CITY
OF
SHORELINE
CITY COUNCIL
Mt. Rainier Room
PRESENT: Mayor Hansen, Deputy Mayor Jepsen, Councilmembers Chang,
Fimia, Grace, and Ransom
ABSENT: Councilmember Gustafson
1.
CALL TO ORDER
The
meeting was called to order at
2. FLAG SALUTE/ROLL CALL
Mayor
Hansen led the flag salute. Upon roll
call by the City Clerk, all Councilmembers were present with the exception of
Councilmember Gustafson.
Upon motion by Deputy Mayor
Jepsen, seconded by Councilmember Chang and carried 6-0. Councilmember Gustafson was excused.
(a)
Proclamation of Celebrate Shoreline
Mayor
Hansen read the proclamation and stated the City created “Celebrate Shoreline”
after incorporation as an annual event to bring together residents, community
leaders, agencies and businesses to celebrate all of the things that make
Shoreline a great place to live and work.
He outlined the events that were going to take place during the three
day celebration which will take place from August 19 – 21 and presented the
proclamation to Mary
Mary
(b)
Shoreline Star – Herb Bryce
Mayor
Hansen presented the twelfth Shoreline Star to Shoreline resident Herb Bryce
and outlined his many contributions to the community through his involvement in
the Shoreline School Board, City of
Shoreline Parks and Recreations Cultural Services Parks Board, Shoreline/Lake
Forest Arts Council, Shoreline Chamber of Commerce, Friends of Science
Education, and the American Chemical Society.
He stated Mr. Bryce’s accomplishments include twelve years of elected
service on the Shoreline School Board. Mayor Hansen concluded that Mr. Bryce will be the
2005 Grand Marshal for the Celebrate Shoreline Parade. He thanked him for his dedication and accomplishments
in the community.
Mr.
Bryce thanked the Council, the residents of Shoreline, and his wife for this
recognition and commented on the importance of recognizing the many
opportunities for positive change in Shoreline.
3. CITY MANAGER’S REPORT
City Manager
Mr. Burkett commented that
the City reviewed proposals from 10 different firms concerning the Richmond
Beach Master Plan, and the City intends to conduct three interviews. The work will be done, with public
involvement, this fall and the Master Plan for the park should be completed by
next spring. This will be a long-range
plan that will provide some guidelines and concepts for the development of the
park. The park itself is unique because
it is a saltwater park with a view of
Mr. Burkett stated there has
been an abundance of construction activity with the North City Project. The primary underground utilities have been
installed on the east side of
Mr. Burkett concluded his
report by providing background on two
4. COUNCIL REPORTS: None.
5. PUBLIC COMMENT
(a) Virginia
Paulsen, Shoreline, questioned the validity of the summary report generated
from the community priorities exercise.
She stated that the demographic characteristics are not representative
of Shoreline residents because of the lack of attendance at the March and May
sessions. The purpose of the May
long-range planning session focused on what capital budget resources were
available to fund various capital projects, but it did not include any data on
a new City Hall building. The financial
options were limited to tax levies, bonds, taxes, and LIDs with no mention or
discussion of the $10.6 million for City Hall.
She concluded that full information is required to make rational
decisions, but citizens were not provided with that. She felt this process was a waste of the
City’s time, energy, and money.
6. WORKSHOP ITEMS
(a)
2005 2nd Quarter Financial Report
·
General Fund revenues are 3.2% ahead of projections, about
$384,000. General Fund expenditures are
at about 3% below projections, about $359,000.
General Fund revenue projections have been revised to $838,000 for the
year. Thus, the 2005 budgeted revenues
have been added into the $838,000.
·
Street Fund revenues are near projections at 0.82% above while
expenditures are about 14.6%.
·
Surface Water revenues are slightly ahead of projections at $23,000 or
1.7% while expenditures are below at $33,000.
Ms.
Tarry stated sales tax revenue projections were increased based on a growing
local construction and retail economy.
Revenue projections have been increased in utility and franchise
fees. Natural gas revenue projections
have increased, directly related to rate increases that were not approved when
the budget adoption took place last fall.
Therefore, projections were raised by $174,000 for this year. For electricity, there was speculation that
Seattle City Light would lower their rates in 2005, so the City anticipated the
rates would go down. However, that has
not been the case and Seattle City Light is conducting a rate analysis to be
completed in 2006. Thus, electricity
revenue projections were increased by $150,000.
Water utility revenues went up because the City received a payment of
approximately $500,000 from Seattle Public Utilities based on an error in the
methodology they were using to assess their contract to us. The funds were distributed into the Capital
Fund and the General Fund and projections were increased by $111,000. Permit activity accounted for increased
revenues in the General Fund and projections were increased by $118,000 based
on an increased level of permits issued (up by 8%). Additionally, the average cost per permit
issued this year ($2,000 per permit) is higher than in 2004 ($1,600 per
permit). Ms. Tarry stated the
investment interest on the General Fund projection has been increased by
$98,000 based on rising interest rates, diversification of the City’s
portfolio, and lengthening the maturity duration of key investments. Gambling tax collections of $803,246 are just
slightly above the projected revenue by $7,271 or 0.091%. However, she said, in comparison to 2004,
gambling revenues are down by $89,001 and card room revenues are down by
$81,350. Nonetheless, despite the
decline in revenue from the previous year, gambling revenue is still tracking
to meet budget targets.
