CITY OF SHORELINE
SHORELINE CITY COUNCIL
Monday, May 15, 2006 Shoreline Conference Center
PRESENT: Mayor Ransom, Deputy Mayor Fimia, and Councilmembers Hansen, McGlashan, Ryu, and Way
ABSENT: Councilmember Gustafson
1. CALL TO ORDER
The meeting was called to order at 6:37 p.m. by Mayor Ransom, who presided.
2. FLAG SALUTE/ROLL CALL
Mayor Ransom led the flag salute. Upon roll call by the Deputy City Clerk, all Councilmembers were present with the exception of Councilmember Gustafson.
Upon motion by Councilmember Hansen, seconded by Councilmember McGlashan and carried 6-0, Councilmember Gustafson was excused.
(a) Proclamation of “Kelly Stephens Week”
Mayor Ransom read the proclamation and named the week of May 15 – 19, 2006 as “Kelly Stephens Week” in the City of Shoreline. He presented the proclamation to Kelly Stephens for her efforts in being a bronze medal recipient on the United States Women’s Hockey Team during the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy. He noted that Kelly grew up in Shoreline and is a graduate of Shorewood High School.
Ms. Stephens thanked the City Council and the Mayor for the proclamation. She noted that she skated at the Highline Ice Arena, where she scored her first goal. She said the Olympics was “a dream come true” and appreciated the City of Shoreline for recognizing her.
(b) Legislative Report – House Representative Ruth Kagi
Representative Kagi said that this is the first time in four years the legislation met without a deficit. She noted that almost $900 million was set aside in the budget for pensions, education, and healthcare which will be available next year. She added that $500 million was invested to restore some of the previous healthcare and education cuts. She announced that tutoring, summer school, and supplemental programs will be available for students who fail the WASL. She said there is a portfolio option for a child that fails the WASL twice. For students who fail in an area but have the same grades of those who passed the WASL, that child will be able to get a credit for the portion they pass based on a formula. She also highlighted that SAT and ACT scores will be incorporated to determine if the math portion of the WASL can be “excused.” She said that one of her main issues this session was funding for school districts with staffed residential homes where the state is placing out-of-district children with high needs. She said the final budget contains an allocation of funding for this. The Shoreline School District (SSD) has the second highest concentration in the state, and they are working to come up with an agreement on exchanging information and how those children will be served. She said there will be $22,000 per child available from the state for this school year and next school year to defray the special education costs of these children. If the costs are higher, the SSD can assist the parents and apply for safety net funding. Another education bill she worked on this session is early childhood programs. Expenditures for remediation for older kids have been overwhelming, but scientific research points to addressing the issues earlier (preschool). The Governor proposed a Department of Early Learning and the forming of a private/public partnership. This passed the legislature 47 – 1. The partnership “Thrive by Five” is co-chaired by Gregoire and Gates, Sr. She said the partnership has almost $100 million and will focus on parent education. Several private firms have partnered with the state on improving the quality of preschool childcare. The state will provide increased reimbursements to childcare providers who strive for higher standards. She continued and discussed other items she worked on during this session, including legislation related to secure loads (transportation), streamlined sales tax, and unfunded liability pensions.
She highlighted that there were tremendous deadlocks on several major issues and Governor Gregoire did a tremendous job through her leadership to bring the House and the Senate together to reach consensus. She said the Governor was the reason this session was so successful.
Councilmember Ryu noted that interested local teachers could get involved with the “Thrive by Five” program by contacting Representative Kagi’s office.
Councilmember Hansen asked for more information on the pension contribution bill.
Representative Kagi stated that the employer contribution rate increase was modest because legislators were mindful of the obligation they are creating on the part of all cities and counties in Washington.
Councilmember Way thanked Representative Kagi for her report and inquired if children can get any credit for excelling in other areas such as the arts and sports on the WASL.
Representative Kagi said students who graduate need to be able to have basic skills in reading, writing, and math in order to function in society. These skills tie in directly with the ability to secure a job. She said she is concerned about how to tie the WASL in with the arts and sports. This issue of how students with gifts in other areas are able to succeed needs to be worked out, she commented.
