MI Weekly

    A weekly update from the City of Mercer Island


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 Calendar
(For event details, visit the City's online calendar or click on a specific event)

Sept 25


Sept 29

Sept 30

Oct 1

Oct 2

Oct 3

Oct 7

Oct 8

MAYOR
Debbie Bertlin
 
DEPUTY MAYOR 
 
COUNCILMEMBERS 



Volunteer Opportunities 

City Hall Address
9611 SE 36th Street
Mercer Island, WA 98040

Phone
206.275.7600


Hours
Monday - Friday
8:30am to 5:00pm



Donations Requested 

The Mercer Island Food Pantry relies on your non-perishable food donations to keep the shelves stocked year-round.
Click for more info.
Sept 25, 2019 | Vol. 14 | No. 39
Mercer Island Goes Green
RecologyRecology Update: Leave Old Carts Out 24/7
Click to visit the Recology website
As a reminder, Recology service begins on Mercer Island on Tuesday, October 1. Almost all new carts have now been delivered and Recology is focusing on collecting any old carts from Republic that may have been missed over the past few weeks of coordinated swapouts.
 
In order to capture these scattered remainders, from this point onwards residents are asked to leave old carts out at the curb 24-hours-a-day until they are removed. Please ensure they are not obscured by vegetation or vehicles, and make sure that old carts are empty.
 
During the first few weeks of the transition, residents will be allowed to leave out extra volumes until they have settled on their new collection schedule and any lingering old carts are removed.
 
Please call Recology's Mercer Island hotline with questions, or to adjust service levels, at 206-381-6980. 

Thank you for your patience during this major adjustment!
LicenseCity Business Licenses Move Online
Click to visit the State's Business Licensing website
A reminder that the City has partnered with the Washington State Department of Revenue's  Business Licensing Service (BLS) to offer City business licenses online effective October 10. 

This convenient, time-saving new service will allow new or expanding businesses to apply for their city license online along with other state and local licenses that already partner with BLS. Fees will remain set at $30.

This new online option applies only to City Business Licenses; business owners must still send  B&O tax returns directly to the City of Mercer Island.

Learn more from  the BLS website at  bls.dor.wa.gov   or call BLS at 1-800-451-7985.  
EarthquakeEarthquake Preparedness Day: Oct 17
Click to learn more about being prepared for earthquakes
At 10:17am on Thursday, October 17thousands of Washington residents will practice how to "Drop, Cover, and Hold On" in the state's largest earthquake drill ever:  The Great Washington ShakeOut. City staff will be holding their own training event. 

Major earthquakes can happen anywhere you work, live, or travel in Washington, and we all need to be prepared. The annual ShakeOut drill is our chance to practice how to protect ourselves when an earthquake strikes, with a goal of preventing a major earthquake from becoming a catastrophe for you, your family, and your community. You may only have seconds to protect yourself in an earthquake, so frequent practice results in more successful outcomes.

The City encourages individuals, families, businesses, schools, colleges, and other organizations to practice their emergency plans and prepare. Learn more about the statewide program here

To learn more about being prepared on Mercer Island, visit our 
website and sign up for emergency alert messages too!
Take-BackMedicine Take-Back Day: Oct 26
Click here to learn what is accepted
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the City of Mercer Island are once again coordinating on a nationwide drug "take-back" day on Saturday, October 26, 2019 from 10:00am to 2:00pm at the Mercer Island City Hall (9611 SE 36th Street). Please take drop-offs to the west side of the building, in the loading dock area. 

This one-day event provides residents with a no-cost, anonymous collection of unwanted and expired prescriptions or over-the-counter medicines.   Click here for details and clean out your medicine cabinet!       

Protect our kids, families and environment by properly disposing of your unwanted and expired medicines. Medicines in the home are a leading cause of accidental poisoning, and flushed or trashed medicines can end up polluting waterways. Rates of prescription drug abuse are alarmingly high: over half of teens abusing medicines get them from a family member or friend, including the home medicine cabinet, and often without anyone's knowledge. Call the  Youth and Family Services Department at  (206) 275-7755 with questions.
Arts_Survey 2019 Arts Council Community Survey
Click to visit the online survey
The Mercer Island Arts Council seeks input about its current programming and initiatives and invites residents to take brief, anonymous survey; results will inform the Arts Council's 2021-2022 planning process, which kicks off early next year.
 
Take the survey online or  download and fill out a pdf by hand.  Hard copies are also available in the Mercer Island Gallery at the Mercer Island Community and Event Center.
 
The survey should take less than seven minutes to complete; contact the City's Arts & Culture Coordinator Sarah Bluvas at [email protected], with questions. 

We appreciate your input!

 

  
For questions and comments on the MI Weekly, contact
Sustainability & Communications Manager Ross Freeman at

[email protected] or 206.275.7662.