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Bothell council approves 10-year interlocal agreement with Snohomish Conservation District
Summary
The Bothell City Council voted unanimously Dec. 16 to authorize a 10‑year interlocal agreement with the Snohomish Conservation District to continue stormwater education and technical assistance, expanding administrative efficiency while keeping annual scopes of work adjustable.
Bothell’s City Council voted unanimously Dec. 16 to authorize the city manager to execute an interlocal agreement (ILA) with the Snohomish Conservation District (SCD) to continue cooperative stormwater and conservation services.
The agreement renewal was presented by Christie Cox, surface water program coordinator, and Brianna Volstead, an outreach and communications specialist with SCD. They told the council the partnership, in place since 2008, supports the city’s stormwater management goals through workshops, technical assistance for private stormwater systems, school programs and community projects such as rain‑garden installations and youth education.
Cox and Volstead described recent projects including a do‑it‑yourself rain‑barrel workshop at the Bothell Operations Center, a residential rain‑garden cluster near Bothell High School, a parking‑lot retrofit at the North Shore Senior Center, and a tree‑planting event at Frank Love Elementary School that SCD estimated will intercept about 30,000 gallons of stormwater annually. They said SCD also updated the rain garden handbook for Western Washington with a Spanish version and runs webinars and school outreach for septic care and pollinator gardening.
Council members asked how the proposed voucher codes for SCD’s native‑plant sale would be limited. Volstead said the plant‑sale discount codes are intended for Snohomish County residents; she added that in most cases SCD can provide services citywide and can partner with King Conservation District when appropriate. Councilmembers also discussed site suitability for rain gardens and were told SCD offers site assessments and alternatives when soils or conditions make rain gardens infeasible.
The staff report noted the existing ILA was a five‑year agreement and that the language of the agreement will remain unchanged; the city requested a 10‑year term to reduce administrative renewals while keeping annual scopes of work adjustable. Councilmember Dodd moved to approve the resolution and Councilmember Aldrichs seconded. The clerk recorded a unanimous vote in favor.
The resolution authorizes the city manager to execute the ILA; annual scopes of work and program specifics will continue to be developed collaboratively between SCD and city staff.
