CITY OF
SHORELINE
CITY COUNCIL
PRESENT: Mayor Jepsen, Deputy Mayor Grossman, Councilmembers
Chang, Gustafson, Hansen, and Ransom
ABSENT: Councilmember Montgomery
1.
CALL TO ORDER
The
meeting was called to order at
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 Montgomery.
Upon motion by Councilmember Gustafson, seconded by Councilmember Ransom and unanimously carried, Councilmember Montgomery was excused.
(a)
Proclamation of “
Mayor
Jepsen presented the proclamation to Larry Pauls, a
Shoreline realtor who is heading up this food drive for Hopelink’s Shoreline
Food Bank. Mr. Pauls
accepted the proclamation and encouraged Shoreline residents to participate by
donating to the food bank.
3. CITY MANAGER’S REPORT AND FUTURE
AGENDAS
Steve
Burkett, City Manager, asked that item 6(a), the award of the Interurban Trail
North Segment bid, be pulled from the agenda.
He explained that staff would like more time to review the low bid.
Councilmember
Ransom commented on the increase of the 2003 amended budget. He said the increase was due to projects not
completed in 2002 and carried forward and because of capital project funding.
4. COUNCIL REPORTS
Councilmember
Ransom reported that he has reapplied for membership on the Human Services
Committee of the National League of Cities.
Mayor Jepsen added that he also has asked for reappointment to his
committee.
Mayor
Jepsen noted that he and Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels will be meeting to discuss
issues of mutual interest in December.
5.
PUBLIC COMMENT
(a) Pam Gates, Executive Director of Teen Hope, thanked the City for its ongoing support of the Teen Hope program, and for its participation in the One Night Count of the Homeless. She provided statistical information on the Teen Hope program. She reported that Teen Hope has received a federal grant that will be used to provide expanded service.
(b) Dennis Heller, Shoreline, thanked the Council for the progress it has made on several projects over the years. As a business owner, he expressed interest in relocating his business to Shoreline after the Aurora Corridor project is completed. He reported that the Sierra Club has decided to endorse the Aurora Corridor Project because of its belief that it will create a more livable urban environment.
(c)
Gretchen Atkinson, Shoreline, invited the Council to
attend
Upon motion by Councilmember Hansen, seconded by Councilmember Chang
and unanimously carried, item 6(a) was deleted from tonight’s agenda.
Mayor Jepsen commented on staff’s participation in the One Night Count and congratulated Ms. Gates on the grant award.
6.
WORKSHOP ITEMS
(a)
Proposed amendments to regulations controlling the use of the City
right-of-way and recodifying right-of-way use permits and street vacation
regulations
Continuing, he said the
proposed amendments continue the current system of enforcing right-of-way
permits by using the code enforcement sections of the Development Code and the
combined efforts of the Customer Response Team, Code Enforcement Officer in
Planning, and Assistant City Attorney.
He explained that the proposed ordinance repeals SMC 20.70.240-430, the
Title 20 regulations on right-of-way permits, and adopts code sections in a new
chapter 12.15 but with more explanation of right-of-way permits and clearer
procedure for obtaining a right-of-way permit.
The proposed ordinance also repeals SMC 20.40.530, the Development Code
section on street vacation, and makes miscellaneous internal reference
corrections in other sections of Title 20.
The repealed section is replaced with a new street vacation chapter that
details the procedures for vacating a street, including outlining the petition
and resolution methods for street vacation and specifying compensation due the
City for approved vacations as permitted by state law.
Councilmember
Ransom asked if the proposed amendments include provisions for City actions
that would be considered detrimental to private property.
Mr.
Sievers said detriment to property is covered in various sections dealing with
access criteria, traffic circulation, and transportation planning needs. He said provisions relating to adverse
impacts on historical/cultural resources, critical areas, and the environment
were removed because street vacations only involve changes in ownership, not
the nature of the property. He clarified
that existing City code covers those considerations.
Responding
to Councilmember Ransom about whether limiting access to business properties
would be considered detrimental, Mr. Sievers said street vacations are rarely
absolute, in that all property rights are seldom transferred to adjacent
properties. He noted that access issues
are covered under the proposed criteria.
Councilmember
Gustafson wondered if the timeframe in Section 12.15.110A [five years] and
12.15.150B2s [36 months] should be the same to maintain consistency. He also felt that allowing three written
notifications of noncompliance during one year [12.15.150A1] was very lenient.
Councilmember
Gustafson asked about the noticing requirement of 300 feet, noting it should be
flexible to ensure that everyone affected would receive notice. Mayor Jepsen added that the Development Code
uses 500 feet as the noticing radius and he supported consistency.
