North Bend mayor addresses state of city
February 26, 2009
By Michael Rowe
During an annual state of the city address, North Bend Mayor Ken Hearing said that, despite an economic downturn nationwide, the city is in good shape financially and excited about its centennial celebration.
“You only turn 100 once, and we intend to throw quite a party that will be talked about over the next 100 years. Special parades, music, block parties and fireworks are just some of the events we intend to promote,” Hearing said.
He stressed the need to revitalize North Bend’s downtown area and to bring new businesses to the community. He also noted that this year will see the end of North Bend’s decade-long ban on residential development, which was self-imposed because the city lacked the necessary water rights for residential growth. One goal the city hopes to make progress on this year is attracting a first-class hotel to the city, Hearing said.
The mayor said that the reason North Bend was in a relatively good financial position was that its finance department approached the city budget with a fiscally conservative attitude. He thanked city staff for their hard work.
Although the city sees no end in sight for the economic problems plaguing the nation, there are some local signs of hope, Hearing said. Those signs include three plats for residential development and initiatives by area residents to have their property annexed into the city.
He noted that work on the utility limited improvement district would continue in 2009, after receiving strong support from voters in 2008. This will not only raise the customer and revenue base of the sewer department, but will also provide a great environmental benefit by decommissioning 100 septic systems, Hearing said.
Several infrastructure improvements were discussed in the state of the city address. This year will see street improvement work done on Orchard Street, an extension for Downing Street to relieve congestion near the QFC, and hopefully the completion of the city’s park-n-ride lot, which should encourage the use of Metro busses, the mayor said.
In other business, the council approved several items related to the city’s 2009 infrastructure projects mentioned in the state of the city address.
The council approved a resolution authorizing the city to enter into an interlocal agreement with the Metro Parks District for improvements to Orchard Street that will benefit Si View County Park. The improvements include curb and gutter work on the streets and installation of a sidewalk along the park property. The work is expected to cost $282 million. The parks district will provide $55,000 for the project; the rest of the funding will be provided by the city and grants from the state’s Transportation Improvement Board. The parks district is also paying 100 percent of the cost to extend of a sewer line to Si View County Park.
The council also approved a motion authorizing the immediate use and possession of property for the Downing Street extension project. This will allow the city to acquire property for the street project from owner Larry Houch for $164,500 and additional compensation for Houch’s moving expenses. The project will require the removal of the existing house on Houch’s lot, but will allow the property owner to rebuild his home on an adjacent lot.
Besides the approvals of infrastructure-related work, the council also accepted a petition of interest for the Stilson annexation request and heard an update from Public Works Director Ron Garrow on the city’s other annexation.
The Stilson annexation request will bring several pieces of property along 432nd Avenue Southeast into the city’s boundaries. The property is located near Opstad Elementary School, and has an assessed value of $8.4 million. The petitions of interest represented $5.253 million of property in the annexation area, which indicates a 62 percent level of support for the annexation. The city is required to have the support of property owners representing 60 percent of the assessed value of the land.
Property owner Jeffrey Rudd, a supporter of the Stilson annexation, told the council that he wants to join the city for the tax benefits and for better access to local government.
Councilman and mayor pro-tem Jonathan Rosen requested that the finance department investigate the financial impact of the annexation on the city before the council accepts formal annexation petitions.
Garrow told the council that the city is getting closer to the level of support it needs to complete the Tanner annexation. He said that the city has received 90 formal petitions for annexation representing $56 million of assessed property values. To complete the annexation, the city needs formal annexation requests from property owners representing approximately $110 million in assessed property values.
Reach reporter Michael Bayless Rowe at mrowe@snovalleystar.com or 392-6434, ext. 246.
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