Regional briefs for Friday, Dec. 5

The Olympian • Published December 05, 2008

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Lacey

Water price will rise 12.5 percent next month

The Lacey City Council has approved a $109 million budget for next year that maintains all service levels outside fire services, which are contracted, despite a drop in sales-tax revenue and fees caused by the slowing economy.

No one testified at a public hearing about the budget last month. It takes effect Jan. 1.

Water customers served by Lacey will notice a large increase in water rates. The monthly base rate — founded on 900 cubic feet — will increase 12.5 percent, to $21.75 from $19.34.

The city has spent millions on capital projects to expand and upgrade its water system, as well as higher fuel and energy costs to run wells and pump stations. The city has had to borrow from the wastewater utility to help pay for those projects.

The wastewater fee will increase to $15.25 from $15 each month. The fee does not include what the LOTT Alliance, the area's wastewater system, charges residents to treat wastewater.

The monthly stormwater fee will increase to $7.15 from $6.75 because of higher costs and new state and federal standards related to increased monitoring and treatment.

The city will hire two police officers, one equipment mechanic and three employees to operate the Regional Athletic Complex, a joint project with Thurston County.

The city will pay Lacey Fire District No. 3 more than $4.2 million to provide city residents fire and emergency medic response, a 12.3 percent increase from last year.

The city's regular levy rate used to calculate property taxes is estimated to drop to $1.86 per $1,000 of assessed value, the lowest rate in its 43-year history. The 1 percent cap means the city will collect an additional $85,573 compared with last year.

Thurston County

Police dog finds suspect in tree

A traffic stop ended with a man in a tree Wednesday night.

Just before midnight, a Thurston County Sheriff's deputy stopped a driver because a vehicle had expired tabs. The driver, Bradley J. Johnson, 42, of Maytown pulled off of Interstate 5 into the parking lot of the Farmboy restaurant at the Maytown exit. Computer records suggested that the truck Johnson was driving had been stolen, according to a police report.

The deputy said he called for a second unit, and when he asked Johnson to step out of the vehicle, Johnson drove off, turning north onto Case Road, where he lost control of the vehicle and ended up in a pond.

The deputy pursued and found the empty pickup.

A K-9 team from Tumwater was called, and Otis tracked the suspect about 100 yards, where he was found 15 feet up in a tree.

Johnson came down and was booked into the Thurston County Jail on suspicion of possession of a stolen vehicle, police said. He was being held Thursday night at the jail with bail set at $5,000.