CITY OF SHORELINE
SHORELINE CITY COUNCIL
Monday, September 25, 2006 Shoreline Conference Center
7:30 p.m. Mt. Rainier Room
PRESENT: Mayor Ransom, Deputy Mayor Fimia and Councilmembers Hansen, McGlashan, Gustafson, Ryu, and Way
ABSENT: None
1. CALL TO ORDER
The meeting was called to order at 7:42 p.m. by Mayor Ransom, who presided.
2. FLAG SALUTE/ROLL CALL
Mayor Ransom led the flag salute. Upon roll call by the City Clerk, all Councilmembers were present.
(a) Proclamation recognizing the “Back to School Consortium”
Mayor Ransom read the proclamation and thanked the “Back to School Consortium” for providing school supplies, equipment, and clothing to over 750 students for the upcoming school year. He presented each of the following volunteers and donors of the group a proclamation:
§ Jane Hinton, Center for Human Services
§ Rose Swetland, Turning Point
§ Teresa Anderatti, HopeLink
§ Lauri Woodfield, PTA, Shoreline School District
§ Wes Brandon, PTA, Shoreline School District
§ Sara Ann Woodfield, PTA, Shoreline School District
§ Sue Walker, Superintendent, Shoreline School District
Mr. Beem noted that it was the leadership of Ms. Walker that started this effort.
Ms. Walker said the Consortium is the perfect example of great public/private partnership working together for a good cause.
3. REPORT OF THE CITY MANAGER
Julie Modrzejewski, Assistant City Manager provided updates and status reports on the following items:
Councilmember Way congratulated the City on the catch basin installation. She inquired how many were installed and said they are extremely important in improving the City’s water quality. She stated that Echo Lake is suffering from water quality issues and these catch basins prevent pollutants from entering the lake.
4. REPORTS OF BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS: none
5. GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT
(a) David Bannister, Shoreline, President of the Richmond Beach Community Association (RBCA), thanked the City and the Council for their ongoing support of the mini-grant funding. He commented that the 20th Annual Richmond Beach Halloween Carnival will be October 28th at Syre Elementary School from 3:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. He thanked City staff members Joyce Nichols and Nora Smith for the work that they do for Richmond Beach.
(b) Beth O’Neill, Shoreline commented on statements made by Deputy Mayor Fimia at the last Council meeting, characterizing them as “egregious.” She read a transcript of the meeting and noted that another citizen acknowledged authorship of the e-mail that Deputy Mayor Fimia attributed to her. She asked why the Deputy Mayor would misrepresent the email. She said it should be a grave concern to every Shoreline resident because the private e-mail, which was intercepted by the Deputy Mayor and commented on at a Council meeting, was between friends who were commenting on a public figure. She said this is the right of American citizens under the Freedom of Speech Act.
Deputy Mayor Fimia said that on September 18th she received an e-mail which was forwarded from Diane Hettrick. She said Ms. Hettrick received the e-mail from “Judy.” She read the e-mail. She said she asked in an e-mail to Ms. O’Neill through the City whether she said these things that were attributed to her, and she has not received an answer. She continued that if Ms. O’Neill did not say those things that were attributed to her, she would be happy to apologize. She stated that there were allegations that certain City Councilmembers tried to influence code enforcement. Therefore, her intent was to clarified if any City Councilmember ever tried to influence a code enforcement issue, and the answer was “no.” She said she was trying to stop the allegations because they fester. She added that there has been a public disclosure request and she will disclose where she got the e-mail from. She concurred with the right to free speech, but she was trying to address the allegations that were spread by e-mail. It was obviously a political e-mail trying to connect the 32nd District with the code enforcement issue. She suggested that the public’s job is to remain factual and take the Council to task to maintain accountability. She concluded that the Council will try to do their best, but when allegations occur it is imperative to address them right away, and that is what she tried to do last Monday.
Councilmember Way added that there might be a misperception that the Council has something to do with code enforcement. She said the Council has no direct impact or contact regarding code enforcement issues. However, she said the Council does respond to suggestions for code improvements with the assistance of City staff.
