Clyde Hill News: Points Communities prep for celebrations
Local residents concerned about dog safety as Ratmageddon continues; no update on budget
Please meet Summer, a perfect puppy and Clyde Hill resident, who brought home a dead baby rat (also pictured) earlier this week:
In an email to city staff, Summer’s human wrote:
“Dogs should be safe in Clyde Hill! If she ate this rodent, and it has rat poison in it, she might not be alive.”
Below, an update on the neighborhood experience of “Ratmageddon,” the absence of financial sustainability and budget updates, and news from Medina, Hunts Point, and Yarrow Point about July 4th celebrations.
Locally, here in Clyde Hill,
City Hall will be closed next Friday, July 4th, in observance of Independence Day. We also plan to close early at noon on Thursday, July 3rd, due to several planned staff vacations. (link)
From the same document:
There will not be an Administrator’s Report issued next week due to the Independence Day holiday closures.
Residents interested in the Tuesday, July 8, City Council meeting will have to wait until Monday, July 7 for more information.
Disclaimer: while I am a council member on the Clyde Hill City Council, I write this newsletter in my capacity as an individual resident. Any opinions expressed are my own and not necessarily the position of the city. City information and references here are from public sources. I welcome email responses — and if the topic is about city business I will respond from my city email account.
Rat infestation
Neighbors of a rat-infested home in Clyde Hill are experiencing an increased level of rat activity on their property, as rats scatter in response to continuing efforts to remove garbage from both inside and outside the house.
Residents wrote that the city is putting “an inappropriately positive spin on everything related to the 2305 mess” and that they find the progress “uninspiring.”
In emails with neighbors of the house on 88th, a senior city staffer insisted that the crisis is over, adding
I disagree with your assertion that the progress so far has been “uninspiring”
and countering that the progress over the last six weeks has been “extraordinary.”
Residents have been complaining to the city about the issue for five years.
Financial Sustainability and the 2026 Budget
There has been neither an email update to the resident volunteers and council members on the Financial Sustainability Task Force nor an update to the city’s website more than ten days after the group’s June 17th meeting:
The city’s public meeting calendar shows no future meetings of the task force and no meetings related to the development of a 2026 budget.
The most recently available draft of the 2026 budget (without a stormwater utility) shows a General Fund deficit of ~$456,000:
This projection assumes the city council does not approve a stormwater utility fee at its August meeting. According to a document in the June 10 city council packet:
“the stormwater utility is (1) an accounting tool to decrease the general fund deficit and (2) a new revenue stream for the city that avoids going to the voters.” (link)
At the June 17 budget meeting, Cm Steve Sinwell called the stormwater utility plans “not ready for prime time.” (link)
Bankruptcy is a real option
Budget issues have recently forced changes at Bellevue School District (which operates two schools in Clyde Hill) and a bankruptcy in another city in Washington:
The City of Clyde Hill has run an operating budget deficit since at least 2020 (setting aside a one-time Covid-19 “Rescue Plan” grant):
Residents on the city’s Financial Sustainability Task Force have been clear in their concerns about Clyde Hill’s future absent any changes.
Local 4th of July celebrations
Yarrow Point and Hunts Point will hold their 49th celebration of July 4th this week. You can find a schedule of events at https://points4th.org:
The Town of Hunts Point sent an update to its residents on Friday:
In an email to residents, Medina PD wrote:
“As we approach the 4th of July, this is a reminder that it is illegal to use and discharge fireworks within the City”
ahead of offering safety tips.
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Dean Hachamovitch