CITY OF SHORELINE
SHORELINE CITY COUNCIL
Monday, May 18, 2020 Held Remotely Via Zoom
7:00 p.m.
PRESENT: Mayor Hall, Deputy Mayor Scully, Councilmembers McConnell, McGlashan, 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. ROLL CALL
Upon roll call by the City Clerk, all Councilmembers were present.
3. REPORT OF CITY MANAGER
Debbie Tarry, City Manager, provided reports, resources, and updates on the City’s response to the COVID-19 outbreak. She reviewed the King County face coverings directive and asked Shoreline residents to support the effort. She issued a reminder for crossing train tracks only where permitted and shared additional public reminders for City virtual activities and meetings.
4. COUNCIL REPORTS
Mayor Hall commemorated the 40th anniversary of the eruption of Mt. St. Helens.
Mayor Hall said he recently signed proclamations for Safe Boating Week and National Gun Violence Awareness Day.
5. PUBLIC COMMENT
There was no public comment.
6. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA
Deputy Mayor Scully said he would like to add a discussion of Temporary Emergency Order #5: COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Suspension of Prohibition on Plastic Retail Carryout Bags as Item 8c.
The agenda as amended was approved by unanimous consent.
7. ACTION ITEMS
(a) Public Hearing and Approving Community Development Block Grant Funding to Hopelink in the Amount of $188,739 and Lake City Partners in the Amount of $15,000 in Response to the COVID-19 Emergency
Bethany Wolbrect-Dunn, Grants Administrator, delivered the staff presentation. Ms. Wolbrect-Dunn explained that this is the first portion of the CARES Act stimulus program funding being delivered through the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding. She reviewed the amount of annual CDBG funds received and how they are typically allocated. She summarized the regulation changes for the CDBG-CV (COVID-19) funding from the CARES Act and described the process in which portions of the funding will be directed to cities.
Ms. Wolbrect-Dunn recognized the ongoing emergency of the pandemic and said the rapidly changing situation prompted some changes in the staff recommendation since the staff report was issued. She reviewed the initial staff recommendation and indicated the breakdown of funding from both the CDBG-CV and CDBG programs' income. She listed the recommended funding allocations to Lake City Partners and Hopelink and explained the included King County administrative costs.
Ms. Wolbrect-Dunn said that in the updated staff recommendation the overall dollar amount has not changed, but the amount necessary for administrative costs has been decreased by King County, therefore staff recommends allocating the difference to Hopelink, citing a high level of reported community need. She added that the City is beginning conversations to determine what emergency response funding the City will be eligible for through FEMA and stated that if other funding becomes available to Lake City Partners, staff recommends reallocation of the funding to Hopelink. She concluded by saying that staff will return to Council with recommendations if additional CDBG-CV funding is provided to the City.
Mayor Hall opened the Public Hearing. There was no public testimony, so he closed the public hearing.
Councilmember McGlashan moved to approve Community Development Block Grant Funding as recommended by staff. The motion was seconded by Councilmember McConnell.
Councilmember McGlashan commented that King County has done a great job handling the pandemic within the community and commended them for reducing their administrative costs during this crisis.
Councilmember Chang asked whether organizations beyond Hopelink and Lake City Partners had been considered for funding, giving the example of the Shoreline/Lake Forest Park Senior Center, which she said needs funding for their food delivery service. Ms. Wolbrect-Dunn replied that the recommendation is based on how organizations fit within the established qualifying priorities and recognizing the huge need for rental assistance, with the goal of releasing funds quickly. Ms. Tarry added that the City has been notified that the State will be sharing some of the CARES Act funding it receives, so staff will be bringing an expanded recommendation before Council in June and listed possible needs, including the Senior Center.
Councilmember Chang asked how the City ensures that residential rental assistance funding stays with Shoreline residents. Ms. Wolbrect-Dunn said city residency is one of the qualifying requirements and said payments are made directly to the vendor to ensure proper use of funding.
Councilmember McConnell suggested the possibility of an amendment to direct the additional available funding from the decreased administrative costs to be distributed to the Senior Center. Ms. Wolbrect-Dunn answered that CDBG funding restrictions can be complicated and advised that if the Council wishes to fund food programs via the Senior Center it might make more sense to do it through a different mechanism.
