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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02 February_NewsletterNewsletterNewsletter FEBRUARY CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS: February 2022 02/07/22: Business Mee�ng 02/14/22: Workshop Mee�ng 02/21/22: CITY OFFICES CLOSED 02/22/22: Business Mee�ng Mee�ngs are subject to change. Please view our website calendar for an up-to-date mee�ng schedule. www.cityofpt.us/calendar A Note From Newly-Elected Mayor - David Faber Consider applying to be on a City Advisory Board or Commission. Visit our website for descrip�ons, applica�ons, and mee�ng schedules: www.cityofpt.us For more informa�on contact the City Clerk’s Office at (360) 379-5083. The following Boards and Commissions have current and upcoming vacancies: • Arts Commission• Civil Service Commission• Climate Ac�on Commi�ee • Library Advisory Board• Lodging Tax Advisory Commi�ee• Parks, Recrea�on, Trees and Trails Advisory Board• Planning Commission Your new mayor is here! For those of you who don’t know me, I’m David J. Faber and I was just elected to serve as the mayor of the City of Port Townsend at the start of the year. I am humbled by the support I’ve received from my fellow City Council members and I am looking forward to serving you, our community. Since I was elected, I have had a few folks approach me, expressing confusion about how our mayor is elected and, indeed, what the mayor’s job in a city like Port Townsend actually is, so I want to take this first newsle�er to explain a li�le about my role and the func�on of our city government. Port Townsend has what is called a “Council-Manager” system, with the Mayor serving in a “weak” form. I’m actually just one of the seven members of the Port Townsend City Council (along with Amy Howard [our new Deputy Mayor], Monica MickHager, Owen Rowe, plus newly elected members Aislinn Diaman�, Ben Thomas, and Libby Wennstrom, whom I hope to have guest-write future newsle�ers). The City Council elects the mayor from among their own and, instead of analogizing the mayor’s role to that of the President or Governor (which is what you’re more likely to find in a “strong mayor” system like Sea�le or New York City), a “weak mayor” is more like a varia�on on the chair of a board or legisla�ve body. My job is to lead mee�ngs and help cra� council agendas. I also am fairly likely to be called on to give speeches, represent the city at official func�ons, and–when not in a pandemic–generally gladhand on behalf of Port Townsend. Meanwhile, our chief execu�ve is City Manager John Mauro, a professional execu�ve hired by the City Council. John tackles the day-to-day opera�ons of the City of Port Townsend, overseeing our various departments (Public Works, Planning Department, the Library, Police Department, Administra�on, and Finance) and generally ensuring that when we open the tap, fresh water comes in, and when we flush the toilet, dirty water goes out, to paraphrase our recently-departed mayor Michelle Sandoval. Speaking of Michelle Sandoval, I want to close this newsle�er out with a hear�elt (and massive) “Thank You!!!” for her incredible 20 years of service on the Port Townsend City Council. I think too few people understand just how amazing Michelle is and how much she gave of herself to our town. She leaves outsized shoes and takes with her a level of ins�tu- �onal knowledge and understanding impossible to replace, but thankfully I think she isn’t going far and I hope she’ll s�ll take my calls when I need a li�le help ge�ng my mind around something. I am excited about the possibili�es over the next 23 months, and my proverbial door is always open (but given COVID, it might be best for you to email me at dfaber@cityofpt.us if you want to connect instead of literally stopping by). Be well! MayorDavid Faber Deputy MayorAmy Howard Council MemberAislinn Diaman�Council MemberBen Thomas Council MemberLibby Wennstrom Council MemberMonica MickHager Council MemberOwen Rowe City of Port Townsend • 250 Madison Street • (360) 385-3000 • www.cityofpt.us New Mayor and Council As Mayor Faber notes in his piece this month – and hopefully as you’ve no�ced – we have a new mayor, new deputy mayor, three new council members and two council members who were elected in 2019. They are now nicely se�led with their assigned commi�ee and external board liaison roles and we are off for 2022. I’m grateful for the Council’s insa�able appe�te for new informa�on – they have voraciously taken up City facility tours and department briefings that we have rolled out for the first �me this year. I’m also grateful for such a smooth poli�cal transi�on so we can keep moving together on our core priori�es. Our elected leaders have hit the ground running – and learning – and we all benefit from that. New State Legisla�ve Session The 2022 Washington State Legisla�ve session also kicked off in Olympia just a few weeks ago. It’s a short (60-day) session this year, and the City’s agenda remains very similar to last year: delivering on housing, transporta�on and climate ac�on. It was an honor and pleasure to connect with our state representa�ves recently and talk through our priori�es as well as give Representa�ve Steve Tharinger a tour of what our legisla�ve request would mean on the ground. We enjoy a very suppor�ve and collabora�ve rela�onship from our state delega�on, as indicated by last year’s sizeable funding award ($3.1m) for affordable housing infrastructure. The City’s 2022 legisla�ve agenda can be found here: www.cityofpt.granicus.com/MetaViewer.php?view_id=4&clip_id=2311&meta_id=194990 New City Workplan We now transi�on to our 2022 City workplan. I’ll admit, it’s focused on what ma�ers, but is overambi�ous given our resourcing. As men�oned at a recent City Council workshop and covered in the local press, our City organiza- �on is, at the core, our people. Among many other things, our people process payments and permits, our people deliver water and process wastewater, our people arrive to assist in emergencies, our people check out library materials and provide programming, our people make public mee�ngs and legal agreements happen, and our people maintain our parks and facili�es. Our people also do the hiring so the work can get done. We find ourselves seriously understaffed compared to previous years due to budget constraints linked to the pandemic. We are also understaffed in roles that are budgeted for because posi�ons aren’t filled – it’s a tough