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Home My WebLink About11(360) 379-5047 (email: citycouncil@cityofpt.us) www.cityofpt.us November 2011 City of Port Townsend From Mayor Michelle Sandoval It has come to my attention that there are misleading reports in the social me- dia world about the City’s budget. While some of our detractors gleefully relish the thought that our City is in trouble, their reports of our eminent demise are overstated. The audit that was completed this last month stated that we were at “risk” in meeting our obli- gations and that we are not meeting our own rec- ommended reserve policy in our General Fund. Clearly the City is continuing to feel the strain of the Great Recession. The report was not a sur- prise and we have been working on how to ad- just to this new normal. We have done well for the last four years, during which time our ferries were pulled from service, the Hood Canal Bridge was closed for six weeks and the nation lived through a crash of our eco- nomic system. While jurisdictions around us, in- cluding our own county and state governments, have been cutting services and staff for three years and have had much larger “deficits,” we were ahead of the game by adjusting in 2007 to offset the ferry issue. We planned to leverage stimulus grant funding and investment in our cap- ital improvements for business expansion along Upper Sims Way and downtown. We potentially will leverage our local capital funds 9 to 1 with these grants. We saw the majority of our funds remain stable and our tax revenue from sales tax and lodging tax remain consistent, which compared to corre- sponding jurisdictions, is remarkable. The con- tinued weakness in the REET revenue (Real Es- tate Excise Tax from real estate sales) has caused our reserve budget to be diminished. In addition, when the community voted for the li- brary levy, the General Fund was “front loaded” with benefits; meaning we restored full services to the library and parks even though we did not The DRAFT Parks, Recreation & Open Space Functional Plan 2011-2017 can be accessed at www.cityofpt.us/parks Library Modifies Plans The plan to support ren- ovation and expansion of the Library was aggressive. It did not ask the community to shoulder the entire cost, but sought support from public and private re- sources and from individuals, foundations and corporations. Local private support has been exceptional. Fundraising and City support to date has been sufficient to fully fund renovation of the Pink House and the FEMA retrofit. There are major opportunities still being pur- sued; library groups are working to identify and address new sources of revenue. Given the political and economic climate this will take time, but it will happen. Where the initial intent was to treat the entire project as one unit, we are adopting a phased, "pay as you go" approach. The project objec- tive remains the same; the project plan has been reframed with a multi-part strategy. With the Pink House renovation and FEMA project funded, we are working hard to complete fund- ing goals for the Carnegie renovation, site work and addition. receive the full effect of the levy revenue until this year (we incrementally implemented the levy over three years). This is one of the biggest issues affecting the General Fund. The City has 27 funds, nine of them operating funds. The General Fund is the sole fund that was men- tioned in the audit. Yes, we recognize cuts will need to be made and we have been meeting on creating the budget for 2012. Simply stated: We are not on the verge of bankruptcy. We will continue to keep our community informed about the on- going state of the City’s finances and budget. Follow Me to PT Enjoy our Hometown Holidays Tue., November 1 - Holiday Sweep- stakes begin. Enter for a chance to win one of two $500 prizes in local merchant gift certifi- cates. Must be 18 or older to enter, some re- strictions apply. Sat., November 26 - Merchants' Holiday Open House • 2-4 p.m. Caroling-The Wild Rose Chorale • In-store treats and specials Sat., December 3, 4:30 p.m. Haller Fountain Community Treelighting/Santa Visit • Caroling with the Wild Rose Chorale • Santa arrives by Fire Engine No. 3. • Holiday Sweepstakes winners announced! Sponsored by the PT Main Street Program, the City of PT Lodging Tax Advisory Committee, First Federal and participating merchants. For additional information on holiday events, visit www.enjoypt.com and www.ptguide.com. DATE LOCATION DESCRIPTION 0915 Kuhn Street Bike 0929 Chetzemoka Park Framed picture 0930 City Hall Bracelet 0930 City Hall Earring 1009 Sheridan Street Machete 1009 Washington Street Backpack 1012 El Sarape Bike 1012 Sheridan Street Bike 1012 City Hall Metal water bottle 1012 City Hall Quilted vest Found Property at PT Police Department Found property is held by the PT Police for 60 days. Please call the business office at 385-2322 if you are missing any items listed below. You may need to provide proof of ownership to make a claim. WATER SHUTOFF PROCESS The City has approximately 4,700 water utility customers who are billed on a monthly basis. Utility bills are mailed on the first of the month for the previous month’s service and are due upon receipt. If unpaid, the account becomes delinquent on the 20th of the month. In any billing cycle, the City will experience a percentage of accounts that become overdue. If your bill is not paid by the 20th, a mini- mum late fee of $5.00 or 1 ½ % of the outstanding balance will be applied to the account, whichever is greater. When an overdue account reaches three months without payment, a water shutoff no- tice is mailed to the customers and the property owners. If the account is not paid before the due date on the shutoff notice, the water meter will be disconnected. At this point, the past due amount plus a turn on fee is due in full before the water will be reconnected. As the public’s steward of a utility which is operat- ed as a public enterprise, the City is expected to exercise due diligence to prevent any delinquent accounts which would pass unreasonable losses on to other customers. The vast majority of water customers pay their bills on time. Shutting off wa- ter is stressful for office and field staff, as well as the customer. We strive to be professional and respectful while still fulfilling our legal obligations. If for any reason you do not receive your bill, please contact the Finance Department at (360) 379-4409 for a balance inquiry to ensure payment by the designated due date. PORT TOWNSEND PLANNING COMMISSION The City is seeking interested citizens to fill va- cancies on the Planning Commission. The Commission is an advisory board which pro- vides recommendations to the City Council on land use regulations, Comprehensive Plan amendments and other challenging planning is- sues. The Commission also conducts public hearings on legislative proposals. Members must make a commitment to spend several hours each month reviewing packet ma- terials and attending regular and special meet- ings. Regular meetings are currently scheduled on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month at 6:30 pm. Special meetings may also be scheduled depending on work load. Applicants must be City residents. Term of ser- vice is three years. If you are interested in serv- ing the community in this capacity, please down- load the Board and Commission application form at http://www.cityofpt.us/user/image/declarationofinterest.pdf or pick up the form in the Clerk's Office on the second floor of City Hall, 250 Madison Street. You may also call 379-5045 with questions or to request an application form. Please submit ap- plications to the City Clerk by Friday, November 18. Appointments will become effective Janu- ary, 2012.