CURRENT & LOCAL INTEREST
NEWS
SOURCES:
Everett
Herald, Seattle-PI,
Seattle
Times, Sacramento
Bee, Wall
Street Journal, NY
Times, Chicago
Tribune, Wired
Magazine, Associated
Press, LA
Times, Washington
Post, Drudge
Report, Yahoo,
G.R.I.T.
Updates
NEWS ARTICLES
New
YMCA in Monroe: What's your position on this? (Like the newspaper or not, the most-recent issue of the Monroe Monitor has the most definitive information on this issue.
Taskforce Hearings on NEPA draws strong support Republican leaders of the U.S. House of Reps Resources Committee formed the task force to study the future of NEPA, but their first hearing in Spokane drew a slightly different crowd than anticipated. READ PI's Joel Connelly opinion on federal hearings at a local level.
Other info related to NEPA hearings:
- Main page, House Resource Committee (And guess who's chairman of that committee? None other than pro-property rights Calif. Republican Richard Pombo (the congressman who has been holding the Wild Sky bill "hostage" in the House Resource Committee)
- House Resource Committee Taskforce website
- House Resource Committee Taskforce Press Release
Also of interest related to the Sultan-Pombo connection, are the true grass roots efforts by Sultan UGA resident Ed Husmann (including the FORESTS FOR PEOPLE,***with which he is at least closely affiliated and includes a good deal of anti-Wild Sky info). Mr. Husmann has been stumping for Pombo's efforts to block Wild Sky, as evidenced by his local contacts through ORV (off-road vehicles) and snowmobiler clubs. Among them is the Boeing Employee's Stump Thumpers 4x4/ORV club and a Washington snowmobiling club (click here for details as webpage or in Word) via newsletters and message board activity.
***Interestingly, nowhere on this website is: a phone number, an address or an owner's(s') name(s). A search for it in the Wash. St. Secty. of State Corporation's database reveals nothing.
OTHER "STUFF"
DISCUSSION, OPINION & MESSAGE FORUM
G.R.I.T.'s
2002 RECORDING WARS
(When the City tried to stop G.R.I.T. from recording
public meetings, with the help of the Boucher Clan, then-Mayor C. H. Rowe,
and others..)
FOOD BANK:
Put a pre-addressed food bank envelope in your "bills to pay" folder and
send a check monthly: $5, $10, whatever you can spare!
For
more info, click here.
SAX LAX IN RELEASING EXECUTIVE-SESSION INFO - Pick up the last few issues of the Herald to catch up on Sax's most recent foolish actions re leaking Brightwater contract proposal documents. He says he did it for the "good of the community." (Oh, yes, right. You betcha.)
COUNCIL AGENDA PACKET, Wednesday, October 12th, beginning at 6:00 PM with continued PUD hearing (in Word, Acrobat)
Recent and ongoing for several years - Seattle raises issue of potential conflicts of interest on Planning Commission: Finally a connection is being made with regard to Commissioners feathering their own nests. Unfortunately, Sultan is lagging far behind: Commissioners Bart Dalmasso, Tom Green and recently-resigned Janie Botting, and to a slightly lesser extent, Chair Ray George, have all debated, discussed, influenced and voted on code revisions whcih financially benefit their properties and/or income. Moreover, in certain instances, Tom Green and Bart Dalmasso have either lied or refused to recuse themselves from hearings due to potential conflicts of interest, even when a specific request has been initiated that they do so.
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Unfortunately, the issue of ethics concerning Green's and Dalmasso's actions as PC members has now become a moot point: Tom Green has transferred ownership of his property to Barclays for development of 114 homes (L43-1 Greens, L.L.C.), and Dalmasso is running for council against a completely unknown candidate without a chance of winning because of Dalmasso's name recognition.
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LEGAL NOTICE for Wed., Oct. 19th Hearing on the above-referenced Tom Green property(ies) before Sultan Hearing Examiner John Galt (in Word, Acrobat), appealing a City administrative decision.
