Issaquah City Government Primer

 

Administration: The terms Administration and Executive Department are used interchangeably within the City. Basically the Administration is the Mayor: Ava Frisinger, City Administrator: Leon Kos, and City Deputy Administrator, Joe Meneghini. The Administration's job is to ensure that the City and its staff run smoothly, in the direction given by City Council.

City Council: The City Council is made up of 7 elected officials. Maureen McCarry is currently the Council President and Fred Butler is the Deputy President. When you write to Council, it is the President's responsibility to respond to your query, although any other councilperson can do so if they desire. E-mails and letters that go to all Council members are considered part of the public record and therefore are available for public review.

COW: Committee of the Whole many times called Council of the Whole, occasionally called Council Committee of the Whole is chaired by Council President McCarry. This is a Council meeting where all of the council members gather to discuss issues with all members present. The COW is televised so you can watch the drama unfold on channel 21.

DC: Development Commission is a citizen volunteer commission staffed by the Planning Department which reviews various non-urban village development decisions, such as site permits, architectural design to ensure that they fall within the guidelines of the City Land Use Code.

Economic Vitality Task Force: This Team is part of the Administration Staff reporting to the Mayor. They were tasked with examining our strengths to understand the opportunities that exist today and in the near future, and to lay out potential roles and opportunities that Issaquah can work on to shape its future. The Task Force Manager is Daniel Trimble. A Strategic Plan was presented to the Mayor and City Council with recommendations. The City Council Sustainability Committee will be addressing these recommendations.

LUC: Land Use Committee is a Council Committee that reviews land use policies. John Rittenhouse is the chair; Maureen McCarry and John Traeger are the other two members. This committee is staffed by Planning. Both Rivers and Streams Board and Planning Policy Commission fall under their jurisdiction.

MDRT: Major Development Review Team: This Team is a division within the Public Works Engineering Department  responsible for plan review, permitting and inspections for major development within the City. Bob Brock is Public Works Engineering Director.

Parks Board: The Parks Board is a citizen volunteer committee with the responsibility of reviewing the function and planning of the Parks Department. The Parks Department is responsible for staffing this board. Anne McGill is Parks Director.

Parks Department: Our Parks Department, directed by Anne McGill, is responsible for both passive and active parks plus all of the maintenance of public lawns, trees, medians etc. They also soon have an Open Space Steward.

Planning: The Planning Department, directed by Mark Hinthorne, is made up of Long Term Planning, and Current Planning. Trish Heinonen is the lead of the main long term planning document, The Comprehensive Plan. David Favour is in charge of current planning, implementing the Land Use Code, while processing new development (outside of Urban Villages). Planning is also responsible for State Environmental Protection Act (SEPA) review within the City. Peter Rosen is the lead on this, with the ultimate decision falling upon Mark Hinthorne.

Public Works Engineering: This is the part of our Issaquah Government that is responsible for the creation of the physical plant of Issaquah. Roads, Sewers, Water and Stormwater are all planned by Public Works Engineering.  Bob Brock is Public Works Engineering Director.

Public Works Operations: Operations runs the physical plant. Maintenance of buildings, vehicles, traffic signals etc. are the responsibility of Operations.  Bret Heath is Public Works Operations Director.

PPC: Planning Policy Commission is a citizen volunteer group that reviews and suggests changes in City policy via the Comprehensive Plan. This committee is staffed by Long Term Planning.

RCO: Resource Conservation Office: David Fujimoto is the director of this section of the Public Works Engineering Department.  RCO is responsible for the garbage contract, Pickering Garden, the Stream Team creek monitoring, Commute Trip Reduction efforts and a variety of environmental volunteer projects.

River and Streams: The River and Streams Board is a citizen volunteer group responsible for protecting the City's aquatic features. They review both development and studies that examine the status of water in Issaquah. This is the group responsible for the Critical Areas Ordinance update.  The Board is staffed by the SEPA official in Planning.

Services and Operations Committee: This Council Committee is responsible for the financial operations of the City. Eileen Barber is the chair; John Rittenhouse and Joshua Schaer are the two other members. The Staff contact is Paul Ayers from the Police Department.

Sustainability Committee: This Council Committee deliberates and makes recommendations on legislative matters relating to creating and maintaining an economically, socially and environmentally self-sustaining community.  David Kappler is the chair; John Rittenhouse and John Traeger are the other two members. The committee’s work will touch on subjects as diverse as natural resource conservation, restoration and quality, climate change and peak oil, affordable housing and sustainable building practices, economic vitality, and human services. The committee provides oversight of the City’s sustainability work program through the Resource Conservation Office and other City departments.  It interfaces with Transportation, Utilities, Services and Land Use committees, as well as the Mayor’s sustainability task force, on related issues.

Transportation Committee: This Council Committee deals with all matters relating to transportation (e.g. multi-modal, pedestrian access, sidewalks and transit), street, and signals. Joshua Schaer is the chair; Eileen Barber and Fred Butler are the other two members. The Committee interfaces with the Utilities Committee on overlapping projects.

Utilities Committee: The Utilities Committee of the Council reviews the City's physical plant, both in engineering and operation.  John Traeger is the chair of this committee and Fred Butler and David Kappler are members, with Public Works Engineering providing the staff support.

UVDC: Urban Village Development Commission is the citizen review committee for the Urban Villages, Issaquah Highlands and Talus. They review applications from these areas to ensure that the development falls within the development agreements created for each site. This committee is staffed by the Major Development Review Team (MDRT).

 

May 6, 2008