Shoreline City Council Meeting Monday 9-16-13

Shoreline City Council Meeting Monday 9-16-13

Notes by Devon Vose Rickabaugh

The Council held a public hearing on the 2013-14 Human Services Funding Plan which includes Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds and authorizing the City Manager to execute contracts to implement approved programs and projects.

The City Manager recommended an allocation of $349,605 of General Funds, $307,048 of CDBG funds, and $26,819 of state shared revenues for 2014. In order to use CDBG funding, the City must hold a public hearing and adopt the Human Service Plan’s proposed use of CDBG funding each year. All activities are targeted to address the needs of low and moderate income households and individuals. The City allocates most funding for Human Services through a biennial competitive application process. For administrative efficiency CDBG funds are allocated by the City to support one project, Shoreline/Lake Forest Park Senior Center.

In addition two programs applied for funds. The Minor Home Repair Program is targeted to income eligible residents, most are older adults and are in households with “very-low” incomes. Home owners pay $10.00 per hour for the service, plus the cost of materials. The grant pays for personnel costs relating to the program. Given the age of Shoreline’s housing stock, the high number of older adults aging in place and the number of low and moderate income home owners, this program is in high demand. The program is contracted to Senior Services of Seattle/King County and there is no other non-City funding source for this program.

The Provail Company proposed to construct a 12-bed residential facility at 1548 NE 175th Street to be licensed as a Boarding Home to support 12 very low-income individuals with traumatic brain injury including set aside beds for four veterans. Total project cost is $2,133,979 to be funded by a Washington State Housing Trust Fund grant of $1,383,979 (already approved) and a pending grant to the King County Housing Finance Program for $700,000 and $20,000 of applicant funds. This project will replicate a program the applicant operates in Auburn.

Mayor McGlashan said he was glad to see the Provail Company reapply for funding since they had built a similar facility in Seattle after applying to Shoreline in the past.

The Council voted unanimously to approve the CDBG funding recommended by staff.

The Council continued to consider the 2014 proposed city budget with its Capital Improvement Plan which will be presented to the City Council on October 14 , with adoption scheduled for November 25, 2013.

The Council heard a presentation from McKenna Morgan of Cascadia Consulting Group, hired by the city to help write the Climate Action Plan which is due for adoption on September 30. The draft of the plan is on the City’s Website. The Plan provides a description of what the City has already done to protect the climate, recommendations for further action, and what households and businesses can do to help reduce Green House Gas (GHG) emissions. An array of actions are offered in the Plan, from those that are easily accomplished to bold and ambitious actions that will require substantial investment, commitment and creativity to implement, but which will have a more significant impact on reducing emissions.

Morgan said that total Green House Gas (GHG)emissions decreased by 4% between 2009 and 2012 because of reduction in residential energy use primarily electricity and some reduction in commercial energy use. However increase in vehicle miles traveled in the city somewhat counteracted the overall decrease. The municipal level showed an 8% reduction in GHG emissions largely because of upgraded street lights to high efficiency LEDs and some reduction in electricity use at the Shoreline pool. But she said much remains to be done to meet the city’s commitment to reduce emissions.

Councilmember Hall said it’s only been the last five years that we heard about ocean acidification. Now a recent Seattle Times article said that the Alaska King Crab industry could collapse in 20 to 40 years because the ocean is becoming too acidic due to more CO2 in the atmosphere from burning fossil fuel. It’s not just a global warming issue a but huge economic thing. He said the Shoreline Council spoke out a year ago warning that the coal trains won’t just affect Shoreline but shipping millions of tons of coal to China to burn will send the vapors back here to acidify Puget Sound. Hall said that the carbon foot print for a family living in multifamily dwelling near transit is one third that of a car dependent family. "The more we can make/keep Shoreline a great place to live with rapid transit coming we benefit the city but it’s also the most dramatic way to reduce carbon emissions."