Notes from Shoreline council meeting June 7, 2021

Pam Cross, reporter

Shoreline City Council Meeting

June 7, 2021

Notes by Pam Cross

Mayor Hall called the remote meeting to order at 7:00pm.
All Councilmembers were present.

Approval of the Agenda
Agenda adopted by unanimous consent.

Report of the City Manager, Debbie Tarry

COVID-19 UPDATE

In King County, reported new cases and hospitalizations for COVID-19 continue to improve as more people become vaccinated. Governor Inslee has announced that the State will fully reopen on June 30, 2021 or earlier if 70% of Washington residents over the age 16 have received their first dose.

In North Seattle and Shoreline, nearly 79% of residents age 12 and over have received at least one dose.

Walk-in vaccinations are now available, including at Shoreline Center.

PRIDE MONTH

Yarn bombed trees at the Park at Town Center

If you would like to decorate a tree near you to celebrate Pride Month, please send a photo to Constance Perenyi cperenyi@shorelinewa.gov so she can share your picture on social media.

LIGHT RAIL

Sound Transit celebrated a milestone last week by pouring concrete for the last of the 188 columns that will support light rail from Seattle to Lynnwood.

This photo shows the progress that has been made at the Shoreline 148th Street Station. Only three more years before light rail starts running through Shoreline.

Council Reports

Councilmember McGlashan attended the SeaShore Transportation Forum meeting. A representative from Sen. Pramila Jayapal’s office provided an update on what’s going on in Washington DC. As reported in the news, it’s pretty much gridlocked and not much is moving forward at this time. They are continuing to work hard at getting a transportation measure passed.

Chris Arkell from KingCo Metro has finalized the joint letter from the voting members of SeaShore (Shoreline, Lake Forest Park, Kenmore, Bothell and Woodinville) to Sound Transit expressing our need to continue with 522/523 bus rapid transit as promised to the voters in the ST3 package.

Shoreline signed on to the joint city letter but we should consider a separate City letter. My concern is if they omit the parking garages in the other cities, not only will our parking garages be overwhelmed but also our neighborhood streets.

Deputy Mayor Scully reported that the WRIA 8 Salmon Recovery Council released a report. As he’s mentioned before, there has been a precipitous decline in coho salmon. They have traced it back to a specific chemical reaction with automobile tire rubber. When it degrades in sunlight, it creates a chemical that specifically affects coho salmon. It comes from water runoff. They are researching how to stop that. One of the things that they know already, is that water that is retained and does not flow directly into Puget Sound or the rivers contains very little of the chemical.

Mayor Hall met with the King County Cities Climate Collaboration (K4C). They talked about reducing greenhouse gases from cars but, as the Deputy Mayor pointed out, that is not enough. We also need to address the rubber from tires and the metals from brake pads that go into our runoff.

Public Comment

Jackie Kurle Shoreline

Spoke about the enhanced shelter and expressed hope that there will be enough FTE’s to handle any potential increase in emergency calls and that the shelter will continue with its gradual approach to adding new residents.

Kathleen Russell, Shoreline, Save Shoreline Trees

Spoke about tree protection plans at private development sites. At Towns on 145th (145th / 1st Ave NE) there are conifers that are suffering from lack of mulching, surrounding protection, and water. Although arborists were consulted, there has been no compliance. This is a good example of the difficulty of monitoring tree protection at private development sites.

Jingjing Sun, Shoreline

Hoped to raise awareness of the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China, as well as the discrimination and harassment experienced here by her family who follow this ancient teaching.

Approval of the Consent Calendar
Consent Calendar approved unanimously by a vote of 7-0.

Action Item 8(a) Public Hearing and Discussion of Ordinance No. 935 - Extension of Interim Regulations to Allow for Additional Extensions of Application and Permit Deadlines Beyond Those Provided for in the Shoreline Municipal Code Due to COVID-19 Impacts

Staff presentation provided by Rachael Markle, Director, Planning and Community Development

On July 27, 2020, the City Council enacted interim regulations that provide relief for applicants by creating additional extensions of application and permit deadlines due to the impacts of COVID-19. This was extended on January 11, 2021. The COVID-19 pandemic may continue to impact the ability of permit customers, which in turn, may cause delays for the commencement of development activities.

This is the mandatory public hearing.
Public Hearing opened by Mayor Hall
No public testimony

DISCUSSION
No additional discussion

Council expressed support for this Ordinance and agreed to return this item on Consent on 6/21

Action Item 8(b) Public Hearing and Discussion of Ordinance No. 936 – Extension of Interim Regulations for Outdoor Seating

Staff presentation provided by Andrew Bauer, Planning Manager

On the same dates as above, the City Council enacted and extended regulations for outdoor seating areas for existing restaurants and bars due to indoor seating restrictions related to COVID-19. Although the State’s reopening and lifting of restrictions are underway, the effects of the pandemic are likely to linger and some people’s comfort with indoor dining and gathering could discourage them from visiting local bars and restaurants that don’t have outdoor seating options.

These interim regulations provided for outdoor seating on private property by registering the use. There is no parking requirement. For outdoor seating on the City right of way, there is expedited permit review. Fees are waived.

