CITY OF SHORELINE
SHORELINE CITY COUNCIL
Monday, November 22, 2004 Shoreline Conference Center
6:00 p.m. Highlander Room
PRESENT: Mayor Hansen, Deputy Mayor Jepsen, Councilmembers Chang, Fimia, Grace, Gustafson, and Ransom
ABSENT: none
STAFF: Steve Burkett, City Manager; Bob Olander, Deputy City Manager; Julie Modrzejewski, Assistant City Manager; and Joyce Nichols, Community and Intergovernmental Relations Director
Mayor Hansen convened the meeting at 6:25 p.m.
Steve Burkett, City Manager, introduced the topic for the meeting, a review of the 2004 legislative priorities and over of the coming state legislative session. He introduced Joyce Nichols, Community and Intergovernmental Relations Director, who reviewed the 2004 priorities adopted by the Council in January. Those included:
· Support funding for the City’s Capital Improvement Projects including the Aurora Corridor and Interurban Trail.
· Support protection of existing revenue sources and oppose unfunded mandates. The impacts of statewide Initiatives 695, 747 and 776 have reduced city revenues, placing a severe strain on the ability of cities to provide local services. Shoreline supports replacement of these revenues by the state.
· Support the multi-state “sales tax streamlining” initiative as the best means to allow eventual collection of legally owed sales and use taxes from online/mail order sales.
· Support legislation designed to remove inefficiencies in providing services and provide new ways to provide essential services, including legislation protecting our ability to purchase goods and services through intergovernmental agreements; supporting city authority to cooperatively provide municipal court services through interlocal agreements with other cities to promote provision of court services in a cost-effective, efficient manner for both the cities and the public.
· If the Legislature acts to close or substantially reduce the Fircrest School operations, the City of Shoreline supports and would help facilitate proposals to allow the city, residents and other major stakeholders participation in the redevelopment planning process of the Fircrest Campus.
· Oppose reductions in the maximum tax rate on mini-casinos and other gambling activities.
· Support legislation providing a city option to allow electronic pull tabs if at least one-half of the tax revenue is to be retained by the city.
· Oppose legislation that reduces or changes transportation funding and revenue sharing between the state and cities.
· Monitor proposed changes in the Regional Transportation Investment District and support those that are beneficial to Shoreline’s interests in regional solutions to Puget Sound’s traffic problems.
· Strong support for increased state funding for a balanced transportation revenue package that provides additional revenue to cities to fund large-scale projects that improve safety and relieve congestion on regionally significant roads.
· Support legislation granting King County authority to impose utility taxes in unincorporated areas of King County.
· Monitor health/human services program legislation so there is no further erosion of the safety net for our most vulnerable residents and to prevent cost shifts from the state to cities.
Ms. Nichols also gave an overview of changes in the make-up of the Legislature for the coming session. She noted that the Democrats hold majorities in both the House and the Senate, but the Governor’s race was still up in the air. By the latest recount, Senator Dino Rossi was leading by just a handful of votes and had been declared Governor-elect by Secretary of State Sam Reed. With such a close race, one and possibly more vote recounts may occur.
Issues highlighted by Nichols for the coming session included:
· Additional local options for transportation funding including gas tax increase, indexing the gas tax to inflation, a fuel efficiency tax, a street utility and others.
· Planned increases to fund the PERS retirement system, including a recommendation by the state actuary that rates increase by about 2.5% in 2005-06, by 5.5% in 2006-07, by 8.25% in 2007-08 and 8.44% in 2008-09. Shoreline has the first year of increases funded because previous City Council direction was to treat the reduction in employer’s rates as one-time funding and continue to budget as a hedge against future increases.
· Issues related to public disclosure as a result of the Hangartner decision by the State Supreme Court.
· Municipal court authority to allow cities to continue contracting with other cities to provide mutual court facilities.
· Clarification that local governments have the authority to designate and zone areas for gambling activities.
· A slate of economic development tools is being developed. Staff will review these and recommend which, if any Council might wish to support.
Ms. Nichols asked Councilmembers to provide suggested changes, additions, etc., to her, noting that she would consolidate proposed priorities for adoption at the Council’s January 10 meeting.
Mayor Hansen declared the meeting adjourned at 7:25 p.m.
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Joyce Nichols, Community and Intergovernmental Relations Director