Good morning!

I did not anticipate issuing another update so soon. However, there is a flood of information coming out of city hall that needs to be dealt with.

In the city's frenetic rush to get consequential issues "reviewed," there have been a plethora of hearings which have not been scheduled or advertised in a legal manner. Moreover, while Rick Cisar and Craig Bruner are to be commended for providing at least some written material and explanation on these momentous issues (mostly under GRIT-initiated prodding), the "hard copy" information is only available from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the city hall counter, which doesn't help most of us working poor, who cannot physically access the material.

The issue of communication with the city has become a serious one. The mayor refuses to use the limitless benefits available by that great 21^st century tool most of us are familiar with, called "The Internet" by which to communicate information to the taxpayers he represents. He says it's "too unreliable." In fact, we heard a rumor -- substantiated by Mayor Rowe's own actions (or lack therefore) -- that there is an unwritten policy within city hall NOT to allow information to be posted on the website. (This policy is further confirmed by the mayor's lack of response to me -- even as a simply courtesy -- to my repeated entreaties to allow us to post ordinances, hearing notices, etc. on our website until such time as the city can maintain theirs on a regular basis. Something they recently had free of charge through the volunteer services of Sultan Police Commander J. C. Becker.) Additionally, public information requests are not being fulfilled in a legal and timely matter, and it has become clear that certain requests are simply being ignored. Most requests, of course, would not even be required if the city would post them on the website and aggressively encourage civic involvement by the free and wide distribution of materials.)

Other serious problems: Hearings are being set by staff, not council. Hearings are not being advertised legally or with the required advance notice. In one instance, a hearing was scheduled by city staff, then canceled by council action, then rescheduled by staff again, then held without legal notice. In another instance a hearing notice was published in the "Announcements" section of the Herald rather than the "Legal" section. A recently-scheduled Planning Commission hearing to hear testimony on the revisions to the Industrial Park EIS was been given only 4 days' notice. A council hearing scheduled by city staff to hear an issue on which a "hearing" was inappropriately scheduled and advertised and held by the planning commission. And that's just a sampling.

The subject of timely communication and readily-available details and information on an issue should be of vital concern to the Rowe Administration as well as to the council, especially at this point in time of our development.

Consider the following -- and simultaneous -- noteworthy and major actions now being considered:

• A major revision to Sultan's Comprehensive Plan (over 7 years late)
• A Comprehensive Flood Hazard Management plan
• A Comprehensive Stormwater Management plan
• Final revisions to the Industrial Park Master Plan EIS
• A flood of code revisions, including a new cluster and PUD ordinance; changes to maximize "flexibility" in development. Two such changes are to raise the threshold limits on SEPA decisions (which will give broad administrative decision-making powers to staff) and to revise maximum lot coverage on a development from 30% to a radically increased 65%
• Final Assessments on the Wagley LID 97-1
• A major 19-dwelling unit septic-supported development above a critical slope with Winters Creek at its base (the lot for which was created by an administrative boundary line decision which includes 10 acres that is not even in the city, indeed is not even inside of the city's UGA)
• The Rowe/Koehler-Koenig BLA
• And others…

Although we can certainly understand -- and have advocated -- the wisdom of researching and reviewing impactful issues concurrently, the almost frantic launch by this Administration to push these through is highly suspect, especially without meaningful or complete information being made available and without legal and/or adequate notice.

As my ex-husband used to say, and Police Chief Fred Walser would certainly confirm: Speed Kills. I suggest that a more relaxed and thorough approach to the issues before us would be a wiser, more appropriate process. And safer from a liability standpoint. Historically, projects or revisions done in haste or without proper review and consideration have resulted in serious mistakes, as evidenced by Willow Run, Date Street, Eagle Ridge and the Wagley Creek LID-97-1.

Let's learn from our mistakes to build a better future for landowners and taxpayers alike.

Check out our website for the link to this court case. Washington's Supreme court has ruled that the petition method -- which is the one used by Garth York in annexing his 40 acres (or 50, depending on whether you use the Boundary Line Adjustment method) -- is unconstitutional.

I applaud the court's decision. Even as a property rights activist, I have long held the opinion that one should not be able to do anything with their property, regardless of the impact(s) to other property owners.

Last Friday, a summary judgment action was heard before Snohomish Superior Court Judge Kenneth Cowsert. The efforts by the Defendant Coys' attorneys (one for the GRIT name, one for the defamation claims) to dismiss the case related to ownership of the G.R.I.T. name were rejected by the judge, and this case will go to trial. Claims of defamation of G.R.I.T./Kistenmacher/Storm by Coy/Skyvalley.net will also proceed to trial. No date has been set yet, as the case moves into the discovery phase.

A "hearing" will be held Tuesday, March 19^th at 7:30 in front of the Planning Commission to discuss changes to the Industrial Park Master Plan EIS. We will try to "brief" some of these changes later today. In reviewing the comments, the city's response to the comments, and some of the changes, it's clear that several problems still remain to be addressed.

There is also a 6:30 p.m. hearing scheduled for Wednesday, March 20^th before the City Council on the Comprehensive Flood Hazard Management Plan. This plan does not address any properties within the Wagley Creek LID 97-1. (We finally received an electronic copy of this plan this weekend, and will try to post it later today so folks can review it. One of the problem areas I noticed as the item in the first chapter indicating that public involvement has been in-depth and ongoing. It references three "public" meetings that were held by a citizen advisory committee (which represented the city's demographic and concerned citizens). Members of the committee were: Wendell Smith, Don Criswell, Roy Bysegger, Ed Boucher, overseen by Craig Bruner. We have attached a two-page bullet-point sheet on this plan, distributed at the Planning Commission's meeting on this issue.

We are asking that folks keep a close eye on our website at least every other day. Events and issues have been coming up so quickly that I do not have the time to send out an alert or an update as quickly as I'd like.

Thanks! Have a great week!

Loretta Storm

360-793-6683