CITY OF SHORELINE
SHORELINE CITY COUNCIL
Monday, November 4, 2019 Council Chambers - Shoreline City Hall
7:00 p.m. 17500 Midvale Avenue North
PRESENT: Mayor Hall, Deputy Mayor McConnell, Councilmembers McGlashan, Scully, Chang, Robertson, and Roberts
ABSENT: None.
1. CALL TO ORDER
At 7:00 p.m., the meeting was called to order by Mayor Hall who presided.
2. FLAG SALUTE/ROLL CALL
Mayor Hall led the flag salute. Upon roll call by the City Clerk, all Councilmembers were present.
(a) Proclaiming Veterans Appreciation Day
Mayor Hall read a proclamation declaring November 11, 2019 as Veterans Appreciation Day in the City of Shoreline. Raymond Coffey, Chairman of the Shoreline Veterans Association; and Larry Fischer, Commander of the American Legion Starr Southerland Jr. Post 227, were on hand to accept the proclamation. Mr. Coffey recognized the contributions of Veterans who continue to serve the local community in various capacities and said it is important to reflect on these contributions. He issued an invitation for all to attend the upcoming Veterans Day program. Mr. Fischer thanked the Council for the recent recognition of the anniversary of the American Legion and shared examples of the Legion’s involvement in the community.
3. REPORT OF CITY MANAGER
Debbie Tarry, City Manager, provided reports and updates on various City meetings, projects and events.
4. COUNCIL REPORTS
Deputy Mayor McConnell said there was a presentation at the SeaShore Transportation Forum on the Puget Sound Regional Council Airport Capacity Study. She said that by 2050 it is estimated that SeaTac will have double the current number of enplanements annually. She added that a representative from the Washington State Department of Transportation reported on the Washington State Active Transportation Plan; and she said she learned that October 31 is the most dangerous day of the year for pedestrian/bicycle fatalities.
5. PUBLIC COMMENT
Pam Cross, Shoreline resident, shared the repercussions of the lack of water and sewage facilities for those experiencing homelessness and said it is a City’s obligation to provide basic services to all. She said it is important to make sustaining a healthy and clean environment part of the discussion on homelessness.
6. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA
The agenda was approved by unanimous consent.
7. CONSENT CALENDAR
Upon motion by Councilmember Robertson and seconded by Councilmember McGlashan and unanimously carried, 7-0, the following Consent Calendar items were approved:
(a) Approving Minutes of Regular Meeting of October 14, 2019
(b) Authorizing the City Manager to Enter Into the 2019-2021 Commute Trip Reduction Program Implementation Agreement with King County
(c) Authorizing the City Manager to Execute an Agreement for Relocation of Stormwater and Sewer Lines and Water Line Extensions with Merlone Geier Partners
8. ACTION ITEMS
Sara Lane, Administrative Services Director; and Rick Kirkwood, Budget and Tax Manager; delivered the staff presentation. Ms. Lane outlined the budget review process and discussions to date. She stated the financial impact of the proposed amendments and established that a significant portion of the financial increases to the budget are offset by incoming revenue in the form of grants or by recognizing revenue that had not been anticipated earlier.
Ms. Lane said that if Proposition 1 passes there will be some additional necessary action because tonight’s discussion only involves appropriations for the property acquisition for the ShARCC as well as the planning that has happened up to this point. She said that if it appears Proposition 1 is passing, staff intends to recommend a new ordinance contingent on certification of election results for excess levy based on estimated 2020 debt service.
Mayor Hall opened the public hearing. There was no public testimony. The public hearing was closed.
Councilmember Robertson asked what the next steps with the budget would be if State Initiative 976 passes. Ms. Lane responded that it would remove the City’s vehicle license fee, and explained that the revenue from the fee supports the annual road resurfacing program and the sidewalk repair program. She added that there would likely be secondary impacts to the streets fund. Ms. Lane said that the City will assess the impacts and the timing of the impacts and return to Council with suggestions for next steps.
