Sumner’s city council took first looks at two major issues that could affect life in Sumner, at their study session meeting April 25. The first dealt with flood control designs for land adjacent to the White River and south of Sumner Meadows golf links. The second was a plan for charging events fees to the organizers of city gatherings.

Under a $200,000 grant from the Salmon Recovery Funding Board, the city must complete 30 percent of a design for a set-back levee along the White River by June 15. Though the city isn’t obliged to follow through in building any flood controls, it must complete the partial design by the deadline, or lose the grant money and the option.

City staff and representatives of engineering firm Parametrix presented two broad design alternatives to the council, both proposing to dig a side channel extending from the northwest corner of the 100-acre land tract south of the links, and ending in the southwest corner of said tract.

The first alternative would utilize a longer, more meandering side channel in the center of an excavated land area that would abut against the shore. The entire east side of the tract, alongside the Burlington railroad tracks, would be raised with fill material. A walking trail extending south from 24th Street would be relocated from the west side of the tract to the eastern fill zone.

The second alternative would preserve the current walking trail. A straighter and slightly shorter side channel would cut through a larger swath of excavated land, with the fill zone limited to the southeast corner of the tract.

The side channel would lower water volume by approximately a foot during flood conditions, according to the Parametrix report.

“What is the additional volume the river will be able to handle?” Councilman Randy Hynek asked. “What will that buy us in a flood? A few seconds?”

Existing wetland habitats will be largely preserved under each plan alternative. The council did not come to a formal decision on either alternative.

Community Development Director Paul Rogerson also presented the council with a plan for special events fees to be charged to organizers.

Under the plan, each event application would first incur a non-refundable $200 fee. An additional deposit would be placed with the city to cover staffing costs, at an amount determined by the cost and length of the event in question.

A Type 1 event that only costs $300 or incurs costs over fewer than six hours, like the Autumn Evening, would require a $200 deposit.

A Type 2 event, like the city car show, that costs between $300 and $800, or incurs costs over more than six hours, would require a $400 deposit.

Any event that costs more than $800 would automatically be considered Type 3 and require an $1,100 deposit. The Daffodil Parade was the only Type 3 event on the example list provided to council.

Under Sumner’s current schedule of annual events, the fees would bring in $12,000 revenue for the city and alleviate 25 percent of the city’s costs, according to Mayor Dave Enslow. The city’s costs include staffing public areas with police security patrols.

Not every councilmember agreed with the proposal.

“It’s not just the host benefiting from these events,” Councilman Steve Allsop said. “The town benefits too.”

Councilman Leroy Goff suggested utilizing more volunteers at events as a cost-cutting alternative.

The issue was undecided and left to be placed on a meeting agenda at a future date.