CITY OF SHORELINE

SHORELINE CITY COUNCIL

SUMMARY MINUTES OF WORKSHOP MEETING

Monday, October 2, 2000

6:30 p.m.

Shoreline Conference Center

Mt. Rainier Room

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

ABSENT: Councilmember Lee

1. CALL TO ORDER

The meeting was called to order at 6:30 p.m. by Mayor Jepsen, who presided.

2. FLAG SALUTE/ROLL CALL

Mayor Jepsen led the flag salute. Upon roll call by the City Clerk, all Councilmembers were present with the exception of Councilmember Lee.

Councilmember Gustafson moved to excuse Councilmember Lee. Councilmember Montgomery seconded the motion, which carried unanimously.

3. CITY MANAGER'S REPORT AND FUTURE AGENDAS

Assistant City Manager Larry Bauman discussed proposed dates for City Council budget workshops: November 6, 13 and 20. He acknowledged that Councilmember travel to the December 5-9 National League of Cities Conference may conflict with a December 4 target date for Council adoption of the 2001 budget. He proposed November 27 and December 11 as alternatives, depending upon the progress of Council review in the earlier workshops. Council concurred.

In response to Mayor Jepsen, Mr. Bauman advised that staff will present the proposed 2001 budget to Council October 23.

City Manager Robert Deis provided materials from the September 26 open house regarding the Interurban Trail Project. He said staff plans to brief Council on Interurban Trail options at workshops in November and January.

Next, Mr. Deis reported that a power outage at the Hidden Lake Pumping Station resulted in the discharge of 67,000 gallons of sewage through the emergency outfall pipe just north of Boeing Creek.

Finally, Mr. Deis requested an executive session after "Continued Public Comment" to discuss one item of personnel.

4. COUNCIL REPORTS

Councilmember Ransom mentioned difficulty obtaining materials from King County in advance of King County Jail Advisory Committee consideration of the jail budget.

Deputy Mayor Hansen said he attended the Puget Sound Regional Council meeting last week. He also noted media reports of a large sockeye salmon run on the Cedar River and of the significant return migration of coho salmon to the Issaquah Hatchery. He advocated a hatchery program in Shoreline.

Mayor Jepsen mentioned an exhibit at the Shoreline Historical Museum celebrating the first five years of the City's incorporation.

Mayor Jepsen discussed the September 21 Special Joint Workshop between the Planning Commission and the City Council regarding the North City Sub-area Plan. He said a recommendation to consider tax abatement will require consultation with other taxing jurisdictions, considering that the City receives a small portion of Shoreline property tax revenues.

In response to Mr. Deis, Council supported cancellation of its October 16 workshop.

5. PUBLIC COMMENT: None

6. WORKSHOP ITEMS

(a) Russ McCurdy, 17532 Aurora Avenue N, recommended the Aurora Improvement Council (AIC) as a source of information about the Aurora Corridor. He said the AIC supports sidewalks in the Aurora Corridor Project of eight feet in width. He mentioned the redevelopment of Aurora Avenue in Edmonds, which includes eight-foot-wide sidewalks and a right-of-way of approximately 110 feet with left- and right-turn lanes. He advocated Council reconsideration of these aspects of the Aurora Corridor Project and of related elements in the Comprehensive Plan.

(b) Ken Howe, 745 N 184th Street, mentioned the Richmond Highlands centennial celebration at Costco, where four photographs of the Echo Lake trolley stop, taken in 1919, are on display. He noted his attendance at the Heritage 2000 conference in Portland, Oregon. He commented that representatives of King and Snohomish Counties, and Seattle, Bothell and Lynnwood also attended.

Mayor Jepsen explained that Council adopted policies to facilitate the progress of the Aurora Corridor Project. He noted that Council has not yet received specific engineering analysis of the project impacts. He said he wants to see that analysis before reaching conclusions about the width of the sidewalks. He stressed the importance of such analysis to understanding the corridor, the alignment of the right-of-way and the impacts on businesses. Councilmember Gustafson concurred.

6. WORKSHOP ITEMS

(a) Briefing Regarding King County Local Option Tax Ballot Measure for Transit Funding

Mr. Deis addressed the statement in the "Recommendation" section on page four of the staff report that "Your Council may also want to comment in support of the ballot measure." He explained that staff would need to schedule consideration of the measure at another Council meeting, including a public hearing and speakers supporting and opposing the measure, to enable Council to take a position on the measure.

