City Council

10/19/2023 2024 RATE ADJUSTMENTS 1 RELATED FUNDS • Water Fund • Short Lived Assets Maintenance • Increased cost of water purveyance • Solid Waste Fund • Contractor rate increases • Wastewater Fund • Increased cost of operations • Personnel 2 1  10/19/2023 WATER 2023 Consumption Rate Proposed Consumption Rate Rates charged to the City Water Use Rate per Water Use Rate per • DSHS - $1.12 Tier thousand gal Tier thousand gal • Spokane - $1.87 • Well Production $1.12 0-20,000 $1.10 0-15,000 $1.20 20,001-30,000 $1.20 15,001-30,000 $1.30 30,001-40,000 $1.30 30,000+ $1.60 40,000+ $1.50 N/A 3 WATER (CONT.) Operations & Short‐Lived Assets Monthly Base Rates Type 2023 Proposed $69,764.97 Deficit 18,000 Average ERU Annual Residential $16.00 $20.00 = $3.88 Required increase Per Additional Dwelling unit $12.00 $16.00 Outside City $24.00 $30.00 Outside City per Additional $18.00 $24.00 Dwelling unit 4 2  10/19/2023 SOLID WASTE Rate increases over time % Increase 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 Proposed Years City Contractor 5 SOLID WASTE (CONT.) Proposed increase – 12% (all rates) Example rates Type 2023 Proposed Residential 35 gal $19.17 $21.47 Residential 64 gal $30.95 $34.67 Commercial 64 gal $27.04 $30.29 Additional bag or can $3.64 $4.08 2 Yard Dumpster $165.29 $185.14 6 3  10/19/2023 ADMINISTRATIVE FEES • Critical Areas Permit – $500 per acre • Proposed change: set minimum of $1,000 and maximum of $8,000 7 WASTEWATER Operations Monthly Base Rates Type 2023 Proposed $210,310 Budget Deficit Residential $32.00 $34.00 • Incremental Rate Increases Commercial $41.61 $43.61 • Succession Planning 8 4  10/19/2023 QUESTIONS? 9 5 From: Tammy Roberson To: Sonny Weathers; Roxanne Wright Cc: Mayor Terri Cooper; Don Kennedy; Theodore Olson; Bob Maxwell; Tony Harbolt; Art Kulibert; Keli Shaffer; Chad Pritchard Subject: Written Comments for City Council Meeting on 17 Oct 2023 ** Please Acknowledge Receipt ** Date: Tuesday, October 17, 2023 11:05:20 AM Attachments: yfx2eltw.png Closing North Portion of Medical Lake Trail email chain.pdf Good afternoon, Mr. Weathers. Please acknowledge receipt. Since there were no communications received (even to acknowledge receipt) from City Officials or City Council members about this concern, I have decided to have my email chain become part of the official record for the 17 Oct 2023 City Council Minutes. BTW - many residents are also asking these same questions... Per the instructions in the City Council's meeting agenda written public comments, here is the requested information: 1. Meeting Date is 17 Oct 2023 2. Tammy Roberson 3. ML City Resident 4. Interested Citizens: Audience Requests and Comments NOTE: As the City is trying to become more "transparent" to its residents, I would hope that they will answer the following question at the meeting, "Why is the north end of the trail closed due to "fire damaged trees which poses a direct safety hazard and requires removal" especially when there are no fire damaged trees? I can understand why the Park and the south end where the fire did actually go through is closed but not the north end. In other words, what is the City's real reason for closing the north portion of the Medical Lake trail? Just be honest with us and not say it is from "fire damaged trees which poses a direct safety hazard and requires removal." This is all I am requesting please. As previously done in the past, requesting please that this email and also the attached pdf file become part (an attachment) of the approved final Minutes official record to be posted online. Thank you for your time. Tammy M. Roberson, MBA SMSgt USAF Retired Disabled Veteran (100% service connected) 10/17/2023 Subject: Fw: Re[3]: A Question Please From: "Tammy Roberson" <tmroberson61@gmail.com> Sent: 10/15/2023 18:05:28 To: "Mayor Terri Cooper" <tcooper@medical-lake.org>; "Don Kennedy" <dkennedy@medical-lake.org>; "tolson@medical-lake.org" <tolson@medical- lake.org>; "bmaxwell@medical-lake.org" <bmaxwell@medical-lake.org>; "tharbolt@medical-lake.org" <tharbolt@medical-lake.org>; "akulibert@medical- lake.org" <akulibert@medical-lake.org>; "kshaffer@medical-lake.org" <kshaffer@medical-lake.org>; "Chad