Today I'm going to provide an example of how our county commissioners haven't listened to their citizens. If they don't listen to us on the small issues, the big issues are for sure a lost cause.
(See my blog posting "Level Playing Field for Tourism Dollars" and other "LTAC" label postings for more background.)
On Feb 23, 2010 I presented signed petitions from 102 citizens asking the BOCC to fund Harmony Hill's request for 2010 lodging tax dollars. I gave them some time to act on the petitions waiting till the May 4 BOCC meeting to I ask when they were going to approve the funding of Harmony Hill. At that time I was told that Ross, as chair, would call the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee to get their opinion on funding Harmony Hill. Then on May 10 at the commissioners' briefings I asked Ross when Harmony Hill would be funded. To this Ross said the LTAC had considered the request from Harmony Hill twice and had twice refused to fund it. His hands are tied, or so he says.
Mason County, 102 citizens petitioned the county commissioners and were ignored over the advice of the two executive directors of the Chambers of Commerce and four other representatives. I've made a clear case several times before the BOCC that the LTAC didn't consistently apply their stated criteria in their recommendations for which projects would receive funding. If this committee had applied the same criteria to all projects, Harmony Hill would have been funded just as all the other projects were. Harmony Hill was the only application for a grant from the Hotel Motel Tax not funded in 2010.
This blatant unfairness makes me angry and I'm having trouble letting this go. I recognize this is a small dollar issue but there are bigger decisions coming up.
Take for example the BOCC has formed a Storm Water Task Force to "craft financial options" to fund a storm water district in the county. This 30 member task force consists of five or six members who don't live in Mason County. When I raised concerns about members of the task force from Thurston and Lewis County making recommendations on Mason County tax policy, I was told that the BOCC is the ultimate decision authority and they will carefully consider what the task force recommends.
Based on what we've seen from the Harmony Hill LTAC recommendation, we can't count on this BOCC to overrule what the Stormwater Task Force recommends.
But the real point is this - they aren't listening to us. It's as if we don't count. Let's show our elected officials that we will be heard. Mason County, remember to register and vote in upcoming elections. Regardless of whether you and I agree on the issues, I encourage you to vote this year. Let our voices be heard through our ballots.
Showing posts with label Lodging Tax Advisory Committee. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lodging Tax Advisory Committee. Show all posts
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Monday, April 5, 2010
Commissioner Briefings - April 5
Here's a quick summary of the briefings. All three commissioners attended but no media. One other private citizen and I attended.
o First topic of discussion was the upcoming ADAGE meetings on Wednesday and that an opposition group (Concerned Citizens of Mason County) would be holding their meeting at 2PM in the Civic Center. This was a real concern because staff thought that Congressman Dicks planned to be at the Civic Center at 2PM.
Picture this - Norm Dicks walks into a room of "real people" who are concerned about the environmental impact of a multinational firm on the residents of a county currently with a health report card that's nearly the worst of all the counties in the state. Can't let that happen. Let's get Norm's schedule fixed so that he doesn't risk running into "real people".
o On April 15, at 1130 am the City of Shelton will hold a state of the port, city and county at Alderbrook. This might be an interesting one to attend.
o The county commissioners unsuccessfully advertised for a revenue generator for the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee. Now they may have to be more aggressive in their quest to find someone.
I have an idea. Why don't they just drop one of the revenue spenders? That way they can stay in compliance with the RCW which requires the spenders and generators to be equal. And to ensure greater diversity they could have more than just one at large member. There I go applying logic again.
o Department of Ecology postponed their meeting tomorrow (April 6) with the commissioners to discuss the John's Prairie Water Basin. They need more time to study the Squaxin Island appeal submitted to the Governor.
Ross said he delivered the county's letter to DOE and they didn't like it. Then he said that we must move on a moratorium. As you know sometimes it's a little difficult to understand what Ross really means. When pressed what he meant with the pronoun "we", Ross closed down and let Lynda and Tim run with the ball.
Here's my take away. Tim wants to do nothing and let the governor or DOE tell us what to do. Lynda wants to find out what the city has in mind so far as providing water within the Urban Growth Area. She offered that with the city's water line going in this summer then there will be relief to the John's Prairie water shortage. The city water will go to ADAGE and the MCRA sports fields. That should lessen the shortfall.
Port of Shelton Commissioner Jay Hupp was at this portion of the briefings. He said the Port is having "difficult conversations" with Department of Ecology over the issue of water. (Recall the Port's water agreement expired on Jan 1, 2010.) The Port is using 42 acre feet of water per year but have approval of only 1.25 acre feet. He went on to say that he has an unanswered capacity question with the City of Shelton. The capacity of water the City can bring to Port property via the PUD 3 funded water line "hasn't been nailed down" per Jay.
Also Jay indicated that ADAGE has a 90 acre lease of Port property. And that's when the point about capacity came into the discussion. (Is there or isn't there enough water capacity for ADAGE?) The City is working on their Comprehensive Water Plan according to Jay.
o May 4 there will be a public hearing on revisions to the Noise Control ordinance. Something going on here so far as an impending race track. Watch for more on this one.
o Public Works announced today that they will be paving a portion of their yard. Just having gravel in the public works yard is a safety hazard according to the County Road Engineer, Bob Thuring. No indication as to how much this will cost.
