City Council OKs Comcast price hike
September 28, 2010
The updated agreement between the city and Comcast allows the cable provider to raise prices and removes many of the provisions the city had in place to maintain some of the best cable prices in the state for decades.
Comcast announced plans in early September to raise prices for Issaquah customers Oct. 1. The decision prompted grumbling from the City Council, but, in the end, members said the city had little choice but to sign off on the agreement.
The agreement reached the council Sept. 20, after almost three years of negotiations between Comcast and the city Cable TV Commission, the adviser to the council on telecommunications issues.
Issaquah’s population inches upward — barely
July 16, 2010
NEW — 8 a.m. July 16, 2010
The number of people who moved to Issaquah last year could fit inside Pickering Barn and still have plenty of room to spare.
The annual tally from the state Office of Financial Management shows the city’s population nudged upward by 270 people last year, bringing the population to 27,160 residents. (Historic Pickering Barn holds 400 people.)
The latest population figures indicate a slowdown after a decade marked by large annexations and a housing construction boom in the Issaquah Highlands and Talus. The city ballooned by 139 percent between April 2000 and April 2009.
Comcast price hike does not affect Issaquah
July 13, 2010
Though Comcast intends to raise prices about 5 percent for some Western Washington customers, the coming hike does not affect Issaquah customers.
The city Cable TV Commission and Comcast continue to negotiate a franchise agreement for Issaquah. Under the existing system, separate agreements cover Issaquah.
South Cove and Greenwood Point residents paid higher prices for cable services to a separate company operating under the Comcast brand.
Issaquah annexed the neighborhoods in 2006, and the franchise proposal under consideration unites the city under a single agreement. City officials expect prices to rise under the updated agreement, though the amount remains uncertain.
Cable TV Commission and Comcast officials plan to finalize the agreement in the coming months.
Comcast announced a plan in early July to raise prices for most cable customers Aug. 1.
Council postpones right of way decision again
July 13, 2010
The decision about how the city should handle a section of right of way near East Lake Sammamish Parkway Southeast has been delayed again.
The council held a hearing about the 229th Avenue Southeast right of way in May and June, but extended the process on both occasions to allow city staffers more opportunities to contact landowners.
King County required the developer to dedicate right of way for 229th Avenue Southeast in case the county or city someday decided to extend the street from south of Issaquah-Fall City Road to connect to Southeast Black Nugget Road. The city annexed the area a decade ago, but officials do not intend to develop the road link.
The right of way runs near the Boeing building — officially the Eastpointe Corporate Center — behind The Home Depot. The city also located the owner: Piedmont Office Realty Trust, based in Johns Creek, Ga. The property management company acquired the building in 2003.
City Council members heard from a Seattle attorney hired by the property owner to examine the process. The council agreed last week to delay the next hearing until September.
Council sets 2011 goals
June 29, 2010
The ambitious agenda for 2011 calls for the city to turn Issaquah into a mountain-biking destination, decide whether to annex Klahanie and surrounding neighborhoods, and continue to promote Issaquah to prospective businesses.
City Council members OK’d goals for 2011 last week, and handed Mayor Ava Frisinger a broad set of priorities to be accomplished next year. The decision represents the first step in the process to shape the 2011 city budget.
Department chiefs start to prepare the budget in summer. Frisinger then delivers a proposal to the council by October. Members mold the proposal into a final budget, and the council approves the spending plan in late December.
The list also calls for the city to improve transportation, foster economic development and reduce environmental impact.
The council seeks to build a mountain bike park in Issaquah and connect city trails to regional mountain biking trails. Though the process could take several years to complete, council members directed city staffers to start the process next year.
City Council sets goals, including plan to make Issaquah a mountain-biking mecca
June 26, 2010
NEW — 7 a.m. June 26, 2010
The ambitious agenda for 2011 calls for the city to turn Issaquah into a mountain-biking destination, decide whether to annex Klahanie and surrounding neighborhoods, and continue to promote Issaquah to prospective businesses.
City Council members OK’d goals for 2011 on Monday, and handed Mayor Ava Frisinger a broad set of priorities to be accomplished next year. The decision represents the first step in the process to shape the 2011 city budget.
Department chiefs start to prepare the budget in the summer. The mayor then delivers a proposal to the council by October. Members mold the proposal into a final budget, and the council approves the spending plan in late December.
City Council discusses goals to improve parks, transportation and economic development Monday
June 20, 2010
NEW — 6 a.m. June 20, 2010
City officials and employees will strive next year to turn Issaquah into a mountain-biking destination, decide whether to annex Klahanie and take steps to make the city attractive to businesses.
City Council members have laid out numerous goals to improve transportation, foster economic development and reduce environmental impact in 2011. Members will discuss — and then almost assuredly approve — the list Monday night.
The council meets at 7:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall South, 135 E. Sunset Way.
The list calls for building a mountain bike park in Issaquah and connecting city trails to regional mountain biking trails.
City Council will decide whether to give up right of way
May 25, 2010
City Council members will soon consider relinquishing the opportunity to develop unpaved right of way just above East Lake Sammamish Parkway Southeast.
The council will listen to public comments before deciding whether to vacate right of way for 229th Avenue Southeast on June 7.
King County required the developer behind The Home Depot at East Lake Center and near the Boeing complex to dedicate right of way for 229th Avenue Southeast. Planners meant for the road to someday extend from south of Issaquah-Fall City Road to connect with Southeast Black Nugget Road. In order to accommodate eventual link, the county called for a 60-foot earthen embankment alongside the right of way.
Issaquah annexed the area a decade ago.
“We inherited it when we annexed,” city Engineer Bonita McPherren said.
City planners said a roadway could not be built on the right of way without first building a high, reinforced retaining wall. The hurdle makes a road connection along the right of way impractical. Hence, the city has no need to retain the property.
Under state law, the council must hold a public hearing before the vacation can proceed. The council held the initial hearing May 17.
The council agreed to continue the hearing June 7 to allow for comment from city residents and landowners. No one addressed the council during the May 17 hearing.
McPherren said the city contacted nearby property owners at the start of the process, but officials only heard from a single neighbor. Council members asked McPherren to contact nearby landowners again before the June hearing.
Besides the business district along East Lake Sammamish Parkway Southeast, the annexation brought the Overdale Park neighborhood into the city.
Annexation could change amount city pays to EFR
May 11, 2010
When Sammamish officials decided to let the Aldarra and Montaine neighborhoods join the city, they created a revenue problem for the Fall City Fire Department.
Those neighborhoods are served by the Fall City department. After coming into Sammamish, they would normally be served by Eastside Fire & Rescue.
As a result, Fall City Fire, officially called King County Fire District 27, would lose out on an estimated $125,081 in 2010 property tax revenue when the neighborhoods join Sammamish.
Now, Ben Yazici, Sammamish city manager, is trying to negotiate a temporary fix, which would save the district all but about $6,000 of that money.
Sammamish would pay Fall City Fire to be the first responder to calls from the Aldarra and Montaine neighborhoods through 2012.
In that scenario, Aldarra and Montaine would be the only two neighborhoods in Sammamish that would receive a lower level of service. Fall City uses two-person companies, while EFR uses three-person companies on a fire engine responding to basic emergency medical calls and basic fire investigations.
City Council sets parks, transportation among 2011 goals
May 4, 2010
City Council members outlined goals for parks, technology, economic development and transportation to be accomplished next year. The council eschewed broad policy goals and recommended specific projects.
Members culled 62 suggestions into a handful of rough goals. Municipal staffers will then hone the list into a final stack of goals for the council to approve next month.
The council gathered in a Public Works Operations Building conference room May 1 for the daylong discussion to set goals for 2011.
Council President John Traeger encouraged members to offer multiple suggestions.
“There are no bad ideas, and no goal is too big or too small,” he said.
The retreat included initial discussion about the upcoming budget. City department chiefs use the goals set by the council to formulate budgets for the upcoming year.
