CITY OF SHORELINE
SHORELINE CITY COUNCIL
Monday, May 11, 2015 Conference Room 303 - Shoreline City Hall
5:45 p.m. 17500 Midvale Avenue North
PRESENT:
Mayor Winstead, Deputy Mayor Eggen, and
Councilmembers McGlashan, Hall, Salomon, and Roberts
ABSENT: Councilmember McConnell
STAFF: Debbie Tarry, City Manager; John Norris, Assistant City Manager; Grant Raupp, Budget Analyst; and Bonita Roznos, Deputy City Clerk
GUESTS: Shoreline Fire Chief Matt Cowan, and Fire Commissioners, Ken Callahan, Kim Fischer, David Harris, Rod Heivilin and Jon Kennision
At 5:48 p.m., the meeting was called to order by Mayor Winstead.
Chief Cowan provided an overview of two ballot measures the Fire District is placing on the August 4, 2015 Primary Election Ballot. He explained that the Fire Benefit Charge (FBC) is intended to equal the loss of a $.50 tax levy authority, and stated that the fee will now be commensurate with the amount of inherent risk that a building poses. He explained that the Capitol Bond is seeking $9.5 Million over a 10 year period for the purchase of a ladder truck; rebuilding of Station 63; replacement of three (3) fire engines, a rescue apparatus, self-contained breathing apparatuses; and an additional outbuilding at Station 61. He distributed fact sheets and a flyer regarding the ballot measures. He noted that information regarding the ballot measures can be found on the Fire District’s website along with a rate calculator that allows you to calculate new property tax rates.
Councilmembers asked about rate increases for commercial and multifamily dwellings, and if the FBC will be billed separately from property tax bills. Chief Cowan responded that on average, commercial property owners will pay more of the FBC and explained that 80% of homeowners will realize a decrease. He stated that of the 20% of property owners that realize an increase that 19.2% will have an annual increase of $75 or less. He noted that property owners that are currently receiving a tax exemption will see the biggest fluctuation in their rates. He stated that the increased rate will be included in annual property tax bills. He added that undervalued properties will see the largest increase and stated that tax exempt properties are not exempt from the FBC.
Ms. Tarry asked if there are circumstances that can quality property tax payers for lower rates, and confirmed that the City would receive an exemption. Chief Cowan responded they there are property owners they may qualify for a discount or an exemption, and affirmed that the City would receive an exemption.
Councilmembers recommended that the Fire District inform the public of the other services they provide because they encompass much more than fighting fires. They asked if the Capitol Bond will support the new Subarea Station Plans which include increased density and taller buildings. Chief Cowan responded that the Bond will meet the Fire District’s current and future needs.
Chief Cowan asked about plans for the 145th Street Subarea Plan, stated that Station 65 would be able to support that area, and explained why staffing would need to be increased. Ms. Tarry responded that most recent plans support a preferred alternative of either a compact community scenario with more height or a connecting corridor scenario with less height, but covering a greater area. Both of these scenarios were studied in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS).
Councilmembers commented on adoption of the 185th Street Subarea Plan and asked what benchmarks determine when an additional station is needed. They suggested working with the Public Works Department to ensure that the Fire Department can make it to locations and asked if the Fire District has concerns about Light Rail. Chief Cowan expressed appreciation for City staff providing them information and reaching out to them early. He said he is waiting for the 145th Street Station Subarea Plan and the Corridor Study before further engaging the City. He explained that mutual aid and reliability statistics determine if an additional station is needed.
Chief Cowen expressed concern about response time to Point Wells and the Northwest quadrant of the City, and stated that a new station may be needed, not just for Point Wells, but for the entire area.
Councilmembers discussed trains that transport coal through Shoreline and recommended that the Chief participate in the Safe Energy Leadership Alliance. Chief Cowan commented that it is a hot topic and shared that he is sending staff for training. He explained that they are not equipped to deal with major rail disasters and expressed the need to leverage power to get training from the County and to help with changes to legislation regarding training.
Chief Cowan expressed gratitude for Gail Harris, Emergency Management Coordinator, for managing the Emergency Operations Center, and to the City for a great reciprocal relationship and for sharing facilities.
At 6:45 p.m. the meeting was adjourned.
/S/ Bonita Roznos, Deputy
City Clerk
CITY
OF SHORELINE
SHORELINE CITY COUNCIL
Monday, May 11, 2015 Council
Chambers - Shoreline City Hall
7:00 p.m. 17500
Midvale Avenue North
PRESENT: Mayor Winstead,
Deputy Mayor Eggen, Councilmembers McGlashan, Hall, Salomon, and Roberts
ABSENT: Councilmember McConnell
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 McConnell.
Councilmember Hall moved to excuse Councilmember
McConnell for personal reasons. The motion was seconded by Deputy Mayor Eggen
and passed 6-0.
(a) Proclamation of Armed Services
Appreciation Day
Mayor
Winstead read a proclamation declaring May 16, 2015 Armed Services Day in the
City of Shoreline. Dwight Stevens and members of Shoreline Veterans Association
accepted the proclamation. Mr. Stevens shared the benefits
of serving in the armed forces and thanked Council for the recognition.
