>>> Will come to order now.
It's 9:31 a.m.
I am Alex Pedersen, the chair
of the community.
Will clerk please call role?
>> Herbold?
>> Here.
>> Councilmember Morales.
>> Here.
>> COUNCILMEMBER SAWANT?
>> I BELIEVE THE COUNCILMEMBER
WILL BE JOINING US LATER.
>>> THE AGENDA IS ADOPTED.
THE BRIEF CHAIR REPORT.
GOOD MORNING, AGAIN, APPRECIATE
EVERYBODY BEING HERE FOR THE
TRANSPORTATION AND SEATTLE
PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMITTEE.
WE HAVE TEN ITEMS ON THE
AGENDA.
FIRST WE WELCOME BACK TO THE
COMMITTEE.
GREG SPOTTS, THE NOMINEE FOR
THE NEW SEATTLE TRANSPORTATION
DEPARTMENT.
I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO A
PRODUCTIVE CONVERSATION WITH
MR. SPOTTS TODAY.
I HOPE TO VOTE ON HIS
CONFIRMATION THIS MORNING.
SECOND WE HAVE A VOTE ON SIX
BILLS THAT WILL CONVEY SEVERAL
SLIVERS OF PROPERTY TO SDOT.
EIGHT ON THE AGENDA IS THE
ANNUAL REPORT FROM THE SCHOOL
SAFETY COMMITTEE.
THE SECOND TO LAST ITEM IS THE
UPDATE ON THE SEATTLE
TRANSPORTATION PLAN FOR
BRIEFING AND DISCUSSION.
FINALLY ITEM TEN IS A BRIEFING
AND DISCUSSION FROM SEATTLE
PUBLIC UTILITIES ON UPCOMING
RATES PAID FOR WITH SOLID WASTE
DISPOSAL.
WE WILL BRING THAT BACK FOR
SEPTEMBER 20th FOR DISCUSSION
AND LIKELY VOTE.
ITEM D IS PUBLIC COMMENT, BUT
WE DON'T HAVE ANY PUBLIC
COMMENTERS ONLINE, AND WE DON'T
HAVE ANY PUBLIC COMMENTERS IN
PERSON TODAY.
SO I DON'T THEN NEED TO READ
ALL OF THE INSTRUCTIONS FOR
PUBLIC COMMENT, SO THE PUBLIC
COMMENT PERIOD IS ESSENTIALLY
OPEN AND CLOSED SINCE WE DON'T
HAVE ANY COMMENTERS IN PERSON
OR ONLINE.
I DID HAVE OUR SEATTLE
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY FOLKS
CHECK THAT OUT FOR US.
>> LET'S GO AHEAD AND MOVE TO
ITEM NUMBER ONE.
THE CLERK WILL READ ITEM NUMBER
ONE TO THE RECORD.
>> APPOINTMENT 02333
APPOINTMENT OF GREG SPOTTS FOR
DIRECTOR OF SEATTLE DEPARTMENT
OF TRANSPORTATION FOR A TERM TO
AUGUST 1, 2026.
DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE VOTE.
>> WELCOME BACK TO GREG SPOTTS,
HERE IN CHAMBER TODAY.
FIRST HISTORY, AS WITH ALL
RECENT NOMINEES FROM THE MAYOR,
THE CITY COUNCIL HAS BEEN
FOLLOWING THE VETTING PROCESS
IN RESOLUTION 31868.
ON JULY 27th MAYOR HARRELL
ANNOUNCED HIS NOMINEE FOR SDOT.
ON AUGUST 4th MY OFFICE
CIRCULATED THE AUGUST 3rd
CONFIRMATION PACKET TO ALL
COUNCIL MEMBERS.
ON THE 16th WE HAD HIM BEFORE
THE COMMITTEE FOR THE INITIAL
INTRODUCTION.
WE GATHERED OVER 30 WRITTEN
QUESTIONS FROM COUNCILMEMBERS
FOR THE NOMINEE TO ANSWER, AND
ON AUGUST 23rd MY OFFICE
CIRCULATED HIS RESPONSES TO ALL
COUNCILMEMBERS, AND WE ALSO
POSTED THOSE QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS ON OUR LEGISTAR WEBSITE
AS PART OF HIS APPOINTMENT
PACKET FOR APPOINTMENT 02333.
BEFORE WE START WITH QUESTIONS
FOR MR. SPOTTS, I WILL TURN IT
OVER TO ADIAM EMERY AND MR.
SPOTTS, AND I WILL START OFF
WITH SAMPLE QUESTIONS TO GET US
WARMED UP HERE.
GOOD MORNING, ADIAM EMERY.
>> GOOD MORNING,
COUNCILMEMBERS, THANK YOU FOR
HOSTING US TODAY.
IT'S MY PLEASURE TO INTRODUCE
YOU TO THE MAYOR'S NOMINEE FOR
DIRECTOR OF SDOT, GREG SPOTTS.
I HAVE PREVIOUSLY DISCUSSED THE
VETTING PROCESS IT LED TO THE
AMAZING NOMINEE BEFORE YOU,
GREG SPOTTS.
HE IS EAGER, QUICK TO LEARN, A
STRONG COLLABORATOR, BRINGS A
WEALTH OF EXPERIENCE, FOCUSED
ON EQUITY, SAFETY, AND
SUSTAINABILITY.
FURTHER THE MAYOR'S STRONG
SUPPORT FOR GREG IS ROOTED IN
HIS ABILITY TO LOOK AT THE SDOT
FRAMEWORK STRATEGIES AS IT
RELATES TO THE FUTURE
TRANSPORTATION FUNDING PACKAGE.
I KNOW YOU CAME TO HEAR GREG,
SO PLEASE ALLOW ME TO TURN
THINGS EVERY TO HIM FOR HIS
OPENING REMARKS AND THEN TAKE
YOUR QUESTIONS.
PERSONALLY THE MORE TIME I
SPEND WITH GREG, THE MORE
IMPRESSED I AM, AND I THINK YOU
WILL BE, TOO.
I WILL PRESS IT ON TO GREG.
>> THANK YOU EXECUTIVE GENERAL
MANAGER EMERY FOR YOUR KIND
INTRODUCTION AND SUPPORT
THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS.
I'M VERY HAPPY TO HAVE THE
OPPORTUNITY TO JOIN THE
COMMITTEE TODAY TO ANSWER YOUR
QUESTIONS, AND IT'S A PRIVILEGE
TO BE HERE IN PERSON WITH YOU.
BRIEFLY I WOULD LIKE TO UPDATE
THE COMMUNITY ON A FEW
DEVELOPMENTS SINCE MY AUGUST
16th APPEARANCE.
ON THE 22nd THE SDOT LAUNCHED A
PANEL TO PARTICIPATE IN MY
LISTENING TOUR.
WE HAVE RECEIVED 40
APPLICATIONS FROM INDIVIDUALS
AND GROUPS WHO WANT TO WALK,
BIKE, OR RIDE TRANSIT WITH ME
IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS.
TOMORROW WILL BE MY FIRST DAY
ON THE JOB AS INTERIM DIRECTOR.
HOPEFULLY TOMORROW MORNING I
WILL BEGIN THE DAY WALKING
CHILDREN TO SCHOOL WITH MAYOR
HARRELL IN WEST SEATTLE.
I HAVE HAD ONE-ON-ONE OR HAVE
ONE-ON-ONE INTRODUCTORY
MEETINGS SCHEDULEDWITH
COUNCILMEMBERS OVER THE NEXT
TEN DAYS, AND I'M LOOKING
FORWARD TO GET TO LEARN EACH OF
YOU AND LEARN YOUR PRIORITIES.
I HAVE DONE MY BEST TO ANSWER
YOUR WRITTEN QUESTIONS
THOROUGHLY AND LOOK FORWARD TO
DISCUSSING THE TOPICS WITH YOU
TODAY.
PLEASE NOTE THEY HAVE NOT YET
STARTED WORK AT SDOT, AND MY
RESPONSES ARE BASED ON PUBLIC
INFORMATION AND REPRESENT MY
OPINION AS A CANDIDATE FOR THE
POSITION.
>> I WILL ASK TWO OF THE
COUNCIL'S WRITTEN QUESTIONS FOR
THE BENEFIT OF THE VIEWING
PUBLIC AND ONE ADDITIONAL
QUESTION AS WELL, AND THEN I
WILL TURN IT OVER TO MY
COLLEAGUES IF THEY WANT TO
RAISE UP ANY OF THE QUESTIONS
ASKED OR ASK NEW QUESTIONS.
THE FIRST TWO YOU ANSWERED.
ONE ABOUT PEDESTRIAN SAFETY,
VISION ZERO, AND THE OTHER
ABOUT BRIDGES, AND THEN I WILL
HAVE A THIRD QUESTION HERE, BUT
I WANTED YOU TO TELL THE
VIEWING AUDIENCE A LITTLE BIT
ABOUT YOUR ANSWER ON PEDESTRIAN
SAFETY, AND THE QUESTION WE
ASKED WAS, TO
SUMMARIZE HERE, FOLLOWING
SEATTLE SEEING A HIGH NUMBER OF
COLLISIONS THIS YEAR, HOW WILL
YOU ADVANCE THE VISION ZERO
GOAL FOR ZERO FATALITIES BY
2030.
AGAIN, IT'S ONLINE, MR. SPOTT'S
ANSWER FOR THAT, BUT WE WILL
HEAR THAT THIS MORNING BECAUSE
I KNOW IT'S IMPORTANT TO
EVERYBODY IN THE CITY.
REGARDING BRIDGES, THE QUESTION
WE ASKED IN SUMMARY, SEATTLE IS
A CITY CONNECTED BY BRIDGES,
AND THE CITY HAS SUFFERED FROM
THE SEATTLE OF THE WEST BRIDGE
OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS, HOW
WILL YOU APPLY FOR YOUR
EXPERIENCE OF BUILDING OR
UPGRADING BRIDGES IN LOS
ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.
THE NEW QUESTION TODAY, IN
PREPARATION FOR TODAY'S VOTE,
MY OFFICE REACHED OUT TO THE
LOS ANGELES CITY COUNCIL TO
HEAR FROM A FEW OF YOUR FORMER
LEGISLATIVE COLLEAGUES THERE,
AND WE HEARD A LOT OF POSITIVE
REMARKS ABOUT YOUR CREATIVE
PROBLEM SOLVING AND THAT YOU
WORK WELL WITH THE MAYOR AND
COUNCIL IN LOS ANGELES.
ONE ITEM THAT WAS CONSISTENTLY
MENTIONED IS THE DIFFERING
GOVERNING STRUCTURE THE TWO
CITIES HAVE FOR TRANSPORTATION.
AS I UNDERSTAND IT THE CITY OF
LOS ANGELES HANDLES
TRANSPORTATION PLANNING UNDER
THE DEPARTMENT OF
TRANSPORTATION WHEREAS THE CITY
HANDLES THE IMPLEMENTATION SUCH
AS MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS
WITHIN THE BUREAU OF STREET
SERVICES UNDER THE BOARD OF
PUBLIC WORKS WHERE YOU WORKED,
SO SEATTLE'S DEPARTMENT OF
TRANSPORTATION, OF COURSE,
HANDLES BOTH THE POLLTY IS
IMPLEMENTATION, SO TELL US MORE
ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE INVOLVED
IN THE POLICY AND PLANNING
ASPECTS THAT WILL ENABLE YOU TO
BE SUCCESSFUL IN THE SEATTLE
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION.
SO IF YOU COULD ADDRESS THOSE
THREE THINGS, PEDESTRIAN
SAFETY, BRIDGES, AND THEN THE
DIFFERING GOVERNING STRUCTURES
IN L.A.
>> VERY GOOD.
THANK YOU SO MUCH CHAIR
PEDERSEN, AND THANK YOU FOR
YOUR SUPPORT DURING THE PROCESS
AS WELL.
THERE'S MANY DIFFERENT, YOU
KNOW, STAKE HOLDERS AND
PROJECTS AND PROGRAMS THAT SDOT
ENCOMPASSES, BUT YOU KNOW, IN
THIS PERIOD OF BETWEEN, YOU
KNOW, INTERVIEWING WITH THE
MAYOR OR JULY 1st AND NOW, TWO
ISSUES HAVE RISEN TO THE
HOSPITAL AS FAR AS WHAT I HAVE
BEEN HEARING FROM STAKEHOLDERS
INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF
GOVERNMENT, FIGURING OUT HOW TO
MAKE PROGRESS ON REDUCING
TRAFFIC-RELATED INJURIES AND
DEATHS, PARTICULARLY FOR
PEDESTRIANS, AND STRENGTHENING
THE ASSET MANAGEMENT PROGRAM
FOR THE EXTENSIVE NETWORK OF
BRIDGES THAT ARE MAINTAINED BY
SDOT.
REGARDING VISION ZERO, WHEN THE
MAYOR OF LOS ANGELES LAUNCHED
THE VISION ZERO PROGRAM IN
2015, A STEERING COMMITTEE WAS
PART OF THE EXECUTIVE
DIRECTIVE, AND I RAISED MY HAND
TO BE STREETS L.A.
REPRESENTATIVE ON THE
COMMITTEE.
I HELPED TO DEVELOP THE VISION
ZERO PROGRAM IN LOS ANGELES.
IT'S TRUE THAT NATIONALLY
THERE'S A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE
IN TRAFFIC-RELATED DEATHS AND
SERIOUS INJURIES, AND ONE OF
THE THEORIES IS THAT IN THE
PANDEMIC THERE'S BEEN ACTUALLY
LESS VEHICLES ON THE ROAD AND
THEREFORE HIGHER VEHICLE
SPEEDS, AND THEREFORE MORE RISK
FROM COLLISIONS, AND I REALLY
DO FEEL THAT IT'S URGENTLY
NEEDED TO DO A TOP TO BOTTOM
REVIEW OF THE VISION ZERO IN
SEATTLE, LOOKING CAREFULLY AT
THE DATA TO TRY TO REALLY BRING
FORTH THE INSIGHTS AMONG THE
MANY INTERVENTIONS THAT HAVE
BEEN IMPLEMENTED, WHICH ONES
ARE SAVING LIVES?
WHICH ONES AREN'T.
IN WHAT SITUATIONS AND WHAT
KEEPS OF CONFIGURATIONS ARE
THEY WORKING OR NOT WORKING?
AND ALSO, REALLY, JUST ENGAGING
DEEPLY WITH THE STAKEHOLDERS
HISTORICALLY IN UNDERSERVED
COMMUNITIES.
WE KNOW WE HAVE CORRIDORS THAT
ARE VERY VEHICULAR-ORIENTED,
NORTH-SOUTH CORRIDORS IN
SEATTLE WHERE THERE'S A
CONCENTRATION OF PEDESTRIAN
INJURIES AND DEATHS THAT WILL
BE AN EARLY PRIORITY OF MINE.
I WANT TO MOBILIZE EVERY ONE OF
THE THOUSAND PEOPLE WHO WORK AT
SDOT.
WHAT WE DO IN THE MORNING, WE
START WITH SAFETY.
THERE'S NO JOB AT SDOT THAT IS
NOT CONCERNED WITH SAFETY.
SO I WANT TO REALLY MAKE THAT
THERE IS NOT JUST THE CORE
VISION ZERO TEAM, BUT THE
ENTIRE DEPARTMENT IS THE VISION
ZERO TEAM.
I LOOK FORWARD TO JUMPING INTO
THAT RIGHT AWAY.
I REALLY APPRECIATE CHAIR
PEDERSEN, YOUR BRINGING ME OUT
TO VISIT THE UNIVERSITY BRIDGE
AND SPOTLIGHTING THE ISSUE
PERTAINING TO THE BRIDGES.
I REVIEWED THE AUDIT IN DETAIL,
AND ACTUALLY I CONSULTED WITH
SOME SUBJECT MATTER EXPERIENCES
ON CONSTRUCTION AND MAINTENANCE
INCLUDING ONE OF MY COLLEAGUES
IN L.A.
WHO USED TO RUN THE BRIDGE
PROGRAM FOR LOS ANGELES.
I'M VERY SUPPORTIVE OF THE
RECOMMENDATIONS IN THAT AUDIT.
I THINK THERE'S MORE TO BE DONE
BEYOND THE RECOMMENDATIONS.
I WOULD LIKE TO ACCELERATE THE
RECOMMENDATIONS OF WHAT IS
BEING REQUIRE IN THE
RECOMMENDATIONS.
REALLY MAKING SURE SDOT HAS THE
PEOPLE, SYSTEMS, AND TECHNOLOGY
THAT IS NEEDED TO BRING THE
CONTEMPORARY ASSET-MANAGED
APPROACH TO MANAGE THE BRIDGES
AS A PORTFOLIO TO TRY TO
PREVENT LIKE WHAT HAPPENED IN
WEST SEATTLE WHERE AN ASSET IS
SUDDENLY TAKEN OUT OF SERVICE.
I'M WILLING TO INVOLVE OUTSIDE
SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS IF I
FIND IT'S NEEDED IN ORDER TO
BUILD THE STRONG SYSTEMS FOR
THAT ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL
FUNCTION, AND YESTERDAY IN MY
SORT OF EPIC WALK AND BIKE AND
BUS RIDING AROUND THE CITY ON
MY FIRST DAY, I GOT TO CROSS
TWO OF THE BRIDGES ON FOOT, AND
IT WAS SOBERING THINKING THAT
I'M GOING TO BE IN CHARGE OF
THOSE ESSENTIAL ASSETS.
REGARDING THE TRANSPORTATION
POLICY MAKING IN LOS ANGELES,
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT
ATTRACTED ME TO THIS ROLE IN
SEATTLE IS THAT PRETTY MUCH ALL
OF THE FUNCTIONS PERTAINING TO
WHAT IS ABOVEGROUND STREET
LEVEL IS CONTAINED WITHIN SDOT.
IT'S VERY CHALLENGING IN L.A.
TO DO HOLISTIC MULTIBENEFIT
STREET DESIGN BECAUSE OF HOW
SILOED AND SEPARATED THE
FUNCTIONS ARE.
THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS
HAS FIVE BUREAUS.
I'VE BEEN NUMBER TWO AT ONE OF
THE BUREAUS, AND WE DESIGN,
BUILD, AND MAINTAIN THE
INFRASTRUCTURE, AND LADOT USES
THE MARKINGS AND SIGNS.
MOST OF THE POLICIES ARE MADE
WITH INTERDEPARTMENTAL GROUPS
THERE WAS A COMPLETE STREETS
COMMITTEE.
I WAS ONE OF SEVERAL STREETS
L.A.
MEMBERS ON THE COMMITTEE.
THERE'S A SIDEWALK REPAIR
COMMITTEE, AND I HAVE BEEN THE
LONGEST STANDING PERSON, AND WE
-- THE CITY OF L.A.
GOT SUED OVER THE SIDEWALK
CONDITIONS PERTAINING TO ADA,
AND THERE'S A REAL EIGHT-YEAR
POLICY DEVELOPMENT AND
IMPLEMENTATION POLICY.
I HAVE BEEN THERE FROM THE
BEGINNING UNTIL NOW ON THE
POLICY AREA.
I HAVE POLLTY MAKING AND
IMPLEMENTATION EXPERIENCE IN
L.A.
THROUGH THE
INTERDEPARTMENTAL POLICY.
I WAS HONORED TO BE THE SPONSOR
OF THE POLICY TO LEGALIZE
SIDEWALK VENDING.
THERE'S A RICH STREET FOOD
SCENE THAT WAS ILLEGAL FOR THE
ENTIRE 20th CENTURY, AND IT
FELT LIKE SOMETHING THAT WAS
ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO UNLOCK,
MANY, MANY OF US WORKING ON IT,
BUT I WAS PROUD TO BE THE
EXECUTIVE SPONSOR OF THE LEAD
DEPARTMENT OF THE EFFORT TO
LEGALIZE SIDEWALK VENDING TO
SUPPORT MOSTLY PEOPLE OF COLOR,
AND THAT WAS SOMETHING I'M VERY
PROUD OF.
ALSO THE URBAN FORESTRY
DIVISION OF STREETS L.A.
REPORTED UP TO ME FOR THE LAST
SEVEN YEARS, AND I HAVE BROUGHT
FORTH MANY POLICIES IN
COLLABORATION WITH COUNCIL AND
THE BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS TO
STRENGTHEN THE PROTECTION OF
HEALTHY, MATURE TREES, STREET
TREES, AND IN L.A., SIX
SPECIOUS OF NATIVE TREES
PROTECTED ON PRIVATE PROPERTY.
I HAVE COLLABORATED WITH
COUNCIL AND THE BOARD ON MANY
OF THE POLICY INITIATIVES.
I DO FEEL QUITE COMFORTABLE IN
THE POLICY SPACE, AND I'M VERY
EXCITED TO HAVE ALL OF THE
FUNCTIONS UNDER ONE ROOF WHERE
WE CAN REALLY TAKE THE HOLISTIC
LOOK AT THE DIFFERENT BENEFITS
WE CAN HAVE FROM THE
INFRASTRUCTURE.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE
THOUGHTFUL AND THOROUGH ANSWERS
ON THE SAFETY FOR EVERYBODY,
AND ON THE INFRASTRUCTURE, AND
ON POLICYMAKING FOR
TRANSPORTATION.
