Latah Council Asks For Street Levy

Last winter, some of the residents in the town of Latah in southern Spokane County were getting stuck on the muddy side streets. The worst problems came during the warmup following a hard freeze.

Latah Mayor Chuck Crockett said it’s time to do something about the problem in this town of 220 people.

The Town Council is asking voters to approve a one-year property tax levy to raise about $10,000 to fix the streets.

“After 20 years, the base on these gravel streets is getting pretty thin,” Crockett said.

The levy, on the ballot Nov. 5, would cost an estimated $3.10 per $1,000 of assessed valuation, or about $150 on a $50,000 home, and would be collected in 1997.

The money would go to lay ballast rock on the streets and then cover it with a layer of road gravel.

There won’t be enough money left to do any paving even though Main Street is in need of maintenance as well, Crockett said. The Town Council is trying to obtain grant money for paving but has not been successful so far, he said.

, DataTimes