CITY OF ISSAQUAH HUMAN SERVICES COMMISSION. August 25, :30 PM AGENDA

Transcription

1 CITY OF ISSAQUAH HUMAN SERVICES COMMISSION August 25, :30 PM Location: City Hall/Police Station 130 E. Sunset Way Eagle Room, 1 st Floor Bill Ramos, Chair Staff Liaisons: David Fujimoto, Martha Sassorossi AGENDA The times listed for specific agenda items are approximate and discussion on any particular item may occur before or after the time listed. The Committee may change the order of the agenda. 6:30 PM 1. Call to Order 6:35 2. Approval of Minutes: Action 6:40 3. Chair Report None at time of agenda setting 6:45 4. Staff Report a) Human Services Campus b) United Way of King County Strategic Plan c) Safe Parking d) Joint Human Services Commission Meeting 7:00 6. Committee Reports a) Local Agency Reports b) Grant Process Improvement 7:35 7. Unfinished Business a) Community Safety & Engagement 7:40 8. New Business a) Compassion House 7:50 9. Open Discussion / Public Comment 8:00 Adjournment Next Meeting: Tuesday, September 22nd; 6:30 PM City Hall

2 CITY OF ISSAQUAH Human Services Commission SUMMARY MINUTES July 28, 2015 City Hall South/Police Station 130 E. Sunset Way Eagle Room, First Floor Issaquah, WA MEMBERS PRESENT Bill Ramos, Chair Jennifer Sutton, Vice Chair Mariah Bettise Elizabeth Clawson Leo Finnegan Sam Hansen (Student) Sophie Marts (Student) Elizabeth Maupin (Alternate) Monic Payne Kyla Scott (Alternate) Chris Weber ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF PRESENT Bob Hamilton, City Administrator Martha Sassorossi, HS and Sustainability Coordinator VISITORS PRESENT Scott Behrbaum, Chief of Police CALL TO ORDER RAMOS, Chair, called the meeting to order at 6:35 PM. PUBLIC COMMENT RAMOS welcomed members of the audience and encouraged anyone who wishes to speak to the Commission to make comments during public comment, as well as hand in any exhibits for the record. He went over some guidelines for giving comments, including keeping comments to a fiveminute maximum. He noted that summary minutes of the meeting will be produced, and that members of the audience can record the meeting as well. Gregory Wagner, SE 111th, Issaquah, said he has been a member of the Issaquah Senior Center since 2006 and been a driver there since He said he just resigned two weeks ago over his concern about the loss of programs, including trips. He gave examples of the number of trips that have been lost, and said prices for going on trips have also increased. The people who are most vulnerable and who can least afford to go on these trips are being hurt, he said. He questioned why we need to cut back on a program that is so important to so many seniors, and said his main concern is figuring out a way to get the funding back. The City used to provide the funds, he concluded, but now people are having to pay out of their own pockets. When they ask me what they can do, I tell them they need to talk to the Senior Center Board, he added. Dale Brown, SE 30th, Sammamish, said he moved here in 1970 and loves this area. He said his main concern today is recycling. Why was the recycling complex near him closed and arrangements not made by Issaquah to take our recycling. He said a provision should be made by a jurisdiction to open a new recycling location if one is closed. Without a recycling location, people will throw trash in vacant lots and so on. Recycling is a very important community activity, he concluded, and our community has a good track record on recycling, and he would like to see a new location identified right away.

