CITY OF SHORELINE
SHORELINE CITY COUNCIL
Tuesday, November 14, 2017 Conference Room 104 - Shoreline City Hall
5:45 p.m. 17500 Midvale Avenue North
PRESENT: Mayor Roberts, Councilmembers McGlashan, Scully, Hall, and Salomon
ABSENT: Deputy Mayor Winstead and Councilmember McConnell
STAFF: Debbie Tarry, City Manager; John Norris, Assistant City Manager; Jessica Simulcik Smith, City Clerk; and Bonita Roznos, Deputy City Clerk
GUESTS:
At 5:48 p.m., the meeting was called to order by Mayor Roberts.
Mayor Roberts thanked City Manager Debbie Tarry and City Clerk Jessica Simulcik Smith for coordinating the cancellation and rescheduling of the November 13, 2017 City Council Meetings due to the power outage.
Councilmembers discussed the following Council Operations Items:
Council Strategic Planning Workshop Timing, Location and Focus
Councilmembers confirmed that the Strategic Planning Workshop can take place at the end of February or the beginning of March 2018. They expressed interest in having the Workshop at an offsite location with a limited cost. They supported having staff look into holding the Workshop at the Brightwater Center, touring the facility, having an evening team building activity on Day 1, and holding Day 2 at City Hall.
Councilmembers requested that the Workshop include a focus on promoting business and retail in Shoreline, revisiting and updating City Council Goal #1, and developing general policy options for economic development. They agreed having Allegra Calder, BERK’s Consultant, facilitate the Workshop.
2018 Proclamations
Councilmembers agreed with the Proclamation List as presented, and suggested presenting a proclamation in support of Resolution No. 401 Declaring the City of Shoreline to be an Inviting, Equitable, and Safe Community.
2018 Planning Commission Vacancies and Appointment Process
Councilmembers discussed the four potential Planning Commission vacancies. They agreed with the staff’s plan to announce the recruitment process at the December 7, 2017 Planning Commission Meeting, an application deadline of January 12, 2018, to work with the newly elected Mayor in January 2017 to form a Council Subcommittee, and to conduct the interview and selection process in time to confirm appointments at the February 26, 2017 City Council Meeting.
Council Rules of Procedure Amendments
Councilmembers agreed to change Council Rules of Procedure to assign Shoreline City Hall Conference 303 as the official meeting room for the Council Workshop Dinner Meetings.
Councilmembers agreed to the following amendment to Council Rules of Procedures to Subsection 6.10 of Section 6 – Public Testimony:
During the "Public Comment" portion of the meeting, speakers will not be permitted to present testimony via electronic methods (e.g. PowerPoint). Speakers may utilize visual aids. Paper copies of all materials may be submitted to the City Clerk to distribute to the Council.
Purpose of Council Reports
Councilmembers agreed to keep the Council Rule of Procedure 5.3(A)(4) Council Reports as it is and limit comments to information that has a nexus to City business.
Continued Use of the City Council’s Voicemail Service
Councilmembers agreed to discontinue the use of the voicemail service, and instead, receive city business calls on their city-issued telephone. They asked if there is a way to receive a text message informing them a voice message has been received. Mr. Norris responded that they will explore if a text message can be received indicating receipt of a voicemail message.
Discontinuation of the City’s Agenda Line
Councilmembers agreed that the Agenda Line provides little value proportionate to the staff time required to manage the line, and supports staff’s recommendation that it be discontinued. The City Clerk’s staff will provide the public that contact the City via telephone with information on forthcoming Council agendas.
At 6:45 p.m., Councilmember Hall arrived to the meeting.
Public Hearing Public Comments
Councilmembers discussed the Public Hearing format, and agreed to keep the Public Hearing process and agenda order as it is.
Agenda Planner Review
There were no changes to the Agenda Planner.
At 6:52 p.m. the meeting was adjourned.
/S/ Bonita Roznos, Deputy City Clerk
CITY
OF SHORELINE
SHORELINE CITY COUNCIL
Tuesday, November 14, 2017 Council Chambers -
Shoreline City Hall
Continued from November 13,
2017 17500
Midvale Avenue North
7:00 p.m.
