Residents urge Kenmore to tackle rat infestations and to consider noise pollution in stream-buffer rules

During public comment, resident Mark Prince described an escalating rodent problem near his home and asked the city for outreach and code review; he told the council he trapped more than 50 rats last year and had already caught a dozen this winter. "In the last 8 months of last year, I caught over 50 rats," Prince said. He asked the city to include reminders in quarterly reports, encourage neighbors to secure garbage and examine retaining‑wall construction that can create rat habitat.

Steve Yoder, also a Kenmore resident, asked councilors to include noise pollution and excessive road noise in upcoming discussions about stream buffers and critical‑area regulations. He summarized research showing that traffic noise can drown out frog calls and reduce species richness in wetlands, and urged the council to consider acoustic impacts when updating protections for local salmonid and amphibian habitat.

Why it matters: The comments raised two distinct community concerns—public‑health and property‑maintenance issues related to rodents, and environmental considerations connecting traffic noise to habitat degradation—which staff may need to address through outreach, code review or future regulatory work.

Next steps: The clerk closed public comment; council and staff did not announce an immediate, formal follow‑up at this meeting but the concerns were documented for staff consideration.