Mayor
Jepsen referred to Section 12.15.100A3, neighborhood traffic control devices,
and urged that standards be developed so that there are criteria governing
which devices are used in various circumstances. He also felt that Section 12.15.110B should
ensure that billing of a utility for unsatisfactory work that has to be redone
by the City includes full cost recovery and not just time and materials. He pointed out that “Hearing Criteria” and
“Limitations on Vacations” on page 28 of the Council packet should have cited
references.
Responding
to Councilmember Ransom, Mr. Sievers indicated that private ownership of
tidelands is a complex issue involving the state and is not specifically
addressed in the proposed ordinance.
Responding
to Councilmember Chang, Mr. Sievers clarified that the City must comply with
all state laws regarding street vacations.
He also clarified that right-of-way use permits are not
transferable.
Mayor
Jepsen concluded there to be consensus to bring back a revised ordinance next
week. Mr. Burkett said staff will
further refine the ordinance and return for Council action next week.
(b)
Completed Pedestrian Safety/Traffic Safety Projects
Paul Haines, Public Works Director, explained the measures the City has implemented to address safety issues over the past year, noting that the highest requests for services involve safety in neighborhoods. He also reviewed various types of traffic calming devices that have proven effective in other jurisdictions.
Jesus Sanchez, Operations Manager, reviewed the various pedestrian and safety projects the City completed this year, including:
·
In-pavement crosswalk flashers at North 155th and
Wallingford (Parkwood Elementary), North 175th
and Wallingford (Meridian Elementary), and 15th Ave NE and NE 170th (Briarcrest/Ridgecrest
Elementary).
·
Radar signs, street print crosswalks, signage in
the parking lot and audible pedestrian signals at
·
Speed hump at
· New stop signs, a traffic island, and realignment of the road and stopbars in Innis Arden at Ridgefield Rd NW and NW Springdale Ct; replacement of existing curbing with new curb gutter, sidewalk, curb ramps and drainage to improve pedestrian crossings and safety.
· A variety of Curb Space Management Projects at Evergreen Elementary School, Crista Elementary School, Highland Terrace Neighborhood, and Sunset Elementary School.
Mayor Jepsen said he would like to see the neighborhoods assume maintenance responsibility for the improvements they request as part of the Neighborhood Traffic Safety Program. He wondered if signage was more effective that curb marking in getting people to comply with parking regulations. He felt that signage has a greater negative visual impact than curb marking.
Mr. Haines said the effectiveness of signage versus curb marking is debatable, although signage is more cost effective and easier to enforce because of high visibility. He clarified that staff would continue to use both methods as necessary.
Mr. Sanchez noted that signage has been very effective in controlling the parking problem around the community college.
Police Chief Denise Turner outlined motorist education and enforcement projects completed this year by the Police Department, noting that officers issued 134 citations in 2003 for school zone speed enforcement and 3,142 citations overall. The department also conducted several crosswalk sting operations. She concluded by saying that traffic officers responded to 333 traffic complaints, which are separate from the Neighborhood Traffic Safety Program since many involve arterial streets.
Mayor
Jepsen wanted to know how the City collects data that guides the use of traffic
calming devices. Mr. Haines and Mr.
Sanchez explained that traffic speed, volume, and accident data is measured
over a period of time and compared to existing database information to help
determine the most effective solution.
Acknowledging
that street calming is a relatively new issue for Shoreline,
Mr. Haines suggested that the City can learn from other jurisdictions that have
experience using traffic calming devices.
Traffic
Engineer Rich Meredith outlined the following near-term future projects in
Shoreline:
·
Implementation of traffic circles in several residential locations;
·
Installation of radar speed signs at
·
Potential reduction of the speed limit on NE 155th to 30
miles per hour;
·
Reviewing of residential permit zoning (RPZ) in the Highland Terrace
neighborhood near
·
Revision and updating of crosswalk design standards to provide more
emphasis on pedestrians;
·
Exploration of a pedestrian and traffic safety academy as part of NTSP;
·
Installation of countdown pedestrian signals in
·
Conversion of signal heads to LEDs:
·
Comprehensive review and update of all school route signs
·
Review and update of all school walking route maps
·
Planning and implementation of pedestrian safety grants as part of the
mitigation for
·
Participation in the development of the Comprehensive Transportation Master
Plan.
Mr. Haines commented on the
success of the NTSP, noting that several more neighborhoods have requested
participation in the program.