Councilmember Way added that students who do well in sports do well in competing. She asked about the amount of the allocation for the special needs children in group homes. Representative Kagi responded that the allocation was $22,000. Councilmember Way asked what they would need to access all of the funding. Representative Kagi said the funding is available through the school district in order to meet the needs of these children. Councilmember Way inquired whether $22,000 was an adequate amount.
Representative Kagi replied that she felt it wasn’t but there were more funds available through the school district. Councilmember Way inquired about the current Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) investigations.
Representative Kagi said she has spoken to the Children’s Administration Assistant Secretary numerous times and a report was due out last Friday. A provisional license plan is to be established, and there are deficiencies that will have to be addressed. Safety for these children is the most important issue, she said.
Councilmember McGlashan thanked Representative Kagi for coming and for an incredible year, noting that she personally passed five bills. He pointed out that the League of Education voters named her as Champion of Education. He said she also received an award from the Children’s Alliance and she was named the “Champion of Children.” He thanked her for doing a great job and fighting for the City of Shoreline.
Deputy Mayor Fimia questioned whether the state speaks with the school districts prior to placing children in group homes.
Representative Kagi replied that the Children’s Administration and the Division of Developmental Disabilities are responsible for the children’s residential care. She noted that there are limited residences for these children; however, these organizations work to find the best placement for the child. After the child is placed the providers are responsible for exchanging information with the school district to provide for the needs of the child. Safety and placement of the child is the state’s first priority.
Deputy Mayor Fimia inquired if Fircrest has a program for their children.
Representative Kagi replied that Fircrest doesn’t have many children, and she is sure the school district receives an institutional grant for the teacher to go to Fircrest, or the student comes to the school.
Mayor Ransom thanked Representative Kagi for the sales tax attempt in the last legislative session. He noted that the $22,000 amount was different from Fodor Homes, which calculated the average expense to be $31,000. This, he calculated, leaves a $9,000 gap between the need and the allocation. He said he hopes there is adequate funding if a family needs to appeal for the additional assistance.
Representative Kagi noted that the proviso addresses most of the needs under the “Safety Net Program;” however, there is one example of a child in a special school in Mercer Island which is above the basic amount of $22,000, but the Safety Net Program should meet the need.
Mayor Ransom said one of the options he wanted to see was the option of alternative testing (non-timed power testing), such as the Woodcock-Johnson achievement test, as an alternative to the WASL. He said that wasn’t an option derived by the legislature. He asked if there was a push for any other non-timed tests being utilized.
She said she was unaware of any other testing methods but she said she would research it and report back to the Council.
Mayor Ransom inquired about the article regarding the utilizing of unaccredited degrees from universities as Class A felony.
Representative Kagi said she and several other House members agreed it should be a felony for companies who give them out, but not for people who are holding these degrees. She said she hopes the bill doesn’t say that the people will be charged with Class A felonies. She concluded that she will check on that and if need be rescind the bill so that the companies be charged, not the people who seek to obtain a degree.
Representative Kagi said it is a joy to work with Joyce Nichols and she enjoys her timely communications and support over the years.
3. CITY MANAGER’S REPORT AND FUTURE AGENDAS
Mr. Olander, City Manager, noted there has been a significant increase in traffic citations because of the high priority placed on traffic enforcement by the Council. He highlighted the traffic enforcement statistics and said the citations increased by 200% since the police department began this emphasis. He reported that the City has been receiving good feedback from citizens and business owners. He added that the bridge girders will be installed on Aurora Avenue on Friday, May 19th and the road will be closed from 7:00 p.m. until 6:00 a.m. He announced that the King County Wastemobile will be at the Sears parking lot from May 19 – 21, 2006. He announced that there is a Planning Commission Meeting on May 18th at 7:00 p.m. regarding the permanent hazardous tree regulations and the critical areas stewardship plan. He noted that the paving on 15th Avenue NE from 173rd Street to 15th Place NE is complete. He noted that the City’s Spring Clean Sweep Recycling Event occurred last week and a report on the quanity will be given to the Council at a later date. He noted that the average wait at the event was 35 minutes per vehicle. He added that the Park Bond vote was on May 16th and citizens are invited to Ivy Out events this week at Hamlin Park and Echo Lake Park. He said there are many events going on in the City and referred the public to the City’s website for more information.
