The city of Mountlake Terrace will stay in the planning group for a south Snohomish County regional fire authority.
The City Council voted at its Monday meeting that the city intends to continue as an active participant in planning for the regional authority.
The Lynnwood City Council voted last week to withdraw from active participation in the group but continue to send observers to meetings. Lynnwood joins Mill Creek, Mukilteo and Snohomish County Fire District 7 in withdrawing from what had been nine-party talks.
That leaves Brier, Edmonds, Mountlake Terrace, Woodway and Fire District 1 in planning for what could become a new government entity to provide fire service for the area,
Representatives of the seven cities and two fire districts had been holding planning meetings for two years.
After Mill Creek representatives announced their withdrawal from the group at a January meeting, representatives of the other cities and fire districts decided to get answers from each city council or district board about who would continue in the planning process by the group’s Wednesday, Feb. 6, meeting.
Brier, Edmonds, Mountlake Terrace and Woodway all get fire service by contract with Fire District 1.
Mountlake Terrace joins Brier in committing to continuing as active participants.
Edmonds City Councilman Strom Peterson, one of his city’s representatives to the planning group, said last week that Edmonds is waiting for information from Fire District 1. “We are waiting for new numbers,” he said. “Until we see those, we are in a bit of a holding pattern.”
Participants in the planning group have talked of having a proposal for voters on the August ballot.
Evan Smith can be reached at schsmith@frontier.com
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.