Councilmember Hansen asked
about the traffic data that would support lowering the speed limit on 155th. Mr. Sanchez said a prior
Councilmember Hansen asked
whether the green pedestrian signs on
Councilmember
Gustafson commented on the success of Mr. Meredith’s presentation to the Briarcrest Neighborhood Association. He also asked whether NE 155th is
marked for bicycles. He felt this is a
logical bike route and that if
Councilmember
Chang raised the issue of street lighting.
Mr. Haines said a report is coming forward on November 17. Councilmember Ransom supported the idea of a
street light utility with a staff person maintaining and controlling street
lights in Shoreline.
Mayor
Jepsen congratulated staff on the impressive progress made in the area of
traffic safety. He urged the Council to
consider how it can fund neighborhood traffic safety, right-of-way maintenance,
and overlay programs in the future in the midst of decreasing revenues. He mentioned that other jurisdictions supply
orange flags at crosswalks to provide pedestrians with added visibility. He suggested that if fog lines are painted
along the road, they should return to the curb at driveways so that parking
areas are clearly identified. He also
felt that the Neighborhood Traffic Safety Program should place more emphasis on
having neighborhoods take responsibility for maintenance and beautification of
traffic calming devices. Finally, he
expressed support for the “street print” crosswalks, noting that they should
become the standard for all crosswalks in Shoreline.
Councilmember
Gustafson concurred that neighborhoods should take ownership of traffic calming
solutions they request.
Mr.
Sanchez commented that the community at the Dayton Avenue closure has taken
responsibility for maintaining the landscaping there. He noted that some pedestrian flags have
already been purchased for testing.
Councilmember
Hansen noted that the pedestrian flag project has been quite successful in
other jurisdictions. He pointed out that
several community groups are willing to help maintain City streets, noting that
the American Legion has adopted NE 185th Street as an ongoing
maintenance project. He commented that a
member of the Breakfast Rotary is willing to donate his expertise in
maintaining “pocket parks,” such as the one he created at 10th
Avenue NE and NE 185th Street.
(c) Review
of the Proposed 2004 Budget
Patti Rader, Senior Budget Analyst, briefly reviewed the remaining schedule for budget
discussions. She then discussed the
following budgets: Human Services, Human
Resources, Customer Response Team, Police and Parks, Recreation and Cultural
Services. She explained that the 2004
Human Services budget includes staffing of 1.8 Full Time Equivalents (FTE): a manager (1.0), a part-time planner (0.5),
and a grant specialist (0.3). This
budget includes increased Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding for
2004 ($34,000), which is split between administration and grants. The Human Services budget also reflects a
transfer of $18,000 from Human Services to the Parks Teen Program, and includes
$3,000 each for TeenLink and Youth Council.
Councilmember Ransom
wondered if the allocation of 1.8 FTEs in Human Services was necessary, given
that there is only $320,000 in contracted funding. He speculated whether the planner’s duties
could be absorbed by the manager.
Rob Beem,
Human Services Manager, explained that allocating the direct funding is only
one of many duties that Human Services performs. He said many of the department’s activities
are oriented toward mobilizing elements in the community so the City can
effectively leverage funding for human service needs in Shoreline. He noted that the department completed two
significant projects this year: Analysis
of the 2000 Census, and the One Night Count.
Councilmember Ransom asked
the Council to consider a one-time additional allocation of $100,000 for the
Human Services budget because of the difficult times many individuals are
facing.
Mr. Beem
said the department could always use additional funding since local agencies
have experienced an overall reduction in public and private revenue
sources.
Mayor Jepsen felt the budget
should somehow reflect the City’s contributions to the King County Home Repair
Fund, since this funding is not used up every year and should be retained in a
Shoreline account. There was discussion
of the number of FTEs in Human Services.
Mr. Burkett said that staff feels that this is the number needed to
achieve the Council’s human services goals.
Councilmember Gustafson commented
on the successful partnership between the City and school district on the Early
Literacy Program. He wondered how
reductions to King County’s budget would impact future services in Shoreline.
Mr. Beem
said the programs funded by King County include senior services, Food Lifeline,
and the Family Support Center administered by the Center for Human
Services.
Mayor Jepsen commented on
the increase in the Community Development Block Grant funding for
administration, noting that instead of reducing the City’s funding level by
this amount, he would support staying with a base
amount no matter what the federal government does. He said Council should consider as a policy
question the relationship between incremental increases in federal funding and
the City’s baseline level.
