No Saturday mail beats another price increase
March 9, 2010
The United States Postal Service is projecting a $7 billion loss this year, and the picture looks even more bleak over the course of the next decade. Saturday delivery is on the chopping block, but is controversial among many. It shouldn’t be. Read more
Education dollars will pay for hotel rooms
March 2, 2010
Here we go again.
This time, it’s the Lake Washington School Board that plans to take a long weekend – on the taxpayers’ nickel – so they can do public business away from, well, the public.
The plan, as with all retreats of elected officials, is to go away and talk about nagging issues without fear of being held accountable for what they say. Retreats are generally not recorded and any minutes are marginal, as was the case with the Sammamish City Council retreat. Read more
School tax change bears consideration
February 23, 2010
A proposal in the state Senate that would shift property taxes from local districts to the state in order to fund education has the seed of good public policy, but must be explored further.
The bill (SB 6858), co-sponsored by Sen. Cheryl Pflug, generally proposes that local school districts have their levy lid decreased, meaning less local school taxes. In exchange, the state would increase its property tax rate by a corresponding amount. Read more
State budget challenges both sides of the aisle
February 17, 2010
In a perfect world, the Republicans would be right. The Democratic-controlled Legislature is on the verge of relaxing a voter-approved referendum that requires a two-thirds majority to raise taxes.
The House version of the bill would return the two-thirds majority requirement in July 2011. We like that. Read more
New council team, bad beginnings
February 9, 2010
The new Sammamish City Council is off to a bad start.
After less than a month in office, the council went on a retreat. The retreat itself was probably a good idea, to get better acquainted. There are three new members on the seven-person council, and some incumbents actively opposed some of the newcomers. Read more
Library levy request misleads voters
February 2, 2010
Seattle Public Libraries are cutting costs by cutting hours at most of its libraries, while adding hours at other key library locations.
King County Library System should do the same. Instead, it is asking voters for more taxes, to return its maintenance and operations levy to the highest allowed levy rate of 50 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation. Read more
School levies deserve your attention, your vote
January 26, 2010
If your Feb. 9 election ballot is still sitting in a pile of unopened mail, dig it out and mail it in. The number one concern with passing the levies is getting enough voters to care.
If you have children or grandchildren in school or soon to be in school, you better care. If you don’t, then care anyway – because the children in the neighborhood don’t deserve any less of an education just because the economy is in turmoil. Read more
Creativity, skill needed to bridge budget gap
January 19, 2010
Washington legislators face a nearly overwhelming task of balancing the state’s budget. Currently it’s $2.6 billion short. The budget gap is proportionally close in size to the shortfall that forced California to issue IOUs.
It is time legislators show that they are men and women of substance, capable of leading the state through its fiscal crisis by finding creative solutions. Read more
Drop developer talks until market is ready
January 13, 2010
A group of property owners led by John Galvin has asked for a change to the just finished Town Center plan and threatens to re-open debate about density in Town Center.
City leaders should take a deep breath before starting the discussion, and then drop it.
Mayor Don Gerend suggested that more density in Town Center might be the way to go because that seems to be what developers want right now. He fears the Town Center Plan as written will sit on a shelf gathering dust.
There is no reason to change a plan that took years to develop (and already rejected Galvin’s proposal) not long after its adoption.
Changing a Comprehensive Plan to suit the desires of a developer is bad urban planning. The city shouldn’t reject the proposal outright either, but now is not the time.
Comprehensive Plans can take decades to be built. The empty storefronts and houses that dot the landscape are a testament to what happens when development occurs too rapidly. In normal times — which these are not — development comes slowly and in steps.
Someday builders will see a way to make a profit by putting up an office building, bringing that part of the Town Center plan into reality. A few years later, condos will be the hot commodity, and then the new condo residents will demand services and retail. Eventually, the entire plan is complete — but not until the market is ready. In the end, Sammamish residents get the city they envisioned and developers will get their profits.
The mistake comes in trying to rush the process. When city leaders adjust a plan to suit the whims of the real estate market just to get something started, the plan is in danger of falling apart. The carefully constructed process that balanced state-mandated development, community concerns and environmental regulations is in danger of spinning out of control.
Eleven years ago, Sammamish residents voted to incorporate in order to wrest control of run-amuck development from a far away county government. We don’t think they did that just to end up handing that control over to the developer du jour.
A group of property owners led by John Galvin has asked for a change to the just finished Town Center plan and threatens to re-open debate about density in Town Center.
City leaders should take a deep breath before starting the discussion, and then drop it.
Mayor Don Gerend suggested that more density in Town Center might be the way to go because that seems to be what developers want right now. He fears the Town Center Plan as written will sit on a shelf gathering dust.
There is no reason to change a plan that took years to develop (and already rejected Galvin’s proposal) not long after its adoption. Read more
Our 2010 goals for Sammamish
January 5, 2010
New year, new decade, new council face, new goals. We offer a few of our own goals for Sammamish.
Taxing structure. City officials have warned there must be changes to Sammamish’s dependence on property taxes and the real estate excise tax. Then they warned again.
It’s time to start getting down to specifics about other taxing options so all citizens and business owners can weigh in about which will be most palatable. A special advisory committee may be appropriate.
Road barriers. This goal is back, again. Keep the barriers or remove them, that is the question. Decision time. Just keep the process transparent and civil.
School quality. The state budget is looking grim and that’s not good news for education.
If the state decides a tax increase is mandatory, we hope it will choose to raise the school levy lid, leaving it up to voters. This will at least give voters some control over where their tax increase is spent.
Town Center. Development regulations have just been presented to the City Council. We’d like to see the council finish them this year so that when the real estate market turns around, the city will be poised to see new development.
Annexations. At least two are on track for this year. So far they’ve worked out well. Let’s keep the process going and see if others can be welcomed into the city.
Planning Commission. Decide — clout or out? City Council members need to stop re-writing everything that comes from the Planning Commission, or do the work themselves.
Certainly they shouldn’t rubber stamp commission recommendations, but the wholesale revisions of every major piece of the commission’s work makes us question why they bother to have the commission in the first place.
Community center. The old library will be empty by the end of the week.
Let’s get planning and design started for renovations to the building so this new facility will be up and running as soon as possible. Need funds? Ask Councilman John Curley to lead the fundraising he proposed during the election.
New year, new decade, new council face, new goals. We offer a few of our own goals for Sammamish.
Taxing structure. City officials have warned there must be changes to Sammamish’s dependence on property taxes and the real estate excise tax. Then they warned again. Read more