PRESENT: Mayor Roberts,
Councilmembers McGlashan, Scully, Hall, and Salomon
ABSENT: Deputy
Mayor Winstead and Councilmember McConnell
1. CALL TO ORDER
At 7:00 p.m., Mayor Roberts reconvened
the continuation of the November 13, 2017 Regular City
Council Meeting.
2. FLAG SALUTE/ROLL CALL
Mayor Roberts led the flag
salute. Upon roll call by the City Clerk, all Councilmembers were present, with
the exception of Deputy Mayor Winstead and Councilmember McConnell.
Mayor Roberts announced that
Deputy Mayor Winstead is absent for personal reasons and Councilmember
McConnell is absent to conduct city business.
(a) Proclamation of America Recycles Day
Mayor Roberts read a
proclamation proclaiming November 15, 2017 as America Recycles Day in the City
of Shoreline. Meridian Park Elementary School Green Team Students accepted the
proclamation and took a photograph with the Mayor.
3. REPORT OF CITY MANAGER
Debbie Tarry, City Manager,
provided reports and updates on various City meetings, projects and events.
4. COUNCIL REPORTS
Councilmember Hall reported
attending the Puget Sound Partnership meeting and hearing the State of the
Sound Report on the progress of protecting the Puget Sound. He shared that although
the efforts are making a difference, they are nowhere near what is needed to
meet long term targets, particularly Chinook salmon and Orca whale targets.
Mayor Roberts announced that
the Sound Cities Association adopted their Legislative Agenda which includes adjusting
the property tax cap, investing in public health services, addressing the housing
and homelessness crisis, investing in the State’s behavioral health system, and
enacting legislation to prohibit source of income discrimination.
5. PUBLIC COMMENT
Rev.
Kelly Dahlman-Oath, Ronald United Methodist Church, shared that he partnered
with the City to open Compass Housing and the Hopelink food bank, and
understands that the homeless situation is not solved. He said the Church allows
people to sleep in their car in the parking lot while they wait for housing. He
explained while it is not a good solution, prohibiting human habitation in vehicles
will create legal issues and make it more difficult for homeless persons.
Christine
Gildon, Richmond Beach resident, shared that she was part of the team that
developed the Richmond Beach Neighborhood Traffic Study, and noted that there
are problems with the Richmond Beach Road Rechannelization Project. She
explained that the City Council is not getting what they asked for and stressed
that two lanes going up Richmond Beach Road, between 8th Avenue and 15th Avenue
NW, are needed because of the steep hills and blind spots. She requested that
the Public Works Department review the data because the proposed
rechannelization will not be safe. She asked the Council to ensure that there
is a review process, funding to repaint the road, and provided data for them to
review.
Norma
Jordan, Shoreline resident, said she cannot imagine one lane going up Richmond
Beach Road. She asked the City not to discount the Richmond Beach Neighborhood
Traffic Study, and noted safety was the first priority of the study. She shared
that she had two fender benders on the road in front of QFC and was told by
Police Officers that it is a famous place for accidents. She submitted her
notes to the Council to review.
Glen
Halverson, Richmond Beach resident, commented that he is passionate about
Richmond Beach, and explained why four lanes are needed for tanker truck
traffic. He talked about the history of Richmond Beach and said there is always
a lot of activity there. He said school and Metro buses will constrict traffic
and shared how the added travel time on the road will increase emissions. He
said Richmond Beach Road is the Community's life line.
Sherry
Hill, Richmond Beach resident, expressed concern about the poor public process
regarding the Richmond Beach Road Rechannelization project and said advertising
for the meeting was poorly done. She said she had to request flyers to
distribute herself and that no City Councilmembers were present at the meeting.
She said the Plan has been reverse engineered with one predetermined outcome in
mind, without public input or buy in. She cautioned that traffic will cut through
neighborhood streets not designed to serve as arterial streets.
Lauri
St. Ours, Director of Government and Labor Relations for the Washington State
Health Care Association, said she recently asked the Council to help residential
long-term care providers with the Business and Occupation (B&O) Tax
proposal by exempting Medicaid revenues and recognizing that there is no
opportunity to recoup these dollars. She asked the Council to consider taxation
at the lower retail rate, rather than service rate, because of their low profit
margin, and to acknowledge that the consumers that will ultimately bare the
cost are often on low fixed incomes.
