CITY OF SHORELINE

SHORELINE CITY COUNCIL

SUMMARY MINUTES OF DINNER MEETING

Monday, June 12, 2000

6:00 p.m.

Shoreline Conference Center

Highlander Room

PRESENT: Mayor Jepsen, Deputy Mayor Hansen, Councilmembers Grossman, Gustafson, Montgomery and Ransom

ABSENT: Councilmember Lee

STAFF: Robert Deis, City Manager; Larry Bauman, Assistant City Manager

The meeting convened at 6:10 p.m.

Mayor Jepsen explained his concerns about design standards for single-family residential construction.

Councilmember Gustafson asserted that the design standards that the Planning Commission reviewed and rejected were too restrictive.

Mayor Jepsen said the objective of the proposed code section no longer seems to be met with the strike out, which includes no design standards. He advocated that Council pass the Development Code as proposed and then direct the Planning Commission to develop stronger design standards.

Councilmember Grossman said design standards were meant to address neighborhood character. He noted the lack of a clear definition of "neighborhood character."

Mayor Jepsen mentioned newspaper coverage of the barge grounded off Richmond Beach in Puget Sound.

City Manager Robert Deis requested Council feedback on the process that staff has proposed for responding to citizen correspondence to Council.

Mayor Jepsen supported the proposed process. He said letters have already improved.

Councilmember Gustafson supported the proposed process. He recommended that staff respond with phone calls instead of letters in some cases.

Mr. Deis said some citizen correspondence requires substantial staff work. He asked how Council wants staff to handle the correspondence in cases in which it resolves problems through initial phone contact.

Mayor Jepsen advocated that staff draft and mail a letter to the citizen to confirm the phone discussion. Deputy Mayor Hansen and Councilmembers Grossman and Ransom agreed.

Councilmember Montgomery said staff could, in some cases, note the details of the phone discussion on the original correspondence. Mayor Jepsen agreed. Mr. Deis proposed that the staff member include the details of the phone discussion in an electronic mail message to his executive assistant and that he share such messages with Council.

Assistant City Manager Larry Bauman distributed design options for new letterhead for Council consideration. Councilmembers selected the second option for the Council letterhead.

Mr. Bauman noted Councilmember Ransom’s suggestion to display photographs of individual Councilmembers in City Hall.

Councilmember Ransom mentioned that Larry Bingham did not have his photograph taken during his term as a City Councilmember.

Councilmember Gustafson recommended that staff hold on to the photographs of individual Councilmembers until there is place to display them, such as a City Hall. Other Councilmembers agreed.

Deputy Mayor Hansen advocated that staff provide photographs of individual Councilmembers to the Shoreline Historical Museum for its records.

Mayor Jepsen noted King County Executive Ron Sims’s proposal to seek voter approval of a 0.3 percent local-option sales tax for transportation.

Mr. Deis said County Executive Sims proposes to use $80 million of the $120 million in revenue from the 0.3-percent tax to replace most of the funding for bus transit eliminated by passage of Initiative 695. He explained the intent to dedicate the remaining $40 million to other transportation projects. He identified two key questions:

1) Would Shoreline receive the same level of transit service that it received prior to passage of I-695? and

2) Would the County use the $40 million to fund projects to support Shoreline, such as the extension of light rail to Northgate?

Councilmembers discussed positions to address the needs of Shoreline.

Mayor Jepsen said the City should seek, at a minimum, the restoration of bus service in Shoreline to the level existing prior to passage of I-695.

Councilmember Gustafson suggested that the City also advocate the dedication of the $40 million toward the extension of light rail to Northgate.

The meeting adjourned at 7:25 p.m.

________________________________
Larry Bauman, Assistant City Manager