Now What?

CHELAN - The feel around Lake Chelan was as calm and peaceful as any other Wednesday, but if you were to walk into Tsillan Cellars some time after 1 p.m, the ambiance painted quite a different picture.

If you happened to squeeze your way into the standing-room only pavilion, one of the first things you would have sensed is the frustration that is shared among the 50+ property owners that were in attendance.

Their frustrations - which if not known before, are as clear as crystal now - surrounded the formation of three Utility Local Improvement Districts (ULID) that would accommodate parcels around the Bear Mountain Golf Course, Hawks Meadow and an area along SR 97 that was just annexed in February.

Among the various concerns and issues property owners shared about the ULID, chiefly the motive they all shared referred to the proportionality in which each parcel was assessed.

In other words, the amount each homeowner was assessed ($16,500) was the same regardless of the acreage owned on a given lot. The size of lots in the potential ULID range from .25 to 76 acres.

If property owners wish to file a written objection, they have 10 day to do so. One other tidbit however is that 40 percent of the total land area in the ULID has to file a written objection in order to shut down the formation. The only problem is that because of the discrepancy in acre size, the majority, which represent the smaller lots (many of them less than one acre) are outweighed by the few who own the larger lots.

Regardless, if the Board decides to proceed with the ULID - despite what looks and feels like a formidable opposition - at their next meeting on April 19 at 1 p.m. in the Tsillan cellars Tasting Room, the property owners indicated they will take them to court.

Everyone buckle up.

Read next week’s Mirror to have the full story with quotes from both sides of the argument.