Notes from Shoreline City Council Meeting March 19, 2012
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Shoreline City Council Meeting March 19, 2012
By Devon Vose Rickabaugh
Tobacco Free Parks
The council heard the results of the Tobacco Free Parks survey from John Norris, City Management Analyst, and Dick Deal, Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Director. Of the 192 Shoreline citizens responding 70% supported banning all tobacco products from all city park areas and setting a fine of $25 for each infraction. Park users would be primarily responsible for asking smokers to not smoke.
Some responses from citizens gave the council members pause to rethink how pervasive they wanted the smoking ban to be. One respondent said, “Tobacco users are also taxpayers, restricting tobacco is an infringement on peoples rights.” Another wrote, “Your limited resources would not be well served trying to police others who are smoking outside.” And “Expecting citizens to police others is asking for trouble.”
Council member McConnell said both of her parents smoked and she would not support banning what little freedom is allowed smokers. Council member Winstead said, “This is a part of our healthy city strategy. We need to be concerned for children using the park breathing the smoke” and picking up butts. Council member Eggen and Mayor McGlashan said they were concerned with prohibiting a legal activity in the parks. Council member Solomon said he would support the ban but wondered how to enforce it. Winstead suggested limiting smoking around playgrounds and ball fields. City Manager Underwood will get back to the council around some of these questions.
Animal Control
An update on the Animal Control Implementation Plan was presented by John Norris and Rob Beem, Community Services Manager. Taking over Animal Control Services from King County must be decided by May 1st with a goal of Shoreline hiring 1.5 control officers to begin on January 1st 2013 with a cost of $56,000. If overhead costs are considered, annual costs could be $149,000.
Structurally the animal control services will become a program within the city’s Community Services Division with supervision provided by the city’s Customer Response Team. Animal sheltering will continue to be provided by PAWS with Everett Animal Shelter providing exotic pet service.
Animal licensing will be provided under a new contract with Pet Data, a private licensing firm. Mayor McGlashan directed City Manager Underwood to get back to him about questions on cost estimates between the new Regional Animal Services of King County and Shoreline’s and who would take over when the trained animal control officer in Shoreline got sick.
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4 comments:
The city staff continues to proposed adding programs and services that will raise operating costs for the city even though the forecast for property tax collections show a decline. So, between annexing 145th Street (at a cost of $160,000 a year) and adding animal control services ($149,000 a year), does the city manager's office even consider the total added cost of their proposals? The city manager is over her head, and continues to recklessly propose adding services we can't afford.
Anon @7:42 - if you read the report for the meeting that night you will see in the first paragraph that Council directed staff to develop this plan. Get over the bitter, you'll feel better.
@8:49 am - bitter? Questioning the wisdom of continuing to run up the budget is not being bitter, it is a duty of responsible citizenship. When the City Manager's Office reports that Shoreline is aging in place (meaning that residents are on fixed incomes), poverty is rising, sales taxes are falling, property taxes are falling and expected to for at least 5-8 more years, and she continues to add unfunded programs to the city budget permanently, that is not bitter, that is realistic.
As for the Council, if they feel that irresponsible, then it is time to vote them out - and the ones up for re-election are McGlashan, Winstead, Hall, and Roberts.
BTW, I didn't see any mention from you about the annexation of 145th, and that was not a council directed mandate, it was a staff generated proposal. You need to keep up better.
Maybe therapy - really, you will feel better.
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