Recently the city was in the news for a permit violation as well as alleged safety violations.  These incidents are both currently either under appeal or going through mitigation processes.  However, the City of Lake Stevens is using these events to improve our processes, procedures, and the way we do business.  

Lake Stevens has grown enormously over the last decade, and the number of city staff and our processes for managing this growth has not kept pace.  For example, paper systems may still be used when there are automated or computerized procedures now available. Another example is that procedures for both managing employees and public projects need updating.  

I wanted to briefly share with you areas we are working on to improve at the city:

• Earlier this year we trained 10 employees in Lean Six Sigma. These employees are currently leading process changes within their departments.  We are already seeing benefits from this training resulting in process improvements.  
• The City is budgeting in 2022 for added capabilities to its Geographic Information System to improve maintenance tracking, and to provide a more customer-friendly permitting process.
• After meeting with state and federal agencies, the City now sends project updates regularly for review to ensure permits are secured prior to work being started.
• The City is currently updating its human resources software capabilities to document training, safety, and career progression.    

Ultimately the management and well-being of our city falls upon my shoulders.  It is a responsibility I asked for when elected, and take it seriously. We are fortunate that these incidents have highlighted areas in need of improvement as we continue to become one community around the lake. As always, I welcome your comments and suggestions at bgailey@lakestevenswa.gov.

Mayor Brett Gailey