Blaine City Council roundup ...

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The latest news from the May 9 city council meeting.

City agrees to sell less than .1 acre to IK Truck Repair

Blaine City Council unanimously voted May 9 to accept a letter of intent to purchase less than .1 acre of land at the Gateway property for IK Truck Repair. 

Blaine Fortune Holding LLC, which is connected to IK Truck Repair, submitted a letter of intent to purchase about 3,500-square-feet of city-owned property directly south of the IK Truck Repair at the end of Boblett Court. The property is on the north section of the city’s stormwater pond tract in the Gateway property. 

IK Truck Repair owners Ivan Kovtun and Marina Kovtun were installing security fencing around their new facility and saw part of the city’s property wasn’t being used for its stormwater conservation
easement. 

“Although not necessary, this would give them a little more space for trucks turning around the back side of the facility and perhaps allow for some additional parking,” the letter reads.

IK Truck Repair offered $4 per square foot, which would come out to be about $14,000. Company owners also said they would cover the land division permit costs. 

Council voted 6-0, with councilmember Rhyan Lopez absent. 

Council votes to increase traffic and park impact fees

City council unanimously voted through separate motions to approve increasing the city’s traffic and park impact fees that builders will pay. The city’s impact fees were lower than surrounding and comparable sized cities.

Traffic impact fees increased $912, from $1,588 to $2,500, and park impact fees increased $600, from $1,200 to $1,800. Impact fees pay for public amenities like roads and parks to support increased demand from new development. 

City finance director Daniel Heverling said he believed the city hadn’t increased traffic or park impact fees since at least 2014. Staff came up with the new fees by looking at upcoming projects and their funding needs. The park fee increase means developers will pay 27 percent and taxpayers will pay 73 percent of new development park impacts to the city. Previously, developers paid 18 percent and taxpayers paid 82 percent.

With the new traffic fee increase, developers will pay 31 percent and taxpayers will pay 81 percent of capital improvements to support new development. Previously, developers paid 19 percent and taxpayers paid 81 percent.

Councilmember Garth Baldwin, a public works advisory committee member, said committee members were in support of increasing fees. 

“They were not only in favor of instituting these fees, but they were wondering why they were so low because we are significantly less than a number of other cities our size and our neighbors, which we aren’t the same size as,” Baldwin said.

City staff plan to bring traffic and park impact fee recommendations before council annually, as is required in Blaine’s municipal code, city manager Michael Jones said.

The fee increases are slated to go into effect August 1. 

Semiahmoo Yacht Club donation

Richard and Colleen Hardman, on behalf of Semiahmoo Yacht Club, donated six concrete picnic tables to the city of Blaine. City council unanimously approved a resolution to accept the donation. The picnic tables are currently located in the Semiahmoo marina. 

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