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NEWPORT — The Newport City Council on Monday, April 21 decided to become a member of another risk pool for municipalities, as well as heard updates from a few local agencies.
At the April 7 meeting two weeks prior, the council received an overview from the Risk Management Service Agency, a local government risk pool that provides insurance coverage and other services to municipalities in the state.
“Right now, I’m pretty sure except for Newport we have all of Pend Oreille County,” RMSA program director Andrea Luper said at the April 7 meeting.
RMSA quoted the city a total cost of $301,000 for 2025. Within that $301,000, $180,000 would be the city’s liability payment for law enforcement, employment practices and cyber, and $121,000 would cover property replacement, crime, employee fidelity, equipment breakdown and pollution. The city’s 2024 premium with the Cities Insurance Association of Washington, their previous risk pool, was $331,000, a rate that has increased by over $200,000 since 2020.
The council motioned to complete the membership application process. To switch to RMSA, the city has to pay one month of the 2025 premium and then pass an agreement with RMSA after application review and approval.
“One of the things that’s really nice is we know in October what our next year’s bill is going to be, and we can actually budget for it in the appropriate year budget,” city administrator Abby Gribi said.
Earlier in the meeting, a few local agency heads updated the council on recent operations, starting with Newport Police Department Chief Wade Nelson.
Nelson said calls to his department have decreased since last year, with only 307 calls since January. He also announced personnel changes: one resignation and two new hires, including a new school resource officer who was sworn in that evening. Officer Eli Sander is resigning to join another police department. His replacement has accepted the job.
South Pend Oreille Fire and Rescue Fire Chief Shane Stocking reported that calls to SPOFR have increased since last year. He also announced an upcoming summit with SPOFR’s mutual aid partners.
“We’ve done a lot of talking on the fire side the last few months about EMS districts and things that really don’t matter,” Stocking said. “What we have not done is put everybody in the same room and say, ‘Hey, what are your capabilities right now?’” County commissioner Robert Rosencrantz addressed Stocking’s comment in his update on the countywide emergency services district.
The Board of County Commissioners has received answers to questions they had asked the Municipal Research Service Center about EMS districts, Rosencrantz said. They will hold a public hearing on one for Pend Oreille County. He added that Stocking’s perspective on the EMS district was “good to hear” and will also be integrated into the Board’s decision-making process.
“Others may disagree, and individual entities might not see it the same way, but our responsibility is what serves the greater good of the entire county,” Rosencrantz said.
Public Works is continuing to repair Newport streets over the summer, department director David North said. This year, those streets are Second, Third, Fourth and Fifth Streets from Calispel Avenue to Spokane Street, as well as Warren and Scott Avenues. His department will also receive four crosswalk signals in June.
With technical assistance funding from the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, Big Sky Industrial is jetting, cleaning and cameraing water mains over the next couple of months. So far, Big Sky has found an “astonishing” amount of infiltration and inflow in places not even the Wastewater Treatment Plant expected, Superintendent Josh Howard said.
“That just tells you it was not properly done when it was done, and that’s why we have construction standards now,” Howard said. “So, moving forward, hopefully it won’t happen again.”
In other action, the city issued a notice to Bacon Concrete to complete a Department of Transportation ADA sidewalk project at Newport City Park. The project costs $66,107, and Bacon Concrete has 10 to 15 business days to complete it.
Gribi also presented a rudimentary plan outlining the development of the Spruce Street lot into a food truck court. Local business owner Rob Owen told the council he would be “completely against” allowing vendors from outside the area there. If the city does allow outside vendors, Owen recommended that the city also require them to buy Newport business licenses.
“It’s hard enough for us to bring in outside dollars and tourist dollars or to keep residents’ dollars in town,” Owen said.
City clerk Nickole North said cash and investments increased $148,000 from last quarter and increase by about that amount every quarter. Sales tax, however, decreased from last quarter. Property tax increased by $17,000, largely because of the fire levy, while delinquent accounts decreased from 20 to 15.
