I’ve never dragged my husband’s old laptop (circa 2005) to City Hall before, but this afternoon’s Finance Committee meeting could make some history. Let’s see how far I get with this highly serious liveblog before someone needs the electrical outlet.
As he entered the meeting, Councilor Barry Peters took time out to scold me for posting other people’s work on my blog. His fraternity name was the Hammer. Robert Dashiell, intrepid blog commenter, seconded the motion. I said nay. Nays have it.
First up on the agenda is public comment. One guy is mad about something. Finance chair Chris Snow thanks him for sharing.
Richard Gere, speaking on behalf of the City, reprises his Chicago role as lawyer Billy Flynn, and gives ’em the old Razzle Dazzle:
3:15- Mayor Kordonowy is rockin’ a sweet orange sherbet sweater. She’s talking about voter approved bonds for open space and stuff we like. She is wondering how much money citizens will be willing to tax themselves. She’s asking for support to the tune of $19,000 for a survey to find out how much more we want to pay in taxes. Yippee! Taxes!
3:30- The survey company is called “TPL.” Does anyone remember TPL reports from Office Space? Or maybe it was TPS reports. Anyway, they were the epitome of pointless paperwork.
3:31- Peters wants TPL. Chris Snow doesn’t want to talk about it anymore and seconds Peters’ motion. Vancil asks whether we have any money for it. Knobloch isn’t on the Finance Comm but wonders whether we should be in the open space biz. Kjell Stoknes and the mayor say some words about priorities and the law. TPL passes unanimously.
3:40- Passing out the Unaudited 2007 financial statements. My brain immediately blows up as Finance Director Elray Konkel starts talking about updates and spreadsheets. He’s addressing the beginning balance, and is saying that the reconciled cash balance on 12/31/07 except for grants that tax supported funds came in under $552,881. The utility came in over by 31,484. These are his exact words. He is doing a Scott McClellan (pre-book.) Lots of words, no information.
3:45- Peters has spent enough time with these financial statements to know that government accounting categories are things the regular fools (such as the public) are not familiar with. So he doesn’t want to line things up because it will be confusing. He wants Elray to help them rather than spend time going over it.
3:50-Debbie Vancil cuts to the chase. “What are you talking about?” she says. You go grrrl.
4:00-Peters is happy. City administrator Mark Dombroski says the numbers are short cuz they just didn’t see it coming. We are, like, totally in control. Chris Snow is so merry. He’s saying he doesn’t want to spend time figuring out how the wash works, he just wants to know what time it is. I am not making this up.
4:01-Konkel says we have a $2.1 million shortfall and add to that the $500,000. Knobloch wants to continue the conversation. Dombroski is wearing a cool black turtleneck. He could play in a jazz band.
4:05- Konkel is getting annoyed at the questions. People are probably getting hungry. Where are the snacks? Everyone is anxious to move on. But their faces have turned to stone, a sign of brain departure. I’m so reassured to see that no one in this room has any idea what is going on.
4:10-Okay now we’re smokin’. They’re talking about councilmanic bonds. Konkel says don’t worry about the repayment over the next 20 years. Money, yo. On cue, the rain starts pouring down outside. Elray says we’re in too deep to worry about surplusing lands this year. It’s bonds or nothing. Snow says we could just stop doing projects. Heh, heh,heh. It was a joke. Peters laughs.
4:20- Vancil is not amused. She says we’re not paying attention to the community survey. We’ve cut tons and tons of things that we thought that we could fund because we thought we had revenues coming in. She doesn’t feel good about the social fabric of this community. Snow is feeling her pain. The mayor talks about a commitment to affordable housing. But not for 2008. Snow pets his beard.
4:25-Peters wants a full-time affordable housing employee. He wants to get on a platform from where we can issue more bonds this year, with debt service to the tune of an additional $40,000 for 20 years. Snow and Peters voted oui. Vancil said non. Elise Wright from The Public is permitted a word. She says it’s like running up credit card debt. Laura Sachs from the soccer club puts in a word for fields. Snow says, regally, “We must move on!”
4:35- People are totally metaphorical. Peters introduces his metaphors with Renaissance slang: “Lo and behold!” sayeth my liege. They are talking about rainy day funds and contingency funds. The word “trust” is problematic. As in “Trust fund.” By appropriating funds to these funds you have to have to revenues to support it says Konkel. I think that means we’re too broke for any rain to come. I hate to break it to them, but it’s raining like mad.
4:45- City Attorney Paul McMurray wanders in and then leaves. He is wearing a baseball hat and a plaid shirt. He might be going bowling. People give up on trying to decide anything on the funds for rainy days.
4:50-Peters wants to know how much debt service we should have. Konkel is talking Konkelese. It’s a board game where you use ordinary words and string them together randomly, like Magnetic Poetry. I feel artistic and sleepy when he does this. Offsetting ratio/yes yes closer to ten/conversation again in your packet/databases particular city/volatile operating utility. Municipal music. Peters weighs in with “management of the implemention” which has a certain ring. Dombroski is yawning. Late nights with the band.
