Will campaign contributions make a difference in Development Standards??

Chris Bristol’s story in the Yakima Herald points out the problems facing the taxpayers of the city of Yakima when the city annexes unincorporated areas with low street standards. The crux of the problem is the fact that developers thru their Republican organization known as the Central Washington Home Builders (CWHB), don’t want to adhere to Title 12 standards in the Urban Growth Area. The UGA exists as part of the Growth Management Act that the Realtors, builders, and Republican Party are working to destroy. The dilemma is that the developers need the UGA so the city can extend sewer lines to their new construction. But they want to gut the GMA so they don’t have to provide curbs, gutters, sidewalks on BOTH sides of the street, and adequate street lighting as spelled out by Title 12. Because a development is in the UGA, annexation is sure to follow. Then the city would inherit the streetscape and as you can see from the Yakima Herald article, the taxpayers of the city face the resultant problems that the lower standards create.

Despite Yakima County Commissioner, Mike Leita’s rhetoric on the subject, their goal is to lower the standards that Title 12 calls for. Leita recently had the County drop out of the Regional Planning Commission and appears to be ready to dismantle the 4 party agreement which relates to sewer service and includes Union gap, Terrace Heights, city of Yakima and the County. What Leita is after is a Yakima City Council that will bow to his will as do his two sidekicks at the County. This is called “cooperation among the elected”.

Where does campaign financing enter into this picture? The CWHB, Yakima Realtors and the Republican Party have donated heavily to the winning campaigns of Council members, Lover, Ettl, Cawley, & Adkisson. They already have Rick Ensey in their back pocket and Bruce Smith lurking in the background writing stories praising every breath they take and now appear ready to make a move on lowering standards that will make them money and leave the taxpayers of Yakima holding the bag for the long term problems.

So, what to do. Well, one thing the Yakima City Council should not be suckered into the County’s plan of “uniform standards”. To them that means gutting the Title 12 standards. It will be interesting to watch the recipients of a lot of campaign cash try and spin this into higher standards being bad for the city! Watch for council members to “kiss up” to Leita, who is carrying out his “investors” interests.

Kinda makes you wonder how much of this stuff gets cooked up at their card games.