Mayor Ransom commented that code enforcement falls under the Planning and Development Services (PDS) with Joe Tovar as the department director. Investigations and determinations are done by his department, he added, and parties challenging a decision may file an appeal with the Hearing Examiner. However, if still not satisfied, parties may then appeal the decision to Superior Court.
6. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA
Deputy Mayor Fimia moved to approve the agenda. Councilmember Hansen seconded the motion, which carried 7-0.
7. CONSENT CALENDAR
Councilmember Gustafson moved approval of the Consent Calendar. Councilmember Hansen seconded the motion, which carried 7-0, and the following items were approved:
Minutes of Study Session of August 21, 2006
Minutes of Workshop Dinner Meeting of August 28, 2006
Approval of expenses and payroll as of September 14, 2006
in the amount of $1,508,467.24
Motion to endorse the 10-Year Plan to End Homelessness
Approval of Richmond Beach Community Association
mini-grant in the amount of $5,000
8. ACTION ITEM: PUBLIC HEARINGS
(a) Public hearing to receive citizens’ comment on the
Proposed Use of 2007 – 2008 Community Development
Block Grant (CDBG) and General Funds to support
Human Services
Rob Beem, Human Services Manager, reviewed the City Manager’s recommendations to the City Council concerning the allocation of human services funds for 2007 and 2008. He noted that the City uses its funds to support the direct services delivered by a group of non-profit human service agencies in the community. He reviewed the allocated funding and added that he anticipates block grant funding will be reduced by 10% in 2007. He noted that the financial needs of the communities as translated by the Ad Hoc Committee remain substantial, and are up 6% this year, which represents 30% more than the available funds. He highlighted that the plan is to continue current funding for all but one agency that didn’t apply. There has been one new program added under adult literacy, and four minor increases to core services. He concluded that the City staff is recommending adoption of the plan this evening.
At 8:00 p.m. Mayor Ransom opened the public hearing.
(1) Jerry Evergreen, Program Manager for Family Counseling, Center for Human Services (CHS), stated it is impossible to serve the residents in need without the City’s support. He added that CHS utilizes City funds to assist these people. He said the funding is getting smaller and the need is increasing. He pointed out that the hardest part of his job is turning people away that are in need. He committed to preparing a presentation for the Council each year.
Councilmember Way thanked CHS for the work they do. She inquired about the root causes of the community problems that would cause people to have to go to CHS. Mr. Evergreen replied that untreated mental health issues are the primary reason along with crime, school failure, and unemployment.
(2) Mark Brown, on behalf of HopeLink, thanked the City of Shoreline for its ongoing support. He said the new facility is convenient and it gives them a permanent address in Shoreline. The start up funds and any continuing funds received by the City are vital. He added that the location offers an array of services at their location and their intent is to continue to do so. He reported the assistance statistics from the facility and noted that they are increasing. He encouraged the support of the Council and the public.
(3) Jane Hinton, on behalf of the Center for Human Services, thanked the Council for the broad support provided to CHS. She highlighted that two-thirds of the people they serve in the family centers are children under the age of 18. She said the center has a bilingual staff and provide early learning opportunities for children. The Center works in partnership with other organizations, and in 2005 there were 5,000 volunteer hours donated at the family centers, mostly by high school students. The City of Shoreline provides the “cornerstone” of funding to the family center’s budget, which makes other funding sources possible. She encouraged the public to continue investing in prevention programs as they enhance the social and economic systems in the City of Shoreline.
(4) Bill Bear, on behalf of Shoreline Community Care, supported the budget item and said that over 500 or more families were threatened with having their power turned off. He added that there were 175 families in Shoreline that have had their power shut off in the last six months. He noted that on average, there are 20 – 30 families that have their water service shut off each month. He estimated that there are about 175 families that are not receiving any assistance. He suggested more funding and better ways of providing services. He said the City should look at the number of utility shut offs and evictions to gauge the success rate in the City. He concluded by noting that the poverty rate in Shoreline is 6%.