GOLD BAR ELECTION:
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Updated (10/11) - Herald's Gold Bar Ballot will be crowded in November (a discussion of candidates)
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Updated (10/7) - Here's a link to the Oct. 5th Herald letter to the editor by Gold Bar's Joan Amenn. Mrs. Amenn, wife of Gold Bar Councilman Robert Amenn, who is now running for mayor, continues her losing streak of unsuccessful political and litigious activities. After failing in her attempt to run for council this November, she is now stumping for her comrade, Dorothy Croshaw. Additionally: Here's what we posted on the morning of 10/5 about virtually the same letter she sent to the Monroe Monitor: Councilman Robert Amenn's run for Gold Bar mayor against Crystal Hill, and Mrs. Joan Amenn's 9/28/05 Letter to the Monroe Monitor, has prompted us to do two things: (1) Update our Gold Bar Council Minutes page so folks can read what has really been happening in that city; and (2) check on the accuracy of Mrs. Amenn's myopically-edited Gold Bar minutes that she quoted in her Letter (in Word). As usual, the Amenns' accuracy in reporting does not stand up to deep scrutiny. And here is a political endorsement: It would be a travesty, if not a tragedy, if the citizens of Gold Bar elected Mr. Amenn to lead their beautiful city. His blind ambition and continual, desperate search for a power base, has led him to make alliances with folks who believe deeply in self-interest above all, among them, County Councilman Jeff Sax, and Sultan's Planning Commissioner running for a Council seat, Bart Dalmasso, public officials who should not, by any stretch of the imagination or definition, be allowed to use the title, "Public Servant."
Last week - Prothman's proposal and scope of work (in pdf only) to assess Sultan city staff and personnel and their functions.
Last week - Sultan's 2002 Visioning Workshop - draft (928 kb file): Results of April's charette/workshop on how Sultan citizens imagine Sultan's future (Sorry, this file is available only in pdf; the Word file too large to post. Our thanks to Donna Murphy, who provided this information to us.)
UPDATED Tuesday, 10/4: Herald article: "Public Pitches Planning Ideas" during first County hearing on its 10-year Comprehensive Plan update.....How much does development really cost? A statement by Co. Exec. Reardon in today's Herald article about this week's county cuoncil growth hearings, indicates that 25% of the costs of new development will be borne by current and future taxpayers: Here's a link to that article, which reads like the first page of our website back in July, 2000: "Sultan for Sale." (In reality, Reardon's figure most probably does NOT include the additional "hidden" costs and future taxes for both state and federal infrastructure burdens resulting from new development and the over-population being planned by this particular county council. The largest expense will undoubtedly be needed for roads and highways. But YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE: Testify on how you'd like this growth to be managed during this week's county council hearings on the 10-year update of its Comprehensive Plan. Here's the When, Where and How of those hearings, and your only chance to be heard.
Webmaster Note: Due to the growing and unmageable size of this home page, we have relocated old articles and links to another "interim" webpage. (If you are looking for an item that used to be linked to our home page, you may find it there, or through a Google search using the search tool above. If not, please contact us.)
Sept. 28th council meeting: Sultan City Council Meeting PACKET (in Word, Acrobat) for Wed., 9/28 council meeting began at 6:00 PM with a hearing on the PUD moratorium. Due to the complicated and important nature of this subject, council voted to continue this hearing until its Oct. 12th meeting. Highlights of last night's meeting: (1) the revocation of the city's policy/procedure by which they allocate sewer and water connections. A new policy is needed. An appeal on this issue has been filed by Josie Fallgatter and Jeff Kirkman. Here's a copy of resolution (in Word, Acrobat)......(2) The study/scope of work (document will be published later by us) by the Prothman Company for a citywide assessment of city staff and functions, the estimated cost of which will be a well-spent $23,885. (We echo Derek Boyd's comment, "It's long overdue."...... (3) Closed record hearing and approval of the PUD Substation's conditional use permit (the site is on the north Side of U.S.2 near McDonald's)......(4) Budget Amendment (see agenda packet for details); the cost of the long-delayed roof for the Sultan Police Department was approved, among other items).....(5) Connie Dunn reported that the final asphalt layer has finally applied to First Street; Tony Beedle's last day before retirement will be Wed., Oct. 12th; Distributed updated sewer availability reports and announced the availability of a new report which indicates how much-improved is the City's I&I (which helps maximize WWTP's capacity); and she presented a comprehensive slide/photo show and report of the various cul de sacs in Sultan which cause problems for their garbage truck (Res. 05-21 will restrict parking in these areas) -- Good job, Connie! Finally, Dan Barmon of Barmon Lumber reported a permitting problem being experienced by Romac.
