Excerpts from Chapter Two of the Washington State LID Manual   : In addition to required public hearings for EIS, design approval, or LID processes, a working (steering, advisory) committee should be established. With representation from as many competing interests as is possible (including property owners from the potential LID area), this committee can be an effective way to review design alternatives, identify potential fatal flaws, avoid unnecessary disruption to adjoining property owners and monitor probable LID support. This committee should meet monthly during the predesign and EIS stages and as frequently as needed during the design and approval stages.

. . .. When the final assessment roll hearing is scheduled, project staff should, again, be very open to individual or group meetings to explain the assessment roll and the sort of testimony that is appropriate at the hearing. . .

You may have heard attorneys, elected officials, the department head/project manager, etc. reference “the LID Manual,” as in, “We’re doing it this way because the LID Manual recommends it . . .” But were all deferral options explored, and “publicized early in the process”? This is recommended by the Washington State Local Improvement District Manual (Sixth Edition), which stresses “LIDs Don’t Have to Create Hardships.” On p. 15 (emphasis added): “Of legitimate concern are low income senior citizens and those who are economically

At last night’s meeting, council member Jackie Farra said she was supporting those complaining about the $250 it will cost to appeal to city council the hearing examiners’ decision. (Examiner Wayne Tanaka’s decisions on the 900-plus protests are due on Monday, Oct. 4.) She wants the issue on the next agenda.

The case for the fee, as presented by attorney Art Blauvelt: Ocean Shores needs the money, to pay for the cost of preparing defenses to challenges.

Some arguments against the fee: It would prevent some who would otherwise challenge the decision. Plus, Ocean Shores has already set aside $250,000 of the LID money, for “Legal fees (hearing and appeals).” See p. 24 of Ken Lanfear’s city public hearing presentation.

On its web site, in the Street LID folder/final assessment roll, the city has powerpoints presented by Robert Macaulay and Ken Lanfear at the public hearing. The Lanfear/city powerpoint includes these numbers (slides 23-24) :city public hearing presentation

Project Costs Attributable to LID 2007-1:

Contractor Costs $32,388,305

Macaulay Special Benefit Analysis $672,293

Monument & Surveying $233,690

City Employee Costs $541,639

Unless he requests an extension, Wayne Tanaka, the hearing examiner, has 10 days (apparently starting Friday, due to some technicality) to deliver his findings/recommendations on 900-plus protests, to the city clerk. All who filed protests will then be mailed notices, though likely not the individual decisions. Waiting to hear if an electronic version of the notices will be posted, or if people have to physically go to City Hall to find out what the decision is.

Those whose protests were recommended to be denied by the hearing examiner may file an appeal with City Council. The cost for this: $250. City Council will set a date and time for the appeals.

From Resolution 640:

The version on last night’s public hearing I wrote for the Daily World has an incorrect phrase added by a DW editor: “A marathon hearing Monday evening on property owners’ tax assessments for completed repairs to Ocean Shores roads drew a standing room only crowd of about 1,000 and pushed into the early hours of this morning.”

The meeting was not about tax assessments; the county has no part in the Street LID.

Here’s the full DW story:

The entire LID public hearing, still going after 10+ hours, will be on North Beach Community TV tonight at 7. (Also Friday night.)

Tuesday at 10 a.m., Convention Center. More people still waiting to give their oral protests, and the City rebuts.

Close to 1,000 attended (the crowd has dwindled down to about 100). A total of approximately 900 written protests were filed.

First, the city made its case. Team LID, left to right: Attorney Art Blauvelt, bond counsel David Thompson, public works director Ken Lanfear, consultant Bob Macaulay.

Glenn Pope, one of the protesters: “I feel the assessment is arbitrary and capricious.”

This link has a report on real estate agents who were interviewed, by team Macaulay. Much of it is hand-written, and very difficult to read. If you are interested, scroll to the last few pages, which has typed-up notes of several real estate agents.

Here are some excerpts of the March/April 2010 interviews:
Realtor I:
p. 89
“She would like us to tell Ken Lanfear that there should be a press release  regarding the road assessment amount. People want to know how much it is going to be and what the payment arrangements will be . . .