I DO WANT TO JUST REMIND THE
PUBLIC THAT THEY CAN GO ON THE
CITY COUNCIL'S WEBSITE, AND
THEY CAN SEE THE 30 PLUS
QUESTIONS WE ASKED AND ALL OF
HIS RESPONSES, AND WE REALLY
APPRECIATE THEANSWERS TO THOSE
QUESTIONS.
I WILL TURN IT OVER TO MY
COLLEAGUES TO MAKE COMMENTS AND
ASK QUESTIONS.
I SEE HERBOLD'S HAND AND
MORALES IS EAGER, TOO.
MORALES FIRST, AND THEN TO
COUNCILMEMBER HERBOLD.
>> GREAT, THANK YOU.
I HAVE THREE AREAS THAT SEEM TO
ALIGN WITH THE THINGS YOU'RE
FOCUSING ON ANYWAY WHICH IS
GREAT.
FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU FOR
BEING HERE.
GOOD MORNING.
WELCOME TO SEATTLE.
I DID SEE YOUR THREAD
YESTERDAY, AND IT LOOKS LIKE
YOU GOT AT LEAST YOUR 10,000
STEPS IN.
SO I REPRESENT THE SOUTH END,
DISTRICT TWO WHERE LAST YEAR
56% OF THE FATALITIES ON
SEATTLE STREETS HAPPENED IN MY
DISTRICT.
SO IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO ME
THAT THE NEXT DIRECTOR HAVE A
DEEP COMMITMENT TO VISION ZERO,
AND I APPRECIATE THE ANSWER YOU
JUST GAVE TO COUNCILMEMBER
PEDERSEN.
YOU MENTIONED IN YOUR WRITTEN
RESPONSES THAT RAINIER AVENUE
IS HOSTILE TO PEDESTRIANS.
I WOULD AGREE.
I AM WONDERING IF YOU CAN TALK
A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT MAKES
IT HOSTILE AND WHAT YOU THINK
WE CAN DO TO CHANGE THAT AND
OTHER STREETS IN THE SAME
SITUATION.
>> SURE, I MEAN, I WOULD
DEFINITELY WANT TO SPEND MORE
TIME OUT ON RAINIER AND WITH
YOU AND THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS.
THAT'S THE WHOLE FUNCTION OF
THE LISTENING TOUR, AND I DID
DO SOME WALKING.
YOU KNOW, THERE ARE PLACES, YOU
KNOW, WHERE THERE'S A VERY WIDE
CROSSING DISTANCE TO GET
ACROSS, AND THERE'S PLACES
WHERE THERE ARE FREEWAY ONRAMPS
AND OFFRAMPS UNSIGNALLIZED,
WHICH IS A VERY SCARY THING TO
TRY TO CROSS WHEN PEOPLE ARE
DRIVING TO GET ON OR OFF.
MISSING CURB RAMPS, AND WE HAVE
ARTERIALS LIKE THIS IN LOS
ANGELES AS WELL, AND
PARTICULARLY IN THE SAN
FERNANDO VALLEY WE BUILT VERY,
VERY WIDE ARTERIALS WITH THE
IDEA OF MOVING THE MAXIMUM
AMOUNT OF TRAFFIC, AND THE
THINKING TODAY, THE STREETS
NEED TO WORK FOR THE PEOPLE WHO
ARE THERE, NOT JUST THE PEOPLE
WHO ARE PASSING THROUGH THERE,
AND AT ITS WORST, SOME OF THE
CORRIDORS LIKE AURORA AND
RAINIER, THEY FEEL LIKE THEY
ARE REALLY ORIENTED TO PEOPLE
WHO ARE JUST PASSING THROUGH.
TO THE EXTENT WHERE YOU CAN BE
ASKING HEROIC MEASURES BY
PEDESTRIANS AND CYCLISTS JUST
TO GET AROUND.
I THINK WE HAVE TO CHANGE THAT.
WE HAVE TO MAKE IT SO THAT THE
COMMUNITY HAS A STRONG VOICE SO
IT WORKS FOR PEOPLE WHO LIVE
THERE, AND I LISTENED TO ONE,
AND I HAVE BEEN EMMERSING
MYSELF IN LIKE THE SEATTLE
PODCAST SCENE, AND I LISTENED
TO ONE PROGRAM WHERE A WOMAN
SAID IT'S LIKE IMPOSSIBLE TO
WALK TO HER SMALL BUSINESS DOWN
THERE, AND IT'S ONLY LIKE HALF
A MILE AWAY FROM WHERE SHE
LIVES, AND THAT IS NOT FAIR.
THAT IS SOMETHING WE HAVE TO
FIX.
I WANT TO SPEND TIME OUT THERE
WITH YOU AND THE CONSTITUENTS
AND SURFACE THE INTERVENTIONS
THEY ARE ASKING FOR TO MAKE A
DIFFERENCE.
>> I APPRECIATE THAT.
THAT IS ONE OF THE THINGS WE
ARE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT,
RIGHT?
HOW DO WE PRIORITIZE SAFETY,
AND WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR
IMPROVING NEIGHBORHOOD
ACCESSIBILITY, SO PEOPLE CAN
GET TO THE GOODS AND SERVICES
THEY NEED WITHOUT HAVING TO GET
IN A CAR OR WORRYING ABOUT
BEING HIT BY A CAR.
SO I WOULD JUST SAY WE HAVE
BEEN ON RECESS FOR TWO WEEKS AT
CITY COUNCIL.
APPARENTLY MY STAFF HAS BEEN
USING THAT TIME TO MAKE A VIDEO
ABOUT SORT OF THE HISTORY OF
SEATTLE'S STREETS AND WHAT IT
MEANS, SO I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU
TO FIND IT ON YOUTUBE.
IT'S CALLED WHAT IT'S LIKE
LIVING LOW VISION AND CARLESS
IN SEATTLE.
IT REALLY DOES ILLUSTRATE FOR
PEOPLE HOW HARD IT IS TO GET
AROUND AND HOW IT IS NOT A
CHOICE FOR SOME PEOPLE, AND WE
NEED TO ADDRESS THAT.
SO TWO OTHER ISSUES I WANT TO
COVER.
SEATTLE IS EXPERIENCING MORE
APPRECIATE HEAT EVENTS.
I THINK WE HIT 110 THIS SUMMER.
LAST SUMMER WE HAD A LOT OF
PEOPLE WHO LOST THEIR LIVES DUE
TO THE HEAT DOME WE
EXPERIENCED, AND SOUTH SEATTLE
HAS FEWER
PARKS, FEWER TREES, MORE
PAVEMENT, AND THIS MEANS SOME
OF THE NEIGHBORHOODS ARE UP TO
14 DEGREES HOTTER THAN, YOU
KNOW, THE NORTHERN PARTS OF THE
CITY WHERE THERE'S MORE GREEN
AND MORE ABUNDANCE, AND IT ALSO
MEANS WE EXPERIENCE MORE HEALTH
IMPACTS FOR FOLKS WHO ARE
LIVING IN THE SOUTH END.
WE INCLUDED THIS QUESTION IN
OUR QUESTIONS TO YOU, BUT YOU
KNOW, THE BUREAU OF
TRANSPORTATION STATISTICS
REPORTS 72% OF TRIPS IN THE
U.S. ARE FOR RUNNING ERRANDS OR
RECREATION.
SO THAT MEANS, YOU KNOW, WHAT
DOES IT MEAN, THEN?
PEOPLE ARE REALLY JUST TRYING
TO GET AROUND THEIR
NEIGHBORHOODS.
CAN YOU PAINT A PICTURE FOR US
WHAT IT MEANS TO DECARBONIZE
TRANSPORTATION IN A
NEIGHBORHOOD AND WHAT IT MEANS
FOR PEOPLE TO GET AROUND MORE
SAFELY AND IN A HEALTHIER,
GREENER WAY?
>> ABSOLUTELY, YES.
YOU KNOW, URBAN HEAT AND ITS
NEXUS WITH MOBILITY IS A
SPECIALTY OF MINE FROM MY
EXPERIENCE IN LOS ANGELES, AND
I'M A NATIONALLY KNOWN SPEAKER
ON THE TOPIC.
I HAVE ACTUALLY SPOKEN ABOUT
THAT ON WEBINARS WITH AT LEAST
FIVE FEDERAL AGENCIES IN THE
LAST FEW YEARS.
YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU LOOK AT
HISTORICALLY RED-LINED
NEIGHBORHOODS, THEY ARE STILL
TREE POOR TODAY AND HAVE
INFRASTRUCTURE MORE ORIENTED TO
HARDSCAPE AND CARS THAN THE
LEAFIER AREAS OF THE CITY, AND
YOU KNOW AN EXPERIENCE I HAD
FIVE YEARS AGO INFORMED MY
THINKING OF THIS.
THERE WAS A NEW GRANT AVAILABLE
FOR VIRGINIA FOR RESILIENCE
PLANNING AT THE NEIGHBORHOOD
LEVEL.
WE APPLIED FOR THE $200,000
GRANT.
I PERSONALLY SELECTED THE
LOCATION FOR ONE OF THE HOTTEST
NEIGHBORHOODS IN THE CITY IN
THE WEST SAN FERNANDO VALLEY.
I PULLED THE STATISTICS AND WE
HAD A TRANSIT NOTE THAT THE
SHERMAN WAY STATION THAT A LOT
OF PEOPLE AROUND THE TRANSIT
NIGHT ARE CAR-LIGHT OR CAR-FREE
HOUSEHOLDS.
WE USED THE MONEY TO DO A YEAR-
LONG BILINGUAL DEEP COMMUNITY
OUTREACH PROCESS.
EVERY TIME WE SAID URBAN HEAT
AND COOLING, THE COMMUNITY CAME
BACK WITH MOBILITY.
LIKE I CAN'T GET TO THE
EXCELLENT EXPRESS BUS SERVICE
BECAUSE IT'S UNSHADED.
IT'S TOO HOT.
I CAN'T BIKE THERE OR WALK
THERE OR GET TO MY NEIGHBORHOOD
SERVING RETAILS IN THOSE THREE
OR FOUR MONTH AS YEAR WHERE
THERE MAY BE 50 DAY AS YEAR OF
95 DEGREES OR MORE IN THIS
NEIGHBORHOOD.
YOU KNOW, THE CONSULTANT THAT
WE HIRED WORKED WITH THE
COMMUNITY TO COME UP WITH THE
FLY-THROUGH VIDEOS OF WHAT THEY
WANTED.
THEY WANTED SORT OF MULTIPLE
LINES OF TREES SEPARATING THE
WALKING PATH, BIKING PATH,
ROUNDABOUTS, AND WE SUBMITTED
IT FOR THE PROGRAM, AND WE GOT
THE LARGEST GRANT EVER GIVEN BY
THE PROGRAM, $30 MILLION GRANT
TO IMPLEMENT.
THIS WAS JUST LAST YEAR.
IT WAS A GREAT HONOR THAT THE
CALIFORNIA TRANSPORTATION
COMMISSION WROTE THAT FUTURE
GRANT APPLICANTS SHOULD READ
OUR APPLICATION BECAUSE OF THE
WAY IT BROUGHT THE MULTIPLE
DISCIPLINES TOGETHER, THINKING
ABOUT CLIMATE RESILIENCE AND
MOBILITY TOGETHER.
SO I AM REALLY EXCITED TO BRING
THAT KIND OF THINKING TO
SEATTLE.
IT WAS RESIDENT FOR ME THAT THE
WEEK I CAME UP HERE FOR THE
PRESS CONFERENCE TO BE
ANNOUNCED AS THE MAYOR'S
NOMINEE, IT WAS THE FIRST TIME
EVER THAT THERE'S BEEN FIVE
CONSECUTIVE DAYS OF 90-DEGREE
HEAT IN SEATTLE.
IT SEEMS TO BE A GOOD TIME TO
BE SHOWING UP WITH THAT
EXPERTISE.
>> THANK YOU.
>> CHAIR, ONE MORE QUESTION IF
I MAY.
THANK YOU.
I APPRECIATE THAT, AND I THINK
THAT, YOU KNOW, ESPECIALLY AS
WE THINK ABOUT HOW WE MOVE, WE
WILL BE HEARING ABOUT THE
SEATTLE TRANSPORTATION PLAN
THIS AFTERNOON.
WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF THE
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, AND ALL OF
THESE THINGS ARE COMING
TOGETHER TO CHANGE AND GROW AS
A CITY.
WHICH BRINGS ME TO 15-MINUTE
CITIES AND SOMETHING THAT WE
HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT IN MY
OFFICE.
WE, IN 2007 OR 2008, I BELIEVE
IT WAS PASSED THE COMPLETE
STREETED ORDINANCE.
IN 2018 WE CHANGED IT TO A
STREETS ILLUSTRATED MODEL.
WE ARE REALLY SEEN AS THE
LEADERS IN PASSING, DRAFTING,
DESIGNING GREAT EFFORTS, GREAT
IDEAS FOR INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE
CITY, BUT THE TRUTH IS, WE ARE
NOT THAT GREAT AT
IMPLEMENTATION.
WHEN WE DO IMPLEMENT, IT'S NOT
DONE EQUITABLY.
GREEN LAKE, WALLINGFORD,
BALLARDS.
THEIR BASELINE PEDESTRIAN
INFRASTRUCTURE IS GREAT.
YOU CAN GET AROUND IN A LEAFY,
GREEN, COOL PLACE VERY EASILY.
IT'S NOT THE CASE IN THE SOUTH
END.
SO I WOULD URGE YOU TO COME TO
THE SOUTH END AND COMPARE FOR
YOURSELF WHAT IT'S LIKE TO TRY
TO WALK AROUND THE
NEIGHBORHOOD, TO RIDE THE BUS
AROUND TO GET EAST OR WEST TO
DO ANYTHING.
I SAY THAT BECAUSE I KNOW THAT
INVESTMENTS THAT WE MAKE IN THE
FUTURE NEED TO BE EQUITABLE AS
WE ARE LOOKING AT THE
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN AND THE
TRANSPORTATION PLAN, AND THAT
MEANS WE NEED TO START WHERE
THE NEED IS THE GREATEST.
I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH
YOU ON ALL OF THE ISSUES, AND I
JUST CAN'T PASS THE MIC OFF
WITHOUT LETTING YOU KNOW ABOUT
THE HAPPY PLACES IN THE SOUTH
END.
YOU SHOULD COME DOWN TO CABOTTA
GARDEN, THE BEACON FOOD FOREST.
IN GEORGE TOWN THE HAT AND
BOOTS PARK, AND THEN DANNY WU
GARDEN IS IN THE CID, A LOVELY
PLACE TO BE.
IF YOU WERE HERE IN THE SUMMER,
YOU COULD HAVE JOINED US FOR
THE PIG ROAST.
THAT'S ALL I HAVE, CHAIR, THANK
YOU.
>> THANK YOU, COUNCILMEMBER
MORALES, AND THANK YOU FOR
BRINGING UP THE NEEDS FOR THE
SOUTH END.
I CONCUR IT'S INEQUITABLE.
TO ADDRESS THAT, WE HAVE TO DO
MORE INVESTMENT THERE AS SOON
AS POSSIBLE.
WE WILL BE GETTING THE MAYOR'S
BUDGET SOON, ACTUALLY.
THAT WILL BE GOOD TO SEE HOW
IT'S INVESTED.
SO BEFORE I TURN IT OVER TO
COUNCILMEMBER HERBOLD.
I WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE STRAUSS
HAS BEEN HERE FOR A LONG TIME.
GOOD MORNING.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENT.
>> SORRY I'M A DISEMBODIED
VOICE AND NOT ON CAMERA.
I APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO
SPEAK TO INCOMING DIRECTOR
SPOTTS.
I REALLY APPRECIATE HIS
INCLUSION OF THE BRIDGE
INSPECTION, MAINTENANCE, AND
REPAIR AS A PRIORITY FOR HIS
FIRST YEAR AND APPRECIATE THE
FOCUS ON VISION ZERO ISSUES.
I DO HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS
THAT DIDN'T MAKE IT INTO THE
QUESTIONS DOCUMENT, AND THEN A
THIRD THAT IS RELATED TO ONE
THAT DID.
THE FIRST QUESTION CAME FROM A
CONSTITUENT WHO REACHED OUT
AFTER WE HAD ALREADY SUBMITTED
OUR QUESTIONS, AND THIS
CONSTITUENT OF WEST SEATTLE
WROTE ABOUT YOUR APPOINTMENT
MR. SPOTTS AND THE QUESTION IS
IN REGARDS TO THE REALIZATION
THAT ONE THING THAT PREVIOUS
SDOT DIRECTORS HAVE HAD
BACKGROUNDS IN, SPECIFICALLY,
ENGINEERING BACKGROUNDS IS NOT
A BACKGROUND THAT YOU SHARE AND
JUST WONDERING HOW YOU MIGHT
ADDRESS WHETHER OR NOT THERE
ARE GAPS IN YOUR EXPERIENCE,
ABILITIES, AND HOW YOU MAY WORK
TO FILL THE GAPS IF THE GAPS
DO, IN FACT, EXIST.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ASKING
THAT.
IT'S INTERESTING, YOU KNOW, I'M
IN MY SECOND CAREER.
I'M A PRACTITIONER IN
TRANSFORMATION WITH A PUBLIC
POLICY MASTERS RATHER THAN
ENGINEER.
THERE'S ALSO MANY ARCHITECTS IN
THE PROFESSION.
I HAVE EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE
DESIGNING, FUNDING,
CONSTRUCTING, MAINTAINING
CAPITAL PROJECTS OF ALL
DIFFERENT SIZES.
I DON'T DESIGN THEM MYSELF I
RELY ON ALL KINDS OF
PROFESSIONAL STAFF TO DO THAT,
BUT I SEE MYSELF AS SOMEONE WHO
SHAPES THOSE DIFFERENT
PROFESSIONALS IN A COHERENT AND
MEANINGFUL WAY, LIKE CONDUCTING
AN ORCHESTRA.
THERE'S THE STRING SECTIONS AND
THEN THE WOODWINDS AND THE
PERCUSSION, AND ALL HAVE TO
WORK TOGETHER.
YOU KNOW, MY FIRST EXPERIENCES
WITH CAPITAL PROJECTS CAME
BECAUSE I JOINED THE MAYOR'S
STAFF IN THE SPRING OF 2009 TO
RUN THE PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT
GROUP, AND WE WERE DOING FORMAL
PERFORMANCE REVIEWS OF KEY
MAYORAL PRIORITIES.
I WROTE UP A DASHBOARD ON THE
TRAFFIC SIGNAL SYNCHRONIZING.
IT WOULD ALL WIRE UP TO A
CENTRAL CONTROL CENTER, AND MY
DASHBOARD SAID THAT THE PROGRAM
WAS LIKELY TO NOT BE FINISHED
BY THE END OF THE MAYOR'S
SECOND TERM.
THE MAYOR ASKED IF I WOULD BE
WILLING TO TAKE OVER AS THE
MAYOR'S LEAD OF THAT VERY
COMPLEX SET OF PROJECTS, AND WE
WERE ABLE TO RECOVER THE
SCHEDULE AND BRING THAT BACK
INTO BEING COMPLETED ON TIME.
HAVING BEEN SUCCESSFUL WITH
THAT, THE MAYOR ASKED ME TO
EVALUATE OUR PORTFOLIO OF THE
REINVESTMENT AND RECOVERY ACT
IN THE GREAT RECESSION.
THE CITY HAD $660 MILLION OF
PROJECTS, 100 DIFFERENT GRANTS,
AND I EVALUATED ALL WITH A RED,
YELLOW, AND GREEN SYSTEM WITH
EVALUATING THEM.
THE END RESULT SINCE A LOT WERE
IN THE RED, WE STOOD UP A FOUR-
PERSON TEAM TO ACCELERATE THE
PROJECTS.
I TOOK ON $220 MILLION IN THE
INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS TO GET
THEM MOVING.
AS A RESULT OF THAT, THE MAYOR
CREATED A NEW ROLE FOR ME AS
DIRECTOR OF TRANSPORTATION
PROJECT DELIVERY, AND I WAS THE
MAYOR'S LEAD ON A PORTFOLIO OF
REGIONAL MEGA PROJECTS, AND IT
WAS ACTUALLY A 10 BILLION
DOLLARS PORTFOLIO.
IN THAT ROLE I WAS WORKING ON
STATION AREAS FOR LIGHT RAIL
AND HEAVY RAIL, AND WE REBUILT
14 BRIDGES ON THE I-405
FREEWAY.
IN THOSE ROLES I WAS
INTERACTING WITH MANY CIVIL
ENGINEERS AND PROFESSIONALS IN
THE VARIETY OF DISCIPLINES AND
UTILITIES AND ALL DIFFERENT
FOLKS, AND THEN STREETS L.A.
WE HAVE A $350 MILLION CAPITAL
PROGRAM.
PROJECTS FROM 500,000 TO $30
MILLION LIKE THE ONE I
MENTIONED PREVIOUSLY.