(5) Bob Lohmeyer, Director of the Shoreline/Lake Forest Park Senior Center, said he appreciates the continuing support the residents and the Council provide to the Senior Center. He said there are over 3,000 seniors served a year. He pointed out that local funding provides about 27% of their budget. He said public support has eroded, but the City’s willingness to provide continuing support is encouraging. He added that the staff raises 60% of the budget annually. He announced that the Holiday Concert fundraising event at the Center is on December 18.
Deputy Mayor Fimia inquired if the City of Lake Forest Park allocates funds to the Center. She also asked how many of the people that visited the Center were from Seattle and how much funding comes from the City of Seattle.
Mr. Lohmeyer responded that Lake Forest Park does contribute funds, but they are reducing their normal $11,500 allocation in 2007 because King County is reallocating their Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds to combat homelessness. He added that 35% of the people who come to the Senior Center are from North Seattle or Snohomish County. He added that the Center has requested, but does not and has never received any funding from the City of Seattle.
(6) Ramona Graham, Substance Abuse Program Manager, Center for Human Services, thanked the Council on behalf of her clients that are residents of Shoreline. She commented that without City funding, they couldn’t be provided the opportunity to become productive citizens in the Shoreline community.
(7) Beratta Gamillion, Executive Director, Center for Human Services, thanked the Council for everything it has done. She said everyone involved with CHS is honored to live and serve the residents of this community. She said she is pleased to see that the Council understands that the services they provide are core services. She commented that there is a funding shortfall in family counseling services. She noted that the “working poor” population is getting bigger, but CHS can’t continue to provide uncompensated care. She added that some people will be turned away at the end of this year and next year. She urged the Council to adopt the funding recommendations as submitted, and she vowed that CHS will stretch every dime of the allocated funds.
Councilmember Way asked what the outcome would be from not having clients receive services.
Ms. Gamillion responded that the most immediate impact will be more hospitalizations or more persons incarcerated. There are ripple-like impacts, she said, that affect everyone around. The impacts include more school drop-outs, increased suicide attempts, and an increase in crime.
(8) Jana Pettit, Executive Director, Wonderland Developmental Center, thanked the Council for continuing to include them in the annual human services budget. She highlighted that Wonderland has been providing early intervention services to the City of Shoreline for the past 35 years. The center exists for the sole purpose of helping babies and toddlers with developmental delays and disabilities reach their full potential. They provide and foster a “Strong Parent – Strong Family” education program. She said the program provides much needed support for an average of 65 children each month. She urged the Council to adopt the funding recommendations.
(9) Alice Ferrier, Duvall, on behalf of HopeLink, discussed the staff recommended Adult Literacy program allocation of $3,000 towards the “English as a Second Language” program. She said this program helps people gain English skills so they can become more employable. She noted that there is also a program to provide tutoring for English speakers who haven’t learned to read and write or haven’t received their high school diploma. She noted that they also have a computer skills program. Thus far, she said they have served 22 adults with Shoreline addresses. She thanked the Council for considering this proposal and distributed adult education flyers to the Council.
Deputy Mayor Fimia asked if the $3,000 allocation would allow them to start an additional class.
Ms. Ferrier replied that the $3,000 starts the outreach for the winter quarter classes, but there would be more funds added to this.
(10) Faith Beem, Seattle, on behalf of Community Health Centers of King County, reflected on a particular patient who was diagnosed with cancer who paid a reduced cost for medical treatment and the rest of her costs were paid for by public funding. She said the woman is doing well and public funding was the gateway which allowed the woman to get the critical services she needed.
Responding to Deputy Mayor Fimia, Ms. Beem announced that the closest Community Health Center is in Bothell – Kenmore.
Upon motion by Councilmember Hansen, seconded by Councilmember Gustafson and carried 7-0, the public hearing was closed.
