Shoreline City Council Regular Meeting - November 3, 2025
Shoreline City Council Regular Meeting - November 3, 2025
The Shoreline City Council held a regular meeting on Monday, November 3, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chamber. Mayor Chris Roberts presided. Six councilmembers were present (Roberts, Mork, Ramsdell, Scully, Ademasu, Pobee); Councilmember Robertson was excused. The agenda was approved by unanimous consent. The meeting included proclamations, public comment, consent calendar approval, and public hearings on the 2026 property tax levy and the mid-biennial budget amendment, fee schedules, and capital improvement plan. The meeting adjourned at 8:22 p.m.
Proclamations
- Native American Heritage Month: Mayor Roberts proclaimed November 2025 as Native American Heritage Month in Shoreline, encouraging residents to learn about and support Native communities. A display honoring Edie Loyer-Nelson was noted.
- Veterans Appreciation Day: Mayor Roberts proclaimed November 11, 2025, as Veterans Appreciation Day. Vice Commander John Brady (Starr Sutherland Jr. Post 227) accepted and provided historical context on Armistice Day.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of Minutes: The regular meeting minutes of September 29, 2025, were approved by a vote of 6-0 (moved by Deputy Mayor Mork, seconded by Councilmember Pobee).
Public Comments & Testimony
- General Public Comment:
- Virgilio Goze (Shoreline, National Association of Letter Carriers) thanked the Council for the USPS 250th anniversary proclamation and opposed privatization.
- Mary Ellen Stone (Shoreline, Indivisible Shoreline WA) expressed appreciation for the USPS proclamation.
- Ken Winnick (Shoreline) spoke in support of a $3,000 budget request for a semi-quincentennial spoken word series in 2026, titled "America at 250: A Republic If We Can Keep It."
- Matthew DeAngelis (Shoreline) spoke in favor of a proposed budget item to improve land near the North light rail station for a community and food truck hub.
- Public Hearing on Ordinance 1041 (Property Tax Levy):
- Vice Commander John Brady (Shoreline) asked how proposed property tax increases translate to renters and multifamily housing residents, given the difficulty of calculating property value impacts on rents.
- Public Hearing on Ordinance 1040, Resolution 548, Ordinance 1042 (Budget, Fees, Impact Fees, CIP):
- Gabriel Sneed (Shoreline) expressed support for Rotary Park improvements, citing opportunities for small businesses and community space.
- Matt Snyder (Shoreline) supported the improvement plan for public events, small businesses, and community gathering.
- Ben Chapman (Shoreline) added support for improvements to facilitate community connections.
- Vice Commander John Brady asked about probationary operations costs and public safety relative to population growth.
Discussion Items
- Ordinance No. 1041 – 2026 Property Tax Levy:
- Joseph Brandstatter (Administrative Services Director) and Christy Hopkins (Budget & Tax Manager) presented a financial update. General Fund revenue is at 64% ($63.7 million) of budget, expenditures at 60% ($63.49 million). Property tax collections are at 54% ($24.80 million) of the allowable levy. Sales tax is 5.3% less than last year, slightly above the projected 6.5% decrease. Real Estate Excise Tax (REET) is 1.4% above last year at 91% of budget. The proposed 2026 property tax is estimated at $25.8–$25.9 million with a levy rate of $1.49, plus a voter-approved Parks Bond excess levy of $2.954 million. Councilmember Scully raised concerns about declining construction and REET revenue and asked for the impact on homeowners and renters. Staff agreed to provide estimated dollar impacts for a $500,000 home and explore renter implications.
- Ordinance No. 1040, Resolution No. 548, Ordinance No. 1042, and CIP Update:
- Staff presented the mid-biennial budget amendment, fee schedules, and impact fees. Impact fees (Ordinance 1042) decreased by 1.64% based on Seattle’s construction cost index. Fee schedules (Resolution 548) increased by 2.683% based on CPI. Budget amendments include 2.367 FTEs (limited-term and ongoing). Public safety costs represent 32% of the operating budget for 2025-2026, with an additional $200,000 planned for probation services in 2027. The 10-year financial model shows a balanced budget through 2029, with a deficit starting in 2030. The anticipated ending fund balance is $16.254 million.
- Councilmember Ramsdell expressed support for the full-time performance management position, grant administrator extension, website accessibility updates, and HVAC upgrade at the Spartan Recreation Center.
- Councilmember Scully requested a graphic showing the impact of council amendments on the one-time fund balance to illustrate finite resources.
- Mayor Roberts noted the winter lights display one-time funding ($35,000 for capital, $267,400 total) may become an annual cost. Nathan Daum (Economic Development Program Manager) stated a group of six volunteers is seeking sponsorships, with about 100 businesses contacted; approximately 10,000 visitors are expected.
- Councilmembers discussed public safety cost increases: the police contract increase is partly due to a cost-sharing model with other cities (dispatch calls flat, but other cities’ calls decreased, increasing Shoreline’s share by ~$250,000). King County’s public safety sales tax is not expected to reduce city costs.