IN 2021 I WAS VERY FORTUNATE TO
HAVE THE CHANCE TO OVERSEE THE
ENGINEERING GROUP FOR ABOUT
EIGHT MONTHS WHEN THE PREVIOUS
CHIEF TECHNICAL OFFICER
RETIRED.
I ACTUALLY HAVE RECENT
EXPERIENCE DIRECTLY OVERSEEING
ENGINEERS, ARCHITECTS, AND
LANDSCAPE DESIGNERS.
I WILL BE BRINGING THAT WITH
ME.
I CAN ALSO TELL YOU, I'M NOT
BURIED IN THE INDIVIDUAL PLANS
OF THE INDIVIDUAL PROJECTS.
I DON'T SEE MYSELF AS THE CHIEF
ENGINEER OF SDOT.
THERE'S PEOPLE WHO DO THAT.
I WANT TO HELP SHAPE THE
COLLECTION OF PROJECTS AND
CHALLENGE THE STAFF TO FULLY
REALIZE THE INDUSTRY BEST
PRACTICES AND BE CREATIVE AND
FORWARD LOOKING IN THE DESIGN.
>> THANK YOU.
MY SECOND QUESTION WAS INTENDED
TO TEASE OUT YOUR EXPERIENCE OF
CAPITAL PROJECTS, BUT I THINK
YOU COVERED THAT WELL, AND I
DON'T NEED TO GO INTO THAT
FURTHER.
I JUST WANT TO GO TO MY THIRD
AND LAST QUESTION.
THERE WERE SOME DISCUSSIONS IN
THE QUESTIONS DOCUMENT YOU
RECEIVED ABOUT SIDEWALKS AND AS
IT RELATES SPECIFICALLY TO
PEDESTRIAN SAFETY AND VISION
ZERO, BUT I WANT TO GET A
LITTLE BIT MORE IN THE WEEDS
ABOUT THE REPAIR AND
RESTORATION OF EXISTING
SIDEWALKS, AND WE -- IN 2019,
THE COUNCIL ADOPTED A
RESOLUTION, RESOLUTION 3198,
REQUESTING THAT SDOT DEVELOP
POLICY OPTIONS FOR MAINTENANCE
OF SIDEWALKS, AND THIS WAS A
RESULT OF COMMUNITY ADVOCACY
FROM A GROUP CALLED THE
COALITION OF ADVOCATES WORKING
TOGETHER ROOTED IN RIGHTS.
AND THEY REALLY FOCUSED ON HOW
HAZARDOUS UNEVEN SIDEWALKS ARE
FOR WHEELCHAIR USERS AND VISION-
IMPAIRED PEOPLE.
AFTER A SNOWSTORM THAT YEAR, IT
LEFT MANY PEOPLE UNABLE TO
ACCESS THE BUS STOPS FOR AN
ENTIRE WEEK.
IN RESPONSE TO THAT RESOLUTION,
IN 2020, SDOT COMPLETED THE
REPORT THAT INCLUDED POLICY
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SIDEWALK
REPAIR IN SEATTLE.
IT WAS DEVELOPED WITH THE
SCHOOL AT UDUB, AND IN OCTOBER
OF LAST YEAR, THE CITY AUDITOR
RELEASED A REPORT ON SEATTLE'S
SIDEWALK MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR
PROGRAM, AND THAT CITY AUDIT
REPORT ECHOED MANY OF THE SAME
RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WERE
INCLUDED IN THE 2020 REPORT.
I'M JUST INTERESTED TO KNOW IF
YOU HAD A CHANCE TO REVIEW THE
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR HOW WE
MIGHT MOVE TOWARDS IMPROVING
THE CONDITIONS OF OUR SIDEWALKS
AND WHETHER OR NOT ANY OF --
THE RECOMMENDATIONS HAVE
DIFFERENT APPROACHES,
RECOGNIZING SIDEWALK
MAINTENANCE IS THE
RESPONSIBILITY OF THE
HOMEOWNER, AND JUST WONDERING
WHETHER OR NOT YOU HAVE ANY
THOUGHTS.
>> THANK YOU.
I CAN START, AND IF THERE WAS
MORE TO THE QUESTION, --
>> THAT WAS IT, THANK YOU.
>> OKAY, GREAT.
YES, YOU KNOW, IN LOS ANGELES,
WE HAVE HAD MANY OF THE SAME
CHALLENGES, AND I HAVE HAD A
CHANCE TO LOOK AT MANY OF THE
SIDEWALK APPROACHES OF
DIFFERENT CITIES AND HELP TO
MAKE THE POLICY IN LOS ANGELES.
I HAVE REVIEWED SOME OF THE
DOCUMENTS YOU ARE MENTIONING
HERE IN SEATTLE, AND ONE THING
I AM VERY ENCOURAGED ABOUT IS
THAT SEATTLE HAS A SIDEWALK
CONDITION MAP.
NOT EVERY CITY HAS THAT, AND IF
YOU DON'T, I'M A FIRM BELIEVER
IN ASSET MANAGEMENT PRINCIPLES,
AND IF YOU DON'T KNOW THE
CONDITION OF ALL OF YOUR
ASSETS, IT'S HARD TO PRIORITIZE
YOUR INVESTMENT.
I THINK IT'S COMMENDABLE THAT
SEATTLE ALREADY HAS THE
CONDITION.
THERE'S IMPORTANT CHOICES
AHEAD.
I REMEMBER READING SORT OF A
DISCUSSION ABOUT MAKING
PERMANENT CONCRETE REPAIRS
VERSES RAMPING AND BEVELING.
YOU KNOW, THERE'S SOME REAL
CHALLENGES INVOLVED IN THE
RAMPING AND BEVELING AND
WHETHER IT MAKES THE SIDEWALK
ADA OR WHETHER THE REPAIRS ARE
PERMANENT.
I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO DIG INTO
THE ISSUE IN DEPTH WITH THE
STAFF AND WORK WITH THIS
COMMITTEE ON REALLY DEVELOPING
A GAME PLAN THAT HAS PUBLIC
SUPPORT, PARTICULARLY FROM
THOSE MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY
WHO ARE MOBILITY IMPAIRED.
I OFTEN TELL MY STAFF IN L.A.,
JUST A FEW DISCONTINUITIES,
WHETHER IT'S AN UPLIFT OR A
MISSING CURB RAMP OR A MISSING
PIECE OF SIDEWALK, AND THAT CAN
MEAN THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
LIKE SOMEONE WHO IS MOBILITY
IMPAIRED AND NOT BEING ABLE TO
USE OUR PARKS, NOT GETTING TO
THE BUS STOP OR THEIR MEDICAL
APPOINTMENTS, AND IT'S
ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL THAT WE ARE
THINKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, OUR
MOST VULNERABLE USERS IN TERMS
OF MAKING A SAFE AND PASSABLE,
YOU KNOW, PEDESTRIAN SYSTEM.
I'M VERY PASSIONATE ABOUT THIS.
I'M AN AVID WALKER MYSELF, AND
I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO
PARTICIPATING IN THE WEEK
WITHOUT DRIVING COMING UP AS
WELL.
SO I HOPE TO COLLABORATE WITH
YOU, COUNCILMEMBER, AND THE
WHOLE COMMITTEE ON THIS VERY
IMPORTANT TOPIC.
>> THANK YOU.
I APPRECIATE IT.
>> THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTIONS,
COUNCILMEMBER HERBOLD.
COLLEAGUES, ANY OTHER COMMENTS
OR QUESTIONS?
AGAIN, FOR THE
VIEWING PUBLIC, ON THE CITY
COUNCIL WEBSITE, THE LEGISTAR
WEBSITE HAS ALL 30 PLUS
QUESTIONS AND MR. SPOTTS'S
ANSWER AND THE FORMAL
APPOINTMENT PACKET WITH HIS
RESUME.
THERE'S PLENTY OF INFORMATION
AVAILABLE FOR THE VIEWING
PUBLIC WHO ARE CONCERNED ABOUT
THIS ISSUE.
JUST WANT TO CHECK TO MAKE SURE
THERE ARE NO OTHER COMMENTS OR
QUESTIONS.
>> MAY I, CHAIR?
>> YES, COUNCILMEMBER STRAUSS.
>> GREAT TO SEE YOU.
I HAVE BEEN WATCHING AND PAYING
ATTENTION FROM MY OFFICE.
I WANTED TO COME OUT HERE.
WE HAVE TALKED ABOUT BIKE LANES
AND PEDESTRIANS.
I DIDN'T KNOW IF WE TALKED
ABOUT TREES YET, HAVE WE?
>> A LITTLE BIT.
IN TERMS OF RESILIENCY AND HIS
EXPERIENCE WITH THAT, BUT I
LOVE TO TALK ABOUT TREES.
>> YOU KNOW, THE MISSING
CONNECTIONS, AND WE HAVE A GOOD
NETWORK.
WE HAVE THE GOOD BONES OF A
GOOD NETWORK, AND THERE'S A
FAIR NUMBER OF MISSING
CONNECTIONS THEY KNOW YOU KNOW
MAKES THE DIFFEENCE BETWEEN
WHETHER IT'S BEING USED OR NOT.
I CAN TELL YOU FROM A TREE
PERSPECTIVE, I LOOK FORWARD TO
PLANTING FOR STREET TREES.
CONCRETE JUST REFLECTING AND
MAGNIFYING THE HEAT IN NEGATIVE
WAYS, AND WE HAVE GREAT
OPPORTUNITIES THERE.
I ENJOYED YOUR ANSWERS
REGARDING MOBILITY AND
REGARDING MAKING THE
CONNECTIONS, AND SIDEWALKS, AND
WE HAVE SO MANY DIFFERENT WAYS
TO CREATE SIDEWALKS AND SAFE
PLACES FOR WALKING, AND WHERE
WE HAVE CARS DRIVING AROUND US,
AND I DON'T HAVE ANY QUESTIONS
FOR YOU BECAUSE I ALREADY ASKED
THEM IN THE WRITTEN RESPONSES
THAT YOU HAVE PROVIDED.
I JUST WANT TO COME OUT AND SAY
HELLO TO YOU IN PERSON, THANK
YOU FOR YOUR GREAT ANSWERS, AND
I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO WORKING
WITH YOU.
>> THANK YOU.
IT'S SO GOOD TO SEE YOU IN
PERSON, AND LET'S GO EXPLORE
YOUR DISTRICT TOGETHER AND LOOK
AT SOME OF THE PLACES.
>> WE HAVE SOME GREAT
OPPORTUNITIES, AND YOU KNOW, WE
HAVE A LOT OF PLACES THAT DON'T
HAVE SIDEWALKS AT ALL, AND JUST
AS THE CITY HAS CONTINUED TO
EXPAND, YEAR AFTER YEAR, AND A
LOT OF UNINCORPORATED KING
COUNTY IS PART OF MY DISTRICT,
FORMERLY.
I WILL STOP NOW.
THANK YOU, CHAIR.
APPRECIATE SEEING YOU,
DIRECTOR.
>> THE MENTION OF DISTRICTS IS
IMPORTANT.
WE HAVE FOUR OTHER
COUNCILMEMBERS WHO ARE NOT ON
OUR COMMITTEE WHO WILL BE PART
OF THE FULL CITY COUNCIL VOTE,
PRESUMABLY NEXT TUESDAY, AND
THEY WILL PROBABLY WANT TO SHOW
YOU AROUND THE AREAS THEY ARE
CONCERNED ABOUT, INCLUDING OUR
TWO CITYWIDE COUNCILMEMBERS WHO
WANT TO OR MOST RECENTLY WERE
CAMPAIGNING FOR THOSE
POSITIONS, AND THEY HAVE HEARD
FRESH PERSPECTIVES ON THIS,
TOO.
YOU WILL HAVE ALL NINE OF US
PROBABLYWANTING YOU OUT AND
WANT.
WE APPRECIATE YOU DOING THAT
ALREADY, EVEN BEFORE YOU START
THE POSITION.
COLLEAGUES, IF THERE ARE NO
MORE COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS, I
THINK WE ARE READY TO MOVE THE
RECOMMENDATION FORWARD OUT OF
THE COMMITTEE.
I MOVE THAT THE COMMITTEE
CONFIRM THE APPOINTMENT OF GREG
SPOTTS.
IS THERE A SECOND?
>> SECOND.
>> IT'S BEEN MOVED AND SECONDED
TO RECOMMEND CONFIRMATION OF
THE APPOINTMENT.
ANY FINAL COMMENTS?
>> OKAY, WILL THE CLERK PLEASE
CALL ROLE ON THE COMMITTEE
RECOMMENDATION TO CONFIRM THE
APPOINTMENT.
>> HERBOLD?
>> YES.
>> COUNCILMEMBER MORALES?
>> YES.
>> COUNCILMEMBER SAWANT?
>> YES.
>> COUNCILMEBER STRAUSS?
>> YES.
>> CHAIR PEDERSEN?
>> YES.
>> FIVE IN FAVOR, NONE OPPOSED.
>> EXCELLENT.
THE COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION TO
CONFIRM THE APPOINTMENT WILL BE
SENT TO THE SEPTEMBER 13th CITY
COUNCIL MEETING.
CONGRATULATIONS.
THANK YOU, EVERYBODY, FOR BEING
HERE IN PERSON AS WELL.
MR.SPOTTS AND THE REST OF THE
SDOT CREW AND MAYOR'S OFFICE.
YOU'RE NOT REQUIRED TO BE THERE
ON THE 13th, YOU'RE WELCOME,
AND WE WILL MAKE SPACE FOR YOU
TO SPEAK IF YOU WOULD LIKE.
THANK YOU.
>> THANK YOU.
SEE YOU LATER.
S WHAT
>>> ALL RIGHT, WILL THE CLERK
PLEASE READ THE SHORT TITLES OF
THE SECOND THROUGH SEVENTH
AGENDA ITEMS INTO THE RECORD?
>> TWO THROUGH FIVE.
BILLS 10, 380, 382, 120383, AND
ORDINANCES ACCEPTING VARIOUS
DEEDSES FOR THE STREET OR ALLEY
PURPOSES, EXTENDING AND
ESTABLISHING PORTIONS OF RIGHTS
OF WAY.
PLACING THE REAL PROPERTY
CONVEYED BY SAID DEEDS UNDER
THE SEATTLE DEPARTMENT OF
TRANSPORTATION.
AGENDA ITEM SIX.
AN ORDINANCE ACCEPTING 21
LIMITED PURPOSE EASEMENTS FOR
THE PUBLIC SIDEWALK AND ALLEY
TURN AROUND PURPOSES.
PLACING THE PROPERTY UNDER THE
JURISDICTIONS OF THE SEATTLE
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION.
ITEM SEVEN, 120404, THE
ORDINANCE ACCEPTING 25 LIMITED
PURPOSE EASEMENTS.
PLACING THE PROPERTY UNDER THE
JURISDICTION OF THE SEATTLE
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION.
ALL FOR BRIEFING, DISCUSSION,
AND POSSIBLE VOTE.
>> THANK YOU.
>> SO COLLEAGUES, THESE SIX
CONVEYANCES, OR THESE BILLS ARE
ALL FULFILL THE DEEDS FOR
ACQUISITIONS AT NO COST TO THE
CITY.
THE COUNCIL POLICY DECISIONS
HAVE ALREADY BEEN MADE, AND
TODAY'S VOTES ARE ESSENTIALLY
ADMINISTER IN NATURE, BUT WE
HAVE THE CENTRAL STAFF HERE
WITH US.
BEFORE WE GO INTO THE SDOT
PRESENTATIONS, DO YOU HAVE ANY
COMMENTS ON THEM?
>> NO, COUNCILMEMBER YOU HAVE
DESCRIBED IT EXACTLY.
THEY ARE LARGELY TIED TO THE
DEVELOPMENTING PROCESS.
THEY LOOK FOR SLIVERS OF
SIDEWALKS AND ALLEYWAYS THAT
NEED TO CONFORM TO OUR GENERAL
STANDARDS AS PART OF
REDEVELOPING THE PROPERTY.
THIS IS ADMINISTRATION AND PART
OF THE REGULAR BUSINESS.
>> THANK YOU.
>> WITH THAT, I WILL HAND IT
OVER TO SDOT.
WE HAVE BILL LABORDE AND MAYBE
SOMEONE ELSE AS WELL.
BILL, WELCOME.
>> THANK YOU, COUNCILMEMBER
PEDERSEN.
IT'S JUST ME THIS MORNING.
OUR PERSON WHO REGULARLY
PRESENTS THE BILLS IS OUT
TODAY, AND I'M PINCH HITTING
FOR HER.
>> THANK YOU.
>> THERE WE GO.
SO YOU SORT OF COVERED THIS,
BUT QUICKLY, THE COUNCIL BILLS,
ALL SIX OF THEM AUTHORIZING
SDOT TO ACCEPT THE DEEDS AND
EASEMENTS ACQUIRED AS
CONDITIONS ON THE PRIVATE
DEVELOPMENTAL UNDER THE LAND
USE CODE.
IN MOST CASES THESE ARE WIDER
SIDEWALKS OR MAYBE IN SOME
CASES PLACES WHERE SIDEWALKS
DID NOT EXIST BEFORE BUT THE
RIGHT-OF-WAY IMPROVEMENT MANUAL
REQUIRES THE NEW DEVELOPMENT TO
CREATE THOSE SIDEWALKS, WIDER
SIDEWALKS, AND THIS IS AN
OPPORTUNITY FOR NOT ONLY
IMPROVED PEDESTRIAN
ACCESSIBILITY, BUT ALSO
PROVIDING THE DEPARTMENT NEED
EASEMENTS OF THE SIDEWALK
PROPERTIES AND IN SUCH WAY
INCORPORATES THEM INTO THE
RIGHT-OF-WAY.
BECAUSE ALL PROPERTY
ACQUISITIONS UNDER THE CITY
CHARTER ARE REQUIRED TO BE
APPROVED BY COUNCIL, AS MINOR
AS IT MAY SEEM, THEY DO REQUIRE
A COUNCIL BILL AND ORDINANCE TO
BE PASSED.
THERE'S SIX BILLS.
EACH HAVE ABOUT 20 TO 25
DIFFERENT TRANSACTIONS THAT ARE
BUNDLED TOGETHER.
THE -- I THINK IT'S A TOTAL OF
121 TRANSACTIONS BETWEEN THE
SIX BILLS.
RIGHT HERE YOU CAN SEE A COUPLE
OF EXAMPLES OR ONE EXAMPLE OF
WHAT AN IMPROVED SIDEWALK WOULD
LOOK LIKE.
YOU WILL SEE SOME EXCERPTS FROM
THE STREETS ILLUSTRATED OR
RIGHT-OF-WAY IMPROVEMENT MANUAL
THAT WILL SHOW HOW THESE
EASEMENTS COME ABOUT BECAUSE
THE SIDEWALK REQUIREMENT
DEPENDS ON THE STREET TYPE AND
PART OF THE CITY.
AND THEN JUST TO WIND THINGS
UP, IT'S DEDICATED PURSUIT TO
THE LAND USE CODE.
IN THIS CASE, DEDICATED MOSTLY
FOR SIDEWALKS OR WIDENING
SIDEWALKS, BUT IN SOME CASES
STREETS OR ALLEYS, AND AFTER
THE DEVELOPMENT IS COMPLETE OR
WHILE THE DEVELOPMENT IS
WINDING DOWN, SDOT PROVIDES THE
ENVIRONMENTAL DUE DILIGENCE
REVIEW AND RECORDS THE
EASEMENTS WITH THE COUNTY, AND
THEN THE LAST STEP IS FOR YOUR
APPROVAL WITH THESE COUNCIL
BILLS.
I AM HAPPY TO TRY TO ANSWER
QUESTIONS, BUT I HAVE ALSO
PROVIDED GRETCHEN'S ACT
INFORMATION IF THERE'S
QUESTIONS.
>> I APPRECIATE THE BRIEFING
YOUR TEAM PROVIDED TO ME LAST
WEEK ON THIS TO AGAIN, KNOW,
THAT IT IS ADMINISTRATIVE IN
NATURE, AND THESE ARE SMALL
SLIVERS THAT ARE BEING HANDED
OVER TO THE CITY AT NO COST TO
US.
SO I PLAN TO MOVE THESE OUT OF
COMMITTEE THIS MORNING IF WE
CAN.
COUNCILMEMBERS, ANY COMMENTS OR
QUESTIONS ABOUT THE SIX BILLS?
OKAY.
LET'S GO AHEAD AND MAKE THE
MOTION.
COUNCILMEMBERS, I NOW MOVE THAT
THE COMMITTEE RECOMMEND PASSAGE
OF THESE SIX BILLS.
120380 THROUGH 120383 AND
120403 AND 120404.
IS THERE A SECOND?
>> SECOND.
>> THANK YOU.
IT'S BEEN MOVED AND SECONDED.
RECOMMENDED PASSAGE OF THE SIX
COUNCIL BILLS.
ANY LAST-MINUTE COMMENTS OR
QUESTIONS?
OKAY, WILL THE CLERK PLEASE
CALL ROLE ON THE COMMITTEE
RECOMMENDATION TO PASS THE SIX
COUNCIL BILLS?