Councilmember Ransom
advocated for including a one-time transfer of $100,000 from the Capital Fund
to Human Services due to the difficult economic times. He supported the increase based on his belief
that revenues will likely increase beyond projections due to Club Hollywood
Casino.
Councilmember Hansen was
reluctant to include an additional $100,000, since there is no guarantee the
City will have additional revenue. He
pointed out that the Road Fund alone has experienced a decrease of $500,000 due
to Initiative 776.
Continuing her presentation,
Ms. Rader outlined the changes to the Human Resources budget. She explained that the overall increase of
$12,655 (3.65%) includes a 2003 transfer of $6,000 for professional services to
the City Manager’s Office. This equates
to an actual increase of $6,600 for 2004.
This budget includes an AWC Wellness grant of $2,225, and $1,000 in
Employee Recognition funding.
Councilmember Ransom stated
for the record, as he has in years past, his continuing concern that a staff of
three in Human Resources for an employee base the size of Shoreline’s is too
many.
Councilmember Gustafson
commented favorably on the Employee Recognition program and the Wellness
program. He requested details on the
Employee Recognition program. Mr.
Burkett said staff will provide more information as the program develops.
Councilmember Gustafson
commented favorably on the 2003 performance measure results for Human Services,
noting that the vast majority of employees understand and agree with the City’s
mission and goals.
Moving on to the Customer
Response Team (CRT) budget, Ms. Rader explained that it only increased 1.75% in
2004 due to employee benefits. She said
benefits have actually decreased because the legislature reduced the Public
Employees Retirement System (PERS) rate.
She also noted that a couple positions were reclassified by the
Department of Labor and Industries (L&I), which affects the calculation of
L&I costs.
Responding to Councilmember
Gustafson regarding budget decreases for supplies, Ms. Rader explained that
departments were instructed to try to keep expenditures at a minimum.
The Council discussed at
length the location of CRT and its function.
Mayor Jepsen emphasized that CRT functions not only as a call center but
as a drop-in center. He felt that CRT
could be more accommodating for drop-in visitors.
Mr. Burkett noted that the
two-building configuration of City Hall is confusing for some visitors.
Councilmember Gustafson felt
CRT has been very responsive to customers, even though it does not occupy a
central location at City Hall.
Mr. Burkett felt CRT had
good exposure and a good record for responsiveness, although it recently
changed locations. He said the majority
of service requests come by telephone rather than from walk-in customers.
Mayor Jepsen felt that the
City needs to have a “face” at City Hall.
Councilmember Ransom
expressed concern about the accessibility of City services after hours. Other Councilmembers
expressed satisfaction with CRT response times.
In response to Councilmember
Chang, it was noted that citizens can reach CRT members on weekends at all
hours.
Continuing, Ms. Rader
provided an overview of the 2004 Police Services budget, which reflects an
increase of $200,629 (2.8%). The 2004
budget also reflects the expiration of the COPS grant used to help offset the
cost of the School Resource Officer Program.
She briefly commented on staffing levels, noting that there will be 23
officers on the street in Shoreline for 2004.
Mayor Jepsen felt Council
should discuss the practice of installing radar guns in all patrol vehicles as
a policy issue.
Responding to Councilmember
Ransom, Chief Turner clarified that there are 47 FTEs at the police precinct,
not including City FTEs. There are three
non-commissioned employees (one community service officer and two clerks).
Councilmember Gustafson was
pleased with the City’s use of a School Resource Officer. He asked about the potential for getting
additional grant funding to support the position.
Chief Turner said that Local
Law Enforcement Block Grant (LLEBG) funding for the SRO is requested annually,
and each year the City has succeeded in receiving it. She clarified that LLEBG money is being put
toward the SRO to compensate for the loss in the COPS grant.
Councilmember Ransom felt
the police department should have the ability to communicate in several
languages. He asked if the police had
the ability to speak Korean, as someone expressed a need for it in the
past. Chief Turner said the department
utilizes various resources, including the language bank, to communicate with
the public. She reported no difficulties
with the department’s ability to communicate with the public.
Responding to Mayor Jepsen,
Ms. Rader explained that lease and utility payments for the police storefronts
are paid out of the Public Works facilities budget, as are all City
facilities.
Responding to Councilmember
Ransom, Chief Turner clarified that the City has three detectives on the street
crimes unit, one of which is a supervising sergeant. She reminded Council that it approved
reducing the street crimes unit from four officers to three last year as a
result of traffic patrol needs.
At Mr. Burkett’s request,
Chief Turner explained the accessibility of police officers after regular
hours. She assured Council that customer
service is excellent and that officers typically respond to emergencies within
3 minutes.
