CITY OF SHORELINE
SHORELINE CITY COUNCIL
Monday, April 6, 2015 Conference Room 303 - Shoreline City Hall
5:45 p.m. 17500 Midvale Avenue North
PRESENT:
Mayor Winstead, Deputy
Mayor Eggen, Councilmembers Hall, McConnell, Salomon,
and Roberts
ABSENT: Councilmember McGlashan
STAFF: John Norris, Assistant City Manager; Margaret King, City Attorney; Mark Relph, Public Works Director; Kendra Dedinsky, Traffic Engineer; Kirk McKinley, Transportation Services Manager; Rachael Markle, Planning & Community Development Director; Scott MacColl, Intergovernmental Relations Program Manager; Jessica Simulcik Smith, City Clerk
At 5:45 p.m., the meeting was called to order by Mayor Winstead.
Councilmember Hall moved to excuse Councilmember McGlashan for personal reasons. The motion was seconded and passed 5-0.
At 5:46 p.m. Mayor Winstead announced the Council would recess into an Executive Session for a period of 60 minutes as authorized by RCW 42.30.110(1)(i) to discuss with legal counsel potential litigation to which the City is likely to become a party. She stated the Council would not be taking final action following the Executive Session.
Councilmember McConnell arrived at 5:48 p.m.
At 6:46 p.m. the Executive Session concluded and the meeting was adjourned.
/S/Jessica Simulcik Smith,
City Clerk
CITY
OF SHORELINE
SHORELINE CITY COUNCIL
Monday, April 6, 2015 Council
Chambers - Shoreline City Hall
7:00 p.m. 17500
Midvale Avenue North
PRESENT: Mayor Winstead, Deputy Mayor Eggen,
Councilmembers, Hall, McConnell, Salomon, and Roberts
ABSENT: Councilmember McGlashan
1. CALL TO ORDER
At 7:00 p.m., the meeting was
called to order by Mayor Winstead, who presided.
2. FLAG SALUTE/ROLL CALL
Mayor Winstead
led the flag salute. Upon roll call by the City Clerk, all Councilmembers were
present with the exception of Councilmember McGlashan.
Councilmember Hall moved to
excuse Councilmember McGlashan for personal reasons. The
motion was seconded by Deputy Mayor Eggen and passed
6-0.
Mayor Winstead
read a proclamation declaring April 12, 2015 as Earth Day in the City of
Shoreline. Krista Tenney, accompanied by Rika Cecil,
Environmental Program Coordinator, accepted the proclamation. Ms. Tenney expressed her appreciation that on April 22, 1970 an
official day of recognition was set aside to celebrate Earth Day, and commented
that every day is Earth Day. She thanked everyone for their contribution to
saving the environment, read an excerpt from the book Garden Without Work, and recognized
former State Representative and environmental advocate Nancy Rust for her work
on the environment and introducing her to wildlife habitats. Ms. Cecil then invited
everyone to celebrate Earth Day on April 18, 2015 at Central Market and noted
eco-living weed pullers will be handed out at the event.
Mayor Winstead announced the retirement of Mark Relph, Public Works Director, and read a letter of
appreciation thanking him for his service to the City. Mr. Relph
thanked the Council, Debbie Tarry, the Leadership Team, and the Public Works
Staff for all the hard work they perform to make Shoreline a wonderful place to
live.
3. REPORT OF CITY MANAGER
John Norris, Assistant City
Manager, provided reports and updates on various City meetings, projects and
events.
4. COUNCIL REPORTS
Deputy Mayor Eggen reported he attended a King County
Transit Workshop. He stated they discussed policy regarding adding or deleting
hours to transit routes and explained the challenges facing urban and suburban
areas regarding bus services and competing for funding.
Councilmember
McConnell said she attended the SeaShore
Transportation Forum and shared information from a Stuck in Traffic presentation. She reported that since 2010, the population,
and number of jobs and bus boarding have increased, but Metro service hours
have decreased. She stated that vanpool ridership and traffic delays have increased,
and that ferry passengers remain flat. She said Seattle Councilmember Tom
Rasmussen is attempting to host a SeaShore Meeting with
Seattle Councilmembers to address traffic issues and the 145th Street
Corridor. She stated they are drafting a letter to the Federal Department of
Transportation requesting a more reliable and consistent funding mechanism for
the region.
5. PUBLIC COMMENT
Ginny Scantlebury, Shoreline resident, commented on Agenda Item 9c
regarding Ordinance 708 amending the 2015 Budget for Uncompleted 2014 Operating
and Capital Projects. She asked where the funds are coming from and why does a
police station site analysis cost over one million dollars.
Tom Poitras, Shoreline resident, commented on supporting the Community
Compact Option for the 145th Station Subarea and explained why he believes it will
have the least negative impact and produce the best results. He then quoted
positive features of a good neighborhood.
