CITY OF SHORELINE
SHORELINE CITY COUNCIL
SUMMARY MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING
Monday, February 11, 2002
7:30 p.m.
Shoreline Conference Center
Mt. Rainier Room
PRESENT: Mayor Jepsen, Councilmembers Chang, Gustafson, Hansen, Montgomery and Ransom
ABSENT: Deputy Mayor Grossman
1. CALL TO ORDER
The meeting was called to order at 7:35 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 Deputy Mayor Grossman.
Upon motion by Councilmember Gustafson, seconded by Councilmember Montgomery and unanimously carried, Deputy Mayor Grossman was excused.
3. REPORT OF CITY MANAGER
City Manager Steve Burkett mentioned an upcoming meeting with Shorewood Hills homeowners to investigate a potential City role in the solution of a stormwater drainage problem there, and an update on youth programs in the Council reading packet.
4. REPORTS OF BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS: None
5. PUBLIC COMMENT:
(a) Wayne Cottingham, Shoreline resident, spoke about a resolution he proposed several months ago to modify a park name. He said the City determined at that time that it had no policy on naming parks and facilities; and it asked the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services (PRCS) Advisory Committee to develop a policy. He opposed 2.0 (b) of the proposed Parks and Facility Naming Policy, which states, "A name, once adopted, should be permanent, and changes should be strongly resisted." Finally, he commented that the PRCS Advisory Committee vote on the resolution he proposed appears to be a breach of process, given that the committee used the policy before Council acted on it.
6. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA
Councilmember Gustafson moved to approve the agenda. Councilmember Montgomery seconded the motion, which carried unanimously, and the agenda was approved.
7. CONSENT CALENDAR
Councilmember Gustafson moved to approve the consent calendar. Council-member Ransom seconded the motion, which carried 6-0, and the following items were approved:
Minutes of the Regular Meeting of January 14, 2002
Minutes of the Workshop Meeting of January 22, 2002
Minutes of the Dinner Meeting of January 28, 2002
Minutes of the Regular Meeting of January 28, 2002
Approval of expenses and payroll as of February 1, 2002 in the amount of $ 894,178.80
Resolution No. 183 establishing Rules of Procedure for the City Council
Motion to authorize the City Manager to execute a contract between the City of Shoreline and the Shoreline-Lake Forest Park Arts Council in the amount of $61,123 to provide cultural services programs
Motion to authorize the City Manager to execute a contract between the City of Shoreline and the Shoreline Historical Museum in the amount of $52,500
8. ACTION ITEMS: OTHER ORDINANCES, RESOLUTIONS AND MOTIONS
(a) Motion to approve the Parks Naming Policy
Wendy Barry, PRCS Director, explained that when this item was referred to the PRCS Advisory Committee, a three-member subcommittee (Patty Hale, Larry Blake and Londa Jaques) formed to review policies from other municipalities. Ms. Barry reviewed the proposed policy (pages 75 and 76 of the Council packet). She said the Committee thoroughly discussed when and how to name a park or facility after an individual or organization. Concluding, she said the Chair of the PRCS Advisory Committee was in the audience to answer questions about the Committee deliberations and process.
Councilmember Ransom moved to approve the Parks and Facility Naming Policy. Councilmember Montgomery seconded the motion.
Councilmember Ransom asked about Mr. Cottingham’s comment. Ms. Barry said Mr. Cottingham and the two Rotary Clubs requested a name change for Ronald Bog Park in April. The PRCS Advisory Committee first considered the issue of a naming policy. The Committee made its recommendation and took action on the Rotary request in September. She said the Committee will consider the request again when it meets at the end of the month to take into account any Council modifications to the policy. She explained that the Committee acted previously to expedite the process.
Councilmember Ransom asked whether the wording "strongly resisted" precludes any changes to park names. He also questioned waiting two years to name something after a deceased person. He noted the example of the City of Everett and Senator Henry M. Jackson. He said a situation might arise in Shoreline in which Council would want to act more quickly to name something after a deceased person.
