Here's a quick recap of what I caught at this morning.
Only Tim and Ross attended. Terra Dittmer, the Republican candidate running for District 3 Commissioner had a representative sitting in for her today. In the last three or four weeks she or her rep have attended both the briefings on Mondays and the Board meetings on Tuesdays.
1. The creation of a Shelton Cemetery District will be on the November ballot. The district will be within the boundaries of the Shelton, Pioneer, Southside, and Grapeview School Districts. In November the voters will approve or disapprove the district and, assuming the district is approved, the voters will also elect three commissioners to establish the Shelton Cemetery District Board. Then at the next special election (Feb or Mar 2011), the voters will approve the levy to fund this new district.
The first question this "home owning-blogger" is going to be asking is, why the Shelton Cemetery isn't being privatized? Don't we have enough of these boards running amok all over the county?
2. The LTAC will meet on June 15, time still to be announced. (I'll bet you are surprised that I want to know what time this meeting will occur.) Mason Fair has submitted a $36K grant request for the LTAC to review. Diane Zoren briefed Tim and Ross that a "generator" has volunteered to serve on the LTAC. Regarding Harmony Hill, Tim continues to strictly go by the LTAC recommendation to not fund the SummerFest. I'm starting to think there's something personal going on here. The LTAC nor the Board can fall back on their published criteria as justification for not funding Harmony Hill.
I asked Tim would he similarly be rubber stamping what the Storm Water Advisory Task Force recommends to pay for the new storm water district currently in the works? He asked that I not twist his words.
Mason County, nearly 25% of this advisory group don't even live in this county. And if you think I'm ticked off because Harmony Hill wasn't funded by the LTAC this year, wait until the property owners in this county see what "fiscal scheme" this storm water advisory group "crafts".
3. The Sheriff will be regularly briefing the Commissioners on the fourth Monday of the month.
4. The public hearing on the rezoning request from Peninsula Top Soil will be continued at tomorrow's Board of County Commissioners meeting. The public comment portion was closed at the May 11 public hearing leaving only the decision by the Board. Today it sounded to me like the Board will approve the rezoning with some conditions.
Ken VanBuskirk apparently was the only "pesky citizen" questioning this rezone. Ken, Ross asked whether you had provided any additional communication. Allen said no that he'd not heard from you. I'm going to assume that silence does not mean agreement on your part, right?
5. Mason County Forest Products has 15 outstanding permits that need to be closed out prior to the sale of this business being finalized. They'd like to see these completed in the next 30 days. Tim said we need to get the workers rehired and running this business.
That's it, Mason County. Thanks for visiting my blog. We had 1163 hits last week. Thank you, thank you!!!
Showing posts with label storm water task force. Show all posts
Showing posts with label storm water task force. Show all posts
Monday, June 7, 2010
Sunday, May 23, 2010
County Commissioners Not Listening
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.
(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.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
BOCC Meeting - May 11
All three commissioners were there for the entire meeting.
1. During the public comment period today there was entirely too much drama - even for me!
- Nancy McMahon attempted to ask the commissioners whether they stood to benefit financially in any way from ADAGE coming to Mason County. Tim Sheldon asked the Chair (Ross) to reign things in stating that this was not an interactive time. So Nancy then told them the questions that she would have asked had she been allowed to: did they stand to gain financially from ADAGE and had they received campaign donations of any kind from ADAGE or it's affiliates? Then she sat down.
- I was appalled at Tim's "over the top" reaction to Nancy's questions and told him so during this same public comment time. I've been going to these meetings for nearly two years and the public comment time frequently is an interactive dialogue between citizens and the commissioners. Later in the meeting he apologized to Nancy and said that he was feeling overwhelmed by all of the ADAGE opposition.
- While I had the floor I asked the BOCC to schedule a Lodging Tax Advisory Committee (LTAC) meeting so they could get Harmony Hill funded. They claim that no "revenue generator" in the community wants to sit on the LTAC. This may or may not be true. Apparently Terry Oliver who lives in Union and owns a lodging facility has applied to sit on the LTAC. Ross told me later that he will look into this. Meanwhile I made the case today for more at-large members to help bring some diversity to the LTAC.
