More on last night’s City Council meeting

No space in the print edition for a few more items from last night’s extremely busy meeting:

-Council approved LeMay to increase its garbage collection rates. Residents with biweekly service will pay 60 cents more, those with weekly service 39 cents more next year. (Click here for link to the LeMay proposal, including rates and “increased fuel cost” rationale.)

-Mayor Dean Bunkers announced finance director George Rogers will be retiring in March.

-In the Critical Areas Ordinance portion of the meeting, the term “reasonable use” bounced back and forth.

Bob Crumpacker noted that the law requires a CAO to be passed by Dec. 31, and pleaded for council members not to get hung up on wording differences.

Council passed it, as written, by a 5-2 vote.

-Ken Lanfear said that after meeting with Dept. of Ecology representatives, they are encouraging Ocean Shores to put the entire Weatherwax into permanent preservation mode. The tradeoff could be the creation of a “wetland mitigation bank.”

The story in the print edition:

By Tom Scanlon

“I’m an old Navy man,” a weary but ever-optimistic Mayor Dean Bunkers said, after Monday night’s City Council meeting. “I wouldn’t ask my men to do anything I wouldn’t do myself.”

He has asked others in the city to cut their budgets, and now he is cutting his own.

 Bunkers made several cost-cutting proposals, including a 10 percent reduction in his $99,960 salary.

That, along with a 10 percent reduction in work hour and other tightenings can save over $200,000, Bunkers told council.

Council voted Monday night to raise property taxes, part of its strategy in wrestling with the Sumo-sized budget. Taxes on a $200,000 home in Ocean Shores will increase by about $36 in 2009.

And, after entertaining (perhaps not the best word) debate on the Critical Areas Ordinance, council voted 5-2 to approve the CAO, a topic of debate for many months. This keeps Ocean Shores in line with state law, and potentially offering more protection to “critical areas” of the city.

City employees might be wishing for such protection. Bunkers said he has signed seven layoff letters, and anticipates a net loss of eight city employees.

“What’s driving all this is the high cost of labor,” said Bunkers.

“Where the hell are the unions?” wondered the ever-blunt councilman Dave Creighton. “ . . . it’s too bad these bargaining units haven’t stepped up to try to help these people that are about to lose their jobs.”

One person who apparently has been diligent about saving jobs is Jim Hodges, the fire chief. He proposed charging safety inspections for restaurants, motels and other businesses for a total of $75,000, and aid agreements outside of Ocean Shores of $35,000. The  $110,000 likely will save any cuts in his fire/paramedic department.

Unlike the last few council meetings, in which city employees and their supporters emotionally made cases to avoid layoffs, this one was subdued, perhaps even depressed. Some praised the mayor and council for making good, tough choices; others grumbled about where all the money was going, and why weren’t locals given the chance to work on the new fire station construction . . .

Even in these brutal cut-cut-cut times, there was news about city improvements.

Bunkers said the city has received verbal approval for sidewalks on Ocean Shores Boulevard (from the Senior Center to the Shilo) and Minard Avenue (near City Hall). State grants will pay for the $1 million projects.