Councilmember Gustafson moved to adopt the 2007 - 2008 Human Services Funding Plan in accordance with Attachments A and B and authorize the City Manager to execute agreements for implementing the funded projects. Councilmember Hansen seconded the motion.
Councilmember Gustafson thanked the Ad Hoc Committee for all their hard work and determined that the recommendation from the committee was unanimous. He said there may be additional or fewer funds later on, but this needs to be adopted by October 2. He stated that he would like to see budget amendments by the Council during the next two months.
Councilmember McGlashan agreed with Councilmember Gustafson and thanked the people in the Shoreline community and the committee.
Councilmember Hansen expressed support for the motion.
Councilmember Way asked for an explanation on the Paramount House renovation and the Vision House project.
Mr. Beem explained that the Paramount House is a King County Housing Authority-owned facility on 145th Street NE that needs safety renovations. He added that the City has been supporting a number of public housing improvement projects over the last three years. The Vision House is new multi-unit residence construction with day care services for women who are victims of domestic violence in the Ballinger area. The City’s funding will be utilized to facilitate water services to the site.
Councilmember Way also inquired about the $50,000 allocation for the minor home repair program and how many people it would serve.
Mr. Beem responded that this program started out as a handyman service to fix leaky faucets, toilets, and so forth. This program extends the life and livability of a home, however they are not considered major repairs. The major home repair category is run by King County and includes such repairs as roof, window, and furnace replacement.
Councilmember Way further inquired who a resident would call when faced with a potential utilities shut off.
Mr. Beem responded that they can call the Customer Response Team (CRT) at (206) 546-1700 for a referral. Responding to Councilmember Ryu, Mr. Beem confirmed that the major and minor home repair programs were helping people to “age in place.”
Councilmember Ryu noted that the total amount of both the general fund and the block grant of $443,979 seems like a lot of money, but when divided by the per capita of the City it comes out to be about $5.40/per person per year. These programs are set up to try to help people meet basic needs and sustain family units. She thanked the Human Services Committee and said the work they have done is admirable. She contended that the Council should consider increasing allocations to programs like these in the future. She concluded that an investment in prevention should occur on the “front end.”
Councilmember Hansen commented that the major services repair fund is a revolving fund, and there will be $85,000 added to it this year. He said he refers several people in need to the Major Home Repair Program.
Councilmember McGlashan asked if a lien is taken out on people’s property as a part of this program.
Mr. Beem explained that loans are taken against the property on a major repair project, and there are three different types of repayment programs to choose from.
Deputy Mayor Fimia said she appreciated the work of the staff, the committee, and all of the agencies involved. She agreed that if it is passed she doesn’t want any cuts, just additions. She said there needs to be another $25,000 or $30,000 for the Center for Human Services Family Support program to carry them through the year. She said it will be one of her budget goals to determine where those extra funds come from. She inquired about the purpose for the increase in Senior Center funding.
Mr. Beem said since their funding has been level for the past several years it was decided to allot them a small increase.
Deputy Mayor Fimia noted that Lake Forest Park should pay their portion of the Senior Center funding since Shoreline can come up with its portion out of it General Fund. She inquired if there were any other areas that were identified as needing funds if they became available. If not, she felt the staff could recommend what services could be best served with some additional funding during the budget process. She noted that she would also like to get some figures on what the City is spending out of the General Fund on intervention and prevention as it pertains to criminal justice. She suggested the level of funding between criminal justice intervention and prevention be scrutinized.
Mayor Ransom said the City’s contribution to the General Fund has been increased, but he wanted to know how much it has been increased. He also noted that the CDBG is projected to decrease by 10%.
Mr. Beem noted that the amount of the increase is $14,000 and it has occurred the past two years.
Ms. Modrzejewski said the staff is working hard to balance budgets and the City Manager chose not to reduce the Human Services budget.
Councilmember Way supported staff’s proposed recommendation and is looking forward to finding ways to support these programs even more. This is money well-spent, she said. She added that the home repair program is worthwhile.