>> COUNCILMEMBER HERBOLD?
>> YES.
>> COUNCILMEMBER MORALES?
>> YES.
>> COUNCILMEMBER SAWANT?
>> YES.
>> COUNCILMEMBER STRAUSS?
COUNCILMEMBER STRAUSS?
CHAIR PEDERSEN?
>> YES.
>> FOUR IN FAVOR, ONE
ABSTENTION, NONE OPPOSED.
>> THANK YOU, ALTHOUGH I DON'T
THINK IT COUNTS AS ABSTENTION,
UNLESS THEY SAY SO, SO I
BELIEVE IT'S MAYBE JUST FOUR IN
FAVOR.
>> FOUR IN FAVOR.
>> FOUR IN FAVOR?
>> OKAY, ALL RIGHT.
THANK YOU FOR TALKING THAT
THROUGH WITH ME.
SO THE MOTION CARRIES, AND THE
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION TO
PASS THE SIX BILLS WILL BE SENT
TO THE SEPTEMBER 13th CITY
COUNCIL MEETING, AND THANK YOU
VERY MUCH TO SDOT AND CENTRAL
STAFF.
WILL THE PLEASE READ THE FULL
TITLE OF THE EIGHTH ITEM INTO
THE RECORD.
>> SCHOOL SAFETY TRAFFIC
COMMITTEE'S ANNUAL REPORT FOR
BRIEFING AND DISCUSSION.
>> THANK YOU.
WE HAVE WITH US TODAY MEMBERS
FROM THE SCHOOL TRAFFIC SAFETY
COMMITTEE TO PRESENT THEIR 2022
ANNUAL REPORT, AND AS FAR AS
PEOPLE MAY KNOW, IT'S A GROUP
OF 11 MEMBERS MADE UP OF
REPRESENTATIVES FROM SEATTLE
PUBLIC SCHOOLS, THE SEATTLE
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION,
SEATTLE POLICE DEPARTMENT, KING
COUNTY METRO, AND VOLUNTEER
MEMBERS.
I REALLY APPRECIATE -- THE
SEATTLE DEPARTMENT OF
TRANSPORTATION HELPS TO PROVIDE
STAFF SUPPORT TO THE SIX
ADVISORY COMMITTEES THAT ADVICE
US ON TRANSPORTATION MATTERS.
REALLY APPRECIATE SDOT'S
SUPPORT WITH THAT, AND ALSO
EVERYBODY VOLUNTEERING THEIR
TIME FOR THIS IMPORTANT
COMMITTEE, AND ASHLEY RHEAD IS
HERE WITH US, AND ALSO SAYING
HELLO TO SOME OF THE VOLUNTEER
MEMBERS.
I SEE MARY ELLEN RUSSELL THERE
AND OTHERS.
THANK YOU.
ASHLEY, GOOD MORNING.
>> YES, I'M ASHLEY RHEAD, AND I
MANAGE THE SAFE ROUTE TO SCHOOL
PROGRAM WITH SDOT.
I'M HERE WITH A FEW MEMBERS OF
THE COMMITTEE PRESENTING THEIR
2022 ANNUAL REPORT.
SO WE HAVE MARY ELLEN RUSSELL
WHO IS THE CHAIR OF THE
COMMITTEE, AND MARGARET
McCAULEY AND NOA GUTER, WHO IS
THE NEWEST MEMBER OF THE
COMMITTEE.
I WILL PASS IT OVER TO THEM.
>> THANK YOU.
MY NAME IS MARGARET McCAULEY.
THE PARENT OF THREE PUBLIC
SCHOOL STUDENTS, AND VERY
PLEASED TO BE ON THIS COMMITTEE
AND TO HAVE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO
UPDATE YOU ON OUR ACTIVITIES.
I JUST WANT TO MENTION THAT
THERE WAS APPARENTLY A LULL IN
THE REPORT TO THE COMMITTEE,
AND WHEN WE WERE MEETING WITH
THE POLICE DEPARTMENT ONE TIME,
THEY SUGGESTED THAT WE GET IT
GOING AGAIN SO THAT YOU KNOW
WHAT WE ARE UP TO AND HOW WE
CAN ALL WORK TOGETHER TO MAKE
SURE THAT IT IS A VIBRANT, FUN
CITY FOR CHILDREN TO WALK AND
ROLL TO SCHOOL.
SO THIS IS OUR 2022 ANNUAL
REPORT.
NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
WELL THE NEXT SLIDE WHEN WE GET
IT -- PERFECT, WILL GIVE
BACKGROUND ON WHAT THE
COMMITTEE IS.
1975, AND AS MENTIONED, I DON'T
KNOW ABOUT UNIQUE, BUT IT'S AN
INTERESTING CITY BOARD BECAUSE
IT HAS MEMBERS FROM A BUNCH OF
DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS, THE
PUBLIC SCHOOLS, I FREQUENTLY
FIND PEOPLE DON'T KNOW ARE A
STATE INSTITUTION.
OBVIOUSLY THE D.O.T.
AND POLICE DEPARTMENT ARE CITY
INSTITUTIONS, AND THEN METRO IS
OBVIOUSLY THE COUNTY
INSTITUTION.
IT'S A MULTIPLE BUREAUCRACY
SITUATION IN WHICH WORST CASE
EVERYONE CAN SAY IT'S SOMEONE
ELSE'S PROBLEM, AND BEST CASE
WE CAN COME TOGETHER AND WORK
OUR ANGLES AND FIT THE PIECES
OF THE PUZZLE TOGETHER TO GO
BETTER.
I'M ONE OF THE FIVE VOLUNTEER
POSITIONS AS MENTIONED EARLIER.
WE ARE LUCKY TO HAVE PROBABLY
NOT THE MOST ROBUST BUT FAIRLY
ROBUST PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
BECAUSE THEY ARE ISSUES PEOPLE
CARE ABOUT.
ONCE THEY DISCOVER THERE'S A
PLACE TO GO WITH IT, THEY COME.
NEXT SLIDE.
AND SO WHEN THEY COME, THEY
COME BECAUSE WE HAVE A NUMBER
OF PRETTY GREAT
RESPONSIBILITIES.
WE ARE WHERE TO COME IF YOU
HAVE AN ISSUE ABOUT SCHOOL
TRAFFIC SAFETY.
THE INDEPENDENT AGENCY, MORE OR
LESS THAT GETS TO USE THE SDOT
DATA TO FIGURE OUT WHERE
CROSSWALK LOCATIONS AND
CROSSING GUARD LOCATIONS ARE
NEEDED, AND THAT IS BASED ON
THE EVER-CHANGING SITUATION IN
OUR
CITY WITH SCHOOLS AND ARTERIALS
AND SPEEDS.
THAT DOES NEED TO BE UPDATED
FAIRLY OFTEN, AND SIMILARLY
WITH BULLET THREE, AND THAT IS
TRAFFIC CIRCULATION.
THE CITY EXPERIENCES POPULATION
CHANGES AND ALWAYS NEEDS TO
UPDATE THE SCHOOL BUILDING,
AND WE LOOK AT WHEN THOSE
CHANGE, AND WE HAVE HAD A BIG
WIN LAST YEAR ON MAKING THOSE
REVIEWS ABOUT STUDENT SAFETY.
WE HAVE SOME UPCOMING SLIDES
ABOUT MORE IMPROVEMENTS,
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENTS.
ELEMENTARY WALK BOUNDARIES,
MAKING SURE THEY MATCH THE
SKILLS AND ABILITIES OF THE
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS.
KIND OF FRUSTRATING, CROSSING
GUARD RECRUITMENT.
WE NEED HELP WITH THAT, AND AS
MENTIONED EARLIER WE CONNECT
DIFFERENT ENTITIES.
NEXT SLIDE.
SO WHAT ARE THE TOP NEEDS NOW?
WE ALSO GOT TO PRESENT TO THE
SCHOOL BOARD RECENTLY, WHICH IS
GREAT BECAUSE AS WE SAY,
MULTIPLE, MULTIPLE PEOPLE.
THE THINGS WE ARE HOPING FOR
THEM IS TO HELP WITH THE
CROSSING GUARD RECRUITMENT, AND
TO LOOK AT THE TRANSPORTATION
STANDARDS.
WE WILL TELL YOU MORE ABOUT
THAT, BUT IT'S A SCHOOL BOARD
THING.
FOR THE CITY, WE HAVE SOME CITY
CODE ADJUSTMENTS THAT WE WILL
BE TALKING ABOUT THAT WOULD
REALLY HELP KEEP THINGS FOCUSED
ON STUDENT SAFETY.
THERE'S TWO DIFFERENT ASPECTS
ON THAT WITH DIFFERENT BULLETS
ON THAT.
ANOTHER PERENNIAL, ALWAYS MORE
SIDEWALKS BECAUSE AS MARY ELLEN
ONCE SAID, WE NOW HAVE
KINDERGARTENERS, PARTICULARLY
IN THE NORTH END AND SOUTH END,
WALKING TO SCHOOL IN THE DARK
ON STREETS WITH NO SIDEWALKS,
WHICH IS NOT THE BEST.
ALL RIGHT, SO NEXT SLIDE.
SOME GREAT WINS TO TALK ABOUT.
SDOT CHANGED THE REQUIREMENTS
FOR CROSSWALKS AND FOUR-WAY
STOPS.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HAPPENS
A LOT, FAMILY MEMBERS COME IN
AND SAY WE CAN'T SEEM TO GET A
STOP SIGN IN FRONT OF THE
SCHOOL.
WHY?
NOW WE CAN.
THIS IS REALLY EXCITING.
IT'S ALREADY HAPPENING.
ASHLEY CAN PROBABLY TELL US ALL
THE PLAYS SHE CAN DO IT NOW.
YAY.
A NEW POLICE BOARD.
THE PREVIOUS ONE RETIRED, AND
WE WERE SAD.
NOW WE HAVE A NEW ONE.
OFFICER DAVENPORT, A MOTORCYCLE
POLICE OFFICER.
THIS IS NOT HIM.
THIS IS ANOTHER OFFICER.
YAY, THAT'S GREAT.
NEXT SLIDE.
THIS IS ANOTHER EXCITING WIN
THAT WE DON'T TAKE ANY CREDIT
FOR, BUT WE ARE EXCITED ABOUT
IT.
IT WILL HELP TO FILL IN THE
GAPS ABOUT FREE YOUTH TRANSIT
AND WE ARE VERY EXCITED.
WE ALSO WANT TO START TO
CONTINUE TO APPRECIATE THE CITY
FOR HELPING THE DISTRICT MAKE
THESE THINGS WORK WITH THAT
COMBINED FUNDING POSITION THAT
IS ABOUT BUS PASSES.
SO, YAY.
NEXT SLIDE.
THIS IS ANOTHER BIG WIN.
THANK YOU, SDOT.
WE HAVE ALWAYS HAD AN EXAMPLE
OF GENESIS IN WEST SEATTLE, WE
HOPED FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS TO
OFFER THAT AS AN OPTION FOR
OTHER SCHOOLS BECAUSE IT SEEMS
TO ADDRESS A NUMBER OF ISSUES
THAT FAMILIES, COMMUNITIES
ROUTINELY BRING TO US, AND SO
I'M HAPPY TO TALK ABOUT THE
DETAILS OF IT, BUT YOU KNOW,
MAKING LEMONADE OUT OF LEMONS,
AND THE PANDEMIC HELPED TO MAKE
THIS HAPPEN IN A LOW-STRESS WAY
FOR ALL CONCERNED.
WE EXPECT AS PEOPLE GET USED TO
IT, WE WILL SEE MORE AND MORE
OF THIS HAPPENING AROUND
SCHOOLS, AND IT WILL BE GREAT.
AND I CAN SAY THAT BECAUSE THE
EXAMPLE AND ASHLEY AND SDOT ARE
GOOD AT GETTING THE WORD OUT,
PEOPLE ACROSS THE U.S. ARE NOW
REFERENCING US FOR THIS, AND
THAT'S FUN.
NEXT SLIDE?
SARAH COLLIN IS ALSO ON THE
MEETING.
THE DIRECT RESULT OF THE CITY
UNDERSTANDING THE GOALS NOW.
NOW FUNDING A POSITION AT THE
DISTRICT FOR SAFER SCHOOLS,
WHICH IS SUPER EXCITING BECAUSE
IT PROVIDES SOMEONE WHO CAN BE
ON THE INSIDE, APPROVING THINGS
THAT NEED ACCESS TO STUDENT
DATA, WHICH THE REST OF US FOR
VERY GOOD REASONS ARE NOT
SUPPOSED TO BE SEEING.
THERE'S A WHOLE BUNCH OF STUFF
SHE IS ALREADY DOING, AND SHE
JUST STARTED IN APRIL.
NO PLEASURE.
IT WILL GET BETTER FROM HERE.
NEXT SLIDE.
NOW CHALLENGES.
NOT TOO MANY ZOMBIES IN SEATTLE
NORMALLY, BE THERE'S THINGS TO
COVER.
WITH THE NEXT SLIDE, MARY ELLEN
WILL TAKE OVER.
>> THANK YOU, MARGARET.
I JUST WANT TO SAY, THANK YOU
FOR HAVING US HERE.
WE REALLY APPRECIATE THE
OPPORTUNITY TO PUT THE ISSUES
IN FRONT OF YOU, AND I'M JUST
GOING TO TOUCH ON THE FIRST
COUPLE OF SLIDES BRIEFLY.
THESE ARE THE ONES WE WERE
REALLY HIGHLIGHTING FOR THE SPS
SCHOOL BOARD.
WE DO WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT WE
ARE PUSHING THEM AS WELL, ALL
THE TIME, TO TRY TO FOCUS ON
SOME OF THE ISSUES AND WHEN WE
PUSH SDOT AND CITY COUNCIL,
PLEASE KNOW WE ARE BOTHERING
EVERYBODY.
WE WANT TO REDUCE CROSSING
GUARD VACANCIES.
THEY HAD COME DOWN PRIOR TO THE
PANDEMIC.
THEY HAD BEEN HIGH, 40%, DOWN
TO 30%, AND WE LOST CROSSING
GUARDS WHEN THEY WERE
FURLOUGHED AND MANY ARE
RETIREES WHO ARE MORE CONCERNED
ABOUT HEALTH-ISSUES RELATED TO
COVID.
WE ARE HOPING TO BRING THIS
BACK DOWN, AND PART OF THAT IS
A LOT OF ADVERTISING SDOT HAS
BEEN GOOD ENOUGH TO AMPLIFY
THAT ON THEIR BLOG.
WE APPRECIATE THAT ASSIST.
NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
THE COMPREHENSIVE UPDATE TO THE
SERVICE STANDARDS.
ONE THING THAT SPS FOR A LONG
TIME HAS REALLY ONLY LOOKED AT
BUSING AS THE TRANSPORTATION,
NOT REALLY CONSIDERING THE FACT
THAT HALF OF THE STUDENTS ARE
INELIGIBLE FOR BUSING, AND HALF
OF THEM GET TO SCHOOL ANOTHER
WAY.
THE CITY'S FUNDING OF THE SAFE
ROUTES TO SCHOOL COORDINATOR AT
SPS IS A BIG STEP IN CHANGING
THAT AND PROVIDING SUPPORT FOR
THE FAMILIES WHO DON'T HAVE ANY
ASSISTANCE IN GETTING KIDS TO
SCHOOL.
WE ARE APPRECIATIVE OF THAT.
NOW IT'S IN PLACE, AND WE ARE
ASKING SEATTLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS
TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE
COMPREHENSIVE SERVICE STANDARDS
AND THINK OF HOW ELSE THEY CAN
RESPOND TO THE NEEDS OF NOT
JUST KIDS IN BUSES, BUT THERE
ARE IMPROVEMENTS TO BE MADE
THERE AS WELL, BUT ALL
STUDENTS.
NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
NOW THIS IS ONE THAT WE ARE
WANTING TO HIGHLIGHT FOR
COUNCIL TODAY, AND WE HAVE
TALKED ABOUT THIS PREVIOUSLY,
AND ONE THING WE OBSERVED WHEN
WE ARE LOOKING AT THE
CIRCULATION PLANS FOR SCHOOLS
IS THAT CITY CODE FOR SCHOOL
PROJECTS IS VERY OUT OF DATE.
IT'S NOT REALISTIC AT ALL.
THE NUMBER OF PARKING SPACES
THAT SCHOOLS WOULD BE REQUIRED
TO BUILD ARE ON SOME SITES
COMPLETELY IMPOSSIBLE.
YOU PAVE THE ENTIRE PLAYGROUND,
AND YOU MAKE THE BUILDING
SMALLER, AND YOU STILL CAN'T
GET IT DONE.
SO WHAT THIS MEANS IS THAT
SEATTLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS HAS TO
GO THROUGH DEPARTURES AT NEARLY
EVERY SINGLE PROJECT, AND
THERE'S A HANDFUL OF REPEAT
OFFENDERS, AND IT'S BUS
LOADING.
YOU HAVE TO GO THROUGH
DEPARTURES TO DEEP IT AS IS,
NOT EVEN CHANGE IT.
THE NUMBER OF PARKING SPACES IS
ASTRONOMICAL, COMPLETELY
IMPOSSIBLE, AND SILLY ONES LIKE
BUILDING HEIGHTS WHICH SEEMS
LIKE IT MAKES SENSE, EXCEPT
THAT EVEN JUST TO CHANGE OUT
THE HVAC EQUIPMENT ON TOP OF
THE BUILDING, THEY HAVE TO GO
THROUGH A DEPARTURE PROCESS
JUST TO UPGRADE THE FURNACE ON
THE BUILDING.
THE SIGNAGE, THE SIGNAGE IS ONE
THAT, YOU KNOW, ALL OF THE
SIGNS ARE ALLOWED BY
DEPARTURES, THE SAME WAY EVERY
TIME, BUT ACCORDING TO CODE,
YOU CAN'T DO IT.
IT'S ANOTHER ONE THAT CAUSES
THEM TO HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE
DEPARTURES, AND WE HAVE HAD
MEETINGS ABOUT THIS, AND I HAVE
SPOKED TO COUNCILMEMBER
PEDERSEN AND COUNCILMEMBER
STRAUSS ABOUT IT, AND WE HAVE
HAD MEETINGS, AND EVERYONE
AGREES THAT SDCI SAID FLATLY
THEY THINK IT SHOULD CHANGE,
AND IT DOESN'T MAKE A LOT OF
SENSE.
IT DOESN'T ADD ANYTHING.
IT'S QUESTION OF GETTING IT
PRIORITIZED, AND THE DELAY
PROCESS WITH THE DEPARTURE IS
THE BIG PROBLEM.
MONEY IS ALLOCATED YEARS IN
ADVANCE, AND DEPARTURES CAN BE
APPEALED.
EVERY DELAY IS EATING AWAY AT
HOW MUCH BUILDING YOU CAN BUY
BECAUSE OF INFLATION BECAUSE
THE MONEY DOES NOT GROW OVER
TIME.
YOU'RE JUST WAITING TO GET THE
CONSTRUCTION DONE.
IT ADDS UP TO $2.5 MILLION
EVERY YEAR THAT JUST
EVAPORATES, AND IT DOESN'T ADD
ANYTHING TO THE PROJECT.
SO WE HAVE HEARD FROM
COUNCILMEMBER STRAUSS AND
COUNCILMEMBER PEDERSEN'S
OFFICES THAT THEY ARE
COORDINATING WITH THE MAYOR,
AND THIS IS MOVING THIS YEAR,
AND WE HAVE ALSO SPS HAS HEARD
FROM I BELIEVE NATHAN TROGELSON
IS HIS NAME, THEY ARE LOOKING
AT THIS, AND WE REALLY APPLAUD
THAT, AND WE WOULD REALLY
ENCOURAGE MAKING SURE YOU
FOLLOW UP ON THIS TO MAKE SURE
THIS IS THE YEAR IT CHANGES SO
WE CAN STOP JUST LOSING THIS
TAX-PAYER MONEY AND START
GETTING MORE SCHOOLS, MORE
PLAYGROUNDS, AND MORE OF
EVERYTHING THAT WE WANT FOR OUR
KIDS WITHOUT HAVING TO SPEND
ANY MORE MONEY.
THIS SEEMS LIKE IF WE COULD
JUST GET THE POLITICAL WILL TO
GET IT DONE, THIS IS A COMMON
SENSE FIX TO MAKE A HUGE
DIFFERENCE FOR KIDS.
WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO PLEASE STAY
ON TOP OF IT.
I KNOW THERE'S A MILLION
PRIORITIES, BUT PLEASE MAKE IT
A PRIORITY FOR THIS YEAR.
NEXT SLIDE.
THANK YOU.
AND THEN ANOTHER THING WE HAVE
OBSERVED DURING THE PROCESS OF
BEING INVOLVED IN THE EARLY
REVIEWS IS THAT SDOT DOES NOT
ALWAYS RESPOND TO SCHOOLS AS WE
WOULD HOPE.
YOU KNOW, AS MARGARET POINTED
OUT, SCHOOLS ARE A PART OF THE
STATE GOVERNMENT, NOT PART OF
THE CITY GOVERNMENT.