Recent - At the 9/26 Highway 2 Safety Coalition meeting, residents in attendance complained loudly to WSDOT officials of the "traffic calming" devices on U.S. 2 from Sultan to Monroe, better known as WSDOT's recent patch job on that highway. Well, sometimes it pays to point out a problem. WSDOT's Rick Mitchell, who attends most Coalition meetings, took our questions back to WSDOT and received a speedy response. Here is his explanation of what happened, and what will happen next. In other U.S. 2 Coalition news: The RDP (Rural DEvelopment Plan) effort has been receiving grants and selected the consultant that will lead this effort, H. W. Lochner.
Related story: The Coalition will be nominating and electing officers during its October 24th meeting. If you (or someone you know) would like to be part of the Coalition's important work and wish to offer your expertise, ideas and know-how by serving on the Coalition's board, please contact Chairman Fred Walser (360-793-1051), submit a brief letter of interest to him, or attend the October meeting. (The Coalition meets once a month, normally on the last Monday of each month.)
If you'd like to be advised of the Coalition's most-recent activities to improve U.S. 2, you can access the group's meeting minutes posted on our Highway 2 Safety Coalition page (The coalition is in the process of developing a website, but for now, we are hosting information on the Coalition's efforts, as we always have done.)
Recent -COMPLETE AUDIO from Sept. 14, 2005 Sultan Council Meeting (Be sure to listen to Jim Flower's statements regarding "Red Tape" at the end of the request for a sewer plan amendment. Our question is: Do you really want a legislative representative who advocates dissolution of, and/or skipping the legal process?)
NEW & UPDATED (9/20) LEGALS & OTHER NOTICES:
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Publication of Ordinance 885-05 and Ordinance 886-05, revising open space and recreational codes to conform to a GMA-mandated appeal decision by Fallgatter/Kirkman. (These two legal notices have not been sent to us by the city as required, and it has not yet been posted on the city's new website.)
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Notice of Application - Russell Van Wyngarden for a 7-lot Cluster subdivision on 17.9 acres near U. S. 2. (The applicant's name is Russell Van Wyngarden. Sound familiar? Here's a map of the approximate location of that proposed development in Word and Acrobat.)
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NOTICE: Thursday, 9/29 NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING for a new Sultan 39-unit condominium townhouse development called "AJs Place" located on First Street between High and Gohr Road (in Word) There are no signs posted on the property(ies), announcing this event to interested parties.
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Legal Notice - Council Hearing on revisions to PUD code set for Wed., September 28th, 6:00 PM. Note: This legal notice has not yet been posted on the City's website, nor was it emailed to us. (There is also a continuation of the PC's hearing on this subject this Tuesday, 9/20 at 7:00 PM. It is highly suggested that anyone wishing to make comments on the city's requested revisions to this code, attend or submit testimony in writing. For more information on this important subject, click here.)
New! One of two keys to unlocking Sultan's future development: Here's the 2005/06 draft Sewer Comprehensive Plan (The other key, of course, are studies and improvements for future traffic and transportation.)
What is wrong with this picture? The City has clearly taken a wring-their-hands-wailing-"We did not know this development was coming"-position on the issue of planning for sewer capacity. Well, what did the council and mayor think would happen as they recommended, then approved, a steady parade of developer-friendly codes over the past two to three years, along with a Comprehensive Plan carrying an explosively-bloated UGA area? Pul-eeze! At least give voters and taxpayers credit for more brains than that. When you actively engage in attracting, courting, encouraging and soliciting developers to build here, what is the result? Ignorance is not bliss, it is expensive -- to the taxpayers of Sultan in direct-pay-taxes for needed infrastructure, and to all taxpayers across the county, state and country in the form of the grants required to sustain Sultan's addiction to low-hanging funds from temporary permit fees from long-term development.