Councilmember McConnell asked if the Hopelink money is staying in Shoreline. Ms. Wolbrect-Dunn described the tracking methods in place. Councilmember McConnell said she is on the Hopelink Board and commended the work they do.
At 7:34 p.m. Mayor Hall declared a five-minute recess.
At 7:39 the Council Meeting reconvened.
Margaret King, City Attorney, said she consulted with Councilmember McConnell and confirmed that her position at Hopelink is a non-salaried officer on a nonprofit, and accordingly the position is defined as a remote interest. Ms. King explained that the Revised Code of Washington requires disclosure of the association and that passage of votes on related matters not rely on Councilmember McConnell’s vote.
Councilmember McConnell confirmed that in January 2020 she joined the Hopelink Board at the regional level in a non-paying capacity.
The motion passed unanimously, 7-0.
8. STUDY ITEMS
(a) Discussing the State Route 522/NE 145th Street Sound Transit Bus Rapid Transit Project
Nora Daley-Peng, Senior Transportation Planner, introduced Paul Cornish, Sound Transit Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Director, who delivered the presentation on the current status of the project. Mr. Cornish introduced his team members as Randy Harlow, executive Project Director for the Lynnwood Link Extension; Ariel Taylor, Sound Transit Government Relations Manager; and Kathy Leotta, Project Manager for this segment of the project.
Mr. Cornish gave an overview of the project and described the complex partnerships involved. He said the intent is to complete the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) bus space in Bothell and the south end of I-405 routes on schedule to start accepting buses in 2024. He listed the tie-ins with other State projects and said the North end of I-405 may open in 2025. He said that while I-405/522 BRT is scheduled to finish construction in 2025, it is scheduled to start revenue service in 2024. Mr. Cornish explained that it is a complicated segment of the process because of the number of property rights that need to be acquired and that realistically 2025 will probably be the opening year for the 522 BRT. Mr. Cornish described the upcoming COVID-19 realignment process and noted the recent drastic changes in ridership and revenues. He stated that the Sound Transit Board has requested a hold on all financial commitment requests until at least July. He gave the caveat that right now the schedule he will be presenting is the pre-COVID-19 schedule and everything right now is still in flux.
Mr. Cornish displayed a map of the project, outlined the route, and said the original estimate of transfer opportunities has been doubled. He shared updates on the work with the City of Woodinville to augment connections, and said other tweaks to the project include eliminating a BRT station at 145th and 25th Avenue NE and adding two stations in Kenmore to support transit integration. He added that there will still be three parking garages.
Mr. Cornish displayed a high-level timeline of the project schedule and described the phases. He shared an updated draft schedule, listed the milestones, and added that all dates are subject to change as the COVID-19 realignment decisions are made.
Mr. Cornish gave a ten percent design update of the 145th corridor piece of the project and said it has significantly evolved from the preferred project design. He said adding roundabouts means that the BRT lane does not need to be as long as it originally was designed to be. He displayed an image of the 15th Avenue NE BRT Station area and described the work planned there.
Mr. Cornish said the planned BRT Station at 25th Avenue NE has been removed, since there is an existing King County Metro stop there, creating a service redundancy. He also stated that the project team determined it would be more pedestrian-friendly to move the station originally located at 30th Avenue NE and displayed the area of the location change. He then described the intersection at 145th and Bothell Way NE (SR 522) and said in order to make it more hospitable to pedestrians the project teams are evaluating the traffic impacts of reassigning a left-turn lane and adding a physical barrier to prevent single-occupancy vehicles from using the bus lane.
Mr. Cornish gave an update on outreach. He described the recent and ongoing property owner meetings and said with the Stay at Home Order meetings are being conducted via phone or virtually but have slowed down because so many property owners prefer to do them on-site and in person. He said Sound Transit is creating a narrated video that describes the property acquisition process. He listed the status of the advisory and general public outreach groups.
