CITY OF SHORELINE
SHORELINE CITY COUNCIL
Monday, October 18, 2004 Shoreline Conference Center
PRESENT: Mayor Hansen, Deputy Mayor Jepsen, Councilmembers Chang, Fimia, Grace, Gustafson, and Ransom
ABSENT: none
1. CALL TO ORDER
The meeting was called to order at 6:30 p.m. by Mayor Hansen, who presided.
2. FLAG SALUTE/ROLL CALL
Mayor Hansen led the flag salute. Upon roll call by the City Clerk, all Councilmembers were present.
3. CITY MANAGER’S REPORT AND FUTURE AGENDAS
§Robert Olander, Deputy City Manager, called attention
to the new rules for public comment that apply to tonight’s
meeting. He then reported on staff efforts to prevent flooding to homes
in the vicinity of N 175th Street and 10th Avenue NE.
He said staff is analyzing alternatives to resolve the long-term flooding
issues there.
Councilmember Fimia said she would still like to explore “buy-out” as a potential solution to the flooding problem, noting that some properties could be used for water retention.
Deputy Mayor Jepsen felt King County did not invest the necessary funding to adequately maintain the stormwater system in that area. Councilmember Fimia noted that King County was dealing with numerous flooding issues throughout the county, and that their solution for N 175th Street was a “quick fix.”
Mayor Hansen felt the City should rely on its engineers to propose long-term flooding solutions.
Responding to Councilmember Chang, Mr. Olander explained that City Manager Steve Burkett has been absent from Council meetings due to family matters and illness. He noted that Mr. Burkett is attending a professional conference this week.
4. COUNCIL REPORTS
Councilmember Ransom noted he would represent the City on the Jail Oversight Assembly at its first meeting in November. He then reported on the various topics discussed at the National League of Cities (NLC) Conference on Human Development and the Suburban Cities Association. These include social services, immigration, single-payer health care, annexation, rural development, taxes, salmon recovery, and stream rehabilitation. He commented that the King County Housing Authority’s Greenbridge development (a $200 million project with 1,000 homes on 100 acres) was financed through a short-term, tax incentive financing (TIF) plan.
Councilmember Fimia wished to make a motion regarding the flooding discussed earlier.
It was pointed out that the Council does not usually take formal action in a workshop meeting. Mr. Olander felt it would be prudent to do an economic analysis of the various alternatives to the stormwater problem before Council action is taken.
5. PUBLIC COMMENT
(a) Rick Stephens, Shoreline business owner, asserted that agenda item 6(d) was not available on the City’s website. He said the Shoreline Merchants Association (SMA) was disappointed it was not invited to participate in the City’ prioritization exercise it recently conducted. He said the City could solve more problems through increased citizen participation and by including “those who make up the heart of Shoreline.” He said the City is not just land and buildings, but people, and that excluding people only creates ill will.
(b) Diana Stephens, Snohomish, President of the Shoreline Chamber of Commerce, announced a Chamber sponsored Halloween event at the Ballinger Shurgard Storage on Saturday, October 23rd. The Chamber will also host a fundraising auction event the same evening to raise money for Dollars for Scholars.
(c) LaNita Wacker, Shoreline, thanked the Council for working to change the rules for public comment. She said while the new format allows for more interaction between citizens and the Council, she felt agenda items should not be excluded as possible topics during the general comment period.
The Council briefly discussed the addition of item 6(d) to tonight’s agenda. Councilmember Fimia said she was unaware it was on the agenda for this evening. It was noted that Council agreed to move it from the October 11 meeting to tonight’s meeting. Councilmember Fimia requested notification by e-mail or other means if the agenda is similarly changed in the future.
6. WORKSHOP ITEMS
(a) 2004 Capital Improvement Program Update
· Interurban Trail: The South section is now complete with only minimal paperwork to complete. The South Central/North B construction contract has been awarded and construction will start this month. Design on the North Central Segment has begun. Stakeholder meetings are being scheduled and with some having already been held successfully.
