Council OKs task order to develop citywide design and construction standards

Snoqualmie City Council on Jan. 27 approved a task order with Fertig Incorporated Engineering to develop a citywide set of design and construction standards intended to replace the various Snoqualmie Ridge and Kimball Creek standards currently used for development and city capital projects.

Mayor Pro Tem Holloway moved the contract authorization; Councilor Christiansen seconded. Staff described the task order as preparatory research and standards development rather than a direct code amendment. The task order will provide standards that could be adopted through a future update to the Snoqualmie Municipal Code and used on city capital projects.

Why it matters: councilors and staff said the city has been relying on differing sets of Snoqualmie Ridge standards (Snoqualmie Ridge 1, Snoqualmie Ridge 2 and Kimball Creek) and that the new standards will consolidate best practices citywide. Development director Emily Artecha said existing documents are the "best practices we've been using" and the task order will update and harmonize them so the city can later propose a codified standard.

Budget and process questions: councilors questioned available appropriations and the math used in the staff memo; staff walked through the calculation of remaining appropriated funds after accounting for prior encumbrances and internal service charges. Several councilors recommended that future code elements tied to the standards go through the Community Development Committee and planning processes (including the Planning Commission) before codification; staff and council agreed the task order itself is preparatory research and does not change code.

The motion passed unanimously. Staff said subsequent work on standards that lead to code amendments will follow regular planning and referral routes.