Councilmember Chang
commented on Shoreline’s high domestic violence statistics and wondered if the
City is spending enough on it.
Chief Turner felt the
allocation was adequate because the statistics have remained fairly
consistent. She noted that many cities
are now collaborating via a shared database to track information on victims and
offenders.
Councilmember Ransom
wondered if the statistics reflect higher reporting rates as opposed to actual
crimes. He also wondered if the focus on
traffic enforcement and other areas has led to increasing levels of drug crime,
auto theft, and burglaries.
Chief Turner commented on
the success of narcotics enforcement, noting that there have been 47 arrests
out of 58 drug cases to date.
Councilmember Ransom said
the Council received some complaints about the lack of traffic enforcement on
residential streets. Chief Turner
outlined the measures the department has taken to address traffic problems in
neighborhoods, including NTSP projects.
She encouraged Councilmembers to ride along
with Shoreline police officers to get a sense of what they do.
Ms. Rader provided an
overview of the Criminal Justice budget, which reflects an overall decrease of
$103,819 (9.82%) for 2004, primarily due to savings resulting from the
multi-city agreement for jail services.
A 1.2% cost of living adjustment accounts for a slight increase in the
Public Defender budget.
Mr. Burkett commented that a
tentative agreement with the County will likely result in a slight budget
increase for court services, although it should not have a significant impact
on the 2004 budget due to conservative planning.
Responding to Councilmember
Ransom, Mr. Sievers explained that the public defender and prosecutor are
budgeted as retainers.
Councilmember Hansen
wondered to what extent the City was implementing electronic home monitoring of
misdemeanant offenders as outlined in the budget.
Mayor Jepsen asked for a
more detailed explanation of the $5,000 allocated for Municipal Court on page
154 of the proposed budget.
At
Councilmember Ransom asked
if it is typical that 750 of the 1,110 misdemeanant cases qualify for indigent
defense. He felt staff should double
check those statistics for accuracy.
Ms. Rader gave a brief
outline of the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Budget, which includes
an increase of $139,529 (5%). This
budget reflects the transfer of the Human Resources Planner and Grants
Specialist, and includes funding for new multipurpose room programming and
Spartan Gym front desk coverage.
Dick Deal, Interim Parks,
Recreation and Cultural Services Director, gave an overview of department
objectives for 2004, which include: 1)
completion of additional multi-purpose rooms at the Spartan Gym in
partnership with the Shoreline School District; 2) reorganization of the
department; 3) completion of the Parks, Recreation and Open Space Plan; 4) supporting
Council direction regarding Bond Advisory Committee recommendation; 5)
increasing program and rental revenues by 8%; and 6) developing a customer
service plan with emphasis on improving customer satisfaction.
Councilmember Ransom wished
to know how much of the recreation programs are subsidized by the general fund
compared to fees. It was his
understanding that the teen programs and special populations programs are
wholly subsidized, while the costs for adult programs are covered by fees. Mr. Deal concurred.
Responding to Councilmember
Ransom, Mr. Deal explained that while senior citizens do use the facilities,
there is no structured program for senior citizens at this time.
Mr. Burkett commented that
the Parks Master Plan is being updated and discussions about levels of subsidy
could be covered during that process.
Councilmember Ransom
wondered if there is data that can be used to compare Shoreline’s recreational
program costs with other jurisdictions.
Mr. Burkett felt that
comparison data would not be very useful because jurisdictions use varying ways
to measure costs. He said the key issue
is that Council consider what kind of subsidy it
supports for recreational programs.
Councilmember Ransom pointed
out that the citizen survey can be used to determine what level of service is
appropriate.
Bob Olander,
Deputy City Manager, noted that Council will have further opportunities to
consider policy when the recreational needs assessment is addressed as part of
the Parks, Recreation and Open Space Plan.
Mayor Jepsen suggested that
measurements or critical success factors be added to cover cultural services
since this is part of the department name and mission. He also questioned why salary costs and total
costs are proposed to increase 5% even though there is a 1.3 deduction in
FTEs.
Mr. Burkett surmised that
the increase was for part-time recreation programming, which is offset by
increased revenues.
Mr. Olander
pointed out that reorganization of Parks and the Human Services department
involved additional costs not offset by cost savings from the general fund for
reclassifications.
There was further discussion
about the costs of reorganizing this department and how staffing levels can be
tracked through the budget.
8. ADJOURNMENT
At 10:30 p.m., Mayor Jepsen declared
the meeting adjourned.
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