Property Taxes, Utility Rates to Go Up
The Port Angeles City Council has agreed with staff recommendations to raise property taxes and utility rates. Phil Lusk, Deputy Director of Power and Communications
Systems, said the city needs to raise utility rates in order to pay for the Combined Sewer Overflow project and the stabilizing of the bluff at the former landfill site, both of which are unfunded mandates. He said the average customer will pay roughly fourteen dollars more per month.
City property taxes will also go up, but by a smaller increase than the utility rate hike. Chief Financial Officer Byron Olson said a $150,000 home will be charged about $4 more per year.
City property taxes will also go up, but by a smaller increase than the utility rate hike. Chief Financial Officer Byron Olson said a $150,000 home will be charged about $4 more per year.
posted by Tom Harper at 8:27 PM
35 Comments:
It is so maddening to have the city characterize environmental clean-ups and pollution abatement as "unfunded mandates". That's like saying that a fine for being convicted of reckless driving is an "unfunded mandate".
The city chose to break the law by polluting the harbor and the strait with waste. The pollution police caught up with them, and now the city must pay to clean up the mess it made. Quit playing the victim, city. You have unclean hands!
Wow, that didn't take long after the election, did it? Way to go, Sissi, stick it to the ratepayers. Way to go Council, why not make it even more impossible to live in Port Angeles? Expect more spending, and more rate hikes, from new Council members Whetham and Gase. Wow!
Glad I don't live in the city limits.
Anon 11:28
The only thing that should be maddening is the change in rules by the DOE that retroactively applies to previous harbor businesses and the local governments. THAT is why we have to shell out more money now, not because anyone was asleep at the wheel or breaking the law in the past. Get your facts straight please. Baseless rants like yours only serve to distract from the real issue at hand.
My property value just went down another 10k, about 6%, but I'll end up paying more in taxes because the city is allowed to collect as much as they did last year plus an extra percent. This is not sustainable, squeezing blood from a stone, sinking ship, etc etc.
The city didn't pollute the harbor and they aren't paying to clean it up. However the city did fail to protect the harbor, along with the port, and it's the residents who are paying to clean it up.
Amazing how many people don't see what suckers they are being played for by paid city staff.
Who comes up with the consultants that define the scope of the problems that taxpayers get to pay for with little or no real say?
Who TELLS these consultants what to study? You don't really think these folks tell the people that hire them for gobs of money thing they don't want to hear, do you?
Who checks to see that the problems ARE what the public are being told? How many just accept what they are told by these paid (self serving) consultants?
Who checks to see that the solutions these consultants come up with are really needed, or the best approach? The analyses always are provided by the consultants themselves!
People don't seem to get it. This industry of consultants who help city staff create the documentation to fleece the taxpayers.
Of course the city cries "unfunded mandate". Part of he script. Part of the game. You can't justify asking for more money, if you budget for what obligations you have already committed yourself to. If you plan to own a car, you commit to needing to set aside money for insurance, tires, gas, oil changes, etc. The city hires financial managers to keep track of just these commitments.
Yes, the city needs to clean up the various problems that arise. That is not disputed. But people need to understand the extent to which they are getting fleeced by a self serving industry that is supported by city staff.
Anon 7:35 AM ---
You are the one spreading baseless information. Anon 11:28 PM's facts are correct.
The city willfully ignored the law for decades, and baseless rants against DOE by city sycophants will fool many people, but not all.
What does the planning commission do in Port Angeles? They cost a fortune.
Please sign the Recall Whetahm and Bruch and Kidd and Gase petition which we will circulate at the Farmers Market.
Please, pretty please with sprinkles on top ... ?
You would have to be a damn fool to buy the old fire station, it's a white elephant and will become a curse to anyone that owns it.
'The only thing that should be maddening is the change in rules by the DOE that retroactively applies to previous harbor businesses and the local governments. THAT is why we have to shell out more money now, not because anyone was asleep at the wheel or breaking the law in the past. Get your facts straight please."
Really? Please provide the facts to support this statement. What laws, specifically, allowed the city and waterfront businesses to pollute the harbor, and which laws, specifically, were changed to allow for retroactive assignment of responsibility.
Thanks.
We heard, and keep hearing about what a great economic windfall Nippon is for Port Angeles. The Mayor gushes about what great corporate citizens they are.
How come they keep getting tax reductions, while the rest of us keep getting tax hikes?
Their $85 million facility improvements get taxed as if they are worth $7 million. That is quite a reduction! Anybody in Port Angeles getting their property taxes reduced by anything close to that? Or, reduced at all?