Bottom line: How could a sewer plan be approved in November, 2004 for one development scenario (lower growth), then only two months later in January, 2005 during the City Council Retreat, see the City Administrator/City Planner present a slide show advising the council of 1,000-plus homes in the next few years, and not realize there was a problem with the sewer capacity until August, 2005? The answer, my friends, is, at a minimum, misfeasance. Although Mayor Tolson has been doing his best (and succeeding, to some extent) to make up for many years of serious mistakes and purposeful overisghts by previous mayors and councils, he has allowed to go unchecked a serious problem within the city staff that needs to be corrected immediately before more long-term financial damage is done. (WE WILL POST DOCUMENTS SHORTLY ON THE STATUS OF THE SEWER TREATMENT PLAN CURRENT CAPACITY.)
New! Legal Notices (and other notices):
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SULTAN LIBRARY INFO & EVENTS: Fall Schedule (in Word, Acrobat) - There's some really fun events scheduled for both kids and adults.
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RELATED INFO: Still open is the position for a student Library Board member (in Word, Acrobat), a credential that looks GREAT on a resume for a scholarship or job, by the way!
- ALSO, the Friends of the Sultan Library have a new president AND a website: Carole Nichols is their new president, and the Friends now have a website
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LEGAL NOTICE: Hearing on revising PUD ordinance (in Word) to increase minimum lot sizes to 5,000 s.f. -- AND -- decrease the min. PUD development area from 5 acres to 2 acres. The hearing was held Tuesday, September 6th, 7:00 PM, before Sultan's Planning Commission (but will be continued t o 9/20), 319 Main Street (This notice, as well as many other recent legals, have not been sent to us, nor have they been posted on the city's website.)
UPDATE 9/1/05 re PUD revisions and Tuesday's PC HEARING: Cyd Donk emailed us, finally, on (9/1/05) the LEGAL NOTICE (in Word) on the DNS for these changes issued 7/14/05. Because the comment period for this action ended July 28th, it's a bit late for anyone to submit input on the environmental impacts to the city on this proposed code change. ALONG THIS LINE OF THINKING, when the subject of a "PUD revision" was first broached by the council, it was assumed that Councilwoman Kristina Blair's request to clarify the two "confusing" codes, which seemingly presented city staff and city council problems in properly interpreting two ordinances dealing with sensitive areas on critical slopes (SMC 16.68.060) and inadequate wetland buffer areas on slopes (re "innovative design") during the preliminary plat approval of TIMBER RIDGE. These codes, which were at the heart of the City Staff recommendations to Council, and the Council's highly-questionable decision to approve the Timber Ridge preliminary plat, ignoring and overturning Hearing Examiner Galt's recommendations, scream for attention -- ESPECIALLY considering Garth York's new preliminary plat application for yet another future development on critical slopes (located on Love's Hill, between the bluff and 8th street). Unless the city gets a firm grip on working with property owners and developers on what constitutes SAFE development on critical slopes (and we're talking STEEEEEEEP slopes here, folks!), then Sultan should be renamed "New California."
New (9/5)! Sultan's 1999 "Sultan Basin Road Concept Plan," included as part of a new G.R.I.T. webpage report titled, "The Future Face of the Sultan Basin Road," graphically reveals the grievous growth "planning" for the Sultan Basin, first during Rowe's administration, and more recently during Tolson's, due primarily to Rick Cisar's seeming-incompetence and/or purposeful oversight.
Recent and ongoing - Budget documents from 8/31 Council Workshop (all files in pdf): City budgets from 2000 through YTD 2005 (33 out of 52 weeks for 2005, with financial reports inserted between spreadsheets (770 kb file). Here is the report with the budget spreadsheets only (580 kb), and here are the financial reports only (243 kb)
Also distributed at the council budget workshop was CONNIE DUNN'S PUBLIC WORKS "Wish List" (695 kb pdf file) and rough 2006 budget concepts/figures. One of her wish list items is -- finally and thank goodness -- a Sultan Basin feasibility study and concept plan. We will have more details tomorrow regarding this urgent matter.
