CITY OF SHORELINE
SHORELINE CITY COUNCIL
SUMMARY MINUTES OF SPECIAL MEETING
Monday, January 7, 2008 - 6:30 PM
Shoreline Conference Center
Mt. Rainier Room
PRESENT: Councilmember Hansen, Councilmember McGlashan, Councilmember Ryu, Councilmember Way, Councilmember Eggen, Councilmember McConnell, and Councilmember Scott
ABSENT: None
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At 6:35 p.m. the meeting was called to order by Scott Passey, City Clerk. He introduced Judge Richard Eadie, from King County Superior Court, to administer the oath of office for the newly elected Councilmembers.
(a) Swearing In Ceremony for New City Councilmembers
Councilmember Eggen, Councilmember McConnell, and Councilmember Scott were sworn in as City of Shoreline Councilmembers for four year terms.
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Mr. Passey led the flag salute. Upon roll call by the City Clerk, all Councilmembers were present.
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Mr. Passey conducted the election of the Mayor by opening nominations. Councilmember Way nominated Councilmember Ryu. Councilmember McGlashan nominated Councilmember Hansen. Seeing no further nominations, Mr. Passey declared the nominations closed. Councilmembers Eggen, Way, McConnell, Ryu, and Scott voted for Councilmember Ryu and she was declared Mayor for a two-year term concluding in December 2009.
Mayor Ryu opened nominations for Deputy Mayor. Councilmember Eggen nominated Councilmember Scott. Councilmember McGlashan nominated Councilmember McConnell. Seeing no further nominations, Mayor Ryu declared the nominations closed. Councilmembers Eggen, Way, Scott, and Ryu voted for Councilmember Scott and he was declared Deputy Mayor for a two-year term concluding in December 2009.
RECESS
At 6:50 p.m., Mayor Ryu called for a twenty minute recess. The Council meeting reconvened at 7:16 p.m.
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Bob Olander, City Manager, provided a report of past and future City meetings, projects, and events. He congratulated everyone and welcomed the new Councilmembers. He announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has included King County in their flooding emergency declaration and the City of Shoreline is now eligible for Federal relief. He announced that Joe Tovar, Director of Planning and Development Services was awarded the Distinguished Contribution Award by the American Planning Association (APA) for his efforts on the Aurora Avenue project and work done in 2006 against Initiative 933 when he was the President of the Washington Chapter of the APA. He announced that the City has completed the environmental process for the Aurora Project (N. 165th Avenue to N. 205th Avenue). In addition, the City has received National Environmental Policies Act (NEPA) approval which completes the environmental phase of the project on schedule. Additionally, he said the State process has been completed also. He communicated that there will be a briefing on the project next week. He informed everyone of the following public dates and events:
· Council of Neighborhoods Meeting, January 9, 7:00 p.m., Spartan Room
· Library Board Meeting, January 10, 7:00 p.m., Richmond Beach Library
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(a) LaNita Wacker, Shoreline, congratulated the new Councilmembers and outlined her “beginner's toolkit” for politicians.
(b) Charlotte Haines, Shoreline, on behalf of the Shoreline Water District Board of Commissioners, congratulated all the new Councilmembers. She invited everyone to the Shoreline Water District open house on January 16.
(c) Bob Barta, Shoreline, urged the Council to keep Goals 9 & 10 on the 2008-2009 work plan and increase its support for emergency preparedness. He asked the Council not to be complacent and to support opportunities for neighborhood safety.
(d) Nancy Frey, Executive Director of the Shoreline/Lake Forest Park Arts Council, stated that her organization values the City’s investment in local arts programs. She described the many programs and stated that supporting the arts makes for good public policy and generates economic prosperity.
(e) Dennis Lee, Shoreline, discussed the Briarcrest Neighborhood Subarea Plan and said the neighbors are having a hard time convincing City staff that there needs to be interim development codes for R-12 and above zoning. If the interim controls are generated it will be a good faith showing by the City staff. He noted that “downzoning” is bad and the City needs a comprehensive plan review to do what growth management directs.
(f) Wendy DiPeso, Shoreline, complimented the new City Council and felt that the biggest winner after this election is the City of Shoreline. She urged everyone to keep in mind the issues going forward are the environment and global warming. She urged the Council to keep these issues in mind when working on the comprehensive plan and development codes.
(g) Bill Bear, Shoreline, expressed concern regarding the special study area in Briarcrest, noting that the area needs interim development controls. He was concerned about the excessive cutting of trees and the removal of impervious surfaces. He said there needs to be time to figure all of these issues out and there should be interim development controls in the Briarcrest area.
