CITY OF
SHORELINE
CITY COUNCIL
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
2. FLAG SALUTE/ROLL CALL
Mayor
Hansen led the flag salute. Upon roll
call by the Deputy City Clerk, all Councilmembers were present, with the exception
of Councilmembers Chang, Fimia and Gustafson, who arrived shortly thereafter.
3. CITY MANAGER’S REPORT
4. REPORTS
OF BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS
Councilmember Gustafson reported on the Water Resource
Inventory Area 8 (WRIA-8) Steering Committee proposed salmon conservation plan. He said elected officials have 90-days to
review the plan and provide comments.
Councilmember Ransom commented on the concern about
water reserves in the region.
5. PUBLIC
COMMENT
(a) Bob Barta, Shoreline, questioned the stability
of surface soil at the
(b) Paul Blauert, Shoreline,
said that tree cutting in the Innis Arden Reserves has caused slope
instability, erosion, sinkholes, and landslides in and around the Innis Arden
neighborhood. He noted the large sinkhole that occurred in
the
There was Council consensus to allow Mr. Blauert to provide a brief slide presentation of environmental
conditions in Innis Arden.
(c) Virginia
Paulsen, Shoreline, reported on topics from two town hall meetings held on the
City Hall project and the Comprehensive Plan update. She noted that speakers discussed process
issues, citizen involvement, “zero impact development,” landscaping options,
housing problems, managed growth, finances, and other techniques to mitigate
development impacts. She encouraged Deputy
Mayor Jepsen to talk to the Deputy Mayor of
(d)
Vicki Westberg, Shoreline, urged the City to purchase the Shoreline
Water District property known as the Southwoods,
located at NE 150th and 25th NE in order to preserve the
area for environmental education opportunities.
She felt this property could provide the “laboratory” for environmental
study by local middle schools and high schools. She said the time is right to think of the forest
as a positive and unique feature of junior and senior high school curricula, and
as a resource that “doesn’t need to be cut down.” She said the resource could be used year
after year to train students in the environmental sciences. She urged the Council to be leaders in the
fields of education and environment, noting that the property would be a source
of pride from many perspectives.
(e)
Janet Way,
Shoreline, representing the Sno-King Environmental Council, Thornton Creek Legal Defense Fund, and
Paramount Park Neighborhood Group, said that several of the policies in the
Comprehensive Plan support the purchase of the Southwoods
property, including PR2, PR8, PR18, PR13, PR32, PR25, PR34, and PR38. She concurred with the points made by the
previous speaker, noting that forests are extremely valuable for preventing
erosion, improving water quality, air quality, and providing open space. She supported Mr. Blauert’s
statements regarding Innis Arden and read from last week’s staff report that
indicated the City has the potential to improve fish habitat. She encouraged the Council to follow the
City’s stated policies, including the prevention of tree cutting.
(f)
Gene Maddox,
Shoreline, said he has observed the erosion and degradation of the Innis Arden
reserves for the past 45 years. He said the
Innis Arden Board does not represent his views, and are “defrauding me of my
property rights and my liberty.” He
referred to a study showing that Innis Arden is a very sensitive area and
susceptible to slides. He volunteered to
escort the Council on a tour of the area to show them the conditions. He said tree cutting causes unstable soil and
increases the flow of water into gullies, thereby accelerating the
erosion.
(g)
George Mauer, Shoreline,
asked the Council to consider formal recognition of the Shoreline Chamber of Commerce
sponsorship of the two public open forums on the siting
of city hall. He also urged the Council
to formally recognize the efforts of the Shoreline firefighters who
participated in an annual fundraising event in
(h)
Dom Amor, Shoreline, thanked the Council for its work over the
past 10 years in maintaining the vision of a more progressive community. He used
(i)
Elaine Phelps,
Shoreline, felt that the City’s current process for pre-application neighborhood
meetings is deficient because the meetings are controlled entirely by the
applicant. She wondered how she could
get access to the audio recording of a recent pre-application meeting. She expressed concern about the City’s
Critical Areas Ordinance, noting that tree cutting in critical areas to
preserve views has nothing to do with protecting critical areas. She also asked about the process for getting
access to City staff, noting her understanding that staff work for the City
Council, who in turn work for the citizens.
She felt the City Manager should not intervene between the actions of a
Councilmember and a staff member. She
noted that Innis Arden has had a vegetation management plan since 1997, but
City staff is not aware of it and the plan is never consulted. She urged the City to strictly enforce its
codes. She said it took her until today
to get answers about the
(j)
Brian Derdowski, Bellevue,
noted that three geologists testified last week at an appeal hearing that there
is great potential for slide/slope instability as a result of issuing a
clearing and grading permit in Innis Arden.
