CITY OF SHORELINE

SHORELINE CITY COUNCIL

SUMMARY MINUTES OF DINNER MEETING

Monday, February 11, 2002

6:00 p.m.

Shoreline Conference Center

Highlander Room

PRESENT: Mayor Jepsen and Councilmembers Chang, Gustafson, Hansen, Montgomery and Ransom

ABSENT: Deputy Mayor Grossman

STAFF: Steve Burkett, City Manager; Larry Bauman, Assistant City Manager; Joyce Nichols, Community and Government Relations Manager

GUEST: Carolyn Edmonds, 1st District King County Councilmember

The meeting convened at 6:05 p.m. All Councilmembers were present with the exception of Deputy Mayor Grossman.

Councilmembers reviewed proofs of Council group photographs.

City Manager Steve Burkett distributed a chart showing the reorganization of the Suburban Cities Association (SCA). City Councilmembers and King County Councilmember Carolyn Edmonds discussed the new organization and how the City can work best with the County government.

Mayor Jepsen welcomed County Councilmember Edmonds to the meeting and thanked her for attending. Raising the topic of transit services, he discussed the proposal of former County Councilmember Maggi Fimia to create a separate subarea for north King County.

County Councilmember Edmonds said she asked County staff to determine if a separate subarea would improve transit services in Shoreline.

Mr. Burkett asked if Sound Transit could get involved in the Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Project at Aurora Avenue N and N 192nd Street.

County Councilmember Edmonds expressed concern that Shoreline is contributing $15 million to Sound Transit but has so far received no service from the program.

Mayor Jepsen noted the original promise from Sound Transit that Shoreline would receive additional bus service from funds freed up by the creation of new Sound Transit bus routes. He said the City was later told that passage of Initiative 695 eliminated funds for additional Metro bus service.

County Councilmember Edmonds asked the City to quantify the reduction in bus service over the past several years. She went on to provide information about efforts to obtain federal approval for use of the North Metro Bus Base ramps to Interstate 5 for additional access to and from the First NE Transfer Station.

Mayor Jepsen raised, and County Councilmember Edmonds and City Councilmembers discussed, the proposed City contract with Yakima County for jail services for misdemeanant prisoners.

Next, Mayor Jepsen addressed County plans to reduce the number of beds at the North Rehabilitation Facility (NRF). He explained that the City has contracted with NRF for local maintenance crews. He asked about future use of the Fircrest campus.

Community and Government Relations Manager Joyce Nichols said the State Legislature may review the possibility of "surplusing" properties such as Fircrest.

County Councilmember Edmonds noted that she is a member of the King County Council Law, Justice and Human Services Committee, which may consider the NRF issue. She said she will do what she can to restore the NRF to its current level. She went on to discuss efforts to defeat the so-called BrightWater bill to prevent the use of the Unocal site in Edmonds for a third wastewater treatment plant.

Mayor Jepsen addressed the idea of a County utility tax, which he described as a regional governance issue. He noted that the County has reduced the services it provides in north King County. He asked if the County is adequately reducing services in unincorporated King County. He also asked how the County will address its budget problems if the Legislature does not authorize a County utility tax.

County Councilmember Edmonds discussed the option of creating a metropolitan park district to support County parks.

At 7:25 p.m., Mayor Jepsen declared the meeting adjourned.

 

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Larry Bauman, Assistant City Manager