Levy proposed for later in 2018, building fix will help with station crowding
This building in the Medical Lake maintenance department's complex will serve as additional space for the city's fire department vehicles.
With one levy vote for schools already complete, Medical Lake residents can set their sights down the road for another.
At the Feb. 6 City Council meeting, Fire Chief Jayson Mayfield gave a brief and initial outline of plans to present a replacement Emergency Medical Services levy to citizens either in August or November 2018.
The date is still under consideration and will be nailed down in the near future. Presenting it on the August primary ballot would allow it to be on the ballot again should it fail, Mayfield said. The last measure passed by 73 percent.
There is still quite a bit of work to be done before the request is approved by council, however. A citizens' committee will have to be formed to promote the levy which only renews present funding at 50-cents per $1,000 of property valuation, the same rate at the existing levy.
Any plans to increase funding and add fulltime employees, or new facilities, would be a separate request and are not expected to be part of any request in either of the upcoming election dates.
Approval is by a simple majority and there are no minimum voter turnouts required for validation, hence the thought to possibly run the measure in August. The current levy was approved in 2012 and expires at the end of 2018. The new request would fund the EMS services through 2024.
"We get quite a bit of value (from the fire and EMS)," Councilman John Paikuli said. Council voted to prepare ballot language which will be reviewed at a later meeting.
On the subject of levies, City Administrator Doug Ross, told the council that there had been a complaint from a resident on a school levy sign being placed too close to some city property. That apparently inferred city support of that measure but the sign was moved or removed.
Ross also said that staff is in the early stages of review of city codes in order to update, and possibly discard those rules that might no longer be applicable.
Following a report from Councilwoman Jessica Roberts, a motion to approve a $1,000 donation to the Fire Association was passed unanimously.
Fire Station 2, located in the complex of city maintenance shops on the south end of town, was built by the Fire Association. The City - specifically Public Works - is purchasing it from the association. As part of the deal, the city will pay to re-roof, insulate and heat the building. When updates are complete, it will allow fire vehicles that were parked outside to be moved inside and frees up more room at the City Hall station.
In a related public safety committee report, 35 percent of city calls - 20 incidents - were to state institutions where Medical Lake is still seeking reimbursement from the state. Also, of the 26 personnel on the fire department, just seven were living within the city limits, prompting a request to step up recruitment efforts.
New Councilman John Merrick was chosen to serve on the Community Development Advisory Committee
Resident Scott Holbrook presented information to council on U.N. Agenda 21 and wanted them to be aware of its potential influence on their future decisions.
Holbrook, a retired architect, spoke to the non-binding action plan of the United Nations that is designed to address sustainable development. It is a product of the Earth Summit held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1992.
Paul Delaney can be reached at [email protected].
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