Here is another example of why Mason County Roads has such a high percent of admin costs compared to other counties. Hmmmm..... I'm thinking Road Levy Shift for 2011.
o The Stormwater Management Advisory Task Force as proposed for approval on the Consent Agenda (April 6) will have a whopping 28 members. Five of these proposed members do not live in Mason County. This committee "will assist in crafting financial options to fund stormwater improvement activities".
I have trouble with people from Olympia and Chehalis "crafting financial options to fund" anything that a Mason County taxpayer then has to pay for through the taxation system. These non Mason County members certainly could serve as advisors to the larger group but shouldn't be the ones who "crafting financial options". Besides that when was a group of 28 ever effective in getting anything accomplished in an efficient manner?
o Belfair Waste Water Facility has "significant change orders pending" per Tom Moore. No surprise there.
That's what I caught today.
o First topic of discussion was the upcoming ADAGE meetings on Wednesday and that an opposition group (Concerned Citizens of Mason County) would be holding their meeting at 2PM in the Civic Center. This was a real concern because staff thought that Congressman Dicks planned to be at the Civic Center at 2PM.
Picture this - Norm Dicks walks into a room of "real people" who are concerned about the environmental impact of a multinational firm on the residents of a county currently with a health report card that's nearly the worst of all the counties in the state. Can't let that happen. Let's get Norm's schedule fixed so that he doesn't risk running into "real people".
o On April 15, at 1130 am the City of Shelton will hold a state of the port, city and county at Alderbrook. This might be an interesting one to attend.
o The county commissioners unsuccessfully advertised for a revenue generator for the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee. Now they may have to be more aggressive in their quest to find someone.
I have an idea. Why don't they just drop one of the revenue spenders? That way they can stay in compliance with the RCW which requires the spenders and generators to be equal. And to ensure greater diversity they could have more than just one at large member. There I go applying logic again.
o Department of Ecology postponed their meeting tomorrow (April 6) with the commissioners to discuss the John's Prairie Water Basin. They need more time to study the Squaxin Island appeal submitted to the Governor.
Ross said he delivered the county's letter to DOE and they didn't like it. Then he said that we must move on a moratorium. As you know sometimes it's a little difficult to understand what Ross really means. When pressed what he meant with the pronoun "we", Ross closed down and let Lynda and Tim run with the ball.
Here's my take away. Tim wants to do nothing and let the governor or DOE tell us what to do. Lynda wants to find out what the city has in mind so far as providing water within the Urban Growth Area. She offered that with the city's water line going in this summer then there will be relief to the John's Prairie water shortage. The city water will go to ADAGE and the MCRA sports fields. That should lessen the shortfall.
Port of Shelton Commissioner Jay Hupp was at this portion of the briefings. He said the Port is having "difficult conversations" with Department of Ecology over the issue of water. (Recall the Port's water agreement expired on Jan 1, 2010.) The Port is using 42 acre feet of water per year but have approval of only 1.25 acre feet. He went on to say that he has an unanswered capacity question with the City of Shelton. The capacity of water the City can bring to Port property via the PUD 3 funded water line "hasn't been nailed down" per Jay.
Also Jay indicated that ADAGE has a 90 acre lease of Port property. And that's when the point about capacity came into the discussion. (Is there or isn't there enough water capacity for ADAGE?) The City is working on their Comprehensive Water Plan according to Jay.
o May 4 there will be a public hearing on revisions to the Noise Control ordinance. Something going on here so far as an impending race track. Watch for more on this one.
o Public Works announced today that they will be paving a portion of their yard. Just having gravel in the public works yard is a safety hazard according to the County Road Engineer, Bob Thuring. No indication as to how much this will cost.
Here is another example of why Mason County Roads has such a high percent of admin costs compared to other counties. Hmmmm..... I'm thinking Road Levy Shift for 2011.
o The Stormwater Management Advisory Task Force as proposed for approval on the Consent Agenda (April 6) will have a whopping 28 members. Five of these proposed members do not live in Mason County. This committee "will assist in crafting financial options to fund stormwater improvement activities".
I have trouble with people from Olympia and Chehalis "crafting financial options to fund" anything that a Mason County taxpayer then has to pay for through the taxation system. These non Mason County members certainly could serve as advisors to the larger group but shouldn't be the ones who "crafting financial options". Besides that when was a group of 28 ever effective in getting anything accomplished in an efficient manner?
o Belfair Waste Water Facility has "significant change orders pending" per Tom Moore. No surprise there.
That's what I caught today.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
What Leadership Looks Like
The Union Tourism Association (UTA) has proven that creative and energetic people can really make things happen. Under the leadership of Matthew Melendez Blegen the UTA took a mere $7.5K and accomplished so very much.
Here are just a few of their major accomplishments for 2009 and only $7.5K (private money - not our taxes).
o Union was named one of the top 20 prettiest towns in America by "Forbes Traveler Magazine" Oct 2009.
o A pumpkin catapult competition was a smashing success.
o A first-ever Visitor Map highlighting key tourism spots was published.
o The UTA web site "visitunion.com" was developed and launched - lots of info available here complete with a printer-friendly downloadable version of the Visitor Map.
That's just some of what they did with $7.5K in 2009. They have big plans for 2010 and I invite you to check out their website for more info. You may want to make plans to visit beautiful Union which is where Harmony Hill is located. And for all of you who've been following my blog you know by now that I'm really a big fan of Harmony Hill.