AS A RESULT WE HAVE SEEN THAT
SDOT DOES NOT ALWAYS VIEW THEM
AS A PARTNER.
THEY VIEW THEM AS ANY OLD
APPLICANT THAT IS COMING IN,
AND WE ARE GOING TO GET AS MUCH
AS WE CAN IN TERMS OF STREET
IMPROVEMENTS.
WHILE WE UNDERSTAND THAT, YOU
KNOW, THAT IS INTENDED TO
MAXIMIZE THE PUBLIC BENEFIT,
IT'S REALLY OFTEN NOT DOING
THAT ON SCHOOLS.
WE HAVE SEEN REQUESTS FOR
IMPROVEMENTS THAT ARE NOT
GEARED TOWARDS THE SAFETY NEEDS
OF SCHOOLS, AND THEN WE HAVE
ALSO SEEN THAT ONCE THE PROCESS
IS DONE AND PERMITS ARE IN HAND
AND CONSTRUCTION HAS STARTED,
THERE'S INCONSISTENCY AMONG THE
SDOT INSPECTORS, AND IF THE
PERSON WHO IS THE INSPECTOR
CHANGES OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF
THE PROBLEM FOR SOME REASON,
THEN SUDDENLY IT'S LIKE YOU
HAVE NOT DONE THIS WORK ACROSS
MULTIPLE YEARS TO GET EVERYONE
ON THE SAME PAGE TO AGREE WHAT
NEEDS TO BE DONE.
YOU HAVE TO START OVER.
I WANT THIS AND THIS, AND THIS
IS WHAT THEY SAID, AND THIS IS
WHAT I SAID.
THAT IS A HUGE PROBLEM.
IT CAUSES CHANGEOVERS, COST
OVERRUNS, AND DELAYS IN THE
MIDDLE OF CONSTRUCTION.
WE ARE ASKING FOR TWO THINGS.
WE ARE ASKING FOR NO SURPRISES
COMMITMENT THEY WILL HONOR WHAT
THE PREVIOUS STAFF HAVE AGREED
TO IN WRITING ON A PROJECT.
WE HAD A REALLY PRODUCTIVE
MEETING AT THE LAST SCHOOL
TRAFFIC SAFETY COMMITTEE WITH
MEMBERS FROM THE IS SDOT GROUP.
WE THINK THIS IS IMPROVING NOW,
AND WE ARE HOPING TO BE ABLE TO
MAKE A BETTER REPORT ON THIS
NEXT YEAR.
THE OTHER THING WE WOULD LIKE
TO ASK SDOT CREATES A POLICY
THAT DIRECTS STAFF TO FOCUS ON
SCHOOL TRAFFIC SAFETY WHEN
REVIEWING THESE NOT GENERAL
NEIGHBORHOOD CAR OUTPUT.
IF WE ARE LOOKING AT THE
DOLLARS THAT ARE PUBLICALLY
FUNDED AND ARE THESE DOLLARS
THAT WE ARE PULLING OUT OF THE
PROJECT TO USE ON STREET
IMPROVEMENTS GIVING US THE MOST
BANG FOR OUR BUCK AT THE SITE
IF WE ARE PULLING THEM AWAY
FROM VITAL EDUCATIONAL USES?
WE WOULD LIKE A POLICY THAT
JUST DIRECTS SDOT TO FORMALLY
CONSIDERING MAXIMIZING THE
PUBLIC GOOD, NOT JUST THE
TRANSPORTATION BENEFITS WHEN
LOOKING AT THE SCHOOL
PROJECTS.
NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
AND THEN THE PEDESTRIAN
PROGRAMS THIS IS ONE WE HAVE
BROUGHT TO YOU BEFORE, AND IT
SEEMS LIKE THERE'S NEVER
ENOUGH, BUT THE TRUTH IS THAT
SDOT BUILDS 25 BLOCKS OF
SIDEWALKS A YEAR, AND 2400
BLOCKS WITHIN A QUARTER OF THE
MILES OF SCHOOLS DON'T HAVE
SIDEWALKS.
AS MARGARET TOUCHED ON, THAT'S
A LOT OF KIDS WALKING TO
SCHOOL.
KIDS WHOSE FAMILIES DON'T
NECESSARILY HAVE OTHER OPTIONS,
AND THEY DO IT, YOU KNOW, IN
THE RAIN, IN DECEMBER, WHEN
IT'S PITCH BLACK, AND THEY NEED
TO BE ABLE TO GET TO SCHOOL
SAFELY.
WE JUST WANT TO REMIND YOU AS
YOU HEAD INTO THE SEASON,
SOMETHING YOU KNOW AND
SOMETHING THEY THINK IS EASY TO
GET LOST WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT
VERY MANY IMPORTANT PRIORITIES,
THAT A CHOICE TO PRIORITIZE
SIDEWALK FUNDING TO INCREASE
THE PEDESTRIAN PROGRAMS FUNDING
IS ALSO A CHOICE TO PRIORITIZE
THE STUDENT SAFETY.
NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
AND SO THIS IS JUST A REVIEW OF
WHAT WE ASKED THE SCHOOL BOARD
FOR, AND IF YOU GO TO THE NEXT
SLIDE, AND THE SUMMARY OF WHAT
WE ARE LOOKING TO REALLY FIND
MORE MONEY FOR THE PEDESTRIAN
PROGRAMS TO FILL IN GAPS IN
WALKING ROUTES TO SCHOOLS,
UPDATE CITY CODE TO ELIMINATE
THE HABITUAL DEPARTURES, AND
LET OUR TAXPAYER MONEY BUILD
MORE SCHOOLS INSTEAD OF GOING
TO THE PROCESS.
AND THEN ON THE SCHOOL STREETS,
WHICH ARE A WONDERFUL NEW
PROGRAM, WE WOULD LIKE YOU TO
ASK SDOT TO ADD EFFECTIVE
PHYSICAL MARKERS FOR SCHOOL
STREETS.
IT'S NEW, AND RIGHT NOW THEY
JUST HAVE SIGNAGE, AND THAT IS
SOMETHING THAT SHOULD BE
EXPLORED GOING FORWARD, WHAT
DOES THE STREET TREATMENT LOOK
LIKE IN THE FUTURE?
AND THEN LASTLY, DIRECT SDOT TO
HAVE A POLICY THAT FOCUSES
REQUIREMENTS FOR SCHOOL
PROJECTS ON THE NEEDS OF THOSE
SCHOOL COMMUNITIES.
NEXT SLIDE.
AND THEN WE, I THINK ALL OF US
JUST WANT TO SAY WE APPRECIATE
THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO THIS WORK
AND WE APPRECIATE YOU TAKING
THE TIME TO LISTEN TO US, AND
WE LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING
WORKING TO IMPROVE TRAFFIC
SAFETY FOR KIDS IN THE COMING
YEAR.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR
COMMITMENT TO SAFETY FOR SCHOOL
CHILDREN THROUGHOUT SEATTLE AND
FOR DOING ALL OF THIS HARD
THINKING ABOUT WHAT TO
PRIORITIZE AND WHAT DOES THE
SCHOOL DISTRICT NEED TO DO, AND
WHAT DOES THE CITY GOVERNMENT
NEED TO DO?
HEARING YOUR CALL TO ACTION FOR
THE SEATTLE DEPARTMENT OF
CONSTRUCTION AND INSPECTION AND
ALSO THE SEATTLE DEPARTMENT OF
TRANSPORTATION.
SO I AM SUPPORTIVE OF MANY OF
THE THINGS YOU ARE RECOMMENDING
HERE, AND WE WILL HOPE TO SEE
SOME OF THIS IN THE BUDGET THAT
WE GET FROM THE EXECUTIVE
DEPARTMENTS, AND THEN DO SOME
REGULATORY WORK THROUGH THE
COMMITTEES, AND COUNCILMEMBERS,
ANY COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS HERE?
COUNCILMEMBER STRAUSS?
>> THANK YOU, CHAIR PEDERSEN.
IT'S REALLY GREAT TO SEE YOU
FOLKS.
MARY ELLEN AND MARGARET, WE
HAVE MET ABOUT THIS.
NOA, GREAT TO SEE YOU.
ASHLEY, THANK YOU FOR YOUR
WORK.
I KNOW YOU TALKED ABOUT
DEPARTURES, THAT'S NOT A CITY
TRANSPORTATION ISSUE, BUT SINCE
OUR CONVERSATION, I HAVE TALKED
TO MEMBERS OF THE MAYOR'S
OFFICE, AND I THINK WE HAVE A
ROUTE AHEAD FOR THAT.
I JUST WANT TO TAKE THIS MOMENT
TO REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR
PRESENTATION AND REACHING OUT
TO ME PERSONALLY AS WELL.
THE INFORMATION YOU PROVIDED ME
ALLOWS US TO DO A BETTER JOB,
AND I THINK THAT'S WHY IN THIS
CONVERSATION I CAN SAY THE
ISSUES ABOUT DEPARTURES IS ON
OUR DOCKET, AND THAT'S BECAUSE
OF YOU.
THE FEEDBACK LOOP OF HAVING YOU
COME BEFORE US AND SHARE AND
MEET WITH US INDIVIDUALLY IS
VERY HELPFUL.
I JUST WANTED TO PIPE IN AND
SAY KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK.
>> THANK YOU, COUNCILMEMBER
STRAUSS.
I THOUGHT YOU MAY HAVE GOOD
NEWS TO REPORT ON THE FRONT.
I'M GLAD YOU CHIMED IN.
THANK YOU.
COUNCILMEMBER MORALES AND
COUNCILMEMBER HERBOLD.
>> I DON'T HAVE TO TURN OFF
ANYTHING.
I'M LOOKING FOR HOW TO UNMUTE
MYSELF, BUT I DON'T HAVE TO DO
THAT NOW.
THANK YOU, ALL.
THIS IS REALLY, REALLY
IMPORTANT WORK THAT YOU'RE
DOING.
I HAVE TWO KIDS IN SEATTLE
PUBLIC SCHOOLS, AND I KNOW HOW
CRITICAL IT IS THAT WE MAKE
SURE OUR STUDENTS CAN GET
AROUND SAFELY.
I AM JUST WONDERING, AND YOU
MENTIONED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT
THE STAY HEALTHY STREETS AND
THE SIDEWALK ISSUE.
AND I KNOW THAT IT'S VERY
EXPENSIVE TO BUILD, REPAIR
SIDEWALKS, AND I'M WONDERING,
ONE OF THE THINGS WE HAVE ALSO
TALKED ABOUT, IT IS -- I'M
GOING TO FORGET THE NAME OF IT
NOW.
HOME ZONES?
IS THAT RIGHT?
>> YEAH.
>> OKAY, SORRY.
I'M JUST WONDERING IF YOU HAVE
THOUGHT ABOUT OTHER TREATMENTS
THAT COULD BE DONE AROUND
SCHOOLS, I MEAN, I'M CERTAINLY
SUPPORTIVE OF AS MANY SIDEWALKS
AS WE CAN, BUT I'M WONDERING IF
YOU HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT OTHER
THINGS THAT COULD MAKE IT
EASIER AND SAFER FOR OUR
STUDENTS TO GET TO SCHOOL?
>> WELL, SO, YES, WE HAVE -- I
KNOW, ASHLEY, YOU HAVE BEEN
WORKING ON HOME ZONES.
DO YOU WANT TO CHIME?
>> I CAN.
WE HAVE SEVERAL EXAMPLES RIGHT
NOW, AND IT'S -- THE HOME ZONE
PROGRAM IS SEPARATE FROM SAFE
ROUTES TO SCHOOL, BUT THEY DO
SERVE SCHOOLS AND DO THE
PROJECTS AROUND THE SCHOOLS, SO
THEY ARE, YOU KNOW, LIKE YOU
SAID, COUNCILMEMBER MORALES,
THEY ARE WORKING ON DEVELOPING,
USING THE NEW TOOL ESSENTIALLY
TO INCREASE THE AMOUNT OF SAFE
SPACE FOR PEOPLE TO WALK IN
THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS AND WALK TO
DESTINATIONS LIKE SCHOOLS, AND
THEY ALSO, AT TIMES THAT DOES
INCLUDE SIDEWALKS.
FOR EXAMPLE, AROUND RAINIER
VIEW, RIGHT NOW, IT'S ONE OF
OUR HIGH-PRIORITY SCHOOLS
BECAUSE OF THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF
THE SCHOOLS AND ALSO THE NEAR
COMPLETE LACK OF SIDEWALK
INFRASTRUCTURE WITHIN THE WALK
ZONE, AND WE HAVE SEVERAL
MILLION DOLLARS THAT WE HAVE
BEEN ABLE TO BRING TOGETHER
FROM SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL
FUNDING, HOME ZONE FUNDING, AND
A COUNCIL BUDGET ACTION PASSED
LAST YEAR FOR SIDEWALKS IN
DISTRICT TWO, AND SO WE HAVE
BEEN ABLE TO BRING TOGETHER
FUNDS FROM A FEW DIFFERENT
SOURCES, AND THE HOME ZONE
PROGRAM IS DOING A REALLY GREAT
COMPREHENSIVE OUTREACH TO A
GROUP OF NEIGHBORS THAT ARE
WORKING TOGETHER ON PEDESTRIAN
SAFETY IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD,
AND THEN ALSO ENGAGING WITH THE
SCHOOL, SCHOOL LEADERSHIP,
THEIR PTA, AND FAMILIES.
THEY ARE DOING THAT KIND OF
COMPREHENSIVE NEIGHBORHOODWIDE
LOOK AT HOW DO WE BUILD -- HOW
DO WE BUILD THE CONNECTED
NETWORK SO PEOPLE CAN GET TO,
YOU KNOW, BUS STOPS, NETWORKS,
AND OTHER DESTINATIONS WITHIN
THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
AS I SAID, THAT'S SOMETHING
THAT IS GOING ON AROUND OLYMPIC
HILLS AS WELL.
EVERY YEAR THE HOME ZONE
PROGRAM IS TAKING ON NEW
PROJECTS IN NEW PARTS OF THE
CITY, AND THEY DEFINITELY
PRIORITIZE THE SCHOOLS WHEN
IDENTIFYING THE NEIGHBORHOODS
TO WORK WITH.
>> ASHLEY, DO YOU HAPPEN TO
KNOW HOW MANY BLOCKS GET HOME
ZONES EVERY YEAR?
>> HOW MANY HOME ZONES WE DO
EACH YEAR?
>> I MEAN, WE WERE TALKING
ABOUT IT'S 25 NEW BLOCKS OF
SIDEWALKS.
>> I SEE WHAT YOU MEAN.
>> THAT'S 100 YEARS TO GET THEM
DONE.
IF WE DID HOME ZONES INSTEAD,
DO YOU KNOW THE RATE OF
CONSTRUCTION?
>> I DON'T KNOW THAT.
I COULD FIND OUT.
IT DEPENDS ON THE SIZE OF THE
HOME ZONE DETERMINED OFF THE
COMMUNITY PROCESS, AND THE
COMMUNITY KIND OF COMES
TOGETHER AND DETERMINES WHAT
ARE THE BOUNDS OF THE HOME
ZONE, AND IT MIGHT BE BIGGER OR
LARGER DEPENDING ON THE
NEIGHBORHOOD.
I COULD, YEAH, I COULD FIND OUT
HOW MANY BLOCKS ARE INCLUDED
WITHIN THE HOME ZONES EACH
YEAR.
>> OKAY, THANK YOU, ASHLEY, I
WOULD LOVE TO FOLLOW UP ON YOU
WITH THAT.
THAT WAS PART OF THE RATIONAL
BEHIND PUTTING THE COUNCIL
BUDGET ACTION IN, KNOWING THAT,
YOU KNOW, AS MARY ELLEN SAID
IT WILL TAKE US 300 YEARS TO
BUILD THE SIDEWALKS.
WHAT ELSE CAN WE DO TO INCREASE
SAFETY AND STRETCH THE DOLLARS
FARTHER?
I AM DEFINITELY INTERESTED IN
WORKING WITH ALL OF YOU TO MOVE
US IN THAT DIRECTION SO THAT
OUR STUDENTS CAN GET AROUND THE
NEIGHBORHOODS SAFELY, AND
EVERYBODY CAN GET AROUND AND
ACCESS THE GOODS AND SERVICES
THAT THEY NEED A LITTLE BIT
MORE EASILY.
THANK YOU.
I WILL ALSO FOLLOW UP WITH YOU
AND COUNCILMEMBER STRAUSS ON
THE LAND USE ISSUES.
I'M INTERESTED IN SEEING WHAT
WE NEED TO DO THERE.
>> THANK YOU.
COUNCILMEMBER HERBOLD.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH.
I WANT TO ECHO MY COLLEAGUES'
APPRECIATION FOR THE WORK YOU
ARE DOING, AND ALSO REALLY
THANKFUL TO CHAIR PEDERSEN FOR
HAVING YOUR BRIEFING BEFORE US
SO SOON BEFORE THE MAYOR
ANNOUNCES HIS 2022 BUDGET SO
YOUR RECOMMENDATION IS FRESH IN
OUR MIND AS WE MOVE INTO THE
BUDGET CYCLE.
I DO HAVE ONE QUESTION ABOUT
THE CROSSING WALK PROGRAM.
I UNDERSTAND THE LARGE
PERCENTAGE OF VACANCIES, I
THINK UPWARDS OF 35% VACANCIES
RIGHT NOW, THAT'S ATTRIBUTABLE
TO PEOPLE WHO ARE OLDER, AND
THEY ARE LEAVING, DOING THAT
WORK.
-- COVID, AND I'M WONDERING
WHAT HAS LED TO AN ASSESSMENT
OF HOW TO INCREASE RECRUITMENT
AND REDUCE BARRIERS TO BECOMING
A CROSSWALK.
>> YEAH.
THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION.
SO PART OF THE PROBLEM HAS BEEN
SINCE SEATTLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS
TOOK OVER THE CROSSING GUARD
PROGRAM FROM THE POLICE, I
THINK IT WAS 15 YEARS AGO NOW,
THERE'S ALWAYS BEEN A HIGH
VACANCY RATE.
SPS HAS BEEN AFRAID TO FILL THE
EMPTY SPOTS BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T
HAVE DEDICATED FUNDING.
THAT WAS FIXED JUST ABOUT A
YEAR BEFORE THE PANDEMIC
STARTED WHEN THEY -- THE STOP
PADDLE TICKETS ON BUSES TICKETS
FOR PEOPLE WHO DON'T STOP FOR
STOPPED BUSES WAS IMPLEMENTED,
AND BY STATE LAW IT HAS TO GO
TO TRAFFIC SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS,
AND THAT'S BEEN PAYING FOR
CROSSING GUARDS.
AFTER THAT, WE MADE A BIG PUSH
AND SAW IMPROVEMENTS.
IT'S A DIFFICULT POSITION TO
FILL.
IT'S TWO HOURS, TWO
NONCONSECUTIVE HOURS A DAY.
AS WE MENTIONED IN THE SLIDES,
ONE OF THE THINGS WE ARE REALLY
ASKING SPS TO DO IS WAVE THE
UPFRONT FEE FOR BACKGROUND
CHECKS.
FOR SOMEONE ON A FIXED INCOME
WHO IS INTERESTED IN MAKING $32
A DAY AT A JOB, $55 UP FRONT
FEE IS A SUBSTANTIAL HURDLE.
SO WE ARE HOPING THAT WE CAN
MAKE ANOTHER BIG PUSH JUST TO
LET PEOPLE KNOW THE JOBS ARE
OUT THERE, AND THEY ARE PAID
WHILE ALSO ELIMINATING THE
ISSUE THAT SLOWS DOWN AND
DISCOURAGES PEOPLE FROM COMING,
YOU KNOW, FINISHING THE
PROCESS, AND BETWEEN THOSE, WE
CAN START TO SEE THE RATE
SUBSTANTIALLY COME DOWN THIS
YEAR.
>> SO ARE YOU SAYING THERE'S
LIKE A FALLOFF BETWEEN APPLYING
FOR THE POSITION AND SORT OF --
>> YEAH.
>> THE LAST STEP?
>> YEAH.
>> THAT'S INTERESTING.
>> THE CROSSING GUARD MANAGER
TOLD US IT'S PRETTY COMMON THAT
PEOPLE SAY ACTUALLY I HAVE TO
WAIT UNTIL NEXT MONTH'S CHECK
COMES IN BEFORE I CAN PAY THAT.
A MONTH LATER, MAYBE THEY HAVE
MOVED ON OR, YEAH, THERE'S
FALLOFF.
>> ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU.
APPRECIATE THE INFORMATION.
>> I JUST WANT TO ADD, WE ARE
ALSO HOPING THAT HAVING THE
SAFE ROUTE SCHOOL PERSON AT THE
DISTRICT MAY HELP.
IT'S USUALLY SOMEONE WHO LIVES
NEARBY WHO IS INTERESTED AND
WANTS TO HELP THE NEIGHBORS AND
WHATNOT, AND YOU KNOW I HAVE A
FULL-TIME JOB AND THREE KIDS
AND ALL OF THAT STUFF, AND AS A
COMMITTEE WE HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE
TO DEVELOP THE PTA AND SCHOOLS
WITHOUT PTA CONNECTIONS TO SORT
OF DO THAT.
