City news in Mercer Island.

City Council and School Board to hold joint meeting on Oct. 13

The Mercer Island City Council will hold a special joint meeting with the Mercer Island School District Board from 5-7 p.m. on Oct. 13 at City Hall.

Topics include school district and city funding constraints, and transportation issues and impacts.

The district’s COO Dean Mack and the city’s finance director Chip Corder will highlight constraints that impact each agency’s ability to fund its respective missions.

Following their presentation, a short description of joint efforts supporting students and community will be shared. Efforts include Youth and Family Services’ school counselors, coordination and use of elementary and middle school fields, public park subsidies, Mary Wayte Pool operating subsidy and other major investments in infrastructure improvements.

The district’s transportation director, Dave Bynum, will discuss the high school and middle school new drop-off areas, and flow through the school driveways; the number of buses needed to transport students to four elementary schools, and the length of transition times; and the number of students crossing streets around the North Mercer Complex.

Consultant Brandy Fox will share information about traffic impacts and coordination with city staff resulting from construction and use of the district’s three major bond projects.

City staff will share information about traffic impacts in the major interchanges and arterials resulting from new school boundaries and changes to the ingress and egress of cars and buses on the district’s properties.

Both city and district staff will address safe routes to school and stop-arm cameras on school buses, with city staff sharing information on the number of tickets issued and incidents under review.

For more, see www.mercergov.org/CouncilMeetings or www.mercerislandschools.org.

City provides tips to avoid rat infestations

Recently, the city of Mercer Island has received more reports of rat sightings, and increased numbers of complaints have been filed by residents.

According to Public Health officials, rats are found across King County, reproduce very quickly and can enter homes through surprisingly small openings.

Since rodents are often first attracted by outdoor food sources, here’s a list of practices to avoid:

• Garbage that rats can get into, such as garbage cans with loose lids, plastic or paper bags, and general litter

• Food for pets and birds that has not been eaten, such as birdseed on the ground, pet food in pet dishes, bread crumbs, etc

• Fruits and berries that have fallen to the ground

• Compost piles or worm bins that are not taken care of properly — do not put meat, fish, poultry, or dairy in backyard composters; save that for your curbside yard waste

• Dog droppings in your yard ­— rats will eat these

To learn more about preventative measures and control options, read a King County brochure at: www.kingcounty.gov/healthservices/health/ehs/rats/~/media/health/publichealth/documents/ehs/RatsUnwanted.

For enforcement issues on Mercer Island, contact the city’s code compliance officer at 206-275-7709.

For more city news, sign up for the MI Weekly newsletter at www.mercergov.org.