HomeMy WebLinkAbout08(360) 379-5047 (email: citycouncil@cityofpt.us) www.cityofpt.us August 2012
City of Port Townsend
Law to Reduce Plastic Bag Use Effective Nov. 1, 2012
The City of Port Townsend is taking a step forward in reducing litter and unnecessary waste, and
protecting water and wildlife, by reducing the use of plastic bags in our community. The City
Council approved a Single Use Carry-Out Bag Ordinance (commonly known as the "plastic bag
ban") in July 2012.
The Ordinance – effective Nov. 1, 2012 - encourages the use of reusable bags by banning thin “single-
use” plastic carry-out bags. Paper carry-out bags will still be available, but will cost a nickel. This nickel
serves as a modest monetary reminder for shoppers to bring reusable bags. The nickel will be kept by
retailers to help them recover the costs of switching to paper bags. (The nickel doesn't go to the City.)
While the thin plastic carry-out bags at grocery stores and other retailers will not be allowed, common
sense exemptions are built into the ordinance. For example, plastic bags that are used for meats and pro-
duce in grocery stores and for restaurant take-out foods will still be allowed, because of the public health
functions they play. Dry cleaning bags and bags for newspaper delivery are allowed. Stores are still able
to offer small paper bags free-of-charge at checkout—such as pharmacies, bookstores, and gift
stores. Customers using the food bank are exempt. State or federal financial assistance program benefi-
ciaries (e.g. WIC, SNAP, FAP, TANF) would be exempt from the five cent charge.
Plastic bags are identified as a global and regional litter concern, particularly in the marine environment,
and have very low recovery rates for recycling. An estimated 2 billion disposable plastic bags are used
annually in Washington State and less than 5% are recovered for recycling. (They are not recyclable cur-
rently in Port Townsend.)
Paper bags consume larger amounts of water and energy to produce. However, paper bags are more
readily recyclable, with recovery rates of approximately 80%, and are biodegradable. Plastic bags do not
biodegrade in the environment. Biodegradable plastic bags require anaerobic activity and do not break
down if buried.
Currently plastic bags are estimated to account for more than 11 percent of debris washed up on western
continental U.S. coastlines, according to the National Marine Debris Monitoring Program.
The proposed Ordinance is modeled after similar ordinances adopted in Seattle, Bellingham, Edmonds,
Mukilteo and Issaquah in order to provide for regional consistency for retailers. Ordinance 3076 is avail-
able on the City website (Documents Online, then City Council, then Ordinances). Questions may be ad-
dressed to Vanessa Ridgway in City Attorney’s Office (385-5991, vridgway@cityofpt.us).
Concerts on the Dock
Puget Sound Energy is a lead event
sponsor for Concerts on the Dock. This
concert series is made possible by the
Main Street Program, the City and participating
businesses. Seating starts 5 p.m. Music 5:30-8
p.m.
Aug. 2 LoWire and MongoSmash
Aug. 9 Dana Lyons and Cows with Guns
Aug. 16 Chuck Easton Sextet
Aug. 23 The Blasted Kids and Lifestyles of the
Poor & Unknown
Aug. 30 Shady Grove
Sep. 6 The Pitfalls and Low Ones
Shopping for a Better Environment?
Look for the Green Business and EnviroStars Logos
Businesses displaying these logos have received third
party verification that their businesses are reducing
waste, minimizing energy and water consumption, and
creating healthy workplaces. Put your money where
your values are, and look for the Green Business and
EnviroStars logo. If you own a business, show your
commitment and get certified today. For more informa-
tion about certification, contact Pinky Feria Mingo, Jef-
ferson County Public Health, 379-4489.
August is the Library's "Books for Babies" BINGO month at the Hilltop Tavern. Join us
Wednesdays at 7 p.m. for bingo and good cheer while raising money to provide new
parents with a colorful "Born to Read" book bag, a board book, and information on the
importance of reading to their newborn.
Teen programs—open to all teens age 12-18:
August 1, 1-2 p.m. Teen Writers at the Library Learning Center.
August 4, Travel to Port Angeles for an archery workshop and authentic chuck wagon meal. This
program is filled, but look for it again in the fall!
August 8, 1-2 p.m. End of summer celebration at the Library Learning Center with board games,
banana splits and the drawing for the winning name of the messenger bag.
Teens—like to write book reviews? Submit them online to jglaubman@cityofpt.us or pick up an official
book review form. We'll post your review at http://ptlibraryteens.blogspot.com/ and enter you in a draw-
ing for a messenger bag or bicycle (thanks to the generous sponsorship by the PT Masonic Lodge #6.)
August 7, 10-noon for ages 8-12. FREE Bicycle Workshop at the ReCyclery. Bring your bike and be
amazed at how easy it is to take care of and learn all about special bike tools. Space is limited so sign up
soon at the Library.
