PORT ANGELES — An election forum on a Nov. 7 ballot measure that would raise sales tax, one that would expand the debt limit for the public pool and a third measure — a proposal to reclassify Port Angeles’ government to its pre-1971 second-class-city form — highlighted a presentation sponsored by the Clallam County Economic Development Corp.
Speakers for and against a move to reclassify Port Angeles as a second-class city in order to hold new City Council elections squared off on the first proposal of its kind in state history, according to the Municipal Research and Services Center.
Pro and con sides also Wednesday laid out their arguments on a proposed countywide 0.1 percent sales tax increase — a hike of 1 cent for every $10 in consumer spending — to fund juvenile justice center maintenance and operations.
Speakers for a debt-increase measure for the William Shore Memorial Pool District spoke on the proposal to expand the debt limit so an additional levy can be put into place for a $12 million renovation and expansion project.
No one came forward to present an opposing view of the pool measure for forum participants, said event facilitator and EDC Executive Director Bill Schroeter.
The pool measure requires a 60 percent supermajority for passage from voters in the pool district, which has boundaries identical to the Port Angeles School District.
A half-hour was allotted for discussion of each ballot proposal, with time made available for about 30 people in the audience in the Raymond Carver Room at the Port Angeles Library to ask questions.
Ballots were mailed to voters Oct. 18 for the Nov. 7 general election.
Sales tax increase — Countywide
Port Angeles-area County Commissioner Randy Johnson spoke in favor of the measure to supplement funding for juvenile detention services, while retired investment banker Kaj Ahlburg of Port Angeles was opposed.
It requires a simple majority of 50 percent plus one vote for passage.
Ahlburg said the county should do more to curb employee costs.
He said the county government full-time-equivalent work orce had increased by 29 employees between 2014 and 2016, an 8 percent increase proportionally higher than population growth, which was 1.3 percent and would have warranted five new employees, he said.
The $1.1 million that would be generated by the sales tax, and would fund about half of the county’s cost to run the agency, could be made up by eliminating about 13 of those positions through attrition, Ahlburg said.
He added that while the consumer price index increased by 19 percent between 2006 and 2017, employee compensation shot up 28 percent.
“Make public sector unions hold the line,” he said.
“It is something we need to think about if we fund what in effect are wage increases.”
Johnson, joined in arguing in favor of Proposition 1 by Juvenile and Family Services Administrator Pete Peterson, said the county spent $4.5 million in reserves to weather the recession and needs reserves of $9 million for the county’s fiscal health.
The agency is operating at a loss of $1.75 million to $2 million a year, County Administrator Jim Jones has said.
The county also had 422 full-time-equivalent employees in 2001 compared to 393 in 2018.
“Depending on where you look at the numbers as a beginning point, you can get different answers,” Johnson said.
He said fiscal conservatism is important but that county spending is facing funding challenges such as growing public records requests.
The sales tax increase would boost the overall sales tax in Clallam County to 8.5 percent, he said.
“This is a program I absolutely believe in,” he said of juvenile services.
Second-class city — Port Angeles citywide
In her face-off against ballot measure opponent David Mabrey, proponent Edna Willadsen clarified her statement from an Oct. 17 Port Angeles Business Association election forum at which she said City Manager Dan McKeen is paid $189,925.
That includes benefits, Willadsen said at the EDC forum.
“This type of stuff is precisely why I’m trying to get this passed,” she said. “I’m opposed to the high wages.”
She said she does not get answers when she asks city officials about the city’s debt.
“We need to get this law passed to save the city of Port Angeles,” she said. “I can only imagine if we went under what would happen.”
Willadsen scoffed at arguments against the proposition that include the likelihood of court action challenging the measure if it passes.
“Who would they sue?” she said. “It would be us, the people. It would be a frivolous lawsuit.”
Mabrey, reiterating what he said at the PABA meeting, blasted Proposition 1.
“There is not a single piece of factual information in their argument,” he said.
Reclassifying the city under the proposal will not change the tax structure, change how government wages are determined, change the city to a strong-mayor structure in which citizens elect the mayor or city manager, or affect the city’s manager’s salary.
But the city would lose home-rule powers, he said.
“If we revert to second-class city, we give up our power to the Legislature,” he said, adding that citizen petition and referendum powers would be lost.
“It would largely eliminate local self-government,” Mabrey said.
“Regressing our government is an economic development killer,” he added.
Pool district debt-limit increase — Port Angeles School District boundaries
Approval of the pool measure would lead to the commissioners adding about 6 cents per $1,000 of valuation of property owners in the pool district at a cost of about $12 a year for the owner of a $200,000 home.
The increase would supplement funds for the project, which would add 10,000 square feet to the 15,000-square-foot facility.
If the measure is approved, at a future time, commissioners would consider an additional levy increase totaling about 4 cents per $1,000 of valuation to complete the project.
That would increase the tax bill to about $20 a year for the owner of a $200,000 home.
The project will be funded by grants and district board-approved, levy-funded bond money.
The district levy is at 18 cents per $1,000 of valuation this year.
The measure would allow an increase of $3.5 million in bonded capacity that would be added to $5.5 million in existing capacity and be paid back with property tax-funded levy money.
Pool visits have increased from 50,000 in 2009, when the pool district took over the facility, to 100,000 in 2016, pool Executive Director Steve Burke said.
Expansion would include new locker rooms, a children’s splash area, a therapy pool, a new steam room and dry sauna, and 48 new parking spaces.
Pool advisory committee member Steve Zenovic of Port Angeles said pool expansion could not occur with the existing debt capacity.
Construction of some features would close the facility from February to August.
“It’s gotten to the point now that if we do this, we need to do it right. We need to do it once,” Zenovic said.
Shutting down the facility as different improvements are made would hurt the pool financially, he added.
No one spoke against the ballot measure at the forum.
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Senior Staff Writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 55650, or at pgottlieb@peninsuladailynews.com.
