$900,000 Projected Deficit for 2012

The City of Port Angeles is expecting to be $900,000 in the red next year. City Manager Kent Myers said:

“We're being faced with an increase in costs without the ability to finance that with additional revenue.”

City Finance Director Yvonne Ziomkowski said $600,000 of the deficit is the result of increased personnel costs. Another factor is the expected loss of sales tax revenue when Price Ford Lincoln moves to a new location outside the city limits.

Buy Local Campaign Chairman to be Guest Speaker at PABA meeting

The "Buy Local" campaign is sponsored by the Port Angeles Forward Committee. Mike Edwards, the campaign chairman, spoke last February at the Port Angeles Business Association's weekly meeting. At this Tuesday's meeting he'll be giving an update on the development of a website and other marketing strategies.

Catherine A. Betts Gets 12-Year Sentence

Catherine A. Betts, convicted of embezzling funds from the Clallam County Treasurer's Office, has been sentenced to twelve years. She also will have to pay restitution of $607,516.

Her attorney, Loren Oakley of Clallam-Jefferson Public Defenders, has already appealed the sentence.

Unemployment Rate Down Slightly on North Olympic Peninsula

As of July 2011, Clallam County's unemployment rate decreased from 10.1% to 9.7%. During the same period, the unemployment rate in Jefferson County fell from 9.5% to 9.1%.

Statewide, the unemployment rate is 9.3%.

Forks Group Wants to Monitor the Border Patrol

Forks Human Rights Group has presented the Forks City Council with a proposal to form a committee that would open a dialogue about the interaction between the Border Patrol and local residents.

The group's spokesperson said local police agencies should:

Engage immigrant communities in dialogue;

Educate immigrant communities on law enforcement’s role in immigration enforcement;

Develop written policies and procedures for handling undocumented immigrants; and

Monitor cases of racial profiling.

The City Council meeting had an overflow crowd of more than fifty attendees.

Nippon and Port Townsend Paper Corp. both Fined for Permit Violations

Both mills have been fined, $4,000 each, by the state Department of Ecology. The fines were for permit violations during the fall of 2010.

It was the first fine in eight years for the Nippon Paper Industries USA Co. mill in Port Angeles.

Downtown Association Passes City Audit

City Hall has decided that the Port Angeles Downtown Association is in compliance with its contract with the City, but that there is room for improvement.

This was the conclusion of City Manager Kent Myers and Finance Director Yvonne Ziomkowski. The City's audit itself was the result of 81 downtown business owners signing a petition expressing their dissatisfaction with the Port Angeles Downtown Association's leadership and effectiveness.

The City's audit did recommend that the Downtown Association board members communicate better with the membership by meeting at least once a year with each member. And the PADA's regular board meetings should be held in a downtown public location, e.g. a restaurant, instead of the PADA's tiny cramped office, which appears to make non-Board-members unwelcome. And the audit very gently and indirectly suggested that maybe the PADA could make a tiny, uh, effort to obtain some of the tens of thousands of B&O tax dollars that are available to the downtown of all members of the Washington's Main Street program. To date,the Downtown Association has NOT done this.

The PADA executive director said these recommendations will be considered.

Norm Dicks' Office Plans Meeting with Border Patrol

George Behan, spokesman for Rep. Norm Dicks, said staff members want to meet later this month with the Border Patrol's top supervisor for the Blaine sector. Behan said:

“Very obviously, there are concerns on the Peninsula. We want to get an update on the current activities and future plans, including the concern that the Border Patrol office in the area could be overstaffed. We obviously would be asking the Border Patrol's purposes and how that fits into the mission.”

Staff members for Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray might also be at this meeting.

Profile of Farmers Market Shoppers

At the Port Angeles Farmers Market this Saturday, a researcher will be counting and interviewing shoppers. Colleen Donovan of Washington State University’s Small Farms Program will get a “rapid market assessment.” This will hopefully provide helpful information to the manager and twenty-nine vendors of the farmers market.

Border Patrol Agents Address Forks City Council

Two U.S. Border Patrol agents met with the Forks City Council on Monday. Field Operations Supervisor Rafael Cano said:

“We’re going to continue to enforce the laws as they’re written on the books. We’re going to do so because Congress said they wanted us to do so. We’ve been mandated by Congress to do so. We’re very interested in developing partnerships. We work very closely with multiple local, state, federal and tribal agencies.”

Station supervisor Jose Romero said:

“When we talk about partnerships, it’s not just about finding illegal immigrants. It’s not just about finding terrorists. But we also deal with narcotics. That’s part of our authority. It’s any type of contraband. Terrorism is a threat, and I understand it’s not something that we see here daily or weekly, monthly or yearly. With terrorism, it’s not a Johnny-come-lately. It’s not what happened recently. One act of terrorism is one too many.”

State Legislators Taking Voluntary Pay Cuts

Twelve state House members have volunteered to take a pay cut. Only one of them is from the North Olympic Peninsula. Kevin Van De Wege has opted for a five percent pay reduction.

Today's online poll question at the PDN is: "Should state legislators voluntarily send back 3% to 10% of their pay to the state?"

With 922 votes cast, 88.1% voted Yes; 9.2% said No; and 2.7% were Undecided.

$10 Million Lawsuit Against Olympic National Park

John Messina, a personal injury lawyer in Tacoma, is filing a wrongful death suit against Olympic National Park. The lawsuit is being filed as a result of the death of Bob Boardman, who was fatally gored by a mountain goat last October.

The wrongful death and personal injury claims have totaled $10,022,700. John Messina said:

“We are intending to file a wrongful death suit. Negligence is the basis. Our goal is to seek justice in this case and wake up the park system.”

Which is More Important, Public Safety or Parking Enforcement?

Today's chalkboard message at Port Book and News is urging people to contact City Hall and ask for more adequate enforcement of traffic laws downtown. We have a new parking control officer to ticket anyone who stays in the same parking space for more than two hours, even though parking enforcement was the public's lowest priority in last year's survey that the City sent out.

Meanwhile the 20 m.p.h. speed limit downtown is a joke. Ditto the crosswalks. (The chalkboard didn't mention crosswalks; that's just my two cents worth.)

As the chalkboard message said, a speeding ticket costs a lot more than a parking ticket. And God knows what the fine is for barreling through a crosswalk while a pedestrian is in it. The City could provide a safe environment for downtown pedestrians and shoppers while simultaneously bringing in some much-needed revenue for their depleted treasury.

Possible One-Day Strike at Olympic Medical Center

If the union that represents nurses and service workers cannot reach a deal with OMC over staffing and benefits, they might go on a one-day strike on August 11th. Service Employees International Union 1199NW gave notice last Friday of the possible strike. Their spokeswoman said:

“Our goal is to settle a fair contract, not to go on strike.”

OMC has filed a motion for a temporary restraining order against the strike. A judge in Kitsap County is expected to hear arguments tomorrow regarding the restraining order.