Councilmember Roberts said 145th Street is a dangerous road and asked how the project will make the road safer for all users. Mr. Cornish said that wherever a road improvement is being made, sidewalk and landscaping will be added, and said the relocation of the BRT bus stop on 30th Avenue NE was done with concern for rider safety. Councilmember Roberts asked about how to prevent unsignalized left turns by vehicles. Mr. Cornish said they have talked about left-turn restrictions and the letter of concurrence touches on traffic mitigation. Councilmember Roberts said he hopes as the project moves to 30 percent design some of the safety features are included.
Councilmember McGlashan asked for clarification on the road improvements near 5th Avenue NE. Mr. Cornish said that with the addition of a roundabout, the assumption is there will be a transit meter included, giving buses an advantage to enter the roundabout, so the BAT lane would end at that point.
Councilmember McGlashan asked if the Lynnwood Link Extension completion timing had changed. Mr. Harlow said that he will be giving an in-depth update at an upcoming Council meeting. He added that the BRT scheduling is intended to coincide with the revenue service date of July 2024 as well as the ability to interconnect with the rest of the BRT stations.
Councilmember Robertson asked how confident Mr. Cornish is on the two funding agreements that are currently on hold and he responded that he cannot speak for the Board, but he feels the agreements make sense and that enthusiasm is high for them. She asked if the decline in ridership is thought to be short-, or long-, term. Mr. Cornish said the immediate drop is near 90% but he does not have projections for long term declines.
(b) Discussing Ordinance No. 889 - Shoreline Municipal Code 10.05 - Model Traffic Ordinance (MTO) Updates
Kendra Dedinsky, City Traffic Engineer; and Randy Witt, Public Works Director; delivered the staff presentation. Ms. Dedinsky explained that this Ordinance would increase the monetary penalties for parking violations. She referenced the Light Rail Subareas Parking Study that was previously presented to Council last Fall, saying it listed current and anticipated parking challenges and offered some follow-up steps the City could take to prepare for the Light Rail and increased density. She said that one identified follow up action was to raise the minimum monetary penalty for parking violations, since parking tickets currently represent a cost to the City of approximately $10 per violation. She said as parking issues rise, an increase in the monetary penalty is recommended. She shared a comparison list of monetary penalties in nearby jurisdictions and said that a $50 penalty seems best aligned with other King County Sheriff contract cities.
Ms. Dedinsky displayed a chart of parking citations issued by year and said based on the continued uptick, as well as latent demand which could likely drive citations higher, there is a need for dedicated parking enforcement. She said increasing the monetary penalty would help chart a path for adding a dedicated enforcement resource and reviewed the role of a dedicated parking enforcement employee.
Mr. Witt stated that the City did a quick analysis of what it would take to get to the point where parking enforcement could be partially or completely funded by using revenue from citations. He added that the data available was limited, but he expects it to improve over time as the City continues to examine and track the issue more closely.
Mr. Witt said the revenue projections are conservatively based on a $50 penalty per citation, and that after County Court costs and other expenses are accounted for, the end revenue to the City is approximately $14.50 per citation. He shared information on assumed start dates and annual increases in citations and said that potential revenues from late fees or residential parking zone permits were not included in the analysis. Mr. Witt shared a chart of projected revenue through 2026 and said the cost assumptions include the fact that the in-house Parking Enforcement Officer would be a half-time, benefitted position. He reviewed the one-time and recurring costs, as well as the predicted parking enforcement cash flow. He said dedicated parking enforcement would start in 2024, with the opening of Light Rail, but the accumulation of funds for these future costs would begin in 2021.
Mr. Witt concluded that with these assumptions, a dedicated parking enforcement program is not projected to cover all the costs associated with the program. He stated that the program does not reach a cost-neutral balance until over 5,500 citations per year are issued.
Mr. Witt said the staff recommendation is to increase the parking citation monetary penalty to $50 per citation, with a late payment penalty of $25, starting on January 1, 2021, with the intention that the penalties would provide revenue to support the processing and dedicated part-time parking enforcement staffing costs. He said if approved, staff would return to Council with an updated evaluation of revenue and costs before program implementation.
The Councilmembers generally expressed support for the plan.
Deputy Mayor Scully expressed concern that the penalty is regressive and could have a higher impact on low-income people and observed that the $50 proposal is higher than some neighboring cities. He said the increased monetary penalty may act as a customer deterrent in retail areas. He stated that parking enforcement is an aspect of public safety and he does not expect it to be revenue-neutral.
