CITY OF SHORELINE

SHORELINE CITY COUNCIL

SUMMARY MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING

Monday, November 26, 2001

7:30 p.m.

Shoreline Conference Center

Mt. Rainier Room

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

ABSENT: None

1. CALL TO ORDER

The meeting was called to order at 7:30 p.m. by Mayor Jepsen, who presided.

2. FLAG SALUTE/ROLL CALL

Upon roll call by the City Clerk, all Councilmembers were present, with the exception of Councilmember Montgomery, who arrived shortly thereafter.

3. REPORT OF CITY MANAGER

Police Chief Denise Pentony highlighted:

• the King County Sheriff Public Safety Award to Shoreline resident Scott Calvert;
• Project Homesafe, which distributes free gunlocks;
• new curriculum for schools regarding gun violence;
• the December 4 Citizens Academy graduation;
• distribution of the remaining 100 of 400 citizen satisfaction surveys; and
• a photograph of the donated Volkswagen described in Item 7(e).

4. REPORTS OF BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS: None

5. PUBLIC COMMENT

(a) Richard Decker, 16037 Burke Avenue N, thanked the Council for the mini-grant for plantings in Meridian Park. He described the work done there by volunteers from both the Meridian Park and Parkwood neighborhoods, school children, and staff. He invited Councilmembers to visit the park next spring to see the new plants in bloom. He introduced some of the volunteers in the audience who helped with the project.

Councilmember Montgomery arrived at 7:40 p.m.

(b) Janet Way, 940 NE 147^th Street, asked Council to investigate the clearing of undergrowth at the former Department of Natural Resources property now owned jointly by the Shoreline School District and the Shoreline Water District. She questioned the lack of public process before this "drastic action." She opposed the removal of the understory in this type of habitat, and she asked if the City has any jurisdiction over the action. She asked for a moratorium on further clearing.

Mr. Burkett said the City is aware of this issue. He recommended that Ms. Way contact the owners of the property. He noted concern about smoking and drug use adjacent to Shorecrest High School.

Tim Stewart, Director of Planning and Development Services, said the clearing performed does not require a clearing and grading permit. He said the Customer Response Team investigated the complaint filed last week. Mr. Burkett said the concerns expressed to the City will be passed on to the School District and the Water District.

6. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA

Councilmember Gustafson moved that Council approve the agenda. Deputy Mayor Hansen seconded the motion. Councilmember Grossman asked that Item 7(c) be pulled from the consent calendar and made a new Item 9(a). Councilmember Ransom asked that Item 7(d) be pulled from the consent calendar and made a new Item 9(b). A vote was taken on the motion, which carried unanimously, and the agenda was approved as amended.

7. CONSENT CALENDAR

Councilmember Montgomery moved that Council approve the consent calendar as amended. Councilmember Grossman seconded the motion, which carried unanimously, and the following items were approved:

Minutes of Workshop of November 5, 2001

Approval of payroll and claims as of November 16, 2001 in the amount of $ 532,681.64

Motion to accept the proposed donation of a vehicle to the Police Department for use by City volunteers

8. ACTION ITEMS: PUBLIC HEARINGS

(a) Public hearing to consider citizens’ comments on the proposed 2002 budget

Mr. Burkett briefly reviewed the proposed 2002 budget. He said three changes have already been identified through Council review: 1) removal of $100,000 in one-time money from the Planning and Development Services budget for funding of a basin plan; 2) elimination of the right-of-way position in Public Works, saving $70,000 of ongoing funding; and 3) removal of $20,000 in the Community and Government Relations budget for web site improvements (these will be accomplished through the Technology Plan). He stressed the challenges of the new economic climate and shortfalls in State and County budgets. He concluded that the City maintains a strong long-term financial plan that takes capacity and the current economy into account while providing adequate resources to continue to improve parks, roads and drainage systems. He emphasized the use of conservative revenue projections.

Mayor Jepsen opened the public hearing.

(1) Mark Deutsch, 19715 Ashworth Avenue N, commended the Council for its fiscal management. He agreed that these are challenging times. He said the Council will have to prioritize services. He supported police service and community policing, but he said it is important to look at the other levels of prevention. He said the senior center or human service agencies provide other ways to reach out to citizens.