(h) Victoria Stiles, Director of the Shoreline Historical Museum, congratulated the Council and thanked them for their past support of the Shoreline Historical Museum through the services contract. She added that with the City’s support the museum allows them to offer a full array of programs, exhibits, and events.
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Councilmember Hansen moved approval of the agenda. Councilmember McGlashan seconded the motion, which carried unanimously, and the agenda was approved.
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Councilmember Hansen moved approval of the Consent Calendar. Councilmember McGlashan seconded the motion, which carried unanimously, and the following items were approved:
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(a) Minutes of Workshop Dinner Meeting of December 10, 2007 Minutes of Business Meeting of December 10, 2007 |
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(b) Motion to authorize the City Manager to execute a contract with the Shoreline Historical Museum in the amount of $63,858 to provide educational and heritage opportunities for the citizens of Shoreline |
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(c) Motion to authorize the City Manager to execute a contract with the Shoreline/Lake Forest Park Arts Council in the amount of $63,858 to provide educational and cultural opportunities for the citizens of Shoreline |
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John Norris, Management Analyst, provided the staff report on this item which provided background information on group homes in the City of Shoreline. He explained the various concerns and issues associated with group homes in the City. He displayed a Powerpoint presentation and explained the different classifications of group homes. He also discussed the federal and state laws affecting the local government's ability to intervene and the services provided by the City. He reported on the number of group homes and locations within the City and commented that Shoreline has a high concentration of them compared to other cities. He provided response call information and identified the major issues with the group homes in the City. He concluded with options for the City to consider.
Mr. Olander mentioned that there are occasional storms and emergencies in the area and not knowing how effective the group homes’ plans are could present a problem in the future. He added that the City doesn’t have any specialized capability to handle their needs at the City’s shelters. He said the City should have adequate capability to take care of them.
Mr. Norris also stated that the emergency information sheet program from the police can provide some benefit. It allows any participating home to identify their occupants to the police and fire departments.
Deputy Mayor Scott commented that this would be a “logistical nightmare” if plans change or people move. Mr. Norris agreed and stated he believed that is one reason the program wasn’t fully instituted in the City.
Mayor Ryu called for public comment.
(a) Laethan Wene, Shoreline, stated he has served on the State Council for people with disabilities. He felt people with disabilities should live in safe and maintained group homes in Shoreline.
(b) LaNita Wacker, Shoreline, said the message should be communicated to property owners that the City needs to know if they are operating a group home. She urged the City to utilize the “Currents” newsletter to determine where they all are and whether or not they are licensed.
(c) Wendy DiPeso, Shoreline, commented that it is helpful to know the makeup of neighborhoods for emergency preparedness. She suggested expanding the emergency preparedness program by sending volunteers out to take a census of where the group homes are. She submitted that an incentive program could be created in collaboration with Fircrest and the Chamber of Commerce, which could include a group home rating system.
(d) Bill Bear, Shoreline, commented that disabled persons play a valuable role in society. He said he doesn’t know the people who run the group home in his neighborhood and the community needs to have relationships with the people they live with and understand each other's needs. He said this City needs to build a sense of community.
(e) Bob Ransom, Shoreline, said he has been a licensed nursing home administrator and a mental health counselor. He urged the Council to reconsider a business registration program. He estimated that there are about 2,200 different business registered with the state within Shoreline with possibly another 100 private group homes. He felt that they take on more residents than they can handle due to more funding. He concluded that starting a business licensing program provides a good inventory of businesses for the City.
(f) Dennis Lee, Shoreline, stated that adult family homes are assets to the communities. He said they provide safety and mutual support to their tenants.
Councilmember McGlashan asked whether sprinklers could be mandated for adult family homes.
Mark Bunje, Fire Marshal, responded that State law prohibits the City from treating group homes differently from other homes, so the City could not mandate sprinkler installation. Additionally, the facilities cannot be inspected when in operation, regardless of whether they are profit or non-profit.
Mr. Norris stated that the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) conduct a mandatory inspection every 18 months, and they also do spot inspections.
Councilmember McGlashan commented that he supports deinstitutionalization, but expressed concerns about the disproportionate number of calls to police regarding one client.
Mr. Norris agreed that some people may be better served in a more institutional setting, and he is learning more about DSHS and programs at Fircrest. He commented that business licensing will allow the City to recognize where the unlicensed group homes are. He commented that some private group homes are wary of the City's interest. He felt it is very important that the City outline to the community what the mutual benefits would be by having a business licensing program.
