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News - March 2002
Volume 14 No. 1/March 2002 Contents
President's MessageFirst, let me start by saying that I hope to see most of you at the Northwest City/County Management conference the end of March in Oregon. If you haven't been to the Resort there before, it's great. There is a great golf course and skiing at Mt. Hood is just a short drive away. AND the Oregon folks have put together a great program. This will also be George Barbour's swan song as he is officially retiring after this conference. See you there. Legislative: We are the City/County Management Association. We have been supporting the AWC and WSAC efforts to support backfill, even if reduced for just those most severely impacted, and to seek replacement funding authority for all cities and counties. The Senate Budget is now out and it cuts all city backfill and that for most counties. Now is the time to contact your Senators about specifics. Meanwhile over in the House, the King County proposal for replacement funding is gaining ground. It proposed a 2% countywide utility tax and a 1/2% local option city utility tax. This works great for King County but really leaves out any real help for cities. For example, in my community, University Place already lost $1 million last year in MVET that was not backfilled and now stands to lose another $2 million from current backfill out of a $10million General Fund. This is an additional 20% cut on top of this year's 10%! Of the $2 million we would lose, the 1/2% additional city utility tax would provide $100,000 replacement funds, if the voters approve it and after spending $30,000 on an election! Now is the time to contact your State Representatives about the impacts. Membership: Dave Ramsay and Manny Ocampo have been working on our membership survey and outreach to potential new members, particularly Assistants and County Managers. They will report at the March conference. Ethics: The ICMA Committee on Professional Conduct is interested in hearing from the membership about the impact of the new ethics guidelines on Running For Office ("Members shall not run for elected office or become involved in political activities related to running for office.") and on Elections ("Members shall not participate in political activities to support the candidacy of individuals running for ANY city, county, special district, school, state or federal office.") Comments should be sent to Martha Perego at ICMA (mperego@icma.org). Specifically they want to know:
Bob Jean, WCMA President Secretary-Treasurer's MessageTreasurer's Report The association finished the 2001 fiscal year under budget, just what you would expect from our esteemed profession. Your executive board is exercising fiscal discipline. Revenues of $46,638 exceeded expenses of $44,533 by $2,105. A little more than a third (34.2%) of revenues were from membership dues. Nearly two thirds of revenue (64.4%) was from the two conferences hosted by WCMA last year. We generated $656 in interest income in this low interest rate environment. Our revenue distribution is different in years that we do not host the Northwest Management conference. Our coffers are bountiful. As of December 31, 2001 WCMA had a cash balance of $39,148. Richard Yukubousky, WCMA Secretary-Treasurer Editor's MessageThis issue marks the beginning of a new means of distributing the "news". It will be our first effort to use electronic format. We're attempting to distribute by electronic means rather than relying on the printer and a hard copy delivered by snailmail. The cost saving to WCMA should be significant. The other opportunity presented by this change is to have more frequent issues. For starters, we're planning to try an issue every two or three months. WCMA has been budgeting for two issues per year. The recent member survey indicated fairly universal desire for more frequent contact with each other. We'll attempt to respond to that desire. Holly Martin, MRSC's desktop designer, who usually takes charge and makes the news look professional, is up to her ears getting the new issue of the Directory of Washington City & Town Officials produced, so I'm going to attempt this first effort on my own. Amateurs at work, y'know. And you can already see from the format that it will be quick and dirty. There's a special complaint form measuring ¼ x ¼ inch that will be available if you want to complain about it. Complaints will only be accepted on the appropriate form, and you must write them in ink, clearly and legibly, and in triplicate. How's that for being bureaucratic? Hopefully, we can do a better scheduling job next time and Holly can assist with her usual excellent treatment. Now for some of the good stuff. WCMA now has its own Web site. It's at http://www.wccma.org. This issue of WCMA News is being placed there. At present, the other item there is the WCMA Membership Directory. Listings are both alphabetical and by region. At present it's a Web version of the 2000 membership directory. It will shortly be updated and will then be as current as possible, based on the information members have provided MRSC. The cost of having special access and passwords is too high, but we think an address like we've chosen won't result in many non-members finding us. You won't need either the special members' handshake or the secret decoder ring. Other things of interest to WCMA members posted before the advent of our own Web site can be found at http://www.mrsc.org/associations/wcmapage.htm. Links to the last three issues of WCMA News, the WCMA constitution and bylaws, the ICMA/WCMA code of ethics, WCMA future conferences, the WCMA Interim Managers/Administrators List, WCMA Officers and Board Members, and the ICMA/WCMA Range Riders list are all found there. A downside to this whole effort is that the information contained can only be as good or as extensive as is supplied. If there's no supply, there's no content. And if you move or change your e-mail address, we have to hear it from you or someone who knows. Osmosis just doesn't work well, except maybe at your treatment plant. So as you work on projects you'd like others to know about, write up a brief and send it in any time. I'll keep it and insert it in the next issue. And don't forget to keep MRSC posted on your moves or address changes. Keep the good stuff coming! That's it for now. Enjoy!! Ron Bartels, WCMA News Editor Constitution ChangeYour officers and board of directors, particularly Dave Ramsay, city manager of Kirkland, who is the current membership chairman, have been hard at work. One of the concerns has been to clarify the various WCMA membership categories and to deal directly with the question raised by attendance at WCMA conferences and meetings of elected officials. New and updated language has been prepared for your consideration at the next WCMA business meeting, which will be held at The Resort at the Mountain, Welches, Oregon, later this month. Dave has prepared the revision in bill drafting form. The board of directors has approved the following draft revision and recommends it for your approval: ARTICLE 7 Membership Section 1. The Corporate members of this Association shall be designated as Full Members. All other classes of membership shall be designated Non-Corporate and shall be known as Associate, Affiliate, Retired Members, Student Members, Honorary Life Members or Honorary Members. The privilege of voting and holding office is limited to Full Members. Membership and the proper classification shall be approved by the Board of Directors which may delegate such responsibility to the Executive Board. Nothing in this section shall limit a non-member from access to educational programs and conference sessions sponsored by the Association with the exception of Association Business Meetings. Section 2. Full Member. Any person who is the administrative
