[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6117264,"mediaKeyId","2730619-c8ea8cda89c93160924b6a6ff4fbfdcc","parentId",2730619,"title","Former communications staffer asks Sammamish council for public apology after court ruled suspension unjustified","audioSeconds",412,"startMs",425000,"endMs",837000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2730619-c8ea8cda89c93160924b6a6ff4fbfdcc&start=425&end=837","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2730619-c8ea8cda89c93160924b6a6ff4fbfdcc/thumbnail_425000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6117264/Sammamish-City/King-County/Washington/Former-communications-staffer-asks-Sammamish-council-for-public-apology-after-court-ruled-suspension-unjustified","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6117264-c63aaa39b44d08df5e5cb6cd9789e153/orig.mp4?Expires=1770441816&Signature=LT4koRHQLm-uP3N-5-pBnVgkae7CDYHC1JBJyaWm5iYi9H3TF45FtY9VXbL0URCCzm2czSB7120VPFOLQN0AvJmE86Wp53ggLd198KyT6xM8SeCDWlPaBZ7q1c5-Hjuvs-zq66DVn6IiACHCbNtiMHZT-kh6lk1lPmO-VHvmaOgrVXX~TDlC2Qbl4BKJAj2NWdHjj7U6ZyoYEqKTcO0h3Wu8XEO2kL2386WN4sNHDlrMxi0A~gqhcr1jYp0JmmGB0h8JFZKapmF8ZtFFCocs0A6CsVDNBTqyw7C5h69Iho5FuXcajU6ULU5n-WMUu-QwHD6tEyjqOJK9NDNF585aXA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Sammamish City, WA","date","2025-03-20T02:19:57Z","article","At the start of the March 18 meeting, a former Sammamish communications employee, identified in public comment as Sayu (Siri) Wu, told council the city manager placed her on unpaid suspension in August 2022 after she responded to a local news inquiry and sought HR support regarding workplace conduct. She said a judge later ruled the suspension unjustified and asked the council to add a public-apology item to a future agenda.

Wu described bringing concerns to human resources in 2022 about the city manager’s treatment of the communications team and said her return-to-work was made contingent on signing a “last chance” agreement. She said the city paid legal costs defending the suspension and that a court concluded the suspension “was based on an erroneous set of facts and placed plaintiff in an unjustified and vulnerable position.” (The transcript provided the judge’s language during Wu’s remarks.)

Wu asked the council to place a public-apology agenda item for her and a former colleague, and said she was sharing court documents and correspondence with the council and the local newspaper. She also alleged a pattern of defamatory social-media commentary tied to local actors and asked the council to consider the history when deciding whether to schedule an apology.

Mayor Karen Howe closed public comment after several speakers and did not announce an item response at that meeting. No formal council action was recorded on the request during the March 18 meeting.

Ending: The council did not take formal action on the request during the meeting; the speaker said she would email the council and the local paper and asked staff to add the apology request to a future agenda.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","March 18, 2025 - City Council Meeting","oneSentenceSummary","During public comment, a former city communications employee described a two-week unpaid suspension she said was retaliatory, said a court later ruled the suspension unjustified, and asked the council to place a public apology on a future agenda.","taxTitle","Sammamish City, King County, Washington","taxId",5127,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6117269,"Council approves short-term lease extension for Central Washington University facility through June",269,7220000,7489000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2730619-c8ea8cda89c93160924b6a6ff4fbfdcc&start=7220&end=7489","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2730619-c8ea8cda89c93160924b6a6ff4fbfdcc/thumbnail_7220000.jpg","/articles/6117269/Sammamish-City/King-County/Washington/Council-approves-short-term-lease-extension-for-Central-Washington-University-facility-through-June","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6117269-5772bcf0b49d8629c323204788a6ff40/orig.mp4?Expires=1770441816&Signature=DQYzFa~V~zZ6dtBFc7zil1sUZNhcb1y5ArCT-ugVyqMufM1MYekEiiQUhoWyXRyNn5OcKHE8qt0y9yHf0LGBhN2M5A9smexvY3z2EGbda5ipFJe79XEkFudzElUE-9PFoYs~9-4q0BBGVcyf62t532o5jOQkcR7nWgSPdqYrBP2I3nQnFA7uVsF2vO6gzAqejZcIimP1UHZ-f-p5bGwZqXH6SYhX2M-DlDeCqfD62tgi80zU5OkI8FPbwIWzDWdMWN2ndj~T~PmQ-pSrjVVIzbSJm-8vFx-F2xiUU04YFm~gOkeR7jZd-CPrT1T5SiBIpykY-7PVMwrAxL~Y8BDINw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Sammamish City Council approved a short-term lease extension on March 18 to keep Central Washington University (CWU) in a city-owned facility through June, allowing CWU to finish the current academic activities before the city retakes control July 1.

City Manager Scott McCall summarized the background: the original agreement dated to 2017, beginning as a three-year lease with purchase options and subsequent five-year extension options. McCall said CWU concluded it cannot financially sustain the facility under the increasing rent schedule; the next five-year option would have increased annual rent to about $420,000 and CWU determined that level was not feasible.

McCall said the extension is short-term to allow the university to complete the term and for staff to return to council with options for the facility after the city resumes control on July 1. “They’ve been a great partner here in town,” McCall said, while also noting the city will need to consider operating costs and long-term plans for the site.

Council approved the short extension by voice vote. Staff will return with a proposal and budget implications for council consideration before any longer-term decision is made about the site.

