Chelan approves tax levy, Lakeside Trail, Sundance Slope

CHELAN – The city council approved several consent agenda items in one motion at its regular bi-monthly meeting on Nov. 27. 

Those items included the following:

2024 Property Tax Levy

Levy workshops were held on Oct. 3, Oct. 12, and Nov. 8. On Nov 14, 2023, Council instructed the Finance Director Jackie Tupling to bring forward a levy ordinance assessing a 1% increase in property taxes in addition to new construction and refunds.

The Revised Code of Washington (RCW) and Department of Revenue created the proposed ordinance authorizing the council to increase the annual property tax levy by 1% over the amount levied in the previous year. Excluding taxes on new construction, that amount was $17.148.07. The County Assessor provides the increased amount in October of each year. 

75% of Chelan property taxes are used to fund street and transportation maintenance and improvements. 25% funds general government operations and capital improvements, particularly in the parks.

The proposed property tax increase (excluding taxes on new construction) is $17,760.89. This includes the increase on the 2023 Refund Levy. New construction is expected to raise an additional $68,801.43 in property tax.

Lakeside Trail

The project will construct a shared-use path on the north side of SR 97A to connect the existing shared-use path on Water Street to West Woodin Avenue. The work will include parking barriers near crossings, median refuge island, marked crosswalk, sidewalks, green/pavement/bicycle intersection crossing markings, Regular Reflective Flashing Beacons (RRFB), lane width reductions, curb ramps, bicycle wayfinding signs/markings, bike lane, shared-use path, bike/pedestrian counter, access management, and illegal parking removal.

Sundance Slope Annexation

On April 26, 2022, the City Council considered a Notice of Intent to Commence Annexation submitted by Sundance Slope, LLC for one property; however, this agenda item was tabled to May 10, 2022, to allow for the addition of adjacent property.

At that May 10, 2022, meeting the council considered a revised 10% annexation petition with additional adjacent property owners to be included in the annexation. 

On June 13, 2023, the council approved a resolution setting a public hearing date of Aug. 8, 2023, after receiving formal certification of the 60% petition from the Chelan County Assessor on May 11, 2023. Official notice of the public hearing was published in the Chelan Mirror on July 26 and August 2, 2023. Notice was posted in three locations within the general annexation area. 

On August 8, 2023, a public hearing was held and that resolution was adopted.

Staff requested that the council approve an ordinance for the Sundance Slope Annexation. Following the public hearing on August 8, 2023, staff submitted a Notice of Intention to the Chelan County Boundary Review Board (CCBRB), accompanied by the necessary fee, on Sept. 7, 2023. Since more than 45 days have passed after this submission and no one filed a petition for review, the CCBRB did not assume jurisdiction to review the annexation. Per state RCW, if the CCBRB does not act within 45 days, the annexation is automatically approved by statute. All procedural steps required for approval have been completed, making the enactment of the Ordinance viable. Once approved, the annexation must be reported to various local agencies and the Chelan County Assessor. The annexation details, along with population data gathered from a census, will be forwarded to the Washington State Office of Financial Management.

Imagine Downtown Chelan

The council also discussed seven project design configuration options for Imagine Downtown Chelan described as the transformational strategy adopted by Historic Downtown Seattle Association (HDCA). Council actions included:

• No. 1: Advance the Imagine Chelan Project design with 12’, 14’, or 16’ foot wide sidewalks. Council approved 14’ sidewalks.

• No. 2: Advance the design with 45 or 60 degree angle parking angles. The council voted to maintain the existing configuration for on-street parking and direct parking lots to be designed in the most efficient configuration possible.

• No. 3: Advance the design with 9’, 9.5’, or 10’ wide parking stalls. The council approved 9.5’ wide parking stalls.

• No. 4: Include or exclude a crosswalk on the 200 block of Woodin Avenue in the design. The council voted to exclude a crosswalk.

• No. 5: Include or exclude the proposed public parking lot improvements on the north side of the 100 block of Woodin Avenue in the design. The council voted to include.

• No. 6: Include or exclude new restrooms and common space improvements adjacent to Columbia Street North of Woodin Avenue in the design. The council voted to include.

• No. 7: Include or exclude the proposed public parking lot improvements on the south side of the 200 block of Woodin Avenue in the design. The council voted to include.

Mike Maltais: 360-333-8483 or michael@ward.media