Upon motion by Deputy Mayor Hansen, seconded by Councilmember Gustafson and unanimously carried, the public hearing was closed.

(b) Public hearing to consider citizens’ comments on the proposed 2002 – 2007 Capital Improvement Program

Mr. Burkett reviewed the Capital Improvement Program (CIP). He acknowledged that the schedules for several of the capital projects have slipped. He recommended adoption of the proposed CIP with his commitment to return to Council early in 2002 with revisions. He said he wants to look at the capacity of staff and the number and complexity of projects. He noted the possibility of a reduction in State revenues and highlighted his concern that the revenue projections for the Surface Water Fund may not support all of the proposed projects.

After Mr. Burkett reviewed the list of capital projects proposed for 2002, Mayor Jepsen opened the public hearing.

(1) Mark Deutsch, 19715 Ashworth Avenue N, said he did not recall that the discussion of a new City Hall had proceeded to the point of adding it to the CIP. He understood the desire of staff for a new facility, but he said he would need to be convinced that it is appropriate to go into debt and/or raise taxes to provide a new City Hall.

Upon motion by Deputy Mayor Hansen, seconded by Councilmember Lee and unanimously carried, the public hearing was closed.

Mayor Jepsen explained the intent of the 2003 funding for City Hall to pay expenses, not through debt service or tax increases but through the use of what the City currently spends to lease space. Councilmember Grossman added that Council has agreed that it does not wish to increase costs or approach the community for bonds. Councilmember Ransom concluded that the City is a large business, with a budget of $65 million last year. He said the City must contract out for some services because it cannot provide space for employees and/or equipment. He asserted that the City needs its own building to grow properly.

Mayor Jepsen summarized that the City Manager has proposed changes to the operating budget totaling $190,000.

Councilmember Grossman commented on King County funding reductions for services to Shoreline citizens. He suggested the transfer of $100,000 in gambling tax revenue to the operating budget from the capital budget. He said human service agencies are not seeking a long-term commitment. He suggested asking Rob Beem, Health and Human Services Manager, to develop a "plan of attack" for distributing this money, with backfill funding to programs previously funded by King County as a first priority. He said he agrees with those who say the County should be paying for these services. He explained that he wants to protect those who might be "falling through the cracks."

Deputy Mayor Hansen said the Fremont Public Association has been funded by King County. The County also covered $17,000 of $34,000 for adult day care.

Councilmember Grossman pointed out that the Center for Human Services lost $48,000 in funding for family services.

Deputy Mayor Hansen argued that, if the City starts "backfilling," it will send a message to the County that cities will take over funding these services.

Councilmember Ransom concurred with Councilmember Grossman’s concept. However, he advocated the allocation of $5,000 each to the Shoreline Historical Museum and the Shoreline-Lake Forest Park Arts Council. He said neither has received a cost of living increase in funding for five years. He suggested the other $90,000 be made available to human services and the Shoreline-Lake Forest Park Senior Center. He also mentioned that the historical museum needs a new roof. He said his proposal does not compete with King County because these are contractors already providing quality of life services in Shoreline.

Councilmember Montgomery said the Council must be vigilant in an economic downtown. She concurred with Mr. Deutsch’s comments about monitoring the growth in police services costs. She noted the correlation between a downturn in the economy and rising crime rates. She questioned the correlation of increasing human services and decreasing crime rates. She said she does not want King County to receive a message that the cities will take responsibility for services that, "morally and ethically," the County should provide.

Mayor Jepsen clarified that the police services budget increased eight percent, basically because of labor costs. He mentioned that he once advocated increases in human services funding of the same amount as increases in the police budget. He said he does not want anything the City does to appear to be in response to what King County does. He suggested that transporting prisoners to eastern Washington rather than using the King County jail will generate cost savings which could be dedicated to human services.

Councilmember Lee pointed out that Shoreline always allocates less to human services than comparable cities. She said this is a time when people need help. She wondered how soon the savings proposed by the mayor would be available. She supported one-timing funding for 2002. She said the City has a responsibility to assist its agencies and citizens.

Councilmember Gustafson said he is sympathetic to the problem but he does not want simply to allocate additional money to human services without a concrete proposal to consider.

Councilmember Ransom pointed out that the City has an allocation process for human services funding. He supported increasing the amount of money allocated.