3 Craig Hansen, President of the Issaquah Senior Center s Board of Directors, said this is the first time he has heard about a decline in the number of trips mentioned by Mr. Wagner. He said some seniors are lonely and lack a social life, and the Senior Center is very important to them. He said he appreciates the City s funding of the Center over the last 35 years, and noted that the Senior Center has gotten better over the years. He said some people are displeased, but those are personal opinions. He said he can t imagine how it could affect some seniors if the Senior Center closed. He continued he is also the outreach coordinator for the Center, and helps people who don t drive or are incapacitated in some way with errands for a small fee. He said we also just received a new van from King County. The Center director is very good at what she does and represents us in Olympia as a member of the Washington State Council on Aging. He concluded by asking the Commission to remember the Senior Center and continue its funding. Marlene McGrath, 145 Newport Way NW #G-2, Issaquah, said the City does so much good for its residents, and if the Senior Center has problems, they should be resolved from within. Somehow we have gotten to the place where good people, such as Mr. Hansen, are being needlessly hurt, she continued. She said she feels there are people on both sides who are at fault. To many seniors, she said, the Senior Center is a place to get a cup of coffee, read a newspaper, socialize, spend quiet time, go on trips, participate in activities, and have lunch. Sometimes lunch at the Senior Center is our main meal of the day, she noted. Problems can be worked out, and she concluded by thanking the City for its support of the Issaquah Senior Center. Matt Jaren said he is a Senior Center member and gave some of his professional credentials. He quoted Biblical scripture from Psalms and Proverbs. He said some people at the Senior Center have raised objections to certain religious practices at the Center as well as made other complaints. The City government should not be managing each of those opinion points, he continued. To those who have complained, he said, I say why not rejoin your community. He referred to offensive, thoughtless, and horrible behavior on the part of some members. He said this behavior has gone on for 14 to 18 months, including making anonymous complaints on Facebook. He said if you have engaged in horrible behavior, why not make friends again. He said on June 2, a letter was sent to the Mayor and Human Services Commission asking for an investigation of the Senior Center, and said no decision on grant funding can be made without a full response and disclosure. To do otherwise would be a violation of everyone s civil rights. Scott Turtel, nd SE, Issaquah, said the community should value its seniors; they have put in a lifetime of work and effort in service to the community, and they deserve better than what they are getting. Some who want to attend the Issaquah Senior Center feel bullied, picked on, and as though they have no rights, including freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and the right to assemble. We deserve those rights, and our seniors deserve those rights. And all of us deserve better than we are getting today. Mary Lewis, 295 NW Cherry Place, Issaquah, said she questions the placement of the Senior Center, and asked how many people are using the Center now. She said thought should be given to relocating it south of here, on the old Monty property, so attendees can also use the gym, pool, and so on at the Community Center. She said the current Senior Center is too small to accommodate all the activities the seniors should have; there are too few trips, classes, and so on. She said she no longer uses the Center very much for that reason, and urged the Commission to continue to fund the Center and consider expanding it. Leanne Hayes, SE Issaquah-Hobart Road, Issaquah, said her question is who is in charge of the Center. She said she doesn t know the answer, but keeps hearing about issues and concerns without any investigation or resolution. Who is in charge, who is keeping track of the money, and what is happening to resolve some of the issues we are hearing about. She said the