head of a municipality or governmental agency with municipal or
regional interest, and is appointed by its Mayor or Legislative
body. Also included are chief administrative officers, Section 3. Associate Member. Any non-elected person
pursuing the field of
Section 4. Affiliate Member. Any person who has served in
a Section 5. Honorary Member. Any person who has made a distinct
contribution to the advancement of the field Section 6. Members in Transition. Any Full Member of this
association who has resigned or has been removed from their position
with a local government Section 7. Honorary Life Member. Any former Full Member who has retired from active, full-time, permanent employment, shall be eligible for Honorary Life Membership. Eligibility is further dependent upon a minimum of 20 years employment as a Full Member, or its equivalent in this and/or other states, with a minimum of 10 years of such service in the State of Washington. Such designation is subject to action and approval of the Executive Board, who may also take into consideration the offices of WCMA and ICMA held during active service. Honorary Life Members are eligible and encouraged to attend all membership activities, shall be retained on the mailing list for all membership communications, and shall be exempt from annual dues. Section 8. Retired Member. Any Full Member who has retired from active, full-time, permanent employment, shall be eligible for Retired Membership. Eligibility is further dependent upon a minimum of five years employment as a Full Member, such service having been in the State of Washington. Such designation is subject to action and approval of the Executive Board. Retired Members are eligible and encouraged to attend all membership activities, shall be retained on the mailing list for all membership communications, and shall pay dues as established by the Executive Board. Section 9. Student Member. Any student who is pursuing studies leading to a career in local government administration, shall be eligible for Student Membership. A Student Member shall pay dues as established by the Executive Board. Who to call?The mayor and council have gotten fractious. Things don't look any too bright. What to do? Why, call a Range Rider, of course! They are: Al Locke Bob White Stan McNutt And now, the news:Region 1, Clallam, Jefferson, Kitsap & Mason Counties No report. Region 2, Grays Harbor, Lewis, Pacific & Thurston Counties When asked for a paragraph or two for the newsletter, J. D. Fouts from Centralia responded with seven! Great things continue to be done with their downtown revitalization project -- including new street surfaces, street lights, sidewalk amenities, hanging flower baskets, and landscaping that all have historical appearances, and new banners linking factory outlet shoppers and freeway traffic to downtown. Coming up this spring will be a new community event -- Railroad Days -- featuring Centralia's recently renovated historic depot in the downtown area. Apart from working with the business community, Centralia is also anticipating site preparation to be underway this spring for their new wastewater treatment plant, and they will be restoring a significant underground aquifer for productive drinking water supply. Lacey seems to be putting the big lie to a lousy state Economy, and they're right next door to the handwringing going on in the shadow of the Capitol Dome! Greg Cuoio reports that they recently completed a series of the largest and most costly transportation improvement projects in their history, yet still have another $25 million on the drawing board, funded and ready for construction. Target and Home Depot are constructing distribution centers totaling 2.5 million square feet in size that will eventually employ 750 people and add $150 million to the city's property tax base. The cash machine known as Wal*Mart is constructing two retail stores in Lacey. Along with other cities and towns in Thurston County and the county itself, plans are being made for a regional jail and justice center. A bond issue will undoubtedly be necessary sometime, but the task for now is to build "an indisputably fair partnership providing rock solid guarantees relative to access, efficiency, governance, population management and the like." Piece o' cake! Dave Campbell is in the midst of helping the Chehalis city council to establish their goals for 2002-03. They have two new councilors this year, the first time since the mid-'80s that there has been more than one change at a time in the elected officials lineup. Their new energy and perspectives are exciting; the flip side of that coin is that the council lost 36 years of collective knowledge and experience in the process. Chehalis managed to cobble together a budget for 2002 that didn't feature major service cuts, thanks in part to a timely shift of certain property tax revenues that Ron Bartels confirmed was legal to do. On the other hand, the parks and streets maintenance cuts that had been made last year weren't restored, either, and they'll continue to slowly eat away at the community's infrastructure. Region 3, Clark, Cowlitz, Skamania & Wahkiakum Counties It is a curious early spring . . . with anxiety and foreboding in the wind. The legislature is in session, the numbers are bad; and the impacts are not yet real. Managers and administrators sense it, and intuitively know that a difficult cycle is underway. Newsy notes from the southwest Washington area: Battleground's first city manager, Dave Mercier, resigned at year's end to accept a position with the State of Maine legislative staff. By all accounts Dave did a great job, and is a model of professionalism and grace. Eric Holmes (previously the BG deputy city manager) has been appointed city manager. Randy Bombardier, city manager of Ridgefield, has had an interesting first several months at the growing north Clark County community. Budget, elections, growth