PORT TOWNSEND — A bond measure aimed at raising funds for renovations at Mountain View Commons will be on the Feb. 10 ballot after unanimous approval by the City Council this week.
The measure, approved Monday, authorizes raising up to $3.6 million in bond sales to go toward the estimated $4.1 million needed to complete the project at the community campus, which includes the installation of a new heating system, roof repairs, city pool maintenance and other structural issues.
The amount between the total cost of the project and the amount raised by the bond measure will come from grants that are already committed from the Department of Ecology for $300,000, the Department of Commerce for $500,000, a grant of around $180,000 administered by the Jefferson County Public Utility District and other sources to be determined, according to City Manager David Timmons.
The measure doesn’t represent a permanent property tax increase and would be an increase of no more than 13 cents per $1,000 of valuation for 15 years.
If property values increase during the 15-year period, the assessment would have a corresponding decrease, Timmons said.
If approved, the full increase will first appear on the 2017 tax statement, although property owners would most likely see a 5-cents-per-$1,000-of-valuation increase in 2016.
The rest of the bond would be paid back through a combination of utility savings, grants and revenue from the Proposition 1 sales tax increase voters approved in 2010, Timmons said.
The annual tax increase, which would appear on property tax bills in 2017, would be $32 for a house valued at $250,000, Timmons said.
Council will vote to approve the full amount of 25 cents per $1,000 but will resolve to not charge any more than 13 cents during the term of the increase, although that could be reversed by future councils, Timmons said.
If this reversal occurs, the money could not be transferred to another fund or used for a project other than the Mountain View renovation, he said.
The bond measure would require a 60 percent majority vote in an election where the number of people participating was equal or greater to 40 percent of those voting in the most recent general election, which ends Nov. 4.
There are currently 7,219 registered voters in Port Townsend, according to Jefferson County Auditor Donna Eldridge.
Assuming an 80 percent voter turnout of 5,775 votes this November, 2,310 people would need to vote in the February election, with 1,386 favorable votes needed for the measure’s approval, Eldridge said.
A campaign to inform the public about the measure will begin in the next few weeks but must be fact-based rather than an advocacy effort, according to City Attorney Steven Gross.
City employees and council members are allowed to answer direct questions about the measure and provide their opinion in a general way but are prohibited from telling people to vote a certain way, Gross said.
“You don’t want to be out doorbelling,” said Timmons, who will prepare a fact sheet about the measure for voter distribution.
During the meeting, several council members spoke out in favor of the measure, following guidelines to not solicit votes.
“This chamber has been filled many times by people who are in support of the pool,” said council member Michelle Sandoval.
“A lot of people don’t realize we don’t own the pool, and we are supporting it for the good of the community.”
Aside from the pool and the police station, the building at 1919 Blaine St. includes KPTZ radio, the food bank, the YMCA, the Red Cross and the ReCyclery.
“It’s important that we keep this open because it provides a home for all the local nonprofits,” said council member Deborah Stinson.
“We need to keep this in the public domain.”
“I’d like to see more social services there so people can have a one-stop center where they can get everything done,” council member Catharine Robinson said.
Timmons said the campus could also be used to store materials needed in the event of a large disaster.
The 40-year-old building operated as an elementary school until 2009 when Blue Heron Middle School opened, and it has been leased by the city ever since.
This year, the city and the school district signed a long-term lease that allowed the city to proceed with its renovation project.
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Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
