Almost every week this is the "What's on the city council's plate this week" review. I don't cover everything, so if you want the full rundown, read the packet and agenda yourself. 

Here's a pretty distrubing note for next Tuesday's city council meeting next Tuesday. The city staff will give a presentation on the budget woes, but won't give any details in written form befor or after.

From here (pdf):

Due to the very difficult budget situation, staff will be presenting the operating budget in October rather than the normal first Tuesday in November. Tonight is a presentation only. There will not be any handouts or budget documents available for the Council, press or public. The written documents will be provided as statutorily required in November.

Almost every week this is the "What's on the city council's plate this week" review. I don't cover everything, so if you want the full rundown, read the packet and agenda yourself.

The only interesting thing out of the very thin council packet before the big show public hearing next week was this little nugget:

We would be willing to entire into a developer agreement proposed by City Staff ... The proposed developer agreement would be used to ensure that the additional height that we are requesting will, in fact, produce a mixed-use project that will not only accommodate street level retail, offices and parking, but also provide the highly desirable housing element on the floors above.

That came from a response to an Environmental Impact Statement from one of Triway's outside consultants. Full letter here.

What is sounds like to me is that Triway is willing to let the city dictate exactly what they want the project to look like, in exchange for the rezone.

Almost every week this is the "What's on the city council's plate this week" review. I don't cover everything, so if you want the full rundown, read the packet and agenda yourself.

EDIT: Just called down there, the exact dates of the closure are October 6 until December 14. Can't wait until after the remodel, should be cool.

From the staff report discussing the city spending $60,000 on a carpet replacement at the library (which the library district will repay):

...the City and Timberland Regional Library have several projects already planned for the library building, including carpet replacement, installation of a new information desk and a new circulation desk, the addition of a new sit-down desk for people receiving library cards, new seating and tables in the atrium below the skylights, cleaning of public computer workstations and removal of an underground storage tank, in which the facility will be closed to the public for up to two months.

I've heard a bit about this closure before (not sure about the dates), but apparently, you'll still be able to pick up and drop off books, but the library itself (shelves and all) will be shut down for awhile.

More from the staff report:

Almost every week this is the "What's on the city council's plate this week" review. I don't cover everything, so if you want the full rundown, read the packet and agenda yourself.

The city council will consider how they're going to run the most popular public comment period of the year next week.

And, the lengths to which city staff are suggesting to accommodate public testimony for the Comprehensive Plan amendment that would allow higher buildings downtown, I think, illustrate the political and social mood in Olympia.

We're "(A) Split House." (from city staff report)

Rhenda Strub, one of the newest city council members, blogged about this recently:

Almost every week this is the "What's on the city council's plate this week" review. I don't cover everything, so if you want the full rundown, read the packet and agenda yourself.

Water rights might not be exciting, but they're interesting. So, this week I'm going to blather about the city buying water rights out by Lake St. Clair. They're in the process of changing their pumping scheme out at the McCallister Creek site, moving from a spring to a well field, and that change might have some impact on surrounding water bodies. So (says the staff report):

The most recent model results predict that moving the water source from McAllister Springs to the McAllister Wellfield will result in significantly higher flows in McAllister Creek. At the same time, pumping at the wellfield may cause relatively small depletions of flow in other surface water bodies in the Nisqually and Deschutes Watersheds.

Almost every week this is the "What's on the city council's plate this week" review. I don't cover everything, so if you want the full rundown, read the packet and agenda yourself.

Will we be voting for a new fire station and a new training center in August? The city council could decide on Tuesday at their regular session.

The council will consider whether to put a $16.5 million dollar, 20 year levy on the ballot. The levy will pay for a ~$11 million fire station and new training center plus the needed new equipment (you know, trucks). Here's a general rundown from the staff report on the finances:

Almost every week this is the "What's on the city council's plate this week" review. I don't cover everything, so if you want the full rundown, read the packet and agenda yourself.

The city council will also consider the budget for the Parking and Business Improvement Area downtown. From the staff report:

Total PBIA Assessments available $174,324 (This includes a unspent balance from prior year appropriations totaling $62,474 and new 2008 assessments totaling $111,852). The Advisory Board is recommending continuing existing programs and services and new programs and services that total $163,500, leaving a balance of $10,824 for future programs.

Almost every week this is the "What's on the city council's plate this week" review. I don't cover everything, so if you want the full rundown, read the packet and agenda yourself.

Usually I stick with the things that interest me when I do a city council packet rundown. But, this time I picked something out that I thought would be more interesting to all of you guys: Art at the new city hall.

Not my cup of tea, but here we go.

One percent of capital projects in Olympia are usually held back for some sort of public art project. Not going to be any different in the new city hall down at the old Safeway store. From the staff report:

Almost every week this is the "What's on the city council's plate this week" review. I don't cover everything, so if you want the full rundown, read the packet and agenda yourself.

This week the finance committee will talk about sidewalks and where we should build more sidewalks in the city of Olympia and how (appropriate for this committee) we should pay for those sidewalks.

As Chad points out, You will have the chance to talk about transportation in Olympia on March 10 and 13th at Olympia High School.

I once described myself as a sidewalk nerd, and Sarah asked me to explain. I didn't then, but hopefully, this post helps her out. I love me some sidewalks, and it makes me mad that Olympia doesn't have more of them in the places where it needs them.

Unfortunately, Olympians didn't get on the stick until we passed a sidewalks and park financing plan until 2004. Now, we get to discuss how we put all that money to work. And, apparently the city is prepared to take a more agressive stand on building those sidewalks.

Build now, pay for them later (from the staff report):

A more aggressive long term financing plan would allow the City to build more sidewalks more quickly, and use future revenues to pay back debt. Some benefits of a long term strategy are:

Almost every week this is the "What's on the city council's plate this week" review. I don't cover everything, so if you want the full rundown, read the packet and agenda yourself.

Nothing much in the packet this week (maybe something about a "water plan" that I'll write about later, but it looks pretty daunting), except a little note from the "Committee of the Chairs" meeting on Tuesday night at 5p (report @ scribd):

There was preliminary discussion by and among 2007 Councilmembers about holding a Town Hall meeting on April 22 (Earth Day) at Olympia High School. The suggested topic was Climate Change/Sea Level Rise.

...

BACKGROUND: As part of the Council’s 2004 Open Government initiative, Councilmembers – at that time – committed to holding two Town Hall meetings each year on topics identified by the City Council.

A preliminary date and theme for April 22, 2008 was identified by the 2007 Council. No additional planning activity has occurred, and no meeting space has been reserved. The Olympia Center is not available on April 22.

It looks like they don't have anything to talk to us about. So, outside of sea leve rise, can anyone think of anything else they'd like to talk to the city council about?