I saw a moving truck yesterday, loading up a house down the street. I think they got the message.
"I saw a moving truck yesterday, loading up a house down the street. I think they got the message."
Larry Williams finished his term on the city council, then left town immediately. Max Mania didn't even finish his term before he left. They were insiders who probably know more about the workings of the city than we do. So, yeah, I think the memo does say to get out while the getting is good - or even possible.
Anyone who thinks there's any hope or potential for Port Angeles needs to read this article http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20131110/news/311109981/downtown-port-angeles-jewelry-store-closing-owner-cites-economy from today's PDN. Wow. Thank you for your honesty, Mr. Tuttle.
"There doesn't seem to be anything positive happening."
"...going downhill..."
"...it might be terminal."
Good job, Mayor Kidd. Good job, Veenema family. Good job, Barb Frederick. Just an all-around good job by everyone.
No wonder so many people, including elected officials, are fleeing this sinking ship.
Read the story about the downtown jewelry store closing.
Typically, Russ and the Chamber respond with, I don't think this is unique to Port Angeles.
But, the store owner also has a store in nearby Sequim, which is doing well.
Hello?!
Maurices' didn't go out of business. They MOVED!
They MOVED out of downtown Port Angeles.
Instead of making stupid excuses, the supposed leadership of this town need to wake up, pay attention, and LISTEN.
Interesting e-dition of the PDN. Fucking depressing what the jewelry store owner said. Wow. I kid, mostly here, anonymously, but wow, he's fucking serious.
AND, we learn that 500 nimrods are going to Forks to protest the animal shelter there. WOW! If those faux-liberals and "animal loving teabaggers" only cared about HUMANS in Port Angeles! All that energy! What a trip!
We do have a lot going for us, but our slogan should be: VISIT - BUT DON'T COME FOR THE PEOPLE.
(someone needs maybe to move another log downtown? Maybe another one washed up, and the BAD people are congregating around it?)
Oh, if only Mr. Tuttle had held on until the Magic Sawblade logo had had time to do its thing...Such a shame!
I guess that "Rough Cut" means that for businesses to stay in Port Angeles they have to cut their own throats...
People who care about their families REALLY do need to pay attention to that article, and Mr. Tuttles 30 YEARS of observations as a downtown business owner.
Morons like the Veenamas (who live in SEQUIM!, right?), and mindless community boosters like Cherie Kidd need to pay attention. Tuttle had a front seat, active involvement in the specifics for a 30 year span. He came hopeful, seeing potential.
30 years is significant in evaluating the performance of most things. If 30 years of observations result in conclusions such as "terminal", you really should pay attention.
There is nothing wrong with the downtown area that a good earthquake won't fix. I hope that the Cornerhouse will rebuild in a different area when that happens.
BBC - Ha ha, yes, that would really "shake things up"! Wonder where most of the businesses would be rebuilt? Anyone? LOL...
Such sad days! Property values are plummeting but rents keep rising! Pot stores (pot=the new beer=$$$) are opening soon (more per capita than anywhere else, including Uruguay)! Trans fats will soon be illegal! Plus, I hear jewelry stores are no longer viable in "rough cut" PA because burly same sex couples (of both sexes) picking out rings for upcoming nuptials (growth industry=$$$) aren't opting for diamonds and that's not profitable!
Ooooh nooooo!
"Tom Harper · Top Commenter · Port Angeles, Washington
I wholeheartedly agree that that we need to "shop local, shop often." Your attitude is a lot more beneficial than the constant negative drivel about how terrible Port Angeles is and how hopeless everything is. Whoever said downtown P.A. is "nothing but transients and vagrants" is either blind or never comes into town. The downtown business owners who are thriving -- of which there are many -- must not be aware that all of their customers are transients and vagrants. I don't own a business, but if I did I'd be pretty irate at all the doom and gloom rhetoric. It's not helping."
And yet...And yet...Tom, your blog is Ground Zero for gloom and doom and negative drivel. So...
From where I sit, the gloom and doom is more than justified. Port Angeles has missed the boat, is decades behind the times, and is never, ever going to catch up. It's been left behind. That's why so many residents are choosing to leave it behind. Remember: The last census showed that essentially EVERY community on the Peninsula had gained population - EXCEPT Port Angeles. It had actually shrunk by about 300 people.
Numbers don't lie. People do. Russ Veenema does. Cherie Kidd does. John Calhoun does. John Brewer does. But numbers don't. Number of businesses closing - UP. Number of residents leaving - UP. Number of visitors to ONP - going DOWN. Port Angeles - going DOWN, DOWN, DOWN. Once Country Aire closes, downtown will truly be a ghost town.