Recent and ongoing - August's council 2006 budget workshop/preview: Council's "wish list" included: Increase the retail sales tax base...Implementaton of a stormwater utility...Better funding sources for Sultan Police Department...New personnel, including a new building inspector/code enforcement officer, parks manager/maintenance person, animal control office, and a long-needed records clerk for the SPD (evidence-handling chores leave city open to potential and substantial liabilities)....Better street and sidewalk maintenance and improvements...."Contingency"/"Savings account" fund for sewer improvements (had one, but was spent out during Rowe's administration)....Make city codes consistent....To always set aside sewer capacity availability for commercial business (this from Derek Boyd)....From Rick Cisar, most critical area/plan for the city to accomplish is its Critical Areas Ordinance (needed so the city can continue to secure grant approval). BEST OF ALL -- Glory be! -- a workable sound and recording system!!! Yea! Many, many years past due. Donna Murphy mentioned Galt's comment that the city could face problems if there is an appeal of a city decision (such as the recent Timber Ridge decision*). He knows what we have known for many years: The city tapes are virtually unintelligible.
*Re Timber Ridge, we and another party, during our intended appeal of of this BAD CITY DECISION, were advised by our attorney that we did not have standing. Thus, thousands of current and future users of the Sultan Basin Road will be exposed to a major safety concerns on this roadway, and will have to pay for needed improvements to the road, the expense for which should have been shared and borne by the developers of Timber Ridge: The very, very sad result of a stupid decision by both the City (Cisar and its consultant, Paul Ingrahm of Berryman & Henniger) and this council.
Recent and ongoing - Aug. 17 Seattle Times article about a "900 lb. gorilla," otherwise known as Barclays North (Sultan is the focus of this story, with comments by David Toyer, Mayor Ben Tolson, Loretta Storm and Sultan Councilman Jim Flower highlighted.)
Recent - Audio files of 8/10/05 VAN WYNGARDEN ANNEXATION MEETING in two parts in MP3 format: Part 1 (4.5 mb) - mostly public comment); and Part 2 (5.1 mb), remaining public comment and questions and discussion from council. (This does not include council's questions, discussion and vote on this issue during the council meeting.) In a surprising result, the annexation was denied. For now...
OTHER ACTIONS DURING 8/10 COUNCIL MTG: Moratorium on PUDs was passed, hearing will be held within 60 days (but the number of pipeline development exclusions pulls much of its teeth); council support for FD #5 Levy lift (recent astounding assessor tax increases does not affect, or help, the FD); Ordinance 882 (Binding site plans) and 823 (budget amend for WWTP dump truck) passed unanimously.
And while we're on ths subject of LEVELS OF SERVICE mandated by the Comp Plan (a financial exercise that, according to the GMA, needs to be performed annually in concert with the budeting process), here are a couple of key service levels as published in Sultan's 2004 Comprehensive Plan:
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School Students (K-12) - ratio per dwelling unit: existing and future LOS (per CP) is 0.603, with the "existing supply" at 1,675. (I honestly do not know what "existing supply" means. However, luckily, there is a Sultan School District special meeting on MONDAY, 7/25 to discuss the budget, with a Board of Directors meeting following to adpt the School's 2005/2006 budget (see info on meetings at right.)
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Parks: LOS is 42.6 acres per 1,000 population. The "existing" figure in the CP states the "supply" (or existing "Parks" which includes all city-owned buildings and property, including city hall, the fire station, schools, public works facilities buildings, etc.) is 162.4 acres/7,074,144 s.f. although the LOS should be 174.7 acres/7,609,932, a deficit of 12./3 acres/535,7888 s.f. The LOS for next year looks even worse: With an estimated 4,400 population, the city should have a total of 187.4 acres of "park" (again, remember this category also includes all city-owned buildings and structures). This means the City will register a DEFICIT in this category of 25 acres, or 1,089,000 s.f. next uear. Note: These figures do not include any new "parks" being provided by the Sky Harbor development, and it is our understanding that both Stratford Place and Denali Ridge did not provide any park or recreational areas, choosing instead to pay a fee in lieu of providing an actual park or recreational area, a code that was successfully appealed by Planning Commissioners Josie Fallgatter and Jeff Kirkman earlier this year.