Deputy Mayor Fimia said it is great that there are traffic enforcement results. She asked if there was a follow-up letter sent to the District Court to let them know there is more activity and that they should enforce the violations to the best of their ability.
Mr. Olander noted that the City did inform the prosecutor that there would be an emphasis and he said we could check to see how many have been mitigated and reduced.
Deputy Mayor Fimia noted that she went on a police ride-along and there was little activity, which was expected.
Councilmember McGlashan thanked the police for the increased enforcement and he said inquired about an e-mail he forwarded to the City Manager. He said the e-mail stated there were no warnings about the speeds in the school zones, just enforcement.
Mr. Olander responded that the signage is appropriate for the school zones in Shoreline.
Councilmember Way noted that she also went on a ride-along. She expressed that Officer Hurley was very professional with a driver who did not have a driver’s license. Turning to another topic, she asked if the City had invited local businesses to the bridge event on May 19.
Mr. Olander said the City has provided adequate notice and spoken to business owners about making it an event to promote sales in their stores.
Councilmember Way asked how citizens would come to see the event.
Paul Haines, Public Works Director, responded on the plan to reroute traffic on alternate routes.
Councilmember Way pointed out that the street trees in North City were going to be installed. She asked how they will be watered all summer.
Mr. Haines said the contractor has a warranty on the trees and they should survive or the contractor will replace them.
Councilmember Hansen is pleased that the cars were lined up to participate in Clean Sweep. However, the North City project completion date was supposed to be May 31 and there have been several different dates communicated. He asked for the correct completion date.
Mr. Haines said there have been extensions and he doesn’t have the exact completion date. He reminded the Council that there are “punch list” items and they should look for substantial completion in June.
Mr. Olander noted that Seattle City Light and Qwest still have work to do.
Councilmember McGlashan asked if there was a completion date for the trestles at N. 155th Street.
Mr. Haines said he would return to Council with a time estimate.
4. PUBLIC COMMENT
(a) Rick Stephens, owner of Highland Ice Arena, said there was no place for Kelly Stephens to play hockey, and she outplayed the boys. He said she had a passion to play hockey since she was 8. Her father allowed her to leave home and play in Canada. He said living in Canada was hard for her and she is full of determination that carries through her family. He urged all parents to support their children in fulfilling their dreams, just as Kelly’s parents have.
(b) Diana Stephens, Snohomish, on behalf of the Shoreline Chamber of Commerce, said there are 20 scholarships under the “Dollar for Scholars” program. She said they will be presented at the Chamber Award Luncheon on Friday, June 9 and she invited the Council to attend.
Mayor Ransom announced that the Park Bond was passed unanimously by the Council and he encouraged all residents to go out and vote tomorrow.
RECESS
At 7:46 pm., Mayor Ransom called for a five-minute recess. The meeting reconvened at 7:53 p.m.
Mayor Ransom introduced Boy Scout Troop 853 for the purpose of conducting a Color Guard Flag Salute.
Troop 853 led the Color Guard Flag Salute. The Troop Master announced that they are chartered by the Lunchtime Rotary Club of Shoreline and meet at Sunset Elementary School every Monday night. He said their participation tonight helps them complete requirements for two merit badges: citizenship in the nation, and communications.
5. COUNCIL REPORTS
Deputy Mayor Fimia thanked Troop 853 and said they are the future of Shoreline.
Councilmember Way thanked Troop 853 and encouraged them to go for a visit to the Police Department.
Councilmember Ryu said the last SeaShore Transit meeting was April 19 and the funding for the second and third mile for Aurora Avenue is in the funding competition endorsement list. The next meeting is May 17 and the agenda item has been forwarded to the rest of the Council for their input. She added she went to Korea for the National Unification Advisory Council meeting. She reported that she went to the Korea Times on May 8 and delivered the plaque and proclamation for Ambassador Kim that the Mayor presented in March.
Councilmember McGlashan noted that he attended the Children’s Justice Conference. He attended several classes and discussed several items he learned at the conference. He said he is doing a report for the Northshore/Shoreline Community Network on developing a children’s advocacy center and will give a copy to the Council once it is completed. He added that he will be attending the National League of Cities (NLC) Community and Economic Development Conference in Wichita, Kansas.
