Unknown men tried to lure a local fifth-grader into a truck about 2:40 p.m. Wednesday, Issaquah School District officials said.

The student was walking home from Discovery Elementary when a truck approached him on Southeast 20th Street just west of 228th Avenue Southeast on the Sammamish Plateau, said Sara Niegowski, district executive director of communications.

Two men inside the truck reportedly waved to the student, pulled the vehicle over and then allegedly motioned for the student to come closer, Niegowski said in a press release.

When the student walked away, the truck reportedly began to follow. When the student pulled out a cellphone, the truck drove away. The student immediately returned to school and informed staff members, according to Niegowski.

The student described the vehicle as an off-while landscaping truck with a tool rack with shovels and rakes in the back. The passengers were described as about 30, white, with no facial hair. The passenger was reportedly wearing a plaid shirt. Police ask that if you have any information, call 206-296-3311.

In the wake of the alleged incident, the school district released the following list of safety tips for students:

• Never talk to strangers.
• Never let a stranger get too close, whether the stranger is in a vehicle or walking.
• Never tell a stranger any personal information such as name, age or address.
• Try to walk in pairs with a friend or adult.
• Stick to safe, well-lit areas.
• Do not obstruct hearing with iPods or portable music players when walking or waiting outside.
• If a stranger tries to grab you, yell as loudly as you can and run away.
• Immediately alert an adult if you are approached by a suspicious person.

Sammamish employees – particularly new hires – are generally underpaid compared to their peers in neighboring cities.

That’s the verdict of a salary survey presented to the City Council at their annual retreat at Suncadia Resort Jan. 27.

Deputy City Manager Lyman Howard said in an interview the lagging salaries for new employees are by design. The city contracted with a consulting firm to look at employee wages in 2007 and elected to set up a system where new hires start at slightly below-market wages but see their pay steadily rise as they move up the “step” system – 4 percent raises that are awarded based on adequate job performance.

The council decided that employees who stick with the city should be rewarded with higher-than-average salaries at the highest end of the salary ladder. The council hoped the prospect of higher-than-average pay would help retain good employees and create some continuity in City Hall.

“Longevity plays a huge role in an organization like this,” Administrative Services Director Mike Sauerwein said of city government. “Having institutional knowledge is key.”

Prior to 2007, Sauerwein said the city was losing close to 20 percent of its employees a year – often due to the long commute to get to City Hall. Employees who lived in Seattle often went to Mercer Island or Shoreline. Sauerwein said the pay structure might have contributed to less employee turnover in recent years, though the tough economy likely played a large role as well.

But in many cases Sammamish’s “low on the bottom, high on the top” pay structure has not kept pace with wages in surrounding cities. The salary survey looked at wages in Auburn, Bothell, Edmonds, Issaquah, Kirkland, Mercer Island, Olympia, Redmond, Renton and Shoreline.

An entry-level city clerk in Sammamish starts at about $66,000, compared to a bit more than $75,000 in surrounding cities and maxes out at around $90,000, compared to an average of $94,500 in similar cities.

The situation is similar for senior planners, who handle land use and development applications. In Sammamish, they start out at a bit under $62,000 compared to an average of $70,000. They can top out at $84,500 compared to $85,700 at the average neighboring city.

Sammamish’s Public Works Director starts out at $104,500, significantly less than the $118,500 average in neighboring cities. They top out at $143,200, just under the $144,800 average in neighboring cities.

The outlier in the survey is Sammamish’s public works and parks maintenance workers, who start out at $47,500 – right around the average of $47,900. They also max out at $65,000, quite a bit above the $59,500 average.

Councilman Ramiro Valderrama, who during his campaign was vocal in his calls for slowing the growth of the city’s personnel costs, said he was more concerned with making sure year-to-year across-the-board wage increases are kept in check. City employees have traditionally had their wages tied to the city’s cost of living indicators – that led to a 3.2 percent wage increase in 2012, though it also meant a half of a percentage point pay cut in 2011.

Valderrama said the 3.2 percent cost of living increase was an “aberration” and not fair given the tough economic times taxpayers are in. He pointed to the example of unionized employees at the city of Redmond and Eastside Fire & Rescue, which both saw a 2 percent wage increase for 2012.

