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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11(360) 379-5047 (email: citycouncil@cityofpt.us) www.cityofpt.us November 2012 City of Port Townsend From Mayor David King - Community and Capital Projects This is a follow-up to a newsletter article I wrote in March which can be found at: https://weblink.cityofpt.us/weblink8/0/doc/63732/Electronic.aspx The recession officially began in 2007. Coincidentally, the steel ferries were pulled from the Port Townsend route that November. I think it’s fair to characterize the City’s response to these events (and the Hood Canal bridge closure) as “the best defense is a good offense.” Using bond monies and other funds we invested in the economic anchors for the community that we identified in 2008 – Upper Sims Way, our historic waterfront, and Fort Worden, and in other infrastructure projects around town. And we have tried to continue providing community services like the parks, the pool, after school and a number of other recreational programs for kids, etc. So how are we doing now? Pretty well or terribly, depending on what you look at and who you talk to. Here’s my take. Capital Projects Capital projects and community services are not an either/or proposition. Pools, parks and do- mestic violence programs depend on general prosperity and economic viability which in turn de- pend on adequate public investment in infrastructure. We have completed many projects in the last five years and have prepared a table of our capital projects for the period 2008 – 2012. It is too large to include in this newsletter but is available online or in hard copy from the City: http://cityofpt.us/CurrentProjects.htm, bottom of page, Capital Project Expenditures 2008 to 2012. (Special thanks to Sarah Tiffany and David Peterson for their work on this table.) Though limited to only those projects supported by the bond sales that the City Council ap- proved in 2008 and 2010 for the five-year period starting in 2008 the $11,347,004 we raised (including fees and interest) qualified for grants and donations equaling $11,809,584 - in effect doubling the money that we spent on sidewalks, street improvements, and public buildings around town. That tally of grants and donations does not include the two most highly leveraged of the City’s investments: the $1 million purchase of the public easement at the Northwest Maritime Center that enabled the completion of that $12.8 million project, and our allocation of $500K for Building 202 at Fort Worden that catalyzed the State’s matching $4 million. I know the City's purchase of an easement at the Maritime Center is controversial to some. I'm really not the right person to evaluate it objectively as I was on the Maritime Center board when the purchase was proposed and I am convinced that, but for the City, it would not be finished today. Visitors strolling east on Water Street used to turn around at Elevated Ice Cream. For decades the Maritime Center site was surrounded by a chain link fence to protect us from a dangerously dilapidated dock and dirt too toxic to walk on. The floats in Point Hudson were supported by sat- urated tree trunks chained to waterlogged floats. The Maritime Center was part of a years-long public private partnership that included millions of dollars in private donations, the Port’s invest- ment in Point Hudson and the City’s in the civic district. The results have shifted the center of buoyancy of our downtown three blocks to the east. The Coast Guard schedules meetings at the Maritime Center. On-the water education is available to Port Townsend School children and of- ten has a dramatic transformative effect. Most of the vacant windows on Water Street are now occupied. (cont’d) Resource Family Training Institute Training for Foster Parents, Adoptive Parents, and Kinship Care Providers We have a small and amazing group of local foster homes, but the need for more homes is great right now. We are in need of foster parents in East Jefferson County for all ages of children 0-18. This training is a comprehensive course designed for those considering the role of foster or adoptive parent and for any interested relative care-givers Dates: Orientation: Wednesday, November 21, 2012--(5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.) Pre-Service: November 26 - 30 (5:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.) & December 1 (9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. (must attend all sessions to graduate) Location: Division of Children and Family Services 915 Sheridan, Port Townsend, WA 98368 Call to register at (360) 565-2296 or email towi300@dshs.wa.gov. More information is available at http://fosterparent.dshs.wa.gov. Community Services About this time last year, a Leader editorial urged that, given the finding on our annual