Councilmember Roberts listed amendments he would like added to the Biennial Budget. His first request was to fund mailing a City-generated census flier to residents. He said the City loses federal dollars for every resident not counted, so it could easily be worth the expense. He added that since the census is predominantly online, the City should be prepared to provide support to residents who fall within the ‘hard-to-count’ category.
Councilmember Scully said he was selected for the census and there was a high level of engagement from the census bureau in the process. Based on his experience, he is not sure an additional mailer is necessary. He asked staff to verify and summarize the steps that are already being taken so the Council can evaluate whether an additional mailer would make an impact. Mayor Hall said he would like to know if some of the challenges of undercounting may be from populations that do not have a regular mailing address, so he would like to hear other outreach ideas from staff. Ms. Lane said staff would work on the proposed amendment.
Councilmember Roberts’ second suggested amendment was to strike the non site-specific Comprehensive Plan fee. He gave examples of instances in which large fees may prohibit people from participating in the process.
(b) Public Hearing on Ordinance No. 873 - Setting the 2020 Regular and Excess Property Tax Levies
Ms. Lane explained that proposed Ordinance No. 872 provides for the fee schedules and Proposed Ordinance No. 873 sets the regular and excess property tax levies, which together create the City’s full source of revenues. She said that the Ordinance would set the amount regular levy increase at the CPI amount and added that there is an anticipated decrease in the rate this year. Ms. Lane described the status and rate of the 2006 excess levy. She displayed a graph of the 2019 Property Tax Levy Allocation. She said the fee schedules generally have been increased by the June-to-June percentages of the CPI-U and listed the schedules with notable changes.
Mayor Hall opened the public hearing. There was no public testimony. The public hearing was closed.
Mayor Hall said it was valuable to be reminded that while property tax assessments are going up, it does not automatically mean homeowners pay more taxes; he also pointed out Shoreline’s tax rate is going down and that the City only receives a small portion of property taxes collected.
9. STUDY ITEMS
(a) Discussing Ordinance No. 870 – Amending Chapter 3.22, Business & Occupation Tax, and Chapter 3.23, Tax Administrative Code, to Conform with Association of Washington Cities’ Model Ordinance for Business & Occupation Tax
Sara Lane, Administrative Services Director; and Rick Kirkwood, Budget and Tax Manager, delivered the staff presentation. Mr. Kirkwood described Ordinance No. 870 as the culmination of work done to make mandatory amendments to Chapters 3.22 and 3.23 of the Shoreline Municipal Code to comply with the Association of Washington Cities’ (AWC) model ordinance for Business & Occupation Tax. He listed the legislation that led to the mandatory amendments and stated that the effective dates were established by House Bills 1403 and 1059.
Councilmember Scully asked what would happen if the Ordinance is not approved. Mr. Kirkwood responded that it must be adopted for the City to collect the Business & Occupation Tax.
The Council agreed the Ordinance should return as a Consent Item.
(b) Discussion of the Sound Cities Association Statement of Principles Related to the Proposed King County Regional Authority on Homelessness
Colleen Kelly, Community Services Division Manager, delivered the staff presentation. She explained that the Sound Cities Association (SCA) is looking for feedback from member cities on the draft Statement of Principles. She started off the discussion by providing background on the history of regional homelessness and the support services systems. She said that while more support services have been created, the demand has increased faster than the services have expanded, and the fragmented system is considered a key barrier to effective services.
Ms. Kelly provided background on King County and the City of Seattle’s collaboration with consultants and community partners on the development of a Regional Action Plan, which includes a series of recommendations from the National Innovation Services Team. She said tonight’s focus is on the recommendation to “Consolidate homelessness response services and systems under one regional authority”, which is supported by King County Executive Dow Constantine and Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan. She reviewed the current proposal to charter a new King County Regional Homelessness Authority and to execute an Interlocal Agreement (ILA), both of which are under deliberation by King County and Seattle.