4 Senior Center is not a happy place, and it should be. She concluded it should be a place where seniors can gather and where other people, like her and her children, can visit seniors like her father in a happy environment. Judi Schrager, 330 Rainier Blvd N., Issaquah, said she is a Board member at the Senior Center. In contrast to earlier comments, she continued, the Senior Center is a happy place. There is a certain faction of people who are not happy and have been creating problems for many months. For almost 40 years, the Center has operated autonomously, and now the City is making inquiries into what is going on. The Center has given the Mayor and the Issaquah Press many, many documents, and we have not had one letter of response to all our inquiries. She said seniors deserve to be more respected. We are running the Center in a very transparent way and funding by the City should be continued, she concluded. Jim Harris, Klahanie resident, said he has lived in Issaquah since 1978, and was on the Park Board in the 1970s and 1980s. He said his wife and sister-in-law have been going to the Senior Center for many years, but in the last year they have been very unhappy over the way it has been run. They are afraid to make any comments to the Board or the director because they fear they might get thrown out. That is no way to run an organization, he concluded. Regina Poirier, 280 SW Clark, Issaquah, said she started attending the Senior Center in 2009 but dropped out except for occasional volunteering in She voiced her concerns about the Center including lack of transparency; not having a treasurer; lack of open meetings; not expanding the lunch program into the community; and not complying with provisions in the Older Americans Act. She spoke in favor of exploring ways the Senior Center can serve multi-generational and multicultural needs, and gave examples of how other centers have done this. She referred to a sevenpage letter from the Center s Executive Director, and expressed her concern with some of its contents. She said she believes the City would be irresponsible to continue funding an organization whose director has made unsubstantiated allegations against members. She said she has a list of many human and health services the Center has lost under the current director, as well as a list of services for seniors available from federal and state sources, and gave examples of each. She referred to a compilation of materials that she provided to the Commission in support of her comments (exhibit on file). David Kappler, 255 SW Andrews Street, Issaquah referred to the recent no-trespass order given to both Regina Poirier and David Waggoner by the Issaquah Senior Center management. He said he has had concerns about how the Senior Center has been managed both before and during his term on the City Council. He referred to a recent seven-page letter distributed by the Center Executive Director, and read several passages. He said if he, as President of the Issaquah Alps Trails Club, issued such a letter, he would immediately hear from the Club s attorney and insurance broker that it was ill-advised to issue such statements. He said the Center needs the City to take over management of the Center, and in fact it needs a nonprofit foundation to support it, as is the case in many other communities. He said the Center also needs a broad spectrum of board members similar to how the Food Bank is managed. David Waggoner, 360 NW Dogwood Street, Issaquah, said he is a veteran who fought for our country and our freedoms. He and his wife have given money to the Senior Center, and he has been a volunteer driver and served on its Board of Directors, yet was given a no-trespass order for a non-criminal offence. So whatever decision is made about the Center won t make any difference to me, he said, since I can t get the services there that I fought for. He continued he has also had his civil rights taken away, since he can t speak or represent the people who elected him to the Board. He described his Metro with Dave program, which is free and helps seniors figure out how to access the Metro Transit system. He said he will continue this program on his own, and in fact

5 will continue to be just as active in the community as before he was given the no-trespass order. He said his rights have been taken away from him by the Senior Center management because he chose to answer some simple questions. An audience member asked if rebuttals from audience members were appropriate under the Commission s public comment guidelines. RAMOS replied no. Marlene McGrath said if people do not name their grievances specifically, then they can t be answered and resolved. Reba Turtel said she served on the Center s Board of Directors some time ago, but left the Board because she felt they were serving somewhat underhandedly. For example, she continued, minutes from meetings were inexplicably lost, and now meetings aren t recorded at all. She said she used to come to the Senior Center with her sister to exercise and participate in selected activities, but now she feels uncomfortable, intimidated, and as though she could be thrown out at any moment. She said she and her sister have been made to feel uncomfortable to the point where she rarely goes to the Center now. She said she was upset to see a list of members who had called the Mayor s Office with concerns posted at the Center, and said some people whom she considered friends saw her name on the list and it created problems. She said she was particularly upset about the ban of David Waggoner from the Center, and gave several examples of his valuable outreach activities and unselfish service to Center members. She said she hopes the City takes over the management of the Center and it become a place where people can go and feel comfortable and not intimidated. Hearing no additional requests to speak, RAMOS closed the meeting for additional public comment. He thanked the audience for their participation and for those who spoke for contributing their comments. APPROVAL OF MINUTES MAUPIN noted an error in the spelling of her name on page one (under Approval of Minutes ) of the minutes from the June 23, 2015 Human Services Commission meeting. SUTTON noted that the paragraph headed New Commissioner Introductions was mistakenly carried over from the previous meeting minutes and should be deleted. Sassorossi noted the date in the header on the second page is in error and will be corrected. MOVED BY SUTTON, SECONDED BY CLAWSON that minutes of the Human Services Commission meeting on June 23, 2015 be approved with the corrections noted. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. CHAIR REPORT RAMOS said in the interest of time, he will defer making a report tonight. STAFF REPORT: Issaquah Senior Center Bob Harrison, City Administrator, gave some background on the relationship between the City and the Issaquah Senior Center, and said he hopes the information will also provide some answers to questions raised tonight. He explained that the City has a contractual relationship with the Issaquah Senior Center, which functions as a non-profit, independent agency. Over the past years, the City has provided $99,000 annually in funding for the Issaquah Senior Center as well as a nocost lease arrangement. He said the City s expectation, as described in the contract, is that the Center will provide services at the facility, specifically recreation, health, education, wellness, and life enrichment. He said the contract also contains requirements in the form of metrics, such as serving 2,000 residents per month, the number of veterans served, cooperation with other City