Jackson
Owen, Shoreline Health and Rehabilitation Administrator, asked the Council to
exempt Medicaid dollars from the B&O Tax, and said the State of Washington
currently does. He said the majority of their residents are on Medicaid, noted
their profit margins are extremely small, and that they often operate their
facilities at a loss.
Brian
Newberry, owner of two skilled nursing facilities in Shoreline, voiced his support
for the exemption of the B&O Tax on Medicaid dollars. He talked about the
important services they offer the Community, and explained that they do not
generate earning from Medicaid dollars.
Rev.
Bill Kirlin-Hackett, Interfaith Task Force on Homelessness Director, talked
about Shoreline’s involvement in addressing homelessness and cautioned the City
against implementing city codes that criminalize homelessness. He distributed
information addressing people living in vehicles and talked about Seattle’s
approach to address this issue. He stated that there have been no cars impounded
from people living in them over the last six and half years due to the work performed
by the Task Force. He pointed out that two-thirds of homeless people in King County
are living in their vehicles in Seattle. He said the Task Force focus is on public
safety and harm reduction.
6. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA
The
agenda was approved by unanimous consent.
7. CONSENT CALENDAR
Upon motion by Councilmember
McGlashan and seconded by Councilmember Hall and unanimously carried, 5-0, the
following Consent Calendar items were approved:
(a) Approving Minutes of Special Meeting of October 30,
2017
(b) Approving Expenses and Payroll as of October 27, 2017
in the Amount of $3,926,321.86
|
*Payroll and Benefits: |
||||||
|
Payroll Period |
Payment
Date |
EFT Numbers (EF) |
Payroll Checks (PR) |
Benefit Checks (AP) |
Amount Paid |
|
|
9/24/17-10/7/17 |
10/13/2017 |
74638-74864 |
15263-15279 |
68343-68349 |
$568,988.35 |
|
|
$568,988.35 |
||||||
|
*Wire Transfers: |
||||||
|
Expense
Register Dated |
Wire
Transfer Number |
|
Amount Paid |
|||
|
10/26/2017 |
1126 |
$7,557.65 |
||||
|
$7,557.65 |
||||||
|
*Accounts Payable
Claims: |
||||||
|
Expense
Register Dated |
Check
Number (Begin) |
Check Number (End) |
Amount Paid |
|||
|
10/12/2017 |
68259 |
68278 |
$449,117.12 |
|||
|
10/12/2017 |
68279 |
68305 |
$45,109.64 |
|||
|
10/18/2017 |
68306 |
68307 |
$57,656.09 |
|||
|
10/18/2017 |
68308 |
68308 |
$1,589.63 |
|||
|
10/19/2017 |
68309 |
68322 |
$1,257,199.15 |
|||
|
10/19/2017 |
68323 |
68342 |
$171,543.84 |
|||
|
10/26/2017 |
68350 |
68370 |
$332,524.41 |
|||
|
10/26/2017 |
64847 |
64847 |
($175.20) |
|||
|
10/26/2017 |
68371 |
68371 |
$175.20 |
|||
|
10/26/2017 |
68372 |
68399 |
$1,032,619.91 |
|||
|
10/26/2017 |
68400 |
68407 |
$2,416.07 |
|||
|
$3,349,775.86 |
||||||
(c) Adopting Ordinance No. 802 - 2017 Comprehensive Plan
Annual Docket Amendments
(d) Adopting Resolution No. 420 - Amending the Authorized
Individuals for Investments in the Washington State Local Government Investment
Pool
(e) Authorizing the City Manager to Increase the
Janitorial Services Contracts with Varsity Facilities Services in the Amount of
$63,097 to Clean Shoreline City Hall Including the Police Addition
(f) Authorizing the City Manager to Enter into a Grant
Agreement with the King County Best Start for Kids Youth Development in the
Amount of $543,355 for Youth Outreach Leadership and Opportunities
(g) Authorizing the City Manager to Execute a Contract
with Hough Beck & Baird Inc. (HBB) Landscape Architecture, in the Amount of
$127,226 for Shoreline Parks Concept Design Plans
8. ACTION ITEMS
(a) Public Hearing and Discussing the Proposed 2018 Budget
and 2018-2023 Capital Improvement Plan
Sara Lane, Administrative
Services Director, and Rick Kirkwood, Budget Supervisor, provided the staff
report. Ms. Lane reviewed the 2018 Budget schedule, and said the Budget is
available at Shoreline Libraries, on the City’s website, and at City Hall. She
reviewed that the 2018 Budget totals $85.142 Million and said tonight’s
presentation focuses on expenditures. She stated 2018 Expenditures total to
$79.939 Million and include: $44.204 Million in City Services representing 55%
of total expenditures; $15.921 Million in Facilities, Parks and Transportation
Capital Projects representing 20% of total expenditures; $5.999 Million in
Surface Water Utility representing 7% of total expenditures; $2.112 in
Wastewater representing 3% of total expenditures; and $11.702 Million in Other representing
15% of total expenditures. She presented a table showing the Budget by Fund and
a chart showing Operating Revenues by Source. She said Property Tax, Sales Tax,
Franchise Fee/Contract Payments, and Utility Tax make up the major tax
revenues. She reviewed 2017 and 2018 Operating Revenue Comparisons and said a
small growth is projected. She stated the Operating Budget Expenditures is
$49.039 Million, and noted that Public Safety makes up the largest portion at
31%.