hiring environ- ment. There are other pressures, too, like increasing cost of materials and services as well as the cost and avail- ability of housing, which hampers all of us. All this makes our workplan impossible to achieve on �me and I want to be as honest and transparent with you about that as I have been to City Council. It’s not why I took the job and it’s disappoin�ng. But it does foment my determina�on to figure out a way through, to keep going so we can get to smoother sailing. In whatever capacity you play to support our community, please keep going. We will get there! A Note From City Manager John Mauro City Streets - Pothole Schedule Our City streets crews work diligently to fill potholes as well as other streets maintenance throughout the City. Typically crews fill potholes the last week of each month. Some urgent items or weather might change this schedule. The best way to report potholes is through our online concern form. You can find this form on our website: www.cityofpt.us/publicworks/page/report-concern City of Port Townsend • 250 Madison Street • (360) 385-3000 • www.cityofpt.us PT Main Street Community Feedback Arts Commission Revises its Grant Schedule The Port Townsend Main Street Program is pleased to offer businesses the opportunity to put their state B&O tax dollars to work here in Port Townsend through the work of our 501 c3 non- profit program. Of your dona�on 75% is returned to you via state B&O tax credits in 2023. In addi�on, your en�re contribu�on may qualify as a 501(c)(3) charitable deduc�on on your 2022 federal income tax return. These funds support many projects of the Port Townsend Main Street Program such as hiring landscapers to maintain public gardens, suppor�ng place-making ini�a�ves, maintaining downtown portolle�es, and purchasing street furniture for public enjoy- ment. Ini�al 2022 pledges are due March 31; an addi�onal round of funding opens April 1st. More details on our website at www.ptmainstreet.org/business-resources/tax-incentive-program The Port Townsend Arts Commission (PTAC) has revised its grant schedule and grants process for 2022. Beginning in 2022, PTAC is reviewing grant applica�ons every other month on odd months. One sixth (1/6) of a pool of $22,000 will be allocated to eligible applicants in each funding period, with unused funds rolled over to the next funding period. PTAC welcomes grant proposals from local ar�sts and organiza�ons of all stripes who seek financial support to bring their crea�ons to the public. You can find links to PTAC’s grant funding FAQ, funding guidelines, and applica- �on on the Commission’s official homepage www.cityofpt.us/bc/page/arts-commission-0 When formula�ng proposals, please note that the Arts Commission frequently receives mul�ple proposals during each grant period and can only appor�on within its means. A�er submi�ng your proposal, you will be invited to present your project to the Commission either virtually or, when in-person mee�ngs recommence, in person at the mee�ng when your proposal is reviewed. The Commission meets on the first Wednesday of each month at 3:00 pm. All mee�ngs are open to the public, and public comment is welcome. Mee�ng dates can be found on the City website: www.cityofpt.us/bc/page/arts-commission-0 For further informa�on, please email artscomm@cityofpt.us. It’s always nice to get posi�ve feedback from out community. We would like to share this nice note we received from Community Member Wendy Feltham: I am writing to express my deepest thanks to the very kind man from our Parks Department who helped me this morning. I have avoided driving during this storm, and would never have been driving in 26º weather with snowy roads, but I had to take my husband to the hospital for a 6:45 AM procedure. While driving along Lawrence St. to pick him up at 8:00, I stopped to drop off some library books. Then I couldn't get my car to move on the snowy street. The tires kept spinning, the car wouldn't move forward, I was scared, and didn't know what to do. Then I saw a Port Townsend Parks truck, and flagged down the driver. The man, whose name I never asked, told me how to maneuver my car, and guided me through a reverse U-turn. He recommended a better route to keep me safe driving to the hospital- back down Lawrence to Monroe to Water St. He truly exemplified the mission "to foster healthy living and strengthen the bonds of the community." I am so grateful to him for his kindness, expertise, and support at a very frightening time. City of Port Townsend • 250 Madison Street • (360) 385-3000 • www.cityofpt.us We are con�nuing to profile City staff members so you can learn more about the team and their work from their perspec�ve. Check back here each month to see a new staff profile. This month is Nancy Grant from the PT Library. How long have you worked at the City of Port Townsend? I have been working at the Port Townsend Public Library for almost seven years, most recently as a Library Assistant. What do you currently do in terms of job du�es? I work at the circula�on desk helping patrons and also in processing where I prepare library materials to be checked out to people. What do you like or enjoy most about working at the City? I really enjoy working alongside my co-workers. Everyone genuinely cares for one another and that makes for a good work environment and providing good service Is there anything else you would like to share about yourself, your job, or your team with the public? When I had the opportunity to serve on the Safety Commi�ee, I found it interes�ng to see other departments in the City and how they operate when we conducted the annual safety inspec�ons. Introducing City Staff PT Public Library Community Information On February 8th the library will have Valen�ne cra� bags for the library’s annual Fall in Love with Your Library take home event. While supplies last. Generously sponsored by The Friends of the Port Townsend Library. ONLINE Author Talk with Sally Franson Thursday, February 10, 2022 - 7:00pm New York Times bestselling novel, A Lady’s Guide to Selling Out, has “elements of The Bold Type, Mad Men, and The Devil Wears Prada” (Entertainment Weekly). A young woman navigates a tricky twenty-first-century career—and the trickier ques�on of who she wants to be—in this savagely wise debut novel from author Sally Franson, whose work has appeared in The Guardian, The Best American Travel Wri�ng, and on NPR, among other places. Don’t forget to vote on February 8.