SL utility rate hikes ok'd; planner talks continue

SOAP LAKE — With some reluctance, Soap Lake city council members last week approved resolutions that will hike local utility rates, and they continued discussions regarding certain employee designations including a city planner position.

In a 4-0 vote, council members Andrew Arnold, Kayleen Bryson, Susan Carson, and Judith Gorman approved monthly increases of 3.5% in base water rates and 5% in sewer rates effective March 1. Combined, the increases will total $8.48 a month for residential customers.

The rates, which were last increased in June 2024, were contemplated as part of the city’s 2026 budget to meet operational and capital needs.

A fifth councilman, John Carlson, was absent from the Feb. 18 meeting.

In a separate 4-0 vote, the council also okayed a resolution raising solid waste collection rates by 4%. That reflects both an increase by Grant County in disposal rates at its Ephrata Landfill and a biannual rate adjustment by contract waste hauler Consolidated Disposal Services Inc. based on the federal urban consumer price index. The solid waste rate hikes take effect 45 days after Soap Lake customers are notified.

Bryson acknowledged that residents are concerned about the utility fee increases, and councilman Arnold expressed empathy in particular for business owners and individuals on fixed incomes.

But city officials also indicated that Soap Lake has decades-old infrastructure which needs maintenance and, in some instances, eventual replacement. Several signaled that incremental annual rate increases are prudent to begin building reserve funds and to avoid future “rate shock.”

Beginning next month, the basic monthly water rate will be $61.78 for individual residences and $64.37 for commercial units. For water usage over 500 cubic feet, there is an additional charge of $3.59 per 100 cubic feet for residences and $3.73 for commercial users.

The monthly sewer rate is $109.71 for single residences, $92.36 for single commercial connections, and $83.13 per unit for multi-family connections.  

Water rates are also defined for multi-family units both inside and outside city limits that receive municipal water, new construction inspections, required deposits for new accounts, connection fees, lawn meter-only connections, and penalties on delinquent accounts. 

In other business during their Feb. 18 meeting, council members:

—   Again tabled action regarding planning and community development services for the city.

Mayor Peter Sharp referenced a proposal from Safe Built, LLC, a nationwide consultant and contractor, to handle building permit reviews, zoning and code amendments, and other related work. That proposal was supported by Mike Meskimen of Gray and Osborne, Inc., Soap Lake’s longtime civil engineering consultants.

“Safe Built has consistently demonstrated exceptional technical expertise, sound judgment, and a practical understanding of municipal processes for planning and development,” Meskimen wrote in a Feb. 13 letter to the city.

But Arnold and Carson reiterated that the council had approved funding in Soap Lake’s 2026 budget to hire an in-house employee to handle such services.

And Carlson, during the council’s Feb. 4 meeting, asked for consideration of contracting with local architect Alex Kovach, who resigned as mayor in 2022 to become Soap Lake’s planning consultant. Sharp subsequently terminated his contract without cause last May, said Kovach, but he is willing to resume providing professional services at rates that he claimed would significantly save money for the city.

Further talks regarding the planning post may be part of the council's March 4 agenda.

—   Continued discussions with Sharp and city attorney Julie Norton over two proposed ordinances pertaining to department head designations including a newly established position of city administrator/treasurer, and giving sole authority to the mayor for terminating department heads. Soap Lake’s existing code also gave that termination authority to the council, but various state laws say a mayor is responsible for daily administration of city staff and council members generally cannot give direct orders to staff.

Carson said she wanted clarification and assurance that the city clerk’s position would continue to have union protection and not be designated as a department head. Sharp, in reply, insisted the position would “still be in the union (and) protected by the union.”

Last week’s meeting concluded with Carson reading a personal statement responding to what she said were recent public and private comments suggesting that council members “step down” or “leave town.”

Some of those comments likely stemmed from their Feb. 4 meeting during which Arnold called upon Sharp to resign as mayor for unspecified alleged improprieties and conduct. Sharp did not indicate he planned to step down, only saying he was willing to talk with anyone about questions or concerns about his role as mayor.

Carson, in her statement, said that threats, intimidation, and attempts to silence elected officials “have no place in (the) community.”

“We were elected to serve this city — not to serve narratives, factions, or personal agendas,” she stated. “Our role is to review legislative policy, procedures, financial decisions, and administrative actions to ensure they align with the law and with the best interests of the entire community.”

“That means we will ask questions. That means we will raise concerns. That means we will discuss topics that may be uncomfortable for some,” she said.

In closing, Carson encouraged citizens to “remain engaged, informed, and respectful.”

“Healthy debate strengthens democracy,” she said. “Threats and intimidation weaken it.”