Ms. Lane stated the 2018
Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) is $16.471 Million and includes: $11.130 Million
for Transportation representing 68% of the CIP Budget; $5.188 Million for
Facilities and Parks representing 31% of the CIP Budget; and $153,000 in Facilities
Major Maintenance representing 1% of the CIP Budget.
Ms. Lane stated that the Surface
Water Utility operates as an enterprise, its expenses total to $6.926 Million, and
include: $4.440 Million for the Operating Budget; $1.617 Million for the
Capital Budget; and $869,000 for Debt Service.
At 7:44 p.m., Mayor Roberts
continued the Public Hearing from November 13, 2017, and seeing no one wanting
to provide comment, he closed the Hearing.
Ms. Lane reviewed the recommended
fee changes include: increasing Consumer Price Index-Urban Consumers (CPI-U) to
2.99%; incorporating cost recovery objectives; and increasing the Surface Water
Utility Fee by 27% to deliver the Proactive Management Strategy.
Ms. Lane shared that 2018
General Reserves totals to $13.794 Million.
Ms. Lane reviewed 2018 Proposed
Budget Amendments are:
· Proposed Amendment 1 (Mayor Roberts)
Increase
General Fund allocations by $11,500 to join the United States Conference of
Mayors and associated travel costs.
· Proposed Amendment 2 (Councilmember Salomon)
Reduce
the General Fund appropriations by $80,000 by eliminating the Salmon Safe
Certification program.
· Proposed Amendment 3 (Councilmember Salomon)
Amend
Fee Schedule 3.01.015 Transportation Impact Fees by reducing fees by 0.4%.
· Proposed Amendment 4 (Councilmember Scully)
A request to
fund the PROS Plan Item 41, Firlands Way Park Greenway Development.
Ms. Lane explained that Ordinance
No. 806 is for the 2018 Operating and 2018 CIP Budget Adoption in the amount of
$79,983,694; and that Ordinance No. 807 is for the Regular Property Tax Levy
with an increase of $367,792, or 2.99%, and other allowed increases; and is scheduled
for adoption on November 20, 2018.
Councilmember Scully said he
wants to co-sponsor Amendment 2, and clarified that the $30,000 will not be
dedicated to Salmon Safe public outreach,
but to support environment issues. He stated he would like an amendment to
preserve the $30,000 for sustainability efforts, and to reduce the Budget by $50,000
to eliminate the Salmon Safe Certification.
Councilmember Salomon asked clarifying
questions about the Firlands project. Ms. Tarry responded that the project is
in the PROS Plan and it is not scheduled to be funded at this time. She said
staff will follow up with additional information to the Council about the
project.
Mayor Roberts explained that although
$11,000 would be budgeted for the Mayor's Conference, it will only be spent if the
Mayor attends both conferences. He said he has noticed how well the conference
has advocated for federal legislation beneficial to cities. Councilmember Hall requested
information on how much money in recent years has been spent on travel for Mayors,
for an updated table showing the cost and role of the City’s membership
organizations, and what support they provide to the City. Councilmember McGlashan
asked for numbers identifying how many strong Mayors attend the conference versus
Mayors from a City Council-City Manager form of government.