Mayor Ransom said he also attended the SeaShore Conference and the cities of Bothell and Kenmore from the Eastside submitted a bid in competition with Shoreline’s bid in the SeaShore Forum. He said that currently there are twenty grants, which would be reduced to twelve. If the Bothell bid from the Eastside Forum is allowed to stand as bidding in two competitions, this would mean Shoreline could lose the $6.6 million for phase two of the Aurora Corridor Project. He said they met with King County Councilmember Ferguson because Kenmore and Bothell are not in the SeaShore bidding areas, but they are bidding against us. Councilmember Ferguson agreed that they don’t have authority to bid in this jurisdiction, and he will meet next week to let them know they can leave and join SeaShore or stay on the Eastside, but not both. He explained that they cannot submit their names on two bids, one for the Eastside and one for Seashore. He said he is also attending the conference in Witchita, Kansas as part of the NLC Human Development Committee.
6. WORKSHOP ITEMS
(a) Report – Community Storefront Program
Mr. Olander introduced this item and briefly discussed the Storefront Program.
Tony Burtt, Police Chief thanked the Councilmembers Way and Deputy Mayor Fimia for their comments about the ride-along program. He introduced the Eastside Storefront Officer, Officer Elfenson, and the Westside Storefront Officer, Officer Obstler.
Officer Obstler defined a storefront as a police center located close to homes and businesses. She noted that there are two storefronts known as Shoreline Neighborhood Police Centers that were established in 1996. She continued by highlighting the mission and the volunteers of each storefront. She discussed staffing levels, the responsibilities of the volunteers, and the different programs they include. These programs and responsibilities include:
· Citizen Park Patrols - bi-weekly patrols to deter criminal activity (over 100 per year).
· Court Notification Program - 3,338 calls made with an estimated savings of $100,000 per year. Each courthouse had a 36% drop in Failure To Appears (FTAs). This program was initiated by a former City Council Member and has received National Recognition.
· Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) Program surveys homes and businesses for potential weaknesses which make their property more susceptible to burglary or damage. For example, a business was burglarized three times and through the removal of a large tree in front of the business, the burglaries ceased. This allowed the neighbors to see the front of the business and be able to report any illegal activity.
· False Alarm Reduction Program - over 500 false alarms per year with approximately 300 citations written which has generated approximately $13,000 in false alarm citations
· Updating E-911 Business Emergency Contacts - volunteers contact businesses to update cards
· Crime Analysis - Business Watch Crime Mapping and Summaries
· Vacation House Checks - over 300 per year
· Victim Call Back Program - over 670 calls per year
· Volunteer Databases
· Block Watch mapping
· Senior Interaction Group - assisted by the Community Services Officer
· Community Events - Celebrate Shoreline Parade, Festivals
· Safety Presentations
· Pet Licensing
· Assist with Neighborhood Traffic Safety Program (NTSP) by training with an available Radar gun and Reader Board
· Answer phone inquiries and help citizens who daily drop in with concerns with over 2,400 walk-in’s per year and over 1,800 phone calls
· Court Transports
· Crime Prevention Articles for Community
· School Resource Officers
· Attend Council of Neighborhoods meetings
· Attend Community Notification Meetings for recently released Level II and Level III sex offenders
· Annual Block Watch Captain’s Meeting
· Coordinate National Night Out Against Crime
· Anti-Auto Theft Program - Task Force device (The “Club”)
· Project Home Safe - gun locks and gun safety education
· Provide ongoing training and annual recognition for police volunteers
Officer Obstler distributed some reading material to the Council pertaining to the various programs outlined above.
Mr. Olander reminded the Council that one of their potential goals was combating auto theft. He said he requested that the Police Chief Burtt and the King County Sheriffs Department develop a prevention program. He noted that at the Regular Meeting on June 12 the program will be presented to the Council.
Councilmember Ryu asked how someone would volunteer to work at a storefront and how business owners could update their E-911 forms. Officer Obstler noted they can call or visit the precinct or the police centers.
Councilmember McGlashan inquired about the storefront business hours. Officer Obstler said the storefronts are open from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. every day.
Councilmember Way inquired what calls would be referred to the precinct and which would go to the police centers. Officer Obstler responded that they believe in “one stop shopping” at the storefronts and they would help anyone with any issue.
