CITY OF SHORELINE
SHORELINE CITY COUNCIL
SUMMARY MINUTES OF JOINT DINNER MEETING
Monday, November 25, 2002
Shoreline Conference Center
6:00 p.m. Highlander Room
City Council
PRESENT: Mayor Jepsen, Deputy Mayor Grossman, Councilmembers Chang, Gustafson, Hansen, Montgomery and Ransom
ABSENT: None
STAFF: Steve Burkett, City Manager; Bob Olander, Deputy City Manager; Julie Modrzejewski, Assistant City Manager; Joyce Nichols, Communications and Intergovernmental Relations Director; and Paul Haines, Public Works Director
Ronald Wastewater District
PRESENT: Commissioners Gary Shirley, Art Wadekamper, and Arnie Lind
STAFF: Phillip Montgomery, General Manager
Mayor Jepsen convened the meeting at 6:40 p.m. There were self-introductions around the table.
Steve Burkett, City Manager, discussed the new franchise agreement with the District, noting that both the District and the City compromised on certain issues. The District was able to maintain its independence and the City was granted a future revenue stream. Mr. Burkett commended the District for being able to come to a reasonable agreement.
Phillip Montgomery, General Manager, added that the franchise is a win-win situation for the ratepayers, the District and the City. The District will not stop or slow the City’s assumption at the end of the term of the agreement, fifteen years, if the City chooses to proceed. He agreed that compromises were made to everyone’s benefit.
Councilmember Hansen commented that he liked the agreement, too. He noted both the City and the District serve the same customers, the people of Shoreline.
After noting that the District has a small work force (16 employees) compared to 30 employees in districts of comparable size, Mr. Montgomery reported that in October, 2001, the District took over the former Seattle Public Utility customers in Lake City. Three employees were added at this time. He said that the portion of the system in Lake Forest Park (about 13 percent) will be transferred to the City of Lake Forest Park. However, only 11 percent of the revenue will go to Lake Forest Park with this change. He concluded that the infrastructure in Shoreline is sound.
Commissioner Gary Shirley reported on the District’s inflow/infiltration project, explaining that it will involve repairing or replacing sanitary side sewers located on private property. He said in the area above Aurora Village the sewer flows go to the Edmonds Sewage Treatment Plant instead of to Metro’s plant at West Point. He noted that the City of Seattle has a combined system (stormwater and sewage) that becomes overwhelmed in a heavy rain. This causes the release of untreated sewage into Puget Sound.
Continuing, Commissioner Shirley said the Ronald Wastewater District is working with King County, which made $10 million available countywide for ten pilot projects to see which methods work best to eliminate the inflow/infiltration problems. The Ronald Wastewater District received $1.8 million for one of these pilot projects. It is working with neighbors in the affected area, about 300 homes, to evaluate whether it is more cost effective to fix the side sewers and thus reduce the flow from inflow/infiltration or to just send the added volume to the treatment plant to be treated. Over time the latter alternative would require additional treatment facilities.
Mr. Burkett concluded the meeting by thanking the Commissioners for coming. The meeting adjourned at 7:25 p.m.
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Joyce Nichols, Communications and Intergovernmental Relations Director