A Letter from Mayor Nice to our State Legislators
February 3, 2022
To:
Lisa Wellman
Senator
Tana Senn
Representative
My-Linh Thai
Representative
I am writing today on behalf of Mercer Island's more than 25,000 residents. As the elected representatives for Mercer Island, I hope you thoroughly and carefully consider the concerns expressed in this letter.
Mercer Island is a full-service city. We operate water, sewer, and stormwater systems, as well as Police, Marine Patrol, and Fire departments. Many other City departments and staffers complement these services in support of the vision and mission set by the people of Mercer Island.
Continuing to draft and pass legislation without meaningful engagement with the cities you represent is not good public policy, and it is not representing your constituents. HB 1782 and SB 5670 have been largely shaped without consultation or input from the many cities they directly impact. Instead of adding dilutive amendments to Bills that fail to meet this bar, we ask that you instead oppose them until there is meaningful engagement with your city administrations.
As proposed, HB 1782 and SB 5670 will force zoning changes that place an unsustainable burden on Mercer Island’s infrastructure. As an example, the City of Mercer Island Sewer Plan calls for $100 million in infrastructure improvements to meet our current and planned capacity. The proposed zoning changes in these bills will prevent the City from managing growth within the bounds of sustainability and will add millions in costs to upsize our already strained systems. These costs are not limited to infrastructure.
As currently written, these bills do not contain additional funding for cities to adapt these changes into our code, or more importantly, fund the infrastructure improvements required to accommodate these proposed mandates. They also do not provide resources for additional public safety, parks, or other needs.
Mercer Island is a good regional partner, actively and broadly contributing to regional issues of importance. These contributions have ranged from financial support to long- range planning and implementation of regional goals. We continue to hold collaborative governance as a critical value.
We ask that you recognize us with the standing we deserve and work with us to craft and implement solutions that successfully achieve objectives while respecting local impacts and existing State law.
Salim Nice
Mayor
City of Mercer Island
