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Good morning. Issue four of the Issaquah Dispatch: five minutes on what moved in Issaquah this week, one item for your own neighborhood, one quick poll, the market in three numbers, and one practical thing for the house.
Issaquah this week
The final budget hearing and the 2027 property tax levy hearing are Monday, November 2, at 7 PM. Any taxpayer can speak for or against the Mayor's proposed 2027–28 budget and next year's revenue sources, property tax included, in Council Chambers, 135 E. Sunset Way, or online by Webex. Council expects to adopt the budget November 16. The same Monday, the second half of 2026 King County property tax is due. Budget hearing · Levy hearing · King County Treasury
Ballot drop boxes close Tuesday, November 3, at 8 PM. Issaquah's drop box is at City Hall, 130 E. Sunset Way. In-person services and accessible voting devices are available through the county elections office or a vote center until 8 PM that night. City of Issaquah
Lake Tradition's accessible trail loop is getting new gravel, with work done in early November. City crews and the Washington Trails Association have fixed drainage, cleared brush and pulled out old viewing platforms on the Bus Trail and part of the Around the Lake Trail, off I-90 exit 20. The one-mile loop stays open during the work; the lake's viewing platform is rebuilt later. City of Issaquah
Issaquah is the first Washington city with a Charging Smart designation. The national program rated the city Silver for policies that support electric vehicles and widen access to charging. The city is also moving its own fleet to electric vehicles where they fit the work and the budget. City of Issaquah
City offices close Wednesday, November 11, for Veterans Day. VFW Post 3436 holds a service that morning, 11 to 11:45 AM, at the Issaquah Senior Center, 75 NE Creek Way, with a flag ceremony by the Liberty High School Junior ROTC. Service · Closure
Your neighborhood
Central Issaquah. (evergreen) Gilman Boulevard doubles as a walking tour of edible landscaping: about 25 varieties of plants line both sides of the boulevard, bearing everything from apples to nuts through spring, summer and fall. The city's one rule: take what you will use and leave enough for others. Start at either end of the boulevard. Tour page
Sold near you: 3 homes closed within 0.8 mile of the neighborhood center in the last 45 days, median $602K (range $510K to $1.10M); the fastest went from listing to closing in 21 days.
Issaquah Highlands. Highlands Council hosts a free Basics of Emergency Prep workshop Thursday, November 5, 6:30 to 8 PM, at Blakely Hall, 2550 NE Park Drive. It covers the area's risks, windstorms, earthquakes and wildfires among them, and what a household needs on hand: supplies, local resources and first steps. No registration. Event page
Sold near you: 10 homes closed within 0.8 mile of the neighborhood center in the last 45 days, median $1.05M (range $493K to $2.09M); the fastest went from listing to closing in 32 days.
Issaquah Valley. Gibson Hall, 105 Newport Way SW, hosts a free upcycled-ornament class Saturday, November 7, at 1 PM. Supplies are provided, and anything from home you want to repurpose is welcome; the class also covers repair and reuse resources in Issaquah. No registration. Event page
Sold near you: 6 homes closed within 0.8 mile of the neighborhood center in the last 45 days, median $475K (range $310K to $1.36M); the fastest went from listing to closing in 59 days.
Montreux. (evergreen) Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park covers more than 3,000 acres with over 35 miles of trail, open dawn to dusk. The Red Town Trailhead sits off Lakemont Boulevard SE. King County asks hikers to stay on the trails because of the mountain's old mine workings. King County Parks
Sold near you: 2 homes closed within 0.8 mile of the neighborhood center in the last 45 days, median $1.30M; the fastest went from listing to closing in 81 days.
Newport. City staff and WSDOT hold a Newport open house Thursday, November 12, 6 to 7 PM, at Tibbetts Creek Manor, 750 17th Ave. NW. On the table: fish-passage progress, Newport Way from SR 900 to 54th Street (Phases 1 and 2), utility work ahead of road closures, upcoming private construction, and one coordinated timeline for closures on Newport Way, NW Sammamish Road and West Lake Sammamish Parkway from 2027 to 2029. Event page
Sold near you: 3 homes closed within 0.8 mile of the neighborhood center in the last 45 days, median $1.59M (range $624K to $2.32M); the fastest went from listing to closing in 34 days.
North Issaquah. Wednesday, November 11, is a state free day: no Discover Pass is needed to park at Lake Sammamish State Park or on any other state-managed land. The free day does not cover overnight stays or rented facilities. Free days
Sold near you: 1 home closed within 0.8 mile of the neighborhood center in the last 45 days, median $675K; the fastest went from listing to closing in 145 days.
Olde Town. Open Mic Night returns to the Issaquah Train Depot, 78 1st Ave. NE, on Wednesday, November 4: sign-in at 6 PM, music from 6:30. The Downtown Issaquah Association has hosted it on the first Wednesday of the month since 2008. Each performer gets two songs and 10 minutes, so come tuned. Event page
Sold near you: 8 homes closed within 0.8 mile of the neighborhood center in the last 45 days, median $513K (range $310K to $1.62M); the fastest went from listing to closing in 59 days.
