City Council and Planning Commission plan for 2019

    After nearly three and a half hours, the January 22 city council meeting adjourned. In those 90 and then some minutes, naturally a lot of discussion and action unfolded in city hall.
    The room was initially full of Leavenworth residents there to voice concern, anger and frustration over the influx of traffic that roams in and out of town. The room grew quieter after the 20 people who spoke, along with the large crowd that herded in to show their agreement with those who went to the microphone, filed out after public comment wrapped up.
    Next on the agenda, was a round table discussion and workshop hybrid with City Council and Leavenworth's Planning Commission. The two groups meshed to discuss the upcoming 2019 docket and the future projects the Planning Commission will work on for the year. The council began reviewing the draft of the docket back at the November study session and since reviewed and also performed a rating sheet to prioritize the projects.
    On the to do list were various elements that Leavenworth locals, both within city council and also just residents themselves, have vocalized opinions on over the course of 2018. Peak traffic, parking and seeking potential areas for multifamily housing to extend room for those who work in the city to also live in Leavenworth - these were all ranked as a priority by the council.
    "The goal here is to let everyone have an opportunity to talk (about each four priorities for secondary projects) and then we'll pick another topic and go around," said Development Services Manager, Lilith Vespier. "We're at the point we're just going around the table and trying to determine if those four items should stay at that priority."
    After some of the topics were mulled over by both council members and the planning commission. the docket for 2019 was approved by the city council. Therefore the Planning Commission will use the next 12 months to tackle the items listed.
    Following was the debate between council members on how much to fund the Leavenworth Area Promotions budget for 2019. LAP uses this money, allocated from Lodging Tax, to generally promote the Leavenworth area and entice visitors, particularly during dormant months to visit. This year they asked for an increase, $64,000, to 2018's amended budget of $644,000 - making a total of $708,400 being requested.
    "The LAP group is spending their time and effort to get the most for the dollar. They're willing to try different things," said council member Elmer Larsen.
    A gridlock between council members emerged from this conversation. After one motion failed to grant the $708,400 (with only Larsen and Margaret Neighbors voting in favor) to LAP, a second motion granted the organization $644,000 with only Larsen voting against the slighted budget.
    If citizens happen to attend study sessions, they should change their alarm clock to sleep in a little longer. The city council approved a motion to push the monthly study session meeting time from 8 to 8:30. Also, city council members gave themselves some much needed wiggle room, because even city officials get sick and have to miss a meeting. City council members are now allowed to vote via conference call.

Other business attended to at the meeting:
- The approval over the purchase and the surplus of vehicles and equipment for the city to utilize.
- The city approved a utility reimbursement for Ward's Funeral Chapel after an error was made in previous years.
- The mayor and council also reappointed, assigned, shuffled some people around and released some members from their responsibility with various committees.