CITY OF SHORELINE
SHORELINE CITY COUNCIL
Monday, January 28, 2008 - 6:00 p.m.
Shoreline Conference Center
Highlander Room
PRESENT: Mayor Cindy Ryu, Deputy Mayor Terry Scott, and Councilmembers Keith McGlashan, Chris Eggen, Janet Way, Doris McConnell, and Ron Hansen
ABSENT: none
STAFF: Bob Olander, City Manager; Julie Modrzejewski, Assistant City Manager; Mark Relph, Public Works Director; Scott MacColl, Intergovernmental Program Manager
GUESTS: Bob Ferguson, King County Councilmember (District 1); Shari Tracey, Chief of Staff
Mayor Ryu called the meeting to order at 6:08 p.m.
King County Councilmember Bob Ferguson started a discussion of the King County Flood Control District. Mr. Ferguson stated that he worked to set aside 10% for cities to compete for grants. He encouraged the City to work with the City of Seattle on joint projects that would address the Thornton Creek Basin. He noted that he sees great value in projects that are oriented toward waterways than to specific cities. He added that the formal criteria are currently being developed.
Mark Relph stated that staff is coordinating with Seattle and that the development of a basin plan would help us judge to what level of flood protection FEMA will approve. Bob Olander added that we don’t even have flow measurement data on the streams.
Councilmember Way asked if the criteria would include acquisition of property and Councilmember Ferguson responded that it could.
Councilmember Ferguson stated that he was meeting with Snohomish County Councilmember Mike Cooper to discuss Point Wells and to express how important this issue is to Shoreline.
Councilmember Ferguson shared that he continues to be chair of the Operating Budget, Fiscal Management, and Select Issues Committee. Bob Olander mentioned that he has asked City staff to track issues from Mr. Ferguson’s committees. Shari Tracey stated that there are items on the King County agenda that their office may not be aware of and asked the City to bring issues to their attention. Mr. Ferguson stated that if an issue is urgent, it’s most effective to make a call to his office, through Shari Tracey; if there is an item that’s coming, it would be helpful to alert him by email. He noted that for instance, Shoreline has done well with Future Conservation Trust Funds.
Councilmember Way thanked Mr. Ferguson for funding the Chamber’s green business and asked if the new Shoreline Transfer and Recycling Station could recycle waste materials for biodiesel.
Councilmember McGlashan stated that he sits on the 10-year Plan to End Homelessness Committee and asked if the two houses that King County purchased adjacent to the Shoreline Transfer and Recycling Station could be made available for transitional housing. Ms. Tracey stated that the County plans to keep the houses. Mr. Ferguson noted that it is possible to make the housing transitional and the Veterans Human Service Funds could possibly purchase the homes at fair market value.
Mayor Ryu asked that if the Solid Waste Division determines that they will not need the property, maybe the City could use it. For instance, Shoreline Solar would like it for educational programs.
Mr. Olander stated that long-term funding for public health clinics continues to be a concern. Mr. Ferguson stated that the County is operating these clinics at a loss. He noted that a few years ago King County Public Health proposed closing two facilities: N. Seattle Community College at 50,000 visits per year and Bothell, which are both in his district. This engaged a lot of people and so funding was restored and they are funded through 2008; however, it is stop gap funding. He added that King County Public Health is developing a master plan, which is expected to address how we can better provide this service; is there other means? He summarized that there has not been a final recommendation yet.
Deputy Mayor Scott asked if the County has looked at mid-level providers to off-set costs? He strongly advocates that we support this vulnerable population. Mr. Ferguson did not know if this was being considered in the master plan.
Councilmember Way asked if a clinic could be located on the Fircrest campus. She stated that it has been brought up with various master plan options since it would be a good location.
Councilmember Eggen asked about funding for Center for Human Services. Mr. Ferguson stated his strong support for CHS and that King County has met a large portion of their funding requests.
Councilmember Way asked when the mental health levy would start. Mr. Ferguson stated that the 1/10th of a cent of sales tax, which is projected to generate $50 million annually, will last seven years and becomes effective on April 1, 2008. He added that he is personally tracking this and no decision on allocation of dollars has been determined yet.
Julie Modrzejewski asked Mr. Ferguson if he was tracking the Department of Justice letter that the County received in December 2007 claiming that the Department of Adult and Juvenile Detention violating the constitutional rights of inmates. Mr. Ferguson insisted that this issue fall under his committee of Law, Justice and Human Services. Ms. Tracey said that she will let the City know when the County has a briefing on this item.
Mayor Ryu asked if there is a growing concern with graffiti. Mr. Ferguson said that it is something they’ve studied to see if it was related to gang activity. He continued by stating that he supported adding funding in the 2008 budget for the gang suppression unit, which the County had six years ago. Deputy Mayor Scott asked what the County was doing to ensure that kids who are involved in tagging do not move onto more serious crimes. Mr. Ferguson said that the County’s human service funding does not fund direct services, but provides funds to agencies. He added that we need to prioritize mental health funds for youth and that these agencies are being evaluated and their progress is being measured.
Mr. Olander stated that the County should be mindful of the impact of the County’s accumulative taxes and in fact, all agencies need to be cognizant of the accumulate impact. To mitigate this, it would be helpful to coordinate our priorities.
The meeting adjourned at 7:20 p.m.
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Julie Modrzejewski, Assistant City Manager