Moratorium public hearing scheduled

The City Council will receive public comments on extending its moratorium on downtown development for up to six months at its Nov. 2 meeting.

The moratorium applies to the submission or acceptance of applications for any building permits or any other land development permits or approvals for major new construction in the Town Center, as defined in Mercer Island city code.

The meeting will be held in the Council Chambers at 9611 S.E. 36th St. Any interested person(s) may appear and provide input. The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. and the public hearing will be part of a larger agenda of regular business.

More information about the moratorium is available at on the city’s website at www.mercergov.org/towncenter.

City may absorb transportation district

The Mercer Island City Council created a Transportation Benefit District (TBD) in October 2014 to enact a $20 car tab fee and bring in $350,000 per year to balance its street fund. The city began collecting the TBD fee in June, and has brought in $102,326 so far.

State law allows cities to establish TBDs, which function as tax districts to fund transportation improvements, so long as they are consistent with existing plans and are required by growing congestion. The governing board of the TBD is the City Council.

In this year’s session, the legislature made two changes to the TBD rules: the nonvoted fee limit can be raised from $20 to $40, and a city that shares boundaries with its TBD may absorb the TBD and assume all of its powers and functions. Assumption will be brought before the City Council soon, said Assistant City Attorney Christina Schuck.

“It ends the artifice of the TBD,” Schuck said, and would decrease administrative costs, as the TBD is a separate legal entity.

TBD monies can be used to fund arterial street projects in the City’s 2015-2020 Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP) such as improvements on Island Crest Way and S.E. 40th Street, or on public transportation projects like the Mercer Island Commuter Shuttle, which is also funded by the City of Seattle and King County Metro.

The car tab fee cannot be raised until it has been imposed for 24 months.

City reviews dashboard report

Finance Director Chip Corder crunched the numbers on the City of Mercer Island’s performance last year, evaluating 35 indicators based on six priorities of government.

Corder found that 23 indicators rated “very good,” including crime prevention, traffic safety, emergency medical aid, creditworthiness, financial management, arterial street pavement condition, economic vitality and sewer infrastructure.

Some factors were “concerning,” including volunteerism and YFS funding, Town Center and fire loss/prevention. There were a lot of damaging fires in 2014, causing Islanders to lose $3 million collectively. But, response times for the fire department have steadily decreased over the past five years, and the city started a Town Center revisioning process in 2014 that should be completed in 2016.

Water infrastructure was rated as “needing attention.”

The City Council asked how the metrics are applied to change city practices, and wondered if the data should be evaluated more often than once a year. City Manager Noel Treat said the dashboard report is “always open for rethinking or retooling.”

The Council is also considering doing an audit of the city budget.

MICEC celebrates 10th anniversary

The Mercer Island Parks & Recreation Department invites the community to join them on Nov. 5 as it celebrates the Mercer Island Community & Event Center’s (MICEC) 10th anniversary.

The Mercer Island Community & Event Center will host an open house from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m., alongside the Mercer Island Visual Arts League (MIVAL) Holiday Show, presented by the Mercer Island Arts Council.

Festivities will include a trivia contest, cake, hors d’oeuvres, beverages and much more. The Mercer Island Community & Event Center will provide snacks and other activities to commemorate the event throughout the day as well.

For more information, call 206-275-7609.