Chief Burtt said a crime in progress would go to the precinct or 911, but follow-up would go to the police centers.
Councilmember Way asked about paintball guns and if there are any programs to discuss them. Officer Elfenson noted that the officers carry real guns and paintball guns should not be pointed at them. She said the kids need to think because the officers will not take the time to ask if the gun is real if they get an emergency call.
Councilmember Way inquired if they had any programs that could benefit from more City funding. Officer Obstler responded that their most treasured asset is their volunteers, so there are no specific budget requests at this time.
Deputy Mayor Fimia thanked them for the work and asked about the next Citizen’s Academy. Officer Obstler said there is a Citizen’s Academy in Shoreline for Shoreline, Woodinville, and Kenmore and there is one in Burien. The academy is held once per year and classes are held every Tuesday night. The academy provides an overview of what the police department does and what services the residents have available to them.
Deputy Mayor Fimia asked about the Landlord Training program. Officer Obstler responded that speakers come from King County and other agencies to discuss ways to research tenants and take legal action if needed. They are trained in background checks, credit checks, domestic violence, drug enforcement, and how to identify tenant drug use.
Deputy Mayor Fimia noted the City could place one police-related item in the Currents or another advertisement venue. She asked for their feedback as part of the Council goals process.
Councilmember Hansen thanked Chief Burtt for the program and said the Academy program is outstanding. He noted that his family has been through it and it should be advertised throughout the City. He congratulated them on their success over the past 10 years.
Mayor Ransom said he is pleased with the storefronts and the community policing. He congratulated both of the officers on being a school resource. He pointed out that he was the Councilmember on the Law and Justice Committee that brought back the court date reminder program. He stated that Eric Swanson was the staff member that helped implement it.
Councilmember McGlashan asked about the ability of handicapped citizens to take the Citizen’s Academy and becoming volunteers. Officer Elfenson said she had a blind volunteer, however, they have not been at the storefront in months. She said volunteering is open to any and all residents and the Citizen Academy it is not a prerequisite for volunteers. She noted that there is an application and interview process which includes a polygraph for volunteers at the storefronts and the police station.
Mr. Olander noted the City is enthusiastic to have such outstanding volunteers. He said that there are many cities of our size that don’t have these types of programs available.
Police Chief Burtt said he is very proud of the volunteers and he wants them to keep moving forward in the program.
(b) Council Rules of Procedure
Mr. Olander opened the discussion on Council Rules of Procedure and outlined what has been done to date.
Mayor Ransom called for public comment.
1) Mark Deutsch, Shoreline, said he was surprised that he was the only person to speak on this item. He said reducing the general public comment to two minutes is wrong. He said it would not allow the public to speak on multiple issues. He discussed the three readings proposal and said the first one would be just a subject and it would not receive too much feedback from the public. He added that the community presentation portion needs to be clarified to determine how many could speak each month. He also said there is no rule that says people must sign up to speak. He concluded that the City should accept more e-mail and letters to encourage the acceptance other forms of communication.
Councilmember Way inquired if the staff had any input on the item.
Mr. Olander responded that there was no comment from the staff and it is self-explanatory.
Councilmember Hansen said the modified sections 6.1, 6.2, and 6.7 to allow individuals when speaking on behalf of organizations up to five minutes to speak doesn’t clarify how a group gets to be a registered organization.
Julie Modrzejewski, Assistant City Manager, responded that a non-profit organization has a registration number that is acquired through the State. She said the hope is that there would be some ability through a registration number to ensure the organization is recognized. She also said that the staff may need to modify language to clarify how to do that.
Councilmember Way said it is a right of a citizen to form a non-profit and it is cumbersome and unnecessary for the City to have a list of every organization on hand. She said we should just ask for them to write their number down when they want to speak.
Mr. Olander concurred and said we need to be open to the public and trust that they are truthful.
Councilmember Hansen suggested that they be registered with the City Clerk’s Office and that would be a way to check. He added that it is a privilege to have more time to speak during a Council meeting.
Mr. Olander asked the City Attorney if the City can require people to sign in to speak during general public comment.
Ian Sievers, City Attorney, responded that the City can make that requirement since it is allowing business representatives an additional two minutes to speak.
Ms. Modrzejewski noted that in the future, the business licensing program may address this issue.