THE D.O.T.
WAS WORKING WITH THE POLICE
DEPARTMENT TO PUT UP SIGNS ON
THE INTERSECTIONS SAYING WE
NEED A CROSSING GUARD HERE, AND
THAT WAS REMARKABLY EFFECTIVE.
IT WAS GREAT.
THOSE LIKE VERY SPECIFIC LOCAL
INTERACTIONS ARE WHAT BUILD --
>> GENERATES INTEREST.
THAT'S GREAT, YEAH.
>> THAT'S ALL THANKS TO THE
CITY COUNCIL AND THE CITY OF
SEATTLE ALLOCATING THE FUNDING
FOR THE POSITION, NOW THAT WE
EXPECT TO SEE A LOT OF
IMPROVEMENTS, AND THIS IS HER
FIRST YEAR, FULL-TIME YEAR,
STARTING AT IT, BUT WE ARE
INCREDIBLY HAPPY SHE IS THERE
AND VERY THANKFUL THAT CITY
COUNCIL TOOK THAT ON.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH, BOTH OF
YOU.
>> THANK YOU, AND I KNOW WE
CAN, FOR THOSE ABLE TO, WE CAN
CONTINUE TO ADVERTISE THE
POSITIONS IN THE NEWSLETTERS
SENT OUT TO CONSTITUENTS.
IT'S A NICE THING TO ADD IN
THERE TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO
BECOME CROSSING GUARDS.
WELL, AGAIN, THANK YOU ALL FOR
THIS REPORT, AND THERE ARE
SEVERAL FOLLOWUP ITEMS, AND SO
WE WILL STAY IN CONTACT WITH
YOU, AND WE APPRECIATE THE GOOD
WORK THAT YOU ARE DOING FOR US
AND FOR BEING HERE TODAY WITH
THIS REPORT.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING US.
>> THANKS.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING US.
>> BYE, THANK YOU.
THANKS, ASHLEY.
OKAY, WILL THE CLERK PLEASE
READ THE FULL TITLE OF THE NEXT
AGENDA ITEM INTO THE RECORD.
>> AGENDA ITEM NINE, SEATTLE
TRANSPORTATION PLAN UPDATE FOR
BRIEFING AND DISCUSSION.
>> THANK YOU, TODAY WE HAVE
EMPLOYEES FROM THE SEATTLE
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION TO
WALK US THROUGH THE PROCESS ON
THE SEATTLE TRANSPORTATION
PLAN.
AS WE KNOW THE SEATTLE
TRANSPORTATION PLAN WILL UPDATE
AND HARMONIZE THE
TRANSPORTATION.
IT'S IMPORTANT FOR THE BUDGET
AND INVESTMENTS WE MAKE.
GOOD MORNING, JOANNA AND
JONATHAN.
>> GOOD MORNING.
>> GO AHEAD AND THANK YOU FOR
HAVING US.
CAN YOU HEAR ME OKAY?
>> YES.
>> GREAT.
SO I'M HERE WITH JOANNA
VALENCIA.
DO YOU WANT TO INTRODUCE
YOURSELF?
>> THANK YOU, JONATHAN.
GOOD MORNING.
EVERYONE.
I'M JOANNA VALENCIA.
THE COLEAD OF THE PLAN.
GOOD MORNING.
>> GOOD MORNING.
>> GOOD MORNING, I'M JONATHAN
LEWIS.
I AM THE TRANSPORTATION
PLANNING MANAGER AT SEATTLE
DOT, AND COLEAD OF THE SEATTLE
TRANSPORTATION PLAN WITH
JOANNA.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING
US.
WE WERE HERE LAST ON I THINK
MARCH 15th TO GIVE AN UPDATE.
REALLY EXCITED TO BE BACK TO
CHECK IN ON THE PROGRESS AND
LET FOLKS KNOW AND
COUNCILMEMBERS KNOW HOW AND
WHAT IS COMING UP IN TERMS OF
ENGAGEMENT AND THE PROCESS.
SO THANK YOU SO MUCH COUNCIL
CHAIR AND COMMITTEE FOR HAVING
US TODAY.
WE WILL TALK ABOUT THREE
THINGS.
I WILL PROVIDE THE QUICK
OVERVIEW OF THE STP PLANNING
PROCESS AND WHERE WE ARE.
JOANNA WILL CHAT ABOUT THE
ENGAGEMENT OF WHAT HAS BEEN
GOING ON AND WHAT TO EXPECT
OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS AND
GIVE AN UPDATE ON THE KEY
MILESTONES OVER THE NEXT 12
MONTHS.
SO ON THE NEXT SLIDE, JUST A
REMINDER THIS TRANSPORTATION
PLAN IS OUR LONG-RANGE PLAN,
AND WE ARE LOOKING OUT 20 YEARS
TO 2044, AND THIS IS THE PREP
FOR PROVIDING SAFE, AFFORDABLE
OPTIONS TO CONNECT THE CITY.
ON THE NEXT SLIDE, WE WILL TALK
ABOUT FOUR KEY GOALS FOR THE
EFFORT.
THE FIRST IS COLLECTIVELY
REIMAGINING OUR VISION FOR THE
SYSTEM.
WE WILL BE WORKING CLOSELY WITH
THE COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING
TEAM.
WE HAVE MULTIPLE POINTS OF
WEEKLY AND BI-WEEKLY CHECKINS
AND PROJECT
>> WE ARE WORKING CLOSELY TO
KEEP IN SYNC.
WE ARE LOOKING AT THE SOUND
TRANSIT INVESTMENTS OF THE
LIGHT RAIL AND BETTER BUS
SERVICE ACROSS THE CITY AND HOW
WE LEVERAGE THAT.
OTHER KEY CHANGES LIKELY
IMPACTS OF COVID AND CHANGES IN
TECHNOLOGY AND AUTONOMOUS
VEHICLES WILL CERTAINLY GAIN
TRACTION DURING THIS PLANNING
AND THINKING ABOUT THE IMPACTS
AND HOW WE MANAGE THAT.
ON THE SECOND POINT HERE,
PLANNING FOR PEOPLE AND BUILDING
ON THE EXCELLENT FOUNDATION OF
OUR MODAL MASTER PLAN AND
WALKING AND BIKING, TRANSIT AND
FREIGHT AND HOW WE THINK ABOUT
THOSE NETWORKS AND HOW THEY
WORK TOGETHER TO MEET OUR
COMMUNITY'S NEEDS.
ON THE NEXT SLIDE, I'LL TALK
MORE ABOUT THE VALUES OF HOW WE
HAVE THIS THROUGH THE PROCESS
AND THEN, ABOUT THE ENGAGEMENT.
ON THE SDOT VALUES DURING THAT
WITH EQUITY, SAFETY, MOBILITY,
LIVABILITY AND EXCELLENCE, WE
WORK TO CARRY THESE THROUGH AT
EACH STEP IN THE PROCESS AND
CONSTANTLY CHECKING OURSELVES
AND OUR PROCESS AND OUR
ENGAGEMENT STRATEGIES AGAINST
THESE VALUES.
THEN, OUR WORK IN THE PLAN
AGAINST WHAT WE CALL OUR
PRIORITY GOALS.
UNDER THE CLIMATE ACTION SIDE,
WE SEE A DOWNTURN IN TOTAL
CARBON EMISSIONS IN THE CITY
BUT WE NEED MUCH MORE
SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS TO ACHIEVE
THE GOAL ESTABLISHED BY THE
CITY AND THE CITY COUNCIL AND
THE CARBON NEUTRAL
TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM BY 2050.
ON THE EQUITY SIDE, THIS
SUMMER, OUR COLLEAGUES RELEASED
A TRANSPORTATION EQUITY
FRAMEWORK, DEVELOPED WITH THE
WORK GROUP OF A SIMILAR NAME
WITH EXCELLENT WORK AND WE'VE
IDENTIFIED SEVERAL DOZEN
STRATEGIES AND TACTICS OF THE
NETWORK THAT WE ARE ADVANCING
IN THIS PROCESS.
OF COURSE, THAT INCLUDES MORE
EQUITY AND FOCUSED ENGAGEMENT
STRATEGY AND YOU WILL HEAR FROM
JOANNA ABOUT THAT.
ON THE SAFETY SIDE, YOU HEARD
ABOUT THE ETHICS SAFETY, AN
IMPORTANT LEDGE TO CREATE A SAFE
TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM.
OF COURSE, YOU KNOW THAT SOME
OF OUR MOST VULNERABLE USERS OF
THE STREETS ARE SEEING FATAL
CRASHES HEADED IN THE WRONG
DIRECTION.
HOW DO WE WORK WITH THE CITY TO
BEND THAT CURVE IN THE OPPOSITE
DIRECTION?
ON THE STEWARDSHIP SIDE, THREE
KEYS ARE THE STEWARDSHIP OF OUR
DOLLARS IN SDOT AND HOW WE GET
THE BEST USE OF THOSE PUBLIC
DOLLARS AND THE MAINTENANCE
SIDE, STREETS, BRIDGES AND
OTHER ASSETS AND HOW WE
LEVERAGE THOSE INVESTMENTS AND
ON THE RISK MANAGEMENT SIDE, AS
WELL.
IN THE BLUE BOX YOU SEE THE KEY
ELEMENTS AND WHEN YOU SEE THE
FINISHED PRODUCT NEXT SUMMER
AND AT THE DRAFT NEXT SPRING,
YOU WILL SEE THOSE KEY PIECES
AND I WILL DRAW ATTENTION TO
THE FUNDING AND PRIORITY
FRAMEWORK STRATEGY AND IN THE
DEVELOPMENT, WE ARE WORKING
CLOSELY WITH OUR FUTURE FUNDING
PACKAGE TEAMS, THE PACKAGE THAT
WILL REPLACE OUR CURRENT LEVY.
I WILL PASS IT OFF AT THIS
POINT, TO JOANNA, TO TALK ABOUT
OUR ENGAGEMENT PROCESS AND THE
NEXT MILESTONES.
THANKS POINT.
>> THANKS, JONATHAN.
IN TERMS OF THE SCHEDULE, THIS
IS A REMINDER THE PROJECT
LAUNCHED IN MARCH 2022 AND THE
PLANNING PROCESS FOR THE STP IS
EXPECTED TO LAST UNTIL JUNE
2023.
WE ENVISION THE MAYOR WILL
TRANSMIT THE PLANNING DOCUMENT
WITH THE COMPONENTS LISTED IN
THE PREVIOUS SLIDE TO CITY
COUNCIL.
OUR PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT IS THE
VISION TO TAKE PLACE DURING
THREE DISTINCT PHASES AS SHOWN
IN THE SLIDE BEFORE YOU AND IT
ALLOWS THE FEEDBACK ON
TECHNICAL ELEMENTS OF THE PLAN.
WE'VE BEEN HYPER FOCUSED ON
MAKING SURE THAT WE ARE CO-
CREATING THE STP WITH OUR
COMMUNITY AND I'M HAPPY TO
REPORT THAT WE JUST COMPLETED
OUR PHASE 1 OF PUBLIC
ENGAGEMENT DURING THIS PHASE
WITH A LOT OF ROBUST
CONVERSATION WITH OUR COMMUNITY
AROUND VALUES AND GOALS AND HOW
WE MEASURED PROGRESS AND WHAT
THE KEY PRIORITIES ARE.
WE ARE GETTING READY TO KICK
OFF OUR NEXT PHASE OF THAT AND
CONTINUING THE CONVERSATION WE
HAVE WITH PHASE 1 AND IN THE
INTEREST OF CO-CREATION, GOING
BACK TO CONFIRM AND SEE IF WE
GOT IT RIGHT AND WHAT WE HAD PUT
TOGETHER IN REGARDS TO THE
VALUES AND GOALS AND IF THEY
REFLECT WHAT WE HEARD FROM THE
COMMUNITY AND CONFIRMING THAT
WITH THEM AND ADDITIONALLY, AS
PART OF PHASE 2, STARTING TO
DEFINE THE FUTURE OF OUR
TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM,
INCLUDING THE MENU ACTIONS AND
WHAT THEY COULD LOOK LIKE,
CONSISTENT WITH THE VALUES AND
GOALS WE'VE HEARD FROM THE
COMMUNITY AND EXACTLY HOW AND
WHERE THOSE CHANGES SHOULD BE
MADE.
PHASE 3 OF THE PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT
PLAN WILL OCCUR EARLY NEXT
YEAR, IN ANTICIPATION OF
TRANSMITTING THE PLAN TO
COUNCIL TO INCLUDE CONTINUING
TO BUILD ON PHASE 2 TO CONFIRM
SOME OF THOSE VENUES OF ACTION
AND ALSO, STARTING TO HEAR
FEEDBACK ON PRIORITIZATION AND
THE CRITERIA OF ITEMS AND HOW WE
PRIORITIZE AND HOW WE FUND THE
PLAN AND WHERE TO PRIORITIZE
DOLLARS.
AGAIN, HARKENING BACK, OUR GOAL
IS TO FINISH THE STP BY SUMMER
2023.
>> A QUESTION FROM
COUNCILMEMBER MORALES.
>> I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WANT TO
GO THROUGH THE WHOLE
PRESENTATION?
>> YOU CAN ASK DURING, THANK
YOU.
>> THANK YOU, JOANNA AND
JONATHAN.
I WILL PROBABLY COME BACK
LATER, BUT THE BIG PICTURE, I'M
INTERESTED IN HOW THIS PROCESS
WITH THE VISION AND THE GOALS
SETTING ALIGNS WITH THE COMING
OF OUR VISION AND GOAL SETTING.
THE DEPARTMENTS ARE WORKING
CLOSELY TOGETHER BUT AS THAT
PROCESS DETERMINES HOW OUR
NEIGHBORHOODS WILL CHANGE AND
GROW, I'M WONDERING HOW SDOT
WILL ADAPT IF THOSE GOALS DON'T
ALIGN, GIVEN THAT IT IS PLANNED
FOR COMPLETION A YEAR AFTER
THIS WAS?
>> THANK YOU, COUNCILMEMBER.
A GREAT QUESTION.
ON THE FRONT END, OUR SCHEDULES
ARE REALLY CLOSELY ALIGNED.
AS YOU GET TO THE LATER MONTHS,
THE COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING TEAM
HAS TIME TO WRAP THINGS OUT.
ON THE FRONT-END, THE POLICY
FRAMEWORK, THE VISIONS, VALUES
AND GOALS PORTIONS, WE WILL BE
ABLE TO STAY IN SYNC WITH THEM.
AS WE GET INTO THE
RECOMMENDATIONS PORTIONS AND
THE SPECIFICS OF RESPONDING TO
THE GROWTH STRATEGY, WE SHOULD
HAVE AT LEAST A REFINED
DIRECTION OR SOME LEVEL OF
CLARITY ON THE GROWTH DIRECTION
AND WE WILL BE DEVELOPING
TRANSPORTATION STRATEGIES THAT
HELP SUPPORT THE DIRECTION WE
SEE THE CITY GOING.
AS WELL, POTENTIAL
CONTINGENCIES, IF THERE IS SOME
CERTAINTY THERE.
THANK YOU.
>> THANK YOU.
>> THANK YOU FOR THAT QUESTION,
COUNCILMEMBER.
IF THERE AREN'T ANY QUESTIONS,
I WILL CONTINUE ON WITH THE
PRESENTATION.
SO, AS WE WERE FINISHING OFF
THE PHASE 1 ENGAGEMENT AND IS
PART OF THIS PROCESS, I WANTED
TO TIE INTO OUR GOALS OF
ENGAGEMENT, TO ENSURE THAT WE
ARE UPLIFTING THE VOICES OF
COMMUNITIES WE HAVE NOT
TRADITIONALLY HEARD FROM
BEFORE, AS PART OF OUR PLANNING
PROCESSES.
WE PURPOSELY DESIGNED THE
ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY THAT
PARTNERS WITH COMMUNITY-BASED
ORGANIZATIONS AROUND THE
COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS.
AS WELL, A NUMBER OF DEPARTMENT
OF NEIGHBORHOOD LIAISONS WITH
THAT FOCUSING ON THIS.
THERE IS A LIST, TO LET YOU
KNOW WHO THE COMMUNITY
ORGANIZATIONS ARE THAT WE ARE
WORKING WITH.
IN REGARDS TO THE COMMUNITY
LIAISONS, THEY HAVE
REPRESENTATIVES FROM SOMALI,
FILIPINO AND CHINESE AND
SPANISH AND VIETNAMESE AND
CAMBODIAN COMMUNITIES.
AGAIN, AS I MENTIONED, FOCUSING
ON UPLIFTING VOICES WE HAVE NOT
HEARD FROM BEFORE, TRADITIONALLY
. THERE IS A LIST OF THE WORK
WE'VE BEEN DOING WITH COMMUNITY-
BASED ORGANIZATIONS AND IT
INCLUDES LANGUAGE SUPPORT AND
COMMUNITY EVENTS TO OUTREACH TO
THESE COMMUNITIES.
IN THE NEXT SLIDE, IT
HIGHLIGHTS SOME OF THE
ACTIVITIES WE'VE BEEN UP TO AS
PART OF PHASE 1 ENGAGEMENT.
WE'VE BEEN EXCITED AS THE IN-
PERSON EVENTS HAVE COME BACK
WITH THE TEAM OUT IN THE
COMMUNITY COLLECTING FEEDBACK.
WE WERE VERY EXCITED TO ENGAGE
IN LIFE SURVEYING AND
INTERACTIVE EXERCISES DURING A
LOT OF FESTIVALS AND COMMUNITY
EVENTS.
WE'VE HAD OPPORTUNITIES TO MEET
WITH A VARIETY OF STAKEHOLDERS,
INCLUDING BUSINESS INTEREST
GROUPS AND NEIGHBORHOOD
ORGANIZATIONS LIKE THE ADVOCACY
GROUPS AND A LOT OF ADVOCACY
GROUPS SURROUNDING CLIMATE
ACTION AND HEALTHY
ENVIRONMENTS.
ADDITIONALLY, WE'VE WORKED
CLOSELY WITH THE SDOT EQUITY
WORKGROUP, ESPECIALLY FOCUSED
ON, AS JANISH AND THEN MENTION,
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE FRAMEWORK
JUST COMPLETED.
ADDITIONALLY, WE'VE BEEN
WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP WITH
ANOTHER OF AGENCIES ON THE
PLANS AND INTERDEPARTMENTAL
TEAMS AND ENGAGING WITH A
VARIETY OF DIFFERENT CITY
DEPARTMENTS, CITYWIDE AND ALSO,
WITH AGENCIES LIKE WSDOT AND
THE PORT OF SEATTLE, IN REGARDS
TO SPECIFIC OUTREACH TO THOSE
AGENCIES.
ON THE NEXT SLIDE, I WANT TO
HIGHLIGHT WHAT WE'VE BEEN
HEARING AND WHO WE'VE BEEN
HEARING FROM SO FAR.
WE HAVE OVER 2100 SURVEYED
PARTICIPANTS AND INPUT INTO WHAT
YOU ARE SEEING, AS A GRAPHIC OF
WHERE WE HAVE RECEIVED
INTERACTIVE COMMENTS.
AS YOU CAN SEE, WE'VE HAD SOME
SUCCESS WITH CITYWIDE OUTREACH
BUT CONTINUE TO REVISE AND
PIVOT ARE ENGAGEMENT STRATEGIES
AS WE CONTINUE TO ANALYZE WHO
WE ARE HEARING FROM AND AREAS
WE HEAR FROM TO ENSURE THAT WE
ARE HEARING FROM EVERYONE.
SO, SOME OF THE THINGS TO
HIGHLIGHT AND TO EMPHASIZE OUR
THAT I'M EXCITED TO HEAR ABOUT
THE CONVERSATION EARLIER ABOUT
SAFETY AND VISION ZERO.
WE HEAR FROM THE COMMUNITIES
WITH NEARLY ALL PARTICIPANTS
CREATING A SAFE, RELIABLE AND
SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORTATION
SYSTEM.
ADDITIONALLY, MOST PARTICIPANTS
WOULD PREFER CONCENTRATED
INVESTMENT IN NONMOTORIZED AND
PEOPLE-ORIENTED TRANSPORTATION
INCLUDING WALKING, BICYCLING
AND TRANSIT.
WE'VE HEARD FROM LOT OF
RESPONDENTS SAYING THAT WE
SHOULD FOCUS ON SIDEWALKS AND
BIKE LANES TO HELP PEOPLE WALK
AND BIKE MORE AND PUTTING MONEY
TOWARD TRANSIT TO MAKE IT MORE
CONVENIENT AND RELIABLE WITH
TOP PRIORITIES FROM THE
COMMUNITY.
ADDITIONALLY, WE'VE HEARD FROM
PARTICIPANTS THAT CONTINUE TO
EMPHASIZE WALKING AND ROLLING
PUBLIC TRANSIT AS ALTERNATIVES
TO PERSONAL AUTOMOBILE USE IN
ALL AREAS OF THE CITY.