Liz Poitras, Shoreline resident, continued with Mr. Poitras’ quote and spoke about trendy features in neighborhoods
and her preference for a quiet neighborhood. She stated that portions of the
corridor are not in the Station Subarea and asked why destroy the consumer
surplus of family homes more than is necessary.
John Berg,
Shoreline resident, stated he opposes zoning and explained that it limits property
rights. He commented on higher zones having more rights, lower zones having more
restrictions, and said there is less incentive to maintain property that is
zoned higher than the use.
Lorn Richey, Shoreline resident, encouraged the
City to give the Public as much information as possible on City Council Executive
Sessions.
Janet Way,
Shoreline Preservation Society, stated that with the support of hundreds of
individuals, they filed legal action against the Planned Action Ordinance No. 707in
an effort to protect the environment. She asked how the
City can celebrate Earth Day and then upzone a large
portion of the City. She expressed concern about increased density without addressing
infrastructure and mitigation impacts.
Wendy DiPeso, Shoreline resident, commented on Councilmember Hall’s
request to City Staff to provide the percentage of land being rezoned. She asked
that the rezone be compared to the square mileage of the entire City and that the
square mile footprint of all up-zones in the City be measured; or compare the total
number of lots being rezoned to the total number of lots in the City for an
accurate number. She commented on the celebration of Earth day and asked how ‘green’
the rezone is if it is that large.
Mayor Winstead asked City Attorney Margaret King to respond to
the public comment regarding Executive Sessions. Ms. King explained that the
Open Public Meeting Act allows specific discussions to take place in Executive
Session. She shared the Executive Session held during the dinner meeting dealt
with potential litigation and was discussed in a closed meeting in order to
protect the interest of the City.
6. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA
Councilmember Hall moved to move Agenda
Item 8b, Appointments of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services/Tree Board, to
Item 8a. The motion was seconded by Councilmember McConnell and passed 6-0.
The agenda as amended was adopted
6-0.
7. CONSENT CALENDAR
Upon motion by
Councilmember Hall, seconded by Deputy Mayor Eggen and
unanimously carried 6-0, the following Consent Calendar items were approved:
(a) Minutes
of Special Meeting of March 2, 2015
(b) Adoption
of 2015-2017 City Council Goals
8. ACTIONS ITEMS
(a) Appointment of Parks, Recreation and
Cultural Services/Tree Board (PRCS)
Eric Friedli,
Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Services Director, announced term expirations
of three PRCS Board members, and explained the Board selection replacement process.
He shared that the Council Subcommittee interviewed all seven applicants on
March 14, 2015, and that Cindy Dittbrenner, William
Franklin and Katie Schielke were recommended to fill
the positions.
Councilmember Salomon moved to appoint
Cindy Dittbrenner, William Franklin, and Katie Schielke to the PRCS/Tree Board to serve a four year term. The
motion was seconded by Councilmember McConnell.
Councilmember Hall talked
about the excellent qualifications of all applicants and the difficult task of
selecting three new boardmembers. He expressed hope
that the applicants that were not selected will continue to be active in the Community.
Mayor Winstead concurred and stated that it is good
to see people that have been active in the Community stepping up into new roles.
The motion passed 6-0.
(b) Authorize the City Manager to Execute a
Contract Agreement for the Construction of the Einstein Safe Routes to Schools
Project
Tricia Junke, City Engineer, provided an overview of the Einstein
Safe Routes to Schools Project, and reviewed funding and costs. She reviewed bid
results and recommended that Kamins Construction be
awarded the contract.
Councilmember Salomon
questioned the increase of Kamins’ final bid amount,
and asked if it was due to the consultant’s omission in their initial bid. Deputy
Mayor Eggen asked follow up questions about the Kamins’ bid. Ms. Junke explained
that Kamins’ 100% design estimate was significantly
higher than their 60% estimate, and that they submitted the 100% design
estimate based on staff comments and designed revisions, which increased the
cost.
Councilmembers Roberts moved to authorize
the City Manager to execute a construction contract with Kamins
Construction Inc. in the amount of $467,650.85 for the Einstein Safe Routes to
School Project. The motion was seconded by Deputy Mayor Eggen.
Councilmembers
Roberts expressed concern about the change in the scope of the project, but
stated that it is a good project for the neighborhood, families and Einstein
Middle School, and that it encourages walking. He said he would like to see
more sidewalks installed throughout the City.
The motion passed 6-0.
