PORT ANGELES — Clallam County commissioners will conduct a second public hearing to consider spending authority for an infrastructure project in Port Angeles.
Commissioners voted 3-0 Tuesday to call for an April 11 public hearing on a debatable budget emergency for a $901,200 Opportunity Fund grant to the Peninsula Housing Authority.
Procedural concerns about the first public hearing in February led to the decision to hold a second hearing.
If approved, the Opportunity Fund grant would be used exclusively for infrastructure to support the Peninsula Housing Authority’s $18.2 million Phase 1 redevelopment and lot site development of the Mount Angeles View family housing complex.
Budget emergencies amend the county budget to allow future spending to occur.
The grant to the Peninsula Housing Authority is contingent on a separate county resolution and the city of Port Angeles adding the Mount Angeles View project to its comprehensive plan.
Commissioners unanimously approved the same debatable budget emergency after a public hearing Feb. 28.
Board Chairman Mark Ozias suggested Monday a second hearing because of concerns raised by County Treasurer Selinda Barkhuis and others.
“We’re holding this public hearing for a second time because the agenda item was noted incorrectly in the original agenda,” Ozias said in Tuesday’s business meeting.
“And while we modified the agenda prior to the meeting, it was not in time for that notice to go out to the newspaper. I think in an overabundance of caution, this is the right course of action.”
The Feb. 28 meeting agenda — and notice of hearing that was published as a legal advertisement in the Peninsula Daily News — erroneously said the money would be used for construction of a unit of the Boys &Girls Clubs of the Olympic Peninsula. The PDN repeated the agenda language in a Feb. 26 summary of weekly government meetings.
The proposed Opportunity Fund grant is specific to the Peninsula Housing Authority and its infrastructure.
The second public hearing will be at 10:30 a.m. April 11 in Room 160 at the Clallam County Courthouse, 223 E. Fourth St., Port Angeles.
All three commissioners have expressed support for the Peninsula Housing Authority project.
Commissioner Randy Johnson has said the expansion would help alleviate a community housing shortage.
“I really appreciate the opportunity for transparency in front of the public whenever there’s an issue,” Commissioner Bill Peach said Tuesday.
“I do hope that the number of times it takes to process a document can be considered. This is the second time that we’ve processed this document, and this type of activity has happened in the past. It costs the government money.”
“That’s right,” Ozias said.
“It does, and I appreciate the willingness of my fellow commissioners to consider doing this.”
The long-planned Mount Angeles View Phase 1 project will replace 33 affordable housing units with 63 new units, realign three city streets and provide infrastructure for the entire 18-acre complex.
Eventually, Mount Angeles View will increase its affordable housing capacity from 100 units to 232 units, Peninsula Housing Authority Executive Director Kay Kassinger has said.
The Opportunity Fund Advisory Board voted unanimously to recommend the infrastructure grant Jan. 5. The Opportunity Fund is a portion of state sales tax that supports infrastructure in rural counties.
Barkhuis raised concerns about the first public hearing in the commissioners’ work session Monday.
She cited a section of the Revised Code of Washington — 36.40.140 — to explain that budget emergency hearings must be properly noticed with “facts that constitute the emergency.”
“That’s the [notice] that said to construct the Boys &Girls Club, and that’s the one that went to the newspaper,” Barkhuis said.
Barkhuis said the budget change form was backdated after it was sent with corrected language saying the grant would be for the housing authority.
“I mean, it seems to me, we’re talking about a lot of money here,” Barkhuis said.
“We’re talking about almost a million dollars. And I think it is important for public transparency, for the sake of having this involvement with the taxpayers, whose monies this is, that we do do it correctly and give the proper notice so that there is no question that this is what it was going to be used for.”
Barkhuis suggested a second notice of hearing with proper language identifying the grant recipient.
“It’s not a whole lot of paperwork,” she said.
“It’s not a whole lot of expense. It’s not a whole lot of time, and I think one way of showing the public that we really care about making sure we put the right information out there.”
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56450, or at rollikainen@peninsula dailynews.com.