Let's get back to the issue of leadership.
Compare what Matthew and his team did with $7.5K privately donated funds to what Mason County is getting for our Lodging Tax dollars that are being sent to the Joint Tourism Board and the Visitor Information Centers managed by the two Chambers of Commerce. For 2010, 2009, and 2008 the county commissioners gave them $179K, $177K, and $174K, respectively. Of this for all three years $95K has been given to the Joint Tourism Board.
What are we getting for the $95K that we've been sending to the Joint Tourism Board year after year for website development and maintenance? I know where it's going - down a rat hole. One of the easiest ways to waste our tax dollars is through website and software development and we're seeing this repeated year after year with no oversight. Leadership is essential to make sure we're getting the best bang for the buck.
Could it be the heads of our Chambers of Commerce have no incentive to control the costs of the Joint Tourism Board?
Why would they when Commissioner Ring Erickson sits as a trustee of the Shelton Mason Chamber of Commerce?
Too much coziness going on with this small group of insiders for the Lodging Tax process to appear fair and objective to this citizen/taxpayer.
Thank you to Matthew and the Union Tourism Association for showing us what leadership should look like in Mason County. If we could replicate you, we would. Bravo!
Here are just a few of their major accomplishments for 2009 and only $7.5K (private money - not our taxes).
o Union was named one of the top 20 prettiest towns in America by "Forbes Traveler Magazine" Oct 2009.
o A pumpkin catapult competition was a smashing success.
o A first-ever Visitor Map highlighting key tourism spots was published.
o The UTA web site "visitunion.com" was developed and launched - lots of info available here complete with a printer-friendly downloadable version of the Visitor Map.
That's just some of what they did with $7.5K in 2009. They have big plans for 2010 and I invite you to check out their website for more info. You may want to make plans to visit beautiful Union which is where Harmony Hill is located. And for all of you who've been following my blog you know by now that I'm really a big fan of Harmony Hill.
Let's get back to the issue of leadership.
Compare what Matthew and his team did with $7.5K privately donated funds to what Mason County is getting for our Lodging Tax dollars that are being sent to the Joint Tourism Board and the Visitor Information Centers managed by the two Chambers of Commerce. For 2010, 2009, and 2008 the county commissioners gave them $179K, $177K, and $174K, respectively. Of this for all three years $95K has been given to the Joint Tourism Board.
What are we getting for the $95K that we've been sending to the Joint Tourism Board year after year for website development and maintenance? I know where it's going - down a rat hole. One of the easiest ways to waste our tax dollars is through website and software development and we're seeing this repeated year after year with no oversight. Leadership is essential to make sure we're getting the best bang for the buck.
Could it be the heads of our Chambers of Commerce have no incentive to control the costs of the Joint Tourism Board?
Why would they when Commissioner Ring Erickson sits as a trustee of the Shelton Mason Chamber of Commerce?
Too much coziness going on with this small group of insiders for the Lodging Tax process to appear fair and objective to this citizen/taxpayer.
Thank you to Matthew and the Union Tourism Association for showing us what leadership should look like in Mason County. If we could replicate you, we would. Bravo!
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Board of County Commissioners Meeting - Mar 2
All three of our county commissioners stayed for the entire meeting. Here's what I heard.
- There's a vacancy on the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee since Mike Carnavole resigned. Ross announced that they are looking for a new member who is involved in generating hotel/motel tax dollars.
- Mason County Parks and Trails Department Business Planning Task Force recommendations were on the consent agenda. Several members of this task force were in attendance today with Patti Case speaking for them as she summed up their work.
(I was just thinking this same task force should be asked to come up with a strategy to improve Mason County's Health Report. We could ask them to help move the county from 37 out of 39 up to say 20 out of 39 by 2020. When they finish with this assignment we could ask them to provide a vision for Mason County. Patti, could you and your team help us figure out what Mason County wants to be when all grown up?)
- Charlie Butros, Public Works Department announced that recently the county had followed up with Senators Cantwell/Murray and Representative Dicks on federal funding for the Simmons/Lynch Road.
(Someday in the hopefully not too distant future, folks who live off Lynch Road will be able to go off their high blood pressure medicine. On the downside, we won't know what to do for excitement when we stop getting that adrenalin charge as we make the life threatening left turn onto Highway 101.)
- Tim in discussing his calendar noted that there would be no Board of County Commissioners meeting on March 23 because he and Lynda would be out of town or otherwise not available. Looks like Ross is the only commissioner who is working full time during March. No commissioners meeting on March 9 or March 23.
(To get my full opinion on this please refer to my blog posting "Staff Driven" 12/19/2009.)
- Lynda mentioned that while she is in Washington DC next week she'll be teleconferencing back to the area so that she can be part of a discussion on replacing the Hood Canal Coordinating Council. This was made in passing as she discussed her maiden voyage "skyping".
- Lynda is meeting this week with Wilt Hamilton who works with ADAGE. She's working to get their answers to questions submitted by the public.
(If we've got questions, we probably need to get on them quickly so that ADAGE has time to prepare their "objective" responses to them.)
- On March 15 three panels plus the commissioners will be interviewing five candidates for the HR/Budget Director position.
- There's a vacancy on the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee since Mike Carnavole resigned. Ross announced that they are looking for a new member who is involved in generating hotel/motel tax dollars.