In answer to Council questions about block grant funding, Mr. Beem said the City receives a block grant allocation of approximately $350,000. He explained that the City uses a portion of the money for direct services, a portion for administration, a portion for the Home Repair Program, and the City allocates a portion to capital. The City allocated the direct services funds in a two-year funding cycle at a rate of $60,000 per year. He estimated administrative costs at $50,000 per year. He said the Center for Human Services received capital funding for remodeling this year. He explained that the City allocates the capital and home repair funding but it does not enter the City budget.

Debra Tarry, Finance Director, clarified that of the $470,181 proposed for the Health and Human Services and Grants Administration budget for 2002, approximately $111,000 comes from external sources. She said the remainder comes from the General Fund.

Mayor Jepsen said the City could do a lot more with block grant funds, particularly through capital economic development projects.

Councilmember Grossman expressed support of Mayor Jepsen’s proposal to dedicate savings from the jail contract for human services in future years. However, he expressed concern that programs will be discontinued without immediate funding. He said it is more difficult to restart agencies that have had to close for lack of funding. He supported the idea of benchmarking increases in human services funding to increases in police services funding.

Mayor Jepsen said the eight percent increase in police services funding would translate to an increase in human services funding of approximately $24,000.

Mr. Burkett added that the jail contract will continue to be discussed early next year, so there will be a lag in the appearance of the savings predicted by a new contract. Mayor Jepsen wished to pursue this idea.

Councilmember Ransom supported the long-term proposal to use jail contract savings, but he said it will take time to finish the negotiations. He referred to the savings created by the City’s phone notifications of misdemeanor defendants of court dates. He referred to the existing surplus. He said the City could allocate a little money for human services, the historical museum and the arts council. He said $5,000 would make a substantial difference for each of the latter agencies, whereas this amount is insignificant in terms of the overall City budget.

Councilmember Montgomery supported the status quo.

Mayor Jepsen supported a $24,000 increase in human services funding and the use of the jail services savings when they appear. He did not support increased funding for the arts council or the historical museum.

Deputy Mayor Hansen said he did not mind spending $100,000, but he reiterated his concern about the message to King County and whether this is a City responsibility. He supported the status quo, but he said he would consider a budget amendment early next year.

Councilmember Gustafson also supported the status quo. He expressed his willingness to consider changes at a later time.

Councilmember Lee said it is a City responsibility to address the needs of its citizens. She suggested putting aside at least $64,000 ($16,000 for adult daycare and $48,000 for the Center for Human Services) and as much as $100,000 for human services. She said the City does not have to distribute all of these funds, but it should at least reserve them. She noted that the City has spent millions on baseball fields and parks.

Mayor Jepsen summarized that three Councilmembers support setting aside $100,000.

Responding to Deputy Mayor Hansen, Mr. Burkett said even with the removal of the $100,000 for the drainage study, there is still $278,000 budgeted to do a variety of studies and work. He said he wants to look at all City needs and priorities.

Deputy Mayor Hansen said he was comfortable with the deduction if the City is not ready to conduct the study, but he emphasized the need at some point for a complete drainage assessment.

Responding again to Deputy Mayor Hansen, Mr. Burkett said the right-of-way position was deleted because he wants to look at the Public Works operation, particularly as it relates to the CIP. He said the management of the right-of-way is an important City responsibility.

Deputy Mayor Hansen said he is concerned about future budgets, but he has no concerns about the current budget. He commented that Council budgeting policies have put the City in a position to be able to weather both the economic downturn and the passage of tax initiatives. He said the City has always had conservative revenue forecasts and the budget shows a $1,353,000 surplus. He attributed the City’s strong economic position in large part to the passage of the utility tax in 1999. In conclusion, he commended staff for the "Budget at a Glance" and for preparing a budget he can wholeheartedly support.

Councilmember Ransom concurred with Deputy Mayor Hansen. He said the City has put away reserves, of which he felt $100,000 should be spent on human services, the arts council and the historical museum. He mentioned the park master planning process and the schedule for park improvements. He said he worried last year that the City was moving too fast. He said he was assured timetables could be met, and now projects are behind schedule. He explained that this is why he wants to talk about park master plans and to set priorities. He suggested that the City should move more slowly but stay on time and meet commitments to the public.

