Grim Message at City Hall Budget Meeting
About thirty-five people attended last night’s budget meeting at City Hall. Basically, Port Angeles will have to tighten its belt another notch next year.
Finance Director Yvonne Ziomkowski drew a financial “picture” for the audience: “You have some revenue going away. You have some revenue shrinking. You have some revenues which are not growing, and on the other side, you have services and demands for service which is going up and up. There's no way not to have this [financial] gap.”
At the end of this year the general fund will be about $150,000 in the red.
Referring to the meeting, City Manager Kent Myers said: “I think this is a good start to the process, and we're just hoping to get public input. We think it's important for the public to understand the challenges we are facing and help us work through the difficulties that we will be addressing over the next several months.”
Finance Director Yvonne Ziomkowski drew a financial “picture” for the audience: “You have some revenue going away. You have some revenue shrinking. You have some revenues which are not growing, and on the other side, you have services and demands for service which is going up and up. There's no way not to have this [financial] gap.”
At the end of this year the general fund will be about $150,000 in the red.
Referring to the meeting, City Manager Kent Myers said: “I think this is a good start to the process, and we're just hoping to get public input. We think it's important for the public to understand the challenges we are facing and help us work through the difficulties that we will be addressing over the next several months.”
Labels: City Manager Kent Myers, Finance Director Yvonne Ziomkowski, Port Angeles Budget Meeting
posted by Tom Harper at 12:03 PM
16 Comments:
All they have to do is start using the money the moved over to the Harbor Works joke.
Also, turn off streetlights.
... but at least we saved the pool!
and we're just hoping to get public input.
Ha ha ha.
Why? Because they're too frigging stupid to figure things out for themselves?
... just waiting for the inevitable post. You know the one. "FRIENDS!! Do not despair. Max Mania will balance the Port Angeles budget... simply by looking at it and blinking repeatedly! Then he will get everyone a puppy! Who doesn't love a puppy!? Edna, that's who! Vote for meeeeEEEeeeee!!!"
This really isn't a surprise. Towns all over the nation are being hit by a loss of revenue. California is a stone's throw away from bankruptcy. Port Angeles isn't going to be exempt from this crisis. I'm just surprised it took this long for it to get this bad.
Turn off the street lights? I don't think that is a good idea at all. But they could go to LED's to save energy. I make my own LED lights and they are great.
Max Mania is mad as hell and he isn't going to take it any more. Max has drawn a line in the sand. "Across this line," he has said to the naysayers and doom and gloomsters "You shall not pass."
NOAA rejected Port Angeles because we lack "quality of life"? Max Mania rejects their rejection! Port Angeles has plenty "quality of life" such as the Fine Arts Center, Studio Bob, downtown artwork, PALOA and frequent visits by Max Mania's favorite band, The Nasty Hobbits. Who could ask for anything more?
But Max Mania is not merely counting crows. Elected to the City Council, Max will work tirelessly to bring more "quality of life" to Port Angeles and further promote the many great attractions that can make this town a tourist destination!
"Bring it on!" says Max Mania to the naysayers, the doomsters and gloomsters.
Will be interesting to see how the city council rationalizes "finding" the $500,000 they are going to be giving HarborWorks in the next week or so.
Cut services, raise taxes and "user fees", try to pass new "levies" of the drinking water system?
We'll certainly get to see.
Nasty Hobbits? Do you mean the Nasty Habits?
Nasty little hobbitses!!
"The Nasty Hobbits"?
ROFLMAO!
Hey, if they are too stupid to figure things out for themselves why are we paying some of them those big bucks?
Who's getting paid big bucks? The Hobbits?
Stop fluoridation of our water. Eliminates one city employee and improves our health.
Fluoride is poisonous.
Lots of information is out demonstrating this fact.
Here is one small bit on You Tube. Check it out at this link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ys9q1cvKGk
I looked at the Powerpoint presentation online a couple days ago. The numbers and information they had for the effect of the limiting of the increase of property tax was flat out wrong. I do not think they understand it. If you used their logic, it would mean a $25 dollar increase in property tax per year (versus the $2.50) they report. Their math was wrong. Yes, the finance guy got the math wrong. Even beyond that, the argument was disingenuous. There are other factors (such as inflation and other taxes that are bundled in your property tax bill and the bill that is up for a vote Nov. 3) that could make our property taxes skyrocket if left to the whim of the government.
They cannot even get the math right.
Also, I noticed time after time that they threatened that their inability to jack up your taxes might very well leave them unable to secure safety. THAT is RUBBISH and they should be ashamed of themselves for saying that.
Here's an idea. LIVE WITHIN YOUR MEANS!
"Also, I noticed time after time that they threatened that their inability to jack up your taxes might very well leave them unable to secure safety. THAT is RUBBISH and they should be ashamed of themselves for saying that."
I guess you don't realize that "safety" is the ultimate tool for those folks. I watched, years ago, as the proponents of otherwise clearly unpopular proposals learned that by cloaking their proposal in " safety", no credible opposition could gain support.
Who can publicly support a campaign that will result in dangerous, unsafe, or hazardous situations? Locally, they have learned to do this by including the sewage/CSO proposal to the redevelopment of the Rayonier site. If you look at the first plan published in Jan 2008( at the city website) there is an elaborate plan of condos, high end car sales lots, marinas, industrial uses and retail stores, but no mention of a CSO project.
But now, the "urgency" of resolving the CSO problems now dictates the city "aquire" the Rayonier property. For "public safety".
The school "levies" were the same. Who wants to support an opposition campaign that will result, by the proponents framing of the issues, in stupid children?
But add up all the "savings" to the city, in recent years, from all the services they used to provide for, but don't anymore. The taxes they collect from residents did not diminish, but the services did. Think "pool", for an easy example. Through different efforts, levies and "special tax districts", the city now has a bunch of money it USED to spend on programs and services to the coommunity that it no longer has to.
Fun and games!
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