Valderrama said he hopes the city would consider moving to a more stable model for wage increases that would prevent “valleys and peaks” from year to year. He suggested negotiating a set amount and giving employees that or 80 percent of any increase in cost of living, whichever is smaller.

“Citizens aren’t getting a 3.2 percent raise.” Valderrama said. “Taxpayers aren’t going to care about the valleys during an economic downturn, but when the peaks come around they will.”

Though there was some variance between Sammamish’s pay and the regional average, Councilman Tom Vance said he was pleased to that the city was fairly close to the average. He noted that each city operates differently and the responsibilities of similar positions in each city don’t always line up.

Vance noted that Sammamish still has a relatively small staff for a city of 45,000 because it contracts out many projects instead of having full-time employees on hand to do them.

City analysis presented at the retreat shows that Sammamish has 1.5 full-time employees per 1,000 residents compared to an average of 4.9 for Issaquah, Redmond, Bellevue, Kirkland and Mercer Island.

“We contract out a lot of what we do,” Vance said. “So we end up with a professional core … of qualified, educated staff.”

Howard said that come budget time the council will also be looking at employee health benefits and how much of an employee’s medical costs should come out of pocket.

He said initial analysis by the city shows that Sammamish covers a bit more of their employees’ medical costs than other cities.

Howard said it’s a balancing act for the council, which must keep wages and benefits in check while ensuring that qualified employees don’t move to cushier jobs in neighboring cities.

“We want to be fair to our employees, but we also need to be fair to the taxpayers,” Howard said. “(The council) has to find that sweet spot.”

Reporter Caleb Heeringa can be reached at 392-6434. ext. 247, or cheeringa@isspress.com.

The fair will feature more than 50 health care professionals.

They will offer a number of free health screenings including blood pressure, bone density, cholesterol, blood sugar, eye pressure, body composition, and spinal/posture.

There will be many gifts from the various vendors, and My I.D. Club will offer free fingerprinting of children.

The Issaquah Citizen Corps and Eastside Fire & Rescue will offer information about emergency planning.

Specialists will be on hand to discuss everything from care for Alzheimer patients to braces for the children.

Ask questions about personal training, driving lessons and prescription services.

Learn the difference between retirement living and assisted living, and how long-term health insurance can help.

Have a quick chair massage and have your child’s car seat checked for safety.

Pickering Barn is located across from Costco, south of I-90.

A Sammamish resident found a bag containing mail belonging to several neighbors on the 1600 block of 219th Place Northeast Jan. 29. Police returned the mail to its rightful owners.

Police are unsure to whom the green satchel bag belongs but believe it may have something to do with mail theft in the neighborhood.

Domestic violence

A 40-year-old Sammamish woman was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence after an altercation with her ex-husband and his new girlfriend Jan. 29. Police responded to the ex-husband’s home after a report of a fight.

As police were interviewing the man and his girlfriend, the ex-wife returned to the scene at a high rate of speed.

The woman admitted that she had punched both her ex-husband and his new girlfriend. Police will be forwarding the case to prosecutors with the recommendation that the woman be charged with two counts of fourth-degree assault.

Vandalism

A resident on the 2800 block of 234th Place Southeast reported that someone had thrown a rock through the back window of their car overnight Jan. 25.

Police also found a “purple-painted glittered triangular rock with a smirking smile face … and press-on google eyes,” according to the police report.

The resident believes one of his son’s classmates may be responsible. The case remains under investigation.

Metal theft

caught on camera

A resident on the 2700 block of 204th Lane Northeast reported that someone had stolen a yard lamp from his home at around 3 a.m. Jan. 25.

The resident also showed police surveillance footage that shows a newer-model brown or dark tan single cab truck with the tail gate down parked in front of the home.

A passenger is then seen to jump out and walk up to the house and return to the truck with the yard light. The area has seen similar yard lights stolen in recent months, likely for the value of the copper inside.

The video footage is too dark to accurately determine the suspects or what kind of vehicle they were driving. The case remains under investigation.