Continuing, Councilmember Ransom mentioned the Police Negotiation Committee. He said the Suburban Cities Association has become a "rubber stamp, along for the ride." He said Shoreline must be an active member of the Police Negotiations Committee and have a stronger role in jail contract negotiations. He asserted that cities have lost control of the process and that they need a stronger role in the decision making.

Mayor Jepsen disagreed. He said the cities are monitoring the jail contract, and they can always "vote with their feet." He said this will send a strong message to King County that cities will explore options when they can.

Councilmember Ransom said he supports the elimination of the right-of-way position at this time. He suggested that the City fund the position from capital projects budgets. Mr. Burkett said the City could fund a portion of the position in this way, but the majority of the work represents ongoing operational activities. Mayor Jepsen added that right-of-way should be managed like the permitting process. He asserted the importance of insuring that franchisees abide by franchises in making use of City right-of-way.

Responding to Councilmember Ransom, Mayor Jepsen said Council will discuss the Arts Council proposal to devote "One Percent to the Arts" at its December 10 dinner meeting with the Arts Council. He said this option does not require a change in the budget.

Mayor Jepsen summarized Council support for the operating budget and Council acceptance of the City Manager’s changes. He identified human services funding as an outstanding issue.

Turning to the CIP budget, Mr. Burkett summarized priority capital projects:

• Roads: Aurora Corridor, Interurban Trail and North City Business District
• Surface Water: Ronald Bog and 3^rd Avenue NW
• General: Completing current parks projects and agreeing on future priorities

Mayor Jepsen reviewed the projects in the proposed General Capital budget: Hamlin Park storage facility; City gateways; Richmond Beach Saltwater Park; Spartan Gym; neighborhood parks; Paramount Park Phase 2; Cromwell Park; swimming pool; and master planning. He reiterated Mr. Burkett’s recommendation that Council adopt the CIP as proposed and then reconsider it in a couple of months for possible amendment. He said Council agrees with the Roads and Surface Water projects moving forward.

Mayor Jepsen made the following comments to facilitate staff reconsideration of the General Capital projects:

• Council supports the Hamlin Park and gateways projects;
• The Richmond Beach Saltwater Park project involves both an engineering solution to beach erosion—which must be addressed—and a master planning process—which should be considered in terms of available funding and Council priorities; the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Advisory Committee should assist in the process;
• The Spartan Gym is a precommitment;
• Phase 2 of the Paramount School Park Project is a concern;
• Cromwell Park is related to the Ronald Bog project, as are improvements to Ronald Bog Park;
• The swimming pool project has already been reduced to $10,000; and
• Park master planning may require more than $30,000.

After a discussion of the components of Phases 1 and 2 of the Paramount Park project, Mr. Burkett said he will return with a list of projects proposed in Phase 2 and a determination of whether these could be consolidated as one project.

Councilmember Ransom emphasized the importance of installing the backstop to make the second ball field usable.

Mayor Jepsen concluded that Council is generally in agreement with adopting the CIP as proposed. He requested a commitment on when staff will return with proposed amendments.

Mr. Burkett said he plans to propose a change in the timing of the CIP adoption process so that it does not occur at the same time as the operating budget.

Mayor Jepsen asked that the priority projects be listed out for Council on December 10 so that everyone is clear on which projects will continue to move forward.

MEETING EXTENSION

At 9:55 p.m., Deputy Mayor Hansen moved to extend the meeting until 10:15 p.m. Councilmember Gustafson seconded the motion, which carried 7 - 0.

9. ACTION ITEMS: OTHER ORDINANCES, RESOLUTIONS AND MOTIONS

(a) Resolution No. 181 adopting policies related to the utilization of the Education Channel

Deputy Mayor Hansen moved to adopt Resolution No. 181. Councilmember Gustafson seconded the motion.

Councilmember Grossman moved to strike the word public from the definition of "Authorized Educational Programmer" in section 2(a). Councilmember Montgomery seconded the motion.

Councilmember Grossman expressed concern about the exclusion of private schools from the policies. He noted his understanding that previous discussions never limited use of the educational channel to public educational institutions.

Kristoff Bauer, Assistant to the City Manager, said the franchise with AT&T only allows public agencies to access the channel. He said this is standard franchise language. He did not know whether standard practice or federal law is the source of the restriction. He explained that AT&T is required to provide a government channel, educational channel and public access channel. He offered to raise this issue with AT&T if directed to do so by Council.

