These are my answers to the four major issues originally published by Kirkland Views.
Neighborhood vs. Business Myth
Structural Budget Gap / Sustainable Budget
Neighborhood vs. Business Myth
One of the defining characteristics of our community is its network of strong neighborhood associations. These associations help create the sense of community that cannot be created by City Hall. They organize neighborhood activities, identify necessary capital improvements within the neighborhood, and donate labor and funds to acquire them, set up "watches" on seniors and children - in short, they provide services that can only be provided on a very local level, that are simply too cumbersome to be provided by city administration.
We live in a neighborhood (Lakeview) and operate a business (Ford ~ Hyundai of Kirkland), so when I first learned that there is a perceived disconnect between the neighborhoods and businesses, I did not understand how that could happen. I thought that this must be a “myth" because in my experience, Kirkland people LOVE their local businesses - and love supporting them. In Kirkland, we go out of our way to “buy local” and ask the question – “what community does this business-owner invest in?”
In turn, Kirkland businesses love this community, and many support it in both tangible, and intangible ways – sponsoring local events and sports teams, participating in the activities of Rotary, Kiwanis, the Chamber of Commerce, having their children attend school here, and living in Kirkland neighborhoods themselves.
In preparation for my bid for the City Council seat, I have coffee weekly at St. James, and doorbell neighborhoods. I have spoken with hundreds of Kirkland citizens, and I’ve asked many of them about this “myth”.
I have come to some conclusions. I think that the neighborhoods have felt the need to become more politically active because they felt underrepresented by city government. In a couple of pretty famous examples, the City has allowed development that falls outside of the scope of what our community decided was our guiding document – the Comprehensive Plan, and in doing so, has threatened the unique components that we feel make Kirkland the special place that it is:
The view of the Lake – We have a “bowl shaped” geography, so we should be able to build, without blocking the view of the neighbors behind us.
Development Style - We value our small town character. “Big box” development of our downtown is unacceptable to us. Other cities have allowed development and kept their town’s character – we should be able to also.
Traffic & Parking- It is important that development is allowed to proceed, provided only if adequate allowance can be made for additional traffic.
The issue is that our neighborhood associations don’t trust that the development process will protect the characteristics of our very special city. This has created a divide in our community- between those who favored a particular project, and those who did not. The process is the issue, not the personalities. A strong Council, capable of working together, showing leadership, and building consensus in the community, will be able to address the process problem, and ensure that future development occurs within our community vision.
Structural Budget Gap / Sustainable Budget
In addressing any budget gap, there are two avenues of attack:
1. Generate more revenue
2. Cut expense
Generate Revenue
Kirkland’s revenue comes (broadly) from sales taxes, fines & forfeitures, permit fees and property taxes. The recession has exposed our dependence on sales tax revenue and permit fees. The decline in retail sales and development in Kirkland has led to an estimated $18 million shortfall over 2009/2010. My view is that as we stabilize our sales tax base, we can gradually eliminate this deficit. We must:
Develop Totem Lake as a mixed use retail center- this should be a “University Style” village with affordable housing in floors above. This would provide a place for our seniors and Evergreen Hospital workers to live, close to transit, connected by pedestrian/bike lanes to the rest of the city.
Develop other centers in Kirkland and the PAA as retail areas – Kingsgate, Juanita and the 85th corridor. Kirkland citizens should be able to buy everything they need in Kirkland.
Revitalize our historic downtown- upscale shops and restaurants that fit our “lakeside resort town feel” will attract visitors to spend time and money in our downtown, while preserving its historic character.
Attract clean businesses through business tax incentives- We should be proactive in bringing the right kind of business to our city. Clean industries, with workers raising families, looking to contribute to a community that would welcome them.
Create a powerful campaign to advise our citizenry of the importance of “buying Kirkland”.
Cut Expense
I’ve been the CFO of Ford dealerships since 1997. In that time, the “Big 3” have been very challenged, but the dealers I have worked for have remained profitable. One of my strategies is to manage expense. Here is my approach:
Benchmarking – I compare our business to others of similar size around the country: personnel counts, expenses, inventory levels, financing costs. This enables me to quickly find Potential savings – vendors that I may be able to negotiate a better deal with, areas where we are overstaffed, areas of inventory loss, agreements that should be reviewed. There is no need to invent a new process to examine a budget problem- we can follow best practices of other successful businesses (or cities).
Line by Line examination- I take every item in a general ledger, and ask exhaustive question about it- can we do this a better way? Can we outsource it? Should we call vendors together and have them bid on this service? Can we do without it? Can our existing staff handle this, and allow us to eliminate a position?
Team Meetings – The people who know best where savings can be found, are the team members themselves. They know how their department functions, inside and out, and they know where the waste is. They know how the job can be done better and faster.