- Mason County Parks and Trails Department Business Planning Task Force recommendations were on the consent agenda. Several members of this task force were in attendance today with Patti Case speaking for them as she summed up their work.
(I was just thinking this same task force should be asked to come up with a strategy to improve Mason County's Health Report. We could ask them to help move the county from 37 out of 39 up to say 20 out of 39 by 2020. When they finish with this assignment we could ask them to provide a vision for Mason County. Patti, could you and your team help us figure out what Mason County wants to be when all grown up?)
- Charlie Butros, Public Works Department announced that recently the county had followed up with Senators Cantwell/Murray and Representative Dicks on federal funding for the Simmons/Lynch Road.
(Someday in the hopefully not too distant future, folks who live off Lynch Road will be able to go off their high blood pressure medicine. On the downside, we won't know what to do for excitement when we stop getting that adrenalin charge as we make the life threatening left turn onto Highway 101.)
- Tim in discussing his calendar noted that there would be no Board of County Commissioners meeting on March 23 because he and Lynda would be out of town or otherwise not available. Looks like Ross is the only commissioner who is working full time during March. No commissioners meeting on March 9 or March 23.
(To get my full opinion on this please refer to my blog posting "Staff Driven" 12/19/2009.)
- Lynda mentioned that while she is in Washington DC next week she'll be teleconferencing back to the area so that she can be part of a discussion on replacing the Hood Canal Coordinating Council. This was made in passing as she discussed her maiden voyage "skyping".
- Lynda is meeting this week with Wilt Hamilton who works with ADAGE. She's working to get their answers to questions submitted by the public.
(If we've got questions, we probably need to get on them quickly so that ADAGE has time to prepare their "objective" responses to them.)
- On March 15 three panels plus the commissioners will be interviewing five candidates for the HR/Budget Director position.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Petition to Fund Harmony Hill LTAC Request
In the spirit of "never give up", there's a petition circulating throughout the county. It says in part: "We the undersigned ask the Mason County Board of County Commissioners to fund the Harmony Hill grant request for 2010 Lodging Tax dollars. Because the 2010 process did not provide a consistent application of reasons for what was funded and what was denied, we believe Harmony Hill should be funded at this time."
Help me to show that it's not just one voice demanding fairness in the LTAC process. If you are interested in signing this petition, please drop an email to "brendahirschi@comcast.net". I'll get a copy of the petition to you so that your voice can be heard also.
Help me to show that it's not just one voice demanding fairness in the LTAC process. If you are interested in signing this petition, please drop an email to "brendahirschi@comcast.net". I'll get a copy of the petition to you so that your voice can be heard also.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Interfering Pesky Citizens - Part 2
Here's what happens when you go to a Board of County Commissioners meeting and ask questions.
Today I was treated rudely and called out of order and made to be quiet. That's how you are treated when Ross Gallagher chairs the Board. To make matters worse both Ross Gallagher and Lynda Ring Erickson allowed Ken Wilson (a private citizen and member of the LTAC) to berate and lecture me as I tried to ask my questions. They both sat there silently letting Ken Wilson spout off that I was out of line to ask these questions at this point in the decision process.
I've spent countless hours studying this process attempting to discern how the decisions were being made as to what events get funded or denied. Since Jan 5 I've attempted to communicate to the Board that there is a problem with how these dollars are being distributed because there are not clear criteria for evaluation nor is there any consistency in the decision process. On Jan 18 I provided a memo to the Board with details of my analysis and a list of questions. The Lodging Tax Advisory Committee met on Jan 26. The public was not allowed to ask any questions at this LTAC meeting.
So today Lynda and Ross (Tim was absent) voted to approve the LTAC's Jan 26 recommendations with two changes. They added $1000 each to the Anna's Bay Choir and the Harstene Island Community Choir. No funding was provided for Harmony Hills. The LTAC reason for denying funds to Harmony HIll stated that "event is scheduled in peak season". This is a clear example of the inconsistency that I mentioned above. The Board of County Commissioners approved five other events that fall in the peak season May through September but refused to fund Harmony Hill.
We've got a problem in Mason County. Any ideas you have about how to fix this problem of non-responsive government at the local level would be greatly appreciated. I'd love to hear from you.
Today I was treated rudely and called out of order and made to be quiet. That's how you are treated when Ross Gallagher chairs the Board. To make matters worse both Ross Gallagher and Lynda Ring Erickson allowed Ken Wilson (a private citizen and member of the LTAC) to berate and lecture me as I tried to ask my questions. They both sat there silently letting Ken Wilson spout off that I was out of line to ask these questions at this point in the decision process.
I've spent countless hours studying this process attempting to discern how the decisions were being made as to what events get funded or denied. Since Jan 5 I've attempted to communicate to the Board that there is a problem with how these dollars are being distributed because there are not clear criteria for evaluation nor is there any consistency in the decision process. On Jan 18 I provided a memo to the Board with details of my analysis and a list of questions. The Lodging Tax Advisory Committee met on Jan 26. The public was not allowed to ask any questions at this LTAC meeting.
So today Lynda and Ross (Tim was absent) voted to approve the LTAC's Jan 26 recommendations with two changes. They added $1000 each to the Anna's Bay Choir and the Harstene Island Community Choir. No funding was provided for Harmony Hills. The LTAC reason for denying funds to Harmony HIll stated that "event is scheduled in peak season". This is a clear example of the inconsistency that I mentioned above. The Board of County Commissioners approved five other events that fall in the peak season May through September but refused to fund Harmony Hill.