ADDITIONALLY, IN AREAS OF THE
CITY THAT HAVE BEEN UNDER
INVESTED IN, WITH EASY ACCESS TO
TRANSPORTATION AND THE STATED
NEEDS TO GIVE OPTIONS FOR
TRAVELING'S THAT ARE SAFE AND
EFFICIENT WITH EQUITABLE
INFRASTRUCTURE CONCERNS.
WE'VE HEARD FROM OUR COMMUNITY
AND IN THE NEXT SLIDE, WE --
>> PARDON ME.
HAVE A COMMENT FROM
COUNCILMEMBER HERBOLD.
>> THANK YOU.
I APPRECIATE IT AND I
APPRECIATE YOUR ACKNOWLEDGMENT
THAT COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
EFFORTS -- I'M SURE THEY WERE
EQUALLY APPLIED WITH THE RESULTS
, HAVE NOT BORNE THE SAME LEVEL
IN ALL PARTS OF THE CITY, AS
THE COUNCILMEMBER REPRESENTING
DISTRICT 1. I CAN'T HELP BUT
NOTICE THE LACK OF THE MAP ON
DISTRICT 1. CAN YOU TALK ABOUT
HOW YOU ARE LOOKING TO FILL
THESE GAPS AND IF THERE'S
ANYTHING I CAN DO TO HELP?
THANK YOU.
>> THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION,
COUNCILMEMBER HERBOLD.
AS PART OF THE STRATEGY, THE
DISTRICT, YOUR DISTRICT IS AN
AREA TO FOCUS ON INCLUDING SOME
STAKEHOLDER MAPPING WITH
ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE SPECIFIC
TO THE AREAS AND WE WILL DO
FOCUSED OUTREACH TO THEM TO
ENGAGE.
WE ARE LOOKING AT OTHER FUTURE
EVENTS TO CONTINUE TO
PARTICIPATE IN AS WE GO INTO
FALL.
COUNCILMEMBER HERBOLD, WITH THE
OTHER COUNCILMEMBERS, IT WOULD
BE HELPFUL IF THERE IS
OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO HELP
SHARE SOME OF THE INFORMATION
THROUGH YOUR NEWSLETTERS YOU
SEND OUT AND IF THERE IS IN-
PERSON EVENTS OR OTHER HYBRID
EVENTS THAT WE CAN TAP INTO TO
REACH OUT TO YOUR CONSTITUENTS.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH.
I'LL BE IN TOUCH.
>> YES.
>> JOANNA, WHEN I HAD GOTTEN A
BRIEFING ON THIS, YOU HAD NOTED
THAT THE HEAT MAP IS FOR
INTERACTIVE MAP COMMENTS AND
MIGHT NOT HAVE INCLUDED OTHER
OUTREACH EFFORTS IN THE OTHER
AREAS OF THE CITY.
>> YEAH.
THAT'S CORRECT.
THANKS FOR THE REMINDER.
THE GRAPHIC REPRESENTED IS PART
OF ONE ASPECT OF OUR PHASE 1
ENGAGEMENT WHICH WAS COLLECTING
INPUT INTO OUR SOCIAL PINPOINT
MAPPING SYSTEM.
IN ADDITION TO THIS, WE HAD IN-
PERSON ENGAGEMENTS THAT INCLUDED
SURVEY PARTICIPATION AND SUBMIT
ALL COMMENT CARDS.
WE ARE STILL DIGESTING THAT
INFORMATION TO GET A GRASP OF
WHERE WE WERE ABLE TO RECEIVE
THAT INFORMATION, AS WELL.
THERE WILL BE SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION THAT CAN GIVE
ADDITIONAL INFO ON WHERE GAPS
ARE.
AS I MENTIONED TO COUNCILMEMBER
HERBOLD, THERE IS A LOT OF
OPPORTUNITIES AND I LOOK
FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU TO
ENSURE VOICES ARE BEING HEARD.
>> THANK YOU.
>> IF THERE'S NO OTHER QUESTIONS
, JUST CLOSING IT UP HERE WITH
A FEW MORE SLIDES.
SO, IN REGARDS TO OUR PHASE 2
ENGAGEMENTS, WHICH WE HOPE TO
NEXT 12 MONTHS, AGAIN, OR THE
EMPHASIZING HEARING BACK AND
GOING BACK TO OUR COMMUNITY AND
CONTINUING THE CONCEPT OF CO-
CREATION AND CONFIRMING THE
GOALS WITH THE VISION STATEMENTS
AND THE VALUES AND MAKING SURE
THAT IS REFLECTED IN SOME OF
THOSE DELIVERABLES AND ELEMENTS
OF THE PLAN THAT WE ARE
DEVELOPING.
ADDITIONALLY, THE MENU ACTION
WITH A STRATEGIC DIRECTION TO
UNDERSTAND THE GOALS AND
OBJECTIVES AND BRINGING
EXERCISES WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY
TO UNDERSTAND WHERE THE
COMMUNITY WOULD LIKE TO SEE
SOME OF THESE BIG MOVES AND
CHANGES.
ALSO, WHAT THEY WOULD SUPPORT
IN REGARDS TO GETTING TO SOME OF
THOSE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES.
ADDITIONALLY, CONTINUING TO
BUILD ON EDUCATION METHODS TO
REACH UNDERREPRESENTED
COMMUNITIES.
AS I SHARED, ANALYZING THE
COMMUNITY EFFORTS TO PREVENT AND
REFINE AND INSURE THAT WE
ENGAGE, CITYWIDE.
IN REGARDS TO SOME UPCOMING
MILESTONES COMING UP, THE NEXT
SLIDE SHOWS WHAT WE HAVE ON
DECK FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE
PROJECT.
IT INCLUDES THE LAUNCH OF PHASE
2 AND SEPTEMBER AND DURING THIS
NEXT FALL, REFLECTING OUR
INTERNAL TECHNICAL ANALYSIS
WITH WHAT WE HEAR FROM THE
COMMUNITY, INCLUDING THE MODAL
NETWORK INTEGRATION AND
COMPONENTS OF THE PLAN AND THE
MODERNIZATION TAX OR THE MENU
OF ACTIONS TO UPDATE OUR
NETWORKS.
IN 2023, WE AIM TO PUBLISH A
PLAN FOR REVIEW THAT WILL
SUBSEQUENTLY ALIGN WITH THE
PHASE 3 LAUNCH OF COMMUNITY
ENGAGEMENT.
AGAIN, THE TARGET OF TRANSMITTAL
OF THE MAYOR'S RECOMMENDED PLAN
TO CITY COUNCIL IN SEPTEMBER.
OUR LAST SLIDE SHOWS WHERE YOU
CAN DIRECT FOLKS TOO.
AS I SHARED, IT WOULD BE
HELPFUL AND WE WOULD LOVE TO
WORK WITH YOU ABOUT HOW TO PUSH
OUT THESE TWO TO YOUR
CONSTITUENTS.
WE HAVE A LOT OF HANDOUTS AND
FLYERS AND LINKS AND WE WOULD
APPRECIATE YOUR HELP IN BEING
ABLE TO SHARE WITH THE
COMMUNITY.
I'LL STOP THERE AND ASK PEOPLE
FOR ANY QUESTIONS.
>> THANK YOU.
COUNCILMEMBER MORALES?
>> THANK YOU.
I DO HAVE A QUESTION, BUT I
FIRST WANT TO GO BACK TO A
COUPLE OF THINGS YOU SAID,
JOANNA.
I THINK I NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE
TIMING BETTER BETWEEN PHASE 1
AND PHASE 2. YOU KNOW, THAT MAP
DEFINITELY SHOWS THAT BASED ON
THAT PARTICULAR MAP, YOU'VE
HEARD A LOT ABOUT WELL
RESOURCED AND BETTER RESOURCED
NEIGHBORHOODS.
AS I LOOK AT SLIDE NINE, THE
NOTH AND ON THE SOUTH END OF
SEATTLE, CERTAINLY -- SO -- I
UNDERSTAND AND AM HAPPY TO
SPREAD THE WORD THAT YOU ARE
LOOKING FOR MORE FEEDBACK TO
THE SURVEY.
BUT, IF THE INTENT OF PHASE 1
IS TO ESTABLISH THE VISION AND
GOALS AND YOU HAVEN'T HEARD
FROM A LARGE PART OF THE CITY,
I FEEL LIKE IT'S PREMATURE TO
TALK ABOUT TRADE-OFFS IN PHASE
2 BEFORE YOU'VE ACTUALLY BEEN
ABLE TO COMPILE THE REST OF
THAT INFORMATION AND WHATEVER
ELSE YOU MIGHT BE HEARING FROM
WHAT THE CITY THAT IS
UNDERREPRESENTED IN YOUR
SURVEY.
CAN YOU JUST TALK MORE ABOUT
WHAT THAT PROCESS WILL BE, TO
HEAR FROM PEOPLE, BEFORE YOU
MOVE INTO PHASE 2?
>> COMIC MORALES, THE OTHER
THING I WILL ADD THAT I
PROBABLY DIDN'T EMPHASIZE AS
MUCH AS AT THE MAP YOU ARE
SHOWING IS REPRESENTATIVE OF
THE SOCIAL ACTIVITY WE
COMPLETED.
IT WAS HOW WE RECEIVED THE
MAPPING FEEDBACK.
IN ADDITION, I WANT TO
REFERENCE OUR WORK WITH OUR
COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS
AND COMMUNITY LIAISONS THAT ARE
RECEIVING FEEDBACK AND WE ARE
PUTTING THOSE SUMMARIES
TOGETHER RIGHT NOW AS PART OF
THE PHASE 1 ENGAGEMENT.
I WANTED TO POINT TO THAT
BECAUSE THAT IS WHERE A LOT OF
OUR PARTNERSHIPS AND OUTREACH
TO THOSE COMMUNITIES -- YOU MAY
BE SEEING OUR GAPS REFLECTED IN
THE MAPS.
THAT'S WHAT WE ARE TARGETING,
IN REGARDS TO OUTREACH WITH A
LOT A PARTNERSHIP WITH
COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS.
THEY ARE IN SOUTH SEATTLE AND
THE SOUTH PARK AREA. SO, WE HAVE
A PARTNERSHIP WITH FOCUS
OUTREACH THAT WE'VE BEEN DOING
WITH THOSE COMMUNITIES THAT
WILL BE INPUTTED AS PART OF THE
PHASE 1 FEEDBACK. YOU KNOW, NOT
NECESSARILY JUST SPATIAL INPUT,
BUT MORE INFORMATION AND DETAIL
IN SURVEY AND OUR COMMUNITY-
BASED ORGANIZATIONS HAVE BEEN
RUNNING SOME IN-LANGUAGE
EXERCISES WITH THEM, AND ORDER
TO BE ABLE TO RECEIVE SIMILAR
FEEDBACK, AS WE'VE BEEN DOING
THROUGH THE ONLINE ACTIVITIES.
AGAIN, THE MAP DOESN'T
COMPLETELY REFLECT THAT AND
THAT IS SOMETHING WE WILL
CONTINUE TO WORK ON WHEN YOU
HEAR FROM US IN THE NEXT ROUND.
WE CAN MORE CLEARLY REFINE AND
SHOW THE CITYWIDE EFFORT THAT
HAS BEEN OCCURRING BUT THERE
HAS DEFINITELY BEEN A LOT OF
DIFFERENT LAYERS TO THE PHASE 1
ACTIVITIES. THAT IS ALSO BEYOND
JUST THE MAPPING EXERCISE THAT
YOU ARE SEEING.
>> I APPRECIATE THAT AND I
APPRECIATE YOU MENTIONING THE
IN-LANGUAGE TRANSLATION.
THAT IS OBVIOUSLY REALLY
IMPORTANT TO MAKE SURE WE HEAR
FROM EVERYBODY AND I APPRECIATE
THAT YOU PROVIDED THIS MAP TO
GIVE US A SENSE OF THE WORK
YOU'VE DONE.
AND WE HAVEN'T HEARD FROM
PEOPLE SO THANK YOU.
>> THANK YOU.
I DO WANT TO ASK -- I
APPRECIATE THIS AND IT'S
HELPFUL TO UNDERSTAND WHERE YOU
ARE IN THE PROCESS AND THIS
PRESENTATION IS MOSTLY ABOUT
ENGAGEMENT AND DOESN'T SHARE
ABOUT THE ACTUAL ALTERNATIVES
THAT HAVE BEEN PRESENTED.
CAN YOU TALK FIRST ABOUT THE
ALTERNATIVES INCLUDED IN THE
ANALYSIS AND THEN I HAVE A
COUPLE OF QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT
SOME FOLKS ARE ASKING FOR TO BE
INCLUDED, AS WELL.
>> SURE.
FOR THE ALTERNATIVES DISCUSSION,
JONATHAN?
>> THANK YOU, COUNCILMEMBER.
WE JUST CONCLUDED OUR CPO
SCOPING COMMENT PERIOD A FEW
WEEKS AGO AND ARE BUSY
PROCESSING AND GOING THROUGH
THE COMMENTS WE'VE RECEIVED AND
AS WELL, COORDINATING THE
COMPREHENSIVE TEAM WHO HAD THAT
COMMENT PERIOD THAT I BELIEVE
JUST CLOSED.
IT WAS EXTENDED A LITTLE BIT
LONGER WITH A COMMENT PERIOD
THAN OURS AND WE ARE
COORDINATING ON OUR APPROACH TO
THE ALTERNATIVES TOGETHER, TO
MAKE SURE THAT THE ALTERNATIVES
FOR SETTING ARE IN SYNC WITH THE
ALTERNATIVES.
WE ARE WORKING TO SHOOT JOINT
RESPONSES TO THE COMMENTS AND
AS WELL, THE ALTERNATIVES THAT
WE WILL BE ANALYZING IN THE
SEPA PROCESS TO GATHER.
WE HAVE THREE OR SO WEEKS
BEFORE WE CAN PUT THAT OUT AND
WE ARE WORKING CLOSELY ON THEM
WITH THAT.
>> THAT HASN'T BEEN SUBMITTED
YET?
>> THE COMMENT PERIOD CLOSED,
BUT WE WENT FINALIZED OUR
RESPONSES AND THE ALTERNATIVES
WE WILL BE WORKING ON.
THAT'S RIGHT.
>> OKAY.
SO, WE ARE HEARING FROM
COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHO ARE
REALLY ADVOCATING FOR
ACCELERATING THE SHIFT TO
MULTIMODAL OPTIONS AND FOR
BEING INTENTIONAL ABOUT HOW WE
PREPARE OUR TRANSPORTATION
INFRASTRUCTURE TO ACCOMMODATE
WHAT PEOPLE ARE REFERRING TO AS
A 15 MINUTE CITY.
THIS IS WHY I'M ASKING.
I'M INTERESTED, ESPECIALLY
ALIGNING WITH THE COMPREHENSIVE
PLAN AND THE WORK THAT IS
HAPPENING THERE.
YOU KNOW, I'VE BEEN ADVOCATING
FOR THE KIND OF NEIGHBORHOODS
WHERE EVERYBODY HAS ACCESS TO
ESSENTIAL GOODS AND SERVICES.
WE HEARD FROM THE NEW APPOINTEE
ABOUT ACCESSING GROCERY STORES
AND CHILD CARE AND MEDICAL
APPOINTMENTS WITHOUT GETTING IN
THE CAR.
I'M REALLY INTERESTED TO KNOW
IF WHAT WE PROPOSE INCLUDES AN
IDEA LIKE THAT, TO REALLY MAKE
OUR COMPLETE STREETS WORK AND
ACTUALLY IMPLEMENT THE THINGS
WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT,
LITERALLY.
>> THANK YOU, COUNCILMEMBER.
YES, ON THE LAND-USE SIDE, THE
COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING TEAM IS
CONSIDERING -- I BELIEVE,
BECAUSE COUNCIL VERY POINTEDLY
ASKED THEM TO, THE 15 MINUTE
CONCEPT, A COMMUNITY NOTES
CONCEPT.
OUR ALTERNATIVES WILL CERTAINLY
BE LOOKING AT WHAT TYPES OF
ACTIONS WE NEED TO TAKE TO
ACHIEVE THE CARBON NEUTRAL
ADMISSIONS, WHICH DOES REQUIRE
A SUBSTANTIAL INCREASE IN
WALKING AND BIKING AND TRANSIT
TRIPS.
WE WILL WORK CLOSELY WITH THAT
AND COLLABORATE WITH THE
COMPLEMENT TEAM ON THOSE
OPTIONS.
THANK YOU.
>> THANK YOU.
THANKS FOR THOSE ANSWERS,
JONATHAN AND JOANNA AND THANKS
FOR THIS PRESENTATION AND
LAYING OUT THE TIMELINE, GOING
FORWARD.
WE WILL DEFINITELY AVE YOU BACK
AT THE COMMITTEE AND WE CAN
HAVE YOU BACK SEVERAL TIMES AS
YOU HIT MILESTONES AND YOU NEED
INPUT FOR CERTAIN MILESTONES.
WE WILL DEFINITELY ASK YOU TO
COME BACK AND LET US KNOW WHEN
YOU THINK THE BEST TIME TO COME
BACK IS AND WE CAN ACCOMMODATE
THAT.
IF NO OTHER COMMENTS OR
QUESTIONS FOR THIS TEAM, WE
WILL MOVE ON TO THE FINAL ITEM
ON TODAY'S AGENDA.
WITH THE CLERK PLEASE READ THE
FULL TITLE OF THE FINAL AGENDA
ITEM?
>> AGENDA ITEM 10 OVERVIEW OF
SOLID WASTE WITH THE BRIEFING
AND DISCUSSION.
>> OKAY.
TRANSPORTATION HAS BEEN TAKING
UP, HAS BEEN THE STAR OF THE
SHOW SO FAR.
IS IT THE BEST FOR LAST, MAYBE?
WILL HAVE THIS INFORMATION ITEM
BUT IT WILL BE VOTED ON AS
EARLY AS SEPTEMBER 20 AND THIS
CONCERNS PUBLIC UTILITIES AND
SOLID WASTE RATES FOR 2023-
2025.
WE'VE GOT A DRAFT ON THE AGENDA
WITH THE PRESENTATION AND WE
WILL VOTE ON SEPTEMBER 20.
I'M PLEASED THAT THE SPU
PROPOSAL SEEMS TO MAINTAIN THE
UTILITY HIGH QUALITY SERVICES
WASTE WITH RATES THAT ARE WELL
BELOW INFLATION, AND TERMS OF
THE ADJUSTMENTS.
KEEPING PROMISES, SPU PROPOSED
RATE INCREASES ARE CONSISTENT
WITH THE PROJECTED RATE PATH
FROM THE STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLAN
ADOPTED BY THE COUNCIL IN MAY
2021 AND WE WILL TALK ABOUT ONE
OF THE KEY PIECES AND KEY LINES
OF BUSINESS, DISPOSING OF SOLID
WASTE BID THAT IS TRASH,
RECYCLING AND COMPOST.
WE HAVE OUR GENERAL MANAGER AND
CEO, ANDREW LEE.
WELCOME AND I ACKNOWLEDGE BRIAN
GOODNIGHT FROM THE CITY COUNCIL
CENTRAL STAFF THAT IS REVIEWING
THESE MATERIALS THOROUGHLY FOR
COUNCILMEMBERS AND I WANTED TO
OPEN IT UP WITH THE
INTRODUCTORY REMARKS FOR THIS
TODAY.
>> THANK YOU.
I DON'T HAVE INTRODUCTORY
REMARKS AND I WILL TURN IT OVER
TO SEATTLE PUBLIC UTILITIES.
THANK YOU.
>> ANDREW LEE, GOOD MORNING.
>> THANK YOU CHAIR PEDERSEN AND
MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE.
WE WILL PRESENT THE SOLID RATES
PROPOSAL FOR 2023-2025 AND AS
YOU KNOW, SPU HAS THREE LINES OF
BUSINESS, WATER, DRAINAGE AND
WASTE WATER AND SOLID WASTE AND
EACH UTILITY HAS REVENUE
SOURCES AND CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT
PROJECTS BUT THEY SHARE MANY
OPERATIONS AND ACTIVITIES WITH
THE CITY.
LIKE COMIC PEDERSEN MENTION,
THE SOLID WASTE UTILITY
PROCESSES RECYCLING,
COMPOSTABLE AND RESIDENTIAL AND
COMMERCIAL GARBAGE.
RATES ARE SET ON A THREE-YEAR
SCHEDULE WITH ONE RATE PROPOSAL
FOR EACH LINE OF BUSINESS EACH
YEAR.
WE PROPOSE PREVIOUS SOLID WASTE
RATES FOR 2020, 2021 AND 2022
AND THEY WERE ADOPTED BY THE
COUNCIL IN 2019 IN THIS CURRENT
RATE PERIOD CONVERSELY IS 2023,
2024 AND 2025 AND THE NEW RATES
WOULD GO INTO EFFECT APRIL 1 OF
EACH YEAR.
I WILL HAND OFF THIS
PRESENTATION TO KARL STICKEL
WITH MORE DETAILS AND HOW IT
TIES BACK TO THE STRATEGIC
BUSINESS PLAN.