Public Hearing opened by Mayor Hall
No public testimony

DISCUSSION

I would like to see this as a permanent Ordinance.
Reply: Staff is looking into it.

It might be more difficult to make this permanent once we get into the details of regulations.

Reply: All the regulations involving life safety, building, and ADA remain in effect. Also State liquor licenses for serving outdoors and any public health requirements in terms of food safety are enforced. What we do waive is parking and permitting requirements.

I think making this a permanent change will provide great support for our businesses and will also encourage growth of more restaurants is Shoreline.

There were only five businesses that took advantage of this. Do you have any idea why? Was it too difficult to do? Should we be targeting different businesses that have the outside space to do this? I would like to increase the numbers.

Reply: It’s difficult to tell. We did a significant amount of outreach. There’s not a lot of restaurants and bars in Shoreline with adequate space to do it. We will do additional outreach.

Not everyone is fully vaccinated. Some people can’t be for medical reasons and some have received only one shot. We are reopening the State so eating outdoors is a safer option now than indoor dining.

Council agreed to return this item on Consent on 6/21

Study Item 9(a) Discussion of the 2021 State Legislative Session with 32nd District Legislators

Staff presentation provided by Jim Hammond, Intergovernmental Program Manager

This “long” session of 105 days was an incredibly productive session. It happens every two years to set the biennial budget for the State. There were also many amazing policy achievements.

The session also made history as it was conducted virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Surprisingly, the remote session worked very well. It was not necessary to physically be in Olympia because the testifying was done remotely. It will be interesting to see how future sessions are conducted.

There were six bills passed regarding public safety and police accountability.These are outlined in some detail in the staff report so I won’t go over them now.

The Capital Budget invests $350 million for the Housing Trust Fund and other state programs that support affordable housing and shelter capacity.

The Capital Budget also allocated more than $120 million for a new 120-bed nursing facility at the Fircrest Residential Habilitation Center, and over $20 million for improvements to the State Public Health Lab, at the southern end of the Fircrest Campus. The State appears to be taking clear steps forward in planning the future of its Fircrest campus.

Debora Munguia is Shoreline’s lobbyist for state issues.

She reported that the City’s policy priorities gained significant ground: the legislature moved closer to a statewide transportation funding package and provided cities with new tools to support fiscal flexibility, including tax increment financing and an MFTE (Multi-Family Tax Exemption) pilot program.

There was a push to stop the MFTE program. The bill authorized an additional 12 year extension in addition to several other elements. We were able to get an amendment to that bill, specific only to the City of Shoreline, that created a pilot program for a MFTE.

Conversation with 32nd District Delegation

Guests are the members of the 32nd District legislative delegation:

Senator Jesse Salomon, and Representative Cindy Ryu, Representative Lauren Davis

Sen. Salomon

It was a surprisingly productive session. Going into it, we were advised to keep our sights low, and not do a lot of bills because things weren’t going to work in a virtual meeting. Quite the opposite occurred. A lot of good bills passed because it was so smooth and easy to get things done. I’m proudest of passing SB 5226 which says you can no longer lose your driver's license because you don’t have money to pay fines. This is a racial justice and equity issue.

SB 1534 didn’t pass and I want to keep working on that. It concerns police arbitration and the inability to obtain accountability because, in simple terms, of the influence of the police union and their ability to get officers reinstated.

SB 5467 makes drug possession a misdemeanor instead of a felony. The first two times a person is caught, they are referred to treatment rather than being charged. I remain concerned about doing something about open drug use.

Rep. Ryu

In the House we wanted to make sure we were protecting Washington’s families, workers, and communities as well as small businesses. And to make sure that we have an equitable and inclusive recovery from this pandemic. So we concentrated on four aspects of COVID-19 response: economic recovery, racial equity, social justice, and climate change. On the housing and human services side, our new Chair, Rep. Strom Peterson as well as Rep Gerry Pollet, Chair for the 46th District, did a great job getting bills passed.

HB 1128 is the Housing Benefits District Bill. It moved out of committee but did not make it through the whole process. I will continue to work on this.

HB 1070 expands the allowable uses of revenue from local sales and use tax for housing and related services, by adding acquisition of facilities or land. This allows King County to purchase, not just build, affordable housing for the homeless population.

I had worked on expanding the sales and use tax exemption for farmworker housing, although it doesn’t apply in our district. So SB 5396 passed thanks to Sen. Liz Lovelett, who carried that for me.

We took significant steps on both the working families tax rebate, as well as capital gain excise tax, but the work continues. If anyone is interested in the capital gains tax, please reach out to Rep. Noel Frame at taxworkgroup.org

Education is a huge responsibility of the legislature, so we concentrated on improving student health, extending accessibility, and cultural competency.

Juneteenth is a State Holiday effective in 2022.

We worked hard on environment and energy:

• The bill on the cap and invest system to lower greenhouse gasses was passed and signed.
• Clean fuel standards to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transportation fuels.
• Regulating super pollutants.
• A plastics bill that will create a search alert economy for plastics recycling.