Ms.
Tarry stated that expenditures are about 3.2% below the budget based on a late
police contract invoice from
Ms.
Tarry summarized that operating fund revenues are generally ahead of
projections and expenditures are tracking close to projections. On the capital side the City is able to
identify why there are some differences and will monitor them during the third
and fourth quarters, especially the Roads Capital Fund, because
there will be some significant activity during that time period.
Councilmember Fimia asked
whether or not the recent franchise fee lawsuit against Seattle City Light, the
City of
Councilmember Fimia asked
Mr. Burkett if there has been any analysis of what the potential reimbursement
would be and how the City would pay for it.
Mr. Burkett said staff has
concluded that the City would likely end up paying a significant amount if it
loses the case. He assured the Council
that the City plans to vigorously defend itself against the suit. Mr. Burkett concluded that the Seattle City
Light situation is not unique to others that pay a franchise fee to operate
within the City.
Councilmember Fimia
commented that she requested a quarterly breakdown on how the money was being
spent with each major capital project.
She also asked whether or not she was reading page 6U of the 2005 2nd
Quarter Financial Report correctly, as it says the City has nearly $50 million
dollars in investments.
Ms. Tarry responded that the
invested amount includes all operating and capital funds.
Mr. Burkett stated that any
funds the City does not immediately need are invested. The total also represents grants the City has
received, as well as monies set aside for capital projects or operations.
Responding to Councilmember
Fimia, Ms. Tarry confirmed that the City receives a total of $4.5 to $5 million
dollars per year in utility tax and franchise fee revenue. This revenue source has experienced some
growth over the past few years.
Councilmember Paul Grace
asked if there is progress on the City’s effort to obtain tax information from
the casinos.
Ms. Tarry stated the department
has tried to obtain all the financial statements, but the Hideaway and the
Golden Nugget are the only two businesses that have not responded as of
yet. Staff intends to have the
preliminary information to the Council by the September 12th meeting.
Councilmember Ransom asked
for information on the State Investment Pool.
Ms. Tarry explained that the State Investment Pool is the State’s method
for government agencies to invest monies collectively.
Councilmember Fimia inquired
how much money would be spent on Moss Adams and staff time to do the analysis.
Ms. Tarry said the contract
with Moss Adams is limited to $10,000; to-date expenditures total $3,500. She was confident the City would stay below
the budgeted amount.
Councilmember Ransom asked
whether or not the lawsuit for electric franchise fees applied to those fees
received for water and sewer franchise fees as well.
Mr. Sievers responded that
the statute which covers this issue limits the lawsuit to electrical, gas, and
telecommunication franchise fees.
Deputy Mayor Jepsen stated
there are a number of other cities who will be affected by this lawsuit, and
the City did a significant amount of negotiations on the behalf of several
cities to try and reach an agreement. At
present, the City anticipates a surplus of $800,000 in its budget. He said ever since he became a Councilmember
the City has always maintained a surplus of close to $1 million a year. He said the surplus is due to the efforts of
the Finance department and the Council’s conservative budget approach. He said the amount of construction going on
in
Councilmember Chang
expressed gratitude for Ms. Tarry and the staff, noting that they are doing an
excellent job. He stated the third and
fourth quarter reports will be interesting because of all the
construction and retail activity going on.
He said he is anticipating a good outcome.
Mr. Burkett emphasized the
need to view construction sales tax revenues as one-time, non-recurring
revenues. He added that the return on
the State Investment Pool is 2%, while the return on other City-invested funds
is almost 3%. This is about $400,000
more than if all of the funds were invested in the State Pool.
Responding to Councilmember
Fimia, Ms. Tarry explained that while there have only been 11 more real estate
sales transactions over the previous year, the value of those transactions is
significantly higher than those in 2004.
Councilmember Ransom noted
that $5 million of the projected $32 million in revenue is carried over from
last year. There is $25 to $27 million
is new revenue, and the remainder is prior savings.
Ms. Tarry stated that this
represents the amount of reserves that the City plans to use in 2005 for
one-time capital expenditures.
(b) Update on 2004 Crime Statistics
Mr. Burkett noted that the
Council discussed the 2004 Service Efforts and Accomplishments Report (SEA) at
the June 27 meeting. At that time, the Council
requested City staff to analyze the data from 2004 against the data from the
first half of 2005 and compare Shoreline’s statistics to other local
cities.