- Officer Michael Sargent spoke about the commissioners' plan to force the Sheriff to absorb the settlement costs resulting from the agreement with the jail and corrections staff bargaining unit. He told them they made the decision to accept the contract and that now the BOCC should provide the money to cover this unbudgeted salary increase. He went on to give them a hard time for declaring the 2010 budget a balanced budget when they knew the labor contracts were under negotiation and that they had to be funded. Ross responded to the officer by saying, "Maybe there will be a supplement to fund the additional labor costs as negotiated or maybe not". Then he reminded him that the real problem is 2011. That's when the increase of over $200k for this small 40 member bargaining unit will be more than double what we're seeing in 2010. Lynda appeared to be threatening to eliminate WSU Extension and Parks in order to fund the Deputies Guild contract increases. (Recall that we've been told the Deputies Guild could be as high as $1M.) Nothing like pitting one department/elected official against another.
-I failed to mention in yesterday's briefing notes that Lynda announced she's been working with the Auditor's Office and has a secret plan on how to fund all of the contracts still to be negotiated. Made me think of Richard Nixon when he told us that he had a plan to end the Vietnam War. Gosh, I hope she really does have a plan. Can't wait for the plan to be released to the public. Lynda, don't make us wait for you to return from your vacation.
- It's worth noting here that one citizen who made an effort to be recognized during the public comment period was ignored by the BOCC for about 10 minutes. Former County Commissioner Annette McGee (the first female Mason County Commissioner) came to the podium after raising her hand but the three commissioners kept their eyes glued on the papers in front of them. Annette just stood there and waited. Ross refused to recognize her or allow her to speak. In the time he spent being so stubborn about not allowing her to speak, she could have had her say and left Ross looking like a well mannered public official. Oh no, we had to watch as he sat as chair of the Mason County legislative authority wielding his power. The thing about power is that it can be taken away just as it was given - on the ballot by voters. By ignoring Annette and then refusing to let her speak, Ross made a huge mistake today in my estimation.
2. Two consent agenda items were tabled.
-The American Federation of State County & Municipal Employees (AFSCME) agreement was tabled until June 8 because the BOCC still doesn't know how much this is going to cost. Ross can't vote on this agreement because his wife is a member of AFSCME and Lynda is going to be on vacation from May 18 through June 7. Tim asked that all AFSCME employees, supervisors and elected officials write back to him with their opinion on the proposed settlement. Can anyone help me spell "potential unfair labor practice"? Tim also asked the Auditor's Office to provide an analysis of what the proposed agreement will cost the county.
- The appointment of Gary Yando to the Stormwater Management Task Force was also tabled because neither the Public Works staff nor the BOCC could say whether he'd indicated a conflict of interest on his volunteer application. This item was tabled until May 18.
3. The public hearing for Peninsula Topsoil LLC to rezone about 70 acres of land from Rural Residential 20 to Rural Residential 10 had no decision today. The public comment period was closed and the commissioners will reconvene this public hearing for a decision only on June 8. The Prosecutor's office was not there today to answer some legal questions the BOCC had.
4. As usual at the end of the meeting, the commissioners reviewed their calendars for the past week and told us what they had planned for this week. During his calendar review Tim mentioned that he'd met with DNR last Friday. I asked him what that was about and he responded that he was getting a burn permit to burn slash on his property. Later I thought what a waste to burn slash right about now when there's all of this concern that ADAGE might not be able to secure enough slash to keep their incinerator running that 24/7 cycle. What a waste that Tim is burning his slash rather than waiting for ADAGE to be up and running. But then maybe Tim has accepted that ADAGE won't really be coming to Mason County.
That's all, Mason County.
Thanks so much for reading my blog. Drop a comment - I love hearing from you.
