Shoreline staff proposes moving ADA coordinator designation to city manager; council schedules resolution for consent

Shoreline staff presented a study item on Monday, June 9 proposing Resolution 5 47 to repeal and replace Resolution 4 24 and to assign the city manager the responsibility to designate an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) coordinator and to adopt and update administrative ADA grievance procedures.

John Norris, the staff presenter, said the city first adopted an ADA coordinator and grievance procedure in 2018 via Resolution 4 24 and that the proposed resolution would delegate to the city manager the authority to adopt administrative ADA policies and grievance procedures rather than requiring council adoption of the procedural details. Norris said the change was prompted by work on the parks facilities ADA transition plan and by staff review of other cities’ practices; he said the proposed administrative policy would document roles and responsibilities, training expectations and make grievance forms more accessible.

Council members asked a range of procedural and substantive questions. Several council members noted that the city has received no formal ADA grievances under the current procedure, only informal questions or requests that staff resolved quickly (for example, a curb ramp repair). Norris confirmed the existing 60-day window for filing a complaint is in the current procedure and said staff were not proposing to change that timeframe tonight, though he offered to research whether other municipalities use longer or shorter filing windows.

Council members also asked whether residents or disability advocates had been consulted on the draft parks facilities ADA transition plan; Norris said the parks department is working on the transition plan and that the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Tree Board is providing input, and he offered to check what additional outreach has occurred. Norris said the city currently does not have an accessible fillable grievance form on its website but that staff intend to make forms and submission options more accessible. He confirmed the city will accept formal grievances verbally (by phone or in person) and that staff can document verbal complaints for constituents who cannot complete a written form.

Council members emphasized institutional oversight and the balance between delegating administrative authority to the city manager and retaining council oversight. Norris and other staff said the delegation is intended to streamline operational updates (training, forms, administrative procedures) while the council retains the authority to rescind the delegation or to adopt procedures by resolution if council wishes.

The council asked staff to verify whether a 60-day filing window is standard practice and to report back about stakeholder input on the parks facilities ADA transition plan. Council members expressed appreciation for staff work on accessibility improvements. The item was discussed at length and was scheduled to return for potential action on the consent calendar at the June 23 council meeting.