P.O.
January
2008
To the Honorable
Council and People of the Town of
I herewith present my January 2008 State of the Town Report, summarizing accomplishments in 2007 and issues facing the Town in 2008 and beyond. This Report will be presented to the Council and the media on Tuesday, January 22, 2008, and posted on the Town’s web site (www.townofcathlamet.com) thereafter. Paper copies may be viewed free or purchased at the Town Hall office during normal business hours.
I. 2007 ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Much of the work accomplished in 2007 reflected plans, dreams, and hopes of current and prior leaders and community groups going back from present times. The glacial pace of finding money for projects, obtaining public acceptance, and getting tasks done has been a reality elected officials face – despite the accelerating meltdown of real-world glaciers. Citizens and visitors have often asked me what the Town has done lately. I tell them two things. We have made improvements to our infrastructure and processes that will support the Town’s operations, and we have made investments that will support managed economic development. We ended the year with a modest ending balance. These accomplishments will help maintain our enviable quality of life. There’s quite a list. The highlights are contained in Attachment 1 to this Report.
II. GOALS
FOR 2008
It is time for straight financial talk. Most economic indicators point to challenging
times ahead. Rising interest rates and
inflation are driving up the costs of the Town’s ongoing operations and
improvement projects. The popular 1% cap
on property tax increases has already been overtaken. Some residential growth in Town limits is
positive, but - unlike business and industrial expansion - residential
expansion does not provide a long-term net revenue gain over increased utility
operations and replacement costs.
Annexing adjacent territory has some potential to grow the Town’s financial
base, depending on how it is done. But,
it has been a zero-sum political football that has proved unfruitful to
date. The Town’s financial revenue base is essentially flat, except for the
Business and Occupations tax. That has
been the Town’s salvation recently, so we need to do what we can to support
business and economic development.
The Town faces
multi-million-dollar costs over the next eight years. Financing must be found to design and build a new waste water treatment plant, and
make necessary repairs and improvements to our drinking water system. There isn’t enough tax revenue in the county
- let alone the Town - to pay for it all.
“Outside” money has to be obtained.
The Town has leveraged state and federal grants to upgrade
our infrastructure in the past three years.
The Town’s leverage mainly came from its timber reserve funds. The Town cannot prudently continue spending
from reserves. We need to find ways to
build up our reserves. There will be
plenty of temptation to keep spending down when we should be saving. Federal block grants, Clean Water Act, and other federal
dollars have dwindled in the face of natural disasters and the war effort. The State of
tightened amid bipartisan pressure
to conserve for the coming rainy days.
Financial support from
If business development is the key to the Town’s long-term financial success, then the private sector must be encouraged to develop and benefit from the Town’s public investment. Strategically, that means that the Town and the private sector should work together to build a plan that will survive the impending down side of the economic cycle. That plan must assure that developers pay a fair share of the costs that their developments impose on the community.
Our efforts will have to be acceptable to the people, make sense to businesspeople, and comply with the law. For 2008, I am recommending that the Council pursue the goals listed in Attachment 2 of this Report.
Cathlamet faces a year of transition and adjustment on many
fronts.
I call upon the people and leaders of our Town, and of the larger
community, to keep informed, come to meetings, and share their thoughts on how
to cherish what’s right and move forward.
Respectfully
Submitted,
_____________________________
Richard A. Swart, Mayor
Attachments: 1 - 2007 Accomplishments
2 - 2008 Goals
class=Section2>
class=Section3>
ATTACHMENT 1
MAYOR’S 2008 STATE OF THE TOWN OF
A. Public Works
1.
Broadway Improvement Project:: We
transformed a primitive street to a paved, curbed, sidewalked,
well-lighted pedestrian and vehicle link between Downtown and the Town’s Dock
on the
2. New Waste Water Treatment Site Procurement
($184,500 Town reserves): We partnered with the
3. Repairs to the Existing Waste Water Treatment Plant: We completed planned repairs, equipment upgrades, lift station rebuilds, sewer line upgrades, and mandated safety improvements designed to keep the Town’s treatment facility in compliance for the coming years needed to design, finance and build the New WWTP.
4. Repair
and Rehabilitation of the
5. Application
of modern technology to water and waste water planning and operations: We overcame areas of weakness in
capturing and analyzing data that are needed to measure flow, detect leaks, and
anticipate needs for repairs, equipment replacement, and staff
assignments. With the partnership of Evergreen Rural
Water of Washington and other professional organizations, we purchased new
computer gear and instrumentation, and trained staff to use it.
6. Successful
continuity of water and sewer treatment operations during the December 2-6,
2007 storm disaster event (costs still being calculated): We used information learned from the 2005-2006
storms to be better prepared, work closely with the PUD’s
Puget Island water program, and apply new techniques to keep the drinking water
safe and (with voluntary conservation measures) available to drink and in
readiness for fire fighting use. Public
Works staff met a new goal to participate in the county’s Incident Command
System throughout the storm disaster event.
This experience allowed us to start strengthening electronic
communications when more severe, long-lasting disaster events occur. We
used that in the December 2007 windstorm disaster.
B.