Police Chief
At
Continuing, Chief Burtt
outlined the strategies for combating residential and commercial
burglaries. These include public
education/awareness and working with Block Watch captains, neighborhood
community councils, and the Chamber of Commerce. He emphasized the need for citizens to report
suspicious activity in their neighborhoods.
The police department also conducts complimentary security inspections
for business owners and educates business owners on ways to safeguard their
businesses. Chief Burtt concluded his
presentation by saying that he is pleased with the statistics he has seen thus
far for 2005. He noted the reductions in
some crime categories, pointing out that 95% of surveyed residents feel safe in
the City during the day, and 73% feel safe in the City at night.
Councilmember Hansen asked
who has investigating authority when a car is recovered in a City the theft did
not originate in. Chief Burtt stated the
recovering agency is responsible for processing the crime scene.
Councilmember Ransom
expressed concern about the increase in auto thefts. He stated his opinion that the citizen survey
was largely based on past performance.
These numbers, he concluded, are tied to the fact that 185 drug houses
were closed in the 1990’s, which led to the 50% decrease in the burglary rate.
Based on the report, he said it appears that
Deputy Mayor Jepsen
questioned the comparison of Shoreline’s auto theft statistics to
Chief Burtt did not feel
Councilmember Chang wondered
if there was a correlation between the areas the crimes occur and the age and
race of auto theft and burglary offenders.
He asked whether the auto thefts are occurring in the same areas where
the burglaries are occurring. He also
asked what age groups were involved in these burglaries and auto thefts.
Police Chief Burtt
summarized that he believes the 15 – 25 year-old age group is responsible for
most of the auto thefts.
Councilmember Chang stated
if most offenders fall into the 15 – 25 age group, then the emphasis needs to
be in the schools. He felt teaching
students to have respect for other people’s property is essential, and parents
need to be more involved. Community
policing and having approachable police officers, he stated, are crucial to
decreasing crime. He asked if community
policing was occurring, and if it was, what the objective is for the program.
Chief Burtt responded that
he is proud of the community policing efforts in Shoreline. The term community policing, he stated,
refers to working in a partnership with the community and being responsive to
community needs. The Shoreline Police Department has become a
model for other law enforcement agencies in terms of community-oriented
policing. Storefront officers are very
involved in community policing initiatives.
The City has many effective programs, including Block Watch, Business
Watch, the Neighborhood Traffic Safety Program (NTSP), the Senior Intervention
Program, the School Resource Officer, Anti-Bullying, and the Motel Trespass
program. He said his objective is to
continue enhancing an already excellent community-based police department and
to further develop relationships that have been forged over the last 10 years.
Councilmember Ransom stated
that the key to community policing in Shoreline is the accessibility of the
police officers to the public. More reports,
he stated, are coming into him saying officers are not available to the public
and are indifferent and not approachable.
He said this is the reason there are less calls made to the police to
report illegal activity in the City.
Councilmember Fimia
appreciated the additional information but was hoping for more analysis of the
crime problem. She said the Council and
the City staff should be alarmed about the rise of crime in Shoreline and not
turn to citizen surveys or anecdotal evidence for answers. She stated her opinion that the report is not
complete and is internally inconsistent.
She said if crime levels continue to rise, the City will lose its
standing as a great place to live. She
requested King County’s statistics for murder, aggravated assault, and domestic
violence so she can see what the tendency is for those crimes in
Shoreline. She is also hearing from
children and parents who are very concerned about the increase of drug use in
schools. A summit, she stated, needs to
occur with the schools and the City’s Human Services Department, the
Prosecuting Attorney, and the Attorney General’s Office. She asked if personal identity thefts,
burglaries, and car thefts relate to methamphetamine use.
Chief Burtt responded
affirmatively, noting the connection between the rise in identity theft and
methamphetamine use.
Councilmember Fimia
emphasized the need to hold a summit to discuss why crime is increasing, noting
that the City should study other cities that have reduced their crime
rates. She reiterated her interest in
reviewing domestic violence statistics.
She concluded that possible reasons for the increased crime rates
include poverty, age demographics, lack of solid Block Watch programs, drugs, and/or
lack of penalties.
Deputy Mayor Jepsen
expressed interest in knowing who is buying stolen property and what is being
done about them. He felt the police
should look at not only pursuing the thief, but also pursuing the buyers. He expressed interest in knowing how much
property is being stolen in Shoreline and being recovered in Shoreline, versus
how much of it ends up in other jurisdictions.
Councilmember Chang
commended the police department for the difficult and stressful job they have.
He reiterated the need for community policing and collaboration.
Councilmember Ransom stated
he would like to know what percentage of the cars stolen are refurbished and
sold, as opposed to those abandoned and recovered.
Chief Burtt stated that
about 95% of all stolen cars in the City of
Councilmember Hansen asked
if speed measuring devices are being used in the City of
Councilmember Ransom pointed
out that Aurora Avenue, Ballinger, and North City are problem traffic areas in
the City.
7. ADJOURNMENT
At
/S/