He said although appeals of the Hearing Examiner’s decision are heard in
Superior Court, the Council is on constructive notice of a public emergency in
Innis Arden. He urged the Council to
impose a moratorium on additional tree cutting in Innis Arden because of the
potential for significant liability on the part of the City. He said the City has no geologist or
qualified arborist on staff, and it did not consult its surface water expert in
the aforementioned permit. He said
voting on the Comprehensive Plan amendments in “blocks” poses a substantial
procedural problem, since it appears that the Council has prejudged the
amendments without detailed analysis. He
urged the Council to follow correct parliamentary procedures as well so it
“doesn’t stub its toe on minor technical procedural problems.”
Responding to Mayor Hansen regarding Ms. Phelps’
comment, Mr. Burkett explained that as City Manager, he can either answer
Council questions directly or select the staff member that most appropriately
can answer the question. He said the
Mayor has the responsibility to direct and approve responses to questions.
Councilmember Fimia noted that she was only asking a
question of a staff member at the podium at the previous meeting. She was not directing staff.
Deputy Mayor Jepsen asked staff to follow up on the
sinkhole near
Responding to Deputy Mayor Jepsen,
Councilmember Gustafson urged the public to approach
the school board regarding the Southwoods issue.
Councilmember Chang requested that staff brief the
Council on erosion and critical areas issues in the near future. He noted that Shorewood Hills and Innis Arden
have experienced similar erosion problems.
Councilmember Ransom pointed out that some of the Southwoods property could be developed as a neighborhood
park, since there are no such parks in Briarcrest. He felt the City should take more control
over the pre-application neighborhood meeting process. He noted that a past neighborhood meeting he
attended was not adequately conducted and did not fulfill the stated
requirements. He also felt the City
should have nationally certified or licensed professionals either on staff or
providing professional opinions in land use matters.
Councilmember Fimia requested that the Shoreline
firefighters and the Shorewood High School Jazz Band be recognized by City
proclamation.
Mr. Burkett introduced Tom Boydell,
the City’s new Economic Development Manager.
6.
ACTION ITEM
(a)
Ordinance No. 375
adopting a six month reduction in the City gambling tax on social cardrooms to 10%
of gross receipts; amending Shoreline Municipal Code 3.30.020; and providing a
sunset of the tax reduction
Mayor Hansen called for
public comment.
(a) Virginia Paulsen, Shoreline, expressed support
for a gambling tax reduction, noting that the Seattle PI states that 58% of all gambling revenues are earned by
native tribes casinos.
She felt this indicates that local casinos are “endangered,” which is a
particular problem since Shoreline has problems with retaining businesses. She said the Interurban Trail and
(b) Greg Logan, Shoreline, supported the tax
reduction and commented favorably on the facilities at Club Hollywood Casino. He felt the City should do what it can to
keep businesses healthy.
Councilmember Ransom moved to pass Ordinance No.
375. Councilmember Fimia seconded the
motion.
Councilmember Ransom urged
the Council to support the motion, noting that many gambling establishments
have failed due to high taxation. He
described his efforts to persuade the state legislature not to pass Senate Bill
5287, which would increase gambling taxes by an additional 10 percent. He said the fiscal note to the bill analyzed
all the expenses and financial statements of local casinos from December 2003,
so that information is available to the City.
He commented on various estimates of how many casinos would survive if
the additional tax is imposed. The
fiscal note said that 57 of the 81 operating house-banked cardrooms would be in
the red with a loss, but staff estimated that only 20 were expected to
close. He urged the Council to pass the
temporary reduction, since it would give the City time to analyze the financial
statements to determine if a permanent reduction is necessary.
Councilmember Gustafson
wondered if this decision could be postponed until the legislature decides the
status of SB 5287.
Mr. Olander said the City
will not know the outcome of SB 5287 until the end of the legislative
session.
Councilmember Chang said it
could cost the City significantly more than the $120,000 it will lose during
the six-month moratorium, because if businesses fail, the City will collect no
tax. He felt the loss of $120,000 could
be made up in different ways. He
suggested that the City work with the gambling businesses on ways to become
more profitable, thereby increasing revenues for everyone.
Mr. Burkett noted that it
is not really the City’s role to be involved in business marketing
programs. He said the real policy
question is whether a 1% tax reduction will make a difference in the
profitability of local casinos, and whether they would go bankrupt without a
tax reduction.
Mr. Olander noted that the
City has worked cooperatively with local casinos in many ways in the past. The City has supported their efforts to
expand and improve their facilities through the permitting process as well as through
legislative acts such as the extension of off-track betting.
Councilmember Grace
expressed support for the motion, although his support of an extension of the
tax reduction would depend on cooperation from the casinos in supplying their
financial statements so a comprehensive analysis can be made. He felt the Council should make any long-term
decision on a policy basis rather than on an emergency basis.
