Medical Lake City Council approves state employee union contract

The Medical Lake City Council breezed through a quick Nov. 1 meeting that featured a light agenda.

In action items, council approved a three-year bargaining agreement between the city and the Washington State Council of County and City Employees local chapter.

City Administrator Doug Ross explained that the city’s current agreement will expire on Dec. 31.

One of the additions in the new contract is an annual 2 percent wage increase for city union employees. The other is a 16-hour vacation longevity increase that goes into effect at the start of an employee’s 21st year of being with the city.

The new agreement is effective from Jan. 1, 2017 through 2019.

Council approved the second reading of ordinances that propose a 1 percent increase to property tax and emergency medical services rates for 2017.

The increase in property taxes would allow the city to collect an estimated $5,373.97. That would bring the projected total property taxes collected by Medical Lake in 2017 for its current expense account to $542,771.29.

The increase in the EMS levy rate would allow the city to collect an estimated $1,178.62, which would bring the total in 2017 to $119,040.17.

During the public safety report, Councilman John Paikuli said the Fire Department responded to 61 calls in October. He added that the department’s open house on Halloween was a success with an estimated “300 kids attending.”

Paikuli added that the department is looking to apply for a $130,000 grant to help pay for a new brush truck. The city would have to provide a 5 percent match.

When Paikuli asked if council would have to approve the Fire Department submitting the application, Ross said they could approve the grant after the department received it.

City Attorney Cynthia McMullen added that council has done both methods when it came to staff submitting grant applications.

“When Terri Cooper asked to apply for a grant for public defender services, you approved it,” McMullen said. Cooper, Cheney Municipal Court’s administrator/commissioner who oversees Medical Lake court services, made the request during the Aug. 16 council meeting. “But there were other times when you waited to approve grants.”

Ross said he would add the application request to the Nov. 15 meeting agenda. Assistant Fire Chief Corey Stevens said the department will update council on the specifics of the grant at the next meeting.

Al Stover can be reached at [email protected].