1. During the public comment period today there was entirely too much drama - even for me!
- Nancy McMahon attempted to ask the commissioners whether they stood to benefit financially in any way from ADAGE coming to Mason County. Tim Sheldon asked the Chair (Ross) to reign things in stating that this was not an interactive time. So Nancy then told them the questions that she would have asked had she been allowed to: did they stand to gain financially from ADAGE and had they received campaign donations of any kind from ADAGE or it's affiliates? Then she sat down.
- I was appalled at Tim's "over the top" reaction to Nancy's questions and told him so during this same public comment time. I've been going to these meetings for nearly two years and the public comment time frequently is an interactive dialogue between citizens and the commissioners. Later in the meeting he apologized to Nancy and said that he was feeling overwhelmed by all of the ADAGE opposition.
- While I had the floor I asked the BOCC to schedule a Lodging Tax Advisory Committee (LTAC) meeting so they could get Harmony Hill funded. They claim that no "revenue generator" in the community wants to sit on the LTAC. This may or may not be true. Apparently Terry Oliver who lives in Union and owns a lodging facility has applied to sit on the LTAC. Ross told me later that he will look into this. Meanwhile I made the case today for more at-large members to help bring some diversity to the LTAC.
- Officer Michael Sargent spoke about the commissioners' plan to force the Sheriff to absorb the settlement costs resulting from the agreement with the jail and corrections staff bargaining unit. He told them they made the decision to accept the contract and that now the BOCC should provide the money to cover this unbudgeted salary increase. He went on to give them a hard time for declaring the 2010 budget a balanced budget when they knew the labor contracts were under negotiation and that they had to be funded. Ross responded to the officer by saying, "Maybe there will be a supplement to fund the additional labor costs as negotiated or maybe not". Then he reminded him that the real problem is 2011. That's when the increase of over $200k for this small 40 member bargaining unit will be more than double what we're seeing in 2010. Lynda appeared to be threatening to eliminate WSU Extension and Parks in order to fund the Deputies Guild contract increases. (Recall that we've been told the Deputies Guild could be as high as $1M.) Nothing like pitting one department/elected official against another.
-I failed to mention in yesterday's briefing notes that Lynda announced she's been working with the Auditor's Office and has a secret plan on how to fund all of the contracts still to be negotiated. Made me think of Richard Nixon when he told us that he had a plan to end the Vietnam War. Gosh, I hope she really does have a plan. Can't wait for the plan to be released to the public. Lynda, don't make us wait for you to return from your vacation.
- It's worth noting here that one citizen who made an effort to be recognized during the public comment period was ignored by the BOCC for about 10 minutes. Former County Commissioner Annette McGee (the first female Mason County Commissioner) came to the podium after raising her hand but the three commissioners kept their eyes glued on the papers in front of them. Annette just stood there and waited. Ross refused to recognize her or allow her to speak. In the time he spent being so stubborn about not allowing her to speak, she could have had her say and left Ross looking like a well mannered public official. Oh no, we had to watch as he sat as chair of the Mason County legislative authority wielding his power. The thing about power is that it can be taken away just as it was given - on the ballot by voters. By ignoring Annette and then refusing to let her speak, Ross made a huge mistake today in my estimation.
2. Two consent agenda items were tabled.
-The American Federation of State County & Municipal Employees (AFSCME) agreement was tabled until June 8 because the BOCC still doesn't know how much this is going to cost. Ross can't vote on this agreement because his wife is a member of AFSCME and Lynda is going to be on vacation from May 18 through June 7. Tim asked that all AFSCME employees, supervisors and elected officials write back to him with their opinion on the proposed settlement. Can anyone help me spell "potential unfair labor practice"? Tim also asked the Auditor's Office to provide an analysis of what the proposed agreement will cost the county.
- The appointment of Gary Yando to the Stormwater Management Task Force was also tabled because neither the Public Works staff nor the BOCC could say whether he'd indicated a conflict of interest on his volunteer application. This item was tabled until May 18.
3. The public hearing for Peninsula Topsoil LLC to rezone about 70 acres of land from Rural Residential 20 to Rural Residential 10 had no decision today. The public comment period was closed and the commissioners will reconvene this public hearing for a decision only on June 8. The Prosecutor's office was not there today to answer some legal questions the BOCC had.