and planning pains, lots of action in a community with a great future. Pat McDonnell, Vancouver's city manager, and star runner is apparently bracing for the challenges of budget austerity. He has challenged city employees to a cost saving marathon. Pat deals with any number of current projects and challenges -- from event centers, council changes, budget, new downtown development, to questions of who did what about the southern end marker of "the Jefferson Davis Highway", aka HWY 99. Multi tasking continues. Bill Barron, Clark County administrator, has returned from a personal honeymoon to the continuing tasks of managing a very rapidly growing county. A special project undertaken by the county commissioners is the dissolution of the SW Washington Health District, and the rEconstitution of this function as a county operation. And Camas. Your correspondent is pleased to work with a community which is prosperous and green. New parks and open spaces are a joy. Bracing and preparing for austerity is a task. Efforts to prepare and inspire a "next generation" of local staff leadership are interesting. Also of note is continuing contact with exemplary local leaders in Poland, and possibilities of a sister city relationship and a visit to Washington State by selected Polish leaders. Region 4, Kittitas, Klickitat & Yakima Counties No report. Region 5, Benton, Franklin & Walla Walla Counties Art Tackett, Connell city administrator: The winter has been relatively quiet in Connell. I know most of you are tired of hearing about our new wastewater treatment facility but it is almost ready to go on line. Our engineers tell us that the bugs and everything should be worked out of it (no pun intended) by the middle of April. The city has been working for a number of years restoring a historic church in the community. It has been slated to be a museum and will be an adjunct of the Franklin County Historical Society and operated by the Connell Heritage Foundation. If any of you are in the vicinity this summer drop by and visit. The city received word last month that it had received a grant of $477,000 to construct Phase 2 of its Clark Street project. The community is very excited about that. Connell has also been very active in the Eastern Washington Water Association. That involvement will probably increase in light of the fact that the Department of Ecology has just denied our application for additional water rights. The city is appealing that decision. Kennewick city manager Bob Kelly writes: The local Economy remains strong primarily due to construction of a $4B waste treatment plant at Hanford. Local communities collaborated on preparation of an impact assessment, since the Department of Energy did not deem impacts of enough significance to include in their environmental analysis. Local communities could expect some sales tax revenues, primarily from worker spending. The net impact on the communities was about $10M shortfall over the life of the project, primarily in safety services. Since the state will be a major tax beneficiary from sales tax, but incur few (if any) impact costs, our communities are seeking $10M in mitigation costs from the state. Planning the community's future is becoming a more significant concern for the city council and is being reflected in our work plan. Currently, we have two major planning efforts underway on different parts of the community. The first is a master plan for our civic complex, which is about an 80-acre area shared by the city, the hospital district and school district. Everyone is growing so planning growth in this area that is already fully developed is important to accommodate all needs and retain the character of the area. The sEcond area is about 3000 acres of largely undeveloped property within our UGA. It will likely be the area next aggressively developed. The planning effort is a joint venture of the city, hospital district and port district. All the landowners have also been participating on the design team. Pasco city manager Gary Crutchfield reports: The growth being experienced throughout the Tri-Cites urban area is presenting the kinds of challenges those of you on the west side have experienced for the past decade. Housing development is rapidly replacing sagebrush (and, in some cases, alfalfa fields) but is a welcome increase in utilization of a utility system installed years ago. The new housing growth coupled with annexation have pushed the city's population to about 35,000. The growth has also brought changes to the city council with two new faces (and philosophy) replacing two long time councilmembers; the philosophical differences hopefully will be compromised through the biennial council retreat this spring. Our new budget authorizes a six percent increase in authorized staff positions in order to keep up with the growth while new park facilities are a priority for development this year as well. With the exception of water rights, our utilities system is in good shape; we hope to see a positive conclusion to the five-year-old effort by the four cities comprising the Tri-Cities metropolitan area in obtaining a regional water right from the Department of Ecology. In the meantime, we are acquiring a privately owned irrigation system in the city so that it can be expanded more rapidly and increase our effective conservation of the surface water (Columbia River) resource. Richland city manager John Darrington reports: that he has survived his first year in Eastern Washington. His first 12 months at Richland's helm included the grand opening of a new police station and a new community center, the hiring of a new police chief and the successful lobbying of Congress for federal funds for transportation and rivershore improvements. This year, Richland is aiming to secure funds to help it withstand a predicted influx of several thousand residents, and even more commuters, as the Department of Energy constructs a waste glassification plant at Hanford. Richland was able to maintain its electric rates last fall while other area utility providers increased rates by nearly 40%; Richland's electric utility sold $15 million in surplus power last year and the city is using some of the reserves to keep down rates. Richland is already experiencing a record year in new home construction. Municipal projects this year will include improvements to the Downtown Parkway business area, construction of a boat dock on the Columbia River and implementation of a new integrated software system for the organization. Also internally, Darrington plans to continue implementing changes in response to an all-employee survey conducted in the sEcond half of 2001. Already, the survey produced an employee-led effort to revamp Richland's performance appraisal system, improve internal communications and enhance customer service. Late last year, Darrington led his staff and city council through a process to