Mayor Jepsen asserted that the policy is meant to help the PRCS Advisory Committee address issues and prepare a recommendation to Council. He said Council has the authority to accept the recommendation or to ignore the policy and the recommendation.
Councilmember Gustafson suggested replacing "strongly resisted" with "given careful and thorough public review." He said there are times when a facility might be named after an individual. He said he understood waiting two years. He questioned the first sentence of policy 2.0 (f). He mentioned Bill DeBoldt Field at Hamlin Park, which he said does not seem confusing. He advocated the ability to acknowledge long-time public service and/or donations.
Ms. Barry explained that policy 2.0 (f) was meant to address naming rooms in a facility. She said interior features of parks can be designated with separate names.
Councilmember Hansen suggested the deletion of the phrase "changes should be strongly resisted" in favor of a policy that states simply "A name once adopted should be permanent." He pointed out that money can be donated to parks for benches and other structures. He said many entities have naming policies. For example, he mentioned that Northwest Hospital will name a wing, an operating room or other facilities for various levels of donations. He acknowledged that rules are important, but he recommended against too much detail.
Councilmember Montgomery concurred with Councilmember Hansen’s suggestion.
Councilmember Ransom moved to amend the Parks and Facility Naming Policy to delete policy 2.0 (i) ("In cases where the person is deceased, the person shall have been deceased for a minimum of two years"). Councilmember Gustafson seconded the motion.
Dwight Stevens, Chair of the PRCS Advisory Committee, said the Committee reviewed nine Washington municipal codes and gave considerable thought to the proposed policies. He noted that many municipal codes use the "very strongly" language. He explained the goal of the policy to resist change and not to consider change lightly. He said the two-year requirement ensures that the individual being honored is truly significant in the community.
Regarding the name change proposed by the Rotary, Mr. Stevens praised the Rotary contributions to Ronald Bog Park. He noted that the Rotary donated the gazebo. He said the Committee suggested naming the gazebo after the Rotary or acknowledging the contribution with a plaque. Concluding, he said the naming policy mirrors those in other cities. He mentioned that City Attorney Ian Sievers reviewed the policy and changed some of the language. Mr. Stevens supported the result of the Committee's work.
Councilmember Ransom commented that the Ronald Bog gazebo could be named according to 2.0 (f).
Councilmember Montgomery strongly opposed the amendment to delete policy 2.0 (i). She said decisions are often made in the heat of the moment. She said Council could make a different decision if circumstances warranted.
Councilmember Gustafson noted that 2.0 (h) requires a lapse of six months between the proposal of a name and the final recommendation for its adoption.
A vote was taken on the amendment, which failed 2–4, with Councilmembers Gustafson and Ransom voting in the affirmative.
Councilmember Gustafson moved to amend policy 2.0 (b) to replace "changes should be strongly resisted" with "any changes should be given a careful and thorough public review." Councilmember Ransom seconded the motion.
Councilmember Gustafson agreed that changes should be resisted, but he said the policy will discourage any efforts toward change. He recommended the amendment as a way to encourage partnerships through public process.
Councilmember Chang supported the language as proposed in the policy, which he said is as close to permanent as possible while still allowing some room for change.
Mayor Jepsen said the proposed amendment could be interpreted to mean that any proposed name change should be given careful and thorough public review. He explained his understanding of the intent of the proposed amendment to protect the permanence of parks and facility names.
A vote was taken on the motion, which failed 3-3, with Mayor Jepsen and Council-members Ransom and Gustafson voting in the affirmative and Councilmembers Chang, Hansen and Montgomery dissenting.
Councilmember Gustafson moved to amend policy 2.0 (f) by deleting the first sentence ("In general, portions of a facility shall not have a name other than that of the entire facility to avoid confusion") and deleting "However" from the second sentence. Policy 2.0 (f) would read "A park’s interior features and/or facilities may have names other than that of the entire park." Councilmember Montgomery seconded the motion.
Councilmember Gustafson said the policy, as presented, appears contradictory, and his amendment clarifies the policy.
Responding to Councilmember Ransom, Mr. Sievers said it is appropriate to delete the first sentence of the policy if the goal is to remove all obstacles to naming interior features.