Don Zeller tried to tell you. Max Mania tried to tell you. Now Mr. Tuttle is trying to tell you. How much clearer does it need to be?
I mean, Barb Frederick? PLEASE.
Negativity isn't just the major product produced in Port Angeles, it's the only product. Too many crooks, too many idiots, all sucking off the teat of bloated, pointless public works projects that line their pockets and jack up the citizens. Corrupt doesn't even begin to cover it.
Shop local? Where? Why? And for what? All I wanna buy is moving boxes...But it's tough to sell a house here, which makes escape very difficult. Many people don't choose to live here, they're trapped here.
I agree with Anon 5PM to a large degree.
It doesn't help ANYONE to be all Rah-Rah about a town that objective observation shows has been in decline for years. As they say, you can't fix anything, until you acknowledge something is wrong.
Anyone who has been around here for any period of time has seen how the "leadership" in this town hasn't been able to even understand what the problems are, much less take any REAL steps to get things going in the right direction.
Mr.Tuttle isn't the first, or only person who has come to Port Angeles with the view that it has great potential. But his first hand experience spanning 30 years cannot be dismissed, nor ignored.
Tom says we need to "shop local, shop often." Given anyone who lives here that wants to buy ANYTHING, either DOES buy locally, or else has to drive a minimum of 30 miles (round trip to Sequim), or buy on-line, it begs the question: why ARE local businesses failing? Why are so many making all that extra effort, spending all that time, etc, if everything is so rosy and wonderful in Port Angeles?
Swains finely got in some # 11 percussion caps. I'm so happy I could shit. Really...
If you haven't read the comments on the jewelry store article from the guy who used to own a pawn shop downtown, you ought to go back and do so. He claims that, essentially, his shop was robbed by the local police while he was out of town. He claims Terry Gallagher did nothing about it.
I read his comments, and thought of how Amber Steim could hit and KILL a pedestrian and not be charged with anything. I also thought of how Paul Gottlieb could hit a pedestrian, and his victim ends up getting charged with a crime, not Gottlieb.
My point being, it's not at all difficult to imagine that the Port Angeles police are rotten.
Just for the record, I have not had one problem with the police here, have not even been stopped since moving here.
"It doesn't help ANYONE to be all Rah-Rah about a town that objective observation shows has been in decline for years. As they say, you can't fix anything, until you acknowledge something is wrong."
Which is fine, but there's a huge difference between acknowledging something is wrong and the kind of wallowing most people in Port Angeles wind up doing.
For example, there's this idea that downtown is just a bunch of empty buildings. You walk around town and you can disprove that instantly. Are there empty buildings? Sure. Are there fewer and fewer people in the street every year? Definitely. Should we be worried? Absolutely. But saying downtown's a "ghost town" is just hyperbole that doesn't lend itself to arguments.
The comments by Tuttle actually do nothing to advance any dialog. It's a fine he said that, we need to start talking about it... But it's more likely we'll all just wallow in it again. People will wander around aimlessly going on about how the sky is falling while the rah-rah crowd will scream "no it isn't" and any conversations that could enact useful change in Port Angeles will be drowned out... Like always.
I've been hearing for years about how hostile the city is to businesses. But how? What can be done to make it better? This is a mystery no one talks about.
Well, except Rick Moon. That comment was an eye-opener and a damn good place to start. I'm surprised the PDN had the guts to leave it up.
I'd like to thank the 1500 people who voted for Peter Ripley. We tried to at least elect someone who is honest. Instead, we just got another fake and crook. No wonder Port Angeles is falling apart.
@Anon 9:42
I'm guessing you haven't been around for a long time, or have chosen not to participate in the numerous attempts by the Downtown Association, the City, and others to get the community to engage in "visioning".
Or maybe you didn't notice how the "leadership" defended that super silly saw blade effort at promoting business in Port Angeles.
Or, maybe you weren't around during the also super silly "Harborworks" debacle. That effort was to spend millions to try to develop the relatively remote parcel of the former Rayonier mill site. (Of course, it didn't hurt that a number of the areas' "leadership involved in the decisions were former Rayonier employees). That envisioned, essential;ly, abandoning the existing downtown, and creating a new one to pour money nto. Complete with "high end car dealerships"! Yeah, Port Angeles has demonstrated it is a great market for Ferraris and Rolls.
Wallow? No dialog? Hey! Where have you been? Many in the community have been participating and talking about these problems, for years. Expressing concern, ideas, holding forums and more. The "leadership" just doesn't listen.