IT WAS JUST ADOPTED RECENTLY.
BEFORE PROCEEDING FURTHER, I
WANT TO ASK IF COMMUNITY
MEMBERS HAVE QUESTIONS BEFORE I
HANDED OFF TO CARL.
IF NOT, I WILL HAND IT OFF TO
KARL.
>> HELLO.
I'M KARL STICKEL WITH THE
FINANCE DIVISION OF SEATTLE
PUBLIC UTILITIES AND I'M HERE
TO TALK ABOUT SOLID WASTE
RATES.
AS ANDREW MENTIONED, THE RATES
ARE TYPICALLY ON A THREE-YEAR
SCHEDULE WITH ONE RATE STUDY
PER YEAR.
THIS YEAR, IT IS THE SOLID WASTE
RATE TURN AND WE HAVE
FORECASTED RATES FOR THE NEXT
THREE YEARS FROM 2023 THROUGH
2025 AND I WILL WALK YOU
THROUGH OUR PROPOSAL.
NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
PREVIEWING THE RATE PATH, YOU
CAN SEE THAT I WILL TOUCH ON
THIS SOLID WASTE SYSTEM TO GIVE
YOU CONTEXT AND WE WILL DIVE
INTO PROPOSED RATES AND THE
IMPACT TO CUSTOMER BILLS AND
THEN HIGHLIGHT THE NEXT STEPS
IN THE PROCESS.
HERE'S OUR PROPOSED RATE PATH
AND YOU SEE TWO TABLES.
THE TOP TABLE IS THE RATE PATH
YOU ENDORSED LAST YEAR AS PART
OF OUR SIX-YEAR PLAN AND THE
GRAY SHADED BOXES WERE ADOPTED
IN AN ORDINANCE AT THE TIME AND
YOU WILL NOTICE IN THE LOWER
RIGHT-HAND CORNER THAT THE
COMBINED SIX-YEAR AVERAGE RATE
IS 4.2% THAT YOU ARE APPROVED
AND THE GOOD NEWS, THE LOWER
TABLE REPRESENTS OUR CURRENT
PROPOSAL, INCLUDING OUR
PROPOSED SOLID WASTE RATES.
THE OVERALL RATE IS ACTUALLY
LOWER THAN THAT OF WHAT WE
THOUGHT IT WOULD BE LAST YEAR
AS PART OF THE STRATEGIC
BUSINESS PLAN AT 4.0%. I
LIKE TO POINT OUT A COUPLE OF
THINGS ON THIS TABLE.
THE STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLAN WAS
APPROVED LAST YEAR AND THERE
HAVE BEEN TWO APPROVED RATE
STUDIES.
ONE FOR WATER AND ONE FOR
DRAINAGE AND WASTEWATER WITH
THE NEWLY SHADED AREAS.
THOSE ADOPTED RATES WERE
ACTUALLY LOWER THAN WHAT WE
ASSUMED IN THE STRATEGIC PLAN
WHICH HELPS US WITH OUR OVERALL
RATE BEING KEPT LOWER.
THE SECOND THING TO MENTION WAS
THAT OUR CURRENT PROPOSAL ALSO
ASSUMES THE INCREASE IN THE
KING COUNTY WASTEWATER
TREATMENT RATE WHICH WENT UP
AND THAT WILL BE SUBJECT FOR
ANOTHER PIECE OF LEGISLATION
THAT YOU WILL SEE SEPARATELY ON
SEPTEMBER 20 AND ALSO, WE'VE
INCLUDED OUR 2023-2024 PROPOSED
BUDGET COST WITHIN THE RATE
PATH AS WELL AND YOU WILL SEE
THE PROPOSED BUDGET LATER WHEN
MAYOR HARRELL FORMALLY TRANSMITS
THE BUDGET.
THAT SAID, THE KEY TAKE AWAY IS
THAT THE COMBINED OVERALL SP
RATE PATH GOES FROM 4.2% DOWN
TO 4.0%.
HERE IS A LITTLE MORE DETAIL ON
THE SOLID WASTE RATES,
THEMSELVES.
WHAT WE HAD ASSUMED IN THE
STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLAN ON THE
VERY TOP LINE, FOR THE SIX-YEAR
PERIOD, AN AVERAGE OF 2.4% IN
THE RATES IN BOLD ON THE SECOND
LINE ARE THE UPDATED PROPOSED
RATES FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION.
IN SOME CASES, THE RATE IS
LOWER LIKE IN 2023 AND THE RATE
IS THE SAME IN 2024 AND THEN
TAKES UP IN 2025.
YOU ARE ADOPTING RATES AND THE
2026 RATE IS OUR CURRENT
ESTIMATE RIGHT NOW.
I PUT THAT INTO SHOW
CONSISTENTLY THE SIX-YEAR
STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLAN.
PROBABLY THE ONLY CHANGE WORTH
MENTIONING HERE IS CONTRACT
ASSUMPTIONS AS PART OF OUR
AGREEMENTS FOR SOLID WASTE
SERVICES WITH OUR CONTRACTS
HAVING PROVISIONS THAT CAN
IMPACT RATES, PARTICULARLY IN
2025 FOR FUEL, CPI AND LABOR
COSTS.
ALL TOLD, SOLID WASTE MOVED
FROM .1% FROM THE ASSUMED RATE
OF 2.4% TO THE ADOPTED RATE OF
2.5%.
FOR THE BILLS TO THE CUSTOMERS,
I WILL GET TO THAT IN A MINUTE
BUT FIRST I WANTED TO PROVIDE A
BRIEF OVERVIEW OF OUR SOLID
WASTE SYSTEM, JUST TO GIVE YOU
CONTEXT FOR WHAT WE DO AND HOW
WE DO IT.
THIS SHOWS A HIGH LEVEL OVERVIEW
OF SOLID WASTE AND HOW IT'S
COLLECTED IN THE CITY AND THE
MAJORITY OF SOLID WASTE
SERVICES ARE CONTRACTED OUT TO
A NUMBER OF COMPANIES.
SOLID WASTE IS EITHER COLLECTED
BY CONTRACTORS OR YOU CAN BRING
IT IN YOURSELF TO THE
TRANSPORTATION SOURCE.
WE OWN AND OPERATE THE TWO
TRANSFER STATIONS, NORTH AND
SOUTH.
WE PROVIDE YARD WASTE, ORGANIC
RECYCLING, GARBAGE FOR SINGLE
AND MULTIFAMILY HOUSEHOLDS AND
AS WELL, COMMERCIAL CUSTOMERS.
TO GIVE YOU THE MAGNITUDE OF
THE SERVICES WE PROVIDE, WE
HAVE 168,000 RESIDENTIAL
GARBAGE CANS AND WE HAVE 5300
MULTIFAMILY AND 8100 COMMERCIAL
LARGE BINS.
AS YOU KNOW, WASTE IS PROCESSED
AND DISPOSED OF IN DIFFERENT
WAYS, DEPENDING ON THE WASTE
STREAM.
FOR RECYCLING, OUR COLLECTION
CONTRACTORS, WASTE MANAGEMENT
AND ECOLOGY, HALL RECYCLING
DIRECT TO REPUBLIC SERVICES AT
THE FACILITY AT THIRD AND
LANDER.
YARD WASTE AND ORGANIC MATERIAL
IS TO THE TRANSFER STATION AND
PROCESSED IN SNOHOMISH COUNTY
IN STANWOOD AND CEDAR GROVE,
WITH FACILITIES IN EVERETT AND
IN THE VALLEY.
GARBAGE IS DELIVERED AS WELL
AND TRANSPORTED BY TRAIN TO A
LANDFILL IN OREGON.
THIS IS THE TONNAGE NUMBERS
COMPARED TO POPULATION.
RECYCLING AND ORGANICS ARE MORE
THAN HALF OF THE WASTE STREAM,
54% AND RISING.
AS POPULATION INCREASES, THE
MAJORITY OF ADDED TONNAGE IS
FROM RECYCLING AND ORGANICS
WITH A SMALLER UPTICK IN
GARBAGE.
IT'S LOWER THAN POPULATION
GROWTH, AND THAT IS A GOOD
THING.
THE ULTIMATE STUDY IS TO SET
RATES AT A LEVEL THAT COVERS
EXPENSES AND ENSURES FINANCIAL
STABILITY FOR THE FUND.
RESIDENTIAL IS THE LARGEST
SHARE, IN TERMS OF REVENUES AND
INCLUDES SINGLE AND MULTIFAMILY
CUSTOMERS.
COMMERCIAL IS THE NEXT LARGEST
AND TRANSFER STATIONS ARE A
GROWING PART OF THE REVENUE
STREAM.
OTHER REVENUE IS RECYCLING
COMMODITY REVENUES, AND THAT IS
WHEN WE SELL RECYCLABLES TO
PROCESSORS.
FOR EXPENSES, SOLID WASTE
CONTRACTS ARE, BY FAR, THE
LARGEST PIECE OF THE PIE,
CONSISTING OF OVER 50% OF TOTAL
EXPENDITURES.
THESE ARE THE GREEN HUGE PIECES
FOR SINGLE-FAMILY, MULTI-FAMILY
AND COMMERCIAL WITH
COLLECTIONS, PROCESSING AND
DISPOSAL COSTS FOR THOSE
CUSTOMERS.
WE ALSO HAVE UTILITY TAXES PAID
TO THE CITY AND STATE AND AS
WELL, DEBT SERVICE FOR OUR
BONDS AND THE OTHER IS THE
BRANCH EXPENSES USED TO RUN OUR
SOLID WASTE OPERATIONS.
THE SOLID WASTE FUND IS GUIDED
BY FINANCIAL POLICIES THAT ARE
ADOPTED BY YOU, THE CITY
COUNCIL AND HERE ARE THE CURRENT
FINANCIAL POLICIES SET FOR THE
SOLID WASTE FUND WITH NET
INCOME THAT WE WANT TO BE
POSITIVE.
DEBT SERVICE COVERAGE IS A
MEASUREMENT OF OUR INCOME
AVAILABLE TO PAY OUR CURRENT
DEBT OBLIGATIONS AND THE POLICY
IS TO HAVE IT AT OR GREATER
THAN 1.7 TIMES THAT OBLIGATION
AND YEAR-END CASH BALANCES, A
GOOD MEASURE OF FINANCIAL
STABILITY OF THE UTILITY THAT
MAKES SURE WE HAVE CASH ON HAND
FOR OPERATION OF THE UTILITY
WITH THE ADOPTED POLICY AND THE
POLICIES TO KEEP A CERTAIN
NUMBER OF DAYS OF CASH
AVAILABLE TO PAY OUR CONTRACT
EXPENSES AND OUR OPERATIONS.
WE WANT TO MAKE SURE WE AREN'T
TO USE LEVERAGE WITH CAPITAL
IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS.
WE CURRENTLY HAVE HEALTHY CASH
BALANCES TO FINANCE OUR CAPITAL
PROGRAM WITH CASH IN THE
FORESEEABLE FUTURE AND WE DON'T
ANTICIPATE HAVING TO GO OUT FOR
ANY DEBT.
THE 2021 ACTUALS FOR 2022, WE
CURRENTLY ARE EXCEEDING ALL THE
FINANCIAL POLICIES AND PROJECT
TO CONTINUE TO MEET OR EXCEED
FINANCIAL POLICIES FOR THE RATE
STUDY PERIOD.
THANKS.
NEXT SLIDE.
AS MENTIONED, THE RATE
SCHEDULE, TYPICALLY SET ON A
THREE-YEAR SCHEDULE WITH RON
RATE STUDY PER YEAR AND YOU CAN
SEE THEY ARE STAGGERED.
THE DARK BLUE AREA IS ADOPTED
INTO ORDINANCE AND THIS YEAR,
WE ARE DOING SOLID WASTE RATES
AND THE RATE PERIOD IS 2023-
2025, THAT MEDIUM BLUE COLOR.
IF ADOPTED, THE SOLID WASTE
RATES GO INTO EFFECT APRIL 1,
2023.
CIRCLING BACK TO THE PROPOSED
RATES, THE SOLID WASTE IS
COMING IN AT 2.5% FOR THE
STRATEGIC PERIOD.
AS PART OF THAT RATE, SOLID
WASTE COLLECTION SERVICE WILL
HAVE ANNUAL INCREASES AND
TRANSFER STATIONS ARE SET TO
HAVE ONE INCREASE PERIOD IN
2023.
THE COMBINED SPU RATE PATH
WOULD BE AT 4%, THE LOWER RIGHT-
HAND CORNER, DOWN FROM THE
ASSUMPTION OF 4.2%.
THIS NEXT SLIDE SHOWS THE
IMPACT OF THE RATE CHANGE ON
BILLS TO CUSTOMERS.
THESE TWO TABLES SHOW THE
TYPICAL MONTHLY RESIDENTIAL
BILL FOR THE ADOPTED STRATEGIC
BUSINESS PLAN PERIOD, THE TOP
TABLE, COMPARED TO THE PROPOSED
RATES AT THE BOTTOM TABLE.
UC IT'S RELATIVELY UNCHANGED
BETWEEN THE STRATEGIC BUSINESS
PLAN AND THE PROPOSED PLAN.
THE COMBINED TYPICAL BILL IS
ACTUALLY LOWER IN THE PROPOSED
SCENARIO.
THE LOWER DIFFERENCES ARE THE
GREEN NUMBERS BELOW.
OVERALL, GOOD NEWS FOR OUR
CUSTOMERS AND THAT IS THE
SAVINGS THEY SHOULD SEE IN
THEIR OVERALL BILLS.
YOU MAY ALSO BE INTERESTED IN
SEEING WHERE WE STACK UP
AGAINST THE OTHER CITIES WITH
MONTHLY BILLS.
IT'S NOT 100% APPLES-TO-APPLES ,
BUT THE CLOSEST WE COULD GET IN
FROM THIS COMPARISON, THE SOLID
WASTE SERVICES ARE AROUND THE
SAME LEVEL AS SAN FRANCISCO AND
SLIGHTLY HIGHER IN PORTLAND AND
TACOMA.
ON THE RIGHT-HAND SIDE, IT'S
WORTH MENTIONING THAT SEATTLE
OFFERS THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE
PORTFOLIO SERVICES IN THE
REGION, INCLUDING COLLECTION,
TRANSFER, PROCESSING AND
DISPOSAL.
WE OWN AND OPERATE OUR OWN
STATION, REQUIRING A
SIGNIFICANT CAPITAL INVESTMENT.
ALSO, AS A RESULT, WE ARE
SUBJECT TO GUIDELINES THAT
BRING A COST ASSOCIATED WITH
IT.
IN TERMS OF NEXT STEPS, MY
UNDERSTANDING IS THIS PROPOSAL
WILL BE ON THE AGENDA AT THE
NEXT COMMITTEE HEARING ON
SEPTEMBER 20 WITH CENTRAL STAFF
PRESENTING THE ANALYSIS.
IF IT'S VOTED OUT OF COMMITTEE
AT THAT TIME, IT'S A FULL
COUNCIL ON SEPTEMBER 27 AND
POSSIBLE VOTE AND IF ADOPTED,
THE RACE WOULD BE EFFECTIVE
APRIL 1, 2023.
I WILL TURN IT BACK TO ANDREW.
>> AT THIS POINT, EITHER KARL
OR I ARE HAPPY TO ANSWER
QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS PROPOSAL.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH AND I
WILL TURN IT OVER TO MY
COLLEAGUE IN A MOMENT BUT THIS
HAS BEEN PRESENTED IN SUCH A
PROFESSIONAL AND NEUTRAL WAY
THAT I WANT TO LIFT UP THINGS
I'M EXCITED ABOUT.
AS WE KNOW, UTILITY BILLS ARE
REPRESSIVE WITH LOWER INCOME
HOUSEHOLDS PAYING A GREATER
PORTION OF THEIR HOUSEHOLD
INCOME FOR THESE BILLS.
THE RATE INCREASES BEING AS LOW
AS POSSIBLE ARE IMPORTANT TO
HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF
RATEPAYERS AND WE APPRECIATE
SEATTLE PUBLIC UTILITIES
KEEPING THEIR PROMISE ON THE
RATE PATH WE APPROVED, MANAGING
ALL THE LINES OF BUSINESS IN A
FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE MANNER,
INCLUDING SOLID WASTE.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR VIGILANCE IN
DOING THAT.
THE INCREASE IN THE RECYCLING
AND COMPOSTING IS TERRIFIC,
CONSIDERING OUR POPULATION IS
INCREASING.
HAVING THAT PROPORTIONALLY
HIGHER AS TIME GOES ON IS
TERRIFIC AND YOU ARE AMAZINGLY
STRONG WITH THE DEBT COVERAGE
AND THAT IS IMPORTANT TO KEEP
THE AGENCY SUSTAINABLE IN THE
LONG TERM.
COUNCILMEMBER HERBOLD, PLEASE.
>> I'M VERY INTERESTED TO KNOW
WHETHER OR NOT WE ARE ENGAGING
WITH THE EPA PANEL AND THE
SOLID WASTE RATES REVIEW.
AS IT RELATES SPECIFICALLY TO
THE DECREASE IN SOLID WASTE
RATES, I'M INTERESTED TO KNOW
WHAT IS DRIVING THOSE COSTS
DOWN?
LASTLY, ONE OF THE SLIDES
SHOWED AN UPTICK IN 2025. THE
INCREASE IN 2025, HIGHER THAN
PREVIOUSLY PROJECTED.
>> YEAH.
COUNCILMEMBER HERBOLD, I CAN
ANSWER THE FIRST PART AND KARL
COULD DIVE INTO THE SPECIFICS
ON THE INDIVIDUAL YEARS IN THE
DECREASE VERSUS THE INCREASE.
COUNCILMEMBER HERBOLD, WE GOT
WITH THE CUSTOMER PANEL TO BE
INFORMED ON ALL OF OUR RATES.
THIS MOST RECENT RATE PROPOSAL
DID NOT GO THROUGH THE CUSTOMER
REVIEW PANEL FOR APPROVAL.
THE PRIMARY REVIEW AUTHORITY IS
OVER THE STRATEGIC BUSINESS
PLAN WHICH THEY APPROVE.
I CAN'T REMEMBER IF IT WAS LAST
YEAR OR THE YEAR BEFORE BUT WAS
CONSISTENT WITH THE SPP AND IN
LINE WITH WHAT THEY APPROVED.
>> I WAS GOING TO TRY TO ANSWER
THE REMAINING QUESTIONS.
COUNCILMEMBER HERBOLD, WE ARE
GAINING BENEFIT IN TERMS OF THE
OVERALL BILLS GOING DOWN IN THE
EARLY YEARS, 23 AND 24.
SOLID WASTE RATES ARE GENERALLY
THE SAME BUT A LITTLE BIT LOWER
IN 2023 AND THE SAME IN 2024.
FOR 2025, IT IS TAKING UP A
LITTLE BIT AND THAT HAS TO DO
WITH OUR CONTRACTS THAT WE HAVE
WITH OUR SOLID WASTE SERVICES
AND THERE IS SOME IMPACT TO THE
CONTRACTS FOR FUEL AND LABOR
COST AND CPI.
THAT IS DRIVING THE .1% IN SOLID
WASTE RATES GOING UP A LITTLE
BIT.
BUT, WE ARE BENEFITING, OVERALL,
FROM THE SAVINGS THAT WE WERE
ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH IN THE WATER
AND DRAINAGE AND WASTEWATER
ORDINANCES THAT WERE APPROVED
LAST FALL.
THEY ARE A BIT LOWER THAN WHAT
WE HAD ASSUMED AND WE ARE
GETTING SOME SAVINGS BASED ON
THOSE LOWER RATES OVER ALL WITH
RATES GOING DOWN IN THAT
INSTANCE.
>> VERY HELPFUL.
THANK YOU.
>> THANK YOU.
COLLEAGUES, ANY COMMENTS OR
QUESTIONS?
THIS TIMELINE IS CORRECT AND WE
WILL BE PLANNING ON VOTING FOR
THIS AT OUR SEPTEMBER 20
COMMITTEE MEETING AND IN THE
MEANTIME, WE WILL GET A MEMO
FROM OUR CITY COUNCIL CENTRAL
STAFF AND BRIAN GOODNIGHT.
IF THERE ARE NO OTHER COMMENTS
OR QUESTIONS, I THINK
COUNCILMEMBER HERBOLD HAD A
PREVIOUS HAND UP?
>> I WILL ASSUME THAT WAS
PREVIOUS.
THANK YOU.
COLLEAGUES, IF THERE ARE NO
FURTHER COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS,
WE WILL ALL COME SPU BACK IN
SEPTEMBER 20 AND THAT WAS THE
LAST ITEM ON OUR AGENDA SO I
WILL COMPLETE THE MEETING.
THE TIME IS 11:46 A.M.
ON THIS CONCLUDES THE SEPTEMBER
6, 2022 MEETING OF THE SEATTLE
PUBLIC UTILITIES.
WE ANTICIPATE THE NEXT MEETING
WILL BE ON TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 20
AND THANK YOU.
WE ARE ADJOURNED.