City councilors considered water leak forgiveness payment to residents at their Aug. 7 meeting.
Noah Noteboom photo/file
WHITE SALMON — The City of White Salmon held their monthly meeting on Aug. 7 and discussed the water leak notification process and considered leak forgiveness grievance applications from two residents.
In January 2023, City of White Salmon staff was unable to contact a resident after a leak alarm was triggered at their property on NW Spring Street. The resident said they live in White Salmon for six months of the year. City officials said the resident’s phone number had reportedly been entered incorrectly and there was no email on file. City officials say that there is no law, code or provision that requires the city to notify a resident when there is a potential leak on their property. The resident was made known of a potential leak via letter approximately three weeks later.
in the event of a leak or failure in the pipe service, a property owner may be eligible for the one-time adjustment to their bill if the owner reports the leak within 72-hours, according to White Salmon Municipal Code 13.06.048.
In July 2023, the city approved nearly $900 leak adjustment request from the resident. In September the resident filed a grievance, stating they were unhappy with the one-time leak credit request results.
On Aug. 7, city councilors approved an additional $668.80 to the resident’s account after deliberation that lasted about an hour. Council Member Patty Fink chose to abstain from the vote.
Another resident who has lived in White Salmon for almost 35 years filed a grievance against the city in October 2023 relating to a leak in their water system. Their request for reduction was approved on Oct. 4, 2023, to the tune of $1,299.98. The residents said they were out of town at the time and claim the only notification of the leak was a letter. City of White Salmon Clerk Treasurer Stephanie Porter said their records show an email was sent. Following discussions with legal counsel and the resident, city councilors approved an additional $950.52 to be forgiven.
This year, on July 2, the city received another request for a one-time reduction in bill due to leakage.
Grants may bring more public transit
The City of White Salmon will soon have more public transportation options on the weekends. On Aug. 7, the city provided a Letter of Commitment for the Year-Round Weekend White Salmon/Bingen — Hood River Fixed Route Washington Consolidated Grant Application for the FY25-27 Biennium. The letter went on to state: “If awarded, the Weekend White Salmon/Bingen – Hood River Fixed Route will provide cost-effective opportunities for White Salmon residents to travel to Hood River on weekends to get groceries, go to appointments, work, shopping, or community events, and attend church.” Columbia Area Transit (CAT) will conduct public outreach to further identify times and locations that may be beneficial to residents. Total service cost is estimated to be $193,200.
City Administrator Troy Rayburn presented a $750,000 grant application to the council that will be sent to the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO) for the renovation of tennis and pickleball courts at Rheingarten Park. Two hundred grant requests were submitted and White Salmon was one of 70 applications invited to submit a full grant request application. The city has collaborated with the White Salmon Valley School District and local tennis and pickleball clubs to complete and submit the full application. The RCO is expected to approve 20 submissions.
Everybody’s Brewing, White Salmon and the City of Bingen entered a Interlocal Agreement to bill Everybody’s Brewing directly for wastewater treatment as a high strength user. The amendment will allow Everybody’s to use a maximum of 5,500 gallons of water per day — up from 3,100 gallons. The agreement was modified so that Everybody’s will pay the City of White Salmon directly using a formula derived from the City of Stevenson for Substantial Industrial Users. The new structure will “ensure the fees outlined are equitable for both Everybody’s Brewing and the city,” according to the city council report.
The city council will go back to their bi-weekly meetings beginning in September. Their next meeting will be Sept. 4 at 6 p.m.
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