(b) Proclamation of Shoreline Schools
Music4Life Month
Mayor Winstead read a proclamation declaring June 2015
Shoreline Schools Music4Life Month in the City of Shoreline. Ken Noreen, Director of the Shoreline Concert Band at Shoreline
Community College, accepted the proclamation and shared that he has taught
music for 51 years in Shoreline. He explained that the Music4Life Program brings
music to kids who might not otherwise have it and asked the Community to donate
their used instruments. He announced the “Proud to be American” Concert,
schedule for May 19th, with special guest Saxophonist Gunnery Sergeant
David Jenkins, member of “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band, the
University of Washington Campus Band, and the Kellogg Middle School Wind
Ensemble. He concluded his remarks by thanking Council for the proclamation and
recognition.
3. REPORT
OF CITY MANAGER
Debby Tarry, City Manager,
provided reports and updates on various City meetings, projects and events.
Kayla Schott-Bresler,
Seattle/King County Housing Development Consortium, presented Councilmembers
with the 2015 Municipal Champion for Affordable Housing Award. She stated the
award honors City of Shoreline Councilmembers and Staff for their leadership
and hard work in supporting its most vulnerable residents, and for their partnerships
with nonprofits and community agencies to raise awareness about affordable
housing needs and solutions.
4. COUNCIL REPORTS
Deputy Mayor Eggen
reported speaking at the International Community Health Fundraiser, shared the
organization’s mission, and commented that many Shoreline residents were
involved in the effort. He reported that he attended the Crista Ministries 5K
Run to Fight Human Trafficking, and noted 1,500 runners participated in the
event and raised over $150,000.
5. PUBLIC COMMENT
Ginny Scantlebury,
Shoreline resident, commented that residents were not provided ample notice of
the May 5, 2015 meeting regarding Critical Areas and asked why Richmond Beach
Library was chosen as the meeting location. She commented that the City is
requesting feedback on the draft Regulations and explained that she was not
able to access the Regulations from the City’s website.
Debbie Kellogg,
Shoreline resident, spoke on Consent Calendar item 7.d regarding the Hidden
Lake Dam removal. She stated that she recognizes the need to remove the dam but
pointed out that the dam is mentioned in the Community Renewal Area Environmental
Impact Study (CRA EIS) as being used to mitigate surface water by retaining
water behind a dam that will no longer exist. She commented on the street
vacation on Westminster Way and questioned why it is not included in the CRA
EIS. She commented on a recent Council discussion on public record requests and
shared that she views the engagement of the residents in city business as
positive and supported by Council Goals.
Edward Bashshelter,
Shoreline resident, commented that there needs to be a sign posted at 195th
NW prohibiting semi-trucks from proceeding south on Richmond Beach Road because
they cannot make it through the street and explained the difficulty of them
having to back out.
Debbie Tarry,
City Manager stated that she will follow up on the Communication Plan regarding
the Critical Areas meeting.
6. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA
The agenda was adopted by
unanimous consent.
7. CONSENT CALENDAR
Upon
motion by Councilmember Hall, seconded by Councilmember Roberts and unanimously
carried, 6-0, the following Consent Calendar items were approved:
(a)
Minutes of Special Meeting of March 23,
2015
(b)
Approval of expenses and payroll as of
April 17, 2015 in the amount of $2,731,310.66
|
*Payroll and Benefits: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Payroll Period |
Payment Date |
EFT Numbers (EF) |
Payroll Checks (PR) |
Benefit
Checks (AP) |
Amount Paid |
|
|
3/15/15-3/28/15 |
4/3/2015 |
60300-60493 |
13749-13770 |
59717-59722 |
$456,295.81 |
|
|
3/29/15-4/11/15 |
4/17/2015 |
60494-60694 |
13771-13790 |
59789-59796 |
$598,162.36 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$1,054,458.17 |
|
*Accounts Payable Claims: |
|
|
|
|
||
|
|
|
|
Expense Register Dated |
Check Number (Begin) |
Check Number (End) |
Amount Paid |
|
|
|
|
4/7/2015 |
59107 |
59107 |
($1,594.54) |
|
|
|
|
4/7/2015 |
59674 |
59674 |
$1,594.54 |
|
|
|
|
4/9/2015 |
59675 |
59686 |
$159,661.87 |
|
|
|
|
4/9/2015 |
59687 |
59692 |
$10,065.12 |
|
|
|
|
4/9/2015 |
59693 |
59713 |
$26,152.13 |
|
|
|
|
4/9/2015 |
59714 |
59716 |
$285.02 |
|
|
|
|
4/14/2015 |
59723 |
59724 |
$44,795.99 |
|
|
|
|
4/15/2015 |
59725 |
59725 |
$6,756.47 |
|
|
|
|
4/16/2015 |
59726 |
59757 |
$1,360,989.39 |
|
|
|
|
4/16/2015 |
59758 |
59770 |
$23,001.31 |
|
|
|
|
4/17/2015 |
59771 |
59788 |
$45,145.19 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$1,676,852.49 |
(c)
Adoption of Res. No. 370 - Policy to
Prohibit Discrimination on the Basis of Sex as Required by RCW 49.60.505
(d)
Authorize the City Manager to Execute a
Contract with Herrera Environmental Consultants for Phase 1 of Hidden Lake Dam
8. STUDY ITEMS
(a) Ronald Wastewater District/City Council
Committee of Elected Officials (CEO) Update
John Norris,
Assistant City Manager, provided an overview of the Ronald Wastewater District (RWD)
Assumption Timeline and shared the Assumption Transition Implementation is
scheduled for 2016-2017. He stated that the Assumption will occur on October
23, 2017. He reviewed and provided highlights of the following Draft CEO Work
Items completed to date:
·
Financial
Policies Issues Paper
·
Assumption
Communications Plan
·
Personnel
Polices Issue Paper
·
Budget
CIP Policies Issue Paper
·
Facilities
Issues Paper
·
Financial
Systems Issues Paper
He stated that upcoming
CEO Work Items will address Asset Management, Purchasing and Contracts, Equipment,
Utility Advisory Board, Policy and Code Changes, and Interim Opportunities. He
concluded the presentation by asking for Council direction on future assumption
transition issues.
