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Home My WebLink About01 January_2023_newsletterNewsletterNewsletter City of Port Townsend 250 Madison Street (360)385-3000 www.cityofpt.us JANUARY CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS: 01/03/23Regular Business Mee�ng 6:30 p.m.Council Chambers 01/9/23Special Mee�ng6:30 p.m.Council Chambers 01/17/23Regular Business Mee�ng 6:30 p.m.Council Chambers LIBRARY DIGITAL LITERACY CLASSES: 1/5/23Basic Computer Skills - Last Class4:30 - 6:00 p.m. 1/19/23Connecting to the Internet 5 - 6:00 p.m. 1/26/23Navigating Websites5 - 6:00 p.m. January 2023 A NOTE FROM CITY MANAGER JOHN MAURO Happy New Year, Everyone! As we set sail into another year, I’d like to acknowledge the hard work that our community has done together to bounce back – and even forward – from some of the most difficult years in memory. Our renowned festivals, events, performances, and general activities came fully alive after a bit of dormancy the last few years, igniting our imaginations, spirits, and the kind of cohesiveness that brings a great community together. My deep appreciation to partners in all sectors that put your energies, inspiration, hard work and creativity to the task of breathing this new life into Port Townsend. Thank you. I’m appreciative that the City team also has been doing the same. Alongside the work of keeping the City running, we’ve also been planning ahead. For instance, we’ve focused squarely and holistically on making the budget process better, since the budget underpins everything we do. We initiated better processes, like starting our work plan process a half-year early to inform the budget. We honed better collaboration, working as teams to do a full Capital Facilities Plan and linking to our sister agencies of the Intergovernmental Collaborative Group (City, County, Port, PUD) on major capital investments. We provided better delivery, including delivery of new projects, new agreements, new programs, and new investments. We forged better tools, including new forecasting and approaches to one-time federal revenue sources. Finally, we thought through better strategy, like launching our Financial Sustainability Initiative to strengthen our financial position over the long term, so we can continue to provide the services you depend on indefinitely. When you look at the 2023 budget – and I invite you to do so – you’ll see a few new things worth noting, including new positions, new equipment and resources, new collaborations/projects, new savings, new revenue, and a new approach to paying down debt. You can dive into more detail here: https://cityofpt.us/finance/page/ financial-reports-documents While 102 pages with lots of numbers might not speak to everyone, there’s a clear storyline to it, especially in the first few pages: we are moving together past difficult years to put ourselves in a better financial position for the long-term. Read on to the next pages of this newsletter for brief budget highlights and let us know what you think. Meanwhile, may 2023 bring you and yours connection, joy, and satisfaction! I look forward to seeing many of you around town. And thank you for your interest and involvement in both making our community the special place it is and helping to steward a bright future for all. Rate Increase Effective January 1, 2023, a 3% rate increase will be reflective on the January 31, 2023 billing. Rates will vary for each class of water customer and water meter size. The average residential base rate will increase from $122.84 to $126.82. The City anticipates additional utility rate and surcharge increases over the next several years to fully fund utility requirements. For additional details and projected rates through 2026, visit Port Townsend Municipal Code Chapter 13.05: https://www.codepublishing.com/WA/PortTownsend/#!/PortTownsend13/ PortTownsend1305.html#13.05 The City’s 2023 budget was adopted unanimously by the City Council on December 5, 2022. The total budget for 2023 includes appropria�ons of just under $49 million. The General Government por�on of the budget supports many services including Police, Parks & Recrea�on, Library, Streets, City Facili�es and General City Government. General Government appropria�ons are budgeted at just over $16 million for 2023. Water, Sewer, and Storm U�li�es, Capital Projects, Debt Service and Internal Service funds make up approximately $32 million of the budget. This budget overview provides some highlights of where our funding comes from and how it is being spent. The challenge for us as a City is strategically alloca�ng our resources to deliver much needed services to our residents, in 2023 and into the future. Highlights of a few of General Government ac�vi�es, City staffing and aggregate spending on capital projects are reflected on the next two pages. For addi�onal details, the full budget can be found on our website:https://cityofpt.us/finance/page/financial-reports-documents Budget in Brief 2023 Our Vision A thriving community for all. Our MissionChampion aspira�ons for a thriving community as envisioned in our Comprehensive Plan. Seven Areas of Strategic Focus: •INVEST IN OUR PEOPLE •ENGAGE OUR COMMUNITY •STRENGTHEN OUR FINANCIAL POSITION •ENVISION OUR SUSTAINABLE FUTURE •EMBRACE AND RESOLVE OUR COMMUNITY'S CHALLENGES •DELIVER THE BASICS •SERVE OUR COMMUNITY City of Port Townsend • 250 Madison Street • (360)385-3000 • www.cityofpt.us Budget in Brief 2023 •General Fund departmentsinclude: City Council, CityManager, City A�orney, CityClerk, Planning & CommunityDevelopment, Finance andHuman Resources. •Library opera�ons arefunded by a separateproperty tax levy. •The property tax levyincrease is limited by thestate to 1% each year, whichresults in $26,618 moreproperty tax than in 2022. •Full-�me equivalents includeall employee hours forfull-�me and part-�me staff. Did You Know? How is the money being spent? Where does the money come from? 2023 Budget: General Government Expenditures General Government Revenues $14,081,332 $15,643,031 40% 40% Operations Personnel Debt Capital 11% Police31% Library10% Facilities 8%s Streets8% General Government33% Which Departments Are Funded? *Non-departmental expenses (e.g. debt payments, liability insurance, LTACexpenditures, etc.) of approximately $2.5m & capital of $1.3m are notreflected in this graph. Sales Tax 27% B&O Taxes 6% Real EstateExcise Taxes4% Misc Rev, Fines, Other Taxes 2% Licenses& Permits3% IntergovernmentalRevenues3% Property Taxes 24% U�lity Taxes 18% Charges for Goods andServices13% 9% Parks & Recreation10% City of Port Townsend • 250 Madison Street • (360)385-3000 • www.cityofpt.us Budget in Brief 2023 Capital Improvements StreetsSims Way and Boatyard Expansion Project, Pacific & Spruce, 9th Street sidewalk, Kearney Street, 2023 banked capacity street repair projects. Water/Sewer Projects1 MG standpipe coating, general water capital replacement, improvements, and repairs, OGWS master meters, Lords Lake, Big Quilcene main control valve - building replacement, 1928 OGWS pipeline - pipeline condition assessment and cathodic protection, sewer outfall, general sewer plan, wastewater nutrient, and affordable housing. Facili�esLibrary annex window replacement, Chetzemoka kitchen shelter, Kai Tai restrooms. GeneralEvans Vista site master planning and permitting. City Full-TimeEquivalents General Fund Reserve Balance Water & Sewer 29% General 27% Storm 7% Streets 37% 2023 2022 Number of Full-Time Equivalentss 2020 2021 2022 2023 Public Works 29.3 Public Works29.3 Police 22.1 Police 20.1 General Government 49.3 General Government 46.2 $7,000,000 $6,000,000 $5,000,000 $4,000,000 $3,000,000 $2,000,000 $1,000,000 $500,000 $0 5,311,932 2,279,172 5,346,613 3,784,914 Total 100.7 Total 95.6