Soap Lake may benefit from new form of government
Citing communication issues between Soap Lake Mayor Raymond Gravelle and the city council, councilmember Robert Brown and former councilmember Maynard Hagan are proposing a big change for the small town of about 1,500. They want a paid city manager to run Soap Lake City Hall and eliminate the current mayor-council form of government.
If voters approve Proposition No. 1 in the upcoming general election, Soap Lake will be run differently and probably more effectively under a city council-manager form of government because of the daily presence of a city manager. Brown and Hagan said they obtained the required number of signatures to have the proposition placed on the ballot.
Brown and Hagan apparently have longstanding issues with Gravelle. Last year, they sent a letter to Soap Lake residents asking them to oust Gravelle in the election. Their letter didn’t work, but it apparently got people thinking about their options. We’re not sure whether to chalk all of Soap Lake’s issues up to politics or personalities; regardless, the interests of the public are not being served. Brown was censured by the council in October after he participated in the letter-writing effort against the mayor. He seems to have problems working well with the council and aired many issues he had with the current city leadership and its decisions.
Because the council disputed Brown and Hagan’s claims concerning many accusations, we decided to research the town’s issues ourselves by reviewing past news articles.
According to Herald archives, Soap Lake has experienced issues with the state Auditor’s Office. In 2005, the city didn’t notify state auditors of more than $1.5 million in federal money it received, as required by state law. At the time, an auditor’s office spokesperson said it was one of the most common finding the agency sees. To its credit, the city worked to get the issue corrected.
In 2011, state auditors found Soap Lake failed to collect an estimated $515,000 in utility revenue over the past five years, another Herald article reported. The problem was that 27 water and sewer accounts were in the wrong classification. Auditors found there was no intent to mis-classify customers and no misappropriation occurred, but again, the city was issued a finding.
In June, about $20,000 worth of equipment was used at the Soap Lake police chief’s personal business, which resulted in a state audit finding. The equipment was provided to the police department through a surplus military program. A police volunteer said at a public meeting that the city couldn’t store the equipment, so it was moved to the chief’s gym.
It appears daily oversight may be needed by a professional city manager with the appropriate skills to do the job.
Some may question if the expense is needed for such a small town. We think so. Citizens serving on city councils usually have fairly active lives, travel and even hold down additional jobs. It’s in the best interest of residents to have an employee devoted to running the city on a full-time basis.
Money doesn’t seem to be an issue in hiring an extra employee. Brown said this week during a press conference there are adequate funds in Soap Lake’s coffers to pay a city manager. He estimates an annual salary of $60,000 to $65,000 would be needed to attract a qualified candidate.
Soap Lake residents need to think deeply about the upcoming election. If they feel they’re being served efficiently by the city, then no change is needed. We think enough dissension and past issues may exist to warrant a look at other options, including a move to a professionally-run city.
— Editorial Board