4. As usual at the end of the meeting, the commissioners reviewed their calendars for the past week and told us what they had planned for this week. During his calendar review Tim mentioned that he'd met with DNR last Friday. I asked him what that was about and he responded that he was getting a burn permit to burn slash on his property. Later I thought what a waste to burn slash right about now when there's all of this concern that ADAGE might not be able to secure enough slash to keep their incinerator running that 24/7 cycle. What a waste that Tim is burning his slash rather than waiting for ADAGE to be up and running. But then maybe Tim has accepted that ADAGE won't really be coming to Mason County.
That's all, Mason County.
Thanks so much for reading my blog. Drop a comment - I love hearing from you.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Briefings - May 3
Here's a quick run down on what happened at the county commissioners' briefings. All three commissioners were in attendance. There was no media coverage.
1. Union Contracts. Recall on April 6 the commissioners voted to approve the settlement of the contract with the jail and corrections facility staff. At that time I asked what the 2010 budget impact would be. I got a vague answer from Monty Cobb (who just happens to be an attorney working in the Prosecutor's Office and, oh by the way, is running for Prosecutor this election coming up). He said that there was no specific dollar amount at that time. He expected a 1% to 6.5% increase and for each percent we could expect to see a $15K increase in salaries. He surmised somewhere around $65K after the salary survey had been completed.
Well today the Auditor came in to break the news on what the real deal is. In 2010 it's going to cost the county an additional $95K in salaries and benefits but for 2011 it will be over $200K plus an expected increase in pension costs. This is for 42 employees. The county still must settle with the other unions - another 300 or so employees.
Today the commissioners decided to send a memo to the Sheriff telling him to absorb the salary and benefit increases which the commissioners had approved.
This is almost like a kabuki dance.
The real problem rests squarely in the commissioners' laps. I asked were they surprised at how much of an increase they'd approved for this one bargaining unit and both Lynda and Tim said they were surprised. I didn't ask Ross because he's admitted he signs stuff without reading. He's on record the fall of 2009 stating that he signed without reading the settlement to the Unfair Labor Practice with the Deputies. Honestly, if you gave the Board a ham sandwich on some days I believe they'd sign it.
2. Noise Control. Tomorrow there's a public hearing to revise the Mason County Code, Title 9, Section 9.36. Barbara Adkins advised the commissioners that tomorrow the folks opposed to a race track coming to Mason County would likely show up. She went on to say that this could be a challenge for the Board and that they should emphasize to the public that the purpose for revising this code was merely to allow the county to have more "flexibility".
3. School Impact Fees. The Planning Advisory Commission (PAC) asked the Board to schedule more public meetings on the topic of impact fees as proposed by several local school superintendents. Lynda said, "We delegate to the PAC. They don't delegate to the Board." So there, PAC, go deal with it. The Board wants to see an up or down vote by the PAC. But why would the PAC do that when both Tim and Ross say it's a dead issue? There will be no public meetings or public hearings on impact fees. I'll bet the supervisors are surprised since they thought both Lynda and Ross were going to support the impact fees. Ross could afford to support this initiative when he was running unopposed. New day in Mason County for Ross Gallagher - some one else is after his job.
4. Storm Water Task Force. I'll bet you thought 29 people was a large enough committee to study storm water but you and I would have thought wrong. Today the commissioners deliberated bringing another member aboard, Gary Yando. Gary, if you're reading this you might want to listen to the tape of today's briefings prior to joining up. I didn't get the impression you'd be welcome. One who shall remain nameless has a problem with your management style while two commissioners have "reservations" about bringing you in to the taskforce. Egads. Enough said.
5. Sale of Surplus Property and Accrued Leave Fund. On tomorrow's BOCC agenda we find that the county is holding a public hearing to declare 28 parcels as surplus which should bring in to the county coffers over $1M. After paying off any delinquent property tax obligations and reimbursing the Road Fund for their expenses, the remaining dollars will be placed in the Accrued Leave Fund per county Resolution 70.04. Public Works came to the commissioners today to make sure they wanted to put this money into the Accrued Leave Fund or did they want to change the resolution so the dollars could go elsewhere? Tim says we have to put it into the Accrued Leave Fund because there's this one retired budget analyst who has expressed continued concern about this unfunded liability. Thanks a bunch, Tim.
