Committee weighs $81,000 NPDES outreach contract, staff offers $73,000 pilot alternative

Staff presented a proposed contract with Herrera to carry out a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES)–required community-based social marketing campaign and asked the Parks & Public Works Committee whether to pursue the full Snoqualmie Ridge scope or a smaller pilot.

A staff member said the Herrera contract is priced at $81,000 and noted the city has a $130,000 NPDES grant and prior spending of about $68,000. “So this would be $20,000 over that grant allocation,” the staff member said, describing why some members had asked whether the scope contains “extra fluff.”

The staff member recommended two options: proceed with the originally scoped Snoqualmie Ridge campaign for $81,000 or narrow the project to a single drainage basin near the North Side of Douglas with a demonstration lawn at Azalea Park, a change that would reduce the contract to about $73,000. The narrower option, the staff member said, would reduce mailings and outreach while preserving measurable behavior-change metrics for the permit cycle.

Council Member Holloway had asked whether the contract included unnecessary items, and the staff member told the committee Ecology’s guidance is permissive, leaving discretion about how the city satisfies permit requirements. “They do give this nice 150‑page guidance document … and it’s not you don’t have to follow this,” the staff member said. The staff member added the reduced pilot “would still be a behavior change campaign that’s measurable.”

Council Member Thomas said the argument for the larger scope was persuasive: for relatively little additional cost the city could reach the whole Snoqualmie Ridge. The staff member characterized the choice as one of “bang for the buck” versus narrower, lower‑cost compliance.

The committee did not take a final vote on the contract at the meeting. Staff said it will bring both the full‑scope $81,000 option and the reduced $73,000 pilot option to the council for decision.

Clarifying details: the Herrera contract price discussed was $81,000; the city’s NPDES grant is $130,000; prior related spending reported by staff was roughly $68,000; staff estimated the narrowed pilot would cost about $73,000. The staff presentation identified Azalea Park and the North Side of Douglas as an example pilot area but said neighborhood choice would be subject to further discussion.