WHEREAS, throughout much of the winter of 1996-97 the City of Seattle experienced severe weather conditions leading to hundreds of landslides inflicting millions of dollars of damage to public and private property; and

WHEREAS, during the ensuing year the City has undertaken extensive study of issues surrounding landslides, and affected City agencies expect to undertake various efforts toward mitigating the impact of landslides on the citizens of Seattle;

WHEREAS, the City should have clear goals concerning its role in responding to and recovering from landslides, in mitigating against their negative effects and in minimizing future landslide damage; and

WHEREAS, private property owners in landslide areas have responsibility for the safety of their property and its safe maintenance; and

WHEREAS, the City should establish a policy framework enabling it to balance resources used in abating the effects of landslides against other demands on such resources;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SEATTLE, THE MAYOR CONCURRING, THAT:

The Executive, working with affected City departments, will draft goals and a policy framework for Council review and adoption to guide 1) adoption of the 1999-2000 and future Biennial Budgets, 2) preparation of ordinances necessary to respond to landslides and to mitigate against the damage they cause, and 3) City and private property owners' actions and programs to address the risks and impacts of landslides.

The following proposed principles will form the basis for this work. The proposed principles themselves should be a subject for public discussion, and in their final form should be incorporated into the policy framework presented to the Council for discussion and approval.

Public Safety

The roles, responsibilities and authority of City personnel to deal with the immediate effects of landslides and recovery efforts should be clearly delineated, and the availability of resources should be defined.

Private property owners' obligation to address risks to their own property, to adjacent property and to human safety should be recognized in the regulation and enforcement of activities in landslides areas.

The City should take appropriate actions to empower private landowners to take such responsibility. These could include the following:

exploring means to inform property owners and potential buyers of landslide risk both in landslide areas and in areas that may be affected by landslides

educating property owners in best management systems and means for reducing slide-related risk.

The City should aggressively enforce City ordinance provisions to reduce overall risk, and explore ordinance amendments to reduce such risk.

Infrastructure and Service Standards

New public facilities, for example, streets and utilities built in landslide areas should be developed commensurate with the challenges presented in those areas.

Existing facilities should be maintained and repaired to protect the public health and safety and property, and to minimize long-run cost to public and private property.

Any public facilities should be cost-effective, as measured on a lifecycle basis. Using such a standard, there may be circumstances in which infrastructure will not be provided at public expense.

There may be circumstances in which extraordinary costs for infrastructure on unstable land are borne or shared by property owners that benefit from them.

Risk Management

In managing its own property, the City should consider the risk of landslides as an element in its planning for improvements and maintenance. The City should undertake appropriate mitigation measures only after balancing the need for maintaining natural open space and other public interest considerations.

The City should consider the feasibility of undertaking preventive investments, for example, for groundwater control, in areas where such measures would be cost effective, sharing the expense with affected property owners. Appropriate consideration should be given to liability exposures resulting from preventive measures and to proper allocation of risk management of these exposures between the city and private property owners.

It is appropriate for the City to set standards for acquiring property or property rights in landslide areas for three purposes: 1) to increase the supply of open space pursuant to existing policies, 2) to reduce risk to the public health and safety, or 3) to reduce potential public liability. The City should encourage voluntary conservation or acquisition of such property for the same purposes by conservation trusts or similar organizations.

Working with private property owners in landslide areas, the City should inquire into sources of private funding and insurance that might be available for private property owners in landslide areas and provide information to the public about these sources. The City along with private property owners should explore the feasibility of creating funding mechanisms such as California's geologic hazard abatement districts to fund preventive measures such as ground water control and extraordinary infrastructure and maintenance costs.

Adopted by the City Council the _____ day of _______________, 1998, and signed by me in open session in authentication of its adoption this _____ day of _______________, 1998. ________________________________________ President of the City Council

THE MAYOR CONCURRING: ________________________________________ Paul Schell, Mayor

Filed by me this _____ day of _______________, 1998. ________________________________________ City Clerk 1/20/98