Mr. Olander added that there are other communities that have adversarial relationships with their licensed and unlicensed group homes and attempts to restrict them. Therefore, he understands the concerns of some of the group home owners. Based on that, he felt the City needs to address them in a positive tone.
Councilmember Way wanted to know why there is reluctance by DSHS to provide the Shoreline group home “statements of deficiencies.” She said she spoke to one of the State Representatives today and they suggested that the City write a letter to our State Representatives requesting their assistance to find out the deficiencies.
Mr. Norris responded that DSHS provided examples of two deficiencies because we were never asking them. The City staff asked for the audit reports, but they didn't provide that either. He said it would be nice to know how many deficiencies there are and a categorization of them.
Mr. Olander said this may not be a legislative priority, but the number of group of homes will be increasing and it is important that DSHS has adequate resources to manage their responsibilities.
Councilmember Way urged the Council to ask the City staff to work with our State Representatives.
Mr. Norris stated he has spoken to the Regional Administrator of DSHS and he can ask again for some numbers.
Councilmember Way stated that Fircrest respite care is very valuable. She suggested that the City may have an abundance of group homes because there is respite care at Fircrest. She supported Ms. DiPeso's incentive idea and questioned the licensing program.
Mr. Olander responded that the entire business licensing program proposal needs to be looked at further. He added that the intent is to make it simple, primarily informational, and not to generate revenue for additional services.
Councilmember Way said she sees some value in having a program just for informational purposes. She added that she wants to see how a licensing program would impact other businesses.
Mr. Olander commented that the business licensing program is an entire separate issue unto itself.
Mr. Norris added that the City needs to be very careful how group homes are treated because there are discrimination issues. It would take extensive legal review, he added.
Councilmember Hansen said it could start with a voluntary program and if a good job is done, the word would spread. However, Shoreline has a much higher percentage of group homes than other cities. He is wary when things like mandatory registration and taking over the state's responsibilities are discussed. He is also concerned where the revenue will come from.
Councilmember Eggen commented that the staff report reflects that the fire department is experiencing about 3 calls per day and the police has much lower numbers. He said the police and fire have had contacts with homes in the past and they are keeping their own database so the officers and fire personnel are prepared to act appropriately and safely.
Officer McGann, the police contact for group home issues, explained that the main concern is officer safety. She stated that the police department didn't know that the City had so many group homes operating and this is a problem not getting solved with DSHS because the police are still responding to calls.
Councilmember Eggen explained that the database maintained by the police and fire department represents an opportunity to collect statistics from their call logs.
Officer McGann responded that the police are also seeing clients move from house to house. She also explained that frequently, there are new officers that come in and they don't know exactly who the client is. The information isn’t consistent, she said. She added that she has had to, at times, go through every call for the year and review them. There are instances when information isn’t brought forward in a report. Additionally, missing people are a problem, too. The important piece of this, she said is the information sheet, but consistency is difficult.
Deputy Mayor Scott asked if the reports from our police and fire departments trigger DSHS to act on anything. Officer McGann said there have been some great success stories in the past, but other group homes say they don’t have the time and resources to deal with the problems.
Mr. Norris stated he is unsure of the number of calls per day between the fire and police departments. He pointed out that the fire department responds to a high number of emergency medical service (EMS) calls dealing with the elderly, but the police deals mostly with behavioral issues.
Councilmember Way questioned if there is a way to track site-based problems. Mr. Norris responded that one of the options is continued tracking to get a more complete picture. Councilmember Way asked the City Manager for an analysis on what it would cost to do the different options. Mr. Olander responded that the City staff isn’t at the point where recommendations can be brought back to the Council because this is a “snapshot.” He added that the primary purpose of discussing this is to begin the communication process with the Council and the community.
Mr. Norris added that he recommends the next steps be the creation of a process for improving coordination between first responders. He added that he has made the correct contacts with DSHS and the City should continue tracking data. He also said it is critical for DSHS and City staff to work with the police and fire departments. Finally, he said the City should identify unlicensed group homes, and reaching out to them positively is a start.
Mr. Olander summarized that the City staff will continue data collection, refine procedures, and further identify the problems so that a more specific recommendation can be brought forward in the future.
Mayor Ryu said she prefers more information rather than less and appreciated the cooperation of the fire and police departments. She stated that there are demographic shifts going on, and she hoped the City can overcome the logistical challenges without creating more bureaucracy. At some point, she expressed, there will need to be a formalized process, and business licensing may be a useful tool. She questioned if the police and fire departments supported the City staff recommendation.
