Brad Collins and Sissi Bruch both spoke in favor of having City Council positions being limited to just two consecutive terms. Brad Collins at one point stated that there are always term limits in place, because "people can vote incumbents out." Of course, incumbent Collins ran unopposed this last time, which does somewhat undercut his point.
If you'll allow me to undercut my own argument for a moment...
On a similar note, Mayor Dan DiGuilio said that "voters can tell us when our term is up." But again, when races are unopposed, Dan, what then? (Mention was made during the discussion of the three unopposed Council races in the last election.)
In the end, essentially the entire Council - including Collins and Bruch - punted, and directed staff to "do outreach" to the community to find out what "the people" want. Cherie Kidd wants a survey sent out with utility bills, and Collins seemed to support that idea with his comments. In any case, staff will now spend time trying to think of ways to "do outreach." Said ideas will then have to come back to Council for approval. If they are then approved, then staff will actually initiate said "outreach" and eventually report the results back to Council. All of this will occur at a later date - probably a much later date.
As for the Nippon payout...City Attorney Bill Bloor started the discussion off with a recap of how the City got to this point. Back in October of 2011, the Bonneville Power Administration introduced a new two-tier billing methodology. In response to this, the City enacted a change in their own ordinances - a change that wasn't intended to change the Industrial Rate Class that Nippon is billed (and taxed) under. The amended ordinance included a complex methodology for calculating the Industrial Rate - and Nippon has challenged the City's new methodology from the start.
In October of 2013, Nippon made a formal claim against the City for a revised utility tax refund - to the tune of $394,000. City staff proposed that the City pay $200,000 to settle that claim. That money will come from the Unassigned Fund Balance (which is 28% of the General Fund), and not from utility reserves. Mind you, the City's utility departments have millions of dollars in reserves, but again, those won't be touched. This payout will, however, affect the General Fund, which is an ever-shrinking resource. City Manager Dan McKeen tried to make some lemonade out of this big, yellow lemon, by assuring the Council that this payout will "have no impact on electric utility rates." Left unsaid and undiscussed was what impacts there will be from blowing a $200,000 hole in the General Fund, though Bloor did state that "the 2014 budget will need to be amended."
As part of this settlement, the City also agrees to help Nippon try to extract even more of a refund from the State of Washington. Pretty sweet deal, yes? Pay the extortionist, then help them with their next extortion attempt.
Anyway, after giving his recap, and explaining how the City's own screwed up ordinance caused all this, Bloor defended the ordinance as being a "good one." Then, doubling back yet again, having just defended the ordinance, and explained that the City has just reviewed it, he told the Council that staff would review it again. Remember, staff time is money. How much money is all this reviewing going to cost? And who wants to bet that the next answer will come back the same: Looks good!
Speaking of good, Dan McKeen finally piped in to say that "Bill did a really good job." He also described the settlement (where Nippon gets over 50% of what they asked for from the City- plus help with the State) as the City and Nippon "agreeing to disagree." He said that twice, actually. Again, from Nippon's perspective, that's a pretty nice "disagreement."
Council members didn't have a lot to say after all that. Cherie Kidd, perhaps suffering a mild form of Stockholm Syndrome, described Nippon as having "made an honest attempt to work with us." Lee Whetham praised staff for their work. Only Sissi Bruch expressed being "a little less happy about the settlement," and was concerned that the matter festered because "ambiguity existed for such a long time."
But in the end, Brad Collins moved approval of the payout, Pat Downie seconded it, and the City Council voted unanimously to approve it. Nippon - part of a multi-billion dollar multinational corporation - can expect their check in the mail within ten business days.
Your money is about to take a trip abroad!
I wonder how many days it will take for staff to "amend" the 2014 budget to account for that new $200,000 hole in it?
Thanks for the follow-up reporting - it's very much appreciated.
ReplyDeleteReading this, I have to wonder if these people even listen to themselves, yet alone the people they're supposed to represent. Brad spouting off on how people can vote out incumbents after just having run unopposed is the height of idiocy.
Yes, I think it's safe to say we would vote out all you incumbents, only this last time we didn't have any choice in the matter at all.
I have to disagree with your "Thanks". Though I seldom add a comment, we have followed this site for some time, appreciating the thought provoking articles and commentary. The Blog has been insightful and often entertaining. Certainly more so than the PDN or PA Online! However, of late the site seems has clearly shifted, somehow losing vitality. Hope it recovers from this discouraging trend. Offered as constructive criticism.
