Cuoio delivers the state of the city address

In his annual state of the city address to the Lacey Chamber of Commerce, Lacey City Manager Greg Cuoio told some 175 members and guests that the city was committed to annexing to Lacey Fire District 3.

Cuoio said  the city has had a 62 year relationship with the fire district, long before there was a city and that annexation will be a good thing for city residents.

Cuoio said that once the annexation is completed, city residents will have a say on who represents them on the fire commission.  He also explained that the fire district is committed to putting a measure before the people, once the annexation is complete, to increase the number of fire commissioners to five.

The city manager also told the business group, that the city will reduce its collection of property tax to make up for the increase in property taxes residents will pay when they annex to the fire district.  City residents will pay $9.4 million to the city this year.   Next year that will drop to $4.7 million when the annexation is approved.

He estimates city residents will pay about $30 a year more once they annex to the fire district.  That election will be held in April.

Cuoio also said the city was on a continual search for water to serve its 65,000 customers.  The city currently pumps about 2.6 million gallons of water every year, from 18 wells,  enough to give 40,000 gallons to every man, woman and child in the area it serves.

The population served by Lacey water is expected to increase to 120,000 by 2030 and that means almost a doubling in the needed water.   Cuoio said the city is working to reduce its water consumption and has done so every month but one last year.  (June which was extra hot in 2009.)

The city will get 770 acre foot of water when it starts to receive the water from the Olympia Brewery.   That will take construction of new facilities and will take some time, Cuoio said.   The city has also gone after water right permits for additional drilling and hopes to have some of them approved this year by the Department of Ecology.

The Lacey city manager pointed to a number of accomplishments last year including the opening of the Regional Athletic Complex.  He also acknowledged that Cabellas has been in the top five stores, for sales, of the 30 stores chain, every since it opened.