Councilmember Gustafson
concurred, adding that the Council needs to make an informed decision.
Deputy Mayor Jepsen wished
to ensure that the intent is to eliminate the 1% reduction if the State
Legislature passes SB 5287 or any other similar bill. Mr. Sievers confirmed that the rate would
revert back to 11% on the day the legislature enacts such measures.
Councilmember Fimia
expressed support for the motion, noting that this measure is not an expansion
of gambling in Shoreline. She emphasized that Shoreline is dependent
upon gambling revenues, both in the operating and capital budgets, and that
gambling is the only industry which is taxed at such a high rate. She stressed the need to complete the
financial analysis in a timely manner, since the businesses have offered to
provide their financial statements.
Mayor Hansen supported the
staff recommendation not to pass a tax reduction because it is uncertain how
state legislation might affect the City’s ability to collect gambling taxes. He said if the state raises the rate to 20%,
then the City’s reduction will have no effect.
Additionally, the casinos’ expenses will go up, and the $120,000 in lost
City revenues will be spent by the state.
Councilmember Ransom pointed
out that the increase from $2.5 million in gambling tax revenue in 2003 to $3.3
million in 2004 can essentially be attributed to Club Hollywood, which paid the
City $750,000 last year. This amount was
not reflected in 2003, so the increase from that one additional club more than compensates
for the difference a 1% tax cut would make.
He emphasized that the casinos made an emergency request for a tax cut
in November 2004, and there is no reason to delay it because the Council
already voted to approve a tax cut last month.
He added that normally this item would be on the consent calendar
because it was approved on
A vote was taken on the motion adopting Ordinance No.
375, which carried 6-1, with Mayor Hansen dissenting.
Sergeant Kevin Fagerstrom,
Shoreline Police, reported on traffic enforcement activities of the Shoreline
police department. He pointed out that
prior to incorporation, the sheriff’s office only had
14 traffic officers working the entire county, with minimum traffic coverage in
Shoreline. Following reprioritization by
the City Council, Shoreline’s traffic enforcement unit grew from two to five
officers. Morning and afternoon school
zone enforcement is a major priority for the traffic unit. The traffic unit issues approximately 5,000
citations in a 12-month period, and also handles the majority of accident
investigations throughout the City.
He pointed out that
Continuing, Mr. Meredith
discussed the success of the Residential Permit Zone (RPZ) program, noting that
the Highland Terrace Neighborhood is very pleased with the positive
results. He noted the efforts to make
revised school walking route maps available to the public before the start of
school next year. He concluded his
presentation by outlining the City’s next steps. The City plans to evaluate the effectiveness
of current pilot projects, streamline the review process for permits, and
develop neighborhood traffic action plans.
The City will continue to update its inventory, review street design
standards, prioritize sidewalks, manage the NTSP, and provide traffic
engineering support.
Mayor Hansen called for
public comment.
(a) David
Townsend,
Responding to Mayor Hansen,
Mr. Meredith explained that the school route maps he revised were the maps
developed for the school district six years ago. Mr. Haines added that before the maps are
finalized, they will meet with school principals to ensure they are accurate
and complete.
(b) Fran Lilliness, Shoreline, suggested a change in national
driving laws that would require a car to activate its hazard lights when
stopped for a pedestrian in a crosswalk.
She felt this would alleviate the danger of pedestrian/vehicle
accidents, since this would alert the vehicles following behind or in the
adjacent travel lane. She described the
status of a child struck by a car in a
Deputy Mayor Jepsen asked
about the working relationship between the City and the District Court, since
the police issued 5,000 tickets last year and the court has to adjudicate them.
Mr. Burkett said the new
agreement with
Responding to Deputy Mayor
Jepsen, Sergeant Fagerstrom described the sting operations the traffic unit
conducts to determine if drivers are stopping for pedestrians in crosswalks. He noted that the unit issued 17 citations in
less than two hours in one location. He
added that the traffic unit issues jaywalking tickets as well.
Mr. Haines pointed out that
intersections are considered crosswalks even if there are no marked crosswalks
present. He reported that traffic
services counted 260 people crossing
Councilmember Gustafson
commended Public Works, the Customer Response Team and the traffic unit for
their responsiveness, particularly to reports of missing traffic signage. He wondered if there were any traffic results
from the new pavement and speed signs at
Mr. Meredith responded that
survey data should be available soon for the improvements at Shorewood. He said in a number of other traffic projects
he has worked on, road narrowing has always resulted in safety
improvements. Overall speeds were
decreased, the multiple threat to pedestrians was
eliminated, and there was only a slight decrease in traffic capacity.
Mr. Haines concurred, noting
that a four-lane configuration is a driver-focused orientation, whereas a
three-lane configuration is more of a pedestrian-focused design.
9. ADJOURNMENT
At
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