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Home My WebLink About02 City Update From City Manager David Timmons It’s the start of the new year and the work is already underway. Departments have their assigned tasks and the Council held a suc- cessful retreat on January 17. Our united goal for the year is simple. Get the job done. Sounds easy, but it will be challenging. To be successful we need to be focused on our agenda and carefully manage the processes during the year. Several new approaches will be initiated to help us keep our focus on the community’s goals. The goals for 2004 and into 2005 are critical community investments. Water/sewer up- grades, fire station, city hall restoration and im- provements to traffic flow in and around the business park are all big-ticket items. Projects of this nature are generally very predictable. In addition to our own list, private investment and development in the community are at record levels. Managing the millions of dollars associ- ated with anticipated projects and issues will re- quire that we remain focused and not lose mo- mentum because of unanticipated community events. What is an “unanticipated community event”? The fire at Aldrich’s is a good example and so is a citizen request for services, a water main break or an unexpected community concern. We need to manage them when they occur and this requires immediate teamwork and coordi- nated follow up with all involved. So, in the months ahead, we will be implementing and an- nouncing changes which will have a positive in- fluence on how we conduct city business. We look forward to a smooth, successful and pro- ductive year. City of Port Townsend (360) 379-5047 (email: citycouncil@ci.port-townsend.wa.us) www.ci.port-townsend.wa.us February 2004 Council News From Mayor Catharine Robinson On January 5, the Council elected me to be the Mayor for the next two years. I am honored to be chosen by my peers to serve in this capacity. I am looking forward to working with the Council, City staff and the community in this role. If you have any questions or comments for me, please leave a message at 385-3004 or email crobinson@ptcitycouncil.org. At our annual retreat on Saturday, January 17, the Council heard from the City Manager about all of the projects that are new or already underway for this year. The City staff will be very busy in 2004. We talked about ways that the Council could bet- ter manage in order to support the planned and budgeted work plan adopted for 2004. We will let you know of any process changes as they unfold. As the Mayor, my attention will be on open and effective communication and dialogue with other local governments, among Council mem- bers and with City administration, as well as supporting, through needed policy, the estab- lished work plan of the City. FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY The Friends of the Library are looking for storage space for the books they sell during their used book sales. The facility needs to be dry and clean. If someone has a garage/ storage area available, please call Peach at To further assist you with a concern, you may call, email or write to: Citizen Concern City of Port Townsend Waterman & Katz Building 181 Quincy St., Suite 201 (360) 379-5047 citycouncil@ci.port-townsend.wa.us Your concern will be documented and addressed in an 2004 CITIZENS POLICE ACADEMY to start March 9, 2004 The Port Townsend Police Department and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office would like to invite citizens interested in their local law enforcement agencies to attend the 6th Annual Citizens Police Academy. The Citizens Police Academy is designed to give members of the public a glimpse into the realities of police work which will include patrol procedures, traffic en- forcement, interview/interrogation, K-9, firearms, criminal investigative work, the DARE/School Re- source Officer program and much, much more. The Academy will also bring in representatives from other agencies such as Child Protective Ser- vices, Department of Corrections, prosecutors and public defenders as well as local judges. This year’s Academy will consist of 2-3 sessions per week for eight weeks (Tuesday/Thursday evenings and some Saturday mornings). Start date is March 9 with the last class on May 1. Registration is free, but space is limited. For more information, call Lyn at 385-2322 between 8am and 5pm, Tuesday through Friday. Appli- cants are subject to a limited criminal background check. DISPUTE RESOLUTION PROGRAM Anyone with an unresolved neighborhood complaint may wish to consider utilizing the services of a volunteer mediator or facilitator provided through the City’s Dispute Resolution Program. The program uses trained volunteers to help citizens, at no cost, reach resolution of disputes concerning certain community or neighborhood issues. Issues could be anything from complaints over barking dogs to other types of nuisances or neighborhood problems. This resolution process is entirely voluntary - no one is required to participate. The program is free to persons who participate and the problem solving is confidential. The goal is to try and work out problems on a voluntary basis in informal set- tings, before the matter involves the police, city agencies, or the courts. Anyone wishing a brochure or information on the program, or who wishes to make a confidential inquiry about or a request for dispute resolution, please call Bobbie at City Administration (379- 5047). UTILITY BILLING RATES The City recently contracted with the consulting firm Financial Consulting Solutions Group, Inc. (FCSG) of Redmond, Washington, to study the utility billing rates for the City water and sewer utilities. Periodically, utilities must review the rates charged to customers to determine if rates are properly set and equitable to maintain the utility operations. FCSG is a regional expert on utility rate studies. The last utility rate study was conducted in 1999 by City staff. As part of this rate study, FCSG identified the major changes in the utility operations since the 1999 rate study. Most notable are the Depart- ment of Health orders that required the City to construct major improvements for water pres- sure, and the new Gaines Street sewer pump station. Those projects depleted utility reserves more than was envisioned in the previous rate study. Other utility improvements not contem- plated in the 1999 rate study included F Street and San Juan Avenue utility improvements that we accomplished in conjunction with the street projects. The City Council is reviewing recommendations from FCSG that the City increase water and sewer utility rates to fund anticipated capital im- provements over the next five years. City utility funds are needed to construct $5.5 million in water system improvements from now through 2009, including an estimated $2 million for a secondary water disinfection plant required by federal law in 2007. The utility consultant has recommended rate in- creases over the next five years, with a ten per- cent increase in water and sewer rates effective in March 2004, and lesser rate increases each year for the next five years. We have estimated the effect of a 10% increase in water/sewer rates on an average monthly spring bill for households. Depending on the size of your family, the combined rates could in- crease as little as $4.30 per month or as much as $7.40 per month. The City Council will consider these recommen- dations on rate increases at its regular business meeting February 2.