Deputy Mayor Fimia said if a person gets up to speak the Council should be able to ask if they are a registered non-profit company with the State. She said the Council can impose a restriction on them at the next speaking opportunity if it is found they provided false information.
Councilmember Ryu agreed that the credibility of the speaker will be the deterrent. She added that the Council should not discourage the public from speaking, and staff should not be doing research or wasting time with this.
Councilmember Way believed it to be unconstitutional to prevent people from speaking or asking them to clarify whether or not they are with a group. She said groups bring and have brought great ideas to the Council. She felt the Council is going too far in the restriction of speech. She said she is not in favor of this and will not support it.
Councilmember Hansen recommended various grammatical corrections and clarifications to Sections 5.1, 5.3, and 5.13. Regarding Section 5.21, he asked if it is the City Manager’s duty to appoint a Clerk pro tem instead of the Mayor. He also felt there was a conflict between Section 7.15 and Section 7.16.
Mayor Ransom noted that 7.15 covered a Councilmember recusing themselves. He added it was so the Councilmember could be counted as an abstention, meaning they have left the room. Section 7.16, he added, is a Council practice that if a Councilmember is silent on a vote it is counted as an affirmative vote.
Mr. Olander said the later version which should have been included clarifies that. He concurred with the Mayor and added that any silence is counted as an affirmative.
Councilmember Hansen said a Councilmember shouldn’t be recusing himself unless they have an appearance of fairness question or a conflict of interest. Technically, they are supposed to leave the room until the decision is rendered.
Mr. Olander added that Section 7.15 outlined that point. He said Section 7.16 should be modified to note that any abstention or silence should be counted as affirmative.
Mr. Sievers suggested the Council add to Section 7.16 that a Councilmember could either vote or abstain.
Mr. Olander clarified that currently the Council intent is if there is a legitimate recusal based on the appearance of fairness or a conflict of interest the Councilmember leaves the room during the discussion and vote. In any other case, he continued, the Councilmember would be required to vote and any silence would be counted as an affirmative vote. He said the proposed revisions to the language resolve that conflict.
Councilmember Way questioned an instance when Councilmember McGlashan disclosed information about him possibly having a conflict of interest during a vote in the past.
Mr. Sievers said that is a part of the process when the Councilmember may have information about a conflict and he needs to disclose it on the record. The second decision is if the disclosure is grounds for recusal. Normally, he said the Councilmember says whether or not they are biased because they know the person from a past encounter. He added that a potential bias must be put on the record, and if there is no one on the Council or member of the audience that disagrees at that time, there can be no legal challenge later.
Mr. Sievers expressed concern that Section 7.15 says the Councilmembers have to vote and immediately in Section 7.16 it recognizes that someone isn’t voting.
Councilmember Hansen noted that this is contrary to Robert’s Rules of Order, which states that while it is the duty of every member who has an opinion on the question to express it by his vote, he cannot be compelled to do so. He may prefer to abstain from voting though he knows the effect is the same as if he voted on the prevailing side. He said it further states that abstention is considered a neutral vote. He noted that he believed a person should not be allowed to abstain without stating a reason for the abstention. He felt it is the duty of every member to vote on the question unless there is a conflict of interest or an issue with the appearance of fairness doctrine. If that arises, he felt a Councilmember should recuse themselves and leave the room. He also said he doesn’t have a problem with a Councilmember remaining silent, however, he felt the vote should not be counted or be placed on the prevailing side, either one is fine. However, he said the procedure should be stated.
Councilmember Ryu agreed with the recommendation that silence should be counted as an affirmative vote. Deputy Mayor Fimia concurred.
Councilmember Ryu suggested corrections and clarifications to various sections.
Councilmember McGlashan expressed concern about community presentations and asked how the Council will decide when and what groups each Councilmember can invite. He was concerned that some Councilmembers will monopolize meetings to ensure their groups get to speak during the meetings. He felt the list of suggested organizations that was passed out to the Councilmembers contained several controversial organizations. He inquired how the Council will handle organizations that utilize the public podium as a place to argue their points.
Mayor Ransom said this has been tried before and usually there were less than four groups per year who came to speak. He said the organizations were usually conservative and didn’t attack other organizations. He noted that the program was lost in the past because of a lack of interest, but there seems to be interest now.