DeleteWithout knowing what you mean by "losing vitality," it's hard to respond to your constructive criticism. I freely admit that this particular piece is pretty dry, but I thought it was important to have some follow-up, in some detail. The City's severely compromised relationship with Nippon is one of THE key factors in understanding how Port Angeles works - and doesn't work.
DeleteI'll continue to explore that relationship in the future, and hope that you'll keep reading and keep participating. In any case, thanks for writing.
I wish I could afford a trip to Japan. But I can't, because I live in Port Angeles. And the sad part is, soon I won't even be able to afford to live here.
ReplyDeleteSigh...I almost hate to say it, but...Dan McKeen, decent guy that he is and all, has to go. Anyone who would say Bill Bloor "did a really good job" on this (or anything) is either a fool or not paying attention.
ReplyDeleteBloor crafts an ordinance that is, at best confusing, and causes years of back and forth BS. Then he reviews said ordinance, finds it is actually just fine, and then promises to review it again! What for? We know it doesn't work as intended. Neither does Bloor. He's like a lawyer you'd get out of a cereal box. The city would be better off keeping the cereal, and giving Bloor the boot.
You know, at one time I had hopes for both Brad and Sissi. I really did. But now, even if they occasionally talk the good talk, they still always seem to end up voting the stupid vote.
ReplyDeleteBrad: Gone to the Dark Side.
DeleteSissi: One term then out - if she's smart.
It's been evident for a long time now that Sissi Bruch has no interest in being a leader for the opposition. Perhaps witnessing the virtual tarring and feathering of Max and Dale put her off voting with her conscience or perhaps some other methods were used. Anyway, she's been voting solidly with the old council for quite a while now.
DeletePer Sissi: She's learned - why make waves? I think she'll just sit her term out, vote the way the rest of the Council is leaning, and then be gone. I don't think she's the fool that Betsy Wharton was (who seemed to really believe that Karen Rogers was her friend), but she does seem to have realized that the attacks and smears that were aimed at Max (and Dale) could easily be aimed at her.
DeleteSo again - why make waves?
Brad Collins has about as much spine as a wet paper towel. I have gotten well and truly sick of his usual routine - talk an issue or a project down, then, when the vote is taken, vote for it. Sometimes he will say he's voting for something "reluctantly" to try and give himself some cover or..?
DeleteSo far as I know, Brad, Teresa Pierce is gone, her little stupid lies have gone public, and we've all moved on. You're in there to represent the people of Port Angeles - why not try doing that for awhile? Grow a spine, and turn your brain back on. If you can't do that, at least please turn your mouth off. I'm not the only one who's sick and tired of hearing your strong NO statements followed by a weak YES vote.
Bloor rhymes with sore...and that's really what he makes me. Get him OUT. Please, please please, please, someone, tell me that he is going to retire soon, or something? Feed him more saturated fats, maybe we can get some health issue brewing. I really think a LOT of our town problems start and end with him. I'd be willing to BET that he knew that Nippon could come back and screw the pooch with the ordinance. And, he still says it's "fine fine fine" "good work, if I say so myself". Seriously? I find it hard to believe that HE looks out for the best interests of the city.
ReplyDeleteAmen to that. Bloor may have almost risen to his level of competence when he was part time municipal counsel to a tiny town in eastern Washington, but he never should have been hired to be city attorney in Port Angeles. The people who hired him (and here we go full circle to the very first topic in this blog --- the Karen Rogers council and shady city officials) obviously wanted a weak attorney that could be easily manipulated into saying and doing whatever they wanted. Bloor should have been fired years ago. His incompetence has cost citizens literally millions of dollars.
DeleteBut per another poster's comment, how much do you want to bet he's had spotty "evaluations" during his tenure as City Attorney? By any measure he's a dismal failure and a costly embarrassment. But if he's not measured at all..?
DeleteThis one is in your court, Dan McKeen. And of course, Dan McKeen is in the City Council's court. And the City Council takes their legal cues from...Bill Bloor.
Perfect.
Might I suggest taking Bill Bloor's salary for the next year, and putting it towards the $200,000? Yes, he's overpaid, but his salary won't make up the entire difference, so we might have to take the City Manager's salary, too, and maybe the salary of the City Council members who were stupid enough to vote for this.
