SUMMARY MINUTES OF DINNER MEETING

Monday, May 23, 2005 Shoreline Conference Center

6:00 p.m. Highlander Room

PRESENT: Mayor Hansen, Deputy Mayor Jepsen, Councilmembers Chang, Fimia, Grace, and Ransom

ABSENT: Councilmember Gustafson

STAFF: Steve Burkett, City Manager; Bob Olander, Deputy City Manager; Julie Modrzejewski, Assistant City Manager; and Joyce Nichols, Communications and Intergovernmental Relations Director

Mayor Hansen called the meeting to order at 6:20 p.m.

Joyce Nichols, Director of Communications and Intergovernmental Relations, provided a summary of the 2005 state legislative session that ended on April 24 and the period for the governor to sign or veto bills ended last week. Ms. Nichols summarized legislative actions on several issues Council had as top priorities for 2005. She noted that all things considered, the session was a good one for Shoreline. Some of the good news included:

· Shoreline received another $10 million for the Aurora project from N. 165^th – N. 205^th Streets. The funding comes from the new transportation revenue approved by the legislature on the last day of the session. The package raised the gas tax by 9.5 cents over the next four years.

· One penny of the gas tax increase will be split between cities and counties. Getting a direct distribution for local governments was a high priority this session. Shoreline’s share of this revenue is expected to be: $94,115 for Fiscal Year 2006; $214,834 for FY 2007; $230,925 for FY 2008; and $240,447 for FY 2009.

· Shoreline received approval for its $1.2 million capital request for the Interurban Trail and bridges that will cross Aurora Avenue and 155^th Street. Getting this funding is significant because of the highly competitive nature of the process.

· The budget was balanced without increasing the tax rate on mini-casinos. A coalition of interest groups was able to defeat Senate Bill 5287 which would have added a state tax on top of the local tax on these establishments. (However, the Legislature DID reinstitute the estate tax; increase the taxes on cigarettes by 60 cents/pack; and impose a $1.33 per liter tax on liquor to balance the budget.)

Other highlights included:

· ESHB 2171 allows cities additional time—until December 2005—to complete updates to their comprehensive plans and critical area ordinances. Cities taking the extra time are deemed to be “in compliance” with the update requirement necessary to apply for Public Works Trust Fund and Centennial Clean Water Fund grants and loans.

· E2SSB 5454 passed on the final day of session. It raises court filing fees to be used for a portion of district and elected municipal court judges’ salaries, and a pilot program to improve criminal indigent defense, civil legal services and dependency representation. The legislation also directs an interim study of court efficiencies.

· SHB 1000 was approved. This bill allows cities to add electronic mail to the methods it may use to call special meetings. This bill by was supported by the Washington Municipal Clerks Association, and Sharon Mattioli contributed to its eventual success.

· Highlights of human services legislation include:

o $80 million in proposed cuts to mental health funding was restored. These funds maintain access to services for people with chronic mental health concerns.

o Delayed imposition of premiums for children’s health insurance and improved access to health insurance by allowing eligibility determinations to last for a 12-month period. This is a very important prevention program for children.

o Restored funds for the Readiness to Learn program. In Shoreline, RTO funds family advocates at Kellogg, Shorecrest and Parkwood schools. This is a critical prevention/intervention program for school-age children and their families.

o The Housing Trust Fund received a $20 million increase over the coming biennium, bringing the trust fund total to $100 million to help support development of affordable housing such as the Vet’s Center.

Ms. Nichols described some disappointing things that did/did not happen during the 2005 session, including:

· No streamlined sales tax measure was approved. The overriding issue is still how much and for how long mitigation should be provided to jurisdictions “losing” sales tax revenue under a change in how sales tax revenues are distributed—from the existing point of sale distribution method to point of delivery.

· The budget approved by the Legislature is not sustainable in future years. State spending increased 12% under this budget. Revenues are not increasing at that rate.

· The legislature did not pass any local options for funding transportation projects and services. Local options would help cities replace revenue lost due to passage of Initiative 776 and help cities replace and repair their transportation infrastructure.

· SSB 5494 proposed to “freeze” the number and location of social card rooms at the current number (plus those applications in process) as a means of dealing with clarifying local land use and zoning authority regarding gambling. This bill was in play until the final days of the session, but no final action was taken. We will continue to work with interested legislators on this issue during the interim.

Councilmember Ransom brought two items for discussion from the Suburban Cities Association Public Involvement Committee:

· King Conservation District assessment increase; and

· Potential annexation areas and King County assessments.

Council discussed each of these.

Mayor Hansen adjourned the meeting at 7:20 p.m.

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Joyce Nichols, Director of Communications and Intergovernmental Relations