Decision 2013: OP&L Candidate Questionnaire, Lacey City Council Pos. 4

Who are these people? And why are the running for local office? To help find out, we wanted to give every candidate a chance to speak directly to you, our wise and discerning readers. Thus, this candidate questionnaire. Some of the questions were submitted by readers. Some were prepared by OP&L. (Disclosure: OP&L co-publisher Matthew Green is working with the campaigns of Sue Gunn for Port of Olympia Commissioner, and Darren Mills and Julie Hankins for Olympia City Council. Matthew did not determine the questions for those races.) The answers are straight from the candidates. We did not edit them, except to fix a few typos and grammatical errors. (Because OP&L never prints typos and grammatical errors. Ever. So shut up.)

General election ballots will be mailed on October 16, and must be postmarked or dropped in a ballot box by November 6. For more election information, visit www.thurstonvotes.org. ◙

Position: Lacey City Council, Position 4

Candidates: Raymond Payne, Cynthia Pratt

1.         Should the city promote denser housing in the center of Lacey, such as in the Woodland District around Fred Meyer and South Sound Center? Why or why not?

RP:      I am a strong proponent of the Woodland District Plan and its goal of having a denser, walkable area to attract residents.  This type city center is the corner stone of my plan to attract a young, vibrant class of men and women to our city to live, work, and play.

CP:      Yes.  The infrastructure (sewer, water, streets) is already there, reducing costs to provide services for housing development.  Nearby housing stimulates business activity.  This in turn will create a more vibrant community, productive economy and reduce traveling to areas farther away.  There is already a need for housing there because SPSCC will be moving into the Row 6 area, allowing students to live close enough to the college to walk.  This is also true of St. Martin’s University students.  In addition, older citizens are now more interested in living where they can easily shop or ride the bus.

2.         Are there any new or improved city services that you would vote to raise taxes for, and if so, which services?

RP:      I think Lacey provides an extraordinary level of serve for a city its size.  Our new storm water plan is going to call for a slight fee increase to cover cost of upgrades and maintenance and I would support such an increase in this case.

CP:      There aren’t any “new” City services currently.  Our budget is constrained at this time and state or federal legislation isn’t in place at the moment.  However, if we had a PACE (Property Assessed Clean Energy) program or other program that helps households to lower their energy costs, I would vote for it.  For instance, under PACE, interested property owners evaluate measures that achieve energy savings and receive 100% financing, repaid as a property tax assessment for up to 20 years.  Washington doesn’t have laws in place for Lacey to offer this taxing district yet.

3.         Do you support impact fees on new development in Lacey? Why or why not?

RP:      I would not support impact fees on new development.  Currently Lacey has a decent mitigation fee schedule that has served the city well through the years and I see no compelling argument to change.

CP:      Lacey has mitigation fees.  Lacey asks developers to reduce the impacts up-front and then they pay for anything that can’t be mitigated prior to the issuance of the building permit.  Because we work with those proposing a project to reduce impacts, there is not a set amount that is charged.  Each project is different in its impacts.  Asking the developer to also pay for a set dollar amount in impact fees in addition to mitigation requirements and fees doesn’t make a lot of sense.  So, no, I don’t support impact fees.  It is better to reduce impacts during project development.

4.         Should Lacey’s urban growth area be bigger, smaller, or left as it is? Why or why not?

RP:      I would leave Lacey’s Urban Growth Area intact for the time being and concentrate on accommodating through infill and redeveloping within corporate borders as the Growth Management Act requires.

CP:      As it now exists, I think it meets the requirements of the Growth Management Act, particularly after the State Supreme Court ruling, Futurewise vs. Thurston County, caused GMA corrections.  There is a concern by some, however, that the population projections for Thurston County may be decreasing because people are leaving.  This isn’t true with Lacey because of the military population.  In the Lacey UGA, there are few, if any, areas that have a “rural” character because most areas in the UGA have significant businesses or residential areas.

5.         What is the appropriate role for your jurisdiction in working with others – such as the County and Intercity Transit – to meet the goals laid out by the Sustainable Thurston Task Force?

RP:      The Sustainable Thurston Task Force put forth a wonderful set of guidelines in its sustainability plan.  I believe its in the best interest of Lacey to work collaboratively with its regional partners to ensure we leave a legacy of environmental stewardship future generations can be proud of.  My only caution would be that Lacey maintains the flexibility for its elected representatives to do what they and their citizens think is best when a proposed action conflicts with the plan.

CP:      While I consider Lacey unique, we have a responsibility to help promote sustainability across the County.  Transportation problems don’t stop at borders, nor does climate extremes, vulnerable populations, groundwater and surface water transport or public health concerns.  I think as a City we can coordinate activities, while still deciding what works for our city.  For instance, we don’t have a river turned into a lake or an airport in Lacey, so what those Cities do for sustainability for those issues are unique to them.  Loss of our identity is unique to Lacey. Urban corridors between cities are everyone’s problem.