Ending note: Councilmembers said they expect robust community input and a staff-led analysis of costs and uses before any long-term commitment is made.","Sammamish agreed to a short-term lease extension with Central Washington University through June, giving the university time to finish the academic term before the city assumes management of the property on July 1.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6117274,"Sammamish adopts 6% utility tax, adds $200 low-income rebate; measure takes effect Jan. 1, 2026",5778,1486000,7264000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2730619-c8ea8cda89c93160924b6a6ff4fbfdcc&start=1486&end=7264","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2730619-c8ea8cda89c93160924b6a6ff4fbfdcc/thumbnail_1486000.jpg","/articles/6117274/Sammamish-City/King-County/Washington/Sammamish-adopts-6-utility-tax-adds-200-low-income-rebate-measure-takes-effect-Jan-1-2026","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6117274-88b64d24013b9b0a67f48c35cad4e00f/orig.mp4?Expires=1770441816&Signature=RL0InfMfJgSdRm6YMOJP1uL4DfSyBum8Smv6P22ZobY1uMeq9HOLm1bt8cgGME0Y55f7TtfBmhp~U~QUOn7L705482H9Jf-wpetIpdcy-rjir247tYsoTctOs51VylDgIt8B8c1APP4p3t25i5oIF3hP2vmYnpHeoW-qpg7es8vaT-4d1xDTnem72u1PRqXkuMaJ-Un9aV-EQEqZY9vmOX-4nVjjlxIgbmiL-O9K2wom1OIZm8YmuPLeHqFuWP3KFHqo2zlBBkLQh~YWAUIdJrjKmWta~fL36PJj5zfdk4KygoAJ-iPBu6qT-~6YDIFgXTjjw2jPRRef-V0gVtU0cg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Sammamish City Council voted 6–1 on March 18 to adopt an ordinance establishing a 6% utility tax and a 6% use tax on brokered natural gas, effective Jan. 1, 2026. The council also approved an amendment raising the annual low-income rebate in the ordinance from $100 to $200.

Finance Director Vicki Carlson told the council the city faces a structural imbalance in its general fund budget and that ongoing revenues will not cover ongoing expenditures without new revenue or further cuts: “Total budgeted use of existing fund balance in the general fund for this biennium is approximately $14,300,000 with approximately $6,400,000 being used to pay for ongoing expenditures.”

The council’s approval follows a multi-year review and recommendations from a citizen task force that proposed a three-phase approach — departmental reductions, a utility tax, and a voter-approved metropolitan park district — to achieve fiscal sustainability. Carlson said the city implemented the first phase through about $8.9 million in budget reductions and that the utility tax is the second phase.

City staff presented updated revenue estimates based on Mercer Island’s publicly available utility-tax data and local utility information. Using a per-capita methodology, the city’s updated projection for a 6% utility tax was about $10.6 million in the first full year of collection; earlier estimates had shown roughly $11.5 million. Carlson said the updated number reflects newly received franchise- and utility-specific data and cautioned that estimates vary depending on consumption and provider coverage.

The ordinance text included three specifics the council highlighted: an effective date of Jan. 1, 2026; a 6% tax rate applying to covered utilities; and an administrative rulemaking step for staff to finalize implementation details before the end of 2025. The ordinance also included a low-income rebate program. Deputy Mayor Amy Lam moved to increase the rebate to $200 and the council approved the amendment by voice vote prior to adopting the amended ordinance.

Mayor Karen Howe and several council members framed the decision as a difficult but necessary step to preserve services the community values. “Cities are not businesses. We provide essential services, not products,” Howe said in remarks explaining the choice to pursue new revenue rather than deeper cuts.

Council members and staff repeatedly emphasized that the utility tax alone would not permanently close the gap; staff told the council the three-phase plan is intended to bridge the near term, with voter consideration of a metropolitan park district proposed in 2028 to provide a more durable revenue source. Carlson said a 6% utility tax would help stabilize the budget for about two to three years and that voter action would be required for longer-term structural balance.

The ordinance as adopted includes administrative language to define gross-revenue calculations and coverage of brokered natural gas; staff said administrative rules will be brought back to council before the summer break. The city will accept low-barrier proof of eligibility for the rebate: enrollment in Puget Sound Energy’s low-income assistance program (PSE HELP) or qualification for the King County senior property tax exemption will be sufficient documentation, staff said.

Councilmembers asked multiple technical questions during deliberations: how much of the general fund balance is a reserve versus available one-time funds, how police and fire contract costs are affecting the budget (police and fire combined accounted for roughly 37% of the 2025 budget), and how soon changes to the tax rate could be implemented (staff said an ordinance and notice period — roughly a few months — would be required, not an immediate change).

The final vote on the amended ordinance was 6 in favor and 1 opposed. Council recorded the result as approved. The city will begin collections for utilities on Jan. 1, 2026, and staff will return with administrative rules and implementation timelines before the end of 2025.

Ending note: City staff and council urged residents to check city communications for rebate eligibility and said they will continue outreach in multiple languages and through utility partners to reduce barriers for qualifying households.","The Sammamish City Council voted 6–1 to adopt an ordinance establishing a 6% utility tax and a 6% use tax on brokered natural gas, effective Jan. 1, 2026. Council amended the ordinance to raise an annual low-income rebate to $200. Council and staff said the tax is part of a three-phase plan to close a structural budget gap.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Former communications staffer asks Sammamish council for public apology after court ruled suspension unjustified

Council approves short-term lease extension for Central Washington University facility through June

Sammamish adopts 6% utility tax, adds $200 low-income rebate; measure takes effect Jan. 1, 2026