Ritzville Council discusses utility services

The Ritzville City Council discussed the topic of water billing and landlord delinquency at their meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 4. The meeting began with a request from Frank Payne, a contractor from Spokane, regarding an agreement made in 1997 between him and the City of Ritzville.

Payne explained in 1997, his company, Ernst and Payne Inc., provided their services in Ritzville on the old high school with the plan to redesign the building to become housing for senior citizens.

Due to the daily commute from Spokane to Ritzville being an inconvenience, his company decided to purchase a property in the City and establish a manufactured home on the property. The home provided the workers with a place to stay during the week.

During the construction, the City approached Payne to tear down the old abandoned water tower located on an adjacent surplus lot. The tower proved to be a serious liability for the City because children would climb and play on it.

The City signed an agreement with the company to remove the tower in exchange for the lot and free hook-up service for water and sewer for a future manufactured home. Payne purchased the lot from the City for $100 and received approval for sewer and water installation free of cost.

Payne informed the Council he is currently in the process of selling the lot and requested the City honor the contract and install water and sewer lines to the property in order for the property to be of use to potential buyers.

Clerk/Treasurer Kris Robbins explained the reason for the request is due to recent interests in the lot, which raised questions about system development charges (SDC). The SDC would total around $15,000, Robbins added.

Due to the contract being created prior to SDCs, the Council stated the charges would not be included in the agreement. The Council decided to honor the 1997 agreement and motioned for the water and sewer lines to be installed on the lot within 90 days.

Robbins then presented the Council with two show cause hearings. The first residence located on Broadway Street had received multiple notices regarding an excessive amount of debris accumulated on the property.

A fire had affected the second residence and as a result, the owner left metal debris and junk vehicles behind, Robbins stated.

She requested a resolution from the Council for the City to dispose of the debris on both properties. The Council motioned to approve the resolutions.

Councilperson Dennis Chamberlain presented the Council with a memorandum from John Kragt regarding a letter the City received from Northwest Justice Project. The letter related to tenant’s rights under utility ordinances.

Northwest Justice Project is a provider of civil legal services to low-income people in Washington.

The letter questioned whether the City’s water utility ordinance addressed and provided four areas of protection for tenants under certain situations regarding delinquency of the landlord.

Being a landlord, Chamberlain said he would like for the water bills to be sent to landlords only. Regarding situations where the landlord is delinquent in his or her payment, Chamberlain said he would like to give the tenants enough time to open an account of their own to avoid the shut off of utilities.

As of now, tenants receive a courtesy bill regarding the cost of utilities, explained Chamberlain. In order to prevent multiple names on one account, he would like the landlord to be the only name on the account.

In the memorandum, Kragt recommended tenants sign on to the water bill to protect them in the case of landlord delinquency.

Chamberlain informed the Council it would be an inconvenience to request his tenants drive down to City Hall and cosign on the water bill.

The Council discussed how to prevent account holders from opening up new accounts under different family member’s names each time they are delinquent. Robbins suggested they require the tenant to pay the delinquent bill prior to allowing the name be transferred to a different tenant.

The Council decided to handle the situation in a case-by-case basis and further discuss the issue at a later date.

Mayor Gary Cook presented the Council with a request from Special Mobility Services for a letter of support from the City. Special Mobility Services is a Spokane shuttle, which provides transportation between downtown Spokane and Ritzville on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

The Council motioned to approve the letter of support.

Ritzville Police Chief Dave McCormick informed the Council of two new vests the department recently purchased.

He then discussed the idea of holding a mock crash scene at the Lind-Ritzville High School. The high school has not held the event in almost 10 years, explained McCormick.

The mock crash scene would give high school students the opportunity to witness the consequences driving under the influence can have.

McCormick has discussed the idea with the task force coordinator and is in the process of planning the event. High school students will perform as drivers and victims of a drunk driving accident and act out the reality of a fatal collision.

Emergency vehicles and responders will also play a part in the scene in order for it to seem as realistic as possible, McCormick added. The community will be invited to attend the event.

Ritzville Fire Chief Bill Banner informed the Council about a grant workshop he attended in Spokane held by the Department of Ecology (Ecology). He described a grant he is interested in applying for, which would provide funding for oil spills, hazardous material response and firefighting equipment.

This is the first year Ecology has acquired funding for this grant and they are offering up to $777,000 to state agencies, cities, towns, tribal government and others, he added.

The grant would provide funding for equipment, training and reimbursement of certain equipment such as air monitors and response trailers. If the city is awarded the grant, then surrounding agencies are also allowed access to the equipment purchased, Banner explained.

He stated the grant has a zero percent buy in and all applications must be submitted by Nov. 30. Ecology recommends applicants keep requests under $100,000 and capitol improvement on buildings, train stations and train facilities are exempt from funding.

Banner then informed the Council of the Assistance to Firefighters grant, which provides funding for new trucks and stations. Any grant applications not rewarded this year will be carried over to the next year the grant is available as long as the applicant does not request any additional funds from their prior application, he added.