Suspicious vehicle

A resident on the 20600 block of Northeast 25th Court reported Jan. 25 a suspicious vehicle that had repeatedly been seen in his neighborhood in the early morning hours in recent months. The resident reported that the black Honda Accord had once followed his wife as she left for work.

The man told police that he had recently confronted the driver, who would not offer a good explanation for his presence in the neighborhood. Police ran the license plate of the vehicle but the registered owner, a Renton resident, did not have a criminal background.

Police took note of the incident and will be keeping an eye out for the vehicle in the future.

Suspended license

Police cited a 45-year-old Sammamish man for driving with a suspended license and not having valid insurance after the driver collided with another vehicle near the corner of Northeast Inglewood Hill Road and East Lake Sammamish Parkway Jan. 23.

The man’s license had been suspended for an unpaid ticket. No one was injured in the wreck.

Stolen guns

A resident on the 1000 block of 227th Avenue Northeast reported that two rifles had been stolen from his home between Dec. 29 and Jan. 23.

The guns, a Marlin 22 millimeter rifle and a Bushmaster AR-15 rifle, had been stored in a bedroom closet.

The resident recalls placing the weapons in the closet Dec. 29. The home had been left unoccupied from Jan. 19 through Jan. 21 due to the power outages. A back door to the home had been left unlocked during this period, though no other items of value were missing from the home. The case remains under investigation.

Possible voter fraud

A Sammamish resident reported Jan. 22 that someone had registered to vote in his name. The resident, who has a green card and is not eligible to vote, received notice in the mail from King County that he had recently been registered. The case remains under investigation.

Snow day

A 20-year-old Sammamish resident or his parents will be covering the cost of repairing damage to a field in Deerfield Park after the resident used his truck to do “donuts” Jan. 18. Police responded and found the truck stuck in the middle of the field, which was muddy from the rapidly melting snow.

The resident admitted to driving into the field, which is owned by the Deerfield Homeowners Association, causing about 45 feet worth of torn-up grass and mud. Police contacted the resident’s parents, who agreed to cover the repair costs.

Suspended license

A 30-year-old Issaquah resident was cited for driving with a suspended license after being pulled over for driving 53 mph in a 35 zone on the 4900 block of Issaquah-Pine Lake Road the evening of Jan. 28. The driver’s license had been suspended for unpaid tickets. His brother was called to retrieve the man and his vehicle.

Protection order

Police stood by Jan. 28 as a Burien man retrieved personal belongings from a Sammamish woman who had recently gotten a protection order against him. The woman told police that she had gotten the no-contact order after the man spent about a week at her house because of the snow.

During that time, the man had begun believing that he and the woman would be getting married and having kids. This unsettled the woman, since she had not seen the man since high school, about 15 years prior. Among the items the man needed to retrieve was a shotgun, which police unloaded and gave to the man. The man was served with the no-contact order and agreed not to interact with the woman.

Expired pot license

Police disposed of about three grams of marijuana that had been found in possession of a Bellevue man who had been pulled over on the 800 block of East Lake Sammamish Parkway Southeast Jan. 26. The man had a medical marijuana license, but it had expired in November, so police took possession of his stash.

Mental health issue

Police contacted a Sammamish woman who had driven over a planting strip on the 3300 block of Issaquah-Pine Lake Road Jan. 26. The collision did damage to the underside of the woman’s car, which was leaking transmission fluid.

The woman, who was visibly shaken and was exhibiting signs of mental health issues, told the officer that she was being followed and that her vehicle was bugged with listening devices. An aid unit responded and determined that the woman did not have any life-threatening injuries.

Police attempted to contact the woman’s family, but the woman would not give them contact information. Police let her go on her way but contacted King County Mental Health Services and advised they make a visit to the woman’s home.

Driving is a privilege

A 16-year-old Sammamish teen may not be driving for a while after police pulled him over for driving upwards of 70 mph in a 35 zone Jan. 25. The teen was stopped on the 23500 block of Southeast 24th Street at around 6:40 p.m.

