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 . . .

Finance Director Mike Folkers said the Ambulance Utility will not be continued in 2011. The first two drafts of the 2011 budget had this utility (a.k.a “the toilet tax”) continuing through 2011. The Ambulance Utility will end at the end of this December.

Dear tax payers: Folks, thanks so much for voting “yes” on the EMS and Library lid lifters (way to lift those lids!). Oh, and of course, thanks in advance for those Street LID payments (trust us: every penny of that $44 million is accounted for!).  Now let’s talk 2011: we’re going to need just a little bit more of your hard-earned money. C’mon, just 1 percent, don’t be stingy! And don’t make a fuss, no one likes complainers! Again: trust us. We really, really need it, and we oh-so-very-much promise to spend it wisely.

Stay prosperous,

Your Local Government

From the council agenda for Monday, Nov. 15, 6 p.m., Convention Center:

With the EMS and Library property tax increases that were narrowly approved by voters, Ocean Shores will collect a total of nearly $800,000 more in property taxes in 2011, compared to 2011. (The “2011 Recommended Budget” calls for a “continuation of the EMS ambulance Utility,” dubbed by unhappy hotels and motels “the toilet tax.”) With the new construction of 2010 added to the 1 percent property tax increase the Mayor is asking for, that adds another $50,000-$100,000, 2011 over 2010.

At yesterday’s budget study session, Mayor Garland French said the City of Ocean Shores has total assessments for the Street LID of “around a half million dollars.” Mike Folkers, the finance director, said these will be paid annually. City Hall, for example, has a $60,000 Street LID payment, in its 2011 budget. Copies of  budget up-dates and the third quarter financial report that were referred to were not provided to the press and/or a handful of public spectators. A “recommended 2011 budget” is now posted on the City’s web site here. The budget “includes a 1 percent property tax increase,” French writes, in a cover letter. Also from the Mayor’s cover letter: the budget “also includes a property tax levy of 0.22 cents per thousand of assessed value for the Library, 0.35 cents for Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and continuation of the EMS Ambulance Utility of approximately $2.38 per month per billing unit. ‘

August budget study session (from northcoastnews.com archives): “Dave Creighton just said, to the department heads present (Mike Styner, Police/Fire; Ken Lanfear, Public Works; latecomer Ken Mercer, Convention Center): “This is going to be the hardest budget that staff has ever gone through. I’m going to nail you guys for every single dime. This budget will be council driven, not staff-driven
“I don’t feel in the last few years we have done a very good job in budgeting . . .
“I believe it’s about time we took control of the budget and decide where the money is going.”

Yesterday’s budget study session: Creighton expressed satisfaction that “we have a balanced budget.” He offered few, if any, objections, or requests for details from department heads.

At yesterday’s budget “study session,” during discussion on the City Clerk department, long-time councilman Dave Creighton criticized the North Coast News for excessive Public Records Requests, regarding City salaries/wages.

As Lillian Broadbent put it, “You have to drill down about four levels to find it.” She was being charitable, but it is here, on the Kafka-esque osgov.com site.

The key word in this document is “preliminary.” So, hopefully, for the Interpretive Center,  ”OPERATIONS TEMPORARYLY SUSPENDED DUE TO DIMINISHING REVENUES” screaming out from P. 82 is just a copy-and-paste from the 2010 budget, as its header suggests. Indeed, the following page has a relatively robust (compared to this year) $100,000 in total appropriations for the Interpretive Center, which is widely believed to be the second most popular thing about Ocean Shores.

-Lillian Broadbent criticized the lack of timely information, in the budgeting process. “If the council goes forward” with the 1 percent tax increase, she urged it to “designate what the 1 percent will be for.”