Assume Nothing: The Original Vision for Shoreline

Has the City always intended to take over Ronald Wastewater? Those who support the idea would have us believe that this has been part of Shoreline's vision since it first became a City in 1995. Eighteen years is a long time ago. Shoreline's youngest voters today were not yet born. Maybe we should refresh our memories by checking the record.

Let's start with some background. In seventeen Washington counties, proposals for the incorporation of a new city must first be reviewed by the county's Boundary Review Board before being submitted to the voters. According to King County, the Washington State Boundary Review Board for King County "reviews proposals for boundary changes by cities, fire districts, and water/sewer districts within King County, including city or district annexations, new city incorporations, and district mergers.

"In the case of new city incorporations, the Boundary Review Board oversees preparation of an impartial consultant study to assess the financial feasibility of the proposed new city. Following completion of the study, the Board holds a public hearing, establishes final boundaries, and makes a recommendation to the voters, who make the final decision in an election on the incorporation."

There have been two efforts to incorporate Shoreline. The first, in 1987, was motivated by a desire for local control of taxes, and planned to retain the existing sewer and fire districts.  A study group was formed, but dissolved a year later due to a lack of enthusiasm among residents.

The second effort began in 1991, following the passage of the Growth Management Act. A committee called Vision Shoreline was formed in 1992, and within a year, had collected enough signatures to petition for a county election. King County commenced a study to determine if the area could financially support municipal services. The Shoreline Incorporation Study was completed and submitted to the Boundary Review Board on January 28, 1994. Page 9 of that study discusses the proposed City's vision for service providers:

"This study distinguishes between an 'initial state' and a 'steady state.' During the initial state, the City would provide certain services but would contract with King County or others for the remaining services. In the steady state, the City would have assumed all of the services that it intends to provide, although it would still contract with King County or others for certain services. Predicting when the steady state occurs is impossible. One City may not assume all of the services it intends to provide until a decade after incorporation, while another may assume them within the first year. In general, Public Works-Roads and Police are the main services that are provided via contract with King County in the initial state but are later provided directly by the City in the steady state." [emphasis added]

A table on Page 33 of the study (see picture) shows what the Boundary Review Board was told it could safely assume about the City's steady state vision for service providers, for the purpose of the Board's financial analysis. In that vision, the City would take over (directly or by contract) Roads, Surface Water Management and Solid Waste services. However, the Fire, Water, Sewer, and Library services (the last 4 rows on the right hand side) were to remain the responsibility of other governments (i.e., Shoreline Fire Department, Shoreline Water District, SPU, Ronald Wastewater District, and King County Library System).

If at the time of incorporation, the City proponents intended the City to eventually assume or otherwise acquire any or all of these services, they grossly understated the cost projections for the City and misled the voters.

The Boundary Review Board, informed by the 1994 Shoreline Incorporation Study, recommended incorporation, which the voters approved on September 20, 1994. An interim City Council was elected the following April, and Shoreline became a City on August 31, 1995, and is memorialized every August with Celebrate Shoreline!

Last year, they said acquiring SPU's water system in Shoreline was always part of the City's vision. Now they are saying the same thing about assuming Ronald Wastewater. Next, they might say it about Shoreline Water District or the Shoreline Fire Department.

Perhaps such takeovers make sense. Perhaps not. Agreements made or not made between our various government jurisdictions are beside the point. Decisions of this magnitude and consequence should be left to the voters. The City's 'full service' vision was off the table when incorporation was put to the voters in 1994. If they want to bring it up now, let's do what we would have done if they had brought it up then; let's vote on it.