In the Special Presentations, after Don Miller responses to roll call with by saying ‘yo’, Mayor Harding appears to be suppressing a ear to ear smirk as he reads a Court of Appeals decision handed down yesterday evening that the Court of Appeals has sided with the City concerning JZ Knight’s Land Use Petition Act (LUPA)1 petition.

The courts document can be found here.

A response is already up on www.jzknight.com, stating ”Our attorneys are reviewing the decision and evaluating options.”

While Harding says that the city has prevailed, he doesn’t really say what that means as far as the disputed Tahoma Terra preliminary subdivision approvals.

We find out a bit later that the City plans to spend $615,223 to drill a well on a ‘proposed city park’ in the Tahoma Terra Master-Planned Community.

The Council voted unanimously to drill the well.

When Council member John Thompson asked City Administrator Shelly Badger asked if this was city land, she responded the city has an agreement to build there and that it is the city’s land.

Yelm Blogger Steve Klein brings up some interesting points.

If the city owns the land then, why would they need an agreement to build there?
A search of County records show no city owned land in the Tahoma Terra phases.
…
- The 2008 Mitigation Plan to which Mrs. Badger speaks was never approved and no longer stands because the City of Yelm withdrew their MDNS on August 14, 2009.

The city said, “You will be notified when the City re-issues a threshold determination in this matter.”

There has been no further determination by the City in this matter.

- The draft Water System Plan (WSP) has no legs because it also has never been approved & so many things have changed since it was publicly released.

- The unfinished phases of Tahoma Terra were supposed to go to auction last week.

And from March 13th Olympian:

“A foreclosure sale is scheduled April 9 for the unfinished phases of the Tahoma Terra master planned community in Yelm.”

That is where is well is located.

CLICK HERE

Scroll to page 30. See well W-2 in red.

- Is the city going to buy some (or did buy some without telling the public) of the Tahoma Terra parcels?

They have been going into Executive Session alot, as they did last night, and hiding behind RCW 42.30.110(1) “to discuss possible real estate acquisition.”

This will result in a increase of 16% effective April 1st, 2010, a 2nd increase of 16% January 1, 2011 and then 8.25% each January 1st 2012-2015 in the water bills of Yelm residents and businesses.

Are current City of Yelm water customers paying for the commitments city officials made for speculative future developments?
This is a valid question that should be asked.

Watch the Yelm’s City Council approve these water rate increases based on an unapproved Draft Water System Plan online.

Yelm.com asks

“Where is the public’s outrage at this affront to their wallets?
If not now, when?
When the water bill arrives will be too late!”

Where was the Yelm Area Chamber of Commerce? You think they would be interested in this as rate increases of this nature will impact local businesses.

The post on her website states:

The City of Yelm is trying to substitute a Mitigated Determination of Non-Significance (MDNS) for an Environmental Impact Study (EIS) regarding their proposed five-fold increase in water withdrawal quantities. By doing this, City officials are sidestepping their obligation to get the opinions of the public and independent professionals about the environmental impacts of such an action.

Your well water level could drop 23 feet and leave you dry

When this happens, when you least expect it, who’s going to pay you the $15,000 it takes to drill you a new well and replace your pumping equipment? Are you going to enjoy the surprise of having no water?

You have until this Friday, May 22nd to send your comments into officials for an appeal.

It also includes a downloadable PDF and contact info for sending in comments.

The PDF is much like the full color print ad in the Olympian today (in the A section).

The deadline for public appeal is Friday May 22nd.

Below is the map from www.jzknight.com, showing the area affected by the proposed drawdown.