Annexation shelved

E-mail from Cheryl

Facts from the past gleaned from the Moses Lake Herald, Columbia Basin Herald and The Neppel Record by Cheryl (Driggs) Elkins:

From the CBH on Aug. 29, 1979:

Hold it. Stop. Wait a minute. Halt.

The Moses Lake City Council applied the brakes to the procedure of annexation of the Larson Housing area Tuesday night.

The council, which was on the verge of adopting a resolution calling for an election to decide the annexation, tabled to matter when it was learned the council would lose all control of the process if the resolution was adopted.

It has been the understanding of the council that it could accept or reject the annexation voters approved. City attorney Joe Gavinski said it is his opinion that once the council requests the Grant County Commissioners to set a date for the election, the city would be required by law to annex the area if the voters said yes.

The vote was 3-2 to table the matter, with Mayor Don Swanson casting the swing vote.

The council had believed it could review the annexation after the people of the area had expressed their opinion. Another study session on the annexation was set for Sept. 10.

The present city council was elected by voters already within the city limits. If those voters decided annexation of 4,000 residents at the Larson Housing area, Big Bend Community College and Job Corps is not in the best interest of Moses Lake Citizens, the councilmen would have been powerless to protect their constituents at a later date had the resolution been adopted.

Pay talks resume

It’s back to the bargaining table for Moses Lake teachers.

Despite declaring an impasse in salary negotiations with the Moses Lake School District last week, negotiators for the Moses Lake Education Association will meet with district negotiation Jerry Moberg tonight for further talks.

Moberg announced last week that the district was still open to talks, despite the fact that the MLEA had filed for mediation with the Public Employees Relations Commissioner.

MLEA spokesmen also announced that the association will hold a general membership meeting 8 p.m. Thursday at Immanuel Lutheran Church, 1020 S. A St.

All MLEA members may attend to hear a report on current negotiations. The 36 new teachers in the district are also invited.

Brighten up

The University of Washington urban design team studying downtown Moses Lake has a bright idea, light up city streets and parks, using such styles as the lightolier street light fixture for city-landscaped mini-parks.