A vote was taken on the motion to adopt the 2007 - 2008 Human Services Funding Plan in accordance with Attachments A and B and authorize the City Manager to execute agreements for implementing the funded projects, which carried 7-0.
RECESS
At 9:23 p.m., Mayor Ransom called for a 10 minute recess. At 9:32 p.m., Mayor Ransom called the meeting back to order.
(b) Discussion of the SeaShore Transportation Forum Agreement
Joyce Nichols, Community and Intergovernmental Relations Director, explained that the interlocal agreement (ILA) executed between the SeaShore Transportation Forum and the City ran out in 2005. She noted that Mayor Ransom, Councilmember Ryu, and Councilmember McGlashan represent the City on the forum. King County created three forums which divided the County into three geographic subareas. She highlighted that the current issue is who gets to vote on funding recommendations at the SeaShore Forum, and the issue has been going on for 15 years. Additionally, there are members who are in more than one Forum and they get to vote more than once. She said the effect is that members who are outside a certain subarea have more influence on the funding allocation than those that are inside the subarea to be funded. She said the City staff recommendation is to push for very strong wording so that the four core jurisdictions (King County, Seattle, Shoreline, and Lake Forest Park) only vote on resource issues for the Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) and the Regional Transportation Investment District (RTID).
Mayor Ransom opened this item to public comment. There was no one wishing to provide public comment.
Mayor Ransom commented that two years ago the City of Seattle attempted to amend the ILA and Woodinville, Bothell, and Kenmore resisted any revisions. He said Snohomish County was undecided regarding the amendments but lately they seem to feel that they have a right to bid on the allocations. In an attempt to clear up the issue, he said King County came up with a recommendation to increase the possible grant pool to three that the four core jurisdictions can solicit bids from, but Bothell and Mountlake Terrace oppose the recommendation.
Deputy Mayor Fimia moved to direct the City Manager to work with the other SeaShore members on an ILA amendment with stipulations as described on a handout she distributed. Councilmember Ryu seconded the motion.
Councilmember Hansen moved to substitute “direct the City Manager to work with the other SeaShore members on an ILA amendment with stipulations…” with “direct the City Manager to negotiate revisions to the SeaShore ILA that provide for the four core jurisdictions (King County, and the cities of Seattle, Shoreline and Lake Forest Park) to vote on resource issues for PSRC and RTID. Councilmember Gustafson seconded the motion.
Councilmember Ryu noted she is relatively new at the SeaShore Forum and wants funding for the second and third phases of the Aurora Corridor, subject to an agreeable plan. She said the Forum agreement is close to being completed and all of the sections that refer to voting rights have been revised. She said that one of the revisions was drafted on September 14th by the King County Executive. The document was viewed by Councilmember Bob Ferguson and there was additional agreement to the document by Seattle City Councilmember Sally Clark, who noted that the Seattle City Council was agreeable to it also. She continued that a representative of Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels’ office wanted to go with the stern language referring to only having the four core organizations vote. She pointed out that the agreement calls for the four core organizations to be the only voters on the Metro Transit and Sound Transit funding. The controversy occurs when Safe Accountable Flexible Efficient Transportation Equity Act Legacy for Users (SAFETE-LU) funds are available under this regional competition. Apparently, the cities that are not the “core” cities are considering not being members if they don’t have certain voting rights. She said the entire group is an empowering group and all of the cities are needed to participate. She said it would be a shame if they dropped from the organization. She said King County is willing to concede to the other cites.
Mayor Ransom said he didn’t hear Mayor Nickels’ comment that he was willing to give up RTID funding. He noted that the primary issue is on the allocation voting. He stated that the King County Executive said the best compromise was for Seattle to give up the SAFETE-LU funding, not the RTID because legislature has focused it on major projects that the cities cannot bid on, such as the viaduct.
Councilmember McGlashan asked for clarification from Councilmember Ryu.