audit, we could not afford to keep supporting community services like the pool, Main Street, after school pro- grams for the kids etc. Council had already arrived at that conclusion and the budget we adopted for 2012 contained no money for support of the YMCA programs and other non-profit institutions. The pool was going to be open for only half the year. All the non-profit organizations located at Mountain View, like the Food Bank, would have to pay rent to the City. But it's easy to recommend saving for a rainy day unless it's raining on you already. I pass Mountain View and the food bank every Wednesday and I see neighbors lined up to receive food from other neighbors handing it out. I know seniors in the County as well as the City that will lose their mobility if they are unable to exercise in the pool. So wherever we could this year we've used innovative thinking and hard work to support community services as much as possible. We maintained our bond rating with Standard and Poor’s to A+ and were able to re-finance our old- est general obligation bonds - saving the City $722,716 on its overall debt. We reduced our debt ser- vice in 2012 by $100K and spread the rest of the savings over subsequent years to level our debt service. We used this year's savings to help keep the pool open. Under a state law that allows businesses and public entities to receive a 75% credit on utility tax paid to the state in support of Main Street programs, the City reached an agreement, blessed by the State, to redirect a portion of city utility excise taxes to our Main Street program in exchange for ser- vices like maintaining the downtown bathrooms and the street plantings that the City would other- wise have had to pay for or neglect. We also found money for community services through staff re- ductions and allocating staff costs to capital projects where appropriate. These were one-time solutions to long-term problems and we were already grappling with a budget shortfall for 2013 when the sales tax error discovered in September increased the shortfall by $200,000. Prior knowledge of that would certainly have further restrained our support of community services, but I don’t regret the effort and still favor putting every tax dollar to work, maintaining only those reserves mandated by law and our adopted financial policies. We are doing what we must in order to restore our reserves and have fewer options for continuing to support community services. We’ve tightened our belt until you can see the buckle from the back. As the Leader pointed out, the City is not alone in facing these problems. The County faces similar is- sues and has also had to make deep cuts to parks and programs. Non-essential community services exceed the mandate for local government to provide for public safety and basic infrastructure, so they are the first to be affected by financial constraints. We are working with the County to develop something for the voters to consider that would create an organization mandated specifically to pro- vide these services, and thus independent of the cyclical pressures on City and County general funds. City of Port Townsend (360) 379-5047 (email: citycouncil@cityofpt.us) www.cityofpt.us November 2012 DON’T FORGET YOUR REUSABLE SHOPPING BAGS – Plastic Bag Ban goes into effect November 1, 2012 The Single Use Carry-Out Bag Ordinance (commonly known as the "plastic bag ban"), approved in July, goes into effect November 1, 2012. It is a step forward in reducing litter and unnecessary waste, and protecting water and wildlife, by reducing the use of plastic bags in our community. What you can expect From November 1 on, you will no longer be offered single-use plastic bags at the grocery store check stand. The ordinance 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 for large paper bags. Retailers may, at their discretion, apply this charge to smaller paper bags also but are not required to do so. This charge serves as a modest monetary reminder for shoppers to bring reusable bags. The 5 cent charge doesn't go to the City -- it will be kept by retailers to help them recover the costs of switching to paper bags. The ordinance requires retailers offering “larger” paper bags to use bags which must contain a minimum of 40% post-consumer recycled content. That content must also be clearly displayed on the outside of the bag. This requirement applies to bags with a capacity of 882 cubic inches or greater, typically referred to in the grocery trade as “one-eighth barrel”. The 5 cent charge for larger paper bags must be displayed on your sales receipt and under Washington state law, sales tax does apply to this 5 cent charge. 