Council Quickies, December 15, 2004

Wednesday, December 15, 2004:

Council Packet in Word, in Acrobat.

WHAT HAPPENED:
- Approval of the water/sewer engineering standards were delayed until Connie Dunn and City Engineer Jon Stack can explain why vacuum testing on manholes is required. David Toyer stated that no other jurisdiction ever does this, despite the fact that this is recommended procedure by virtually every engineering association and standards agency in America. Could it be that government employees and elected can't find the hutzpuh to stand up to THE developers' lobbyists?
- Council Vacancy: This position will be publicly advertised, with all applications needing to be received by the City by Thursday, Jan. 6th. Rick Cisar made available a copy of a page from Sultan's council procedures which, in part, states, "The council may move to discuss the applications in executive session..." Here's the precise RCWs related to what can be discussed behind closed doors (in Word). Councilman Jim Flower mentioned not wishing to have someone's "dirty laundry" aired in public, and Councilman Boucher urged that a good deal of the council debate/discussion be held in secret. We cannot imagine any information that could not be discussed in public for this, the-most-public of processes: finding someone to represent the people. We urged full disclosure. (The mention of "dirty laundry" is, to me, a give-away the council already has one or more candidates in their sights. Be that as it may, we strongly encourage anyone with an interest in serving Sultan to apply for this open spot, hopefully, Cindy Broughton or another qualified female.
- 2005 Fee Schedule: Action on the schedule was delayed until the Jan. 12th meeting so council members can review it. Thanks to Laura Koenig, who gave me a copy. And guess what? Believe it or not, "Direct Costs" have finally been -- after, what? three years?-- defined, something we and Jeff Kirkman have been urging for years. (We will scan in and post this schedule a bit later.)
- Final Plat approval for Sky Harbor: Final plat was approved and signed. During the process, Mayor Tolson, who made a trip to the Basin to view the situation first-hand, stated that the "turn" lane/shoulder is only three feet side and that Sultan's post office demanded that the mailbox station be placed as it is for the three homes that have their own separate driveway (see photo below). U-n-b-e-l-i-e-v-a-b-l-e. With no "real" right-turn lane, and these boxes located across from Eagle Ridge's entrance (Kessler), these boxes will probably become an impediment. And if I'm wrong and they prove to be okay, the absence of a right-turn lane WILL become one.
- Discussion of Turk Trail: Several students showed up, one of which was armed with a petition to keep the trail open, with the student council representative du jour arguing eloquently to close the trail. Donna Murphy reported that, at the request of City Administrator Cisar, she has contacted WSDOT to see what effect closure of the trail might have on the significant grant received from that agency to build the trail for, ironically, safety reasons due to the lack of sidewalks on 4th Street in 1993/94. If we read the council and Fred Walser correctly, this trail will be closed. The most-likely scenario will probably be for adjoining property owners to take responsibility for that land. (Any solution, of course, must apply to all propertly owners adjoining the trail, or it will create a different problem.)

Council Quickies	G.R.I.T. Home Agenda Packet, this meeting Previous Agenda & Minutes
Wednesday, December 15, 2004: Council Packet in Word, in Acrobat. WHAT HAPPENED: Approval of the water/sewer engineering standards were delayed until Connie Dunn and City Engineer Jon Stack can explain why vacuum testing on manholes is required. David Toyer stated that no other jurisdiction ever does this, despite the fact that this is recommended procedure by virtually every engineering association and standards agency in America. Could it be that government employees and elected can't find the hutzpuh to stand up to THE developers' lobbyists? Council Vacancy: This position will be publicly advertised, with all applications needing to be received by the City by Thursday, Jan. 6th. Rick Cisar made available a copy of a page from Sultan's council procedures which, in part, states, "The council may move to discuss the applications in executive session..." Here's the precise RCWs related to what can be discussed behind closed doors (in Word). Councilman Jim Flower mentioned not wishing to have someone's "dirty laundry" aired in public, and Councilman Boucher urged that a good deal of the council debate/discussion be held in secret. We cannot imagine any information that could not be discussed in public for this, the-most-public of processes: finding someone to represent the people. We urged full disclosure. (The mention of "dirty laundry" is, to me, a give-away the council already has one or more candidates in their sights. Be that as it may, we strongly encourage anyone with an interest in serving Sultan to apply for this open spot, hopefully, Cindy Broughton or another qualified female. 2005 Fee Schedule: Action on the schedule was delayed until the Jan. 12th meeting so council members can review it. Thanks to Laura Koenig, who gave me a copy. And guess what? Believe it or not, "Direct Costs" have finally been -- after, what? three years?-- defined, something we and Jeff Kirkman have been urging for years. (We will scan in and post this schedule a bit later.) Final Plat approval for Sky Harbor: Final plat was approved and signed. During the process, Mayor Tolson, who made a trip to the Basin to view the situation first-hand, stated that the "turn" lane/shoulder is only three feet side and that Sultan's post office demanded that the mailbox station be placed as it is for the three homes that have their own separate driveway (see photo below). U-n-b-e-l-i-e-v-a-b-l-e. With no "real" right-turn lane, and these boxes located across from Eagle Ridge's entrance (Kessler), these boxes will probably become an impediment. And if I'm wrong and they prove to be okay, the absence of a right-turn lane WILL become one. Discussion of Turk Trail: Several students showed up, one of which was armed with a petition to keep the trail open, with the student council representative du jour arguing eloquently to close the trail. Donna Murphy reported that, at the request of City Administrator Cisar, she has contacted WSDOT to see what effect closure of the trail might have on the significant grant received from that agency to build the trail for, ironically, safety reasons due to the lack of sidewalks on 4th Street in 1993/94. If we read the council and Fred Walser correctly, this trail will be closed. The most-likely scenario will probably be for adjoining property owners to take responsibility for that land. (Any solution, of course, must apply to all propertly owners adjoining the trail, or it will create a different problem.)
PROBLEM WITH SKY HARBOR PLAT: