County offers free earthquake retrofit permits
April 20, 2010
Some unincorporated King County residents may qualify for free home earthquake retrofit permits if their home has a wood-frame construction, lightweight roof and a reinforced concrete foundation. Other criteria call for the home to be situated on a relatively level lot and two stories or less in height. Find the complete criteria for a free permit at www.kingcounty.gov/property/permits.
Contact Paula Adams at 206-296-6682 to learn more about earthquake retrofit permits.
Free permits can usually be issued over the counter if residents submit a complete application. Homes that do not meet criteria can also receive a permit, but the process takes more time and the applicant must pay permit-review fees.
“I hope more people will take advantage of this important program,” department Director John Starbard said in a news release. “Our region dealt with the impacts of the Nisqually earthquake in 2001 and, although that event was not of the same magnitude as more recent international earthquake disasters, modern building codes minimized the physical and economic damage of the 2001 quake for the benefit of the entire region.”
King County offers free earthquake retrofit permits
April 13, 2010
NEW — 6 a.m. April 13, 2010
Some unincorporated King County residents might qualify for free home earthquake retrofit permits.
Residents qualify for a free permit if their home has a wood-frame construction, lightweight roof and a reinforced concrete foundation. Other criteria call for the home to be situated on a relatively level lot and two stories or less in height. Find the complete criteria for a free permit here.
Contact Public information and Records Officer Paula Adams at 206-296-6682 to learn more about earthquake retrofit permits.
Mayor proposes leaner budget for 2010
October 6, 2009
Fewer dollars would be set aside for the DownTown Issaquah Association, Friends of the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery, Village Theatre and other organizations supported by city money under the 2010 budget unveiled by Mayor Ava Frisinger. Read more
Expect tighter budget for 2010, mayor says
September 22, 2009
Mayor Ava Frisinger plans to present a leaner city budget early next month, as the City Council seeks to tamp down expenses for 2010. Her budget presentation, scheduled for the Oct. 5 council meeting, follows a round of layoffs last week and several months of money-saving measures. Read more
City services will be impacted by employee layoffs
September 8, 2009
Residents may notice more weeds at city parks, longer waits for passports and fewer road projects next year as municipal officials trim expenses by about $7 million. Read more
City will lay off 10 employees
September 3, 2009
NEW — 1:45 p.m. Sept. 3, 2009
City officials gave layoff notices to 10 employees today as the city takes dramatic steps to trim expenses by about $7 million.
Employees in the municipal Building, Human Resources, Parks & Recreation, Planning and Public Works Engineering departments received notice their positions would be eliminated soon. Some of the departments have been hit by a slowdown in building construction.
The layoffs followed a hiring freeze and a voluntary severance program enacted by the city. Municipal officials will save about $595,000 next year after seven employees opted for a severance package. All told, the hiring freeze, severance program and layoffs will save the city $2.025 million.
Work stalls on Front Street properties
August 18, 2009
The ARCO gas station at the corner of Gilman Boulevard and Front Street remains undeveloped. By Adam Eschbach
City officials issued a building permit for a 10,500-square-foot commercial building at a prime Front Street North location in early February. Since then, however, the site at 670 Front St. N. has gone undeveloped — a result of the cool economy and a tough retail market.
City officials have raised questions about the site — where Skippers restaurant once stood — and a nearby ARCO station in the midst of a delayed renovation project. Council President Maureen McCarry and Councilman Fred Butler raised questions about the ARCO site during a July 8 meeting with City Administrator Leon Kos. Read more
Reserve dollars will be used to bridge city budget gap
August 4, 2009
City officials will dip into a rainy day fund to close a $3.6 million budget gap, and officials could turn to employee layoffs, furloughs and program cuts to prevent another shortfall next year. Read more
Human services campus, new hatchery dam among city’s goals
June 2, 2009
City officials want to improve traffic flow, city parks and salmon habitat in 2010. The wide-ranging list of 2010 goals directs city staffers to take steps to establish a human services campus, plan Cybil-Madeline Park and complete the first phase of the Interstate 90 Undercrossing. Read more
City to cut costs by $1.6 million
May 5, 2009
City of Issaquah officials will slash spending by $1.6 million as they work to patch a $1.5 million budget gap. Officials will defer buying some equipment and supplies, delay filling vacant positions and enact other measures to save money. City Finance Director Jim Blake said the city can avoid tapping into rainy day reserves to cover costs.
Blake presented the forecast at the April 28 Committee-of-the-Whole Council meeting. In February, City Council members asked for quarterly updates on city finances.
A construction slowdown and sluggish spending has contributed to the shortfall, said Blake. Key sources of dollars for the city — building permits and sales tax revenue — have dropped.
“Most of the revenues are doing very fine, coming up with meeting the budget or exceeding it,” Blake said. “The side we have to watch, again, is the permits side. The sales tax primarily is based on the sales tax on the construction side. It’s more or less all attributable to the permits coming in.”
