SAMMAMISH REVIEW
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required to send a delinquency notice, officials send a courtesy notice in late September to about 9,000 taxpayers. The property owners receiving the notice missed the April deadline and did not pay property taxes by Sept. 1. Officials timed the notice to be close to the Oct. 31 due date for second-half property taxes. Officials said the June notice will go to about 14,500 taxpayers. The county expects about half of the taxpayers receiving the notice to pay before July 1 to avoid the monthly interest charges and December penalty outlined in state law.
School officials offer information on planned construction The Issaquah School District administration and the district capital projects staff plan an
informational session on proposed capital improvements at Clark Elementary, Issaquah Middle and Tiger Mountain Community High schools. The public session is set for 5:30 p.m. March 8 at Issaquah Middle School, 400 First Ave. S.E. Voters can fund the projects though passage of a $219 million bond issue appearing on the ballot in the April 17 special election. Plans call for replacement, expansion and relocation of all three schools. If the projects go forward, Issaquah Middle would move to the current site of Clark Elementary. Clark Elementary and Tiger Mountain would share the current Issaquah Middle location. The total estimated cost of all three projects is $85.9 million. According to the district, the coming presentation will cover the logistics, possible timing and potential layout of all the new campuses as well as how the construction might impact neighboring communities. Under state law, district offi-
February 29, 2012 •
cials are not permitted to promote the bond package to voters. School officials are allowed to offer the public information on the bond and the proposed capital improvement plan.
State enlists teenagers to clean up litter Issaquah teenagers can join the effort to clean up Washington parks and roadsides soon. The state Department of Ecology’s Northwest Regional Office in Bellevue plans to hire about 72 teenagers to help clean up area roadsides, parks and recreation areas during the summer. Ecology Youth Corps members also learn how to better care for the environment through the program. Youths ages 14-17 can apply through April 10 to work with one of Ecology Youth Corps crews cleaning up litter this summer in King, Skagit, Snohomish and Whatcom counties. Crews work Monday through Friday, from 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., in a four-week session.
Sessions run from June 28 through July 25 and again from July 26 through Aug. 21. Participants earn $9.04 per hour. Teenagers can pick up applications through area school counselors and at www.ecy.wa.gov /programs/swfa/eyc/nwro.html. Dollars for the Ecology Youth Corps program comes from a dedicated fund called the Waste Reduction, Recycling and Model Litter Control Account. The account is funded by a voter-approved tax on items related to the litter problem.
Learn about King County’s 911 system at citizen academy King County residents can learn how the 911 emergency dispatch center operates as the King County Sheriff’s Office hosts a 911 Citizen’s Academy next month. The academy is meant to educate citizens about the role 911 communications specialists fill in the public safety system.
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The program is also designed to prepare people for dialing 911. Plans for the daylong class March 31 include information about the history of 911, call taking and police dispatching, training, King County geography, agency partnerships, citizen training and what national certification means for residents. In addition to the classroom session, academy participants can spend a two-hour session with on-duty communications specialists. The “sit-along” time is meant to offer a practical demonstration of the lessons learned in the academy. The academy is open to anyone at least 18 years old without a felony conviction who lives or works in King County. The application is available at the sheriff's office website, www.kingcounty.gov/safety/sheriff/Enforcement/911Center/2012Cit zensAcademy.aspx, or by calling 206-205-6625 or by emailing KCSO911FB@kingcounty.gov. Space for the program is limited. The application deadline is March 9.