establish shared values. This year, Richland will begin its journey to embrace the values -- integrity, excellence and teamwork -- and to set aside some of the city's cumbersome policies. Walla Walla city manager Duane Cole: Succeeded Scott Staples, as Walla Walla's city manager on November 13, 2001. Duane grew up in the Walla Walla Valley and graduated from high school in Milton-Freewater, Oregon. He was the city manager of Newberg, Oregon, for the past 12 years and was the President of the OCMA last year. Walla Walla is an exciting community and opportunity. The city was recognized last year with a National Main Street Award. This year the city has been written-up in Sunset Magazine, the Boston Globe and the New York Times, primarily for the Main Street Award and the premier wines that are available and produced in the area. The recognition is wonderful for a community, but also sets a high standard for achievement both for the community and the city. Challenges in the future include water issues. While supply appears to be adequate for the future, there are issues of allocation in order to support agriculture, fish and people. Endangered species have been identified in the streams that flow through the community and the city's watershed is actually in Oregon. The level of complexity and discussion between the agencies is stimulating. Street repair and maintenance is the number one really large priority for the community, with tree maintenance, and a new public safety center a close sEcond. Each of these issues will be addressed during the coming years. Unlike the rest of Washington, the local Economy has remained relatively stable. Unemployment is about what one expects for this time of year and sales taxes were up significantly last year. City officials are hopeful that the increase in sales tax revenues is sustainable and that the Economic picture brightens during the coming months. Finally, if you get an opportunity, visit Walla Walla -- it truly is a beautiful spot, rich in history and serving great wine . . . Region 6, Asotin, Columbia, Garfield & Whitman Counties
No report. Region 7, Adams, Grant & Lincoln Counties The following information was provided by our Range Rider, Stan McNutt: A move to change the form of government from council-manager to mayor-council is scheduled for an election on March 19, 2002, in both Ephrata and in Moses Lake. Stan has made himself available in both cities. WCMA News 8 March 2002 Region 8, Ferry, Pend Oreille, Spokane & Stevens Counties No report. Region 9, Chelan, Douglas & Okanogan Counties No report. Region 10, Island, San Juan, Skagit & Whatcom Counties David Davidson, city administrator in Sumas, has returned to his duties after a six month sabbatical. David took his family to live in Spain. He reports that it was a wonderful experience that he would repeat in a sEcond if he could. Bill Verwolf is settling into his new position as city administrator in Lynden. He now wears wooden shoes instead of cowboy boots. Bill is ready to bid a new library and has a wastewater treatment plant renovation underway. I ran into Pat Floyd at his wife's retirement party in Blaine. Pat was the city manger in Blaine and most recently was the public works director in Fircrest. Pat retired in January. He and Diane were off traveling somewhere in the southwest. In Blaine, I survived another "change of government" election with a 70%-30% vote. The voters passed a bond issue for a new fire station which is in the design phase. I was in Washington, D. C., in mid February with representatives from the Lummi Nation lobbying for funds for a new regional wastewater treatment program. Blaine has also expressed an interest in constructing the new sector headquarters for the INS. Steve Jilk, former city administrator of Lynden, is now working with the Port of Bellingham. He is heading up an exciting program called "Partnership for Sustainable Economy". One of his major projects is working with Whatcom County's Planning Department to update the Comprehensive Economic Development Plan for the county. Region 11, Snohomish County Peter Lieurance, executive assistant to the mayor, Lynnwood, reports BIG THINGS HAPPENING! 1. ALDERWOOD MALL: MAJOR EXPANSION Lynnwood is working with the owners of Alderwood Mall on a major expansion of this regional retail center. General Growth Properties has filed an application to increase the mall by approximately 500,000 square feet. The project includes a new Nordstrom department store, an open air "life-style village" with WCMA News 9 March 2002 specialty shops, an expanded food court with the possibility of a fifth anchor store, and structured parking. The total project increases Alderwood Mall to 1.5 million square feet, one of the largest in the region. Expanding Alderwood Mall will diversify the mix of tenants and strengthen the shopping experience. The project will also be a catalyst for the city's efforts to redevelop its city center, expand its Economic base, and create jobs. The project will be undertaken in phases beginning in 2002 with completion in 2004. City staff is working closely with the owner to finalize development approval. 2. Convention Center on the Way All funding has been secured, and most of the property has been acquired for development of a $30 million, 35,000 square foot Convention Center at the intersection of 196th St. SW and I-5 in Lynwood. It will serve as a sEcond catalyst for the city's emerging city center. The hi-tech facility will accommodate small to moderate meetings and conferences up to 950 people and banquets up to 860 people. The building will be configured to allow several smaller groups to convene at the same time. Small informal meal functions and elegant banquet service will be available. The Center is currently scheduled to open in September 2004. Think about a WCMA Conference in 2005 in Lynnwood! 3. Completion of the I-5/196th Street Interchange Project The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) will soon begin construction on the fourth phase of improvements to the I-5/196th Interchange, which will further enhance access to Lynnwood from I-5. The existing southbound I-5 off-ramp and traffic signal at 196th Street SW will be replaced by separate off-ramps, which will allow traffic to merge onto eastbound and westbound 196th Street SW without stopping. This is expected to eliminate off-ramp traffic from backing up onto the freeway as it currently does during the afternoon peak commute time and the Christmas holiday shopping season. The project will also widen 196th St. SW between 36th Avenue W and 40th Avenue W to provide a right-turn only lane for eastbound traffic using the southbound I-5 on-ramp. This is expected to reduce the eastbound backup at this intersection and will further enhance access to the businesses on 196th Street SW. The project was scheduled to go to construction in the spring of 2001, but