Voice of the Mid-Columbia | Kennewick, Pasco and Richland, Wash. |
Print
Email Story
tool name
closeTuesday, Feb. 09, 2010
Majority of Pasco favors curbside recycling
By Kristi Pihl, Herald staff writer
PASCO -- The majority of people who responded to a city of Pasco survey say they'd be willing to pay extra for curbside recycling.
Councilman Matt Watkins said at Monday's council meeting he was surprised at the responses.
Of the residents surveyed, 63 percent said they'd support curbside recycling if the service added $4 to $5 per month onto the garbage pickup bill.
Watkins said he would have expected less support. Based on the response, the city should discuss curbside recycling in the future, he said.
The 2009 National Citizen Survey asked Pasco residents three policy questions, along with opinions on everything from housing options to code enforcement.
The statistically valid survey had a 6 percent margin of error, said Stan Strebel, assistant city manager. A total of 244 households returned the survey.
According to the survey, 73 percent of residents supported the city continuing to add fluoride to the water, and 77 percent of residents would rather pay a sales tax than a property tax for a regional facility, such as an aquatic or performing arts center.
One survey highlight was the higher percent of respondents who rated Pasco as a quality place to live (76 percent) than in 2007 (52 percent), Strebel said.
A higher percent of respondents (66 percent) rated the quality of affordable housing options as good or excellent than in 2007 (52 percent).
A slightly lower percentage of respondents (24 percent) said they feel safe in downtown Pasco after dark than in 2007 (27 percent) and 2005 (31 percent).
The number of households with a member who was a crime victim in the last year was 17 percent, the same as it was in 2007.
City Manager Gary Crutchfield said the reduction corresponds with the city's decreasing crime rate.
Mayor Joyce Olson said the council will take the information gleaned from the survey, recent public forums and what council members have heard from constituents to help form the city's goals for the next two years.
Also Monday:
-- The council discussed the standards for a rental rehabilitation program, which would offer low-interest loans to landlords to improve rental units within city boundaries.
Rick White, city community and development director, said the loans would have a $10,000 maximum per unit, with priority given to buildings with one to four units that would suit families.
In return for the loan, the landlord would have to agree to rent the unit to low or moderate income households for a designated time period, he said.
In September, council set aside $300,000 from a federal grant for the program. Council members will vote on the standards at a future meeting.
-- The city received a $550,000 grant for the Road 40 East sewer project, which extends city sewer service from A Street to east of Highway 12, said Bob Alberts, city public works director.
Construction would cost about $700,000, which means the city would pay $150,000, he said. Doing the project now will save the city money in the long run, due to the grant.
Watkins said the extension could open the area up to industrial development, which would bring jobs to the area.
The project is on the city's six-year plan for capital projects, Olson said.
The proposal will be voted on at a later date
-- Kristi Pihl: 509-582-1512; kpihl@tricityherald.com
@Nyx.CommentBody@