CITY
OF
SHORELINE CITY COUNCIL
PRESENT: Mayor Hansen, Deputy Mayor Jepsen, Councilmembers Chang, Fimia,
Grace, Gustafson, and Ransom
ABSENT: none
STAFF: Steve Burkett, City Manager; Bob Olander,
Deputy City Manager; Julie Modrzejewski, Assistant
City Manager; and Joyce Nichols, Community and Intergovernmental Relations
Director
Mayor
Hansen convened the meeting at
Steve
Burkett, City Manager, introduced the topic for the meeting, a review of the
2004 legislative priorities and over of the coming state legislative
session. He introduced Joyce Nichols,
Community and Intergovernmental Relations Director, who reviewed the 2004
priorities adopted by the Council in January.
Those included:
·
Support funding for the City’s Capital
Improvement Projects including the Aurora Corridor and Interurban Trail.
·
Support protection of existing revenue sources and oppose unfunded
mandates. The impacts of statewide Initiatives 695, 747 and 776 have reduced
city revenues, placing a severe strain on the ability of cities to provide
local services. Shoreline supports
replacement of these revenues by the state.
·
Support the multi-state “sales tax streamlining” initiative as the best
means to allow eventual collection of legally owed sales and use taxes from
online/mail order sales.
·
Support legislation designed to remove inefficiencies in providing
services and provide new ways to provide essential services, including
legislation protecting our ability to purchase goods and services through
intergovernmental agreements; supporting city authority to cooperatively
provide municipal court services through interlocal
agreements with other cities to promote provision of court services in a
cost-effective, efficient manner for both the cities and the public.
·
If the Legislature acts to close or substantially reduce the Fircrest School operations, the City of Shoreline supports
and would help facilitate proposals to allow the city, residents and other
major stakeholders participation in the redevelopment planning process of the Fircrest Campus.
·
Oppose reductions in the maximum tax rate on mini-casinos and other
gambling activities.
·
Support legislation providing a city option to allow electronic pull
tabs if at least one-half of the tax revenue is to be retained by the city.
·
Oppose legislation that reduces or changes transportation funding and
revenue sharing between the state and cities.
·
Monitor proposed changes in the Regional Transportation Investment
District and support those that are beneficial to Shoreline’s interests in
regional solutions to
·
Strong support for increased state funding for a balanced
transportation revenue package that provides additional revenue to cities to
fund large-scale projects that improve safety and relieve congestion on
regionally significant roads.
·
Support legislation granting
·
Monitor health/human services program legislation so there is no
further erosion of the safety net for our most vulnerable residents and to
prevent cost shifts from the state to cities.
Ms.
Nichols also gave an overview of changes in the make-up of the Legislature for
the coming session. She noted that the
Democrats hold majorities in both the House and the Senate, but the Governor’s
race was still up in the air. By the
latest recount, Senator Dino Rossi was leading by just a handful of votes and
had been declared Governor-elect by Secretary of State Sam Reed. With such a close race, one and possibly more
vote recounts may occur.
Issues
highlighted by Nichols for the coming session included:
·
Additional local options for transportation funding including gas tax
increase, indexing the gas tax to inflation, a fuel efficiency tax, a street
utility and others.
·
Planned increases to fund the PERS retirement system, including a
recommendation by the state actuary that rates increase by about 2.5% in
2005-06, by 5.5% in 2006-07, by 8.25% in 2007-08 and 8.44% in 2008-09. Shoreline has the first year of increases
funded because previous City Council direction was to treat the reduction in
employer’s rates as one-time funding and continue to budget as a hedge against
future increases.
·
Issues related to public disclosure as a result of the Hangartner decision by the State Supreme Court.
·
Municipal court authority to allow cities to continue contracting with
other cities to provide mutual court facilities.
·
Clarification that local governments have the authority to designate
and zone areas for gambling activities.
·
A slate of economic development tools is being developed. Staff will review these and recommend which,
if any Council might wish to support.
Ms.
Nichols asked Councilmembers to provide suggested
changes, additions, etc., to her, noting that she would consolidate proposed
priorities for adoption at the Council’s January 10 meeting.
Mayor
Hansen declared the meeting adjourned at
__________________________________________________________
Joyce
Nichols, Community and Intergovernmental Relations Director