Mr. Norris responded that they did and the recommendation to have a collaborative process between the three entities was an option that was jointly decided.
Mr. Olander noted that another benefit to continued investigation is that there are hidden costs to the community in deinstitutionalizing, and there is a need to raise awareness in the State Legislature.
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Mr. Olander commented that there have been a few changes from previous years. He introduced Scott MacColl, the City’s new Intergovernmental Programs Manager, who has also been reviewing this item. He commented that the priorities are outlined in general terms because legislation changes rapidly and it is imperative for the City to respond quickly. He highlighted that sometimes the representatives cannot come to ask Council about everything that comes up due to timing. He outlined the City’s priorities and stated that since the next legislative session is a short session the City has been warned not to expect a lot this year. He added that the legislature isn’t looking at any new major funding issues, just emergency issues such as flooding. He felt that the City needs to play defensively with the legislature and that the best chance to move the City’s priorities is to align with the Association of Washington Cities (AWC) to advance our mutual interests.
Mayor Ryu called for public comment.
(a) Brian Derdowski, Issaquah, on behalf of Public Interest Associates encouraged the Council to be actively engaged with Olympia. Concerning the AWC priorities, he urged the Council to be clear about those that the City opposes. He said the City staff should update the Council with status reports on bills, give the City Manager’s Office time to report what is going on in Olympia, authorize the City Manager or committee member to give direction when something important comes up, and be willing to reign in the AWC. He also suggested the Council invite a King County Councilmember to talk to the Council.
Mr. Olander noted that he and Scott MacColl, Intergovernmental Programs Manager, met with three legislators last week to identify issues in the upcoming session and they will have more in-depth discussions with AWC staff and to introduce Councilmembers to the legislators and their staff. He highlighted that the City has an annual contract with Kathleen Collins, the City’s Olympia lobbyist. Additionally, he said the Legislative Action Conference is a good opportunity to learn more about the AWC and key legislative committee members. He noted that he is arranging a City Council dinner meeting with King County Councilmember Ferguson, and agreed that Shoreline can help shape AWC policy. He recognized that Shoreline needs to become more active regionally and at the state level, however that requires active involvement from the elected officials.
Councilmember Way said the major issue in this session is the storm water recommendation by AWC and she wanted to review the item more.
Mr. Olander noted that endorsement or non-endorsement by the City depends on what specific legislation is being proposed. He said the Council has to rely on the lobbyist, Mr. MacColl, and the City staff to provide analysis and talking points.
Mr. MacColl commented that because of the fast-paced nature of legislature, things fall by the wayside. However, he stated work can be done with the Council preceding each session to come up with policy, strategy, or direction. He communicated that it is important to work on these items before the session begins.
Mr. Olander commented on the idea of broadening the City’s focus on a federal level. He pointed out that the City needs to do more advanced planning on broad goals and focus on those that may need more legislative assistance. He summarized that the City needs to be more strategic on how it deals with the legislative sessions.
Councilmember Eggen agreed with Councilmember Way that flooding issues are critical, but felt the City needs to have a cohesive plan prior to lobbying. He questioned the AWC opposition to surface water rules and agreed the City doesn’t need unfunded mandates, but said a more intense review needs to be done to determine if the proposed rules will or won’t be beneficial to the City.
MEETING EXTENSION
At 10:00 p.m., Councilmember Way moved to extend the meeting to 10:05 p.m. Councilmember Eggen seconded the motion, which carried 6-0, with Councilmember Hansen abstaining.
Mayor Ryu suggested minor administrative revisions to the list of priorities and asked to have the storm water drainage spelled out somewhere. She inquired if there is anything the City needs to do concerning any economical development taxing or spending in this session.
Mr. MacColl responded that those increases will probably come up every session.
Mr. Olander suggested that the following language, “and improved storm drainage capacity to reduce flooding”, be added to the seventh bullet in the key priorities after the word “development.” He said this could be added as a placeholder for the Council meeting next week because there is value in having the Council adopt it.
Councilmember Hansen agreed with the priority list. He highlighted that all of the emphasis is on getting legislation passed and there should also be some placed on blocking legislation. That's why the City’s lobbyist is very valuable.
Mr. Olander restated that 80% of the legislative session is used to defend local government authority and oppose unfunded mandates.
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At 10:06 p.m., Mayor Ryu declared the meeting adjourned.
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Scott Passey, City Clerk