City Council committee supports countywide drug take-back program
November 28, 2012
NEW — 8 a.m. Nov. 28, 2012
City Council members signaled support Monday for a burgeoning effort to create a King County prescription drug take-back program.
Council Safety & Services Committee members unanimously recommended for the council to approve a resolution supporting the program to committee for further discussion.
In a unanimous decision Nov. 19, council members sent the proposed resolution to committee. The council is expected to consider the resolution again next month.
The council sent the legislation to committee less than a week after Mayor Ava Frisinger, a King County Board of Health member, joined a local forum to discuss the proposed county drug take-back program.
Issaquah donates money to affordable housing
May 18, 2010
City Council members contributed $150,000 on May 3 to build affordable-housing units for low-income King County residents, homeless people and people with disabilities.
The contribution formed part of the annual contribution to A Regional Coalition for Housing. Formed in 1993, the group includes Issaquah, 14 other Eastside cities and King County.
Issaquah will provide $100,000 in long-term loans for the Totem Lake units and a $50,000 grant to the Foundation for the Challenged to build group housing for people with disabilities in northeastern King County. St. Andrew’s Housing Group — a partner of ARCH — proposed the 60 affordable rental units for the Totem Lake area in Kirkland.
“You’ll notice that there are no Issaquah projects in this allocation, but I do know that other jurisdictions have been very, very supportive of a number of projects in Issaquah,” Councilman Fred Butler said.
The council also OK’d a list of ongoing and upcoming ARCH projects, and a measure to streamline the administration of the Housing Trust Fund — a regional account to create and preserve housing for low- and moderate-income residents.
Under the work program approved by council members, the housing organization will work with the city on the YWCA Family Village at Issaquah development and the Habitat for Humanity of East King County construction in the Issaquah Highlands.
Council Services & Operations Committee members discussed the proposal in January, and recommended the legislation to the full council.
Council OKs human services campus study
December 20, 2009
NEW — 6 a.m. Dec. 20, 2009
A clearinghouse where people in need can receive food, healthcare and employment is a step closer to reality for Issaquah.
Officials hired nonprofit Family Resource Center, of Redmond, to locate a suitable site for a human services campus, engage in business planning and provide legal assistance. City Council members approved the $35,000 pact in a unanimous vote Dec. 7.
City budget: Bus service, maintenance to be delayed
December 15, 2009
Issaquah City Jail will add a corrections officer, but parks and road improvements will be scaled back in the 2010 budget headed to the City Council next week.
The plan reflects difficult decisions as the council sought to balance savings and services amid the recession. City residents will notice changes large — fewer traffic signal upgrades — and small — only two city newsletters will be mailed next year.
Mayor Ava Frisinger proposed a leaner budget for next year for a city with fewer employees and capital projects planned. After several tweaks, the City Council plans to adopt the $99 million budget Dec. 21.
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
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
Issaquah Soccer Club donates $100,000 for Central Park turf
July 21, 2009
Dark, soggy, grass sports fields in the Issaquah Highlands could be replaced with all-weather turf and sports lighting, thanks to city park bond dollars and county and state grants. Read more
City Council will consider spending $20,000 to study feasibility of human services campus
July 21, 2009
Before city officials take steps to establish a human services campus, they will consider spending up to $20,000 next month to partner with a Redmond social services center to plan for a similar facility in Issaquah. Read more
City offers severance package to employees as officials face $3.6 million shortfall
July 21, 2009
NEW — 11:10 a.m. July 21, 2009
Issaquah faces a $3.6 million budget shortfall, forcing city officials to consider layoffs and program cuts to rein in expenses.
Major sources of dollars for the city have sunk. Money raised through building permit fees and sales tax are down on account of the recession.
City Finance Director Jim Blake presented a revised 2009 budget forecast to members of the Council Services & Operations Committee Monday night.
Blake said the number of layoffs would hinge on the number of city staffers who accept a voluntary severance package. He said only a handful of volunteers had stepped forward so far. The program is open to all city employees.
“Anybody that takes a severance package decreases the number of people that we may potentially have to lay off,” Blake said.
City faces more than $3 million in cuts to meet budget shortfall
July 14, 2009
‘We’ve gotten to the point where it’s jobs,’ mayor says
Officials need to trim $750,000 to $1 million from city expenses before the end of the year and make at least another $2 million in budget cuts for 2010. Key sources of dollars for the city — building permits and sales tax revenue — have dropped due to the economy. Read more
