The Sumner City Council on April 5 tabled an ordinance to adopt amendments to the city’s comprehensive plan in response to an overlay zone in the city’s industrial section along state Route 167.

The amendments are necessary to update the city’s plan to reflect the new Manufacturing and Industrial Center overlay zone.

The council will revisit the issue at the April 26 council study session.

The amendments stem from the adoption of the Manufacturing and Industrial Center overlay, which the council adopted in October 2009 following contentious election-era debate.

Council members voted to establish the MIC overlay as a way to qualify for more federal funding because the classification is a requirement for funding which Sumner would continue to miss out on if it didn’t create the overlay.

The comprehensive plan was amended in 2009 to include the MIC to relieve the tax burden on local taxpayers and improve roads in the north end of Sumner with the new funds and create jobs.

Community Development Director Paul Rogerson said the overlay is a way for the city to be more competitive for federal funds.

Sumner Planning Director Ryan Windish presented amendments to the comprehensive plan and took any questions the council members had. Sumner’s Planning Commission offered a public hearing on the amendments Feb. 4 and recommended that council approve the amendments.

The proposal was sent to the Washington State Department of Commerce on Feb. 14 for a mandatory 14-day review.

The overlay and the amendments to the zoning code and zoning map affect the industrially-zoned land in the northern part of Sumner. The overlay will increase opportunities for commercial and office development in the industrial zones. As a result of the changes certain projects which would typically require a conditional use permit may now get under way outright, Windish said.

Councilman Randy Hynek moved to table the ordinance, he said, because some of the changes were not sufficiently presented to all council members before being brought for final approval.

“I appreciate the council vote on sticking to our policy,” Hynek said.

Councilman Matt Richardson had reservations about the MIC and how it may affect the appearance of Sumner and the traffic flow. He spoke briefly at the meeting on his disagreement with the potential effects he sees with the MIC, but said he would bring more information to the study session.

“I hope the staff comes ready for a really long meeting,” Richardson said.