ReplyDeleteOh, wait. THEY ALL VOTED FOR IT. It was unanimous, just like on pretty much everything.
It's so discouraging, to say the least. We may as well just ask Karen Rogers to come back and be mayor again, for all the difference we see in terms of spending, policy, hiring, etc. The bad old days have never actually ended.
As has been pointed out before, the root of our problems is "staff". As you make note of, different council people come and go, but the problems continue. Yes, we could wish that the council spent more time understanding what they are voting on, but that just isn't happening.
DeleteAnd, how many of the general public read all the reports, and catch where staff is making all these mistakes? Now THERE is where a "solution" lays.
A citizens group to be formed, made up in part of "experts" in various fields who actually read and analyze staff and consultant reports, and that very publicly advises council members of the pros, cons and errors prior to council votes.
This is much like what big time political groups do when a big issue report comes out. Staffers are each given a small portion to read, so that it all can get read quickly, in time for the "reaction" interviews you see on TV.
In the case of the City Council, we all see, and know they don't have the time, or the expertise to read or understand what they are asked to vote on. This is why they rely on staff recommendations, and why we see the "go along to get along" voting.
A citizens group to be formed to "do the work" makes sense. Really, it IS our responsibility. The "old guard" sits around waiting for somebody to ride into town to miraculously "fix" all our problems, and make Port Angeles a wonderful place. But that is just fantasy.
It is OUR community. We need to review what staff is telling the council, and give those that ultimately vote for us our intelligent and relevant perspectives. Then we'll have a more representative form of local government.
While I get what you're trying to say here, I have my doubts that many City Council members would be, uh, warm and friendly towards your view that they "don't have the time or the expertise to read or understand what they are asked to vote on."
DeleteMind you, I'M NOT DISAGREEING WITH YOUR ASSESSMENT. But in terms of changing things, or getting the City Council to operate in a different way, I don't know that this is how I'd pitch it.
In the best of all worlds, the members of the City Council would get paid more (wait, wait) so that people who aren't retired or business owners could afford to run for the spots. Right now, you have to be able to pay your bills some other way, which severely limits the pool of possible Council candidates. With real pay, I think the voters would also be more likely to expect real results, not this slow (and not so slow) slide into debt and oblivion.
Just a few thoughts to share, for whatever they're worth...
In other communities, citizens groups are very powerful. Council doesn't have much choice in the matter.
DeleteBut, given the lack of any interest in forming one in Port Angeles, I guess we'll just continue doing the same old, same old. Easier to blame others for what we're not willing to do ourselves.
Not meaning to sound rude, but, allow me to simplify all this for you.
ReplyDeleteNippon, the last "industrial customer" in town, calls the shots at City Hall. There's no doubt about that. This is a company town, bought and paid for - or should I say paid OUT. Nippon's been running things for quite a while, their influence is inescapable. (Look at how Cherie Kidd talks about them...)
Clearly Nippon got rattled when people like Max Mania and, at the time, Sissi Bruch, started voting against Nippon-approved agenda items, and, in the case of the biomass plant, actively working to stop them. The Japanese don't like controversy, and so Max and Sissi had to be neutralized. Cue the big lie campaign against Max, which seems to have frightened Sissi as well.
Now Nippon has probably realized that they will do better if they get their people onto the Council for nice, long stretches. Hence the move to do away with term limits. This would allow them to pack the Council even more, to go along with their Nippon-run Utility Advisory Committee and everything else.
It really is all about Nippon. They have influence, and know how to use it. Meanwhile, the bumpkins on the Council are too afraid to speak up or step out against Nippon, for fear of seeming "anti-jobs" and all that crap. None of them are intelligent or sophisticated enough to envision a Port Angeles that isn't a "timber town" anyway.
If you don't like it here, move. Things aren't going to change. Not in our lifetimes.
I agree. Things aren't going to change and that's OK with us. We like things the way they are just fine and would hate to see anything change. We accept Port Angeles just the way it is, that's why we retired here. So quit crying about it.
Delete"I agree. Things aren't going to change and that's OK with us. We like the cancer in our lungs just fine and would hate to see anything change. We accept cancer just the way it is, so quit crying about it."
DeleteThat about right?
9:23AM represents a fairly typical Roughrider point of view. "Things was real good when we had more mills a-workin'."
