Snoqualmie residents raised questions about the future of their city, and the planned community center, Wednesday evening, Oct. 1, during the first round of the annual Snoqualmie town hall meeting.
As ice cream floats made the rounds at the Cascade View Elementary School gym, courtesy of Snoqualmie Falls Brewing Company and Snoqualmie Falls Candy Factory, Mayor Matt Larson spelled out the state of the city, touching on what he described as “the good, the bad and the ugly.”
State of city
“The state of the city is very good, except for a little bit of the bad and the ugly around it,” Larson said.
The ugly uncertainties that the city faces include the global and national economy, though Washington seems to be in much better shape than the rest of the country, Larson said. Inflating costs in construction are also affecting city buying power and projects, such as the newCity Hall.
In the “bad” category, the city is faced with a 70 percent drop in new home sales in Snoqualmie, over 2007, putting a crimp on real estate taxes that the city receives.
Utility infrastructure is also due to get some much-needed repairs, and that means utility rates for residents are expected to rise about 6 percent over the next three years.
Larson said that local rates were artificially kept low for years as the Ridge built up, so that longtime residents didn’t feel like they were getting an unfair burden.
“We cannot continue to do business that way,” he said.
In the “good” column, Larson said the city has been preparing for the drop in home sales in Snoqualmie for some time. The Ridge was originally supposed to keep growing until 2020, but the city council noted several years ago that build-out was happening at a much faster pace.
Policies to help the city live within stable means include looking at spending to ensure that future revenue will support it.
Larson said there are no plans to cut any core city services, and police department staff continues to grow.
Community center
Much of the question-and-answer period Wednesday evening revolved around the new community center, which comes before voters in the form of a $10 million bond on Nov. 4.
