The City of Mercer Island is pleased to announce the official appointment of  Jessi Bon  as City Manager, effective on February 18, 2020, following a nine-month interim tenure in the position that began in June of last year.

Bon joined the City in 2018 as its Parks and Recreation Director and has over 20 years of experience in local municipal government. Prior to Mercer Island, she served as Deputy City Manager for the City of Sammamish, and before that was its Director of Parks and Recreation for 10 years.

"This is an incredible opportunity and I am honored that the  City Council  selected me to serve in the permanent role," said Bon. "I moved to Mercer Island ten years ago and knew it was the place I would raise my family. It's truly a gift to live and work here and I value the shared connections."

Of the appointment,  Mayor Benson Wong  said, "After getting to know Jessi for the past two years, and witnessing her professionalism, leadership skills, and tenacity, I have no doubt that she is the right choice for a permanent City Manager. I look forward to working with her even more closely in the future."

Read the full news release.

Watch out for way more logs than usual floating in Lake Washington this month! In the interests of public safety, the Mercer Island Police Department's (MIPD)  Marine Patrol has been busy towing logs to a central collection area for removal by an Army Corps of Engineers barge and crane this spring. Officers say this year is much worse than normal...

The recent heavy rains and associated flooding liberated a lot of logs, stumps, and other debris from the banks of the Cedar River - these have migrated all over the Lake and underneath private docks. 

The MIPD advises early-season boaters to keep their eyes on the water, not travel after dark, and reduce their speed.  Learn more from the MIPD Facebook page.

At last night's meeting, the City Council unanimously voted to halt work on the ongoing Community Facility Zoning process that began in late 2018 and to repeal that portion of the 2018 Comprehensive Plan amendments related to the Community Facility zone. This vote followed the Planning Commission's January 2020 recommendation to halt work on the original Community Facility rezone and to instead focus on a narrower set of code amendments. 

 

The Council also discussed a recently submitted application (view here) from the Stroum Jewish Community Center (SJCC) and the French American School of Puget Sound (FASPS) for a code amendment that would change the development standards for private schools, places of worship, and community clubs that are located in the residential zoning designations across Mercer Island. 

At its upcoming March 10 meeting, the Council will determine what action, if any, it will take to amend the code in response to the recent application or the Planning Commission's recommendation.

 

Learn more about the history of the Community Facility Zoning process.

State law provides two tax benefit programs for senior citizens and the disabled: property tax exemptions and property tax deferrals, yet very few of those who are eligible are currently enrolled.

The State Legislature recently made major changes in the program that will allow more people to  apply for benefits . Applications are now available here.

Most importantly, the annual income limit is now indexed to 65% of the median household income in King County (equating to $58,423) rather than being set at a fixed amount ($40,000) as it was in the past.

 

To learn more about eligibility, please visit the King County Assessor's website.