· Richmond Beach Overcrossing: Discussions and negotiations with Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad (BNSF) regarding design options led to a successful conclusion with their approval of a design that is cost effective for the City and works with BNSF restrictions and future plans. Negotiations with the BNSF regarding construction and cost sharing issues are underway and are expected to take approximately 9 months.
· Dayton Avenue N and N 175th Street Retaining Wall: Staff completed the pre-design report and is pursuing additional grant funding to add sidewalks to the area around St. Luke’s Place. Design will occur Winter 2005 with possible construction Summer 2005 while school is not in session.
· Ronald Bog Drainage Improvements: The storm drainage improvements for the Serpentine Place Project have been completed. The contractor has made all minor corrections required with the exception of those needed for the pump station. Adjustments to the pump station will be made within the next couple weeks and construction completion is expected at that time. Additional interim relief options for the NE 175th Street and 10th Avenue NE area are being developed and next steps for the entire Ronald Bog basin are being identified.
Councilmember Grace asked staff to clarify the Use and Necessity Hearings for the Aurora Corridor project. He also asked staff to describe their efforts to meet with property owners in Phase 2.
Ian Sievers, City Attorney, explained that the court decides issues of public use and necessity before proceeding to hearings on fair compensation, since the latter is based on the former. The court order on Use and Necessity triggers an incentive for property owners to give the City immediate use/possession, since under state law, property owners cannot recover attorneys fees and costs unless they grant immediate use and possession within 15 days following the court order. He said the City should know by mid-November whether property owners will take advantage of that incentive and give the City a stipulated order of immediate use and possession.
Mr. Haines explained that he is scheduling weekly meetings with property owners and associated businesses to discuss what is expected to happen in Phase 2. He said the main objective is to “have a face and a contact for every property owner along Phase 2.” He said after staff cycles through all property owners and businesses, they would likely cycle through again in a different format. He said most property owners have concerns relating to individual land use issues, such as access, setbacks, as opposed to the overall project itself. He noted that staff will recommend a new planning position to assist property owners with the process.
Mr. Olander confirmed that a budget recommendation would be coming forward for this position to help build relationships with property owners in Phase 2.
Councilmember Fimia emphasized the need to improve future portions of the Interurban Trail with more access points and signage that attributes the trail to its sponsors. She noted this would allow more people to access the trail from commercial districts and higher-density areas. She noted that wheelchair users often have difficulty due to the lack of access trails.
Councilmember Chang commented that the trail would get more use during the off hours if it had more lighting. Councilmember Ransom said the most recent citizen survey indicated that women were concerned about the lack of lighting on City trails.
Councilmember Ransom suggested that Council consider having a separate workshop or committee meeting to try to reach a compromise on the North City Project before it deliberates the budget. Mr. Olander explained that today, the North City Project was added to the agenda of October 25 at the request of Mayor Hansen, Deputy Mayor Jepsen, and Councilmember Grace.
Councilmember Fimia understood that King County conducted some long-range planning on the Ronald Bog area. She felt the City should consider King County’s analysis before investing in its own improvements.
Rersponding to Councilmember Ransom, Ms. Marilley explained that the Serpentine Drainage system is so-named because part of it traverses the Serpentine Road area. She then detailed the basic maintenance work that created more capacity in the Ronald Bog drainage system. She said staff would continue to monitor the situation because it is not a complete solution to the flooding problems.
Paul Haines, Public Works Director, explained the history of the City’s response to the Ronald Bog drainage problem, noting that basic maintenance conducted recently has created additional capacity in the Ronald Bog basin. He said the City initially invested in a very expensive solution that did not necessarily include routine maintenance. He said staff is reevaluating its assumptions about the system to determine if smaller, “bite-sized” solutions and regular maintenance will prove more effective in addressing the problem. He said the City would have a better sense of its “purchased capacity” after completing the Surface Water Master Plan.
