MEDICAL LAKE – City administrator discussed a preliminary legislative strategy ahead of council meeting, Jan. 17. Sonny Weathers, who was appointed city administrator in Nov. of 2022, will present highlighted two items on his agenda which he believes may have the greatest impact on the residents of Medical Lake.
“The legislative session began on Jan 9. and I am introducing to council some of the regional legislative priorities which have been shared through Association of Washington Cities, and elsewhere.” Weathers said.
Weathers will also present options for council members to contact legislators concerning these and other items.
“I can only imagine what a whirlwind council members feel like they’re in when legislature opens. So I want to help provide strategies for contact and presentation.” Weathers said.
“First, we want to seek an appropriation of funds for police services rendered to Eastern State Hospital and Lakeland Village.” Weathers said. The city is responsible for rendering police services to those facilities and is not currently compensated for doing so.
“They are inside the city limits, and we contract with the county for our police services, so the hospital and Lakeland count on us for police services.” Weathers said.
Eastern State Hospital and Lakeland account for nearly half of the city’s land area, and approximate 10 percent of the population.
“We don’t get revenues from those properties because they are state-owned. 480 people are housed at these facilities also, and they are residents of the city.” Weathers said.
Weathers said that, to him, the crux of the matter for the city is the cost of the law enforcement which they are not compensated for.
“So it would take an act of the legislature to appropriate funds to offset that for tax payers.” Weathers said.
The second item on the preliminary agenda is the lease agreement between the Department of Social and Health Services and Medical Lake for Waterfront park.
“The park is DSHS land that the city leases. We are pursuing renewing that lease, but a recent change in the state law has required that DSHS be compensated at market rate for that rental.” Weathers said.
“We want to ask the legislature that the lease be considered a “government-to-government” transaction.” Weathers said.
This action would base the lease on operational costs instead of market rate.
“The state would not be losing money, but our city would not be paying an arbitrary amount for the lease.”
The city council will hear the full strategy at its regular meeting on Jan. 17.
Lucas is a former Cheney Free Press managing editor. He is a nationally published author who contributes regularly to several publications across the country.
Reader Comments(0)