Councilmember Roberts agreed that $50 is high and suggested reducing it to $30 until a dedicated parking enforcement program is implemented. He agreed that parking enforcement should be considered a public safety measure.
Councilmember Chang verified that the current subsidy for citations is approximately $10 per citation. She is concerned with the negative revenue citations generate and supports the $50 penalty. She added that she does not want the city to become overly punitive.
Councilmember McGlashan said that while he supports the proposed monetary penalty, he is concerned with the amount of the late payment penalty. He confirmed that it would be a one-time, not compounding, fee, and said he would like to revisit that portion before program adoption. Mr. Witt clarified that revenue from late fees was not included in the assumptions.
Councilmember McConnell said it is important that the program be revenue neutral, and while she agrees with the increased monetary penalty, she is concerned with the late fee amount. She commented that signage needs to be clear and agreed that parking enforcement is a safety issue and will be a necessity as density increases.
Councilmember Robertson said initially her instinct was that $50 would be too high, but after the presentation, she understands the rationale. She asked if processing tickets through King County is the most cost-effective approach since much revenue goes toward their administrative charges. Mr. Witt said that because King County is the City’s Court, it is necessary to use their services. Ms. Dedinsky added that some of the other cities in the jurisdictional comparison have their own court systems, which may support lower penalties.
Mayor Hall said he supports the recommendation as presented. He recognized that the anticipated growth in the station areas will increase both costs and revenues for parking enforcement, and that as the City grows and the Light Rail Stations become operational, the City needs to make sure the community is not impacted by too much illegal parking. He said if the goal is for the City streets, right-of-way, and parking to be used for the intended, transient purposes, the fine must be enough to discourage other behaviors, so he thinks $50 is appropriate. He said he is pleased that there is some discretion before citation issuance and described Tacoma’s warning actions used to educate parking violators. He said that on a percentage basis, the late fee seems high, but it is appropriate since unpaid parking tickets are a problem for many cities. He agreed that it does not need to be a revenue-neutral service.
Mayor Hall summarized the Council direction to staff and asked that the Council submit proposed amendments in advance of this returning as an Action item.
(c) Discussing the City Manager’s Temporary Emergency Order #5: COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Suspension of Prohibition on Plastic Retail Carryout Bags
Mayor Hall stated that since this Study Item was added to the agenda tonight, there is no formal staff report, but Ms. Tarry would be providing an overview of the Temporary Emergency Order.
Ms. Tarry summarized the timeline of the issuance of the Order and explained that it suspended the prohibition on plastic retail carryout bags and is due to expire on May 31, 2020. She said the reason for instituting the Order was to temporarily allow retail establishments to use the bags in response to COVID-19 transmission concerns. She said when enforced, the repercussion for the use of plastic retail carryout bags is a civil enactment and a monetary penalty. She asked for Council’s perspective on the need to extend the Order prior to its expiration. She said if it expires, the City would have to enforce the ban which would present some challenges. She said she is leaning toward extending the Order while working with retail establishments to limit the use of plastic bags and work towards the return of reusable ones.
Councilmember Chang asked how many stores have chosen to use plastic, and Ms. Tarry shared anecdotal information on the stores she has visited.
Mayor Hall, Deputy Mayor Scully and Councilmembers McConnell and McGlashan spoke in support of the City Manager retaining the ability to extend the Order if she determines it to be necessary.
There was general discussion pertaining to the pros and cons of supporting the use of plastic retail carryout bags, and Councilmembers’ observations of the bag usage practices in various establishments were shared. Concern was expressed for keeping retail employees feeling safe and Councilmember Robertson emphasized the importance of returning to reusable bag use. Mayor Hall commended the community and businesses for being so supportive of reducing plastic consumption.
Councilmembers Robertson and Chang said they would like to consider not extending the Order and establishing an end date for the use of plastic bags.
Councilmember Roberts confirmed that the State law banning the use of plastic bags in retail establishments comes into effect in 2021 and recognized that the Order did not waive the retailers’ right to collect fees for the purchase of bags.
9. ADJOURNMENT
At 9:07 p.m., Mayor Hall declared the meeting adjourned.
/s/Jessica Simulcik Smith, City Clerk