was delayed over a land access problem between WSDOT and the Snohomish PUD. Those issues have been resolved and it should be under construction this summer. The city is also looking forward to the completion of the last phase of the interchange work. Dave O'leary, city administrator of Lake Stevens, reports that there is a lot happening. Construction projects. We are embarking on the biggest set of construction projects ever planned for our city. We are building several million dollars in new sewer lines. In addition we will construct sorely needed sidewalks in the downtown area and near our high school. This comes on the heels of a project we just completed, finishing sidewalks and a new road overlay along 20th St, which is a major entrance to our city. Regatta. On April 27th, the city will serve as host for our third rowing regatta in the last two years. This one will be the biggest yet. Lake Stevens will host the Cascade Sprints, otherwise known as the Northwest Collegiate Rowing Conference Championships. Between 1,000 and 2,000 college students and their supporters will travel to Lake Stevens for the event. Teams include:
Racers will follow a new course that will finish in the Lake Stevens Cove, and allow onlookers to stand along the shore and see the racers cross the finish line. Doggone -- we are saving dogs (and cats). The Lake Stevens police department now has a new aid in returning lost pets to their families. We recently acquired a new Avid Mini Tracker. The Mini Tracker scans lost pets, in search of a micro-chip that is implanted by most veterinarians and/or animal shelters. If a micro-chip is found, the Mini Tracker shows an identification number. The police department then calls Avid and is given the owner information. According to Avid, more pets die each year as a result of not being identified than from all infectious diseases combined. Avid donated the Mini Tracker in exchange for a promise that the police department will scan all lost animals it comes in contact with. This is not meant to take the place of licensing our cats and dogs. It's just one more avenue that we have to return pets to their homes and avoid taking them to the shelter in Everett. Between January 1st and February 15th, the police department has returned two dogs with micro-chips to their owners. The licensing of all cats and dogs that reside in the city is mandatory. Licensing is done at city hall during regular business hours and takes only a few minutes. In an effort to encourage animal licensing, the city is offering free lifetime licensing for all cats and dogs until March 31, 2001. After this date, the fee will be $20 for a lifetime license. Failure to license may result in a fine. For more information on micro-chipping your pets, contact your local veterinarian. Region 12, North King County To know your city is to promote it and furthermore, enjoy it, right? That's the idea behind city of Bothell's "Experience Bothell" program. This internal, customer service-focused program is based on Seattle's world-famous Pike Place Market Fish Throwers...their business values that all employees live and breathe by are:
Bothell is adhering to these customer service values and is teaching its own staff how to apply those values in day-to-day work, whether it is interaction with the public or internally with co-workers. An interdepartmental team, lead by the city manager's office, holds monthly workshops to approximately 30 city staff members to teach, play and help staff understand that it's not all serious business in the city. A key message being that staff can have fun while providing the highest levels of public service. The workshops are filled with educational activities that help remind employees to loosen up, get to know each other and keep a sense of humor alive. The workshops are positive experiences for staff and takes them out of their daily element to have some fun. By applying these values in daily work, the goal is that employees enjoy and appreciate their work more and that their enthusiasm will show through to Bothell citizens whether it is in an office or in the field. Woody Edvalson, city manager of Carnation says, I'm beginning
to think that the old adage, "No news is good news," is
no longer true. I think in our business, it should probably say,
"No news means, you'd better find out why not." We're
still working on getting sewers for Carnation. Our latest
effort is an interlocal with King County to build a wastewater
treatment plant to serve Carnation. Carnation would
then be part of the King County solid waste system. We would
still be responsible for developing our own collection system. Mitch Wasserman, city administrator, Clyde Hill, reports they are currently up to their eyeballs planning for and implementing a number of public works projects that will impact the entire city. Two of the most entertaining ones include a utility conversion and a cable TV project. About 10% of the homes in Clyde Hill petitioned the council to develop an LID for the purpose of undergrounding the existing overhead power, cable, and phone facilities. To gain some Economies of scale we will also be constructing a new adjacent sidewalk with associated landscaping, street work and street lighting. We are currently appealing an onerous ruling by the State Utilities and Transportation Commission to correctly interpret the tariffs and costs associated with the electric costs . . . hopefully good news to follow. Along with that project AT&T is poised to criss-cross just about all of our streets in an effort to upgrade the cable TV system. In the 1980's our system was "built" by a small start-up company that never did a very good job. As a result we have to rebuild the entire system and impact the entire community. Based on the impacts of I-695, I-722 and I-747 on the city's finances and operations, we established a finance committee of community members to help review the city's financial dilemma and participate in the budget development process for the past two years. Judging from the reaction of the council, staff and the members of the committee, we had two very successful experiences. Through their participation in the meetings and understanding of the information prepared, the budget advisory committee provided input into some of the more difficult choices of our process, challenged some of our assumptions and kept all on their toes. The observations, comments, questions and ideas of the committee greatly added to the development of our challenging budgets. Jack McKenzie, town administrator of Hunts Point is conducting
an advisory ballot on the replacement of eighty year old Hunts
Point Road. The road has endured, almost without maintenance,
during that time. There is something to be said for hand-poured
concrete sections. Due to local concern about the handling of the
ballots Mitch Wasserman was asked to serve as election referee.