Why aren't there more of us tearing into these meetings? If for nothing more than the entertainment value, they are worth the price of admission.
That's all, Mason County.
1. Union Contracts. Recall on April 6 the commissioners voted to approve the settlement of the contract with the jail and corrections facility staff. At that time I asked what the 2010 budget impact would be. I got a vague answer from Monty Cobb (who just happens to be an attorney working in the Prosecutor's Office and, oh by the way, is running for Prosecutor this election coming up). He said that there was no specific dollar amount at that time. He expected a 1% to 6.5% increase and for each percent we could expect to see a $15K increase in salaries. He surmised somewhere around $65K after the salary survey had been completed.
Well today the Auditor came in to break the news on what the real deal is. In 2010 it's going to cost the county an additional $95K in salaries and benefits but for 2011 it will be over $200K plus an expected increase in pension costs. This is for 42 employees. The county still must settle with the other unions - another 300 or so employees.
Today the commissioners decided to send a memo to the Sheriff telling him to absorb the salary and benefit increases which the commissioners had approved.
This is almost like a kabuki dance.
The real problem rests squarely in the commissioners' laps. I asked were they surprised at how much of an increase they'd approved for this one bargaining unit and both Lynda and Tim said they were surprised. I didn't ask Ross because he's admitted he signs stuff without reading. He's on record the fall of 2009 stating that he signed without reading the settlement to the Unfair Labor Practice with the Deputies. Honestly, if you gave the Board a ham sandwich on some days I believe they'd sign it.
2. Noise Control. Tomorrow there's a public hearing to revise the Mason County Code, Title 9, Section 9.36. Barbara Adkins advised the commissioners that tomorrow the folks opposed to a race track coming to Mason County would likely show up. She went on to say that this could be a challenge for the Board and that they should emphasize to the public that the purpose for revising this code was merely to allow the county to have more "flexibility".
3. School Impact Fees. The Planning Advisory Commission (PAC) asked the Board to schedule more public meetings on the topic of impact fees as proposed by several local school superintendents. Lynda said, "We delegate to the PAC. They don't delegate to the Board." So there, PAC, go deal with it. The Board wants to see an up or down vote by the PAC. But why would the PAC do that when both Tim and Ross say it's a dead issue? There will be no public meetings or public hearings on impact fees. I'll bet the supervisors are surprised since they thought both Lynda and Ross were going to support the impact fees. Ross could afford to support this initiative when he was running unopposed. New day in Mason County for Ross Gallagher - some one else is after his job.
4. Storm Water Task Force. I'll bet you thought 29 people was a large enough committee to study storm water but you and I would have thought wrong. Today the commissioners deliberated bringing another member aboard, Gary Yando. Gary, if you're reading this you might want to listen to the tape of today's briefings prior to joining up. I didn't get the impression you'd be welcome. One who shall remain nameless has a problem with your management style while two commissioners have "reservations" about bringing you in to the taskforce. Egads. Enough said.
5. Sale of Surplus Property and Accrued Leave Fund. On tomorrow's BOCC agenda we find that the county is holding a public hearing to declare 28 parcels as surplus which should bring in to the county coffers over $1M. After paying off any delinquent property tax obligations and reimbursing the Road Fund for their expenses, the remaining dollars will be placed in the Accrued Leave Fund per county Resolution 70.04. Public Works came to the commissioners today to make sure they wanted to put this money into the Accrued Leave Fund or did they want to change the resolution so the dollars could go elsewhere? Tim says we have to put it into the Accrued Leave Fund because there's this one retired budget analyst who has expressed continued concern about this unfunded liability. Thanks a bunch, Tim.
Why aren't there more of us tearing into these meetings? If for nothing more than the entertainment value, they are worth the price of admission.
That's all, Mason County.
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