Transportation Planner Sarah Bohlen reviewed the staff report. She also reviewed the King County decision-making structure regarding transit services. The Regional Transit Committee, the Transportation Committee and the Budget Committee are responsible for planning/policy work, implementation/operation decisions and capital improvement/ funding, respectively. She discussed the role of the County Council and the County Executive. She mentioned the Transit Advisory Committee, a group of 15 County citizens which serves as a "sounding board" to the County Council and County Executive on transit issues.

King County Councilmember Maggi Fimia mentioned that she attended the September 26 open house regarding the Interurban Trail Project. She expressed her enthusiasm about the project.

County Councilmember Fimia noted that Paulette Gust, who represents the Shoreline area, was elected chair of the Transit Advisory Committee.

County Councilmember Fimia said County Executive Ron Sims used emergency powers to eliminate approximately 160,000 hours of bus services last year after passage of Initiative 695. She noted Regional Transit Committee opposition to the size of the cuts. She said the County Executive based the cuts on the productivity of routes without consideration to "lifeline issues."

County Councilmember Fimia noted projected revenues from the King County Local Option Tax Ballot Measure (Proposition 1) at $78 million the first year and $82 million the following year. She said a proposed fare increase will replace approximately $12.8 million more of the funding lost after passage of I-695. Noting that fare increases decrease ridership, she advocated the identification of other revenue sources. She mentioned that the Regional Transit Committee, on which Councilmember Montgomery participates, will have input on fare policy.

County Councilmember Fimia said if Proposition 1 fails, the County will implement a schedule of additional service cuts in June 2001. She discussed the policy decisions for such reductions. She mentioned disagreement between representatives of the west sub-area (which includes Seattle, Shoreline, Lake Forest Park and Kenmore) and the east and south sub-areas about the method for measuring the productivity of bus routes and about the reduction of services below the base level in a given sub-area. She also noted the choice between providing more frequent service to areas of higher density and providing service to more geographic areas.

County Councilmember Fimia went on to discuss Initiative 745, which would direct the State Legislature to adopt legislation requiring the expenditure of 90 percent of transportation funds on road construction.

Finally, County Councilmember Fimia discussed the October 4 "Expert Review Panel on Sound Transit Light Rail: Costs, Ridership, Impacts and Alternatives," which Councilmember Grossman is co-sponsoring.

David Hopkins, Regional Transit Manager, King County Executive's Office, explained that County Executive Sims has prepared two budgets, one assuming no new revenue source for transit and one assuming passage of Proposition 1. He went on to review the proposal based on passage of the proposition.

Mayor Jepsen invited public comment.

(1) Richard Johnsen, 16730 Meridian Avenue N, asserted the futility of supporting Proposition 1 given the potential passage of I-745. He advocated the extension of bus route 301 into non-peak service from the Shoreline Park and Ride to the Northgate Transit Center. He requested additional discussion of the Link light rail system.

Mayor Jepsen said the City advocates more east-west bus service in Shoreline and more bus service between Shoreline and places besides downtown Seattle.

County Councilmember Fimia acknowledged the ambiguity of passage of both I-745 and Proposition 1. She expressed her willingness to consider changes to route 301 as part of a process of service enhancements.

Mayor Jepsen noted that Council supported County Executive Sims' TRIP 21 proposal assuming 1) full restoration of bus service in Shoreline and 2) the extension of light rail to Northgate. He distinguished the 148,000 hours of bus service that the County proposes to restore throughout the system should Proposition 1 pass from the restoration of those specific bus services previously cut in Shoreline. He noted that Shoreline has received no additional transit services from the implementation of Sound Transit. He commented that Council has considered transit services from a regional perspective in the past and that it is now asking for transit services for Shoreline.

County Councilmember Fimia asserted that the County should restore the number of bus service hours that Shoreline previously lost. She said Shoreline will need to decide whether to recreate the exact same service or to distribute the hours differently. She commented that the County Executive "has ideas about what's productive and what's not" and that communities may or may not agree.

Councilmember Montgomery attested to the disagreement on the Regional Transit Committee between the Seattle City Councilmembers and the representatives of the Suburban Cities Association (SCA) about the method for measuring the productivity of bus routes. She noted that most of the SCA representatives are from communities in the south and east sub-areas. She said she has explained that she must "somewhat support" the productivity measurement advocated by the west sub-area (i.e., number of passengers). She encouraged Councilmembers to review the materials regarding the October 4 expert review panel on light rail. She said she shares many of the concerns that have been raised about the Link light rail system.