Providence Point. (evergreen) The East Lake Sammamish Trail runs along the lake west of the neighborhood: 11 paved miles, 12 feet wide with gravel shoulders, for walking, biking and every other non-motorized use, with a 15 mph limit. Issaquah access points are SE 51st, 56th and 62nd Streets and NW Gilman Boulevard. Heading north, a 600-foot stretch in Sammamish between Louis Thompson Road NE and NE Inglewood Hill Road is closed through the end of the year for culvert work, with no detour. King County Parks
Sold near you: 7 homes closed within 0.8 mile of the neighborhood center in the last 45 days, median $635K (range $300K to $1.96M); the fastest went from listing to closing in 34 days.
South Lake Sammamish. City staff and WSDOT hold a South Lake Sammamish open house Thursday, November 5, 6 to 7 PM, at Tibbetts Creek Manor, 750 17th Ave. NW. Topics: fish-passage progress, the NW Sammamish Road walking and biking improvements, utility work ahead of road closures, private construction, and the coordinated 2027–2029 closure timeline for Newport Way, NW Sammamish Road and West Lake Sammamish Parkway. Event page
Sold near you: 4 homes closed within 0.8 mile of the neighborhood center in the last 45 days, median $1.85M (range $300K to $4.25M); the fastest went from listing to closing in 39 days.
Squak Mountain. (evergreen) Mine Hill Park is five acres of natural area at the base of Squak Mountain, running along Wildwood Boulevard SW and Issaquah Creek, with a viewing platform over the creek. There is no parking; it is walk-in only, dawn to dusk. Park page
Sold near you: 1 home closed within 0.8 mile of the neighborhood center in the last 45 days, median $1.36M; the fastest went from listing to closing in 139 days.
Sycamore. (evergreen) The climb to Poo Poo Point starts south of the neighborhood off Issaquah-Hobart Road. The Chirico Trail and the Poo Poo Point trail are among the routes linking Tiger Mountain State Forest with the West Tiger Mountain Natural Resources Conservation Area. Tiger Mountain trailheads are day use only, and a Discover Pass is required to park. Washington DNR
Sold near you: 3 homes closed within 0.8 mile of the neighborhood center in the last 45 days, median $1.50M (range $695K to $1.68M); the fastest went from listing to closing in 45 days.
Talus. (evergreen) South of Talus on SR 900, the 730-acre Cougar/Squak Corridor links Cougar Mountain with Squak Mountain State Park, part of about 5,000 contiguous acres of public land, and protects the headwaters of a salmon-bearing stream. Margaret's Way climbs 2.5 miles from the gravel lot on 190th Avenue SE. Mountain bikes are not allowed. King County Parks
Sold near you: 7 homes closed within 0.8 mile of the neighborhood center in the last 45 days, median $510K (range $310K to $1.59M); the fastest went from listing to closing in 34 days.
This week's poll
Your pick for a November walk in Issaquah?
The Rainier Trail through Olde Town
The Lake Sammamish State Park shoreline
The market in 60 seconds
Across city of Issaquah listings, the median home sold for $1.21M over the last 30 days (41 closings; single-family alone $1.525M). The median home took 64 days from listing to closing, and there are 5.2 months of inventory on the market.
Against last week's count, the median is up from $1.11M and days on market rose from 58. Inventory grew from 4.8 months because closings slowed (41, down from 46), even as homes for sale dipped to 213. About one home in seven (15%) closed above asking, the same as last week. The two 30-day windows share most of their sales, so one week's move says little about direction. At 5.2 months the market stays in balanced territory: under three months favors sellers, above six favors buyers.
One useful thing: test the smoke alarms when the clocks fall back
Clocks fall back an hour at 2 AM Sunday, November 1, an easy date to tie to the smoke alarms. The U.S. Fire Administration's rule set: test each alarm monthly, replace batteries (or a hardwired alarm's backup battery) at least once a year, and replace the whole alarm every 10 years. Alarms belong inside and outside each bedroom and sleeping area, and on every level of the home. U.S. Fire Administration
Reader asked
A reader asked who maintains Issaquah's utility poles and overhead wires, and why they aren't kept up better. The electric utility, Puget Sound Energy, owns more than 350,000 poles across the Puget Sound area, and other companies run their own lines on those poles through PSE's joint-use program. PSE trims or removes trees that put its lines at risk, to meet state and federal requirements. If you see a tree close to a line, report it on PSE's tree-trimming form: a PSE-certified arborist checks it at no cost, and PSE usually answers within three business days. Urgent problems go to PSE Customer Service at 1-888-225-5773, emergencies to 911. One limit: PSE does not trim service lines, the wires from its pole to your house or meter pole. Tree report form · Joint use Know a neighbor asking the same thing? Forward this; they can subscribe at issaquahdispatch.com.
Your turn. Which crossing or corner in Issaquah would you have the city look at first? Hit reply; a person reads every one, and the best answers run in a future issue.
That's the week. Next Thursday: what council heard at the November 2 hearings, and where the NW Sammamish Road reopening stands.
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