SEQUIM — The Sequim City Council has approved a schedule for naming a replacement for an empty council seat that leaves the city with a council of six for about two weeks longer than initially planned.
The council Monday night also approved a second year of the “At the Movies” program and clarified the city’s policy on who can put up banners at the city’s banner poles.
Councilman Bill Huizinga tendered his resignation July 7 after submitting a resignation letter that said he had moved out of Sequim city limits and was no longer eligible for the position.
The city will accept completed applications to fill Huizinga’s position at the City Clerk’s Office by 4 p.m. Sept. 24, said City Manager Steve Burkett.
The schedule gives candidates 10 days longer to compete applications than the city’s initial estimate.
Applications are available at Sequim City Hall, 152 W. Cedar St. or by phoning 360-683-4139 or downloading online at www.sequimwa.gov.
Interviews for the vacant council position will be conducted by the City Council at 6 p.m. Oct. 8 at the Sequim Transit Center, 190 W. Cedar St.
“Hopefully, the council will make a decision at that meeting,” Burkett said.
The council directed Burkett to release questions to applicants ahead of the interview so that all applicants have the same amount of time to consider their answers.
Applicants must be registered voters, have a one-year continuous period of residence in the city of Sequim and hold no other public office or employment under the city government.
Mayor Ken Hays has said applicants should expect to spend 20 to 40 hours each month on council business, including time spent in council meetings, reading council materials, attending events, attending committee assignments and serving as a council representative on regional commissions and committees.
‘At the Movies’
The council approved a second year of public movie viewings in the city, which has no movie theater of its own.
The “At the Movies” program offers $5 showings of recently released DVD movies the third Wednesday of each month year-round at Olympic Theatre Arts, 414 N Sequim Ave.
In the first year, which ran from September 2011 through July 2012, the city lost about $600 on the program, Burkett said.
Early showings of classic movies lost money, but later showings of newer films made money, said Councilwoman Laura Dubois.
Films have included “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy,” “North by Northwest,” “The Help” and “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.”
“Now that we figured out what movies people want, we might break even,” Dubois said.
The council voted 4-2 to give movie night another year.
Councilmen Erik Erichsen and Don Hall voted against the renewal of the program and said the city should not be subsidizing movie screenings.
“If it’s a good idea, why is it not a private enterprise?” Erichsen said.
Councilman Ted Miller said he agreed with Erichsen and Hall, but said one year was not enough time for a program to get off the ground.
Miller said he would approve the program for one more year to give it a chance to become self-supporting.
The council also suggested that daytime matinee should be added this winter for people who cannot drive at night or otherwise need an earlier scheduled event.
Banner policy
The city also clarified city policy on who can place banners on the city’s banner poles located on West Washington Street.
Because the poles were paid for by tourism dollars, tourism-related event banners have priority over community nonprofit events, the council said.
Community event banners will be allowed when no tourism events wish to advertise, they determined.
Council members agreed that purely commercial events, such as business openings and sales, are not eligible to fly banners.
The council indicated that a second set of poles in East Sequim is also desired to display banners for primarily community-related events, but the cost of up to $50,000 is too expensive at this time, Burkett said.
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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arwyn.rice@peninsuladailynews.com.