Mayor Jepsen said other sections of the policy will require amendment if Council wishes to pursue this change.

Mr. Bauer said the involvement of more users in a television channel increases the difficulty of administrative and technical coordination among them. He suggested that he discuss with the community college and the School District whether they are interested in moving in this direction.

Councilmember Ransom said the City tried to encourage other districts to use the government channel. He supported the exploration of Councilmember Grossman’s suggestion.

Mr. Burkett said the School District and the community college have been anxious to have the policies established. He suggested approving the policies and then looking at the genesis of the prohibition against private school use of the educational channel. He said there may be other options to consider.

Councilmember Grossman reiterated that he understood previous discussions to indicate that all educational institutions would be included in the use of the education channel. He asserted that the issue should not be forgotten. He withdrew his amendment. Council-member Montgomery withdrew her second.

A vote was taken on the motion to approve Resolution No. 181, which carried unanimously.

Councilmember Gustafson said he had some concerns about private and public "being intertwined."

Mayor Jepsen directed staff to return with background information on this issue at the first workshop in January.

(b) Ordinance No. 290 amending the City of Shoreline 2001 budget to delete the Recreation Superintendent classification, reclassify the Health and Human Services Manager to Assistant Director, reclassify an Administrative Assistant III to Administrative Supervisor and add positions the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Department; and amending Ordinance No. 279

Councilmember Montgomery moved to adopt Ordinance No. 290. Deputy Mayor Hansen seconded the motion.

Mr. Burkett explained the proposal to reorganize the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Department by: creating an Assistant Director position (to be filled by Mr. Beem); eliminating the now vacant position of Recreation Superintendent; eliminating the Health and Human Services Manager position; and adding a half-time human services position to handle some human services needs. No budget amendment is needed to accomplish the changes.

Councilmember Ransom stated his concern with the continual upgrading of positions for higher salaries. He began by noting that the current Administrative Assistant III is to be reclassified as an Administrative Supervisor, supervising a new Administrative Assistant II and administrative staff at the Spartan Gym. He said the top of the annual salary range is $47,000. Equating the Administrative Supervisor position to an office manager, he asserted that the salary is too high. He questioned whether the additional duties justify a salary increase of ten percent.

Councilmember Ransom noted that the Recreation Superintendent (in pay range 49) supervised the recreation programs, including a number of Recreation Coordinators (in pay range 42). He said the difference between these two pay ranges represents the typical 15-percent differential between a supervisory position and the positions supervised. He noted that the Health and Human Services Manager (in pay range 55) supervises the Grants Specialist (in pay range 45). He questioned the differential between the Recreation Coordinators and the proposed Assistant Director (in pay range 61) who will supervise them.

Councilmember Gustafson moved to postpone this item until January 14, 2002. Councilmember Montgomery seconded the motion.

Councilmember Gustafson said he would like to see detailed job descriptions for each of the classifications involved.

Addressing the postponement, Mr. Burkett stated that staff would like to see this matter resolved as quickly as possible.

MEETING EXTENSION

At 10:17 p.m., Deputy Mayor Hansen moved to extend the meeting until 10:30 p.m. Councilmember Ransom seconded the motion, which carried 5 – 2, with Mayor Jepsen and Councilmember Montgomery dissenting.

Councilmember Gustafson withdrew his motion and Councilmember Montgomery her second. Councilmember Gustafson moved to postpone this item to the December 10 meeting. Deputy Mayor Hansen seconded the motion.

Councilmember Lee expressed concern that moving the Grants Specialist position and Health and Human Services into the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Department will diminish their visibility and send a message that human services are not important. Councilmember Gustafson concurred.

A vote was taken on the motion, which carried 7 – 0 and the motion to approve Ordinance No. 290 was postponed to December 10, 2001.

Mr. Burkett said the mission of health and human services and the grants position will not change, no matter where they are located. He explained that he wants to erase walls and lines between departments and focus on missions instead.

10. CONTINUED PUBLIC COMMENT: None

11. ADJOURNMENT

At 10:21 p.m., Mayor Jepsen declared the meeting adjourned.

_________________________
Sharon Mattioli, CMC
City Clerk