August 10, 2-4 p.m. Movin' and Groovin' Summer Reading Field Day Party at Mt. View Commons. Carrie
Lennox of Tumbl Trak will lead us in an afternoon of free family activities. Winners of the bike giveaways
will be announced. For information, call the Library at 379-2980.
Rules of the Road For Sale Signs
The long days of summer seem to hold the most promise for selling garage sale items
and real estate. If you are having a garage sale or offering to sell, lease or rent your prop-
erty this summer or any time of the year, please follow these Port Townsend Municipal
Code rules when putting up signage:
Garage Sale signs have the 3-3-3 rule: they may be up to three square feet in size, for three days,
and up to three signs may be placed on the property or in nearby rights-of-way (i.e. the open or un-
opened street next to your property).
Residential real estate signs may be up to 4-1/2 square feet in size, but only one sign may be placed
on the property (or right next to the fence). Even though some properties are off the beaten track, di-
rectional signs pointing down the street are not allowed except during an Open House when you can
have signs up to three square feet in size in nearby rights-of-way.
Signs in the right-of-way must be self-supporting. Use signs with wire legs or wooden sticks that you
can temporarily secure into the ground. Place them on the private property side of utility poles, fire
hydrants and sidewalks where they are out of the way of motorists and pedestrians. Please do not
attach signs to utility poles or traffic signs!
Thank you for doing your part to reduce sign clutter by promptly removing all signs after your sale.
Contact Suzanne Wassmer in the Development Services Department with questions – (360) 379-6573
or swassmer@cityofpt.us.
Did You Know?
Curious facts about Port Townsend
We have: 9.5 square miles within the city limits.
87.8 miles of paved streets.
10 miles of unpaved streets.
29.2 miles of sidewalks.
32.2 miles of non-motorized trails.
Citizen Volunteer Openings
Planning Commission
Non-Motorized Transportation Advisory Board
Parks Recreation and Tree Advisory Board
Library Advisory Board
PEG Access Coordinating Committee
Housing Action Plan Network
Arts Commission
Lodging Tax Advisory Committee
For an application contact the City Clerk’s Office at
379-5083 or visit www.cityofpt.us/
Happy 75th Jefferson County Fair
August 10, 11, 12, 2012
www.jeffcofairgrounds.com
Mayor David King - How We Are Taxed August 2012
On June 27 in a Leader editorial, Fred Obee called for a “cross jurisdictional” plan for government programs and facilities. I agree.
To prepare, I wanted to look at the local taxes and fees we have to pay - property, sales and utility - to prepare for our town meetings
in the fall where we will look at community needs and resources. I wanted to look at how they are distributed to the various munici-
palities and departments, and to compare the tax burden for City residents relative to other taxing districts, like the County. I omitted
Federal Taxes because I wanted to look at revenue sources on which our community depends and over which we have some control.
Property Tax - City and County property taxes are structured differently and result in higher rates in the County than the City.
Emergency Services and the Library are their own taxing districts in the County. We fund them out of our general fund, and they are
included in the “City or Road” box on our tax bills. To adjust this I’ve calculated “funds” for the library and the fire district equal to
their general fund allocations in order to create an “apples to apples” comparison with the County. For the County rates I have used
County tax code 211 - Chimacum, Hadlock and Irondale. The comprehensive report for local tax assessments on which this is based
is available on the assessor’s website:
http://www.co.jefferson.wa.us/assessors/pdfs/ABSTRACT2012.pdf
City taxpayers contribute as much to the County general fund as County residents (first line in table). The single largest allocation
for both goes to the state. After accounting separately for library and fire, I see that we contribute more to the County’s general fund
than to the City’s. The County has a fund dedicated to roads which we do not – street maintenance comes out of our general fund.
We contribute more to our library and less to our schools.
Sales Tax - I made an arbitrary assumption of $10,000 household purchases per year subject to local sales tax. Because of the
streamlined sales tax measure passed by the legislature in 2008, the City also receives sales tax revenue from taxable purchases made
out of the area but shipped here (Amazon purchases, for instance.) This has been a significant local benefit.
The only adjustment to make an “apples to apples” comparison with the County is that half of what we receive from the Prop 1 sales
tax measure (shown in the table as County Public Safety), or about $212,000 per year, is by a temporary agreement given back to the
County for operating and maintaining their facilities (Community Center and Memorial Field) within the City.
