A committee rated almost $300,000 in grant requests, but could give out only $100,000.

Council Member Camille Norton said the committee process was fair, and they based it on which events would attract the most visitors.

The Snohomish County Visitor Information Center received the highest score and received all of its requested amount of $4,500. The Tour of Lights was second and received almost all it asked for at $10,000. The Marysville Strawberry Festival was third but received only $20,000 of the $45,000 it requested.

Others receiving funding were:

•Marysville Special Event Support Services, $20,000 of $25,000 requested.

•Strawberry Festival Support Services, $11,500 of $25,573.

•Marysville 125th anniversary, $15,000 of $17,255.

•Marysville Historical Society, $15,000 of $65,000.

•Marysville-Tulalip chamber Oktoberfest, $4,000 of $5,545.

Five other chamber events received no funding: Chamber Days, regional visitor information center, golf tournament, car show and mother-daughter fashion show. Those requests added up to about $100,390.

The council also gave our service awards. Detective John Elton and maintenance worker Kevin Ward received 10-year honors and Council Member Michael Stevens and Mayor Jon Nehring received five-year awards. Council president Jeff Vaughan roasted the mayor then gave him a level and said Nehring is a “level-headed mayor,” referring to his old-fashioned flat-top haircut.

The council also awarded a bid of almost $4.6 million to remove 8,000 dry tons of biosolids from the wastewater treatment plant’s northwest lagoon. A company will dredge, screen and de-water the waste in the spring, then it will go on farmers’ fields.

The council also: agreed to spend $73,872 on Snohomish County Emergency Management Services, sell surplus items from the Public Safety Building upgrade, and appoint Allina Holmquist as city clerk.

In other news:

•The city decided on a firm to design a master plan for a trail system in town in an effort to move up construction of them.

•Nehring said he is excited about Washington State University’s new college in north Everett, just five minutes from Marysville, that will open in fall of 2017. “It’s a great need and a long time in coming,” he said.

•Public works director Kevin Nielsen said the state Department of Transportation awarded the city a $205,000 grant for sidewalks in the Sunnyside Elementary School area.