A vote was taken on the amendment, which carried 5–1, with Councilmember Hansen dissenting.
A vote was taken on the motion to approve the Parks and Facility Naming Policy, as amended, which carried 5–1, with Councilmember Gustafson dissenting.
(b) Motion to authorize the City Manager to execute interlocal agreements with Yakima County for interim jail services and the City of Renton for custody pending transport to Yakima
Eric Swansen, Senior Management Analyst, reviewed the staff report. He pointed out that staff provided the proposed interlocal agreements (with Yakima County for jail services and with the City of Renton for temporary custody services) to Council.
Councilmember Hansen moved to authorize the City Manager to execute the interlocal agreements with Yakima County for interim jail services and the City of Renton for custody pending transport to Yakima. Councilmember Montgomery seconded the motion.
Councilmember Hansen questioned whether the City can determine the length of a prisoner's jail stay at the time the prisoner is booked into jail. Mr. Swansen said the City knows the lengths of stay for sentenced offenders, whose jail stays represented 72 percent of the City's total jail days in 2000. With regard to pre-sentence offenders, whose jails stays represented the other 28 percent of the total jail days in 2000, Mr. Swansen said the City will be able to determine from the court calendar whether the prisoner's hearing will be scheduled three or more days later.
In response to Councilmember Hansen, Mr. Swansen said determinations of hearing schedules for pre-sentence offenders will not require additional staff.
Councilmember Ransom said judges frequently impose one week of a two-week sentence because the misdemeanant failed to appear at a previous hearing. He noted that this has resulted in higher jail services costs for the City. He said the City is trying to reduce these costs through its program of calling defendants to remind them of court dates.
Continuing, Councilmember Ransom said the City has argued that King County must honor an 18-month termination notice requirement for the jail services contract. He said the City now seems to be abandoning this argument in favor of obtaining jail services from another provider. Mr. Swansen said the City will take advantage of the 18-month period, which ends December 31, 2002, to transition from exclusive use of King County for jail services to other arrangements. Mr. Burkett said the City contract does not require the City to use the King County jail for all prisoners. He noted that King County has said it does not intend to jail any of the City's misdemeanant prisoners beginning in 2004. He said the City has had to research other options. He noted the good fortune of discovering a less expensive alternative.
Councilmember Ransom commented that the County faces a $40 million budget deficit. He expressed concern that County budget problems will worsen if Shoreline and other suburban cities stop using the County jail before the end of the year.
Mayor Jepsen said the County notified the City in June 2001 of its intent to terminate the jail services contract and discontinue misdemeanant jail services for suburban cities. He said the City was fortunate to determine that the County needed to comply with an 18-month termination notice requirement. In light of these circumstances, he said he does feel as obligated to the County as Councilmember Ransom.
Councilmember Gustafson said he is ready to move forward with the agreements with Yakima County and the City of Renton. He went on to question Section 9 of the proposed interlocal agreement with the City of Renton and Section 18 of the proposed interlocal agreement with Yakima County, which allow Renton and Yakima the right to refuse to accept inmates. Mr. Swansen said the County has accepted any prisoner. He explained that, for liability reasons, other jail service providers will not accept some prisoners (e.g., a pregnant prisoner or a prisoner with HIV AIDS, early stage tuberculosis or another communicable disease). He said judges have expressed their willingness to establish alternative arrangements for such prisoners (e.g., home monitoring).
Councilmember Gustafson pointed out that the agreements also stipulate the right to refuse a prisoner who "presents a substantial risk of escape, or presents a substantial risk of injury to other persons or property." He asserted the need to determine where the City would jail such prisoners. Mr. Swansen said the City can use County jail services for such prisoners through the end of the year. He acknowledged the need to determine another alternative for 2003 and after.
Mayor Jepsen said he shares Councilmember Gustafson's concern about determining an alternative for prisoners that Yakima County or the City of Renton will not accept. He went on to question how the City will administer Section 2 (H) of the interlocal agreement with the City of Renton, which requires the City to provide a supply of medications for those misdemeanants taking medications at the time of transfer. Mr. Swansen said misdemeanants appearing to serve their sentences can be required to bring needed medications. He indicated that the City may need to find medications for misdemeanants in custody. He said the City may be able to authorize the Renton Jail to acquire the pharmaceuticals. Mayor Jepsen asserted the need to determine how the City will comply with Section 2 (H).
