After a heated discussion at the Sept. 8 Sumner City Council meeting, five of the seven council members voted to collaborate with the Port of Tacoma for several improvement projects.
The collaboration, according to the agenda bill, is “for the purpose of obtaining (the Port’s) support for various city of Sumner transportation projects which have a demonstrated benefit to the city and the Port.” These include the Main Street and Fryar Avenue corridor improvement, the State Route 410 interchange study and the study of truck routes. Support from the port can come in the form of letters, testimony, lobbying and other non-monetary assistance.
Councilmember Matt Richardson was staunchly against the idea and Councilmember Randy Hynek chose to abstain.
“These kind of agreements can be made without legally binding contracts,” Richardson said. “(Not signing a contract) doesn’t mean we don’t want to work cooperatively.”
He also questioned the fact that Sumner is listed as the lead agency in the agreement.
“I’m not sure we need to make that kind of leap,” he said.
Councilmember Steve Allsop,and most of the others saw it differently.
“We chose to support the Port of Tacoma (when they were trying to obtain the Main Street/Fryar Avenue funding). In exchange ... we got not one but three projects funded in very short order,” Allsop said. “(The contract) is just formality. I don’t think these are sinister, underhanded ... agreements.”
Allsop went on to say that he thinks Sumner being listed as the lead agency is a positive thing.
“I don’t mean to imply that the port has anything sinister up its sleeve,” Richardson countered. “I hope council at least looks at this a little longer before (we make a decision).”
Hynek, who ultimately abstained from the vote because he was not present at an Aug. 31 meeting with members of the port, said he questioned one part of the agreement.
“I see a number of items that protect the port financially, but I don’t see anything that protects Sumner,” he said.
Sumner City Administrator John Doan offered his thoughts on the topic.
“In the agreement, the Port of Tacoma is putting something on the line,” Doan said. “We’re not really putting anything on the line. We’re not committing to anything.”
In other words, Doan continued, Sumner doesn’t have to pursue any project it doesn’t want to.
“It doesn’t oblige the city of Sumner to do anything,” Allsop said of the yearlong agreement, which will terminate in January 2011 with an option to extend. “It just says the port is on our side.”
Richardson and Hynek both continued to express discomfort to signing such a contract.
“We’ve had so many agreements in the past without legal binding,” Richardson said. “Why do it now? Why would we move forward with this?”
Because, said Mayor Dave Enslow, who did not get a vote in the matter, small towns can afford to have a major entity on their side.
“We need those friends,” Enslow said before the vote. “When you’re a town of 9,000 people, you need a few big brothers.”
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