This Week in Renton

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Wednesday, May 8, 2024 | Vol. IX | Issue 19

In 2022, Washington passed the Organics Management Law, which requires many businesses to separate their food and yard waste from garbage. In 2024, the state passed another organics management law, House Bill 2301, which added more requirements for organics collection.

In preparation for this bill, the city's Public Works Department will launch a waste reduction assistance project to help businesses prepare for these organics' separation requirements and reduce the amount of recyclable and compostable materials in landfills.

Through personalized outreach, the city will provide businesses with tools and expertise to reduce their garbage bills, prevent waste, and comply with new state waste laws. Priority will be given to businesses that serve or are staffed by Spanish and Vietnamese speakers, both part of the top five languages spoken in Renton.

Outreach will begin with two upcoming networking events. At these events, businesses can learn about waste-related legislation, how to lower garbage costs through the recycling and food waste program, permitting and licensing, and receive free waste-related resources and supplies. The events are on:

• Monday, May 20, from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. at Anchovies & Salt (1087 Lake Washington Blvd). Enjoy free coffee, tea, egg rolls (chả giò), and golden pho pillows (phở chiên phồng). This event is for Renton businesses that serve or are operated by Vietnamese speakers and will be conducted in both Vietnamese and English. RSVP by May 15.

• Wednesday, May 29, from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. at Torero's Cocina Mexicana & Cantina (920 N. 10th St., Suite R). Enjoy free agua fresca, taquitos, coffee, and donuts. This event is for Renton businesses that serve or are operated by Spanish speakers and will be conducted in both Spanish and English. RSVP by May 17.

For questions, email the Solid Waste Program Manager, Meara Heubach at [email protected].

Initiative 23-02 rules and procedures for public review

In March, the City of Renton mailed an informational letter to inform the public about the passing of citizen-led Initiative 23-02. Initiative 23-02 is an ordinance setting labor standard requirements for employers and certain employees who work within the City of Renton.

The city has been working through the rule-making process since the initiative's election certification date of February 23, 2024, to develop rules and procedures for implementing and certifying compliance with this ordinance.

We are now seeking stakeholder feedback on these drafted rules, before the results are finalized. Please visit the city's webpage to view the drafted rules and provide your thoughts over the next several weeks. The rules are available to review in six languages: English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese (simplified), Tagalog, and Ukrainian.

In March's informational letter, three key requirements of the voter-initiated and approved law were laid out:

1. On July 1, 2024, covered employers in the City of Renton will be required to pay a new higher minimum wage for hours worked in the city. Covered employers are required to pay employees not less than the minimum hourly wage as follows:

• Large Employer: More than 500 employees worldwide and certain franchises. The 2024 minimum wage effective 7/1/24 will be $20.29.

• Mid-Size Employer: At least 15 but no more than 500 employees worldwide or over $2 million of annual gross revenue in Renton. The 2024 minimum wage effective 7/1/24 will be $18.29.

Employers that do not fall within the Large or Mid-Size Employer descriptions above are not covered by the new minimum wage rates but must continue to meet the State of Washington minimum wage requirements.

2. Covered employers must offer additional hours of work to qualified, part-time employees before hiring new employees or subcontractors (including temporary agencies).

3. All employers, including those not otherwise covered by the above requirements, are prohibited from retaliating against anyone who exercises rights protected by the ordinance, including seeking or providing information about the ordinance's requirements or making a complaint of alleged violations.

Please take a moment to visit the city's webpage to read the full text of the initiative and provide feedback on the draft administrative rule.

Celebrating Clerks Week

During Monday night's council meeting, Mayor Armondo Pavone designated May 6 as Professional Municipal Clerks Week in Renton. Accepting the proclamation was Renton's City Clerk and Public Records Officer, Jason Seth.

This year, Professional Municipal Clerks Week is celebrated from May 5 through 11. It is the 55th Annual Professional Municipal Clerks Week.

City Clerks provide a professional link between residents, local governing bodies, and government agencies at other levels. They play a pivotal role in administering democratic processes such as election coordination, access to public records, and ensuring all legislative and administrative actions remain transparent.

This hard-working group does a lot of work behind the scenes to maximize efficiencies so departments can do their jobs with as few obstacles as possible. In the last several years, Renton's City Clerk Division has been working diligently to make public records and public meetings accessible to the public. These efforts include virtual public meetings and digitizing nearly 420,000 city-owned documents since 2021, resulting in a response time of four days or less to public record requests.

First recycling event of 2024

The city's Public Works Department will hold the first recycling event of 2024 on Saturday, May 11, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the North Parking Lot at Renton Technical College.

This annual event is a great opportunity to properly recycle unwanted items like Styrofoam, metal, and mattresses that may otherwise end up in landfills.

During this Saturday's event, staff will collect scrap metal, large appliances, and Styrofoam. Some items that will not be accepted include television sets or computers, refrigerators, dishwashers, and microwaves.

Throughout all events, food for donation will be collected and donated to the local food bank.

The next event is on June 1, with a special guest partnership featuring Furniture Repair Bank. During this event only, the Furniture Repair Bank will collect gently worn and damaged furniture to be restored, repaired, and then gifted to community members in need. Applications for furniture donation need to be completed by Monday, May 27. For more information, visit rentonwa.gov/recycleevents.

STREAM Team meets the Urban Forestry Division

April was "Plant Power" month, and the Parks and Recreation Department afterschool enrichment program, STREAM Team, worked with students through environmental-themed lessons as the team partnered with Renton's Urban Forestry Division.

The students learned the importance of trees in an urban interface (like shade and stormwater infiltration) and proper planting techniques to implement in other volunteer opportunities in the future.

STREAM Team brings fun, high-quality STEM-focused activities to Renton youth. Specialties included are science, technology, recreation, environment, arts, and math. The city aims to have the program reflect the interests of community members to help develop inquisitive, lifelong learners with a passion for asking questions and finding answers.

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