DeleteToo bad the mills are gone, and not coming back, and the modern world has left you behind in poverty and ignorance. But, then again, you and your meth-addled dropout kids (who live in your basement and pop out bastard children of their own) are probably in the "blissfully ignorant" category, not actually knowing just how pathetic you are compared to pretty much anyone else, from anywhere else.
Those of us who know better will keep trying to do better, and make the community better. However, we won't wait for you to thank us for our efforts.
Thanks for taking the time to give this detailed follow up to the city council meeting. I know some people get bored or bogged down in the details (like, say, Cherie Kidd), but we appreciate having a pair of eyes and a voice that's making an effort to get important information out to the community.
ReplyDeleteLike it or not, we are all on the line to pay for the stupidity of this (and previous) city councils. As you say, that $200,000 comes out of the general fund, which comes out of our pockets. Now the city is acting as a pass-thru from our pockets directly to Nippon. This is outrageous, and needs to change. Thanks again for raising your voice in outrage. Hopefully others will join in.
You raise another important issue. What our tax dollars pay for. Here, we're talking about the City giving more money to Nippon. After we gave them $85 million to build that biomess plant.
DeleteAs we look around, we hear constantly how there are "budget cuts" for school programs, social welfare programs and more. Food Stamps? Reduce the funding. We can't afford to fund our schools, police or fire departments. The arts? Forget about it. We even close down our local government periodically, because of "budget cuts".
Everything now is discussed in terms of whether it generated jobs, or how much it costs.
In years past, we paid our taxes, knowing the roads would be paved, potholes fixed and the street lights would come on at dusk. It was assumed we were paying for the services we needed, and it all got done.
But, as Eisenhower so wisely warned us, corporate whiz kids saw opportunities in all that tax money, and have been busy ever since figuring out how to get as much tax money transferred over to their private accounts as they can. Subsidies, tax loop holes, contracts and all the endless new ways they get paid to figure out.
So, we have evolved into a country that can't fund anything for it's tax paying citizens, all the while there are more billionaires and millionaires than ever before. Cities like Detroit go bankrupt, while the top 25 riches corporations in the US pay no income taxes, at all. We don't even have use of all that money sitting in the banks, because the corporations, being such good patriots, have moved the money to oversaeas banks. We give Nippon $85 million, but can't fund the paving of our own streets.
We have allowed the corporations to reframe our priorities. We accept the way they have set this all up. It isn't about "making a profit". Not when they are making record setting profits, each year greater than the year before. There comes a point when the situation goes beyond absurd, to where we find ourselves, now.
Most all seem to be waiting for somebody else to "fix" these problems. We each do today, what we did yesterday, and the problems only get worse. When will we figure it out? Nobody is coming to save us?
Anon 10:17 AM:
DeleteIf I may completely pick apart your strange response...
"Nothing needs to change." So, with sky-high rates of unemployment and substance abuse in Port Angeles, nothing needs to change? With a downtown core that is clearly dying, if not dead already, nothing needs to change? With schools that have staggeringly high dropout rates, nothing needs to change? With a city government that is, at best, totally inept, and saddled with huge amounts of debt, nothing needs to change? With that same city charging ridiculously high utility rates, so high that a third of the people here can't pay their bills every month, nothing needs to change?
"If people don't like it in PA they will move, and good riddance to them." So, if anyone comes here, and is dissatisfied with any of the things I listed above, they should just love it or leave it? No one has any right at all to speak up or try to make things better? Their only option is to move away? Do I understand you correctly?
As a side note, have you ever heard the expression, "The only constant is change"? Just wondering, because, like it or not, things DO change.
"...thousands of PA people like it here, just the way it is and are proof we don't really want to see all the things you whine about change at all." First of all, just because there are people living here, that doesn't prove anything. There are still people living in war zones, and in North Korea, and I'll bet they aren't exactly happy about it. Many, like many people in PA, find themselves essentially stuck somewhere, due to circumstances. And again your full throttle defense of the status quo. So those of us who "whine" about wasted tax dollars and corrupt government are wrong? You support wasted tax dollars and corrupt government? Sounds like it, since you don't want anything to "change at all."
