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Budget study session, Cliff’s Notes version
Time/date: Thursday, Dec. 2, 1-2:30 p.m. Starring: Gordon Broadbent, Dave Creighton, Bob Crumpacker, Jackie Farra and John Lynn, as the Council. (Absent: Peggy Berry, as usual, and Dick Skewis.) Garland French, as the Substitute Mayor. Mike Folkers, as the Villain. To paraphrase Folkers, the finance director: “Um, remember the $1.2 million in ‘Interfund Loans’ you guys have been approving? Well, you really need to start paying them back . . .” (See: North Coast News Guest Editorial by Jim Dutt.) The Convention Center has tapped the Interfund Loans (from utilities, kind of like the ol’ Interfund transfers) to the tune of just under a half-million dollars, over the last three years.
Shockingly, the Scanlon START! plan to cut taxes by 10 percent was not discussed . . . More to come . . .
In case I wasn’t clear, I paid for their parking with no compensation, and it cost me a lot.
Last Harley weekend my business was crippled by the lack of parking previously available on the median on Chance Ala Mer across from the convention center. After trying to discourage attendees from using my already diminished restaurant parking I relented, let them park, and even opened my back lot to the riders. There were 27 food vendors at the convention center! At the end of the event I had lost MORE than expected revenue; I paid wages, opperating costs, excessive garbage fees, and food waste because I became the parking lot. Ken, get a clue.
The largest issue with the Convention Center, in my opinion, is that the idea of build it & they will come doesn’t work. Why anyone would build a project like that & then not support it is ridiculous! It needs to have a meeting planner not based in Ocean Shores selling it. This person should not be salaried, but paid on commission. If you do not book events you make no money, simple. But no one seems to care and I have been told numerous time they have no money to hire a meeting planner. Really you don’t get it…they get paid if they book business. Everyone benefits. WHAT IS THE PROBLEM! It takes alot of pressure off the general fund, of course all these city freebies will have to go away so the building is actually available to sell.
Oh sure, let’s hire another body for economic development. Just like the BIG towns do huh? Why not eliminate Mercer’s job, Let an existing supervisor run the convention center and have one of the planning people work with the chamber of commerce?
Going Coastal is shutting her doors January 1st. How many bussinesses does that make now? At La Chica Taqueria, my humble taco shack, I nearly last my shorts durring the road improvement. My bussiness survived because living costs were covered by my partners social security checks. I have tightened my belt to the last notch, and it dosen’t feel right to buy new britches right now. LOL.smirk
Cut the Convention Center “Tourism and Business Development” Director’s salary in half. Hire a business development director who will bring in non tourism and tourism businesses. Make sure that the tourism business you bring in does not duplicate a current vendor. That way you don’t have two places go out of business because neither can survive. Bring non-tourism in to stablize the economy and tax base. Just waiting for them to come is like fishing without bait.
Creighton was there. (And you can read his comments in the new posting.)
So what about Dave Creighton.I didn’t see his name on the attendance list or the absent list.
The problem as I see it is that if they don’t won’t or can’t attend these meeting what do we need them for? Check the seated council attendance record by looking at the past minutes from 2009 and 2010. you’ll be shocked (I have and am. all minutes for late 2010 are not on the city website yet. They get posted after around one to two months) We compensate these council members to represent us. It may be a small amount but we exspect them to at least show up and be informed about what may be on the agenda. If that’s to much to ask step down!
What they need to do is quit hiring people(get rid of some) and stop Lanfear and Mercer from spending whatever they want. How about they pass all their requests for spending through me?
…and, what is it with Peggy Berry? I wouldn’t recognize this woman if she came to my door asking for tax donations. And, what is a Dick Skewis? (Just asking.)
Mayor French was on Coffee Talk this morning. It was AMAZING
how many questions he could not answer as he either didn’t have that information in front of him, or that he didn’t understand some of the more ‘complicated’ matters. (On second thought, it wasn’t amazing at all…it was basically business as usual.)