Candidates for the only contested Newcastle City Council race separately convened in Issaquah Sept. 25, where they met with The Issaquah Press newspaper group General Manager Charles Horton and Managing Editor Kathleen R. Merrill.

Newcastle News is one of four newspapers in that group.

Victoria Sandoval

Linda Newing

Horton and Merrill quizzed Victoria Sandoval and Linda Newing on everything from traffic to city finances, as the two made their cases for a Newcastle News endorsement. Newcastle News previously asked the candidates a series of questions here and profiled them here in the lead-up to the election.

Energize Eastside

Puget Sound Energy’s plan to build higher-capacity electric transmission lines on the Eastside, in response to what they say is the region’s growing power demands, is a hot topic among Newcastle residents.

In a process that many decried, a Community Advisory Group recommended a route that goes directly through the heart of Newcastle last year.

Both candidates said they still have a lot of questions surrounding the Energize Eastside project.

Newing said she’s not convinced the higher-capacity transmission lines are actually needed. She added that PSE should look at other alternatives, such as undergrounding at a cost that won’t place the burden on resident pocketbooks.

“It’s step by step right now and I think we really need to do a little more homework on that project,” she said.

Sandoval said she didn’t know enough about the project to have a firm opinion, but did add that it doesn’t seem to benefit Newcastle. She mentioned the transmission lines would harm property values and change the city’s beautiful landscape.

“That doesn’t seem to be a win-win in any way,” she said.

Traffic

Both candidates agreed traffic is a problem in Newcastle, specifically on Coal Creek Parkway Southeast in the heart of the city.

Most people don’t feel safe driving on Coal Creek Parkway, Sandoval said. Speeding on the road is a problem, she added.

Far too many drivers spend a significant amount of time sitting in traffic on the road in the mornings and afternoons, Newing said.

Much of that congestion is a result of drivers looking to avoid a crowded Interstate 405, Newing said. So, the city should work with the Washington State Department of Transportation to fix that freeway in an effort to reduce gridlock on Coal Creek Parkway, she said.

Sandoval was less clear about her plans to alleviate congestion, but said the city needs to better prioritize the road and look into traffic light-timing studies.

City finances

A development boon has offered a boost to city finances recently, but it won’t last forever and council members will have to continue careful budgeting as forecasts see expenses outpacing revenues.

Newing suggested looking into equipment replacement as one cost-cutting measure.

“Do we have to buy new vehicles? Can we buy used vehicles?” she asked. “Can we stretch out computer or technology replacements another year?”

On the revenue side, Newing said she is concerned about businesses, knowingly or not, shortchanging the city out of possible license fee and sales tax revenue. She said the city needs to find a way to ensure that all businesses working here, according to the code, obtain a city of Newcastle business license.

Additionally, Newing noted that Newcastle could be missing out on quite a bit of money when businesses incorrectly collect sales tax. Newcastle has a 9.5 sales tax rate, she said, while Covington’s, for example, is 8.6 percent.

The city’s budget is hugely funded by property taxes, forcing the city to dip into the pockets of homeowners that might only be “skating by,” Sandoval said.

“I think that we need to diversify a whole lot more, our budget, so that we’re not so heavily dependent on property taxes, because every dollar represents a person,” she said.

Sandoval added that she would consider implementing a utility tax, which Newcastle currently does not have, as a means to boost revenue.

Both candidates stressed the need to reach out to businesses and encourage them to bring their enterprises to Newcastle.

Cast your vote

Sandoval said people should vote for her because she has a “fire inside for Newcastle.” She wants to do her part to make residents proud of their city, she said.

“I’m not in it for me. I’m in it for the now and the future,” she said.

Newing said she deeply cares about Newcastle, and has shown it through the invaluable relationships she has already built with residents, staff and volunteer groups.

“I think I’m more passionate than my opponent and I’m more committed,” Newing said. “I follow up and I follow through.”

The Community Advisory Group working on Puget Sound Energy’s Energize Eastside transmission line upgrade project has made its final route recommendations and both include Segment M, which goes through Newcastle.

The panel — comprised of neighborhood, business and civic leaders — selected routes Oak and Willow at its final meeting Dec. 10. The advisory group’s final recommendation is based on its work over the past year, including discussion of community feedback collected throughout 2014.

Of the 20 advisory group members and residential alternates present at the meeting, 17 supported the final recommendation. Of those 17, eight expressed preference for the Oak route and five expressed preference for the Willow route, while four supported either route.

Three advisory group members had a dissenting opinion and supported none of the routes. One was Olympus resident Sue Stronk.

“I was one of the three that refused to vote on any final route, as any vote would harm our residents since segment M is in both remaining routes,” she wrote in a letter to fellow residents.

These are the final recommended routes that now move on to PSE for an even more thorough review:

• Oak (Segments A-C-E-G2-I-K2-M-N)
• Willow (Segments A-C-E-J-M-N)

PSE will ultimately make an announcement about routing after reviewing the Community Advisory Group’s recommendation, larger public feedback and opportunities and constraints surrounding the project. That decision is expected in early 2015.

The Coalition of Eastside Neighborhoods for Sensible Energy said in a news release that the “outcome of this process does not represent the wishes of the community.”

Credit: Puget Sound Energy
The Puget Sound Energy Community Advisory Group recommended Oak and Willow routes for the Energize Eastside project. Both include Segment M, which runs through Newcastle.

CENSE said it believes PSE prematurely eliminated better energy alternatives and never gave the Community Advisory Group a chance to consider them.

Some members of the advisory group worked together to submit a dissenting report, challenging PSE’s stance that Energize Eastside is the most cost-effective way to meet the needs of future energy demands.

Newcastle Community Development Director Tim McHarg was among those who signed their names to the five-page document presented to PSE at the end of December.

“The city of Newcastle supports PSE in its efforts to deliver reliable and cost effective solutions to the Eastside’s energy needs for existing and future residents and businesses,” McHarg said in a news release. “However, the CAG process did not offer sufficient depth or breadth of data, analysis or alternatives to determine the best solutions to these needs.

“If pursued, the resulting recommendation would have significant and irreparable impacts on homes and businesses along the routes and to our entire community, since both routes run through the middle of Newcastle.”

McHarg went on to say that based on the information collected to date, city staff are unconvinced that the proposed instillation of high-voltage power lines is the only available option.

“We encourage affected cities and the public to participate in the Environmental Impact Statement process for Energize Eastside to ensure a clear understanding of the nature of the problem and the impacts of feasible alternative solutions,” he said.

The process appears far from over, as affected cities, led by Bellevue, come together to hire an independent consultant to research the project, and work through the Environmental Impact Statement process.

Also during the coming months, PSE will work directly with property owners and tenants to begin detailed fieldwork to inform the route alignment, project design, the environmental review process and permit applications; ask for community input on project design, which may include pole location, height, finish and other design considerations; and work with the city of Bellevue and other affected jurisdictions and agencies on the project’s Environmental Impact Statement process.

“Olympus already has experienced a homebuyer, after placing a down payment, back out of the sale after learning of this project coming to their back yard,” Stronk said. “Our residents will suffer monetarily by this project.”