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Monday night’s agenda
City Council meets Monday, Feb. 22, 6 p.m., Convention Center. At this meeting, they will discuss the mayoral vacancy, created by Dean Bunkers‘ sudden resignation, last week. Council may select a replacement for finish Bunkers remaining two-plus years. If they select a member of council, they may select a replacement for that position (which would be until 2011 or 2013, depending on the position that becomes vacant).
Also, a “Citizen Advisory Panel” (appointed by Bunkers) will give their recommendation on EMS. And Art Wuerth, the finance director, will lead a discussion on a possible EMS levy ballot this April.
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Don’t worry!!! Surf Rescue will save the city before it drowns in debt!!!
Mark, thank you for the reminder, just did some reading on the Valleho situation….how quickly we forget. We all should familiarize ourselves with that case, it surely applies to Ocean Shores current situation.
Being that Garland French is the Mayor pro-tem, he was responsible for the preparation of the entire agenda. If this any indication of what we are in store for during the next 2 1/2 years, God help us. I hope that one of the first things Mayor French does is contact the council in Vallejo, California to get familiar with the procedures.
It does say (if applicable) but the credibility and mistrust of the population in council is very great and historically entrenched. A person can easily assume from the circumstantial evidence, the process of elimination and from the public attitude of council members, that this choice has already been decided behind closed doors.
The council is so biased towards only their view they will not even read the North Coast News because it has pointed out the flaws and blunders in their decisions. They are only interested anything that makes them appear good. Debate and constructive criticism of issues and decisions makes them look bad so thus the closed door decisions.
By choosing Garland French this way without any debate or explanation as to why he will be able to do any good is guaranteeing Council member French will fail.
Council must attempt to develop public consensus for an unelected appointment for an elected mayor with years to go before the people can make the democratic choice.
Mayor French will be opposed and criticized He got his present council term position with no votes because he had no opponent and therefore has zero supporting votes to point to. This is a recipe for another unsuccessful chapter for Ocean Shores. Without taxpayer consensus and support he will have to have a suit of armor to withstand all the slings and arrows that will be coming his way. His effectiveness will suffer and so will the city.
A process like this where there is no debate or dialogue beforehand is doomed to failure. Council continually makes the mistake that taxpayers are stupid and don’t notice things like this.
Maybe this is an all wrong process assumption and Garland French is not the chosen one. Let us all hope so for the sake of a city based on open government and freedom of information.
It is amazing that our current Mayor Pro Tem did not put the alternative EMS Levy solution on the agenda. If you control the agenda and have an agenda you control the discussion. Did he read the Panel report? It mentions that the 6 year option will leave us short in two years. That is if the rest of the city does not fail. Maybe we should listen to the panel and have a two year solution. However, I am surprised that it is not a permanent levy since the options are 6 years, 10 years or permanent. I wonder if the other council members will realize this? Will any act? Can they act? Should someone call Art about the omission? He is the presenter.
Judging by the 2-22 council agenda, being that they have the discussion for the election of a new mayor pro-tem right after the selection of mayor, it appears that Garland French will be our new mayor. Its amazing how effective those closed door meetings can be, and can eliminate any of the mystery about the next council meeting. Thank you city council.
moderation complete
Rafael
Agree with you about who to talk to and city council meetings. I just wanted folks to know that there is no means to communicate via email.
Works hard==And just who do you think you will get to speak to at city hall; the city clerk? Do you really think talking to Styner (if he is even there) will have any impact on the council? Do you think that council members hang out there waiting for citizens to call in? Don’t kid yourself. The council has probably already decided what they will be doing, in closed door private meetings, and all you will probably hear at council, after a few comments, is the results of those meetings. One thing that you learn when you attend council meetings is that when citizens get up to speak, their audience is the citizens of the town in the audience and on the local tv channel who are watching the sessions. Council sessions, in my opinion, are just a formality. The only thing council occasionally listens to is the voters, and in the case of the last EMS vote, not even then.
It is important to note that if anyone tried to email city council that NONE of the emails are working and you will not be able to contact them. Unless you have tracked them down personally you will not have been able to forward your “citizen feedback” on how the mayor issue should be handled.
I personally think that Ocean Shores could use a mayor NOT appointed by the city council. I would also suggest that the city council make sure that when they are gearing up for a meeting that they ensure that their email addresses will receive email.
People in Ocean Shores. Do the right thing and don’t let city council just “appoint” from their ranks. It is not in the best interests of Ocean Shores.
So much needs to be done and we need a person who can step in and hit the ground running to effect change in the business as usual mentality. Business Owners need help and support from the city. The people of Ocean Shores deserve competent representation.
Call the city 360-289-2488 I urge you to!
They are asking for an EMS Levy. This is not a Library Levy. It also is not a Lid Lift. Therefore, not everyone here pays for the services. This is very different from the community club where the properties that are in the club can use the club and pay for the club. The EMS Levy as presented makes everyone else pay for those that are exempt. Now that is like the community club property owners that do not use the service and still have to pay for it.
They are asking to spend them money on the EMS and free up money in the general fund. The question you need to ask is where they are going to spend the extra money that is freed up in the general fund. No guarantees in that document!!! It probably will go to Police and Fire. Remember, Fire is separate from EMS.
I look at the Community Club as similar to the Schools and Library. There are those that use it and those that don’t.
