Sequim explores tax districts to pay for sidewalks, streetlights, other work in older neighborhoods

Published 5:46 am Thursday, February 28, 2008

SEQUIM — Laura Dubois, the town’s new mayor, doesn’t like leaving home late at night. She lives off Prairie Street in one of Sequim’s older neighborhoods, off the construction-beaten track.

After dark, these pockets can be pitch-black, and the potholes in the streets make driving — not to mention bicycling — a drag.

This week, Dubois, 60, and the Sequim City Council paved a way toward safer neighborhoods.

Continuing on that path, though, could get expensive for residents.

After a strenuous discussion, the council voted 4-2 Monday to authorize a study of whether three Sequim neighborhoods should become local improvement districts, or LIDs.

Through an LID, residents help pay for sidewalks or other projects through an assessment, which is a charge from the city.