Lake Stevens authorizes $106,000 Department of Commerce grant to continue salmonid basins planning

The Lake Stevens City Council voted Feb. 24 to authorize the mayor to sign a $106,000 grant agreement with the Washington State Department of Commerce to continue the Salmonid Basins Plan.

Environmental programs manager Shannon Front (first reference) described the grant as a continuation of a basin‑scale planning project that uses modeling and GIS to identify areas for water‑quality and habitat goals. "This project is a continuation of a project that we started this year called the basins plan," Front said. She told the council the grant will fund planning and conceptual design work; the city’s match is staff time already budgeted in salaries.

Front emphasized that the grant funds planning—modeling, conceptual designs, cost estimates and identification of candidate projects—but does not commit the city to construction. "The scope of the project is not the actual construction of those projects," she said. Deliverables include potential code amendment drafts and project lists that staff could pursue via additional grants or budget processes.

Council members asked whether the city applied and who managed the application; Front said her team prepared the application and Commerce invited a follow‑on request for funding. After brief questions, a council member moved and seconded the authorization; the council approved the motion by voice vote.

Next steps: staff will sign the grant agreement, track reimbursable expenses and incorporate the project deliverables into the stormwater and comprehensive‑plan work programs. Any construction or code changes identified by the study will return to council for separate approvals and funding decisions.