Pritchard" <cpritchard@medical-lake.org>; CC: "Sonny Weathers" <SWeathers@medical-lake.org>; "Roxanne Wright" <rwright@medical-lake.org>; Good Monday morning Mayor Cooper and City Council Members. Hope everyone had a nice weekend - the weather was very nice indeed. Ok, I have decided to forward my concerns to you all since I have not received any answers back from Mr Weathers (except for his initial canned answer below) on why the City closed the entire park (which includes the north end) supposedly due to "fire damaged trees which poses a direct safety hazard and require removal." By the way, there are no "fire damaged trees" after a certain point on the trail heading north. This north part of the trail is the same as it was before the fire at the south end, after the fire, and for the last 20+ years. I am trying to understand why the entire trail had to be closed due to fire damaged trees that pose a direct safety hazard and require removal which is not totally correct. I am just requesting what the real reason is. Also, I would think the City would want to communicate this to their residents. Mother Nature can give us a calming effect and some peace for our residents especially after this devastating fire. To ban our citizens from the north portion of the trail where there are no fire damaged trees (as indicated by the City) is NOT ok. It is NOT ok for the CIty to state the trail is closed at the north end due to fire damaged trees when there are none. Please allow the citizens to use a portion of our trail which has seen no fire or at the very least, the real reason why it is closed. I hope that someone from the City will answer my questions (highlighted below in yellow). Isn't the City trying to be "transparent" to its residents? In my viewpoint, stating that the north end of the trail is closed due to "fire damaged trees" especially when there are none is not remotely being transparent. 1/5 10/17/2023 Thank you for your assistance, time, and helping our citizens enjoy Mother Nature in order to receive some inner peace at least for a short time period. Warmest Regards, Tammy M. Roberson, MBA SMSgt USAF Retired Disabled Veteran (100% service connected) Concerned ML Resident/Wetlands Advocate ------ Forwarded Message ------ From "Tammy Roberson" <tmroberson61@gmail.com> To "Sonny Weathers" <SWeathers@medical-lake.org> Cc "Roxanne Wright" <rwright@medical-lake.org> Date 10/08/2023 14:06:16 Subject Re[3]: A Question Please Good Monday morning, Mr Weathers. Hope you had a nice weekend. I had forgotten to ask you who the City's forestry consultant is (as stated below) or who the City has been in contact with (for advice, etc)? BTW - Who/Whom at DNR (as stated below) has the City been in contact with? Also, since some of my questions were not answered in my original email (see below), I am asking these again and a few new ones... 1) Why shut down the entire trail whereby only a portion of it (at the south end) was burned? 2) How did the City come to the decision of closing the entire trail? What was their rationale? Who made this decision? 3) Was it dictated by the lease agreement or state regulations? If so, please give the state regulation. I will do a public records request for the lease agreement. 4) Why not move the barricades/signs/fencing down to where there were fire damaged trees (basically at the south end of the trail)? I would think this would be considered the "most 2/5 10/17/2023 appropriate location" relating to the "fire damaged trees" not at the north entrance. 