Parks director Jim Ballew made the announcement at the City Council work session Nov. 2.

He also said the Farmer’s Market will be back next summer, after more than $36,000 in sales this year. He said 4,500 people went to the market, about 300 a week, with 45 total vendors participating, averaging about 17 a week.

Ballew added the Snohomish Health District is paying for 40 signs that will be put up in city parks about Marysville’s new “no vaping” policy.

Meanwhile, the council will consider an ordinance that prohibits occupying a residence that does not have water or sewer service. Following the economic downturn there has been an increase in foreclosed and vacant properties.

City Attorney Jon Walker said the law would help police who have to deal with people trespassing on vacant property. It forces homeowners to secure the premises. If they don’t, city public works can board up the house.

Walker said the situation mostly arises when ownership of a home is in limbo after lenders package mortgages. Neighbors then complain about abandoned properties when vagrants settle in.

Also, the council looked at funding recommendations from the Community Beautification Program Grant Review Committee.

“It’s a good partnership,” Chief Administrative Officer Gloria Hirashima said. “It’s an example of neighbors trying to help themselves.”

Most of the funds are going to HOA groups that will add funding and/or labor. Others are to groups of people with no HOA, but who want to fix up common areas for safety or other reasons.

That panel recommended $5,000 grants to:

•Tuscany Homeowners Association, replacement of fence along community park perimeter

•Kellogg Village Homeowners Association, replacement of fence around park at entrance to neighborhood

•102nd Place NE, clean-up of stormwater ponds at entrance to neighborhood

•Rolling Green Estates, replacement of trees in community park

•Otter Creek, fencing of detention pond and vegetation cleanup/removal

The committee recommended $500 for Sunnyside Estates to replant the neighborhood gateway at the subdivision entrance.

The council also came out of executive session and approved buying two properties on First Street for a future bypass. Mayor Jon Nehring the bypass will help traffic flow in the future when Highway 529 off Interstate 5 gets its onramp and offramp. It will clear up congestion on Fourth Street having another route up the hill, the mayor said.

The council also discussed condemnation of properties to widen First Street, “if we can’t negotiate a sale,” Hirashima said.

The City Council discussed spending almost $530,000 to upgrade the wastewater treatment plant. The council agenda item says updating the headworks at the plant would help control odor, make it more efficient and reduce maintenance. Council members discussed spending almost $132,000 to protect almost five miles of water line from corrosion. The bid was about $25,000 more than expected.

The council also talked about increasing School Resource Officers in Marysville to five. The agreement would be for three years. It studied acceptance of an anonymous $2,500 donation for the Parks youth scholarship program. And it looked at reappointing Jodi Condyles and Gayle Bluhn to the Parks and Recreation board.

The council talked about taking over the powers of the Transportation Benefit District board. A public hearing will take place at the Nov. 9 council meeting, when many of these other issues also will be voted on.

Meanwhile, Public Utility District director Kevin Nielsen asked residents for help with the stormy weather beginning.

“If everybody could kick the leaves out of the storm drains that would help,” he said.