OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Shoreline City Council Regular Meeting - November 17, 2025

City Council — Monday, November 17, 2025
BodyShoreline, Washington
SessionCity Council
DateMonday, November 17, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 35:14

Transcript — Verbatim
0:43

Good evening.

0:43

I call to order the Shoreline City Council regular meeting for Monday, November 17th, 2025.

0:49

Will you please join me in the flag salute?

0:57

And to the Republic for Rosh Stamps.

1:00

Under Individual Authority and Justice.

1:06

Thank you.

1:06

Will the please will the clerk please call the roll?

1:09

Mayor Roberts.

1:10

Here.

1:11

Deputy Mayor Mork.

1:12

Present.

1:13

Councilmember Ramsdale.

1:14

Present.

1:14

Councilmember Sculdy.

1:15

Present.

1:16

Councilmember Automastiu.

1:17

Present.

1:17

Councilmember Povey.

1:19

Councilmember Robertson.

1:20

Here.

1:21

The next item is approval of tonight's agenda.

1:24

If there are no objections or comments, the agenda is adopted by unanimous consent.

1:29

Next on the agenda is the report of the city manager, Mr.

1:32

Ellington.

1:33

Good evening, Council.

1:35

I like to start today's meeting by sharing that this month is Indigenous People's Month.

1:40

And in honor of Indigenous People's Month, we invite you to view a featured display here at City Hall by the Shoreline Historical Museum that highlights a special member of the Shoreline community.

1:52

Edie Lawyer Nelson was a long-term board member of Shoreline Historical Museum and an honored Dumarmish Elder.

2:02

The museum's display celebrates her legacy and the impact that one person can have on an entire community's history.

2:17

As a reminder, there is still time to donate to the Shoreline Food Drive.

2:22

Donations can be dropped off at City Hall, the Shoreline Teen Center, and at several other locations throughout the city all month long.

2:29

We're happy to share that our Shoreline Walks community walking program has started a new Tuesday walk group for fall 2025.

2:47

No registration is necessary.

2:49

Just drop in and join volunteer walk leader Donna.

2:52

The goal of the Tuesday walking group is to build a community of walkers who want to stay active and social together.

2:59

Finally, I just have a couple of public reminders to share.

3:13

The parks recreation and cultural services tree boards.

3:16

The next meeting is December 4th at 7 p.m.

3:19

And for more information about these meet upcoming meetings, please visit shorelinewa.gov forward slash calendar.

3:25

And that concludes the city manager's report.

3:28

Thank you.

3:29

Are there any council reports this evening?

3:31

Council Member Robertson.

3:33

Thank you, Mayor.

3:34

And Saturday night was the very first lighting ceremony of the inaugural shore lights event and display in our city.

3:44

And it was a real moment of pride.

3:47

Starting at about 3:30 that afternoon, there was a cadre of volunteers who were setting up canopies and stringing lights and serving cocoa.

3:57

And we were there.

3:58

It was that was a long day.

3:59

We were there till the late late hours, packing everything up again.

4:03

But the highlight, of course, were the hundreds of community members who came out who made it such a memorable and special moment.

4:20

And again, uh the tit this evening as I was driving here, and so just I just an immense gratitude and thanks for everyone who was a part of it.

4:28

Um it was a anyway, just a really proud moment.

4:32

So thank you to the council members who came.

4:34

Thank you to everybody who supported this, you know, in appropriate timing.

4:39

Um this is the w first and only uh budget request I've ever had in six years.

4:44

Uh so thank you to everybody for supporting it.

4:47

Uh and I just love that vision.

4:49

I'm feeling very generous generous tonight.

4:52

As a final note.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Community Engagement████████████████████████24%
Personnel Matters█████████████████████21%
Budget Equity Analysis█████████████████17%
Public Engagement███████████████15%
Procedural████████8%
Affordable Housing███████7%
Active Transportation█████5%
Engineering And Infrastructure███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Shoreline City Council Regular Meeting - November 17, 2025

The Shoreline City Council held its regular meeting on Monday, November 17, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chamber. The meeting covered routine approvals, adoption of the mid-biennial budget amendment with six additional council amendments, and a study item proposing updates to the Employee Handbook. All votes were unanimous.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved by a 7-0 vote. Items included:
    • Approval of meeting minutes from October 6, 13, and 27, 2025.
    • Adoption of Ordinance No. 1041 (2026 Property Tax Levy).
    • Adoption of Ordinance No. 1042 (2026 Impact Fee Schedule).
    • Adoption of Resolution No. 548 (2026 Fee Schedule).
    • Authorization to execute an amendment to the agreement with the South Correctional Entity (SCORE) Jail for jail services.
    • Assumption of the Multi-Family Housing Limited Property Tax Exemption Contract by Postmark Apartments, LLC.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Gordon Black, North Sound Bicycle Advocates board member, expressed full support for protected bike lanes on N 200th Street after earlier reservations, and offered input on the pilot project.
  • Marita Rabbitt, Shoreline homeowner, criticized the significant tree removal fee as punitive, citing a $6,900 fee for a hazardous redwood 10 feet from her home. She urged the council to update the tree code to balance canopy protection and homeowner safety.
  • Lucy Pyeatt, Hopelink Director of Financial and Education Programs, supported Amendment #5 for additional utility and rental assistance. She reported that in the past four months, an average of 130 Shoreline households requested assistance each month, with requests in the first two weeks of November already 70% of that average.
  • Heidi Shepherd, NUHSA President, supported Amendment #6 providing $50,000 for food assistance cards at Safeway, noting the recent restoration of SNAP benefits and ongoing food insecurity.
  • Stevie Burklett, Mountlake Terrace, expressed gratitude for the ShoreLights winter lighting event, saying it fostered a sense of community.