Next, Mayor Jepsen asked if the 60-day termination notice requirement in Section 8 of the interlocal agreement with the City of Renton provides the City enough time to identify alternative services. Mr. Swansen said Shoreline would need to work with other cities to identify alternative services. Noting the 60-day termination notice requirement in Section 3 of the interlocal agreement with Yakima County, Mayor Jepsen cautioned that the terms specified in the agreements may not be long enough to allow the City to identify viable alternatives.
Mayor Jepsen noted that Section 5 (b) of the interlocal agreement with Yakima County addresses one additional weekly transport to Yakima County. He asked what would happen if the District Court decided to stay open five days a week instead of four. He pointed out that Section 5 (b) does not provide an additional weekly transport from Yakima County. Mr. Swansen asserted the intent to work within the terms of the agreement. He said the City could negotiate an additional transport if necessary.
Mayor Jepsen questioned the deletion of "to retain them in said custody" from Section 8 of the interlocal agreement with Yakima County. Mr. Sievers said the language is redundant with other language in the paragraph stating that Yakima County will not release the inmates.
Councilmember Hansen commented that the bus transporting people from Renton to Yakima comes from Yakima, so it could transport misdemeanants both ways every day. He characterized the proposed agreements as stepping stones toward a permanent agreement. He stressed that the City jail services contract with the County will terminate in fewer than 11 months. He noted that the City has already begun to address the possibility of forming a transportation center in north King County. Acknowledging the 60-day notice period in Section 3, he mentioned Okanogan and Chelan as potential interim alternatives. He also asserted that Yakima County is trying to establish a base level demand for services in order to make the capital investments to serve that demand on a long-term basis. He said it would be foolish for Yakima County to incur capital costs to build a facility and then terminate the agreement for services.
A vote was taken on the motion to authorize the City Manager to execute the interlocal agreements with Yakima County for interim jail services and the City of Renton for custody pending transport to Yakima. The motion carried 6-0.
9. CONTINUED PUBLIC COMMENT
(a) Dale Wright, Shoreline, noted that some Aurora Corridor business people continue to feel they have not been heard and included. He described the "lengthy, intense and open" public process the City undertook to improve the Aurora Corridor. He said the Aurora Corridor concept represents the consensus of the Shoreline community and advocated that the business members of the Aurora Improvement Council acknowledge and accept the Aurora Corridor concept.
Mayor Jepsen noted the reorganization of the Suburban Cities Association (SCA). He said the SCA Executive Board will transform into an SCA Management Board, which will include seven seats each from the northeast and south regions and one seat from the Snoqualmie Valley rural area. He explained that Shoreline will have one of the northeast region seats. He stated the need to designate the City representative.
Councilmember Gustafson nominated Councilmember Hansen to represent the City on the SCA Management Board.
In response to Mayor Jepsen, Councilmember Hansen explained that each of the cities represented on the SCA Management Board will have two representatives, its city administrator or manager and an elected official.
Councilmember Ransom mentioned that he has participated in the SCA since Shoreline incorporated. He noted that Councilmember Hansen has represented Shoreline on the SCA Executive Board for four years. He asserted the timeliness of a change in representatives. He stated his desire to represent the City on the SCA Management Board.
Councilmember Ransom nominated himself to represent the City on the SCA Management Board.
A vote was taken on the nominations. Three Councilmembers (Mayor Jepsen and Councilmembers Gustafson and Montgomery) voted for Councilmember Hansen. Two Councilmembers (Councilmembers Chang and Ransom) voted for Councilmember Ransom. Councilmember Hansen abstained. Councilmember Hansen was appointed to the SCA Management Board.
10. ADJOURNMENT
At 9:07 p.m., Mayor Jepsen declared the meeting adjourned.
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Sharon Mattioli, CMC
City Clerk