We've got a problem in Mason County. Any ideas you have about how to fix this problem of non-responsive government at the local level would be greatly appreciated. I'd love to hear from you.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Interfering Pesky Citizens
Oh those pesky citizens who are asking questions about how the tourism dollars are being spent.
Below is an excerpt from the CEO, North Mason Chamber of Commerce - Frank Kinney's desperate email to all of his associates.
"The North Mason Chamber and the Shelton-Mason Chamber (functioning as the Joint Chamber Tourism Advisory Council) have been managing tourism promotion for Mason County since 2007 with funding from the dedicated lodging tax on lodging guests. There is a movement underfoot to interfere with this effort to bring tourism money into the county."
Now we're not just pesky but we're interfering also. It must be the questions we've asked about how this money is being spent.
Tomorrow, February 16 at 9 am , the Board of County Commissioners has the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee recommendations on the agenda under "other business". In his email Mr Kinney implored his business buddies and associates to write letters and emails or make calls to the commissioners in support of his pet projects which help to keep his salary fully funded. Yes, the lodging tax dollars help to pay Mr Kinney's salary - about 25% of it to be exact.
The commissioners optimistically expect to have this all wrapped up by 10 am so they can move on to the briefings they missed because Monday was a holiday. Maybe, just maybe they'll come to their senses and fund all the events (including Harmony Hill) since it's been a purely subjective process thus far with no clear and consistent criteria for evaluating each request. If so, the meeting could be wrapped up quickly.
Check back for the next posting. I'll let you know how it goes.
Below is an excerpt from the CEO, North Mason Chamber of Commerce - Frank Kinney's desperate email to all of his associates.
"The North Mason Chamber and the Shelton-Mason Chamber (functioning as the Joint Chamber Tourism Advisory Council) have been managing tourism promotion for Mason County since 2007 with funding from the dedicated lodging tax on lodging guests. There is a movement underfoot to interfere with this effort to bring tourism money into the county."
Now we're not just pesky but we're interfering also. It must be the questions we've asked about how this money is being spent.
Tomorrow, February 16 at 9 am , the Board of County Commissioners has the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee recommendations on the agenda under "other business". In his email Mr Kinney implored his business buddies and associates to write letters and emails or make calls to the commissioners in support of his pet projects which help to keep his salary fully funded. Yes, the lodging tax dollars help to pay Mr Kinney's salary - about 25% of it to be exact.
The commissioners optimistically expect to have this all wrapped up by 10 am so they can move on to the briefings they missed because Monday was a holiday. Maybe, just maybe they'll come to their senses and fund all the events (including Harmony Hill) since it's been a purely subjective process thus far with no clear and consistent criteria for evaluating each request. If so, the meeting could be wrapped up quickly.
Check back for the next posting. I'll let you know how it goes.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Knock Three Times
The Commissioners of the Port, City of Shelton, County and PUD 3 met on January 29, 2010. The agenda included an update on ADAGE, discussion of the Shelton Urban Growth Area Interlocal Agreement between the City and the County, and last but not least the water agreement among the City, Port and PUD 3.
ADAGE: Lee Torrens gave a power point briefing describing his company, the technology and the potential for this model plant within Mason County. He offered to hold one on one briefings with each of the commissioners (to avoid the open public meetings act???). We learned that the permits are not in place for this first of its kind plant. We also learned that Economic Development and the Port of Shelton knew a lot more about this proposed plant than did at least two of our county commissioners. In fact Lynda and Ross stated they have never been briefed.
While all of the commissioners at the table could ask what appeared to be their politically correct questions, private citizens in attendance on Friday were limited to three questions. Ross Gallagher sitting as the chair of this joint meeting came up with the rule that only three questions would be allowed. As we were told by Lee Torrens, his job is to control the message and the expectations for the plant plus he needed to catch a plane to get home to his family in Montana.
Kudos to Lynda Ring Erickson for offering to hold public meetings in District 1 about this plant. There are a lot of questions that need answering - way more than just the three allowed by Ross Gallagher on Friday. Thank you Lynda for standing up for us amidst that love in. There's too much at stake for the strategic interests of the citizens of Mason County to rush this through the approval process. Maybe after our questions are answered and we have more information, we'll all agree this is a good idea. But let's not just jump to a hasty conclusion without bringing the public into the loop.
Shelton UGA: The County and City are working on an interlocal agreement regarding the Shelton Urban Growth Area. The City has approved its version of this agreement and now the County needs to make changes in building permits, zoning and utility standards. What I picked up as one possible bone of contention is what the home occupation and cottage industry standards will be. Teri Jeffries representing the Shelton Mason Chamber of Commerce said that her overall hope was that City and County officials not place City standards on the County and that whatever standards are adopted that they be phased in as it makes sense to the "market". Jay Hupp was glad to hear that both the City and County are still open for revisions particularly for realtors and master builders as well as interested citizens. More to come on this one.
Water Agreement among the City, Port and PUD 3: We heard a consistent theme: at first "the stars were aligned" and then "the sun, the moon and the stars were aligned" as those sitting at the table spoke of the proposed agreement. Wouldn't you expect the City and Port to both agree that something celestial has occurred when you can see the potential for getting PUD 3 rate payers to pay for the water line that is so going to benefit both the Port and City?