- On construction costs, Public Works Director Tricia Juhnke noted options to offset increases, such as increasing vehicle license fees (currently $40, could go to $50 without a vote, raising ~$200,000). Staff will review significant budget drivers and consider adjustments.
- Deputy Mayor Mork raised concerns about utility rates, wastewater/stormwater costs, and insurance increases. Staff clarified that the new wastewater position is funded by the wastewater utility without affecting rates, and insurance increases are market-driven.
- Councilmember Pobee asked about the 4% technology fee on planning permits, which will support the permitting portal. Staff confirmed that the fee is comparable to other cities and will cover ongoing costs.
- Councilmember Ademasu asked about the Springbrook cloud migration; staff confirmed industry-standard security and backup procedures.
Key Outcomes
- Public Hearings Held: Both hearings were opened and closed. No votes were taken; the items will return for action on November 17, 2025.
- Council Amendments: Potential amendments were discussed, including:
- Councilmember Ademasu proposed a public-private partnership with Habitat for Humanity for low-income homebuyer middle housing.
- Deputy Mayor Mork proposed $100,000 for utility/rent support and $50,000 for holiday food gift cards.
- Councilmembers were encouraged to submit written amendments by Wednesday, November 5, 2025, for inclusion in the November 17 staff report.
- Next Steps: The next regular council meeting is scheduled for November 10, 2025. Budget-related items will be considered for final approval on November 17, 2025.
Meeting Transcript
Progress. Good evening. I call to order the Shoreline City Council regular meeting for Monday, November 3rd, 2025. Will you please join me in the flag salute? Thank you. Will the police clerk please call the roll? Mayor Roberts. Here. Deputy Mayor Morton. Present. Councilmember Ramsdow. Present. Councilmember Robertson. Councilmember Adamasu. Present. Councilmember Povey. Councilmember Scully. The flag salute was much cooler tonight. Thank you all, and I'm present. Thank you. Do I have a motion? Excuse Councilmember Robinson for personality. Second. There's a motion and a second to excuse Councilmember Robertson for personal reasons. Is there any objection? Seeing no objection, the motion passes. On behalf of the Shoreline City Council, I proclaimed the month of November 2025 as Native American Heritage Month in the City of Shoreline and encouraged all residents to learn more about ways to celebrate and support native and indigenous indigenous communities. For those of us who are here in person, uh please see the display from the Shoreline Historical Heritage Museum honoring Ed Lawyer Nelson, uh Native American at Duwamish uh Shoreline Community uh community member. So please check it out if you're here. I also have the pleasure of proclaiming uh Tuesday, November eleventh, two thousand twenty-five as Veterans Appreciation Day in the City of Shoreline. And I'd like to invite Commander Charles Garde and Vice Commander John Brady of Star Sutherland Junior Post two seven to the podium to accept the proclamation. Whereas our nation was founded on the belief that all Americans are created equal and guaranteed the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and whereas our nation's veterans have sacrificed to preserve and protect our country and constitution from all enemies, foreign and domestic. And whereas November 11th, 1919 was initially proclaimed as Armistice Day to honor our country's World War One veterans, and in order for a grateful nation to pay homage to veterans of all wars, on June first, nineteen fifty-four, President Eisenhower signed into law the renaming of Armistice Day to Veterans Day. And whereas the City of Shoreline recognizes the contributions of the men and women uh in the military who have served our country and who continue to serve their communities. And whereas on Tuesday, November eleventh, two thousand twenty-five, here at Shoreline City Hall, the Shoreline Veterans Association is hosting their annual Veterans Day celebration to honor local veterans. And now therefore I, Christopher Roberts, mayor of the City of Shoreline, on behalf of the Shoreline City Council, do hereby proclaim November eleventh, two thousand twenty-five as Veterans Appreciation Day in the City of Shoreline and urge all citizens to honor the sacrifices of the loyal and courageous veterans who have given so much for the cause of peace. So thank you very much for your recognition. Can I borrow two minutes? So as the mayor pointed out, this was originally uh Veterans Day was originally referred to as Armistice Day. Armistice Day was and I real fast lesson here. Armistice Day, the Armistice for World War One, the cessation of hostilities in the in the European theater, was actually signed on 6 a.m. on the 11th of November on uh in 1918. But due to the fact they had to get all the word out to all the troops, they decided to go ahead and have it actually occur on 11 o'clock. So that's where you get the traditional uh the 11th day, the 11th month, the 11th hour. So here's a bit of trivia. When was the last gun fired by the Americans? 1059 to 59 seconds. It was done by the 11th field artillery, not getting a you gotta stretch that 11th hour the way out there. And it was done by a howitzer named Calamity Jane. She's currently in uh repose in the West Point Museum, and of course, leave it to a lady to uh get the last word in some in a fight.
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