10 years ago 1998
Marysville Schools stand to benefit from more money in their budget after the Marysville Planning Commission agreed to increase the amount developers pay for school mitigation by as much as 400 percent. The issue is money to pay for the price of educating students who move into new homes. Currently, builders pay the school district $925 for each single-family home built. Under estimates of the new formula that figure could be almost $4,000. School District officials have often said that education suffers with the explosive growth in the Marysville area. As families move into new homes, school facilities are not able to keep up with the growth. The district uses the impact money almost exclusively to buy portable classrooms, according to Finance Director Larry Clement a portion paid for the new buildings at the high school. Few people argue that the current amount is enough, so at last weeks planning commission meeting City Planner Gloria Hirashima proposed a new fee ordinance modeled on one passed by the Snohomish County Council last November. School mitigation fees charged in the city of Marysville are among the lowest in the county, according to Marysville Planning Commissioner George Wilcox. The proposed ordinance includes a complicated formula designed to approximate the cost of teaching a new student. That formula wasnt reviewed, although Wilcox said the district used conservative numbers. If anything they were probably underestimating their costs. What was reviewed was a provision in the county law that cuts results from that formula in half and then sets a maximum fee at $2,000, both the maximum and cutting in half are a compromise from a committee of builders and superintendents, according to Hirashima. Marysville School Superintendent Richard Eisenhauer told the planning commission at last weeks meeting that the compromise cutting the fee in half and capping it at $2,000 was purely political and had nothing to do with the price of educating new students. The commission agreed. They voted unanimously to approve an ordinance that removed the cap and took out the provision halving the fee. Commissioner Bill Roberts, a developer, was not at the meeting and doesnt agree with the action, he said later. The commissioners also removed a provision that would have exempted developers from paying the fee for low income homes. The proposed ordinance faces several tests before it is on the citys books. The planning commission will hold a public hearing later this spring, then the proposal needs a majority vote by the Marysville City Council.

25 years ago 1983
When Mayor Daryl Brennick called on the Council for comments before adjourning Monday nights City Council meeting, Dennis Graves was ready to speak. The Marysville Police Department could use more manpower, Graves began, something that has become even clearer over the past few weeks. We have three men out, he told the Council. The chief, an officer who was beaten and an officer with a knee problem. We have no training for the dispatchers in self defense and no training in pat down of female prisoners. Graves told Council members and city staff he has been observing the police department and has been talking to officers and is convinced more than ever that the Marysville Police Department has a serious shortage of officers. Were so close on officers now that we cant have another one off on training. Most afternoons there is one officer on duty. The other afternoon Lt. Dyer was there by himself and there were three accidents within 10 minutes and he had no one to back him up. In addition to more officer training, Graves stressed the importance of dispatcher training. He cited the law requiring a pat down of female prisoners to be done by a female in a separate room. Our dispatchers have no training to be alone, he said. He also noted there are times when a dispatcher is the only one at the station and is in charge of the jail, which could present a problem of self defense. I have mentioned this several times and have got shut down. I maintain we need to take a look at this. City Administrator Rick Deming said the city has had some serious problems because of injuries. He explained they have relied quite heavily on their reserve officers and probably will go over budget on reserves. Brennick said the police understaffing was an issue Graves should bring to his or Demings attention and discuss with them. Its not a simple issue of adding another officer, Brennick said. It probably would be a matter of adding three officers. We have three shifts, seven days a week. Its going to be a budget item we have to deal with. While some felt Graves should bring his concerns to the mayor or city administrator in private before coming to Council, Graves said he believed the public has a right to know what is going on.

50 years ago 1959
Three young ladies from Marysville and one from Tulalip have announced their intentions of trying for queen of the 1958 Strawberry Festival, it is reported by the festival committee. Representative candidates from the north end of the county are also listed but not enough from south county, it was said. the queen contest will begin May 12 and end July 12. Merchants have been invited to share expenses and returns indicate another good parade is in the making.