Mr. Olander pointed out that an oversized pipe was installed on 1st Avenue NE, which has increased capacity because it slows the water flow to Ronald Bog. He felt these type of incremental solutions, such as diverting some water south of 10th Avenue NE (instead of sending it north to Ronald Bog) would help address the overall basin problem.
Councilmember Gustafson commented on the many exciting things the City has accomplished in its capital improvement plan during the years he has served on the Council. He noted the Spartan Gym as one example of the City partnering with local entities to enhance public facilities for the community. He thanked Councilmember Grace for his involvement on the school board to effectuate that outcome.
Councilmember Chang wondered if the costs for the Aurora Corridor Project would increase in the same way that costs increased for the Interurban Trail Bridge and North City.
Ms. Marilley said staff expects to stay within the allotted budget for the project. Mr. Olander added that consultants are monitoring the cost of materials very closely and are providing projections on a monthly basis.
(b) Economic Development Strategic Plan
Mr. Olander said this item is a continuation of discussion from several prior workshops. He noted that Council was provided with a memorandum containing proposals offered by Councilmembers Ransom, Fimia, and Chang.
Mayor Hansen called for public comment.
(a) Diana Stephens, Snohomish, expressed support for the idea of creating a committee to assist in developing economic strategies for the City. She felt such a committee should be represented by both the business community and neighborhoods, and that it should represent the widest variety of business types as possible. She noted that the input of neighborhoods would give the City a broad spectrum of ideas to help in the process. She felt a committee would also ensure that a qualified candidate is selected to fill the position of economic development coordinator. She emphasized the need to establish goals, expectations, and priorities so that all details are worked out before someone is hired.
(b) Rick Stephens, Snohomish, said although there is a need for an economic development coordinator, the City has not conducted enough planning. He felt the City has not had a good return on its $1 million investment in economic development since City incorporation. He noted that the City Manager has only attended two Shoreline Chamber of Commerce Economic Development Committee meetings, and although the meetings were effective, there is more to be done. As chair of that committee, he said he is disappointed that the City has not included the larger business community in economic development, but instead chose to contract with Forward Shoreline. He said Forward Shoreline has exclusive membership that leaves out the rest of the community. He pointed out that the City of Roseburg, Oregon does not have staff but instead uses its chamber and a commission to achieve its economic development goals.
(c) LaNita Wacker, Shoreline, felt the City should first hire a professional economist who can then act as a guide to develop the strategic plan. She pointed out that although the Council is made up of law makers, none have law expertise like the City Attorney, who acts as a guide. She noted that people rely on medical doctors because they are trained to diagnose and treat ailments, even though some are incurable. She said Shoreline needs a trained professional to diagnose its economic ailments in much the same way. She said while an economist will not necessarily be able to heal all of our ills, they are trained to diagnose.
(d) Alan Sharrah, director of operations for Frank Lumber and owner of USA Karate in North City, urged the City to take more time to develop a detailed economic plan before filling the position. He said while the proposed plan has good intentions, there is no vehicle whereby an individual business or citizen can participate. He asked that Council create a process that provides individual citizens and businesses with a way to participate equally with other organizations in building an economic development strategic plan that incorporates the things citizens and businesses want for the City of Shoreline. He said only after this process is developed should the City hire someone to manage the plan.
(c) Salary Commission for Council Compensation
Councilmember Ransom explained that the state legislature provided for the salary commission, an alternative system for reviewing and establishing Council salaries. He said the current system allows the Council to establish its own salaries, which do not take effect until the next election cycle. However, salaries decided by an independent salary commission can take effect immediately, although salary reductions would not take effect until the next election cycle. He noted that several jurisdictions, including Federal Way and Redmond, have established commissions to set salaries for council and other boards. He said the Shoreline City Council has been slow to increase salaries and benefits, adding that it has only made two salary adjustments in the past nine years. He favored establishing a salary commission to perform more frequent reviews and to ensure parity on Council salaries.