Then, perhaps strangest of all, you compare Port Angeles to giant cities like Seattle and San Diego and Las Vegas, when, in fact, in terms of size and pretty much everything else, these places are NOTHING like Port Angeles. It's not even apples and oranges - more like apples and potatoes. If you absolutely prefer smaller places to live, then, duh, OF COURSE you'll prefer Port Angeles to an actual huge city. But as any part of a sensible argument about the inherent merits of Port Angeles, your comparison makes zero sense.
You sound like someone who was born here, is afraid of change, and has little experience with the world outside Clallam County. You sound like someone who would rather see Port Angeles die than evolve. Given how things are going here, you may well get your wish. So if suicide's your thing, just stay tuned. Port Angeles is sticking its head through the noose right now.
It is almost impossible for "us" to fix these problems. "We" don't have (or make) the time to research the issues and demand our Elected Representatives support things that are in our best interests. "Big money" and "Rabid Special Interest Groups" are the only ones our representatives hear from. If the squeeky wheel gets the grease, "we" are not squeeky enough. We get the govenment we are willing to work for. And now-a-days, "we" don't work very hard.
Delete@Anon 12:05
DeleteIt isn't impossible, at all. As shown by peoples in countries elsewhere, we can stand up, get involved, do the research, and demand things be done differently. But, it seems we are too fat and lazy to do much of anything but complain.
I agree with you. We can't know it all, all by ourselves. But we can takes parts of agendas items, reports and recomnmendations, review them, and join with others to see what is actually going on. We CAN join with others who care enough about our childrens' futures to demand better, based on our evaluations of the informationt these council members are voting on.
Yeah, you're right " now-a-days, "we" don't work very hard.
Are we really interested in "Building a future..." ?
Anonymous 10:17AM - Spoken like a true redneck. I mean, really, you think that there's NOTHING that could be better about Port Angeles? And people from "out there" should just stay away, because they might want to change your white trash paradise?
DeleteSorry, but, that's not how democracy works. That's also not how capitalism works. I'm sorry if you're so scared and threatened by the real world, but, those of us who have issues with how things are done here aren't about to simply shut up or go away in order to keep you in your (seemingly very small) comfort zone.
Jesus wept...Sheesh!
Hello, City Council. I just have one question for you regarding the payout to Nippon.
ReplyDeleteWhy isn't it coming out of utility reserves?
Why isn't it coming out of utility reserves?
Why isn't it coming out of utility reserves?
Why isn't it coming out of utility reserves?
Why is this money coming out of the general fund, which is to say, my pocket? Why isn't it coming out of utility reserves? Aren't things like this what they're for?
Why isn't it coming out of utility reserves?
EXCELLENT QUESTION. Is the ghost of Glenn Cutler still guarding these reserves? Why don't they get hit before we do?
DeleteNot a single Council member asked this question. They just nodded and went along with what staff proposed. The millions that the City's various utilities have in reserves was never even raised as a possibility.
DeleteThey give out money away and just don't care. Inexplicably, they're more concerned with the financial health of a Japanese-owned multinational than they are with the health of their own town.
DeleteThose who can't do, troll.
ReplyDeleteThose who can't troll, troll in Port Angeles.
Deleteexcept they can't even do that right....
DeleteThanks again to everyone for being part of this blog experiment. Even though this post was, as stated above, kind of dry, today was the second-best day we've had yet in terms of numbers of viewers. I'll take that as one kind of feedback. If you've got other kinds - stories of the moment vs. stories unearthed, for instance - please let me know.
ReplyDeletePA United will receive an update at the end of the month (April 29th) from the three organizations (PADA, PABA, Chamber) after having met in private with attorney Patrick Irwin to determine whether a working relationship is possible between the groups. This could be a pregnant moment. Through this process, the City is creating enough political cover to defund either PADA or Chamber should they bow out - or for that matter, fail to perform in the future. As I see it, this is a greater test for the City: will they follow through on their promise to cut fat and reward performance. This would be new territory for them. The truth is that all three of these organizations contribute little, if any value and need to go away. The whole PA United is looking more and more like an exercise in futility.
DeleteIn my experience, the City Council has ducked every opportunity to defund or hold the PADA accountable. One on one Council members will express concern or outright disgust, but when they get together in the Council chambers...stasis reasserts itself. I'm not holding my breath.
DeleteAnyone have any information on the kerfuffle that was known as the "clallam business incubator"? I have never heard anything good, but could never get my head around what it was -- exactly -- or who made money on it.
ReplyDelete