BRINNON — The creation of a new parks and recreation district to give Brinnon area residents greater control over local spending will be on the Nov. 7 ballot.
A resolution setting the boundaries for the new district was passed unanimously by the Jefferson County Board of Commissioners at a meeting Monday.
“To date, we have relied on county governance to act on our behalf,” said Bud Schindler, a Brinnon resident, during a presentation to the commissioners.
“However, it has become clear that the county does not necessarily have the capacity or funding necessary to meet all the needs of our rural community.”
The passage of the resolution will lead to the creation of two ballot additions for the fall: one to decide whether the district should be created and another to elect the five commissioners who would serve on the controlling board.
If the first is defeated, the second will become irrelevant, according to Elections Supervisor Karen Cartmel.
Once created, the board can propose a property tax of up to 60 cents per $1,000 of assessed value.
Approval of that assessment would be a ballot measure, with the timing determined by the board, either in February, April, August or November.
Whatever date the board chooses, the tax revenue would not be distributed until 2014, according to Jefferson County Assessor Jack Westerman III.
If the board chooses to request the highest amount, it would generate $160,000 in revenue, Westerman said.
“In the recent financial climate, any increase of taxes is a tough sell,” said Brinnon resident Michael VanLaningham during Monday’s public comment period at the commissioners’ meeting.
“If the need arises, the amount, purpose and results should be determined by local voters who can better visualize benefits to the local community.
“As a government entity, with five commissioners holding regular meetings, it gives local residents a voice in the decision.”
The county received a petition in April in favor of creating of the new district that had 169 valid signatures — 20 more than the required number.
The proposed district follows the boundaries of voting Precinct 204, which now has 943 registered voters, according to the Auditor’s Office.
The area is bordered by Hood Canal to the east, Mount Walker to the north and the Mason County line to the south.
It extends west into Olympic National Forest to Alta Creek.
“Brinnon is separated from the main body of the county by a mountain, water and sheer distance,” said another Brinnon resident, Kathy Ackerman, during the comment period.
“There is the growing sense in Brinnon that our local futures will be best served by our local community coming together to address the needs that are peculiar to us.”
Ackerman said the creation of a parks district will make Brinnon a better place to live without having to compete with more populated parts of the county for resources and money.
Even though tax revenue will not be made available until 2014, the impact of the district could be immediate, according to advocate Joy Baisch.
The new district would allow Brinnon to apply for and receive state and federal grants for infrastructure investment dollars.
“From my perspective, the only hope rural Washington communities have is to create any type of legal governmental infrastructure they can in order to take some element of control over their future,” Baisch said.
________
Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