Councilmember McGlashan responded that he knows there are going to be “attacks” going on. He said he didn’t agree with this item unless there are ways to deal with opposing point of views.
Councilmember Way added that staff could just ask and if there is a time issue they could change places with another group. She said staff could manage the speakers.
Councilmember McGlashan said he is not afraid of controversy, but the Council should have a way to manage this.
Councilmember Way felt like it is a customized situation for each topic and issue. There may be some controversial organizations and every situation will have to be dealt with individually.
Mr. Olander sympathized with Councilmember McGlashan and said the City Manager’s Office schedules all of the agenda items. He said the City Manager can manage the schedule based on Council guidance, and groups need to realize that they are tentative and need to be flexible with scheduling.
Mayor Ransom said there won’t be any problems if they can ensure the issues are factual. He said if they are based on current issues there shouldn’t be any controversies. If it becomes highly controversial then he said the standards can be changed.
Deputy Mayor Fimia pointed out that the Council passed this policy over a year ago and this was one of the recommendations that came out. This, she said, did not get implemented because the Council did not favor it at the time. She said it is not the intent to have controversy in front of the Council, however, it is to highlight what is going on in the community and have a group discussion on what’s happening. There are many organizations doing great work and we need to understand that there are other criteria. She said there is uneasiness on the Council that Councilmembers will usurp this and to clear this up the sponsorship should be rotated between Councilmembers.
Councilmember Ryu felt this is a positive invitation to the community and she said it makes sense to have a way for community presenters to speak to the Council. She doesn’t think abuse will occur and she endorsed the item.
Councilmember McGlashan noted that in Section 3.2 , two Councilmembers can put items on the agenda. Thus, he concluded, this section about community presentations is not needed in the procedures.
Mayor Ransom explained that Section 3.2 is for an action item and this is for a special presentation, once a month, for no more than 30 minutes.
Councilmember McGlashan said that if the City is not going to require registration numbers then all references to it should be taken out of the document. He also stated that he would like to see a revision in the policy so that members of organizations maintain a copy of the minutes which gave them authorization to speak to the Council for five minutes. He highlighted that in Section 9.1, Councilmembers must clarify when making public statements at meetings or conferences whether it is their own opinion or the consensus of the Council. He said he doesn’t agree with any Councilmember speaking on behalf of the Council anywhere.
Mr. Sievers noted that there are some actions that the Council decides upon collectively and Councilmembers may reflect that in public. Additionally, he said just because a person is a Councilmember does not limit them from giving their personal perspective as long as prior to speaking they inform the audience that they are speaking as an individual.
Mr. Olander said there needs to be restrictions to ensure the groups are recognized and registered.
Councilmember Way said she still is opposed to the restriction of the right to speak by groups. She said the City should not require organizations to register with the State to speak for five minutes. She once again said she would not support this item.
Mr. Olander noted that there is no restriction on groups speaking; there is a restriction on the amount of time allotted.
MEETING EXTENSION
At 10:00 p.m. Deputy Mayor Fimia moved to extend the meeting until 10:30 p.m. Councilmember Ryu seconded the motion, which carried 5-1, with Councilmember Hansen dissenting.
Deputy Mayor Fimia noted that there is no section in the policy that restricts the total time for a public hearing.
Mayor Ransom discussed his concerns with Section 4.4, stating that the public should be able to speak on an item before it is moved to the Consent Calendar.
Councilmember McGlashan asked if Section 4.4 could be removed because the Council was no longer accepting public comment after Action Items.
Mayor Ransom responded that the public should be allowed to speak on the record on an item if it is moved to the Consent Calendar.
Mr. Olander said this doesn’t stop the public from coming to the general business meetings and speaking under public comment on an item.
Mayor Ransom noted that in Section 5.4 (a) business meetings should have reports of boards and commissions and study sessions should have Council reports.
Deputy Mayor Fimia inquired how a Councilmember could report something at a business meeting. She suggested adding “and Councilmember Reports with Mayor’s approval.” Mayor Ransom accepted the revision.
Mayor Ransom noted that the City needs a way to verify non-profit organizations. He felt the City business license would be a way for them to verify that they could speak. He said there needs to be some way for them to justify that they are a viable non-profit.