Jay Hupp offered this proposed agreement wouldn't have happened if it had not been done secretly by their staffs. Both the City and PUD 3 will be addressing this agreement at their meetings this week.
Watch for this to be fast track approved.
Ross allowed just three questions for this controversial topic. People in attendance were asking questions like: where's this water coming from? To which Dave O'Leary said the City has water rights but doesn't know whether the capacity is there or not and that's the way these projects are done.
He said what? I'm thinking Dave O'Leary is getting pretty close to receiving the "Are You Kidding?" award.
Stay tuned to see where this water agreement goes.
ADAGE: Lee Torrens gave a power point briefing describing his company, the technology and the potential for this model plant within Mason County. He offered to hold one on one briefings with each of the commissioners (to avoid the open public meetings act???). We learned that the permits are not in place for this first of its kind plant. We also learned that Economic Development and the Port of Shelton knew a lot more about this proposed plant than did at least two of our county commissioners. In fact Lynda and Ross stated they have never been briefed.
While all of the commissioners at the table could ask what appeared to be their politically correct questions, private citizens in attendance on Friday were limited to three questions. Ross Gallagher sitting as the chair of this joint meeting came up with the rule that only three questions would be allowed. As we were told by Lee Torrens, his job is to control the message and the expectations for the plant plus he needed to catch a plane to get home to his family in Montana.
Kudos to Lynda Ring Erickson for offering to hold public meetings in District 1 about this plant. There are a lot of questions that need answering - way more than just the three allowed by Ross Gallagher on Friday. Thank you Lynda for standing up for us amidst that love in. There's too much at stake for the strategic interests of the citizens of Mason County to rush this through the approval process. Maybe after our questions are answered and we have more information, we'll all agree this is a good idea. But let's not just jump to a hasty conclusion without bringing the public into the loop.
Shelton UGA: The County and City are working on an interlocal agreement regarding the Shelton Urban Growth Area. The City has approved its version of this agreement and now the County needs to make changes in building permits, zoning and utility standards. What I picked up as one possible bone of contention is what the home occupation and cottage industry standards will be. Teri Jeffries representing the Shelton Mason Chamber of Commerce said that her overall hope was that City and County officials not place City standards on the County and that whatever standards are adopted that they be phased in as it makes sense to the "market". Jay Hupp was glad to hear that both the City and County are still open for revisions particularly for realtors and master builders as well as interested citizens. More to come on this one.
Water Agreement among the City, Port and PUD 3: We heard a consistent theme: at first "the stars were aligned" and then "the sun, the moon and the stars were aligned" as those sitting at the table spoke of the proposed agreement. Wouldn't you expect the City and Port to both agree that something celestial has occurred when you can see the potential for getting PUD 3 rate payers to pay for the water line that is so going to benefit both the Port and City?
Jay Hupp offered this proposed agreement wouldn't have happened if it had not been done secretly by their staffs. Both the City and PUD 3 will be addressing this agreement at their meetings this week.
Watch for this to be fast track approved.
Ross allowed just three questions for this controversial topic. People in attendance were asking questions like: where's this water coming from? To which Dave O'Leary said the City has water rights but doesn't know whether the capacity is there or not and that's the way these projects are done.
He said what? I'm thinking Dave O'Leary is getting pretty close to receiving the "Are You Kidding?" award.
Stay tuned to see where this water agreement goes.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
One Citizen's Priority List for 2010
As we start this new year, there is some unfinished business that I'd like to see resolved by our county legislative authority.
1. Settling the contracts with 10 of 11 bargaining units must be given a top priority. The commissioners may not like working with unions but they are a fact of life in the county and must be dealt with.
2. Holding a budget workshop that focuses on the Belfair Waste Water Treatment Facitlity. This one project constitutes more than one third of the county's total 2010 budget. And the citizens and taxpayers were not provided detailed information on this project prior to the Dec 7, 2009 budget hearing. Now we need to hear the plan for how they are going to spend this money.
3. Developing and adopting comprehensive procedures for the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee is important because there is a loss of public trust associated with this fund. Standard procedures must be adopted that will eliminate any appearance of a conflict of interest and include clear criteria for accepting or rejecting proposals to enhance tourism in the county.
4. Selecting and purchasing a replacement for the obsolete financial software currently being used by the Auditor's office would go a long way toward increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of how our tax dollars are received and spent. The commissioners' have given Public Works the green light to purchase new financial software for their use. It sure appears to me they have the cart before the horse. Let's get the overall county system in place first or do both Public Works and the Auditor's office all at the same time.
5. Returning the $200K taken from the Mental Health Fund in 2009 in order to run the day to day business of the county. The transfer of this money continues to be scrutinized by the State Auditor's office. These dollars were set aside to help those who have nearly no advocates in this county. The same authority to put the revenue into the Mental Health Fund is the same authority used for collecting revenue for the Veteran's Fund - a fund with outspoken advocates. No one would propose taking precious funding from Veterans.
6. Fixing the Accrued Leave Balance Fund so that it is sustainable. Mason County citizens have an unfunded bill hanging over our heads in excess of $2M. This has been allowed to occur by our commissioners even while they violated a county resolution that requires them to be on track to get this 100% funded.
This is my short list of priorities for the Board of County Commissioners. When you see the commissioners, ask them what their plans are for the new year.