He has agreed to do so and the process is now underway. This ballot
is a first for the staff of Hunts Point and is proving to
be an interesting project involving public meetings, lots of discussions
with local residents and the usual fog of misinformation that occurs
during the public process related to a controversial project. Steve Anderson, city manager, Kenmore, reports they are off to a great start to 2002, receiving recognition as the city with the highest percentage property tax increase in King County -- 24%. When compared to all taxing jurisdictions in King County, we rank third, but with a bullet. Council decided to take a majority of the banked capacity and increased the mill levy to $1.85 from $1.60, which coupled with the 8% AV increase, put us on top. The council designated the increased revenues to be 1% to the general fund in keeping with I-747, and the remainder to the capital projects fund to be used as down payment toward our capital facilities plan. Naturally, the press reported the 24% property tax increase in Kenmore, not that it was on the portion of property tax the city receives. In response to the numerous calls and emails, we explained what the actual increase meant. Some people were so pleased their annual tax bill didn't go up 24% that they actually were relieved to hear the news. Some of the people understood the financial strategy and agreed with the action, and then there was the other camp. We'll be doing a special community newsletter in March explaining the 2002 budget in greater detail. The Kenmore council conducted its annual winter retreat in La Conner February 1st and 2nd spending much of the time reviewing progress toward their adopted goals and identifying which ones to restate, check off or new ones to consider. For 2002 -2003, the number one priority is to develop a comprehensive community communication program, focusing on what we do and why do we do it. We will be back in La Conner in July conducting our annual mid-year retreat that will provide staff with direction on preparation of the 2003 Budget. The design phase of the $28M SR 522 transportation improvement projects has begun. We anticipate doing construction at 73rd Avenue NE and Bothell Way in 2003, with the other projects beginning in 2004. Design also continues on $5.5M in drainage improvements in the Swamp Creek drainage basin, with construction to begin in 2003. The LakePointe project was put on hold due to the region's Economic downturn. The original developer, Triple Five out of Canada pulled out in late 2001 when their financing package fell through. The owner of the site continues to have the necessary permits in place to have the project completed pending finding the right developer. Based on calls received by the community development director, the development community is indicating renewed interest in the project. From Kirkland, Kathy Oeser, senior management analyst, reports a new thing called Neighborhood U. Kirkland works hard at maintaining good working relationships with its very active neighborhood associations. Part of this effort was implemented last year called "Neighborhood U." The intent of this is program is to educate neighborhood leaders on various aspects of local government. We just completed the 2002 class of Neighborhood U. The focus was on city planning. The planning department prepared four sessions on topics ranging from GMA and the Comp Plan to land use review processes. The format of the classes was made up of presentations and group exercises. Neighborhood U results in staff gaining valuable insight to issues from the community perspective and citizens broaden their understanding of government and how they can make a difference. Over 20 neighborhood representatives participated and the course received great reviews. We will soon begin working with the neighborhood associations on planning for the 2003 course. Doug Jacobson, city administrator, Lake Forest Park, reports that the exciting news in Lake Forest Park is after six years of planning, design and debate we have moved into a new city hall. On February 19 we opened for business in our new building. The Lake Forest Park city hall is now located at the main intersection in Lake Forest Park, the intersection of two state highways, Bothell Way and Ballinger Way, in the corner of the Towne Centre mall. The 19,800 square foot building has space for all city functions with the exception of the public works and parks maintenance staff. It houses our administrative offices, municipal court and police department. The project had a tight budget, the building construction cost was $125/sf. The building will be dedicated March 23rd. For a tour or more information about this project give me a call at 206.368.5440. The city is embarking on an ambitious public involvement process as we begin our 2003 budget development. The process known as "Life After State Shared Revenues" will involve the preparation of a budget workbook that explains the city's finances, our impending deficient and includes an exercise that allows the participant to balance the city's budget using a combination of available revenue and expense reduction options. We will be conducting these workshops in May, allowing the mayor and city council to consider a 2003 budget in July, three months earlier than historically they have. If additional revenue options are to be considered they most likely would include voter approval increasing the property tax levy lid. The intent would be to place such a property tax levy lid on the September ballot, rather than in November to allow the council time to complete the budget without a year-end time crunch. The city will assuming ownership of the facilities owned by the Ronald Wastewater Management District before the end of year. This assumption will triple the miles of pipe the city will be maintaining and increase five fold the number of customers. This assumption is the completion of three years of discussion and negotiation between the city and sewer district and follows the assumption of sewer facilities previously owned by Seattle in the cities of Lake Forest Park and Shoreline. Our comprehensive plan five-year update will be available for public hearing later this spring and the council just approved a new two-year agreement with our police officers guild. Like most other cities in King County, Medina has been faced with