6 service agencies, and so on. He said the City s total cash grant to the Center for 2015 was $99,000, and has been at that level for the last four years. He gave more details about the lease arrangement, including its most recent renewal in 2012 for 10 years with an option for ten additional years at the end of that term. He continued that the grant funds do not go through the Human Services Commission, but rather are a result of applying to the Mayor s Grant Fund. He named other recipients of funds from the Mayor s Grant Fund. He continued with some context for the current situation with the Issaquah Senior Center, noting that the City has received numerous contacts over the past 18 months about the Center. Some have been negative, some positive, he said, and they have covered a spectrum of topics and issues. He said when appropriate, the City has referred some who have contacted the City back to the Center because they have their own internal process for handling complaints and grievances. The Mayor did request that, in consideration of the upcoming grant funding process, the Administration meet with appropriate individuals and also review documents pertaining to the Center. He described the contacts he made, along with Sassorossi, in this effort, including submitting a list of 23 questions to the Senior Center leadership. Some of our questions were answered and the Center leadership elected not to answer others, so we did not achieve all the information we were seeking. He continued there have also been problems in arranging meetings with the Center leadership. We have provided all documents requested by the Center as part of our public information process, and noted the City does not have any control over how the Center uses that information. He said it is our expectation that the Issaquah Senior Center will continue to receive funding from the City, and that we will work through these issues. The Mayor has said he wants to be sure quality services are available to Issaquah senior citizens. We think the Center provides a very important function for our community, he continued, and have expectations that its services will continue. He explained the grant process, including deadlines, for applying for 2016 funds. He said it is up to the Center to decide whether or not to apply; if they choose not to, and to operate independently, that would be their choice. The City would still have the lease arrangement in place. He added we expect that if the Issaquah Senior Center chooses to submit a grant this year, the City would tie funding to certain expectations and metrics, and we anticipate that the Center would be aware of that. MAUPIN asked was there any pattern to the questions submitted to the Center that were not answered to your satisfaction. Harrison replied some questions were answered in full, and the Center leadership seemed to feel that other questions did not need to be answered. He noted the final report being prepared by the Administration will include the questions and answers so Human Services Commission members can see the responses in full. SUTTON asked for his perspective on current conditions generally at the Center. Harrison said he would characterize this as a legacy contract. As a result, generally speaking, a close look at Senior Center services hasn t been as big of a concern for the City in recent years, but some of the concerns raised over the last year or so have brought some issues to light and caused us to look more closely at the contract, including the metrics for providing services. He said a quarterly report is now being required that will include metrics in the contract. Sassorossi noted we have received two quarterly reports so far. Harrison said as a result of the concerns the City has heard, it is our feeling that we need to identify specific benchmarks, both qualitative and quantitative, and incorporate them into the contract. RAMOS noted incorporating more specific metrics would bring the Center contract up to date with other contracts the Commission looks at, noting that the Center contract has not moved as far in that direction as others. He noted the nonprofit world generally has moved in the direction of using