(d) Discussion of Council Goal # 8: Enhancing
Public Participation in City Government
Joyce Nichols, Communications and Intergovernmental Relations Director, outlined the following proposed work plan for achieving Council Goal No. 8:
· Finalize recommendations on proposed changes to the public participation process, including: holding two town hall meetings each year; increasing the number of issues of Currents newsletter from six to 10 per year; and expanded and better use of City Web site and government access channel;
· Implement community information process on City’s long-range financial planning;
· Develop and implement a Public Information/Participation/ Decision-Making Matrix to define the appropriate public process for different types of decisions;
· Begin offering a “Citizen Academy” to provide more in-depth information to community members about City services and issues;
· Develop and implement communications plans around Citizen Satisfaction Survey results to provide information to neighborhoods/areas of City about needs/ problems/issues identified in the 2004 survey;
· Develop and implement citywide neighborhood-based emergency response information and training.
Mayor Hansen called for public comment.
(a) LaNita Wacker, Shoreline, suggested that public participation exercises, whether town hall meetings or other formats, should be opportunities for public interaction with the City Council. She commented that the Council’s dinner meetings are not widely announced, so she considers them “secret meetings” because the public is not aware of them. She felt the Bond Advisory Committee should reconvene to consider a bond issue for sidewalk construction. She noted that most public participation involves “action”; this is why citizen academies and the Planning Commission are so successful. She felt the Council could also work with “Friends of Fircrest,” the public, and other groups on potential opportunities to redevelop the Fircrest property.
Councilmember Grace felt there was Council consensus to conduct town hall meetings on a semiannual basis. He said these could be designed as either open forums or discussions of specific topics.
Councilmember Fimia felt the Council should move forward more quickly with this recommendation, noting that the Council subcommittee already provided an outline for the proposed town hall meetings. She felt this item should have returned to Council in the form of a specific work plan. She felt Council was missing an opportunity to have a town hall meeting on the Comprehensive Plan and master plans, since the upcoming budget discussions would likely monopolize the Council’s meeting schedule. She pointed out that the City Manager spent $8,000 on bullet # 2 without Council direction, so apparently these items do not have to go through an extensive process to be implemented. She said the proposal does not include the recommendation to allow community organizations to make presentations to the Council as part of the meeting agenda.
Given the limited time remaining, Councilmember Grace felt the Council should either consider the proposed work plan items or defer discussion to another meeting.
Mayor Hansen clarified that Council dinner meetings are open to the public and are held in the Highlander Room at 6:00 p.m. prior to every Monday regular meeting. He supported having semiannual town hall meetings.
Councilmember Ransom supported the work plan, although he agreed with Councilmember Fimia that some ideas the subcommittee proposed were not reflected in the plan. Mr. Olander commented that staff had difficulty determining Council consensus on some issues. Ms. Nichols said she would be happy to include the community agenda item if there is Council consensus.
Councilmember Fimia noted there was agreement on expanded/better use of the government access channel and the City website, but not on how to accomplish it.
Deputy Mayor Jepsen agreed with most of the work plan items, but felt Council should strike “expanded and better use of City Web site and government access channel” due to lack of specificity. He had reservations about bullet # 3 because identifying the appropriate decision-makers and participants in the public process has proved problematic. He said the City was criticized for the stakeholders it invited to its long-term planning exercise, and he did not want to set the City up for constant criticism of who is included and who is left out. He felt that occasional mistakes could be excused as long as the City makes good faith efforts to include all stakeholders.
Councilmember Grace felt the objective of the City website/government access channel item was to create partnerships with other organizations (school district, community college) that have similar resources in order to expand the use of these resources.
Councilmember Chang emphasized the need to consider how the Council can better serve the needs of the disabled and reach out to the increasing minority community.
Councilmember Gustafson favored most of the work plan items but felt the Council should also consider the costs and benefits of implementing them.
There was Council consensus to continue deliberation of this item at the October 25 Council meeting.
7. ADJOURNMENT
At 10:02 p.m., Mayor Hansen declared the meeting adjourned.
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Scott Passey, Deputy City Clerk