Recent - Audio of 6-yr Road Plan Hearing (will be continued 7/27), and complete audio of JULY 13th COUNCIL MEETING (NOTE: The audio from the June 22nd council meeting will be posted later this week; the audio for the closed record hearing on Timber Ridge, which occurred during the 6/22 meeting, will not be posted until expiration of the appeal period for that decision.)
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ONGOING & VITAL FUTURE PROBLEM REQUIRES IMMEDIATE ACTION by Sultan Council: SULTAN BASIN ROAD STUDY/EIS REQUIRED FOR FUTURE IMPACTS FROM DEVELOPMENTS This 10-car back-up waiting to turn westward onto Hwy. 2 from Sultan Basin Road (there were 2 cars behind me not shown in this photo) will look oh-so-tame once in-construction build-out occurs (62 homes in Sky Harbor, 15 in Denali Ridge, with several hundred more homes in the offing, as stated gleefully by City Admin/Planner Cisar. Even with the new channelization improvements progressing, and new plans for traffic signalization at SBR/Hwy. 2, not much will change, insofar as capacity on the Basin Road is concerned. HOWEVER, when asked about the need (wisdom) for the Council to adopt the old June, 1999 "Sultan Basin Road Concept Plan" ( how to address capacity-related problems caused by too-fast growth on the Basin), or better yet, perform a NEW capacity study (a no-brainer) or an EIS (more appropriate) on this endangered roadway, Rick Cisar simply said there was no need for one. (And, Rick, could you remind me again "On what planet are you living?") |
Just
a small taste of Sultan's future (Even WITH planned improvements
to U.S.2 and SBR):Sultan
Basin Road on a typical Sunday afternoon..... There was no accident,
no distracting events on this day; nothing but lots and lots of
typically-heavy Sunday traffic.
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Here's
an idea for an appropriate T-shirt for taxpayers:
"Representation by Litigation"
 |
"Put
down that bag of potato chips In other words, unplug yourself from your TV I.V. and GET INVOLVED! Don't be confused about everything that's happening here these days. Just take it one hearing/meeting at a time. Come to them, speak your mind and your heart and make a difference. Tell the city what you want (or don't want). NO ONE will laugh at you or what you have to say: It is important...and now is the time to tell the city what you want Sultan's future to be. The
only time your voice doesn't count |
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This website is designed and maintained by non-paid volunteers for the purpose of providing news and information to taxpayers who otherwise would have no knowledge of the events going on in Sky Valley, specifically in Sultan. Let us know if you want to learn more, or if you would like to volunteer to help us sculpt our future. From
the Washington State Public Information Act: "Nobody
made a greater mistake than he who did nothing "The
only thing necessary for the triumph of evil |
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Ittakesgrit.org is a registered trademark and non-profit corporation. All original material is copyrighted and proprietary.
Paid for and created by Loretta Storm and Ray Kistenmacher, Co-Founders of G.R.I.T. (Governmental Responsibility, Integrity and Truth)
Sultan, Washington
To contact us:
Email: grit@direcway.com or call us 360.793.668
IN SULTAN:
Wednesday, Oct. 12th, 6:00 PM: continued hearing on revisions to PUD
GRAND
OPENING & DEDICATION of Sultan's Visitor Information Center
- Tuesday, October 25th
1:30 PM
IN GOLD BAR:
IN
MONROE:
City
hall info:
City Clerk Laura
Koenig (for council agenda and Public Info requests)
City hall address:
319 Main Street
PO Box 1199
Sultan, WA 98294
360-793-2231-ph
360-793-3344-fax
City Administrator
& Planner:
Rick Cisar
EMAIL
ADDRESS "formula" for city hall staff and officials: is
firstname, then a period, then their last name, then @ci.sultan.wa.us.
Example: Laura Koenig's address is: laura.koenig@ci.sultan.wa.us
CITY COUNCILMEMBERS:
Kristina
Blair
Derek Boyd
Dustin Boucher
Bruce Champeaux
Rob Criswell
Jim Flower
John Seehuus
Janie
Botting
Bart Dalmasso
Josie Falgatter
Ray George
Tom Green
Jeff Kirkman
Donna Murphy
(for PC Agendas & info)