jail contract issues, transportation issues, GMA compliance and other regional issues. The November election brought three new members to the city council and returned one of the two incumbents who ran for sEcond terms. Redevelopment continues to be a key issue in Medina although the level of activity appears to be decreasing slightly compared to the past five years. The planning commission and city council continue to search for appropriate policies to preserve the small town character of the community and mitigate the impacts from construction of 10,000 to 30,000 s.f. residential structures. The Medina police department has spent the past two years gearing up for state accreditation. The accreditation evaluation is scheduled for March, so the past couple of months have been full of reviews, final preparations and the mock evaluation. Doug Schultze, city manager, says, "I could be mistaken, but I believe successfully meeting the accreditation standards will place the Medina police department in the position of being the sEcond smallest accredited police department in Washington." A considerable amount of time during the past year has also been dedicated to development of a new comprehensive emergency management program. During the next six to twelve months, city staff will be working with residents and a consultant to implement the plan and procure the necessary supplies and equipment for recovery from a significant event. Pete Rose, city manager of Woodinville, reports that as the city government begins its sEcond year in its new building, it ends its ninth year since incorporation. Woodinville now looks like a city and my effort is to assure that we act like one. At the operational level, this means pushing the organization through adolescence and into mature service provision as quickly as possible. This year is the sEcond year of stable staffing levels rather than rapid growth of the earlier years, away from full contracting and into direct service provision in some areas. The effort is now to make "the routine" routine. For the citizens, this means constant, reliable levels or well-defined urban services. For the staff, this means clear level of service standards, a customer service training program and introduction of performance measures to help guide us -- all the boring stuff that more mature cities take for granted. To that operational context is added an unusually large burden of planned urban growth management effort. In addition to the comprehensive plan update, Woodinville will be trying to complete at least eight master plans or studies during this year. How we got that much stuff going at once can only be explained as new city exuberance. Pete observes, "My overarching organizational effort during the year will be to reframe this study insanity into opportunity." Both the spring and fall council retreats will be dedicated to putting all this data, policy and politics into a big picture context so the council is committed to working the implementation of these plans in proper priority and in proper relationship to other things. Region 13, South King County No report. Region 14, Pierce County Tacoma: Alcohol Impact Area, By Ray E. Corpuz, Jr. Tacoma got serious March 1 about curbing its drinking problem. Tacoma is the first city in Washington to mandate an Alcohol Impact Area (AIA). With the approval of the Washington State Liquor Control Board, Tacoma can now ban sales of cheap, high-alcohol beer and wine in an area plagued by chronic public drunkenness -- and all the crime and social costs that come with it. The ban area spans the downtown core and small parts of surrounding neighborhoods. The AIA restricts the off-premises sale of fortified wines over 13 percent alcohol costing less than 10 cents an ounce or beer or malt drinks of over 5.7 percent that cost 6 cents an ounce or less. The new designation also extends the time period Tacoma has to comment on any new off-premises liquor license applications within the several-square-mile area. Tacoma tried to make a dent in the public drunkenness problem with a voluntary AIA in February 2001. The state liquor board requires at least a six-month voluntary test period before a city can pursue a permanent designation. During the test, only about 50 percent of the 56 taverns and grocery stores in the area agreed to sign a "Good Neighbor Agreement" to voluntarily ban sales of high-octane alcohol. Crime continued to climb and bills for costly medical and public safety personnel responses continued to rack up. In building the case for the liquor board, firefighters, police and medics marked on a map their calls related to inebriation -- calls for panhandling, fighting, public urination and defecation. Citizens got behind the ban with all eight of Tacoma's neighborhood councils and 13 business districts expressing support. Citizens testified passionately at both the city and state level. Being the first to institute the 3-year-old law in Washington, Tacoma knows all eyes are on us as we move forward with our Alcohol Impact Area. At the same time, we know that the deep-seated problem of public drunkenness won't go away by a ban alone but requires a comprehensive approach. So a task force comprised of police, elected officials, social service providers and health professionals is looking at prevention and treatment solutions. By coming at the public drunkenness problem from all angles -- and with the citizens by our side-we hope to make progress. I'll report back on Tacoma's experience with the Alcohol Impact Area when we have some initial results. From the Counties The Washington County Administrative Association convened for its annual conference in Leavenworth, Washington February 27 - March 1. Twelve counties were represented. Several new members joined the regulars. Welcome to: Dan Engelbertson, Clallam County administrator, James Weed, Okanogan County, director of administrative services, and Doug Cochran, Yakima County manager. Rich Yukubousky of MRSC gave members a guided tour of the MRSC website (www.mrsc.org) and discussed on-going development of new services including the availability of internet discussion groups and e-learning. Maureen Morris of WSAC reported on the challenges facing state legislators and the Governor as they work to balance the state budget. WCAA will continue to work with WSAC to provide comprehensive, consistent and accurate