9. STUDY ITEMS
(a) Discussion of Parks, Recreation and
Cultural Services (PRCS) 2015 Pay Schedule for Seasonal and Variable Hour Extra
Help Staffing
Paula Itaoka,
Human Resources Director, introduced the topic and reminded Council that during
the adoption of the Revising Personnel Polices for the Affordable Care Act
Employer Mandate, that additional information was requested regarding extra
help pay as it related to Cost of Living Adjustments (COLA). Eric Friedli, PRCS
Director, described the characteristics of PRCS Extra Help as Seasonal, Variable
Hours, Unique Schedules, and Special Skills/Special Projects. He presented the criteria
used to rank job responsibilities that informed the proposed pay schedule. He
pointed out that there is a 4.5% pay differential between classifications and a
2.5% differential between steps. He stated the impact to the budget is $20,097
and said that it can be recovered through summer class revenue. He concluded by
asking for Council’s direction on future policy.
Councilmembers
asked what the differences are between the current classifications and the
proposed classifications, and whether other cities have extra help employees in
their regular budget. They asked how much the fee would need to be to cover the
pay increase for extra help employees if compensation was based solely on fees.
They suggested staff explore this method as an option rather than using the
General Fund. They asked why the City is hiring more life guards.
Mary Reidy,
Recreation Superintendent, shared that the life guard classification compensation
has the greatest change. She explained that the change is needed to be
competitive and to hire more life guards in order to comply with Affordable
Care Act requirements. Ms. Itaoka talked about the current extra help
compensation process and commented that it lacked a comprehensive
administrative guide that compared skill level, competency and core
responsibilities. She stated that cities were not surveyed about having extra
help employees in their regular budget, but were asked about changes to extra
help pay rates. She shared that half of the cities surveyed raised extra help
employee pay consistent with COLA rates for other employees, and that the other
half raised pay with minimum wage increases. Mr. Friedli said he will provide
how much of a fee increase is needed to cover compensation at the next meeting.
Ms. Itaoka added that more life guards are being hired to comply with the
recent policy change to employee status definitions.
There was
consensus among Councilmembers to attach extra help pay schedules to the COLA
and to increase every step to preserve distinct classifications. They commented
on the Community wanting to preserve services, and on looking for ways to
increase revenue, eliminate redundancies, and grow tax base through economic
development, and increase general fund allocations. They requested that staff monitor
competitors and set fees comparable to other cities. They commented on the need
to attract people with appropriate skills and background, and pay employees what
they are worth. They offered support to staff in finding a balance between fee increases
and general fund allocations to finance pay increases, and do not support putting
the programs on a fee formula. They discussed keeping Step 1 attached to
minimum wage.
Ms. Itaoka reaffirmed
that Council supports adjusting all pay rates by the same percentage applied to
the regular workforce which is a COLA derived from 90% of Consumer Price Index (CPI)
for Urban Consumers and that if the State adjustment to minimum wage exceeds
that amount then only the bottom step would be adjusted to match the rate. She
then provided an example. Mr. Norris pointed out that Step 1 could surpass minimum
wage.
Councilmembers asked
if the State minimum wage is tied to CPI, and attached to inflation in perpetuity.
Ms. Itaoka explained that it is similar but applied at a different time in the
year and said she will provided Council a detailed answer to the question at
the next meeting.
(b) Discussion of Ord. No. 709 - 2015 Budget
Amendment
Patti Rader,
Interim Administrative Services Director, provided an overview of 2015 Proposed
Budget Amendments and explained that Ordinance 709 is requesting $1.1 million
of amendments in a variety of funds. She reviewed the proposed budget requests
from the General Fund are:
$
14,648 City Attorney: - Ongoing
·
Outside Legal Support
$ 10,000 Human
Resources
·
Technical
Assistance for Performance Management System (Halogen)
$ 65,097 Parks,
Recreation and Cultural Services
·
Implement Extra
Help Schedule - $20,097- Ongoing
·
Greenhouse
Choices Program - $45,000 (Grants/Donation)
$ 25,000 PW
Environmental Services
·
Assistance with
Solid Waste Procurement Process
$289,028 Transfers Out for Debt Service: -
Ongoing
·
North Maintenance
Facility Debt Service - $260,823
·
Reduction in BABS
subsidy - $28,205
$ 60,963 Police Special Support – Ongoing
·
Transport Officer
(50% SCORE Transport/50% Fircrest Support)
0
Transportation
Planning: $0 (Temporary increase of 0.30 FTE)
$ 78,900 Planning and Community Development
·
185th Street
Station Subarea Plan -$20,090
·
145th
Street Station Subarea Plan - $46,810
·
145th
Street Station Subarea Plan (additional analysis) - $12,000
Councilmembers asked
questions about long term funding for the police position and expressed concern
about long term financial liability. They asked if the addition of a new police
officer would negatively impact savings achieved by using SCORE instead of the
King County Jail, if the new police station will be able to hold arrestees, who
will perform transports, and if a security guard could be hired to do transport.
They asked about the terms of the agreement with Fircrest
and what work the officer would perform when they are not transporting or on
assignment with Fircrest.
