Property tax rate increases rejected
The Mill Creek City Council rejected a pair of proposed 1 percent property tax increases during it’s Nov. 22 meeting.
One of the increases would have been a general city property tax increase. The other one would have been 1 percent to fund emergency medical services. Council amended the property tax proposal to include no increase for 2006, and it passed unanimously.
The emergency medical services tax increase was rejected by a 6-1 margin. Dale Hensley was the lone opposing vote.
With the Council rejecting both proposed increases, the city of Mill Creek lost an estimated $42,000 for 2006. The property tax increase would have brought in an estimated $38,000, while the emergency medical services increase would have brought in $4,009.
Three Mill Creek residents e-mailed in comments to the city urging the Council to reject the proposed increases. Two residents, Debbie Finrow and Brenda Tinning, wrote that the library annexation vote in September 2004 raised local taxes significantly, and urged the Council to resist another tax increase. Mark Beales spoke during the public comment period and urged rejection of the increases for the same reasons.
35th Avenue deal gets approved
The Mill Creek City Council approved a 10-year maintenance agreement between the city and Snohomish County in regards to 35th Avenue SE., a key obstacle in Mill Creek annexing 553.25 acres north and east of the current city boundaries.
The vote on Nov. 22 was 6-1 in favor of the agreement, with Mayor Terry Ryan voting against it.
The deal runs from 2006 to 2015 with the city and county splitting costs for “extraordinary maintenance,” such as fixing areas where the road sinks. The percentage is a 50-50 split in 2006, with the city’s share increasing by 5 percent annually until 2015, when Mill Creek would be liable for 95 percent of the costs of such maintenance.
The agreement covers 35th Avenue SE. between Silver Crest Drive and 144th Street SE., a distance of approximately 2,700 feet. The Snohomish County Council unanimously approved the agreement on Wednesday, Nov. 30.
Public smoking ban unanimously OK’d
The Mill Creek City Council unanimously approved an ordinance banning smoking in public places during its Nov. 22 meeting.
The ordinance comes on the heels of Initiative 901, a voter-approved state-wide initiative, that bans smoking in public places or businesses, such as restaurants and pubs. Enforcement of the law is to be done by local police agencies.
City Council members made one change in the law that was proposed – they voted to increase the fine for violating the law to $100, the maximum allowed under I-901, which was approved by voters Nov. 8. The city was proposing a $75 fine.
An exception to the law is anyone passing by or through a public place while on a public sidewalk or public right-of-way.
The item was on the City Council’s consent agenda Nov. 22 and was placed on the regular agenda for a vote that same evening because the next regular Council meeting isn’t scheduled until after the state-wide ban goes into effect.
The new law goes into effect at 12 a.m. Friday, Dec. 9.
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