(b) Adopting Ordinance No. 803 - Amendments to SMC Chapter
10.05 Model Traffic
Ordinance Adding Parking Restriction for Bicycle,
Transit and Turn Only Lanes
Kendra Dedinsky, Traffic
Engineer, reviewed amendments proposed in Ordinance No. 803 are as follows:
· No parking within designated bike lanes
· No parking within designated bus lanes
· No parking within designated turn lanes
· 72 hour time limit for parking before vehicle must be
moved.
She recalled Council’s
October 30, 2017 discussion about the Model Traffic Ordinance, and noted that
Council expressed concern about criminalizing homelessness by restricting human
habitation in the right-of-way, and the consideration of removing the 72 hour maximum
time limit for boats parked in the right-of-way. She explained that staff needs
additional time to study the human habitation piece in more detail before recommending
changes to the Municipal Code. She said staff did not find any regional examples
to exempt boats from the maximum time parked rule, and explained why it would appear
to be discriminatory.
Councilmember Scully moved to not adopt any of the
proposed changes in Ordinance No. 803, and to reschedule consideration of it at
a time staff can come back with a solution for human habitation. The motion was
seconded by Councilmember Salomon.
Councilmember Scully noted Council’s
concern with the human habitation piece, and stated the motion provides staff
more time to come up with options, and allow for public input.
Councilmember Hall declared Point of Order and asked
for clarification of the motion.
At 8:03 p.m., Mayor Roberts
called a five minutes recess to confer with the City Attorney and City Clerk. The
meeting was reconvened at 8:08 p.m.
Councilmember Scully withdrew his motion and moved to continue
the discussion of Ordinance No. 803 on a date certain of February 5, 2018. The
motion was second by Councilmember Salomon.
Councilmember Salomon
reiterated his concern about Section 19, the 72 hour parking time limit and the
human habitation piece. He said his initial proposal was intended to allow
human habitation in vehicles for 72 hours. He proposed working with the faith
community on this issue and crafting a better proposal. He said he supports
moving the discussion to February 5, 2018.
Councilmember Hall opposed
the motion and explained that he wants to focus on addressing the issue of
parking in bike and bus lanes now to correct a known problem presented by staff.
He agreed that human habitation is a problem and needs to be addressed. He said
people need options other than sleeping in vehicles and recommended working
with churches and other agencies to address homelessness. Councilmember
McGlashan concurred and said he will also not be supporting the motion. He said
he would like to hear from the faith community and human service agencies. He pointed
out that since the City restriped the bike lanes that this has become a more urgent
matter.
Councilmember Scully expressed
that human habitation is an urgent matter that needs to be addressed as soon as
possible, and shared that he does not want it postponed due to other city
workplan priorities.
Mayor Roberts stated he is
also opposing the motion, and explained that the Council can direct staff when
to bring back the human habitation piece.
Councilmember Salomon said he
supports passing Ordinance No. 803 tonight with the exception of Section 19. He
said he does not believe human habitation should be allowed in cars for a long
period of time, and was hoping to limit it to 72 hours once or twice a year. He
said he would also like to hear from members of the community. Ms. Dedinsky responded
that the intent of 72 hour time limit was to keep inoperable vehicles off of
the right-of-way.
The motioned failed 2-3, with Councilmembers Scully
and Salomon voting yes.
Councilmember Hall moved Ordinance No. 803. The motion
was seconded by Councilmember McGlashan.
Councilmember Hall moved to amend the motion to strike
Section 19 from the Ordinance. The motion was seconded by Councilmember Scully.
Councilmember Hall shared
that the Ordinance will help keep people safe in the bike lanes. He said he
would like staff to bring back the issue of human habitation in vehicles and
parking time limits at another time.
The motion to strike Section 19 of Ordinance No. 803 passed
unanimously, 5-0.
The motion to adopt Ordinance No. 803, as amended
passed, unanimously, 5-0.
Councilmember Hall moved to ask staff to work with the
faith community and other human services and housing partners to bring options
and a recommendation to Council for addressing human habitation in vehicles and
a time limit for parking, no later than March 31, 2018. The motion was seconded
by Councilmember Salomon.
Councilmember Hall said he agrees
with Councilmember Scully’s previous motion regarding human habitation and that
this motion allows staff time to work with the faith community and other
providers on this issue.