Action Items

  • Ordinance No. 1040 – 2025-2026 Mid-Biennial Budget Amendment and CIP Update (30 minutes):
    • Administrative Services Director Joseph Brandstatter and Budget & Tax Manager Christy Hopkins presented. The budget process began in June, and the city is in a strong fiscal position to consider proposed amendments.
    • Councilmember Scully asked about the impact of approving all six proposed amendments. Mr. Brandstatter responded that the fund balance would remain within the target range of 20–25% of expenditures, and the amendments do not significantly move the needle.
    • Deputy Mayor Mork asked about tracking capital project funds that cannot be spent in this biennium. Ms. Hopkins explained the funds would be carried forward into the next biennium.
    • A motion to adopt Ordinance No. 1040 as presented passed 7-0.
    • A subsequent motion to adopt Amendments #1 through #6 (one-time expenditures) also passed 7-0.

Study Items

  • Resolution No. 555 – Amending the Employee Handbook (30 minutes):
    • Human Resources Director Livy Smith Yueh presented updates driven by 14 state laws, two federal laws, and housekeeping edits. Changes include bidirectional accountability for hybrid work, mature talent management, and compliance updates.
    • Mayor Roberts asked about the inconsistent use of “regular employee” vs. “city employee.” Ms. Yueh pointed to definitions on page 9a-113 for employment status. Mayor Roberts noted a preference for “benefits eligible” instead of “regular.”
    • The resolution will return on the consent calendar on December 1, 2025.

Key Outcomes

  • Consent Calendar passed unanimously (7-0).
  • Ordinance No. 1040 (budget adoption) passed unanimously (7-0).
  • Amendments 1–6 passed unanimously (7-0).
  • Resolution No. 555 (Employee Handbook) will be considered on consent at the December 1, 2025 meeting.
  • Meeting adjourned at 7:34 p.m.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening. I call to order the Shoreline City Council regular meeting for Monday, November 17th, 2025. Will you please join me in the flag salute? And to the Republic for Rosh Stamps. Under Individual Authority and Justice. Thank you. Will the please will the clerk please call the roll? Mayor Roberts. Here. Deputy Mayor Mork. Present. Councilmember Ramsdale. Present. Councilmember Sculdy. Present. Councilmember Automastiu. Present. Councilmember Povey. Councilmember Robertson. Here. The next item is approval of tonight's agenda. If there are no objections or comments, the agenda is adopted by unanimous consent. Next on the agenda is the report of the city manager, Mr. Ellington. Good evening, Council. I like to start today's meeting by sharing that this month is Indigenous People's Month. And in honor of Indigenous People's Month, we invite you to view a featured display here at City Hall by the Shoreline Historical Museum that highlights a special member of the Shoreline community. Edie Lawyer Nelson was a long-term board member of Shoreline Historical Museum and an honored Dumarmish Elder. The museum's display celebrates her legacy and the impact that one person can have on an entire community's history. As a reminder, there is still time to donate to the Shoreline Food Drive. Donations can be dropped off at City Hall, the Shoreline Teen Center, and at several other locations throughout the city all month long. We're happy to share that our Shoreline Walks community walking program has started a new Tuesday walk group for fall 2025. No registration is necessary. Just drop in and join volunteer walk leader Donna. The goal of the Tuesday walking group is to build a community of walkers who want to stay active and social together. Finally, I just have a couple of public reminders to share. The parks recreation and cultural services tree boards. The next meeting is December 4th at 7 p.m. And for more information about these meet upcoming meetings, please visit shorelinewa.gov forward slash calendar. And that concludes the city manager's report. Thank you. Are there any council reports this evening? Council Member Robertson. Thank you, Mayor. And Saturday night was the very first lighting ceremony of the inaugural shore lights event and display in our city. And it was a real moment of pride. Starting at about 3:30 that afternoon, there was a cadre of volunteers who were setting up canopies and stringing lights and serving cocoa. And we were there. It was that was a long day. We were there till the late late hours, packing everything up again.

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