1. Settling the contracts with 10 of 11 bargaining units must be given a top priority. The commissioners may not like working with unions but they are a fact of life in the county and must be dealt with.
2. Holding a budget workshop that focuses on the Belfair Waste Water Treatment Facitlity. This one project constitutes more than one third of the county's total 2010 budget. And the citizens and taxpayers were not provided detailed information on this project prior to the Dec 7, 2009 budget hearing. Now we need to hear the plan for how they are going to spend this money.
3. Developing and adopting comprehensive procedures for the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee is important because there is a loss of public trust associated with this fund. Standard procedures must be adopted that will eliminate any appearance of a conflict of interest and include clear criteria for accepting or rejecting proposals to enhance tourism in the county.
4. Selecting and purchasing a replacement for the obsolete financial software currently being used by the Auditor's office would go a long way toward increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of how our tax dollars are received and spent. The commissioners' have given Public Works the green light to purchase new financial software for their use. It sure appears to me they have the cart before the horse. Let's get the overall county system in place first or do both Public Works and the Auditor's office all at the same time.
5. Returning the $200K taken from the Mental Health Fund in 2009 in order to run the day to day business of the county. The transfer of this money continues to be scrutinized by the State Auditor's office. These dollars were set aside to help those who have nearly no advocates in this county. The same authority to put the revenue into the Mental Health Fund is the same authority used for collecting revenue for the Veteran's Fund - a fund with outspoken advocates. No one would propose taking precious funding from Veterans.
6. Fixing the Accrued Leave Balance Fund so that it is sustainable. Mason County citizens have an unfunded bill hanging over our heads in excess of $2M. This has been allowed to occur by our commissioners even while they violated a county resolution that requires them to be on track to get this 100% funded.
This is my short list of priorities for the Board of County Commissioners. When you see the commissioners, ask them what their plans are for the new year.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Ross Gallagher Forgot Who He Works For
At the Jan 26 Lodging Tax Advisory Committee meeting Ross Gallagher sat as the formal chair of this committee.
In a previous blog I shared with you my LTAC analysis and questions which I'd hand delivered to the three commissioners on Jan 18. As I stated in my letter to the BOCC, I understood the public wouldn't be allowed to ask questions or make comments at the Jan 26 LTAC meeting. For that reason I provided my questions well in advance in order to get them answered.
I am sad to report today that at the meeting Ross Gallagher refused to ask my questions or to even ask the LTAC members to respond to my questions in writing.
Last night at the BOCC meeting I expressed my disappointment directly to Ross. He responded that it wasn't his job to ask any questions of the LTAC. He was just there to chair the committee. And a poor job he did of that. It appeared to me that a couple other members of the committee were actually running the meeting.
The one glimmer of hope in the meeting came from Teri Jeffries, Shelton Mason Chamber of Commerce. She spoke of the need for standard procedures. One lone voice that gave us just a thread of hope that someone is actually listening to those pesky citizens who may vote by the way.
After working many long hours on this fund, I've sadly concluded that as it stands today within Mason County LTAC dollars are not really public revenue. It's a mere formality that this revenue passes through the Mason County Treasurer's books. There are no criteria for what event receives grant funding. It's totally subjective and not just a little bit personal.
You and I do not have a voice today in how the lodging taxes are spent. But we will have a voice on election day. Enough said.
In a previous blog I shared with you my LTAC analysis and questions which I'd hand delivered to the three commissioners on Jan 18. As I stated in my letter to the BOCC, I understood the public wouldn't be allowed to ask questions or make comments at the Jan 26 LTAC meeting. For that reason I provided my questions well in advance in order to get them answered.
I am sad to report today that at the meeting Ross Gallagher refused to ask my questions or to even ask the LTAC members to respond to my questions in writing.
Last night at the BOCC meeting I expressed my disappointment directly to Ross. He responded that it wasn't his job to ask any questions of the LTAC. He was just there to chair the committee. And a poor job he did of that. It appeared to me that a couple other members of the committee were actually running the meeting.
The one glimmer of hope in the meeting came from Teri Jeffries, Shelton Mason Chamber of Commerce. She spoke of the need for standard procedures. One lone voice that gave us just a thread of hope that someone is actually listening to those pesky citizens who may vote by the way.
After working many long hours on this fund, I've sadly concluded that as it stands today within Mason County LTAC dollars are not really public revenue. It's a mere formality that this revenue passes through the Mason County Treasurer's books. There are no criteria for what event receives grant funding. It's totally subjective and not just a little bit personal.
You and I do not have a voice today in how the lodging taxes are spent. But we will have a voice on election day. Enough said.
Monday, January 4, 2010
Level Playing Field for Tourism Dollars
As I follow the money in Mason County my most recent research focused on the Motel/Hotel Tax Fund. I discovered that within this county there are systems and procedures, which I question are in the best interest of the public in general.
Here's what I found.
1. The heads of the North Mason Chamber of Commerce, the Joint Tourism Board, and the Shelton Mason Chamber of Commerce receive 90% of the recent Lodging Tax Advisory Committee recommendations for reimbursement in 2010. These two executive directors are members of the six member advisory committee even while they received a portion of their 2009 salaries from the Hotel Motel Tax Fund.
2. More questionable still is my discovery that the head of the North Mason Chamber of Commerce in 2009 approved reimbursement of his salary and that the county accepted this as valid and proper documentation for payment.
