City to Residents: “Want to split a $250K bill?”
“What is the purpose of a city?,” Clyde Hill Resident Asks
The City remains unclear on if it will help residents more than two weeks after abandoning them to serious stormwater problems that the City budgeted over $250K to fix. Skip to the end to see how you can help them (and possibly protect your property values) with one email or phone call.
On August 10, the Mayor and Staff of Clyde Hill told the City Council its plan to abandon stormwater repairs to address this issue:
At the July City meeting, the Mayor and Staff had just requested and received approval for this stormwater repair work. (You can see another video and read more in this issue of this newsletter.)
The City did not inform the homeowners or communicate with them about this decision for almost two weeks:
Residents found out that the City had addressed a similar situation at the same location several years ago during a meeting on site with City Staff. During that visit on August 25, another City employee asked (perhaps jokingly?) if the residents wanted to split the cost of repairs. The City committed to follow up with residents by September 4.
Residents’ complaints include stormwater coming into crawlspaces and stormwater leaving sediment on their patios and the street that then washed into the storm drain. Their understanding (from discussion with local real estate professionals) is that when they sell their homes, they will need to disclose these issues and should expect their homes to sell for less.
Expectations and Commitments
The City had previously set expectations that it would make these repairs. Residents first contacted the City about these problems almost a year ago, in September of 2020. The City budgeted at least $250,000 for these repairs in the budget approved in December 2020:
(You can find the 2021 Budget Book here.)
In phone calls with residents before August, the City confirmed its responsibility for these repairs and its intent to complete them.
Technicalities and Attorneys
All the stormwater systems on the City’s “Storm Water Inventory” maps appear the same. The maps do not distinguish between public and private systems:
Although the properties (marked in yellow) do not have easements that give the City access to do these repairs, the stormwater systems on these properties are connected to the City’s system.
In an internal memo, the City stated that after consulting with the City Attorney it now considers these facilities private because of the lack of stormwater easements, and claims that the City has no obligation to maintain or repair them.
The City has not yet asked the residents for permission or an easement to perform these repairs. (At the August City Council meeting, when asked directly about this plan to abandon residents, the Mayor said that there would be additional information during the Council discussion of this issue, and refused to allow further questions, claiming that at City Council meetings the City has no obligation to answer questions. It’s not clear what additional information the Mayor was referring to. The City has not yet made a recording of this meeting available because the “allotment of time for public records is limited” as so many City employees have left and the City is short-staffed.)
“What is the purpose of a city?”
I spoke with Bob Pasko, who is among the impacted residents, earlier today about this situation. “There’s water coming into my lot and there’s nothing I can do about it,” he told me. He pointed out that the reason we have a city is to address exactly this kind of problem. Otherwise, he asked, “What is the purpose of a city?”
The City does describe itself as “charged with providing essential governmental services to its citizens, including police, fire, public works and streets, building, code enforcement, storm water management and adjunct and related services.” (emphasis added; p. 6 of 2021 Budget Book)
Stormwater problems affect everyone. If you have stormwater equipment on your property, do you know if the City expects you to maintain and repair it? Even if you don’t have equipment on your property, if the stormwater system next door or uphill from you doesn’t work, it’s your basement and your living room that will be flooded.
Executive Accountability is Just One Phone Call Away
What happens now, in many ways, depends on what Clyde Hill residents decide to do.
Ask yourself what you would want to have happen if the City abandoned a $250K project to you and your neighbors.
Please email the Mayor and call the City. For example:
Dear Mayor Klaas,
I understand that (1) the City budgeted $250K for stormwater repairs near 17th Street (2) the City Council approved the project and now (3) you and the City Administration have abandoned the project.
How is this a good decision for the residents of Clyde Hill?
Does the City expect these residents to pay for these repairs? In general, do you expect residents to pay for local repairs like these above and beyond the stormwater repairs our taxes support?
Can you tell me which parts of the stormwater system on the City’s Storm Water Inventory maps that affect my property the City is maintaining and which I need to take up with my neighbors?
Mayor Marianne Klaas’s email is mayor@clydehill.org. City Hall’s phone number is (425)453-7800.
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