The "Rick Moon Comment (part 1)":
Not all Port Angeles business owners feel the crunch put forth by our local officials. However as a downtown business owner myself I can assure you there are several things taking place down here that many local residents will never be aware of. My building which I would love to hold on to is slowly slipping away. Its now listed for sale but if it doesn't sell I will eventually loose it anyway. Has nothing to do with economy, customers or transients . Everything was going fine in fact business was picking up every month. However what happened two years back, blew me away. Let me vent some steam here since its been boiling in me all this time. As I was in the Philippines so my wife could visit family, Port Angeles Police visited my store with a warrant for surveillance of a woman from forks that had sold us some jewelry. Once in the store the officers were presented everything they asked for within the first three minutes. ( the jewelry had been stolen ) Case closed.. that would be the end of it normally as we owned a pawnshop and this type thing does happen. What happened next only happens on tv. My employee was placed under arrest and put in a police car and for the next 3 hours officers proceeded to search the pawnshop, the video store, and our residence. were still not sure what they were looking for. We have video footage of the first hour of the search which I will get to in a moment. After the search officers released my employee and no charges were filed. But when she re-entered the store with her family, she found something odd, the gold in the safe and the gold on the counter was missing. I spoke with her from the Philippines as she was hysterical and crying saying she didn't want to work for me anymore and didn't know what to do. I tried several times contacting the local police by phone but could not get any answers why this had taken place. So I returned to Port Angeles a few days later and went to the chief of police. I told him we have a problem and that I was missing my gold which was everything I had to remain in business and to my surprise, he told me " this is BULLSH*T" how dare I come into his office and accuse his officers of stealing the gold. I said I'm not accusing anyone but I needed to see the video so I could see what had taken place. Needless to say they fought me for 6 months not to let me have the video back until the court ordered the police to give me a copy.
(part 2) Not to my surprise when we were finally able to see what really happened, the video showed one officer who I must remain nameless at this time, go to the safe 3 times in the first hour. however no camera was directly pointing at the safe, we had no proof he took anything. But what was he going to the safe for? that remains the big question to this day. When I complained about going into my residence another officer told the chief in front of me that he opened the door and seen the stairway leading up to the residence and down to the video store but did not enter it. he then shut the door. That was his statement to the chief! but viewing the video it shows him opening the door looking inside then shutting the door ( so far its true ) but then he walks down the hallway and returns, opens the door and he's gone. Where did he go? we don't have video in that area. but he's gone. a direct lie to his chief. A few months pass and my employee now has charges filed against her for trafficking stolen property. Lets remember this is a pawnshop and we have had stolen items come through and everything is reported to the police within 24 hours. The prosecutor offered her a plea bargain. I begged her not to accept it as this is what they do and always get away with it because most people take the plea instead of risking jail time even if their not guilty of any crime. She took my advice and after a full day in court with a jury it took 10 minutes to be found not guilty on every charge. The prosecution was a joke, the police were caught in lies, and I have even had jurors come up to me afterwords and apologize to me for what took place inside my store. what we see in the video is only one hour, what took place inside for three hours we will probably never know. lawyers have said they would be willing to take on the city but I have never recovered from the loss and have been barely able to get the major bills paid on a monthly basis. Im told I have 3 years to file so its still in the plan. So just to sum it up, everything told to the chief was told to him prior to viewing the video. The officer thought to have taken the gold I've never met but was told out of all the officers present, he would be the one to have done it. and after viewing the video he was the one in each location were the gold turned up missing. is it a coincidence? could this have happened in small town like Port Angeles? Two years ago I would have said no. Now I know better. My business failed do to closed minded local authorities not local patrons, transients, or economy. thanks for letting me steam, I do feel better now. p.s. the chief did say I could file a theft report for the gold and he would investigate and charge my employee to the fullest extent of the law.
Thank you Mr. Tuttle and (great name) Mr. Moon. If only we could get Cherie Kidd and Terry Gallagher to comment - on the record - on the experiences these people have had.
I told you, but you weren't listening.
So fucking incredible they so blatantly try and get the employee at Moon's to enter a plea!
Surprised they didn't offer her a fucking job, at the fucking corrupt city, only if she admitted to it!
Then, Moon would have no case! Don't take the job, lady! They will "have" you then, and corrupt you!
Unrelated - hi Max! ;)
This is what council wants. Blame it on the staff!!!!!! It keeps the heat off them. Remember, staff only makes recommendations to council. Council needs to do their homework and they pass or fail it.
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