information regarding potential impacts to county budgets. WCAA will also work with WSAC to identify where there may be duplication of service or discrepancies in implementation of state mandates. The aim will be to provide consistent and efficient delivery of service. Professional training was provided by Jim Reid of the Falconer Group and lecturer in the Daniel J. Evans School of Public Affairs at the University of Washington. He presented several strategies to reduce resistance to change. A lively discussion included real-life examples such as dealing with declining revenues, staff reductions, job consolidations, technology advances, and the effects of citizen initiatives. A roundtable discussion included an in-depth discussion on the financial issues facing counties. Strategies being implemented by counties include program and staff reductions resulting in reduction in the level of service; expansion of technology and collaboration, restructuring, reorganization and consolidation in order to achieve efficiencies. The adage "doing more with less" came to mind! The WCAA fall meeting will be held in Wenatchee in early October in conjunction with the WSAC meeting. From Cascade CenterSarah Lynch reports: I just wanted to let you know that I went back to school full-time and am no longer employed by the Cascade Center. Lori Ross is the new marketing assistant for Cascade. Her email is loriross@u.washington.edu and I'm sure she would appreciate e-mail contact with WCMA. Thanks! Sarah And Stephanie Lucash keeps us up to date with the following: The Cascade Center for Public Service provides intensive management training for mid- to senior-level executives in the public and non-profit sectors. Based at the Daniel J. Evans School of Public Affairs at the University of Washington, the Center is nationally recognized and boasts instructors who are experts in their fields. The course instruction is timely and relevant. We are proud to count many current and former city managers among our participants. Registration is now open for 2002 Cascade Center courses. To ensure a space, please submit your registration as soon as possible to the Cascade Center. Some of our courses are full, so register now to ensure a place in the course of your choice. You can register on-line via our web site at www.cascadecourses.org or by calling the Cascade Center at 206-685-0523 to request a brochure. Our two senior executive programs, the Cascade Public Executive Program and the Executive Management Program, have separate registration processes. Please contact the Cascade Center for more information regarding these programs. Complete 2002 Course Schedule March Managing the Budget Process April Ethics, Leadership and Public Service Managing People to Improve Programs Working Effectively with the Media, Elected Officials and Interest
Groups Resolving Conflict and Building Consensus May Cascade Public Executive Program June Executive Management Program Managing Organizational Change July Improving Operations and Customer Service August Developing Practical Programs and Services in a Political Environment
Managing Information Technology September Managing People to Improve Programs Managing Organizational Change October Resolving Conflict and Building Consensus Executive Refresher Program TransitionsPerry Asher, formerly assistant city administrator in Monroe, is now the village administrator of Shorewood Hills, Wisconsin. The ICMA Regional Director for the West Coast, including Washington, is changing. George Barbour has retired. His replacement is Dave Childs. Dave is currently city manager of South Lake Tahoe, California. Dave is a former ICMA Vice President, and was at one time President of the Minnesota managers group. The position, which has been half-time, is being changed to full-time. Dave plans to attend the Northwest Management Regional Managers Conference in Oregon later this month. Randy Bombardier is the new city manager in Ridgefield. He replaces Tom Weldon. Steven Burkett is now the city manager of Shoreline. He was formerly manager of a private development organization in Texas. The new city manager of Walla Walla is Duane Cole. Duane was formerly city manager of Newberg, Oregon. Jack Collins, Executive Director, Northwest Small Cities Services, Inc., is serving as interim city manager of Snohomish. The new city manager of Covington is Andrew Dempsey. He replaces Tom Reber who was serving as interim city manager. Lewis "Griff" Griffin is now the city administrator of Liberty Lake. He was formerly city administrator in Colfax. Liberty Lake brings the total number of cities in Washington to 280. The formal incorporation date was August 31, 2001. Linda Herzog has joined the Mercer Island staff as assistant city manager. She was formerly the assistant to the mayor in Redmond. Calvin Hoggard is now the chief of staff for the King County Executive. He was formerly city manager of SeaTac. Jay Holman is now city manager of SeaTac. He was formerly assistant city manager there. The new city manager of Battle Ground is Eric Holmes. Eric was formerly deputy city manager and planning director. He replaces Dave Mercier, who has returned to Maine to serve on the staff of the state legislature. Thom Myers, former city administrator of Arlington, is now the interim city administrator of Monroe. Dave O'Leary, city administrator of Lake Stevens, has agreed to be the WCMA regional representative for Snohomish County, Region 11. He replaces Perry Asher in that role. Bill Verwolf, former city administrator of Monroe, is now the city administrator of Lynden. WCMA Officers and Board MembersPresident Bob Jean, City Manager, University Place Vice President Bob Stowe, City Manager, Mill Creek Past President Ray Corpuz, Jr., City Manager, Tacoma Secretary-Treasurer Richard Yukubousky, Executive Director
of MRSC Board of Directors Larry Bellamy, City Administrator, Goldendale Rhonda Berry, Assistant City Administrator, Tukwila Francine Boxer, County Administrator, Spokane County Rich Conrad, City Manager, Mercer Island Lewis "Griff" Griffin, City Administrator, Liberty Lake Manny Ocampo, Assistant City Manager, Bothell David Ramsay, City Manager, Kirkland Ex Officio members Stan Finkelstein, Executive Director, Association of Washington
Cities (360) 753-4137 stanf@awcnet.org 2002 Calendar
2003 Calendar
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