Mr. Hopkins said the County wants to work with Shoreline to determine how to restore the service hours previously cut. He mentioned three alternatives: restoration of the previous services; restructuring of the service network to fill gaps in coverage or hours; or focusing on a transit priority investment in the six-year plan.

Councilmember Montgomery said the bus services that the County eliminated in Shoreline involved routes without heavy ridership. She asserted that Shoreline is more heavily impacted by cuts than some communities because of its large disabled population.

County Councilmember Fimia explained that, because Shoreline shares a sub-area with Seattle, the productivity of bus routes in Shoreline is measured against the productivity of routes in Seattle. She said the standards in the east and south sub-areas are "somewhat lower"—a route needs fewer riders per hour to qualify as productive. She advocated that the Regional Transit Committee separate the north King County area (i.e., Shoreline, Lake Forest Park and Kenmore) from Seattle and that this area be subject to the same productivity standards as the east and south sub-areas. Mayor Jepsen and Council-member Gustafson expressed support for this approach.

Councilmember Ransom asked what it will take, and how Council can help, to restore bus routes in the north end of King County. County Councilmember Fimia stressed the importance of the passage of Proposition 1, the failure of I-745 and work with County Executive Sims to insure his support for the restoration of service hours to the jurisdictions from which they were cut. She said County Councilmembers support the restoration of service hours to the jurisdictions.

Referencing Section 6 of King County Ordinance 13931, Councilmember Fimia confirmed that the "capital needs of public transportation" refers solely to Metro bus services.

Mayor Jepsen asserted the difficulty of trying to tell Shoreline residents who ask how to vote on Proposition 1 what they will receive. He said the County says Shoreline will receive additional bus service hours, but it cannot say where it will deploy the hours. He reiterated that Shoreline received similar assurances about Sound Transit.

Deputy Mayor Hansen asserted that the County cannot assure anything if Proposition 1 passes. It can assure that if it doesn't pass, the result will be the dismantling of the Metro bus system. He commented that it would cost a lot more to restore the system in the future than it will to maintain it now.

County Councilmember Fimia said the jurisdictions are all on very firm ground if Proposition 1 passes to say the County should restore the service hours previously cut.

Councilmember Montgomery predicted that Proposition 1 will pass and that I-745 will not pass. She expressed concern that media coverage of the failure of an expensive County computer project and of concerns about Sound Transit will cause people to vote against Proposition 1.

Councilmember Gustafson reiterated the concern about what Shoreline will receive from passage of Proposition 1. He said he has advocated the extension of light rail to Northgate. He expressed disappointment that the proposition does not include funding for that purpose. He described the efficient, integrated transit services in the New York City area. He asserted that construction of light rail in the Puget Sound region will only grow more expensive.

In response to Councilmember Gustafson, County Councilmember Fimia explained that Sound Transit has unused taxing capacity. She said Sound Transit could seek voter approval of additional taxes to fund light rail. She went on to explain her concern about the "opportunity cost" of investing in light rail. She said the $50 billion investment over 30 years in the Metropolitan Area Transportation Plan (MTP), which includes 125 miles of light rail as well as high-occupancy-vehicle (HOV) lanes, achieves only an incremental shift in mode ridership. She noted the question of "how to maximize those investments in any kind of road capacity improvements."

Mr. Hopkins said County Executive Sims supports the extension of light rail to Northgate in the belief that it will enhance the carrying capacity of the regional transit system and allow the redeployment of additional bus service hours in other areas. He described the Smart Card project as a continuation of the regional fare integration that Sound Transit initiated. He said riders will soon be able to transfer between any of the transit systems in the region.

In summary, Mayor Jepsen said Council looks forward to working with the County to insure the restoration of bus service hours to Shoreline.

7. CONTINUED PUBLIC COMMENT: None

8. EXECUTIVE SESSION

At 8:15 p.m., Mayor Jepsen announced that Council would recess into executive session for 30 minutes to discuss one item of personnel.

At 9:00 p.m., the executive session concluded, and the workshop reconvened.

9. ADJOURNMENT

At 9:01 p.m., Mayor Jepsen declared the meeting adjourned.

 

__________________________
Sharon Mattioli, CMC
City Clerk