The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

WAITSBURG - Waitsburg's City Council meeting took place at 7 p.m. on May 29 with Kevin House, Karl Newell, Debra Callahan and Mayor Walt Gobel in attendance. K.C. Kuykendall and Marty Dunn were absent.

New Business:

- Dan Katsel was presented with a Lifetime Achievement

Award by the Washington State Office of Drinking

Water, with a brief adjournment for a cake reception. - Council approved a resolution authorizing the City to apply for a Community Development Block Grant to get funds to make necessary upgrades to the Wastewater Treatment Plant. - Approved raising the daily swim fee at the city pool from $1.50 to $2/day. Individual passes will be $40 and a family pass will be $80. Rosie Warehime has been hired as pool office manager to cover for Kelly

Steinhoff who is out on maternity leave. Brittany Ayers-

Stamper will provide assistance as needed. - Approved a change to the municipal code allowing only monument companies to set headstones in the cemetery. - Approved limiting livestock in city limits to parcels of land with at least one-quarter acre of open space. - Approved changing June City Council meeting date from June 18 to June 11.

Discussion items from the City Clerk's report:

- Elected officials are now required to attend three hours of public meeting and public records training annually. - The Walla Walla County Prosecuting attorney will proceed with prosecution of a watershed logging incident with the district court date set for June 2 at 3 p.m. - The Mill Site Kiosk is finished and ready for the addition of display boards. Total cost was approximately

$7,200. - Mayor Gobel expressed that a lack of volunteers at the recent Citywide Spring Clean-up will cause the Council to consider hiring a penitentiary crew next year at

$200/day. - The main city well is back up and running. The final bill has not yet been received. - Waitsburg submitted for funds from a Transportation

Alternative Program that would allow for additional city sidewalk repair and installation. Walla Walla

County and Prescott did not submit for the rural pot of funds and Hinchliffe is optimistic that Waitsburg will receive the entire $30,000 available. - Newell thanked Hinchliffe for his work and the grants he brings in to the city. Hinchliffe said a recent tally showed nearly two million in funding has been received during his time as clerk. "My goal is to preserve the city for future generations and to leave it better than I got it," said Hinchliffe.