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Home My WebLink About02(360) 379-5047 (email: citycouncil@cityofpt.us) www.cityofpt.us February 2008 City of Port Townsend from Mayor Michelle Sandoval It is my pleasure to be greeting you as your new Mayor. New Deputy Mayor George Randels and I are excited about this opportunity to serve our city. I know this goes for the two new councilors sitting among us, David King and Brent Butler, and we welcome them. Former mayors Catharine Robinson and Mark Welch, and councilor Laurie Medlicott who has been elected to a second term, round out a council with which I am proud to serve. We were left with many challenges from the turbulent end to 2007, and our work plan for 2008 reflects the reality that many of our actions will be influenced by decisions the state legislature makes regard- ing our requests for ferry mitigation. Our hope is that short-term measures to alleviate the pressure on this summer’s travel season are adopted quickly. Our strategy also addresses a clear need for long- term economic development programs that increase technical assistance to our city businesses. The state will be developing a response to our concerns during the current 60 day legislative session, and we welcome your participation in support of our plan to our legislators. The Council’s Ferry Mitigation Strategy can be downloaded at http://www.cityofpt.us/ Our challenges can provide the motivation to find shared solutions. I’m excited that our work plan ad- dresses this possibility by endorsing a series of Town Hall Meetings. We want to hear about what you value in your community. Newcomers and old-timers, please come the evening of March 6 for the first get-together. Port Townsend is good at this. Stay tuned for more information. GCDE Town Hall Meeting-Thursday, Feb. 7, 6:00-8:00 p.m. (please note change in time) The Governor’s Committee on Disability Issues and Employment (GCDE) will be held Thursday, Feb. 7, 6:00-8:00 p.m., PT Community Center. Contact a Councilmember! Throw away those old email addresses! Coun- cilmembers can be contacted by using the fol- lowing new email addresses that are part of the City’s email system: Michelle Sandoval—msandoval@cityofpt.us George Randels—grandels@cityofpt.us Brent Butler—bbutler@cityofpt.us Catharine Robinson—crobinson@cityofpt.us David King—dking@cityofpt.us Laurie Medlicott—lmedlicott@cityofpt.us Mark Welch—mwelch@cityofpt.us Climate Action Committee The City and County are recruiting members for the Climate Action Committee (CAC), which will serve as an advisory board to the Council and BOCC on climate protection policies, programs and priorities. The CAC will create a Climate Action Plan with specific focus on reducing en- ergy use and greenhouse gas emissions. They will meet at least once a month and will include representatives from the BOCC, City Council, education community, builders, industry/marine trades, PT Paper Corporation, business commu- nity, non-motorized transportation and/or Jeffer- son Transit, faith based organizations, and citi- zens at large. More information will be avail- able soon at <http://www.cityofpt.us> under Boards and Commissions. You may download the application form from the web site. Applica- tions will be accepted at the City Clerk’s office, 250 Madison Street, Ste. 2. Council Committees Finance and Budget - Sandoval, Welch, King Community Development and Land Use- Sandoval, Randels, Butler General Government - Robinson, Medlicott, Welch Special Projects - Randels, Butler, King Other City Activities with Council Representation HUD Loan - Butler Peg Access Coordinating Committee - King Alternative Electric Management Committee-Randels, Welch You may be eligible for USDA financial aide for home re- pairs or home purchase. Is your home in need of repairs? USDA Rural Development pro- vides financing to qualified, very low income homeowners to repair or make im- provements to their home through the 504 Re- pair program. Examples include repairs to eliminate health and safety hazards, or to im- prove weatherization. Are you interested in purchasing a home? USDA Rural Development can help you find out if you qualify for the 502 Direct or 502 Guaranteed Rural Housing Loan Program. These programs offer 100% financing, with no down payment to qualified borrowers. USDA Rural Development will hold a free infor- mation session on affordable housing and home repair opportunities for rural residents living in Clallam and Jefferson Counties. WHEN: Thurs., Feb. 21 from 6:00-7:00 p.m. WHERE: Pope Marine Park Building, 100 Madison St. (on City Dock next to the Police Station) in Port Townsend. To learn more about the 504 Repair, 502 Direct or 502 Guaranteed Rural Housing Loan Pro- gram, contact USDA Rural Development at 452 -8994 extension 4, or drop by 1601 East Front Street, Suite B, Port Angeles. USDA Rural Development is an Equal Opportu- nity Lender, Provider, and Employer. Com- plaints of discrimination should be sent to: USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Wash- ington, D.C. 20250-9410 Caucus Locations February 9 The Jefferson County Caucuses for both Democrats and Republicans will be held Saturday, February 9 at various locations through- out the county. All caucus locations will call their meetings to order at 1:00 p.m. on that day. You can find your precinct number on your voter’s registration card or call the Jefferson County Audi- tor Elections Division at 385-9119. Democrats – Precincts 104 Cape George, 105 South Discovery, 106 North Jacob Miller caucuses will be held at the Port Townsend Community Center, 620 Tyler St. Precincts 701, 702, 703, 704 and 705 all located in the incorporated areas of Port Townsend will be held at the Blue Heron Middle School. Republicans – Precincts 104, 106, 701, 702, 703, 704, 705 caucuses will be held at the Towne Point Community Hall, 2240 Towne Point Ave. Democrats with questions about the caucus can visit the Jefferson County Democrats website at jeffcodemocrats.com; Republicans can call Lyle Newlin at 437-2568. There will be more detailed information about the process and the primary in articles appearing in the Leader and Peninsula Daily News. Friends of the Library On Sunday, February 10 starting at 2:30 p.m., Friends of the Library will be hosting a staged reading by Mary Lou Sanelli and Jackie Leone from Sanelli’s book “The Immigrant’s Table.” The per- formance will be held at RoseWind at 3131 Haines St. (from San Juan Avenue go west on Umatilla one block to Haines and turn right). Please join us for an afternoon of thoughtful enter- tainment with Mary Lou and her family. Admission is $22.00, which includes antipasto and a glass of wine or sparkling cider. For tickets and information, contact Cheryl Bentley at 379-0953. Tickets are also available at the Port Townsend Library. Proceeds will benefit Friends of the Port Townsend Library, which supports Library programs and materials that are not included in the City’s budget. EITC and Free Income Tax Filing Olympic Community Action Program, in conjunction with AARP, has estab- lished a number of free Tax-Aide tax counsel- ing and preparation sites throughout Jefferson County, available to those of any age. The Port Townsend site is at the PT Community Center, beginning February 1 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Tuesdays and Fridays. To find more information about Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), E-filing and more, visit www.irs.gov or www.icanefile.org. To find a Tax-Aide site near you simply telephone 2 1 1.