According to Ken Lanfear, director of Public Works who gave a presentation tonight, Ocean Shores is spending the following amount to keep weeds out of “fresh waterways“:

a) $140,000, just like was budgeted from the Storm Drain fund

b) $300,000, because the weeds are really bad this year

c) nothing, because we got State grants to take care of everything

d) nothing, because we spent all the money on lawyers

Answer in this week’s North Coast News . . .

According to Dave Creighton’s statements tonight (at a relatively uneventful City Council meeting), it costs about how much to put on City Council meetings?

a) $500 per meeting, or $12,000 per year

b) $50 per meeting, or $1,200 per year

c) $2,000 per meeting, or $48,000 per year

d) Nothing — you can’t possibly pay for a building (Convention Center) run by City employees, and everyone’s on salary, anyway

Answer in this week’s North Coast News . . .

The usual time and place: 6 p.m., Convention Center. Curiously, no Street LID-related agenda items. The ultra-light agenda includes: updates on tourism (Ken Mercer), Weatherwax banking (Neil Elridge) and roadside mowing/fresh waterways (Ken Lanfear).

Due to a scheduling conflict at the Convention Center conv center June 2010 (remember when part of the justification for the new City Hall was to accommodate council meetings?), next week’s City Council meeting has been switched from Monday to Wednesday at 6 p.m.june 30 agenda

This week’s Locals Only column looks for volunteers to help analyze the Ocean Shores budget:

Something is not right, here . . .
We, the residents and property owners of Ocean Shores, are paying more, every year.
And receiving less.
There have been increases in property taxes in each of the last two years,  and expect another 1 percent increase for 2011. On top of that, in 2011 there will be an EMS levy of 35 cents per thousand, almost double the 19 cents per thousand in 2008 and 2009. (Statistics cited in this column from 2010 Adopted Budget)
And now the City of Ocean Shores will ask for another 22 cent levy, “to keep the Library open.”
I’m all for the Library staying open, but I have preliminary questions:
*Why do we need another levy?
*What happened (and is happening, and will happen) to the rest of the money?
*Why has Ocean Shores laid off so many employees over the last two years, and cut so many services . . . only to ask for more money from the locals?

At the study session going on now, Mayor Garland French and Chief of Public Safety Mike Styner are pushing to re-hire the code enforcement officer who was laid off. French said he would, if necessary, “rob Peter to pay Paul” to fund the $30,000-35,000 needed for the position for the rest of 2010. “If I had to choose between another police officer, or a fully trained ready to work animal control code enforcement officer,” Styner said, “please give me an animal control code enforcement officer.”

Councilman John Lynn questioned whether “is this the greatest need in the city,” compared to all the other layoffs that have been made.


Councilman Bob Crumpacker was more blunt: “You show me where that money’s coming from. … all’s I’ve heard is ‘we’re going to shift money.’
”The issue is, where’s the damned money coming from.”
French asked for “concurrence” on the issue, and was challenged by several council members as to whether this was a legal request. No decision or vote made.

Not like Kurt Cobain — literally. Oh, the wonders of modern wi fi . . . Anyway, I’ll be back to Ocean Shores tonight too late for the City Council meeting. In my going-on two years as NCN editor, I’ve only missed one of these, previously. And all that happened on that night was the Roundabout getting the green-light ($2.9 million than, last count $3.2 million . .. ), $7.5 million in water loans, grants and contracts and a $4.8 million LID contract; total of about $15 million tossed around, that night of July 27, 2009.

If any of you go to the meeting tonight, please post what happens.

First, at a study session, City Council and Mayor Garland French will brainstorm how to fund a Police Officer and/or Code Enforcement Officer. Then, at Monday night’s City Council meeting, they will vote on whether to actually add the staff.

05.24.10 Reg Agenda

05.24.10 Study Session Agen

With a ribbon cutting ceremony for the Roundabout scheduled for today at 3 p.m., a question remains: When did your elected officials approve an extra $350,000 of your Water, Sewer and Storm payments to go toward the Roundabout project?

At a recent City Council meeting, director of Public Works Ken Lanfear gave the latest figures: Engineering, $345,388.76. Construction, $3,163,227.64. Engineering and Construction, $3,439,030.88. (These figures were given to council members, but not provided to the public, at the April 26, 2010 meeting.) Instead of the  $538,533.41 Water, Sewer and Storm funding voted on by council in approving the package in July of 2009, Lanfear’s most recent figures show a contribution of $895,009.93, and increase of $356,476.52, or 66 percent; this, despite the abandonment of an attempt to install an 18-inch sewer line. The three local utilities also contributed $85,000 to engineering costs on the Roundabout.
The seven Ocean Shores City Council representatives were asked to comment on this, and when they approved the changes. This week’s newspaper article states: “The council representatives, who were also given follow-up phone calls, did not answer questions from this newspaper, regarding the Roundabout funding.”
That turns out to be incorrect, as John Lynn did provide an answer. (See below.)

After passionate, “let us have a choice” pleas by a half-dozen or so Citizens, after some Council members express confusion over the Timberland process, after Bob Crumpacker says the proposed 22 cent Library levy is a “slap in the face” to other departments that have had cuts, after Dave Creighton says he wants locals to decide what kind of Library they will have, after the tag-team Peck and Lizakowski land some sharpened elbows, after some back-and-forth baiting between the Mars-like Creighton and the Greek chorus crowd, after Mayor Garland French with red face pounds the gavel to silence the rowdy crowd, after someone suggests to bring the Timberland honcho in for a Town Hall and explain all the options . . .

City Council votes, 7-0, for a 22 cent Library levy.

No Timberland option, this time.

Stay tuned for more action, Council fans . . .