Our city must run efficiently. It must operate within its means without compromising its commitment to its citizens.
The Future of Totem Lake
This is one of the most exciting opportunities in Kirkland. We all want to know – When will something happen at Totem Lake? It’s not enough to paint a picture of what we wish Totem Lake would look like: the Council must take a leadership role in making Totem Lake all that it can be.
My vision: University Village style retail, with affordable housing in the floors above. Tree lined walking paths and bike trails to the hospital buildings and transit center on 132nd. In an ideal world, the BNSF would be a bicycle/walking trail, and users could hop on at Totem Lake, and off near the waterfront. As an alternative, a center similar to the “Top Food” center in Woodinville – Barnes & Noble, the movie theater, and the grocery store anchor this as a retail center.
This is my personal vision. It takes our whole community to plan this area- neighbors, housing & retail experts & merchants.
The City is not in the property development business, but we need the right people on the Council and among the city staff, to take action. The Mayor and City Manager should proactively approach the property owners – what can we do to incentivize you to redevelop this area? Can we offer to plow the sales tax revenue from the project into the infrastructure required to support it? Can we help attract the “anchor store” that has been so elusive, with “head tax” relief and other creative incentives?
We are a sales tax revenue based economy. As such, we simply must have an economic engine in our community. This will pay for the services that we expect from our city government. We are experiencing “sales tax leakage” – not only do our own residents shop in Bellevue, Woodinville & Redmond, we don’t have a magnet that draws residents of other areas to spend here. I think it is very important that we develop a unique, “Kirkland” style retail center at Totem Lake, not only for our own sense of who we are, but so that offer something different from our neighboring cities.
Without solidifying our sales tax base, we will have only 2 options – reduce our level of service, or pay for it in another way. That means more taxes:
Property Tax: Sammamish and Mercer Island are examples of communities that have decided to be communities without a substantial sales tax base. They raised their property taxes to pay for services. This would drive out many seniors whose families have lived here for generations.
Business Tax: We could add a B&O tax, or raise the “head tax” (currently $100 for each employee). This would exacerbate the current migration of Kirkland businesses to Bellevue and Redmond.
Utility Tax: This kind of taxation places the burden equally on rich and poor.
I am excited about the opportunity that Totem Lake presents our community and am confident that it will help us shore up our tax base, the long term solution to our revenue shortfall.
Population Growth / GMA
According to the Puget Sound Regional Council, the Puget Sound Basin will grow by 1.6 million people during the next 20 years.
Washington enacted the Growth Management Act, which requires communities to plan for projected population growth. We are required to provide a certain number of dwelling units, commercial floor area and infrastructure to serve the population. In other words, we must plan to provide housing and jobs. In order to comply with the Act, Kirkland adopted the Comprehensive Plan, which sets out the basic plan for growth in Kirkland.
Urban Growth Boundary
The GMA provides the impetus for annexation. It creates an urban growth boundary, and calls for population to be centered in cities, and for cities to provide services. I believe that the concept behind an urban growth boundary is a sound one. I’ve been fortunate to travel in Europe, and I remember being struck by the sharp delineation between city and country when driving out of Paris. There is a wall around the city (in some areas a physical wall) and when you leave this walled city, you immediately enter farmland and open space. It is beautiful. I believe it is very important that we protect Washington’s pristine countryside.
As with all governmental action, it is challenging to balance greater community goals with private property rights, but if we accept that our population will continue to grow, and we want to retain open space, we must have an urban growth boundary.
Smart Growth in Kirkland
Again, if we accept that population growth is inevitable, we must plan for it. Our Comprehensive Plan is to be updated every ten years, as population updates are available. We can see examples of communities that did not prepare for growth all around the world. In Kirkland, we can do better. What does smart growth look like?
Maintain the integrity of our single family home neighborhoods.
Identify areas where multi-family development is appropriate – we can combine our desire to provide affordable housing, and reduce emissions from single occupant vehicles by allowing pockets of development near transit centers.
Use creative housing alternatives – mother-in-law apartments, cottage housing.
Set aside light industrial and office districts, which will provide for jobs for our residents. Long commutes are the enemy of strong family life and our environment.
Create retail centers which are accessible by multiple modes of transportation, so that residents can buy what they need in the city.
Preserve our historic downtown. We must plan for growth, but protect our heritage.
Protect our lakefront – fish, habitat, water quality. We should expand access to the lake. Our parkland on the lake is the envy of our neighbors.
Our Comprehensive Plan is due to be updated. We need to plan for the next ten years in Kirkland. We cannot stop growth, but through co-operative conversation and mutual respect, we can reach consensus on what Kirkland will look like over the next ten years, and beyond.