3. When I reviewed the applications for those individuals appointed to this advisory committee, I found that one member had no application on file with the county and that the other five had for the most part provided only name, address and phone numbers. The rest of the application particularly disclosure of any conflicts of interest was basically incomplete.
4. I also attempted to discern what criteria the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee used to evaluate requests for lodging tax grants. I say "discern" because I didn't find by laws or clearly stated criteria for evaluation. Minutes of the most recent meeting are not available at this time. The closest I came to what was used to accept or reject a request was this notion of "heads in beds". I compared this to what other local municipalities used for evaluation and found that "heads in beds" was overly simplistic.
5. The committee's recent recommendations show that for the two chambers of commerce and the joint tourism board there was support for their organizations proposals totaling $179K but rejection of small requests. No to Harmony Hills for $5K to support the Summer Fest. No to Anna's Bay for $4K to support a holiday event. No to Harstine Island Community Choir for $3K. SOCK requested $2K but the committee cut that in half. Someone needs to explain the fairness of this committee's proposed distribution. I can't find it.
Given these findings here are my recommendations to the Board of County Commissioners.
1. Even the appearance of a conflict of interest should be avoided. For all advisory committees not just the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee begin today ensuring that the county has on file a completed advisory committee application stating whether or not there is potential for conflict of interest. Check out Kitsap County's policy on conflicts of interest surrounding the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee. If you receive money from this Motel Hotel Tax Fund in Kitsap County then you can't sit on the committee for the year you are receiving a grant.
2. Look at other municipalities such as Federal Way for best practices and written procedures to enhance and increase tourism in Mason County. They have a most comprehensive document.
3. In 2010 give the smaller requests a closer look using more than "heads in beds" as a means to accept or reject proposals.
4. Relook the makeup of the LTAC. State law requires an equal number of revenue generators versus revenue spenders. Documentation for the 2010 process shows two generators, three spenders and one at large member with no elected official chairing as required by RCW 67.28. Further state law requires the appointing authority to review membership of this committee annually.
I want to make very clear where I stand on two aspects surrounding this fund.
First of all, I am not accusing any individuals of wrongdoing. Instead what I want to underscore is that for a reasonable person the processes and systems in place give the appearance of a conflict of interest.
Secondly, I believe that increasing tourism is good for our county's economy and local businesses. By all means let's work together to increase tourism. But let's make sure we have a level playing field and that all of us know what the rules are and how we're keeping score.
Here's what I found.
1. The heads of the North Mason Chamber of Commerce, the Joint Tourism Board, and the Shelton Mason Chamber of Commerce receive 90% of the recent Lodging Tax Advisory Committee recommendations for reimbursement in 2010. These two executive directors are members of the six member advisory committee even while they received a portion of their 2009 salaries from the Hotel Motel Tax Fund.
2. More questionable still is my discovery that the head of the North Mason Chamber of Commerce in 2009 approved reimbursement of his salary and that the county accepted this as valid and proper documentation for payment.
3. When I reviewed the applications for those individuals appointed to this advisory committee, I found that one member had no application on file with the county and that the other five had for the most part provided only name, address and phone numbers. The rest of the application particularly disclosure of any conflicts of interest was basically incomplete.
4. I also attempted to discern what criteria the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee used to evaluate requests for lodging tax grants. I say "discern" because I didn't find by laws or clearly stated criteria for evaluation. Minutes of the most recent meeting are not available at this time. The closest I came to what was used to accept or reject a request was this notion of "heads in beds". I compared this to what other local municipalities used for evaluation and found that "heads in beds" was overly simplistic.
5. The committee's recent recommendations show that for the two chambers of commerce and the joint tourism board there was support for their organizations proposals totaling $179K but rejection of small requests. No to Harmony Hills for $5K to support the Summer Fest. No to Anna's Bay for $4K to support a holiday event. No to Harstine Island Community Choir for $3K. SOCK requested $2K but the committee cut that in half. Someone needs to explain the fairness of this committee's proposed distribution. I can't find it.
Given these findings here are my recommendations to the Board of County Commissioners.
1. Even the appearance of a conflict of interest should be avoided. For all advisory committees not just the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee begin today ensuring that the county has on file a completed advisory committee application stating whether or not there is potential for conflict of interest. Check out Kitsap County's policy on conflicts of interest surrounding the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee. If you receive money from this Motel Hotel Tax Fund in Kitsap County then you can't sit on the committee for the year you are receiving a grant.
2. Look at other municipalities such as Federal Way for best practices and written procedures to enhance and increase tourism in Mason County. They have a most comprehensive document.
3. In 2010 give the smaller requests a closer look using more than "heads in beds" as a means to accept or reject proposals.
4. Relook the makeup of the LTAC. State law requires an equal number of revenue generators versus revenue spenders. Documentation for the 2010 process shows two generators, three spenders and one at large member with no elected official chairing as required by RCW 67.28. Further state law requires the appointing authority to review membership of this committee annually.
I want to make very clear where I stand on two aspects surrounding this fund.
First of all, I am not accusing any individuals of wrongdoing. Instead what I want to underscore is that for a reasonable person the processes and systems in place give the appearance of a conflict of interest.
Secondly, I believe that increasing tourism is good for our county's economy and local businesses. By all means let's work together to increase tourism. But let's make sure we have a level playing field and that all of us know what the rules are and how we're keeping score.
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