Councilmember Roberts,
CEO Committee Official, commented that the Committee is working well and stated
that there is a good partnership with the RWD Commissioners. He explained that
there are a lot of codes and policies that the Council will need to decide on prior
to the assumption and that some might be slightly different from how the
Utility currently operates. He provided the example of utility billing and
explained that billing could continue to go through King County or be done by
the City. He commented on the importance of making decisions early to address
policy issues, software needs, and the creation of an advisory board. He reported
that the CEO is on schedule to have the transition plan completed by late
fall/early winter.
Councilmembers asked
why the City would need new software if billing was brought in-house. Mr.
Norris responded that the Utility’s current system is Springbrook and serves as
the financial and utility billing system, and that another firm is contracted to
generate bills. He stated that the City's financial system has reached its
lifespan and is in need of an upgrade. He explained the benefits of
implementing a citywide system that also has a utility billing component. He shared
that the integration of both systems was analyzed and provided challenges. He
stated that a better solution would be to move forward with purchasing a new
financial system, in accordance with the Information Technology Strategic Plan,
and making sure it has a utility billing component.
Councilmembers
expressed appreciation of the work performed by the CEO. They conveyed their understanding
for having an advisory committee to capture and preserve legacy knowledge and
experience, and they support retaining the RWD Commissioners as members of the
advisory committee. Councilmembers suggested the role of the advisory committee
is to provide a preliminary evaluation of substantive utility issues and that
Council’s roles would be to work with the recommendation of knowledgeable
individuals without getting into too much of the details. They noted the $3.3
million reserve plan, asked what current reserves are and if they will remain
with the utility, and what will happen with the current facility.
Mr. Norris responded
that he will follow up with the District Manager to get the current amount fund
reserves. He confirmed that as an Enterprise Fund, the funds will remain with
the Utility. He explained that the disposition of real property was not
something the CEO discussed and said it should be a City Council decision.
Councilmembers
emphasized the importance of making RWD employees feel welcomed.
(b) Discussion of Ord. No. 703 - Westminster
Right-of-Way Vacation
Dan Eernissee,
Economic Development Manager, reviewed the proposal to vacate 7,908 square feet
of Right-of-Way along Westminster Way. He provided the history of the project, reviewed
the benefits to vacating the street, and noted that staff was successful in
having the "highway" designation on the street removed. He talked
about the traffic analysis completed by KPG and explained that the vacation
addresses a 1999 Citizen Advisory Task Force recommendation. He said that the
vacation does not take away any capacity for traffic flow. He concluded the
presentation stating that the Ordinance is scheduled to be presented to Council
on June 1, 2015.
Councilmembers
expressed support for the street vacation. They commented that the potential
future access from Aurora is still unclear, and requested a detailed analysis
before using the term “preferred alternative”. They talked about the cross
section on the future redesigned of Westminster Way and wanting to explore
adding bike lanes in-between parked cars and the sidewalk to create separate
spaces for all users. They suggested analyzing a traffic circle diversion, and questioned
how turns would be made onto to the new access road from Aurora. Mr.
Eernissee responded that the traffic engineer studied the turns and stated that
their analysis did not identify any problems. He added that business access and
transit lanes would be used for acceleration and offer good sight lines.
Councilmembers
commented that the Transportation Master Plan needs to be updated to reflect
that Westminster is no longer designated as a truck route. They expressed
concern that the Interurban Trail will be subjected to intermittent stops because
of the new entrance/exit to the property, and suggested looking at a single
exit option. They asked if the Planned Development has come up with any ideas
for ingress/egress and what will happen to the spur. Mr. Eernissee responded that
the Planned Development of 280 units has identified two spots for ingress/egress.
Ms. Tarry responded that the spur and other design decisions will need to be
addressed by Council at a later date.
9. ADJOURNMENT
At 8:33p.m., Mayor Winstead
declared the meeting adjourned.
/S/ Jessica Simulcik Smith, City Clerk