Leavenworth city council approves hazard plan, fleet leasing, and pool repairs

LEAVENWORTH – The Leavenworth City Council made financial and infrastructure decisions at its Feb. 25 meeting, adopting an updated hazard mitigation plan, approving a vehicle leasing agreement, and green-lighting pool filter replacements ahead of summer.

The city council adopted the most recent Chelan County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan, which addresses county-specific hazards, including avalanches, floods, and dam or levee failures. The updated plan reflects the county’s current conditions and complies with changes in Federal Emergency Management Agency and Washington Emergency Management Division planning guidelines. Adoption by all participating jurisdictions is required to qualify for federal hazard mitigation grants.

In an effort to streamline operations and reduce costs, the council approved a vehicle leasing agreement with Enterprise Fleet Management. In a January study session, the company’s proposal estimated $172,000 in savings over ten years, but not everyone was convinced.

“Vehicles are just going to churn for no reason. It's a perfectly functional vehicle that drives generally 30 miles an hour…We're going to treat our vehicle fleet like it's a broker account, with our broker Enterprise encouraging us to make trades, which makes them money,” said resident Ron Duncan during the meeting.

Despite concerns, the council moved forward with the agreement, approving documents for leasing, auction consignment, and selling of municipal fleet vehicles. Council member Sharon Waters abstained.

The city renegotiated its lease agreement with the Leavenworth Golf Club for the golf course property, shifting from a fixed annual rent payment to percentage-based revenue model. The original lease agreement was effective through 2028, but only specified rent payment through 2024.

“Looking at the history…This percentage would potentially increase what we get from them, but it [seems] like if they have a really bad year, it would have to be quite bad. But there's only been one in the last dozen, I think, where it would have dropped below what they're currently paying,” said Mayor Carl Florea.

As part of the updated lease, the city will have the option to drill, test and develop additional municipal supply wells on the property, which has been identified as a potential water source. City Administrator Matthew Selby noted that while the city’s priority remains finding a source on the other side of the river, this agreement “leaves that option on the table.”

In other business, the council approved a construction bid of just over $64,000 to replace two pool filters at the Howard Hopkins Memorial Pool before Memorial Day. The bid came in significantly lower than both the engineer’s estimate ($123,000), and the competing bid ($131,000), freeing up funds to address the pool’s additional maintenance needs, according to Public Works Director Andi Zontek-Backstrum.

Additionally, the council moved to reject construction bids for the Icicle water main transmission project and reopen the bid in order to include Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) input. The council also approved a consultant for technical assistance on the City’s 2026 Comprehensive Plan Update.

Taylor Caldwell: 509-433-7276 or taylor@ward.media