Clyde Hill News: Residents livid about rats, question library vote
Over 160 dead rats removed; public comment expected at Tuesday council meeting
Residents living near a rat nuisance in Clyde Hill are demanding deadlines and results from the city administration, not just activity and vague promises.
Separately, Clyde Hill residents sent a flurry of emails to elected officials about a potential ballot measure involving King County Library System (KCLS) membership. To date, no council members have taken a public position for or against leaving KCLS, or for or against a ballot measure providing residents the option to leave KCLS.
These topics are at the top of the agenda for Tuesday night’s city council meeting (link). More details, below.
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.
Rats
“The City must step in” and do more (link), according to blunt public comments submitted by multiple neighbors to the city’s full-time paid professionals as well as elected officials about the rat situation on their street.
Emails from residents suggest a loss of confidence in adminstration officials based on the lack of communication and progress addressing the rat issue:
We shouldn’t have to spend thousands in [personal] legal fees to get the City to do its job. We pay high taxes for a reason — and this is a clear breakdown of the system we’re funding.
In an email to neighbors subsequently offered as public comment, Clyde Hill resident Stefanie Bell detailed conversations with officials that “raise serious questions about the City’s diligence” and noted that “The City has far more power than” administration officials are suggesting.
In a separate email to city officials, resident Wayne Burns wrote:
I just went out on this lovely sunny Sunday morning to set a sprinkler on my front lawn. Unfortunately, I could hardly stand to be in my front yard as with this great weather the breeze is blowing from the North and the smell of rat piss in my front yard is overwhelming. Unfortunately, the problem is only going to get worse over the next few days as the temps heat up.
If you are out for a walk or drive today or tomorrow I would encourage you to come down 88th and experience it for yourself so that you know what we are dealing with on a 24/7 basis. When I say 24/7 I am not really exaggerating as I had to call the police to come out and secure the rat house between 9 and 10 pm on Friday night as one of my neighbors was freaking out trying to get a video of the rats running in and out of house through the unsecured doors. Unfortunately, while the police were able to largely close the doors they could not secure the house as the doors are so broken.
“The total number of dead rats removed from the property exceeded 160” according to an update from city officials on Friday afternoon. (link)
Library: Information, please
Residents have asked questions about membership in the King County Library System. Here’s part of a response from Cm Lisa Wissner-Slivka to an email from a Clyde Hill resident:
The Council cannot vote to leave the Library system. Rather, [the city council] can vote to add a measure to the ballot and let the voters confirm that they would like to stay in the system. I understand that you don’t want this topic reconsidered. Some members of our community have come to the city council and made clear that they want this line item put to a vote. Other residents have been surprised at what they are paying and want to understand more. (link)
Resident outrage about the library appears to be in response to an email from KCLS to Clyde Hill residents with the subject line
“Urgent – Clyde Hill city council may take steps to block your access to King County Library System.” (link)
The email from KCLS did not explain that Clyde Hill residents ultimately decide membership (not the city council), and that Clyde Hill households typically pay more than $1,000 a year — in many cases more than $2,000 a year — to KCLS via property taxes.
The council is considering a ballot measure in response to resident feedback about the cost of library membership that residents see on their property tax bill.
To date, no council member has taken a public position for or against leaving KCLS, or for or against a ballot measure providing residents the option to leave KCLS.
We are still in the early stages of this topic, and I strongly encourage residents with questions or concerns to attend the meeting or send email to their elected officials:
"Mayor Friedman" <Mayor@clydehill.org>; "Councilmember Wissner-Slivka" <council1@clydehill.org>; "Councilmember Sinwell" <council2@clydehill.org>; "Councilmember Andonian" <council3@clydehill.org>; "Councilmember Olson" <council4@clydehill.org>; "Councilmember Hachamovitch" <council5@clydehill.org>
Other topics
Middle Housing
Middle Housing is on the agenda again (link), with the council scheduled to consider adopting an ordinance on the matter.
Washington State has imposed new requirements on cities like Clyde Hill, and this ordinance reflects an attempt to comply with state law while reflecting the community’s preferences related to increasing density.
Stormwater utility
The administration’s proposal for a stormwater utility has slipped out another month, as financial specifics promised for this meeting are not ready (link).
Two council members, in a document included in the packet (link), recommended
that the council defer its vote on forming a stormwater utility until the plan is more solid and residents have an appropriate opportunity to understand the plan’s costs and benefits and provide feedback.
noting that
Several residents have called out the many ways that the [stormwater utility] plan, in their opinion, is “not ready for prime time.”
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Dean Hachamovitch