll continue to represent this city. And I just want people here to know that all of us up here who are elected, we all work together and we all try really hard to do the right thing. So thank you. Thank you. So right now, we have a, uh, excuse me. Excuse me. We have a motion to hold till September 12th. It's been moved to second. And all those in favor of the motion to hold to the 12th vote. I. I all those polls vote nay. You know. They sort of motion the motion fails to hold. We now we now have a well, having. A a resolution and a resolution in front of us that is ready to be voted on. Any further comments at any of my colleagues like to make before I call on a vote? Councilmember Burgess, you have the other floor, sir. Thank you. President Harrell. Thank you. The the new facility that we're talking about here is more than just a replacement of the existing north precinct. It also includes an urgently needed new training center, which is a key component of the city's continuing path toward compliance with the federal court consent decree, in fact. Councilmember Gonzalez, just before this meeting and the first part of our meeting was up and in federal court listening to Judge Robert give us further direction as to how we should come into compliance with that consent decree over the past year. So I'm here is to rely rely on the fact that you could hear me. Where you can see the comments made by. Over a third of the new building will be used for police training, including seven classrooms and simulation areas, plus offices for training staff. This training is essential to essential reform of the police in Seattle. We're investing tens of millions of dollars in police reform separate from this facility. For example, we underwrite the cost of the federal court monitoring team. We're paying for thousands of court mandated training hours. We're adding additional front line supervisors. We're investing in new data collection and analysis capabilities. These are investments that are worth every single dollar. And so is this new facility in North Seattle. Our police officers work every day to protect the city, and they deserve a building that is not 65% overcrowded. They deserve the highest quality training that will help us continually improve, improve policing in Seattle. We set very high standards of excellence for our police officers. We hold officers accountable because we expect professional, fair and constitutional policing. The people of Seattle deserve the best from our police officers, and our police officers deserve the best from us. Thank you. Are there any further comments from any of my colleagues, Councilmember Herbold? I have serious concerns about the proposed price of this precinct building. For this reason, I requested that the resolution not endorse the $149 million cost. I could not have voted in support of this resolution without that specific change. But the Council will vote in November on a budget, and that budget will include an endorsement of a particular price tag. So we clearly have work to do and we need. You to help. Us do that work. It's also it's also clear that we are at a point of crisis in policing in this country. We're well past that point, in fact. Again, I'm voting. For this resolution. To hear. You ask to hear from the council members. You wanted to know here where they are. Let's hear them out, please. Thank you, Councilmember. Well. Again, I'm voting for this resolution because it does not endorse a budget costs and commits the city to using the racial equity toolkit and working with communities of color disproportionately impacted by policing to help inform our decision in November on the appropriate project costs. What makes this building a bunker? To my knowledge, there is nothing that makes this building more bomb. Proof or or biblical proof than any of our other four. Precinct buildings. But I will learn more. Is it the size which is nearly two times larger. Than the South West Precinct? Is that what makes it a bunker? Because it's so. Large? In in considering the size of this facility. I think it's very important to recognize, as Councilmember Burgess did, that the training center in the proposed facility will fulfill an obligation identified by the Department of Justice. That the consent. Decree requires police officers to receive five times the amount of training than in the past. That. The training facility in this building. Will be used for training all SBT officers throughout the city, not only north precinct officers. I hope that we can find a way. To turn what the community is telling us is a symbol of police brutality into a symbol of police accountability. I hope that those of you who are active on this issue. Will remain active as the Council considers legislation to reform the. Seattle Police. Accountability System, as. Well. As the decision making around the cost of the North Precinct. Thank you. Thank you. Councilor Herbert SB Councilmember O'Brien. Regarding you folks. So you know. Where I'm going, I'm going to vote. You're going to sell the police by your threes and you're going to police. The film as well. It shows you that your decision was you with you. Who pays your taxes? Who? Alexis. So. So can I. To bipolar. I'd like to address my colleagues. Let's finish the hearing, please. Let's finish here. All right, let's finish the hearing, please. Councilmember O'Brien. Yeah? I'm going to start talking, and I. This resolution lays out some steps. Some things are good things in here. I'm going to be voting no on the resolution, but I want folks to understand that regardless of this passing or failing, this is a letter, a statement of intent by this council. The real work to be done is over the course of the budget, in the coming months and to get the outcome you all want and I want. We need to get a majority of the people sitting up here next to me to understand that. And we're going to have to do some work to work together to get there. And I'm going to do my part because I believe that the city can do a much better job in engaging our community and spending and prioritizing our resources. But having my vote alone is not going to get you the outcome you want. I want to respond. I want to respond to the comments. I was one of the council members who voted for the budget last year. The budget last year included the capital line items, including $160 million for the police precinct. That was something that things have changed since then. And I just want to be clear that $160 million today, in light of the movement about Black Lives Matter that's happening around this country. I mean, the purpose of movements, what the movement means to me is it's calling on us to reexamine our assumptions. And the assumptions that I went into that last year are different today, that they're different today. BLACK And I don't think I'm going to I don't think this is a I want to be clear and tell my colleagues, I don't think this is a bad resolution. I think this is a good resolution. But I'm going to be voting no because the we haven't taken the time necessary. And I haven't heard a compelling reason why we need to vote on this today. Hold it down. Council Member Johnson You have the floor, sir. Just, just a couple of months. Council President Erm there's two ways that we can save money on this police precinct, but we have one way, which is through the Policy Committee, through the Racial Equity Toolkit, and the second is through homeserve. So I'm going to have to an answer to. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. No. Okay, we got it. Councilmember Johnson, you have the floor, sir. So I want to echo the statements of Councilmember Herbold. I think when we had seen an original copy of this resolution included a cap at 149. I've heard from constituents, regardless of where you are on the political spectrum, who have said that they think that that number is too high, and if that number had stayed in, I would have been like Councilmember Herbold, an opponent of the resolution. I want to say that there's two ways that we can really save money on the cost of this precinct. One is through the racial equity toolkit work, and the second is through independent cost evaluation. So I want to say thank you to Councilmember Gonzales for working with me to make sure that the third party validators are working with the council to make sure that we find ways to save money for this precinct. I want us to be able to spend these resources on other critical projects in the community that I think are desperately needed in the North End. And as Councilmember Herbold said, I think that the real discussion here is as we move forward into the budgeting process, I'm looking forward to continuing to do work with folks to keep bringing those costs down and making sure that we get to a number that's reasonable. Thank you, Councilmember Johnson. Any other comments? I was just going to. I. Was just going to add on that. I mean, I think that's exactly what the resolution is, is framing up, is allowing us the space to have a conversation over the next several months, in fact, towards trying to find a sensible resolution and a reasonable pathway of of moving forward with the north precinct. Thank you to the vote. Okay. So if I don't hear any further comments, those in favor of adopting resolution vote i. I. Those oppose vote no. No. The motion carries the resolutions adopted and the chair was silent. Is there any further business to come before the council that we will stand adjourned.