3 Takeaways from Tuesday’s City Council Meeting

CHELAN – The Chelan City Council held its regular meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 10 at City Hall. Here are 3 takeaways from the meeting:

1. Chelan Valley Housing Trust Memorandum of Understanding for the CHIP Grant (City Administrator Farris)

Chelan Valley Housing Trust owns property known as Chelan River Heights which is located along 38 Anderson Road in Chelan County, Washington. They intend to develop this land to provide housing affordable to local wage earners in the form of 45 mixed-income residential homes. This effort is being referred to as the “CRH Project,” the development of which will require infrastructure to be completed in the form of sewer, water, stormwater, etc. To achieve this goal, CVHT intends to apply for a $2 million grant from the Washington State Department of Commerce known as the CHIP (Connecting Housing to Infrastructure Program) Grant to provide for the development of affordable housing. In response, a motion to authorize the Mayor to finalize and execute the Memorandum of Understanding with the Chelan Valley Housing Trust for the CHIP Grant was set forth and passed.

2. Chelan County Department of Emergency Management – 2024 Emergency Services Agreement (City Administrator Farris)

The City of Chelan is mandated to have an established and active emergency management program and plan, and is contracted with the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office for Emergency Services. The 2023 rate for this was $3.04 per capita but has seen a recent cost increase. In a letter to the City from Sheriff Mike Morrison, it is stated that the 2024 rate has risen to $3.08 per capita. A move to authorize the Mayor to finalize and execute the 2024 Agreement for Emergency Management Services with Chelan County was set forth and passed.

3. WSDOT Airport Aid Grant Offer and Agreement (City Administrator Farris)

The proposed Lake Chelan Airport Apron & Taxiway Pavement Maintenance project consists of maintenance measures which are intended to prolong the usefulness of existing airport pavements. The City received one bid response in the amount of $499,393.39 from CR Contracting, LLC. Due largely to the milling bid item, this was higher than the estimate of $406,048.11 provided by the engineer. $530,339 is the total project cost. WSDOT will reimburse five percent of this cost in the reimbursement amount of $27,651.17. Council previously approved this agreement; that said, DOT forwarded the paperwork the first week of October. A move to authorize the Mayor's designee City Administrator Farris to finalize and execute the WSDOT Airport Aid Grant Officer and Agreement for the Lake Chelan Airport Apron and Taxiway Pavement Maintenance project was set forth and passed.

The next City Council meeting will be a City Council regular meeting on October 24, 2023 at 6:00 p.m. in Chelan City Hall Council Chambers located at 135 E. Johnson Avenue, Chelan, Washington.

Katie Lindert: 509-731-3211 or katie@ward.media