By RYAN LANCASTER
Staff Reporter
Last Monday City Manager Albert Tripp gave Airway Heights City Council a status update on two proposals in the state Legislature, one of which could bring more street improvements funding to the city.
House Bill 1028 authorizes Washington cities and towns to ignore prison populations within city limits when determining eligibility for certain grant opportunities or when calculating the number of city council members they must have. Tripp said the bill, which affects only Airway Heights and Connell, passed both the House and Senate chambers and is now waiting for Gov. Chris Gregoire's signature.
More than half of Airway Heights' roughly 5,600 residents are incarcerated at Airway Heights Corrections Center. If those prisoners are removed from the rolls the city will be able to apply for special grants that fund street maintenance, repair and resurfacing to cities and towns with fewer than 5,000 inhabitants. The bill would only benefit Airway Heights until an annexation goes into effect January 2012 and the city incorporates a half square mile of land on its eastern edge, bringing the number of non-inmate residents back above the small cities threshold.
Tripp said Senate Bill 5683 would have helped finance construction of the city's new wastewater treatment facility, but was tied up in committees and did not make it to a vote. The bill would have authorized cities with fewer than 7,500 residents to impose a sales tax of up to one tenth of 1 percent to finance construction or improvements of water and sewer systems operated by the city.
Also at the April 4 meeting, Mayor Patrick Rushing enlisted the council's assistance in drafting a couple of letters soliciting new development projects in the city. Rushing said once he receives council input he plans to send a letter to Wal-Mart, Lowe's and other corporations that might be interested in discussions surrounding the city's industrial park. He said the park's location and transportation availability could make it an attractive option for a regional distribution center.
Rushing also mentioned another letter he's drafting in support of Spokane Tribe's casino project. It too will be run through committees for council input before being sent to U.S. Department of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, Rushing said. The mayor sent a similar letter backing the project to Gov. Gregoire last month.
In other city business, the council awarded a bid to S&L Underground for $383,916 to start the Septic Tank Elimination Project. The city is using an $800,000 state grant/low interest loan to extend public sewer services to about 90 homes that currently use septic systems in South Central Airway Heights.
The council approved a resolution designating April 29, 2011 as Arbor Day for the city. Parks and Recreation director J.C. Kennedy said the proclamation is necessary to continue the city's designation as a Tree City U.S.A. through the Arbor Day Foundation.
The council passed a resolution adopting the Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan (CEMP), which organizes emergency and government agencies to strategize and react to unprecedented situations.
A resolution adopting a new regional pavement cut policy for the city was passed as was the second reading of an ordinance amending the city's municipal code to include the policy. A second reading of an ordinance approving 2011 amendments to the capital improvement plan also passed.
Ryan Lancaster can be reached at [email protected].
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