ML council delays start of 2018 meetings

The Medical Lake city council got an early start on 2018. At its Dec. 5 meeting they voted to push back the start of business.

In an early motion by outgoing Councilwoman and incoming Mayor Shirley Maike, the group unanimously, minus the absent AJ Burton, decided to cancel its Jan. 2 meeting and begin work two weeks later on Jan. 16.

With that done, the council rapidly took care of a light agenda and was adjourned in just shy of 25 minutes.

Outgoing Mayor John Higgins spoke of the need to find a replacement for him on the Spokane Transit Authority Small Cities program where he is the vice-chair and would move into the chairman's role had he remained mayor.

As it is, the council needs to select someone to fill that position, but loses its leadership status in the process.

City Administrator Doug Ross discussed the rash of water main breaks that are plaguing the Public Works Department. He's unsure of the cause but said it could be tied to shifting ground in very water saturated soil following a wetter-then-normal year.

The council heard and approved the first reading of Ordinance 1061, dealing with salaries and compensation for city employees. They also did the same for Resolution 509, a measure setting administrative fees going forward. There were no anticipated changes.

The city has been told it will incur a slight tipping fee increase - about 2 percent - for solid waste, but Ross told the council that the city will absorb that.

With an expected normal winter to start dumping snow any time, Ross said those crews were ready. He also cautioned both the council, and residents, that how the city reacts to a dump of the white stuff, and how quickly roads get plowed, depends greatly on the storm's timing.

"We don't do anything different," Ross said, but what time of day, or night, a storm hits, can affect how it all is handled.

In closing business, new councilman Ted Olson took his place on the dais and was sworn in and the council also heard the final reading Ordinance 1060 setting the budget for 2018. There was no citizen input offered.

Maike also had just returned from a meeting where among the items discussed was the need for council members to have a city email address with which to conduct business and to not use personal addresses.

Paul Delaney can be reached at pdelaney@cheneyfreepress.com.