First, a Citizens Advisory Panel presentation on EMS, which recommended a levy of 35 cents per thousand. Then, council voted, 6-0, for finance director Art Wuerth to bring back a resolution for a 35 cents per thousand property tax increase, earmarked for EMS. Likely at the next council meeting, this resolution will be presented and voted on; if it passes, it will go to voters in April.

Lid Lift Lite? (“30 percent cheaper than the original Lid Lift . . .”)

Citizens Advisory Panel report.

(Previously called “EMS Utility.”) No fee was set last night. Garland French expects it to be around $3 per month.

According to the county, 3,307 ballots were mailed to Ocean Shores registered voters. Of those, 313 came back to the county, as “undeliverable.”

To date, the county has received 2,211 completed ballots, from Ocean Shores. The represents 67 percent of the total registered voters; when you subtract the undeliverable, 74 percent of Ocean Shores citizens who received their ballots voted. Lid lift/EMS levy: “reject,” 1,503 (68.95%); “approve,” 677  (31.06%) “approve”; 2,180 total.

City Council: Position 5, Jackie Farra, 1,145 (57.97%), Nick Johnson 830 (42.03%) votes; 1,975 total votes. Position 1, John Lynn (unopposed): 1,424 votes. Position 7, Garland French (unopposed): 1,409 votes.

Today’s  Daily World story:

By Rachel Thomson

OCEAN SHORES — Mayor Dean Bunkers, in an attempt to close the $1.3 million shortfall to the City of Ocean Shores’ 2010 General Fund budget, plans to eliminate the position of fire chief and put one person in charge of the police and fire departments.
Fire Chief Jim Hodges is on paid administrative leave until Dec. 31, when his position will be cut.
The mayor has appointed Police Chief Mike Styner to serve as the interim fire chief. Starting Jan. 1, Styner will serve as director of public safety, supervising both departments.

Comically unprepared host of Aberdeen radio station 1450 AM’s “Coffee Talk” (with guest Mayor Dean Bunkers) “can’t for the life of me understand why someone would vote against an EMS levy.” (paraphrasing) Apparently, we’re a bunch of idiots, out here in the sticks. Phone 533-5259.

Of about a dozen people at the Readers Input Group meeting (Thursdays, 10 a.m., Library, open to all), I’m guessing I was in the minority, as I voted for Prop. 1/Lid lift/EMS levy (circle one). I was in the extreme minority in general, as this was LOUDLY voted down. At my invitation, councilman Garland French came by to talk to the group about his take on an EMS Utility (originally presented as an option to council by Chief Jim Hodges, about a year ago). French said he sensed a couple weeks ago that Prop. 1 was in danger, and started researching EMS utilities; Aberdeen, Hoquiam and Montesano have them, a monthly fee that goes for emergency services. He said he realized an EMS utility would be controversial: “You know it’s going to be political, people thinking ‘You’re just working around the vote of the people . . .’”

Even so, he thinks a utility can be enacted quickly, as an EMS stop-gap: “you don’t need new ambulances . . . just maintain where you are now.”

But how to make this seem like a legitimate alternative, and not just a lid lift in disguise?

French agreed that tax payers must be shown that this isn’t an “end around,” but a solid, short-term fix. He said he and Mayor Dean Bunkers spoke on the phone this morning, with the idea of forming a committee that would include at least one citizen, to look at a potential EMS utility.

During discussion of this, brought up by Garland French near the end of yesterday’s budget study session:
There was a clear split amongst the four councilors present. Some felt that an EMS Utility would go against the landslide loss of the EMS levy.
“This is exactly what the voters said they did not want,” said Bob Crumpacker.

Comments from city officials will be coming later today, will be at the all-day budget “study session.” This is from Lizakowski, the loud voice of “No on Prop 1″

“My reaction is that the Ocean Shores voters have sent the message to the city that they should seek new sources of revenue with the resources they already have, (that have been spelled out in our campaign), and that they are also expressing the opinion that we are weary of carrying the burden of standby EMS to all the outside districts without their proper support.

“I will also be presenting a proposed plan to save the city some budget dollars at the next town hall meeting, with the hope that this plan will achieve some efficiencies in select city departments.”

Assuming the “lid lift” is rejected, what are some options? Here are a few:

A) Panic, lay off a batch of paramedics and say “well, that’s what people want”

B) Focus energy to wish ill and injury on those who voted against Prop 1

C) Try to improve ambulance collections, and, realizing collections almost always take time, look at a funding mechanism to cover gaps (interfund loan, anyone?)

D) Establish an EMS utility, one of the options Chief Jim Hodges presented, a year ago

E) C and D

F) Give up, call Al Carter and say, “We can’t figure any of this out so we’re unincorporating, come on over and pick up the keys to the city — and bring some South Beach ambulances with you.”

A story (“A Taxing Proposition) in the North Coast News on Oct. 21 stated that, if the lid lift passes, in 2010 Ocean Shores will collect $310,000 more (a 12% increase) than it did in the basic and EMS levies of 2009. That was based on as assessment of $1.32 billion.

On Monday night, Art Wuerth, the city’s finance director, passed out materials showing a new (preliminary)assessment of $1,383,470,423. At that value, the $2.22 levy would collect $3,071,304, or $466,147 more (a 17% increase) than the 2009 basic + EMS.