7 qualitative and quantitative measurements over the past decade or so. Harrison agreed, and said one avenue we are considering is establishing a Senior Advisory Board to focus on senior issues. He gave examples of what such an advisory board could address, including how to use emerging technologies to address issues of particular importance to seniors. MAUPIN said in response to a comment made tonight about the limitations in size and location of the current Issaquah Senior Center, the community was much smaller in 1982 when she moved to Issaquah than it is now. Are we going to look at whether the size and location of the Issaquah Senior Center is keeping the number of seniors served at a constant or declining level rather than allowing the Center to serve more members of the community, she asked. For example, there may not be enough parking at the Center now, and there aren t a lot of good local public transportation options. Harrison said you re right; the Administration spends a lot of time thinking in terms of fostering a healthy community, especially about resiliency and social capital, and keeping pace with our community s needs is an important part of that. He noted that the Office of Sustainability, in which Sassorossi works, is proposing a needs assessment in 2017 that will be very helpful to the Human Services Commission and Administration in being more strategic in making funding recommendations and decisions. SUTTON noted it could be very helpful to have a Senior Advisory Board that focused on issues of special interest to seniors pattered after the Youth Advisory Board s success in focusing on youth issues. COMMITTEE REPORTS RAMOS suggested postponing presentation of Local Agency Reports and a Grant Process Report until the next meeting. Commissioners agreed. UNFINISHED BUSINESS No unfinished business was presented. NEW BUSINESS RAMOS said Scott Behrbaum, Chief of Police, is here tonight to talk with the Commission about what s going on in the community from a law enforcement perspective. Behrbaum began his remarks by noting that recently there has been a lot of conversation in the press and the community generally about issues such as drug use, mental illness, homelessness, and other friction points in the community. He said from his perspective, there are several myths embedded in these concerns that are not necessarily borne out in reality. For example, he said, there is some speculation that the availability of services actually works as a magnet to draw people seeking services to our community. He said he doesn t see providing services to people as necessarily a problem, and in fact, sees many opportunities that services could be expanded to meet needs that are currently going unfilled. For example, many services are available on a 9-to-5 basis, but the need is there 24 hours a day. He gave examples of how individuals in immediate need of services can t be helped because of a lack of round-the-clock services. He continued law enforcement is experiencing somewhat blurred lines in their responsibilities; we are not just enforcing the law, he continued, but also helping people get services. He displayed pamphlets and handouts he carries that direct individuals to where they can receive services. He noted that providing adequate services is not just a question for Issaquah, but also for the Eastside and King County generally. He said so in thinking about whether we are providing enough services, from his perspective, he would say no. Sometimes all we can do is apply a band-aid, he added, and can t really help people get out of situations like substance abuse that are driving crime. Like hospitals, we tend to see the same people rotating through the system, whereas what we would really like is to help them get out of bad situations permanently.

8 He said another myth he has heard is about a lack of safety within the City. He said in general, Issaquah is very safe. Crime rates are very low, particularly violent or person-to-person crime. Most crime in our community is based on a previous victim-and-offender relationship. So despite some perceptions, it is safe to be in Issaquah s downtown area, as well as in its neighborhoods. He continued another concern is about people coming to Issaquah to get heroin. He said heroin use is on the rise cross our country, as well as in Bellevue, Renton, Seattle, and so on. So the uptick in heroin availability in Issaquah is not unique. He noted that the Police Department has been working very hard the last few years to engage the downtown business community in a help but hold accountable approach in which downtown merchants have the same cards, pamphlets and so on as the police that they can pass along to people who need services. He described a new safe parking pilot program for women and families seeking a temporary stay in their vehicles. He and Sassorossi gave more details about the program, which will be administered by the Our Savior Lutheran Church. MAUPIN asked his perception of how many people are living in their cars in the City. Behrbaum replied it s hard to gauge, but over the course of a year, he probably sees a few dozen that are using their vehicle as temporary shelter. RAMOS asked for any additional thoughts on the perception that the City is providing such good services that it s a magnet for those who need services. Behrbaum said it s true that we do have good services, people here do care, and those who come to our community feel safe here. He noted that many communities including Issaquah are engaged in similar conversations about providing services. All of us are trying to meet the needs that are out there, he continued. We are experiencing population growth and demographic changes, he continued; we have a different City than we had 20 years ago. So we need to have an ongoing conversation about providing services, which also includes taking a regional approach in partnership with Redmond, Bellevue, and other jurisdictions. From a police viewpoint, we do see people get help and get out of the system, which is a positive step. SUTTON asked whether the Police Department plans to host another Citizens Academy program. Behrbaum replied yes, another one will be held this fall. It s a good opportunity to get to know more about the Police Department, its programs, and City officers. He also noted that similar opportunities for the public to learn more are ride-alongs with police officers, particularly in the non-daylight hours, and the Talk to a Cop program. NEXT MEETING The next Human Services Commission meeting will be Tuesday, August 25, 2015, at 6:30 PM. ADJOURNMENT With no further business to conduct, RAMOS adjourned the meeting at 8:20 PM. Respectfully submitted, Susan Lowe Recording Secretary