NORTH BEND - In April the city of North Bend gave the King County Sheriff's Office written notice that is was planning on revoking a nearly $1-million contract for police services in protest to a site near the city being placed on the short-list for a state sex-offender halfway house. That time period has expired, leaving the city the option of revoking that contract at any time.

But city officials say they are not ready to make that decision, though they admit to having explored at least one option as an alternative to the current contract with the Sheriff's Office and hope to come up with at least one more before presenting them to the public for discussion later this year.

"We haven't made any decisions yet," said Mayor Joan Simpson. "We're a long way from that."

In a letter dated April 4, Simpson chastised King County Executive Ron Sims for changing his position regarding the placement of the state Department of Social and Health Services sex-offender halfway house in King County. Originally Sims said that the facility, to be utilized to transition convicted sex-offenders who have served their time back into society, belonged in an industrial area. When two members of the King County Council - whose represented areas were both named as finalists for the site - suggested the facility be placed about four miles southeast of North Bend on Grouse Ridge, Sims supported the move despite the fact that the area is heavily wooded and not in an industrial area. The letter also criticized Sims for not consulting the city throughout the process.

For the complete story, pick up a copy of the Snoqualmie Valley Record

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