The Mountlake Terrace City Council at its Monday, April 3 meeting unanimously approved the city’s 2023 Tour de Terrace event agreement.

Recreation and Parks Director Jeff Betz discussed the new agreement with councilmembers at their March 30 meeting, noting the only major difference is the absence of a 5K fun run this year due to a lack of volunteers.

As in previous years, Tour de Terrace will be free to the public and will be held July 21-23. The weekend will kick off with a Friday night parade followed by a pancake breakfast Saturday morning. The annual car show will also be held Saturday as well as evening fireworks. Throughout the weekend, there will be carnival rides, food vendors, live music and a beer garden – all of which will cost event-goers money.

Councilmember Rick Ryan had previously mentioned that he would be abstaining from voting because he is on the Tour de Terrace planning committee and felt like that was a conflict of interest. However, Ryan was absent Monday night and the 2023 event agreement was passed unanimously.

In addition, the council received a 2022 development activities update from Mountlake Terrace Associate Planner Sara Pizzo.

Pizzo gave a brief overview of each of the 27 city projects that were either completed or made partial progress last year. Some of the projects included residential buildings, commercial buildings, park planning and development, and street vacations.

Mayor Pro Tem Bryan Wahl requested that the next update include a summary page with a list of items he felt were crucial to highlight.

“I’d like to see the total number of units built and permitted, total number of businesses and jobs created, total number of development and permit fees collected, total dollars invested, total property value increase and total construction value,” he said. “I know we collect a lot of that annually anyway, but just being able to include that in the annual report would be really valuable information.”

Pizzo said a summary page will be included in next year’s council update.

In addition, the council read a proclamation for Arbor Day, a holiday that encourages people to plant trees and take better care of the environment around them. The City of Mountlake Terrace recently received an annual award from the Arbor Day Foundation for its commitment to effective urban forest management. City staff encourages all residents to respect the nature in Mountlake Terrace parks, yards and nearby wooded areas.

Arbor Day lands on Friday, April 28 this year.

— By Lauren Reichenbach