Fire Department and Emergency Medical Services
1. The
CFD’s new Fire Hall was completed and put into
operation in
September 2007 through the generosity of Chief Jerry DeBriae and Mrs. Linda DeBriae
($1 million, private gift). USDA
Grant funds paid for an SCBA air compressor, equipment storage and ready racks,
and related gear. Private donations
funded furniture, appliances, training materials and equipment, first aid gear,
and safety items. This completes a
major, long-range public safety goal of the Town of
2. A
brand new
relieve an older unit. Capable of providing on-board urgent treatment and life-sustaining care during patient transport, the new ambulance increases the EMS Division’s readiness to serve when called.
3. The
decades-old emergency siren atop Town Hall was placed on a
modified operational protocol, following citizen
petitions and considerable community controversy pro and con. The siren now sounds 24-7 for any actual fire
call sounded by the Sheriff’s Dispatch office, and on any second tone-out for
an
C. Administrative Operations
1. The Town has engaged an experienced governmental finance and accounting specialist to assist in achieving proper reviews and oversight of complex, state-mandated accounting processes. Increased professional skills are necessary due to changes in the Town’s computerized budgeting and utility management software, and to consolidation of certain reserved accounts recommended by the state in the 2004-2005 Audit. This highly specialized work will continue into 2008.
2. New
computer hardware was purchased in 2007 to replace old and
failing PCs, printers, and peripheral equipment. An information technology specialist was engaged to train the staff in setting up custom files, transferring various applications to the new hardware, setting up and maintaining web sties, and other skills needed to adapt current operations to new equipment.
3. A quiet fiscal work station was created by converting under-used kitchen and storage space. The 2004-2005 Audit attributed some accounting concerns to the very crowded and noisy work space shared by two staff, the Mayor, and members of the public visiting the office on business. The intended benefit is reduced interruptions and distractions to the Clerk-Treasurer in reviewing transactions and preparing reports. A number of other small towns with limited facilities have found this sort of improvement to be useful.
4.
The Town’s Web Site continues to develop. An increasing number of “hits” – coupled with
public feedback – indicate that the site is being used as a
informative resource showing the Town’s goals, projects, potential, and people.
B.
Other Accomplishments
1. Renovation
of the Town Hall and Library building has become a priority now that the
Cathlamet Fire Department and EMS Division have moved to the new Fire
Hall. An architect has been engaged to
conduct an architectural and engineering assessment of the 1937 building to
determine the technical and economic feasibility of renovating it. A focus group identified key issues, desired
features, concerns, and questions about renovations. This was followed by a town-hall style
meeting to solicit public input and wishes for services and facility
features. This input has been delivered
to the architect, who is expected to conduct the study in Spring
2008. The architect’s recommendations
will be provided the Council, so they can make decisions about how to proceed
with and finance the project.
1. Property
adjacent to Town Hall has been purchased for future
construction of additional parking spaces and a small park feature commemorating Sally’s Spring and related Native American heritage. Financed by a grant from the Wahkiakum Community Foundation, a loan from the USDA Rural Development Program, a private donation by Mrs. Effie Wright, and matching funds from Town reserves, this project will address parking concerns. The 2005 Rural Counties Needs Assessment and the Town’s 2002 Comprehensive Plan (updated in 2007) have identified increased parking space as the top priority task to help increase downtown shopping and business growth.
2. A
partnership was formed with local educators, foresters,
recreation advocates and citizens to renovate
Storm damage to old trees in 2005, 2006, and 2007 has put the safety and viability of the park into question. The team drafted a two-year plan to study the options, secure public input and acceptance, gain political support, and do the work. Key decisions about going ahead and seeking funds will be made in the Spring of 2008.
ATTACHMENT 2
MAYOR’S 2008 STATE OF THE TOWN OF
A. Promote Managed Growth and Sustainable Economic Development
1. Work with the Lower Columbia Economic Development Council to seek funding for a consultant to design a joint public - private sector development process to promote business and help finance public improvement projects.
2. With Wahkiakum County and other stakeholders, create a policy requiring developers pay a fair share of the costs that their developments place on the community utilities, roads, schools, public safety, and other public services.
3. Initiate efforts to involve the public in finding a widely acceptable approach to developing the Cathlamet waterfront.
4. Removal
of the structure and vegetation at
5. Seek state assistance for paving projects in 2009 and beyond.
B. Promote Public Health and Safety
1. Seek funding for and State approval of the New WWTP preliminary design and permits..
2. Seek public input on final 2008-2014 Town Water Plan and submit the Plan to the State Department of Health.
3. Closely monitor the impact of changes at the Wahkiakum Family Practice Clinic on the Town’s EMS Division’s costs and staffing, and advise the County and the public if and when operational and budgetary changes are indicated.
4. Continue to implement Fire Department and
5. Increase emergency and disaster preparedness by cooperating
with the
County’s electronic communications study and participating in implementing
improvements.
C. Improve
and protect our quality of life:
1. Implement the Town Hall/Library Renovation assessment Process, and proceed with the public-acceptance and political support phases. Seek grant funds to pay for this work.
2. Secure public support and financing for
implementing a two-year plan to renovate
3. Work on Public Works’ list of maintenance projects deferred by past storm events and fiscal constraints.
D. Improve Town Governmental
Economy and Efficiency
1. Complete all preparations for the 2006-2007 State Audit.
2. Examine the decades-old accumulation of public documents and records in the Town Hall attic, and process them as required by the State Public Records Act.
3. Analyze savings and economies achieved with the new water meter reading system.
4. Develop a plan to meet new Water Use efficiency regulations.
5. Identify policy changes, ordinances, or administrative procedures requiring attention in 2008.