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 produce in grocery stores and for restaurant take-out foods will still be al- lowed because of the public health functions they play. Dry cleaning bags and bags for news- paper 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 beneficiaries (e.g. WIC, SNAP, FAP, TANF and other similar programs) are also exempt from the 5 cent charge for paper bags. Ordinance 3076, now codified as PTMC Chapter 6.26, and other information for both Shoppers and Retailers, is available on the City’s website under “Latest News” – Plastic Bag Ban. Questions may be addressed to Vanessa Ridgway in City Administration (360-385-5991, vridgway@cityofpt.us.) City of Port Townsend Development Services Department Beginning on Monday, December 3, the Development Services Department (DSD) counter on the third floor of City Hall will be closed daily 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. as a cost savings measure. We remain available to serve you from 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Should you have questions, we can be reached by phone at (360) 379-5095 (formerly 379- 5082.) If we are assisting another customer or away from the desk, please leave a message. Staff will return your call within 24 hours. The inspection line number to call before 3:00 p.m. for a next day inspection remains (360) 385-2294. SHOP PT PT SHOP FREE Transition Yourself Jobs Workshops November 1, 8 and 15 from 4 – 5:30 p.m. Sponsored by US Bank Foundation, this series of work- shops will be held at the Library Learning Center, 1256 Lawrence St. The focus will be on cover letter and re- sume’ writing and interviewing tips for finding work in to- day’s changed career environment. Register by e-mailing Nancesca Schroff, Jobs Project Co- ordinator at nschroff@cityofpt.us, or by calling the Library at 385-3181, or by leaving your name and phone number at the Library’s Circulation Desk. Holiday Travel? Think Jefferson Transit! Traveling during the holidays can be stressful and costly, but Jefferson Transit is here to help. Whether you are traveling to Seattle and the air- port, to the Kingston Ferry or Olym- pia, traveling by bus is a cost- effective alternative that lets you re- lax while we do the driving! You can get from PT to the Sea-Tac Airport for as little as $6.25 when you travel by bus and light rail, and taking the bus to the Kingston Ferry or Olympia costs as little as $3.50. Searching for a parking spot and fighting traffic will be a thing of the past, and you are free to text, read a good book, or even watch a movie on your laptop as we take you safely to your destination! Our friendly Customer Service Representatives can help you plan your trip and you can relax knowing your holiday trav- el is taken care of. For more information, call 385-4777 or visit www.jeffersontransit.com. Recycle Reminders Clear, Brown, or Green Rinse Clean Remove lids & corks Pyrex, ceramic, light bulbs, mirrors, plate glass or windows. No Jefferson County Public Health and Public Works Questions? Call: 360.385.9160 Labels OK FORT WORDEN LIFELONG LEARNING CENTER PUBLIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY  The City is seeking qualified individuals to serve on the Fort Worden Lifelong Learning Center Public Development Authority (FWPDA) Board. The FWPDA is a public corpo- ration that functions separately but on behalf of the City in undertaking a highly focused and dedicated effort to help implement a Lifelong Learning Center at Fort Worden State Park. The FWPDA is currently working on develop- ing a co-management proposal with State Parks to man- age and operate the “campus area” of the Park. More in- formation about the project can be found at www.fwpda.org. Members will be appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the City Council. The FWPDA is seeking at least two can- didates with skills or experience in one or several of the following areas: real estate development, financial man- agement, federal and state public relations, or hospitality and conference management. There will normally be one meeting per month during business hours on weekdays, in addition to sub-committee meetings and evening meetings scheduled as needed. All meetings are open to the public. City residency is not a requirement. Please submit a letter of interest and a resume via e-mail (Word or PDF) to Pam Kolacy, City Clerk, at pkolacy@cityofpt.us. Please put FWPDA Board Member Candidate in the subject line of the email. Please submit applications as soon as possible. Although positions are open until filled, the City plans to make ap- pointments in November. WSU Extension and GROW Healthy Kids and Community Project (GROW HKC) invite you to a Community Dialog on November 4, 2-4 p.m. at the Community Center. Share your experi- ences about how easy or hard it is for children and families to eat healthy and be active in our community. All ages welcome. Child care and light snack provided. For more information contact Shirley Calodich at 385-0843.