5) The trail has always been on state institutional grounds (it is state land - as stated below). The City leases it from the State. But now it is considered trespassing because the City states (see below), there are "fire damaged trees..." apparently at the north end also (not true). Does this mean since the north end looks the same before the fire and after the fire and has been like this for the past 20+ years, the residents were trespassing (for the last 20+ years) even before there was this fire? Nothing has changed at the north end but now the residents are trespassing... Does this make sense? To ban our citizens from the north portion of the trail where there are no fire damaged trees (as indicated below) is NOT ok. It is NOT ok for the City to state the trail is closed at the north end due to fire damaged trees when there are none. In my viewpoint, the City is not being "transparent" with their residents. Thank you for your time. Warmest Regards, Tammy M. Roberson, MBA SMSgt USAF Retired Disabled Veteran (100% service connected) Concerned ML Resident/Wetlands Advocate ------ Original Message ------ From "Tammy Roberson" <tmroberson61@gmail.com> To "Sonny Weathers" <SWeathers@medical-lake.org> Cc "Roxanne Wright" <rwright@medical-lake.org> Date 10/06/2023 15:01:20 Subject Re[2]: A Question Please Hi! Thank you very much for your reply. 3/5 10/17/2023 Yes, I can understand closing the trail where the fire went through for sure. I just don't understand why the north end of the trail is closed because there was no fire there and this part is no different now then before the fire went through... Thank you. Tammy ------ Original Message ------ From "Sonny Weathers" <SWeathers@medical-lake.org> To "Tammy Roberson" <tmroberson61@gmail.com> Date 10/06/2023 14:52:30 Subject RE: A Question Please Good a ernoon, The City leases the trail and park land from the state and is responsible for its maintenance and opera on. The trail and park are closed due to fire damaged trees that pose a direct safety hazard and require removal. The signs and barricades have been placed at the most appropriate loca ons to communicate that the trail and park are closed un l further no ce. We are working with a forestry consultant and DNR to eliminate the concerns and will reopen the park and trail when it is deemed safe. Kindest regards, Sonny Weathers, City Administrator City of Medical Lake PO Box 369 | Medical Lake, WA 99022 509-565-5050 sweathers@medical-lake.org www.medical-lake.org From: Tammy Roberson <tmroberson61@gmail.com> Sent: Friday, October 6, 2023 12:13 PM To: Sonny Weathers <SWeathers@medical-lake.org> Subject: A Ques on Please Good afternoon, Mr. Weathers, 4/5 10/17/2023 Hope you are enjoying this nice and little bit warmer weather we are having. I am wondering what the City's rationale was to close the north end of the Medical Lake trail? The fire did not go beyond the trail that goes along the lake (which is on the left side (from the north) just before one gets to the last picnic area with a table and benches). Why is it considered trespassing now since it is State Institutional grounds? Has the ownership or lessee changed recently? Also, what was the basis of this decision and by whom? Did the CIty Council know about it? I would understand this better if this barricade was put up at the place where the fire had stopped (which is quite apparent)... Thank you in advance for answering these questions. Take care and have a good weekend. Tammy 5/5 From: Tammy Roberson To: Sonny Weathers; Don Kennedy Cc: Roxanne Wright; Mayor Terri Cooper; Theodore Olson; Bob Maxwell; Tony Harbolt; Art Kulibert; Keli Shaffer; Chad Pritchard Subject: City Council Meeting on 17 Oct 2023 Date: Thursday, October 19, 2023 8:11:06 AM Attachments: 1.png Good morning. It is interesting to note that the comments I sent in for this City Council meeting were NOT even acknowledged during the public City Council meeting. These comments were submitted before your drop dead time of 4:00pm. Please explain to me why my comments were not even acknowledged as stated that they would be per the instructions (located on the 1st page of the agenda under "Written Public Comments") which stated, "Note - if providing written comments, the comments received will be acknowledged during the public meeting, but not read..." I am also wondering how many other written comments are received by the City and are not acknowledged as required... Thank you for your time. Tammy M. Roberson, MBA SMSgt USAF Retired Disabled Veteran (100% service connected) Concerned ML Resident/Wetlands Advocate