If we had the choice to opt-out it would probably fold. (Like the Library is about to do if a levy doesn’t pass.) I also voted to spend some of my hard-earned money on funding the latest School levy even though I have no kids or grand kids in school.
Guess I’m just an old fool with my money for trying to make our community a better place for all. not just the selfish ones.
Having lived in many places and on many continents in my life, I have found that the fee that is charged residents for the services the community club offers, is one of the best bargains available. Those that don’t appreciate it are those that don’t avail themselves of its services.
If you want something to complain about, the city presently has $36m in its revenue sources (including utilities) and the whole EMS budget is $1.3M and it is asking for additional money to support the EMS and is constantly borrowing from the utilities. The community club is a bargain compared to the way the city is trying to stick it to us for “essential services”.
“Citizens can not take from their neighbors like the city can take from its citizens.” Oh, Rainy on Thursday is this were only true. The Community Club takes from me and many more of us of the same ilk – those who want voluntary membership.
Proposition I was rejected by the voters of Ocean Shores by a 68.95% no vote. This was the two by four swat on the jackass’s head to get it’s attention. Being ignored, the people may have to use a sledge hammer on the jackass this time to get its attention.
A roundabout like vote is coming around again. People do not want or cannot afford any more tax increases. Voters can only spend what they have. Borrowing as a way of life is gone. Citizens can not take from their neighbors like the city can take from its citizens. All the people can do is say no with their vote. Many pages in Monday’s council agenda have been concocted to make the people vote again on what they already have voted on.
Instead of doing the right thing and cutting back EMS spending to an affordable level. The city has chosen to depend on 6 people including Lillian Broadbent and Holly Plackett along with city employees to cancel out the people’s vote. They want to spend extra election money on a similar proposition which has been already rejected.
They want voters to vote against their own best economic interest. The people have already voted no to an EMS levy that was originally raised above the 19 cents per thousand in the expiring levy. Here it back again raised 16 more cents per thousand. City employees are already paid an abnormally high rate of pay for work of dubious value. People are having to cut back and will have to continue to do so as the economic world continues to change to a state where always raising taxes can no longer be an automatic action.
The PERC supports the unions and their high pay ineptly negotiated by other city employees who also got the high pay and benefits. What did the people get? They got more debt, an unbalanced budget and the constant pressure to have their taxes raised. The last no vote did not create a $687,000 deficit in the 2010 city budget. Prior years of mismanagement and poor negotiations did that.
Why does the council have to appoint a mayor and new council member Monday night? Why does appointing a new mayor and councilmember have to come before the agenda request for council to raise taxes? Because they want council action to approve the tax increase as soon as possible.
They need a mayor to sign it into law now. Has thought been put into this? Yes but not for the best interest of the people who must pay the taxes. Only they can decide what their best interest is. The vast majority of the past record shows Ocean Shores City council has always cost the people more than the people ever have received in value from the city.
The people have no choice but to always vote no on taxes from here on out. The city and its employees are going to never do anything about never ending tax increases. Their best interest is to always raise taxes, to not clearly explain the details and to always hope taxpayers are too stupid or too lazy to care.
DRAFT
NOTICE OF ELECTION CITY OF OCEAN SHORES, WASHINGTON PROPOSITION NO. I EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES PROPERTY TAX LEVY
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that on April 27, 2010, an election will be held by all mail in ballot in the above named City for the submission to the qualified electors of said City of the following proposition:
CITY OF OCEAN SHORES, WASHINGTON
PROPOSITION NO. I
EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES PROPERTY TAX LEVY
Shall the City of Ocean Shores, Washington, be authorized to impose regular property tax levies of $0.35 or less per $1,000 of assessed valuation for each of six consecutive years beginning in 2011 to provide emergency medical care and medical services as authorized by RCW 84.54.069?
YES……………………………….
NO…………………………………
Did anyone notice that the Advisory Panel had option 1A that called for a Lid Lift that would mean everyone who owns property in Ocean Shores would pay something to support EMS? If it is done by an EMS Levy, which requires a 60% approval, the people who are over 61 years of age and make less than 35 thousand dollars a year would be exempt from paying for the EMS Levy as written. Where is the 1A option for council? It is a two year levy in the form of a Lid Lift. Even the exempt people would pay something beyond the reduction the laws allow. It is those same people that use the EMS. They have Medicare or Medicaid which pay us little and thus do not support the service. We have to be fair and equitable in how we apply taxes. Especially taxes that support services like EMS. We have to stop the free call program. If you call, there is a charge if we do not transport. The equipment, men, and supplies cost money that we currently do not have. We need to stretch our resources further.
I have an idea. We only have 90 days to select a mayor, so let’s immediately rush headlong into the decision without any forethought or research. Oh, I’m sorry, council already beat me to that idea.
I have another idea. The voters just disapproved an EMS lid lift, but 70 percent of the voters didn’t know what they were thinking, so let’s propose another EMS levy. Darn, council beat me to that one too.
I hope at some point we can honor our retired mayor for the great work on the circle (center of town) before it’s too late. Every time I come home to Ocean Shores I get more impressed with the work on our circle. The center looks much better with the edging of concrete. Especially the patterns that were stamped into the circle. When the spring comes and we can enjoy the plantings I am sure everyone will see better the vision that was planned originally. Great work Dean sorry to see you go. As for the new appointed mayor I worry that someone on that council just might not have the vision to finish the job. Good luck picking the correct person for this time in Ocean Shores from you list to pick from on the council.
Hmmmmmmmmm