INSIDE: City seeking artists to participate in studio tour, page 2 . . . .Wilkeson Eagles hosting benefit for building fund, page 4 . . . .Catch up on Enumclaw High, White River sports, page 11 . . . .Longtime bus driver rolls into retirement, page 13 . . . . Buying plants now can save gardeners some green, page 19
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Wednesday, February 22, 2012
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Plans for fire levy are put on hold By Kevin Hanson Editor
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What’s Inside Classified ...................... Page 14 Views..................................Page 7 Sports ............................ Page 11 Church . ............................Page 4 Binetti.............................. Page 19
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The possibility of a spring levy request that would have increased tax rates for those served by the local fire department has been scrapped. All those inside the boundaries of Fire District 28 – and that includes the city of Enumclaw – currently contribute $1.09 for every $1,000 of assessed property value. It was widely believed the district would push for a levy lid lift that would have bumped the rate to the legal maximum of $1.50. Currently, the owner of property
valued at $250,000 pays $272.50 annually for fire protection and emergency medical service. If the levy had been placed on the ballot and passed, the yearly tax bill would have increased to $375. In a prepared statement issued last week, Fire Chief Joe Clow said he and the three-member board of commissioners decided this is the wrong time to ask taxpayers for more. Among the reasons for the change of heart, Clow cited ongoing discussions with district residents, a recent news report on home foreclosures and a face-toface meeting with County Assessor Lloyd Hara that included “the near-
term future of economic conditions in our community.” During a pair of public sessions this month, Clow and the commissioners heard impassioned pleas from a small-but-vocal group that spending plans be reigned in. Clow wrote that much has been accomplished in the past few years with regard to firefighting and medical service and, with that in mind, the board believes “now is a good time to slow the process and to evaluate how effective these changes are instead of continuing on to the next phase of this development.” The next phase would apparently require a tax hike.
By Kevin Hanson
There’s more...
Editor
With more than 14,000 emergency room visits, 1,658 surgeries performed and 276 babies born, everyone at St. Elizabeth Hospital seems to have charged through the first year in fine form. Hospital President Dennis Popp said the
It didn’t come easy or without debate, but members of the Enumclaw City Council voted Feb. 13 to set the wheels in motion for a spring vote asking if citizens wish to annex into the King County Library System. The issue is nothing new in the city, having come up a year ago. Plans then were derailed when sufficient information wasn’t available in time to meet election scheduling deadlines. The library has become a divisive issue as the council, during recent years, has pushed the library further and further down on the list of municipal priorities. Hours and staff were cut and finally, for 2012, the library was removed from the city’s general fund budget. It is being funded on a one-time basis from a pot of money generated by the sale and lease of city property. Councilman Jim Hogan related how dire the library’s future is, if it is to be retained by the city. Without a vote for annexation, he said, “we probably won’t have a library next year.” There are just two cities in the county that are not governed by the King County Library System. Enumclaw and the city of Seattle are the lone holdouts.
See HOSPITAL, Page 3
See LIBRARY, Page 3
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Clow said the district will focus on short-term goals rather than issues five to eight years in the future. “That large capital expenditures will not take place as planned in the next few years and that staffing plans will be on hold for that same period of time,” he said. “The most immediate needs of the department will still be addressed; for example, replacement of equipment and tools that are required to be replaced regularly.” Clow noted that members of the department live and pay taxes in the district “and we understand the difficulty of these uncertain financial times.”
Council supports April library vote
Expect cloudy skies and rain today, Wednesday, with a daytime high temperature in the low 50s. The story is much the same for the next couple of days, with showers and overnight temperatures dropping to about 40.
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The front entry to St. Elizabeth Hospital has been plenty busy during the 12 months it has greeted visitors. By all accounts, the first year has been successful. Photo by Kevin Hanson/To view or buy photos go to www.courierherald.com.
Hospital’s first year a success
By Kevin Hanson Editor