The officer informed the teen that he could be arrested for reckless driving and then told him to contact one of his parents. His mother responded to the scene and was advised of her son’s driving. The officer discussed alternative punishment options for the teen, who is an honor student and had otherwise not been in trouble before. The mother told the officer that her son would be re-attending a driver’s education class and would be paying for the class himself.

The teen would not be allowed to drive except to go to the class. The officer agreed and advised the teen and his mother that if he failed to complete the class for the second time, the teen would be charged with reckless driving.

Items in the Police Blotter come from Sammamish Police reports.

City officials got a bit more than they bargained for when they agreed to collect tree debris in the aftermath of January’s winter storms.

The city collected enough branches and limbs to fill eight industrial-sized dumpsters within two hours the weekend of Jan. 28-29.

The city then let residents pile debris in the parking lot of the Beaver Lake Park sports fields but had to start turning residents away after filling the parking lot with piles that measured more than 15 feet high. Crews spent much of the week hauling those piles away for disposal.

For more information on where to dispose of leftover wood debris, visit http://your.kingcounty.gov/ solidwaste/garbage-recycling/storm-debris.asp.

Home businesses in Sammamish could have customers coming and going between the hours of 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. under regulations suggested by the city’s Planning Commission.

The commission put the finishing touches on the proposed home business code at their Feb. 2 meeting after several months of testimony from local residents who run businesses out of their homes. The non-binding recommendation will now go to the City Council, which has the final say in the matter.

The code has gone through several revisions in recent months after several home business owners voiced concern that the new regulations, aimed at allowing residents to run their businesses without compromising the residential character of local neighborhoods, were too restrictive on home business.

The Sammamish Chamber of Commerce estimates that nearly 3,500 Sammamish residents, almost 8 percent of the city’s population, work out of their home in some fashion – whether that be professional consultant or artist.

The code categorizes businesses as “Type 1” or “Type 2” depending on the businesses size and footprint on the surrounding neighborhood. “Type 1” are those with little in the way of customers visiting the site – financial advisors, architects and attorneys, for example. “Type 2” are more complex operations like wineries, nurseries and other businesses that may require heavy equipment or building materials.

The commission elected to relax several facets of the originally proposed code, like:

u A prohibition on hazardous chemicals was taken out after concerns that it would affect home art studios that use small amounts of compressed oxygen or propane. Senior Planner Evan Maxim told the commission those sorts of chemicals are already regulated through the city’s building code and the local fire marshal.

u A requirement that Type 2 businesses be located on properties larger than three-quarters of an acre. The updated code requires that the business activity be “screened from adjacent properties” and not occur within 20 feet of a property line, but does not have a size requirement.

The commission further relaxed the regulations at the Feb. 2 meeting, changing the hours during which a home business could have on-site customer appointments from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. to 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Claudia Haunreiter, who is now retired but ran a hair salon out of her Sammamish home for 26 years, said businesses that cater to working people need to be open outside traditional working hours to survive.

“In our world of today, you’re not going to find too many businesses that run from 9 (a.m.) to 5 (p.m.),” Haunreiter told the commission. “(By prohibiting customers after 6 p.m.) you’re kind of cutting our throats as far as how much money we can make.”

The City Council will be considering the code in the coming months.

Eastside Fire & Rescue continued its perfect bookkeeping record with the release of another clean audit last month.

An annual state audit of the district’s financial records found no significant irregularities and good internal controls on the district’s budget. The agency has received a clean audit every year since its inception in 1999.

“I am proud of the work done primarily by the people who are assigned to the finance division, but the recognition certainly extends to all who are responsible for spending dollars, managing assets, and following the board policies,” Fire Chief Lee Soptich said in a press release.

The agency is the product of an interlocal agreement between the cities of Sammamish, Issaquah, North Bend and fire districts 10 and 38.

This year, Kaylee Hansen is determined that whatever else happens, there will be a luminaria at Eastlake’s Relay for Life — even if they have to cheat a little.

For the past three years, the luminaria, decorative paper bags with candles inside, has been washed out by the weather at the annual fundraiser for cancer research. This time around, they’re going to use battery powered tea lights and wax coated bags, said Hansen co-chairwoman of Eastlake’s Relay for Life.

