Yakima County Commissioners want to lower standards

Sunday’s August 16, 2009 Yakima Herald reports that Yakima County Commissioners plan to terminate the partnership they have had the past 35 years with the City of Yakima regarding urban planning. You can read the article to get the generic specifics but here you’ll get what this is really referring to. This is about power and influence.

It is about Title 12 standards. These are standards the city adheres to which include requirements that developments have sewer, streets with curbs and gutters and sidewalks on both sides of the street and streetlights. The Central Washington Homebuilders (CWHB) are the influence in this case. They want to develop in the urban growth area using rural standards, which do not include the title 12 standards. Naturally this is cheaper for them and although they can offer somewhat lower prices, they are more interested in the higher profits the lower standards provide.

The 3 commissioners have only one brain operating as usual and that is the Alpha Dog, Mike Leita. The issue will be the focus of discussions with the city’s intergovernmental committee. Now let’s see where this is going. Who is on that committee? Mayor Dave Edler, council members Bill Lover and Rick Ensey and commissioner Leita are the players. Edler is the only independent voice of the group. Leita and Lover and Ensey have been heavily supported and campaigned for during their elections by the CWHB. Especially Ensey. He was the recipient of the unprecedented amount of $5,500 to insure his election in 2007. Lover has received $1000 this year, as has Leita in his elections.The players are in place for the CWHB and now they are using them to make their move. This decision is already made and input from here on out will be mere tokens at best. The CWHB and their political office holders will trump the interests of the 85,000 residents of Yakima.

Since the County wishes to impose its will on the city, I suggest a moratorium on annexation. These decisions have long-term consequences. As the urban growth area population increases, the demands for things like streetlights and sidewalks will escalate. It is better to do these things while being developed rather than expecting all the residents of Yakima to pay for them later. Right now Greed and Power stand in the way of long-term thinking. The CWHB have the office holders they need in their pockets and will have their good old boy chuckles at the next poker game.