I introduced HB 1147 creating the Washington State office of Resiliency to help our state better prepare for natural disasters, including earthquakes, tsunamis, wildfires, drought, storms and flooding. We got it out of my committee but it didn’t move farther than that. We did get a proviso and funding so I will continue to work on that.

The Chair of the Community and Economic Development Committee is a new position for me.

We have broadband! HB 1336 Creating and expanding unrestricted authority for public entities to provide telecommunications services to end users.

HB 1259 finally passed relating to expanding public contracting opportunities for women and minority business enterprises by increasing the regulatory oversight and accountability of the office of minority and women's business enterprises.

And finally, my goal is 400 units of housing on the Fircrest Campus, somewhere on there besides the nursing home and other facilities. I look forward to working with you.

Rep. Davis

As Sen. Salomon said, we were advised not to try to do a lot of bills. One of the reasons we were given is that we have a $9B budget hole. But two really significant things happened late in the game. President Biden gave us $4B yay! We also had a much healthier forecast. People budgeting in the fall had a much grimmer forecast. I was told by many senior representatives this was a once in a lifetime session.

Childcare and early learning. The State invested hugely in K-12. We were compelled to by being sued. Once that was settled, we made a major investment in higher education with the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). It details the delivery of federally funded employment services, workforce development, basic education for adults, and vocational rehabilitation activities for people with disabilities.

We were then reminded by groups of community advocates of the need for affordable childcare so people can go to work. We passed SB 5237, the Fair Start for Kids Act. The legislation will make child care more accessible and affordable for families across Washington State by taking a multi-pronged approach.

Sen. Salomon had mentioned the Blake decision. In the case of State v. Blake, the Washington State Supreme Court struck down the state statute that made possession of controlled substances a class C felony, removing any state criminal penalties for possession. 

This paved the way for SB 5476 making knowing possession of controlled substances a gross misdemeanor and mandating that jurisdictions provide treatment options. This represents the single largest investment in substance use recovery services and treatment in State history - by a lot. Currently we are not able to fund outreach services to individuals living with untreated addiction because you can’t bill Medicaid for them. In this bill we put $45M toward this statewide recovery navigator program. (You can read more about this in the April 26, 2021 edition of SAN.)

Going into effect in July 2022, DIAL 988 - a one-stop number for behavioral health emergencies.

Finally, I want to mention SB 5141, also known as the HEAL Act, that passed and will address the disproportionate exposure of Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color, along with low-income communities to environmental hazards in neighborhoods across Washington State.

DISCUSSION

Both of the Transportation budgets have money to finish the 148th pedestrian bridge. I hope this continues to move forward whether there’s a special session or not.

• Davis:. I haven’t heard any whispers of a special session. But we have talked about something like a freeway that divides a neighborhood or city and tried to address this by listening to various communities.

• Ryu: I haven’t heard anything about a special session either. But Rick Larsen (U.S. Rep for Washington’s 2nd District) texted to us that the U.S. House Transportation Committee is meeting to pass the Transit, Rail, Bridges, Bikes and Roads part of the American Jobs Act. His priorities include increased investment in bike and pedestrian structures. So there might be some federal funding available.

Shoreline’s 2020 Sustainability report showed that the carbon footprint of new homes in our light rail zones is dramatically less than existing homes. That is because we mandate Built Green 4-Star construction, the proximity to light rail encourages use of public transit instead of individual vehicles, and since the electricity comes from Seattle it is basically carbon neutral.

• Salomon: I’ll note I’ve just been lobbied (laughter). When I was on the Shoreline Council, I tried to get 99 years of affordability out of these units in exchange for the property tax exemption. There was no interest from developers. It worked out to go with the 12 year limit and now we’ve been able to extend it

The staff report mentioned that the idea of paying by how much you drive was kind of dropped. It’s not very equitable, right? Houses cost less farther out. Why did it drop?

• Salomon: There are privacy concerns with pay by mile. Also, the gas tax does not project well since we have better fuel efficiency. But putting a GPS tracker on your car - who wants that? Need to offer a flat fee or other low tech method of tracking mileage. This idea died but it is still in the mind of important legislators. It is still an active issue.

You talked about mental Health Teams and this 988 number. What would the mental health teams be?

• Davis: Fortunately there are other states we can learn from. Now people just call 911. And every state has a crisis line, and there is a national suicide prevention helpline. But nobody knows those numbers.We need to have a different easy to remember number. And we want to hire actual professionals, instead of using volunteers, who can schedule appointments and provide tools, and follow up in a few hours to see how they’re doing. We need a mobile crisis team that can resolve these calls without involving the police or a trip to the emergency room. The need for police presence is very rare based on data from other states. As a side note, the police are glad not to have to be social workers.

Discipline vs union: where is that headed?

• Salomon: I support unions but in police arbitration for discipline they need more regulation. It’s a heavy lift. There has to be huge support from the community. We passed a lot of historic bills about police this year. But this is needed and can’t be ignored.

Regardless of how we fund it, it is important to retain the infrastructure. We need to find the money for it.

Thank you for taking the time and always being accessible to us.


MEETING ADJOURNED