The Pierce County Council Tuesday re-launched the process of creating a flood-control zone district, and this time dangled a carrot for areas rarely in danger of flooding: Some tax money collected could go to stormwater control.
The County Council voted 5-2 to begin forming the countywide flood district and set a public hearing for Jan. 31.
Council members Stan Flemming, R-University Place, and Dan Roach, R-Bonney Lake, were the no votes.
Flemming said he wants more assurances of equity for areas not affected by flooding, such as Gig Harbor, Key Peninsula, Steilacoom and DuPont.
Roach said money raised by a flood-control district could help, but wouldn’t solve the county’s flooding problems.
In an interview, Roach said he plans to propose an amendment Jan. 31 that would shift the decision to voters, even though the council has the legal authority to set up the district.
Roach said he wants voters to decide in the November election whether they want to create the district and impose a tax.
“I don’t sense a huge demand that we need a flood-control district,” Roach said.
But less than a year after it was first defeated, the proposed district has formidable supporters in County Executive Pat McCarthy and Councilwoman Joyce McDonald, who represents the flood-prone Puyallup Valley. McDonald gained power last week when she was elected council chairwoman.
Earlier Tuesday, a council committee that includes McDonald unanimously recommended limiting the proposed tax to 10 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation. The average homeowner would likely pay around $25 in additional taxes per year. Under state law, the district could collect up to 50 cents per $1,000 of assessed value.
The Rules and Operations Committee also acted to keep alive a proposed “opportunity fund” that would return a portion of tax money to cities and unincorporated areas for their local flood and stormwater projects. This includes areas that are not in danger of flooding.
Some cities – such as Gig Harbor and Milton – don’t want to subsidize river valley communities without getting a direct benefit themselves.
McDonald said the opportunity fund would be a good way to address unmet needs that remain after creating a flood-control zone.
But council member Dick Muri, R-Steilacoom, said city councils for the non-flood areas of Lakewood and DuPont opposed the fund. Muri said they want the tax to be kept low and limited to flood-control efforts.
His amendment to remove the fund was defeated. The three-member committee, which includes Tacoma Democrat Rick Talbert, then unanimously forwarded the revised ordinance to the full council. It’s scheduled to take a final vote to create the flood district on Jan. 31.
That vote could be delayed by an appeal filed by the cities of Gig Harbor and Milton challenging a step Pierce County took toward forming the zone. A senior county planner had determined creating a countywide flood-control district would not have significant environmental impacts.
A hearing on the appeal before a hearings examiner is scheduled for March 20.
The County Council last May approved forming a flood-control district to address the potential for catastrophic floods along the Puyallup, Nisqually, White and Carbon rivers. Eight months later, it voted to dissolve the district in the face of litigation from several cities, including Lakewood, Gig Harbor and Milton.
Steve Maynard: 253-597-8647
steve.maynard@thenewstribune.com
blog.thenewstribune.com/politics
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