Mayor Roberts asked for staff
input about complying with the March 31, 2018 date. Ms. Tarry responded that
she will confer with staff and let the Council know if the date cannot be accommodated
in their work plans.
The motion passed unanimously, 5-0.
9. STUDY ITEMS
(a) Discussing Ord. No. 808 - Business and Occupation Tax
Sara Lane, Administrative
Service Director, and Rick Kirkwood, Budget Supervisor, provided the staff
report. Ms. Lane provided background regarding the consideration of the
Business & Occupation (B&O) Tax as Strategy 6 of the 10 Year Financial
Sustainability Plan (YFSP), and reviewed outreach performed to businesses. She
reviewed that Proposed Ordinance No. 808 is authorized under RCW 35A.82.020,
aligns with the State’s Model B&O Tax Ordinance, and creates two new
sections in the Shoreline Municipal Code.
Ms. Lane presented the 10-YFSP
Forecast Model noting that in 2020 expenditures will exceed revenues. She explained
that the B&O tax will help the City address long-term structural imbalances
and push out the financial gap to 2023. She conveyed that data includes current
operating expenses, but does not address one-time unmet needs. She displayed a
chart depicting commercial versus non-commercial share of the property tax
levy, and pointed out that the commercial property tax percentage is decreasing.
Ms. Lane reviewed the policy
questions for the Council to address are: rate of tax; creation of a
classification for residential care facilities; exemptions and deductions;
filing exemption threshold; exemptions and deductions, credits and allocations;
deduction for State Medicaid payments; and effective date. She stated staff’s
recommendations are to set a tax rate at .001 for all classification other than
service, which would be set at .002; no separate classification for residential
care facilities; a filing exemption threshold of $200,000 annually, $50,000
quarterly; implement mandatory and
standard exemptions and deductions, and exempt revenues subject to other City
gross receipts tax, and from non-profits; implement mandatory and standard
deductions, credits and allocations; allow deduction for State Medicaid
payment; and an effective date of January 1, 2019. She then reviewed implementation
steps and said the Ordinance is scheduled for adoption on December 4, 2017.
Councilmember Scully asked
how the City will collect the tax and how revenue is accessed from online
businesses. Ms. Lane responded that tax returns are sent to registered
businesses on a quarterly or annual basis, and that payments can be made
through the mail, or online. She said it will be a challenge to identify online
businesses and that the City will work with the State to identify them.
Councilmember Scully asked if there is a legal reason why the City cannot assign
the .001 rate to the long term care facilities. Ms. Lane responded that it is a
policy choice.
Councilmember McGlashan said
he is supportive of 10-YFSP recommendations. He expressed concern if the
implementation time is right, and questioned how it would impact economic
development and recruiting new businesses to Shoreline. He asked if the tax should
be postponed one year, and if the filing exemption should be closer to $500,000.
Councilmember Hall stated he supports
the tax to meet unfunded needs. He said he would prefer a state income tax and
that it would be a fairer way to distribute the burden to pay for government
services. He said although the B&O tax is imperfect, it is the only direct
way to collect revenues from businesses. He pointed out that twice in the past
seven years the property tax levy lid lift has passed and the burden to pay for
city services has been placed on the residents. He said implementing the
B&O tax shifts some of the burden to businesses and makes the system
somewhat more equitable. Councilmember Scully said he concurs with
Councilmember Hall and that the item should not be on the Consent Calendar to
allow for additional public input.
Councilmember Salomon expressed
that he does not think it is a good idea to implement a tax when the City is
not running at a deficit, and suggested coinciding implementation with the
projected deficit. He expressed concern that businesses with high revenues but
low profit yields are taxed at the same rate as businesses with higher profit
yields, and said this could be unfair.
Mayor Roberts stated he is in
favor of B&O Tax. He stated it is the only way the City can receive taxes
from businesses, but said he is not convinced that the way it is collected is fair.
He added that not having the tax could make Shoreline more attractive for businesses
to locate here. He said if the Council moves forward with implementing a
B&O Tax that he agrees with the staff recommendations.
Councilmember Salomon stated
that tax dollars, like Medicaid, should not be taxed, and asked for more
information on what other revenue can qualify for exemptions.
10. ADJOURNMENT
At 8:54 p.m., Mayor Roberts declared the
meeting adjourned.
/S/ Jessica Simulcik Smith, City Clerk