Property Tax
Example Home Value300,000.00$
City RateCity $City Rate AdjCity $ AdjCounty RateCounty $
County1.45350 436.05$ 1.45350 436.05$ 1.45350 436.05$
Conservation Futures0.04237 12.71$ 0.04237 12.71$ 0.04237 12.71$
Port0.17812 53.44$ 0.17812 53.44$ 0.17812 53.44$
PUD0.11441 34.32$ 0.11441 34.32$ 0.11441 34.32$
County Roads-$ -$ 1.15639 346.92$
City2.49009 747.03$ 0.84414 253.24$ -$
State Levy2.32777 698.33$ 2.32777 698.33$ 2.32777 698.33$
Local School1.42663 427.99$ 1.42663 427.99$ 2.19289 657.87$
Fire-$ 0.99355 298.06$ 1.11034 333.10$
EMS0.50000 150.00$ 0.50000 150.00$ 0.50000 150.00$
Hospital0.22798 68.39$ 0.22798 68.39$ 0.22798 68.39$
Cemetary-$ -$ -$
Library-$ 0.65240 195.72$ 0.47275 141.83$
Park-$ -$ -$
8.76087 2,628.26$ 8.76087 2,628.26$ 9.77652 2,932.96$
Sales Tax
Taxable Spending10,000.00$
City RateCity $City Rate AdjCity $ AdjCounty RateCounty $
State of Washington6.50%650.00$ 6.50%650.00$ 6.41%641.00$
Jefferson County0.15%15.00$ 0.30%30.00$ 1.09%109.00$
County Mental Health0.10%10.00$ 0.10%10.00$ 0.10%10.00$
Jeffcomm0.10%10.00$ 0.10%10.00$ 0.10%10.00$
City of Port Townsend0.85%85.00$ 0.85%85.00$ -$
Criminal Justice0.10%10.00$ 0.10%10.00$ 0.10%10.00$
Jefferson Transit0.90%90.00$ 0.90%90.00$ 0.90%90.00$
County Public Safety0.30%30.00$ 0.15%15.00$ 0.30%30.00$
Rural Counties0.09%9.00$
9.00%900.00$ 9.00%900.00$ 9.00%900.00$
Utilities – Though our property tax rate is lower compared to the County example (it varies depending mostly on the
school district rates) we pay more for utilities (water, sewer, stormwater) every month. County residents may pay the PUD
for water but otherwise fund other utility costs through the County general fund – to which we also contribute – or pay it
directly by maintaining their septic systems and wells. I used my own most recent utility bill as an example.
Water and wastewater fees include a fixed rate to provide the service (and cover the cost of developing the systems) plus a
metered cost for usage. The general service and public safety taxes that are on our utility bill provide revenue from the
large property tax exempt properties, like Fort Worden, that are located within the City.
Summary – Below I’ve totaled the taxes and fees we pay annually, given these assumptions.
The majority of our local taxes go to the State since we don’t have income tax in Washington. The largest expenditures are
for basic services – water, sewer, roads, education, public health and safety. We all pay taxes for some services we don’t
use. I don’t ride the bus or swim very often and my son is long out of the local school system. Yet I support these services
in order to live in a diverse and viable community.
This fall’s “cross jurisdictional” town meetings will begin with a look at our community’s needs and resources with partic-
ular emphasis on whether increased taxation is needed to provide services or facilities that the community desires but that
cannot be provided by businesses or non-profit organizations. A $7 million library expansion would require voter approval
of a tax increase and would add $90 to $120 per year to this tax bill, depending on the terms of bond financing. We’ve
supported parks and recreation and kept the pool open by laying off or reducing staffing levels and adding $90,000 we
saved by refinancing some of our bond debt. But these are patches, not permanent solutions. Voter approval of a metropol-
itan park district would create a separate taxing authority which could levy up to $.75/$1,000 of assessed value and add up
to $225 per year to this tax bill. These are just two of many possible scenarios, and would be in addition to funding that is
required for mandated improvements to essential services, for example, secondary treatment for our water.
These issues are difficult and contentious for any community, as they should be. I am confident we will be able to work
through them to a set of solutions that have broad support, and hopeful that we will have enough goodwill left at the end to
enjoy the fruits of our labors together.
Utilities
MonthlyAnnually
Water24.87$ 298.44$
Wastewater41.85$ 502.20$
Storm6.59$ 79.08$
General Services Tax7.33$ 87.96$
Public Safety and Streets7.33$ 87.96$
87.97$ 1,055.64$
Summary
State of Washington1,348.33$
Jefferson County General Fund466.05$
Conservation Futures12.71$
Jefferson County Criminal Justice10.00$
Jefferson County Mental Health10.00$
Jefferson PUD34.32$
Port of Port Townsend53.44$
Jefferson Transit90.00$
Jefferson County Emergency Communications10.00$
Emergency Services463.06$ Fire and EMS
Port Townsend School District427.99$
Jefferson Health Care68.39$
City of Port Townsend General Fund514.16$ Includes Police and Local Streets
City of Port Townsend Library195.72$
City of Port Townsend Utilities879.72$
4,583.90$