Ms. Kelly described the details of the ILA and Charter, stating that the Charter is focused on the particulars of establishing the Public Development Authority (PDA) including the associated constraints and obligations; and the ILA focuses on the Agreements between the entities to establish funding and includes the option for additional eligible parties to sign on to the effort going forward. She reviewed the proposed PDA’s programs and system scope and funding. Ms. Kelly defined the authority of each component of the proposed governance structure, which includes a steering committee of elected representation; a governing board of people with an expertise in homelessness services; and an advisory committee, which may include the Continuum of Care Board. She described the sub-regional planning strategies and shared details of the ILA and Charter planning cycle. The planning guidance for the PDA includes the Regional Action Plan and a Five-Year Plan, providing both framework and guidance for operational implementation.
Ms. Kelly said that the draft Statement of Principles under discussion tonight were developed by SCA staff and that the conversation will provide guidance for Councilmember Roberts in his role on the Public Issues Committee (PIC) of the SCA. Ms. Kelly provided some policy questions for Council’s consideration, shared the timeline for the next legislative steps, and displayed the Statement of Principles to be discussed.
Councilmember Roberts described the roles of the Sound Cities Association and the Regional Policy Committee in this process. Mayor Hall clarified that this is the best opportunity for the Council to provide input for Councilmember Roberts to take back to the PIC meeting prior to the scheduled adoption on November 13, 2019.
Councilmember Chang said she is surprised with how much authority is given to the governing board, and the diminished role of the steering committee. She noted that after the first five-year period the governing board would have less outside influence coming in, which would hinder the ability to change direction.
Councilmember Scully said that while the PDA will not have independent taxing authority, the ILA indicates that Seattle and King County will funnel money to the PDA to spend as it sees fit. Councilmember Roberts added that the governing board has the opportunity to buy and sell property, so while they may not be able to raise taxes, they would have the ability to dispose of government properties.
Councilmember Chang asked the significance of the reference to eminent domain in the Charter. Ms. Kelly said she would research and report back to the Council. Upon questioning, Margaret King, City Attorney, said that the charter language stating “anything a natural person may do” is standard language for defining the corporation’s scope of authority and noted one of the provisions states that the PDA will not have eminent domain authority. Councilmember McGlashan referred to the SCA handout explaining the scope of the King County Regional Homelessness Authority and confirmed that the restrictions were embedded in the current legislation.
Councilmember Scully emphasized that a centralized regional effort to address homelessness is necessary. He shared an example of the inefficiencies and challenges of the current system’s fragmentation, and said the current proposed management structure is a result of provider input. He said he agrees with Councilmember Chang’s concerns about governance and stated if a new governance structure is being established, elected officials should be the ones to set policy. He expressed his objection to the rigidity of the guidelines for certain areas of the decision making. Councilmember Scully concluded that he thinks there is general agreement on the policy objectives, so he hopes SCA does not get hung up on the details.
Councilmember McGlashan agreed that elected officials should make the higher level decisions. He said he has heard feedback that the community does not want another layer of government and that unless there is an established taxing authority, there is concern that most of the funding will go to the City of Seattle or King County. He asked if equity of resource allocation had been addressed, and Ms. Kelly responded that that conversation may be part of the sub-regional planning. She noted that cities are invited to sign on to the ILA without making a financial commitment. Councilmember McGlashan asked what would motivate the Authority to allocate funding to cities that were not making a financial contribution. Ms. Kelly replied that it is within the County’s purview to make sure services are delivered countywide and specified that a large portion of the funding source is from levy income throughout the County. It was clarified that even if cities do not participate in the ILA, they are still eligible for county monies.
Councilmember McGlashan asked if other counties in the region were questioning why the PDA only includes King County. Ms. Kelly said the current structure for addressing homelessness tends to be county-centric, based on the federal government’s established Continuum of Care requirements, and she is not aware of there being exploration of trying to team with other counties. Councilmember McGlashan said he hopes that SCA can be as involved as Seattle and King County are. Ms. Kelly said that some of the value in asking other jurisdictions to join is for regional alignment of policy and programming.
