Now that the Prop. #1 debate is over (essentially boycotted by most of the Sultan S.I.R.E.s, and as we near the May 20^th vote, council sessions are heating up again.

PUBLIC HEALTH WORKSHOP:

Ironically, I have been sick (and quite contagious!) and therefore did not attend this workshop/seminar/presentation by the Director of the Snohomish County Health Department on infectious diseases. I am not planning on doing a transcription of this, but if anyone would like to have the audio of this portion of the council meeting, I'll be happy to provide it to them as either a .wav or MP3 audio file.

Consent Agenda: Rob Criswell removed Item #3, Library Board appointments, to be considered at the next council meeting. (Council consent required for confirmation of new Library Board members elected at their last meeting, Bob Ostrom and Loretta Storm.)

Action Agenda: Per Laura Koenig, the proponent (Ron Bennett) removed Item #1, the Sky Harbor extension of preliminary plat, as well as requesting removal of Item #4, garbage franchise agreement.

This designer ordinance, crafted by Rowe for current city planner Rick Cisar to use him as a future "shoo-in" and place card holder before, and after the May 20^th election, failed passage during the previous 4/16 council meeting. But Councilman Bruce Champeaux apparently did not understand what he was voting against, and requested that it be brought to council at last night's meeting. Worse, he requested the ordinance be pushed through on 1^st reading, a highly unusual occurrence. In an embarrassment (again) to the outside world, Sultan has once again decided against the intelligent, rather than expedient and highly lucrative, path. We had high hopes for Bruce at the beginning of his tenure, but it's now clear he'll never be another Robert Frost, and will continue down the deeply-rutted, pothole-marred and rocky road his Sultan ancestors have traveled without deviation. Ordinance 811-03 passed, predictably, with Boucher, Champeaux, Criswell and Porter voting yea, with Everett, McPherson and Raney voting against. And, oh, our student councilmember also voted nay, but his vote doesn't count. (Wise warning to the Sultan S.I.R.E.s: Just two more years, and Brennan and the other Sultan high school students who are watching closely at your shenanigans, will be of voting age and will change Sultan's future.)

Laura Koenig explained the situation and gave the following brief overview of why these fees are being decreased: "School districts are mandated to do a capital facilities plan. And in that plan, there's a calculation of a formula for impact fees. And much to the school district's surprise, when they completed the formula the numbers they came up with are those as they are now presented in the ordinance. They're kind of tied to whatever the capital facilities plan comes up with. That plan is adopted by Snohomish County and we have to adopt similar fees. I do have copies of that [the capital facilities plan] available if anybody would like to see it, and I'd be more than happy to run copies before next council meeting. [Perhaps coincidentally, I recently submitted a public information request April 25^th to obtain copies of all capital facilities plans performed by the city since 1996. These plans have been referred to constantly during the comp plan process, but no one seems ever to have seen one "in the flesh."]

Laura said she will request School Superintendent Al Robinson to attend the next council meeting to discuss this further. Vote to pass first reading of Ord. 814-03, all ayes.

Upon a motion by Councilmember Boucher, passed; Porter and Champeaux cast no votes.

Lively comments peppered the council chambers last night….

To be fair to Mssrs. Koehler and Boucher and their explanation of how the west end sewer line came into existence and the benefits to the City of Sultan, I will be performing a word-for-word transcription of their comments. But I will also be communicating privately with he and Mr. Koehler regarding these accusations.

(If anyone is interested, our footnote reprints the Council Minutes at which the decision was made on the LID 97-1 sewer line.)

We'll be doing a full transcription on all public comments, but this exchange is worthy of special attention. Mr. Young's comments expressed his opposition to Mr. Cisar as City administrator, the reason for which is that Cisar as City Planner guided the City's response to an appeal by 54 Willow Run residents of the City decision on the Boucher Short plat. It has been discovered after the fact that a fairly significant misrepresentation had been made before, during and after that appeal hearing, and cost the residents thousands of dollars. Councilmember Boucher requested that Laura Koenig do a word-for-word transcription of Mr. Young's statements. There is no need. We will be providing that transcription to Councilman Boucher personally. I believe the residents of Willow Run, along with many other Sultan residents, would welcome a closer scrutiny of this issue.

OTHER PUBLIC STATEMENTS were made on the school impact fees by Planning Commissioners Josie Fallgatter and Jeff Kirkman, and Ray Kistenmacher, co-founder of G.R.I.T., and Mr. Dick again raised the issue of the City's/Bruner's handling [mishandling, actually] of his continuing complaint of the negative effects of a business near his home.

Have a great day, all!

Loretta Storm

Co-founder, G.R.I.T.

360-793-6683

33520 - 116^th St. SE, Sultan

www.ittakesgrit.org