“We can have rain. It will be OK,” she said.

Kaylee Hansen speaks to the crowd at Eastlake’s Relay for Life kick off. Photo by Ari Cetron

Hansen was among dozens of students at Eastlake’s Relay for Life kick off event Feb. 1 at the Sammamish Teen Center.

During a Relay for Life, events like it happen nationwide, participants spend about 24 hours, in teams, walking around the track of the school. At least one team member should be walking at any given time. Each team is also charged with raising money to donate for cancer research.

Although this year’s relay isn’t scheduled to start until the morning of May 19, participants will need time to recruit teams and raise money.

The Eastlake event is one of only a handful of student-run relays across the country, and its also one of the highest performing. Last year, the group was able to raise about $116,000 for cancer research.

This time around, they are hoping to expand their reach beyond Eastlake.

Hansen said they have begun meeting with students at Eastside Catholic and Inglewood Junior High to encourage those schools to develop teams, as well. Eastlake’s emmisaries have been meeting with team leaders to share ways to recruit teams and to fundraise.

“This year will be nice because we’re taking on cancer as a community,” said Akaash Nanda, one of the student organizers of the event.

While students from Skyline would be welcome to participate, Eastlake organizers have not reached out to Skyline because the school has its own Relay for Life event.

This year’s relay will be similar to previous year’s events, Hansen said. She noted that most of the organizers of last year’s event were seniors and graduated, so the committee putting things together had to ramp up quickly to understand what they needed to do.

“Basically, we’re starting from scratch,” she said.

Eastlake’s goal this year to raise $120,000 and have at least 65 teams and 30 cancer survivors participate.

They’ve already achieved one goal, at least 10 people have joined the Cancer Action Network, said Sarah Yelenick of the American Cancer Society. The network allows members to get information and helps fund lobbying efforts on behalf of the society.

Many of the night’s activities will be the same from previous years. Hansen said there are plans for food vendors, movies at midnight, volleyball, ultimate frisbee and live bands.

they also plan some Eastlake traditions, like themed laps, and making tic marks on walker’s shirts — one mark for each lap they’ve walked.

“It gets better by the minute,” she said. “What’s not to love about pulling an all-nighter with your friends.”

Editor Ari Cetron can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 233, or samrev@isspress.com.

The public will have two opportunities to pay their respects to Deputy Stan Chapin, the longtime school resource officer at Eastlake High School and Inglewood Junior High School.

A viewing will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 5 at Acacia Funeral Home, 14951 Bothell Way NE in Lake Forest Park.

A memorial service is also scheduled for 1 p.m. Tuesday , Feb. 7 at Saint Brendan Catholic Church, 10051 NE 195^th in Bothell.

Both events are open to the public.

Chapin died in his sleep at the age of 61. A Bothell resident, he is survived by his wife Sue and three children: Christopher, 27, Bethany, 22, and Scott, 17.

The Washington State Senate approved a bill to allow same-sex marriages by a vote of 28-21. Sen. Andy Hill, a Republican representing the 45th district supported the measure. Hill had not publicly announced how he would vote.

Sens. Cheryl Pflug (R-5) and Steve Litzow (R-41) had both previously said they would support the measure, and both followed through.

Sammamish is located mostly in the 5th District, with a sliver of the city at the very north in the 45th District. After redistricting later this year, the city will be split roughly into the 45th District in the northern half of the city and 41st District in the south. With the votes, each of the senators who does now, or soon will, represent Sammamish voted in favor of permitting gay marriage.

The three, along with Sen. Joe Fain (R-Auburn) were the only four Republicans to support the measure.

Three Democratic senators, Jim Hargrove (Hoquiam), Tim Shelton (Potlach) and Paull Shin (Edmonds) were opposed.

The bill will now go to the state House of Representatives where observers widely expect it to pass. Gov. Chris Gregoire has indicated she would sign it into law.

Conservative groups have lined up to launch a referendum to overturn the legislation. If they can gather enough signatures, gay marriage will likely appear on ballots for a statewide vote before the end of the year.