Councilmember Robertson said she appreciates the Guiding Principles acknowledging the level of skepticism and criticism that exists in the community about the PDA. She expressed frustration that it will be some time before systems are established and action is taken, since the issue of homelessness is glaring. Ms. Kelly suggested requesting that a statement be added encouraging an expedited planning process.
When asked if the content of the ILA will be adapted for individual cities to accommodate particular needs, Ms. Kelly said it is her understanding that the existing ILA is meant to accommodate any parties that sign on, and she is not sure if customization has been contemplated.
Deputy Mayor McConnell is concerned that the plan is too bureaucratic. She asked how the Council could support advocating for expedited action being taken.
Mayor Hall said there is a broad perception that the current system is not doing enough to address homelessness. While the proposed alternative system may not be perfect, he feels that Seattle and King County are making an attempt to improve it and he does not want Shoreline or the SCA to delay their efforts. Since the status quo has turned out to not be effective, the worst-case scenario is that the changes do not work; and the best case is a more consistent way of evaluating people’s needs and getting them into housing is created.
Mayor Hall said it will be interesting to learn how some points of the Statement of Principles are implemented, and he is curious to see how ‘equitable distribution’ will be interpreted. He added that the statement “the acute crisis in Seattle affects the rest of the region” sounds like an ‘us versus them’ statement and implies that the crisis is only acute in Seattle, which may put Seattle in a defensive position. He says his preference would be to suggest that, in the spirit of regional cooperation, no particular cities are called out. Councilmembers McGlashan and Roberts agreed with this and Councilmember Roberts said that it may be difficult to get this change made, but he will suggest it.
Mayor Hall said he likes the incentive to balance the power established by encouraging SCA member cities to join in order to gain an additional Sound Cities seat on the PDA but asked why SCA is being given a vote when not providing funding. He does not want to set Shoreline up to be obliged to provide additional tax revenue to pay into the Authority.
Councilmember McGlashan said it sounds like the goal of the SCA’s Statement of Principles is to ask for as much as possible. Councilmember Roberts replied that the main focus has been on influencing the governance structure and securing two seats on the Board, everything else is aspirational. He said there are a few SCA member cities that are reluctant to join and stated that many of the core cities agree that this PDA is an approach that could work. He said his understanding is that most of the reluctance to the proposal is coming from King County Councilmembers, the most notable being the question of why a new PDA is needed in the first place. He elaborated that the question has been asked if Seattle can just give its funding to King County and then King County would disperse funds to the service providers, which would eliminate additional administrative costs that come with duplication of services and loss of efficiency in transferring service obligations from government to non-profit. He said it seems that the King County Council does not have much support for the proposal.
Councilmember Chang said she is intrigued by the idea of having King County administer the program. She asked for clarification on how prioritization would work, and Councilmember Roberts shared examples.
Councilmember Scully said he hopes Shoreline does not stop its local efforts to combat homelessness. He said the PDA is about governance, not about fixing homelessness. He reminded Council that Shoreline has an obligation to figure out the support gaps for our local population experiencing homelessness.
Mayor Hall reviewed the steps Shoreline has already taken to address homelessness and agreed that the local work will directly attend to more issues than regional governance. He said he feels that the City should not present obstacles to the proposed PDA.
Mayor Hall summarized that the Council is generally supportive of the draft Statement of Principles and Shoreline will continue to pay attention to how governance and regionalization and equity will work in the PDA. Councilmember Scully said it is hard to get SCA and PIC to sway, and in order to maximize the possibility for change he recommends limiting the suggestions for Councilmember Roberts to communicate. Councilmember Roberts concluded that he has sufficient direction to provide feedback to the PIC.
10. ADJOURNMENT
At 8:41 p.m., Mayor Hall declared the meeting adjourned.
/s/Jessica Simulcik Smith, City Clerk