Clyde Hill News: Police respond to collision on 84th

Also: Police union support for “MOU;” private stormwater inspection notices in the mail

Sep 05, 2022

First, in local news: Medina Police responded to a single-vehicle collision Sunday at the 84th Ave NE off-ramp of 520:

Single-vehicle collision occurred earlier today on 84th Ave NE at SR-520. Minor injuries, occupants fled the scene on foot but were apprehended by the responding Medina Police Officer. Please be careful walking in this area until the damage to the walkway can be repaired.

One more item before our disclaimer: if you find this newsletter useful or interesting, please forward it to your Clyde Hill neighbors and friends. Thank you!

Disclaimer: while I am a councilmember 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. The 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.

Police Update

The City Council will consider a change to the agreement between the Clyde Hill Police Department and the City at its next meeting. From the Administrator’s Weekly Report on Friday:1

Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) – Update:
Police union voted overwhelmingly in favor of the MOU Wednesday. Staff will be bringing you [City Council] the MOU in closed session on September 13th. Following closed session there will be a Motion for Consideration item for Council action.

The specifics of the proposed contact amendment are not public at this time.

Some context for residents trying to make sense of this activity:

The rise in cost of living in King County is remarkable. For example, “Skyrocketing Seattle-area rents leave tenants with no easy choices” (Seattle Times, link).
As neighboring cities address officer shortages, officer retention in Clyde Hill becomes more challenging. This news article discusses different approaches (link).
One Clyde Hill police officer recently resigned. While there has not yet been a public report from that exit interview, people involved have expressed concern about the issues raised in that discussion. It’s not clear if the public will hear more ahead of the next City Council meeting.

The Police Department serves both the City of Clyde Hill and the Town of Yarrow Point, and officer retention and morale are important issues for both communities. Residents who have questions or concerns can send email or attend the meeting to provide public comment.

Stormwater Update

Work to address residents’ stormwater problems on 17th St appears stalled as the City works to secure easements from a property owner. For context and history on this issue, you can read more here (“City to pursue 17th St Stormwater repair,” link; “City to Residents: ‘Want to split a $250K bill?’,” link).

The City mailed “private stormwater inspection notices” on Friday, per the Administrator’s Weekly Report. It’s not clear from the City’s description how many residents are getting notices or what the inspections will cost.

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Dean Hachamovitch

Link to come; the report is not yet posted publicly.