Chief Ledford explained
the various transport personnel options he researched and said that hiring a
fully commissioned officer would allow that person to perform other policing
duties within the City. Mr. Norris reminded Council of the significant cost
increase for the use of King County Jail in 2014, and affirmed that the City
will save money with the addition of a new officer, and using SCORE versus King
County Jail services. Chief Ledford explained that transports are performed by
a traffic officer on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and why an officer would be taken
off the street even with the new police station. He explained the terms of the Fircrest Agreement and pointed out that 50% of the
officer’s duties will be assigned to Shoreline.
Ms. Rader continued
the presentation and explained that additional funding is not being requested for
the temporary increase of a 0.30 in Transportation Planning. She explained that
the position will be funded from savings and position vacancies.
Councilmembers questioned
if the City would incur a cost if the work for a 4th DEIS Preferred
Alternative for the 145th Street Station Subarea Plan is not completed,
and if money not spent in 2015 will carryover to 2016. Ms. Rader replied that
if the work for the 4th DEIS is not performed, the City would not
incur that cost. Rachael Markle, Planning & Community Development Director,
explained that the DEIS will be completed after the Corridor Study and that
cost will incur after the Transportation Corridor Study (TCS) is complete. She
explained that they are currently working with the TCS Team.
Ms. Rader
presented a budget amendment for the analysis of wetlands and wetland buffers
for the 145th Street Station Subarea DEIS and provided Council two
options to select from.
Councilmembers
inquired about the differences between Option 1 and Option 2, discussed the pros
and cons of surveying private property, and asked for staff’s recommendation. They
asked for a written explanation of costs and benefits for the two options prior
to adopting the amendment. Ms. Markle explained that Option 1 would assess public
property, and that Option 2 would survey private property and provide a more
detailed survey of the wetlands and buffers. She stated that staff recommends Option
1.
Councilmembers
consented to support Option 1 and the Technical Memorandum.
Ms. Rader
continued the presentation reviewing the following 2015 Budget Amendments:
$ 33,406 Street Fund
·
Purchase
of an Asphalt Patching Machine (hotbox)
$ 45,000 General Capital Fund
·
Shoreline
A/B Field Turf and Lighting Replacement project design
work
$118,000 Roads Capital Fund
·
Einstein
Safe Routes to Schools
$368,000 Surface Water Utility fund
·
Surface
Water Green Works Project: $123,000
·
Puget
Sound Drainages Basin Plan: $245,000
Ms. Rader then
presented financial impacts to the Ten Year Financial Sustainability Plan and stated
the 2015 Budget Amendments are scheduled for adoption at the April 20, 2015
Council Meeting.
Councilmembers
asked questions about the Surface Water Utility Fund and the Transfers Out for
Debt Services Fund. Ms. Rader confirmed that the Surface Water Utility Fund is
self-supporting through utility fees and explained that the Debt Services Fund covers
the debt for the North Maintenance Facility that was not included in the
proposed 2015 Budget and for the sequestration reduction in the Build America
Bonds Subsidy.
(c) Discussion of Ord. No. 708 - Amending the
2015 Budget for Uncompleted 2014 Operating and Capital Projects
Ms. Rader explained
that the Uncompleted 2014 Operating and Capital Projects were included in the
2014 Budget and since the purchases were not made by the end of the year, the
expenditures need to be re-appropriated to the 2015 Budget. She added that
capital improvement projects make up the majority of the carry overs. She
reviewed the impact of Ordinance 708 on fund balance and stated the request is
for $5.4 million.
Ms. Rader answered
questions from Public Comment regarding the cost of the new police station
analysis and the language describing revenue backed funding. She stated the project
should be called the Police Station Improvement Project and explained that the title
was captured incorrectly. She stated the funds are for the design of the
station, purchase of property, and the beginning cost of improvements. She then
provided examples of revenue backed funding as grant funding and revenue
collected from seizures.
Councilmembers commented
on the $5.4 million carry over from 2014, pointed out the $3.8 million in grant
revenue, and questioned why carryover expenditures are not equal to revenue. Ms.
Rader explained that although money for grants may be budgeted, money is not
reimbursed by the agencies until the money has been incurred.
Councilmembers
requested a detail breakdown of costs for the new police station. Ms. Rader responded
that a detail breakdown will be provided at the April 20, 2015 meeting.
(d) Discussion of Res. No. 372 Repealing
Post-Issuance Tax Compliance Policies for Tax-Exempt Bonds Adopted in
Resolution No. 308 and Approving the Revised Policies
Ms. Rader
explained the requirement by the Internal Revenue Service to have policies and
procedures in place demonstrating compliance associated with the issuance of
tax exempt bonds. She presented three policy changes.
10. ADJOURNMENT
At 9:35 p.m., Mayor Winstead declared the meeting adjourned.
/S/ Jessica Simulcik Smith, City Clerk