Major projects are being led by city council members to prepare Deer Park, Washington for the future. Upcoming reports will shed light on the issues facing our city and questions that will need to be answered.
Benefiting from new home construction, property taxes will be going down. Travis Hanson, the school district superintendent, reported on the expected improvements and challenges resulting from the growing population in the area. Plans for airport improvements also moved forward.
As fall arrives the city is preparing for winter and wrapping up fair weather projects. Improvements to the city’s Christmas decorations and additions to the tree-lighting ceremony were also discussed.
The importance of clear communication was a common theme with a number of topics on the Council’s agenda. Related subjects ranged from how the city conducts surveys to project taskforces and even technology to help citizens with hearing impairments.
Hearing impairment issues have prevented residents from being able to participate fully in City Council meetings. During Deaf Awareness Week, the city council canceled its regularly scheduled meeting. Councilman Caleb Stapp is pursuing solutions regardless of the cancellation.
Property owners outside of Deer Park have requested the city annex their land into the city limits. Architects have been selected to determine what can be done about the city hall building. Cannabis, law enforcement, and the library park were also topics of discussion.
First, a petition for annexation has been submitted to the city for a new housing development. Secondly, the council will be considering banning marijuana-related businesses. Last was regarding preservation costs for city hall and roads that are higher than expected.
Mary Hathaway stood up to address the ownership of chickens within Deer Park city limits. There had been flyers posted around town and posts on social media to gather support for the meeting held on July 20th. The room was packed with some people standing in the halls that wanted to be a part of this discussion and hear the response of council members along with city staff. Mayor Tim Verzal has asked Mary Hathaway to represent the group in favor of chickens; she accepted the role with the support of those in attendance who thought it was an eggs-cellent idea.
Nearing the deadline, the Deer Park City Council has made an appointment to fill the vacancy left by Ron Scholz. Originally ten residents applied for the open position. The council opted to interview only three candidates, James Scholz, Nicholas Minzghor, and Naomi Diaz.
During the last Deer Park City Council meeting, several issues were addressed briefly. These issues regarded pedestrian ramps, COVID emergency powers, inflation regarding the annual fireworks budget, and repairs completed in parks.
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