Enumclaw’s roster of department heads was filled out last week when Chris Anderson was formally put in charge of the city’s dollars and cents.
Enumclaw had been hunting for someone to replace Stephanie McKenzie, who resigned her post in May. The search concluded in the Pierce County community of Fife, where Anderson most recently served as budget manager of capital projects. Fife, nestled against Tacoma and contained within the borders of the Puyallup Indian Reservation, is similar in size to Enumclaw with an estimated population hovering near 11,000.
Anderson’s first day of work in Enumclaw was Tuesday, July 6. He will lead a team of four other employees. The department is charged with financial accounting, managing the city’s investments and overseeing the budgeting process. Additionally, the Finance Department is in charge of utility billing and managing the discount program that benefits low-income senior citizens.
Enumclaw code allows for appointment by the mayor but requires confirmation through a vote of the seven-person City Council. Those steps were cleared during the June 28 meeting of the Council.
The recommendation to Council came with a memo from Mayor Jan Molinaro and City Administrator Chris Searcy. In it, they wrote that Anderson “has relevant and extensive experience with capital project budgeting, federal and state grants, financial reporting, and working with the State Auditor’s Office.” With the exception of payroll processing, they added, the new hire has hands-on experience with every aspect of the Finance Department.
In other action during the June 28 meeting, which was concluded in a scant 19 minutes, City Council members:
• were reminded of a pair of upcoming community events. The King County Fair will fill the Expo Center during a four-day run, July 15-18, and Sundays On Cole makes its return July 11 and will continue through Aug. 29. The fair will operate from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. the first three days and be open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the closing Sunday. The Cole Street festivities will operate in a four-hour window, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and include vendors, artists, musicians and more.
• approved, on first reading, a preliminary plat application for the Alder Brook housing development. The applicant, Carl J. Sanders Construction, hopes to subdivide 8.72 acres into 30 residential lots, all intended for single-family homes.
The proposal will return to the council for a final vote at a future meeting.
The parcel in question sits in the 44400 block of 244th Avenue Southeast (Osceola Street), west of Boyle Street and adjacent to the Pinnacle Peak subdivision. If approved, Edith Avenue will be extended, connecting to Osceola Street, with a new, internal public street serving the homes.
Structures currently sitting on the land would be demolished.
• gave final approval to the proposed Kibler Court subdivision. The applicant, Bryce Sanders (on behalf of Carl Sanders Construction and Top Sun LLC) received the go-ahead to turn 7.07 acres of land into 19 residential lots.
The project is found on the north side of Kibler Avenue, along Florence Street.
The project dates back to January 2019 when the preliminary plat application was filed with the city. The project was approved by the City Council in September 2019, at that time calling for 21 lots.
• heard Mayor Pro-tem Chance La Fleur read a proclamation highlighting July as Parks and Recreation Month. The proclamation noted the many benefits recreation offers the public and La Fleur offered thanks to Michelle Larson, who heads the department.
