City council to hold retreat in Ephrata

The Electric City Council will be taking a retreat to Ephrata next week to see some presentations related to managing a city, and to discuss ideas in a different environment.

The council booked the Nat Washington House in Ephrata for $150 dollars for the day’s presentations April 28.

On the agenda for the council’s retreat are presentations from finance consultant Bill Mulholland, the Association of Washington Cities, and the Municipal Research Services Center.

The purpose of the retreat, according to City Clerk Russ Powers, is to allow council members a different environment to discuss ideas, as well as to gain ideas from the presentations, such as how to invest city funds, as well as gain resources for city legal matters, and other governance issues.

The presentations during the retreat are open to the public for those who would like to attend.

The council will also be meeting with City Attorney Katherine Kenison, for any questions or issues that may need to be discussed with her.

Kenison is based out of Ephrata, and the retreat is held there in part to save on attorney costs, according to Powers.

For last year’s retreat, Kenison collected $1,280 for the eight hours related to the retreat, including preparation of materials and attending the retreat. A similar cost is expected for this year.

Electric City funds will pay for mileage for the council to drive to Ephrata, as well as for lunch items. Council members are not paid for their time.

Total costs for mileage, food, presentations, rental of the Washington house, and attorney fees, based on last year’s cost, are estimated to total around $2,225. The attorney may attend less time this year, and councilmembers may carpool, which would cut the total cost for the retreat.