Councilmember Way suggested an organization give the name of their officers to suffice as a way to determine if they are a viable organization.
Mayor Ransom said they should be able to give the Council a business license registration number.
Deputy Mayor Fimia said these items were discussed during the Council Retreat. They were discussed at length and she thought there was consensus. She added that part of the rationale was to make a distinction between business meetings and workshop meetings. The focus, she said, is to make Council meetings less lengthy. The workshop meetings would be for public comment. The business meetings would be for adopting legislation and if there were more opposition to an item at that meeting then the Council would be more likely to withdraw the item for more work. She continued that she did not have a problem with either asking if they are registered in the state or just stating that they are a non-profit organization. She said maybe the Council should clarify whether or not they are a Washington State or City of Shoreline registered organization. The Council could ask them for business telephone number, address, and officers in their group. She said she would not support asking speakers for their registration number. She supported the criteria in the draft application for community presentations.
Mr. Olander noted that they could register with the City Clerk’s Office instead of being registered with the State.
Deputy Mayor Fimia said a current list of City businesses with contact information from the City Clerk’s Office would be very helpful when it came to public outreach.
Councilmember Way agreed that it may be useful to have a list of organizations. However, she said it is a bad precedent to start keeping a list of groups in the City. She said she doesn’t feel the City should keep one.
Councilmember Ryu said she views it as “opting in.” If you wish to speak for 5 minutes, then you should register your group. She added that maybe the City shouldn’t require speakers to disclose their physical home addresses. She said registration should be voluntary and no fee should be charged for it.
Councilmember Way agreed with businesses wanting to voluntarily be on a list. She inquired on the definition of a public hearing.
Mr. Sievers responded that there is no definition in the Council rules. He said the legal definition is to take public testimony on a subject.
Councilmember Way inquired on the signup sheet process.
Ms. Modrzejewski responded that it may be a good idea to add in the Council rules that if individuals wish to speak they should sign up.
Mr. Olander added that it is a general practice that we ask if individuals wish to speak before general public comment periods and public hearings.
Deputy Mayor Fimia suggested that we should add language on that process in the Council rules.
MEETING EXTENSION
At 10:30 p.m., Councilmember Ryu moved to extend the meeting until 10:50 p.m. Councilmember Way seconded the motion, which carried 5-1, with Councilmember Hansen dissenting.
(c) 2006 - 2007 Council Goals Public Input Process
Councilmember McGlashan asked what the ramifications would be if this item was postponed to the next meeting.
Ms. Modrzejewski responded that it could be held off until the end of June.
Councilmember Way suggested adding into Section F: “Create an environmentally sustainable community”. On page 32 she suggested adding a bullet: “Adopt an energy efficiency report card showing the City’s conservation efforts through traditional and renewable energy solutions.” Mayor Ransom suggested changing the bullet to “Adopt an energy efficient report card” and placing the remaining text in the body of the paragraph. Councilmember Way concurred.
Mr. Olander suggested the wording be changed to “Adopt an energy efficiency plan” and through the town hall meetings and public sessions have staff revise it so they can present it to the Council prior to adoption.
Councilmember McGlashan noted that the Council goals are not in any specific order. He agreed with Councilmember Gustafson that there should be no more than seven or eight goals.
Mayor Ransom called for public comment on this item.
1) Richard Johnsen, Shoreline, suggested that Susan Reichland be brought back as a consultant to the City. He recognized her work with the neighborhood councils ten years ago.
Deputy Mayor Fimia said she likes the proposed process that the staff laid out for the Council goals. She said she agreed that the list should be reduced to eight to ten goals. She recommended a number of clarifications to various sections of the proposed goals. She added that the Council would welcome more comments from the public and groups.
Councilmember Ryu appreciated the process the staff has worked out and said it is working well.
Councilmember Hansen said he would not support a list of more than seven Council goals.
Councilmember Way added she would like to see the list alphabetized.
Ms. Modrzejewski noted that it makes more sense to keep a broad list for the public to assist the Council in focusing in on the more important issues. Mr. Olander said they will not be listed in any specific order.
7. ADJOURNMENT
At 10:48 p.m., Mayor Ransom declared the meeting adjourned.
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Ronald Moore, Deputy City Clerk