Minimum wage increase, ARPA fund reallocation approved & more at Monday night’s Burien City Council

Here’s our recap of the 5+-hour long Burien City Council meeting held on Monday night, Mar. 18, 2024:

Update On Anti-Camping Ordinance

City Manager Adolfo Bailon said that despite many rumors going around, there has been no decision by a judge yet on the legality of Burien’s updated camping ban. The ban (Ordinance 832), which allows homeless people to camp on public property at night as long as no shelter beds are available, was recently updated with a map showing areas around schools, libraries, and daycares where camping would not be allowed. This update was challenged by the King County Sheriff’s Office, and Burien’s Police are no longer enforcing the camping ban at all. Chief Ted Boe did assure everyone that police are still fully operational in the city, enforcing all other laws. City Manager Bailon added that there is a hearing on this case scheduled next month.

Deputy Mayor Stephanie Mora spoke about the recent overdose death of a homeless individual (read our previous coverage here). She said no such deaths had taken place on Burien’s streets while the police were enforcing the previous camping ban. According to Mora, in 2023 there were a total of 1,316 overdose deaths in King County. Of those, 317 were people living on the streets. The vast majority of the county’s overdose deaths were people living in permanent or long-term housing. According to Mora, this shows the need for drug treatment solutions rather than a housing-first model.

Public Comments

One commenter complained about the city paying too much for police services, while crime rates escalate. She said the contract with King County is not working, and that Burien needs its own police force. Another commenter said that, while she has had issues with Burien police over the years, Chief Boe is honorable, fair, and kind.

One person said the drug-addicted homeless population are struggling with demons, something we all do to different extents, and that we should empathize with them, rather than demonizing them. Another said the homeless man who recently overdosed had been arrested over 105 times in King County, and his crimes include the attempted kidnapping of a 9-year-old girl in 2019. He said someone who tries to kidnap children should not be allowed to camp on Burien’s streets.

One speaker said she is tired of seeing Burien in the news for negative things. She said the city needs a solution for the homeless problem, but that the site chosen last year for the tiny home village was totally inappropriate. Another speaker said it has been unclear what the council’s long-term plan for the homeless is. They said it seems like the council should formulate a clear plan rather than ad-libbing these decisions every week.

Another speaker thanked Council and the city manager for prioritizing public safety. She said theirs is not an enviable position to be in at the moment.

Reallocation of American Rescue Act Plan (ARPA) Funds

Council unanimously approved Business and Economic Development Partnership (BEDP) recommendations to reallocate unspent Economic Development ARPA funds. These unspent funds include $500,000 that was earmarked for business lending through the Washington State Flex Fund, and $93,000 in unspent funds from the Economic Recovery Grant program. The motion will reallocate the following unspent ARPA Funds:

• $200,000 for a Visitor Attraction Marketing (and Airport Shuttle Program).
• $200,000 for a Tourism Mural Art Program.
• $100,000 for Creative District Grant Matching Funds for design, fabrication and installation of a new City Gateway Monument Sign at 1st Ave S. and SW 148th Street.
• 4. $50,000 for Startup Funding to Support a Healthy Food Market Program in Boulevard Park.

Human Services Grant Funding RFP

$200,000 was allocated by the previous Council for the creation of a homeless day center at the Highline United Methodist Church on 1st Ave South. Many neighbors of this location have asked council to reconsider the decision, and on Monday the Council decided in a 5–2 vote to put out a “Request for Proposal” (RFP) to see if they could get a service provider who might offer more for the city’s homeless population. 

Mayor Kevin Schilling said that before the meeting he had checked with several providers of transitional housing; all confirmed they had beds available. He said we need a program that gets the homeless off the streets, rather than continuing with failed policies. He also mentioned that the city has several hundred new permanent and supportive housing units coming very soon, via organizations like Mary’s Place, Mercy Housing, and the DESC.

Councilmember Hugo Garcia reminded the council that the city spent $150,000 on a consultant to help decide how to use the ARPA funds, as well as countless staff and council hours. He argued that with a time limit on using these funds, they should not be reconsidering previous decisions and wasting more time. He argued that getting high quality applicants at this point will be hard. Councilmember Sarah concurred, saying that this organization stepped up when a call for help was put out there. Garcia and Moore were both no votes on the new RFP.

Councilmember Linda Akey said she would rather see the funds go toward getting the homeless beds at night, and substance abuse treatment. Councilmember Mora added that Transform Burien is essentially providing all the services of a homeless day center a few days a week, and they do not currently utilize any city funds. 

Opioid Settlement Funds Approval

Council voted unanimously to accept $15,000 from a Johnson & Johnson opioid settlement. The money needs to be used to fight drug addiction, and will only be received if all other cities involved in the suit also agree to the settlement. For comparison, funds the city has received from previous settlements total $11,500. In addition, Council voted to pre-approve any new opioid settlement funds that are offered, so staff don’t need to bring it to a council vote each time.

Minimum Wage Ordinance Approved

City staff and the council have spent many months coming to a workable minimum wage ordinance, and tonight Council approved the ordinance in a 4-1-2 vote. Two councilmembers, Sarah Moore and Hugo Garcia, abstained from the vote because they did not feel it was a strong enough wage increase, and had too many exceptions. Deputy Mayor Stephanie Mora voted no.

Burien’s minimum wage will increase by $2 per hour above the state’s minimum wage for all businesses with between 21 and 499 employees in King County. These are Level 2 Employers. Level 1 Employers, who have 500 or more employees in the county, must pay Burien workers $3 above the state’s minimum wage. For small businesses with 20 or fewer employees, there is no change. In addition, total compensation can be included in hourly wage calculations. This includes tips and benefits. 

During a previous discussion on this topic, it was pointed out that while the majority of Burien’s businesses are small Level 3 Employers that won’t be affected by the wage increase, the majority of Burien’s employees actually work for larger, Level 1 or 2 Employers. The intention of the different levels is to increase wages for workers while reducing the impact to “mom & pop” businesses that are the heart of Burien’s economy.

City Attorney Garmin Newsom II said that it is vital for education to occur at this point, in order to prevent employers from being hit with frivolous lawsuits. Every employer needs to understand the new minimum wage, and how it applies to them. The new minimum wage will be in effect in January 2025. 

Video

Watch full video of the meeting here.