Councilmember Ryu said the Council needs to take a position on the issue. She said she is simply reporting what occurred at the meetings. She noted that another issue is that the King County Executive and his representatives haven’t been at the meetings for half of the past year. She also said Mayor Nickels office stopped coming. On the other hand, she said Councilmember Ferguson or a representative of his and Seattle Councilmember Sally Clark always attended the meetings.
MEETING EXTENSION
Councilmember Gustafson moved to extend the meeting until 10:16 p.m. Councilmember McGlashan seconded the motion, which carried 6-1, with Councilmember Hansen dissenting.
Councilmember McGlashan said the voting rights are in question. He noted that the other two forums do not allow the other government jurisdictions like the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and Sound Transit to vote.
Ms. Nichols added that typically WSDOT, PSRC, and other government jurisdictions send representatives to the table and do not vote on funding allocations. They only vote on policy and other issues.
Deputy Mayor Fimia said that her motion gives direction to the staff in general goals. She noted that the forums used to approach grantors with unified fronts. She stated that the needs of the jurisdictions soon crossed their boundaries and brought in others that shared highways and lands. Seattle, she said, would not come to the table back then. She highlighted that currently there is great value having northend cities involved and differences worked out because SeaShore is just an advisory body. She is not in favor of any jurisdiction getting more than one vote regarding where the funds should be allocated. City staff, she concluded, should explain how SeaShore benefits everyone and how it shows good faith and attempts to keeps everything fair as it pertains to resource allocations.
Ms. Nichols said RTID was the creation of the legislature, amended by the legislature, and jurisdictions don’t know what is going to happen with it in the future. RTID has a large amount of money in it, she said, and it is tied with the Sound Transit vote. No one knows what the legislature will do, but right now it is the wildcard that is not a part of the picture, although it has been construed that way.
Mayor Ransom highlighted that the policy is being interpreted that any funds available from Sound Transit and Metro can be allocated to any jurisdiction. The problem is that the grantor does not want to receive documentation with ten cities listed that want a piece of the grant.
Councilmember Ryu favored Deputy Mayor Fimia’s motion and considered Councilmember Hansen’s motion too restrictive.
MEETING EXTENSION
At 10:15 p.m. Councilmember Ryu moved to extend the meeting until 10:30 p.m. Councilmember McGlashan seconded the motion, which carried 4-3, with Deputy Mayor Fimia, Councilmember Gustafson, and Councilmember Hansen dissenting.
Councilmember Hansen contended that there is nothing in the staff recommendation that says any agreement needs to be “thrown away.” He said the recommendation is concise and minimal. He noted that the staff should negotiate with the four core jurisdictions to vote on resource issues from PSRC and RTID. He said there is nothing that can’t be covered by the motion he proposed. He said the motion on the table is too wordy and there are several debatable items with it. He supported the staff recommendation.
Councilmember McGlashan said he is concerned about voting on either motion because there are cities that are working on this that are close to having it completed. He said changing it will start issues at the next SeaShore meeting.
Deputy Mayor Fimia suggested the language referring to Kenmore be taken out of the original motion. She added that she worded her motion to get to objectives and gives the staff direction. She said the second part of her motion is clearer than the original policy.
Councilmember Hansen moved to table this item until the October 2 City Council meeting. Councilmember McGlashan seconded the motion, which failed 2-5, with Councilmember Hansen and Councilmember McGlashan voting in the affirmative.
Councilmember Way asked when the Council had to make a decision on this item.
Ms. Nichols responded that the issue will be discussed at the next SeaShore meeting on the third Wednesday in October. She added that the members were pretty close to a decision on this issue.
A vote was taken on the substitute motion, which failed 3-4, with Mayor Ransom, Councilmember Hansen, and Councilmember Gustafson voting in the affirmative.
A vote was taken on the main motion, which failed 3-4, with Deputy Mayor Fimia, Councilmember Ryu, and Councilmember Way voting in the affirmative.
10. ADJOURNMENT
At 10:31 p.m., Mayor Ransom declared the meeting adjourned.
Scott Passey, CMC
City Clerk