5:10-Everyone is tired of debt policies. Simultaneous head bobbing when Dombroski suggests an alternative to fully discussing things today. Konkel comes over to all two members of the public who are still here (Dashiell, Paulson) and tells us to move closer to the table because another meeting is coming up. I’m not feeling the love here at City Hall. Is it my blogging promiscuity?
5:15-Peters suggests that one way to fund the CFP is to reduce operating expenses! Hot damn. Vancil breaks out a smile.
5:20- It’s biennial budget time. Peters is looking stern. Cool-jazz Mr. D rhetorically asks whether you can rescind your bi-ordinance. He cites the Bob Scales arguments and says the city attorney and MRSC told him they can do an annual, but he’s not really sure. He thinks we have a case we’re okay that as long as we rescind the bi-budget by 6/30 but it might invite a lawsuit and he can’t be sure we’d win. The City might give it a whirl or greatly manage its expectations about what a biennial budget is and be prepared to revise it later.
5:30-Peters worries that The Community doesn’t want us to rush into a biennial budget. Vancil says not to use the word “rush” because we’ve been working on it for 7 years. Peters invokes the name of Scales again. He talked to him last night. Mr. D is worried about making a good recommendation because he’s just not sure about the law. Elray says he can’t do the kind of Bi-Budget “this community deserves.” (I’m guessing that’s code for this community is full of jerks who don’t deserve squat). Now they’re asking the Public. Dashiell weighs in. Plea-ease don’t call on me.
5:40-The mayor says we can’t cut FTE’s and do a biennial budget at the same time. Peters is all about long-term planning. Snow must have somewhere to go cuz he’s in a hurry. He moves for amending the ordinance to do biennial for 2010. Peters wants to pin this on the Community–we’re doing this for their benefit. Vancil says we should do a biennial even if it’s messy this time. She looked at the MRSC opinion and they didn’t reference our already-adopted ordinance. Passed 2-1, with Vancil against. I’m out of here.
Glad to hear Peters at the Finance Committee was true to his membership as one of the Black Gang of Four -big-tax and spend. More taxes. Woopee !! Car taxes, sewer taxes, water taxes, open-space taxes, income-redistribution housing taxes ~~ bring them on. And for good measure add the new BISD #303 school bond (full-meal deal) and for good measure throw in Kitsap Regional Library second assault into our wallets.
Oy vey !!
You go, gal Althea. Just ignore those craggy fingers wagging at you for your blog. Tish, tish.
Oh, and Mayor k profetically said “There’s no reason to be scared ~~ no reason to be scared at least about city finances !”
YouTube: deceit deception recall Bainbridge ~~http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lz-e3n68VT8
Ahh,
I love the old Razzle Dazzle! I almost forgot about it. The cabaret girls are a nice touch. Makes me long for the good old day at City Hall, Winslow. (long before we were all Island Gov.)
When the City wanted to pull something over on us Mayor Alice Tawresey would show up at city council meetings, dressed in her cheer leader outfit and lead us all in a cheer. While, with slight of hand the council would “pass whatever-it-was” when the pompoms in our eyes.
(What a set of gamms on that babe.) … sigh.
Damn, I miss the good old days of politics on The Rock. Life was much simpler then.
Exiting with a little soft shoe, stage right. – Dave
Althea, I missed Oprey, but am so glad I tuned in here for my afternoon pick-me-up. Still laughing at your reyportage.
Except.
It’s absolutely true, isn’t it? Apparently, except for Vancil, it seems, no one is going to tip their hand that they have a clue what is going on.
Konkel’s song has a hypnotic beat – almost a catchy melody – it’s when you start listening to the rap that you realize it is completely obscene.
We don’t have enough money for a rainy day fund. And the reason we need to issue more bonds, is that we have managed ourselves into a hole – and whether we put up golden arches downtown or not – we still need to repair the utilities.
Doesn’t anyone see the folly of paying our operating expenses with more debt?
A room full of non-lawyers talking about the legality of rescinding the biennial budget ordinance.
Althea, please remind them that they do have a city attorney. Perhaps it might be a good idea to ask him for his legal opinion on this issue.
Althea: great blog! Smiles, tears, and frustrated gnashing of teeth all at once! Makes you wonder where our fearless reportorial commercial rags are ??? Oh, yes, now I recall, today is the tryouts for the tiddlywink team. Can’t miss that important stuff, can we?
I want you at more meetings blogging………… great perspective. Bill
Penny Wise… I love that word, reyportage. Rarely see it used. Just rolllss of your tongue. Your comments are well thought out and cut to the heart of things.
Will you write for me?
Althea, you do attract a good caliber of people here. A testament to your work.
Thanks for what you do.
So…did anything actually happen at this meeting. I’m a little overwhelmed by the play by plays. Will there be a recap and a few highlights?
And Barry Peters, what is it about Althea Paulson’s free speech is so unsettling to you?
And I thought the word was Councilman Peters’ moniker at his fraternity was WIENER, not hammer.
Dave. This is for you:
reyportage. noun. 1. The carrying of information from one point to another. “Althea’s blog reyportage was awesome”. 2. A place at which the conveyance of information is necessary. “The reyportage brings information from City Hall to Islanders.” Archaic. The product of workers in print media.
verb [transitive]. “City Hall is incapable of reyportaging its own actions.”
verb [intransitive] “Islanders had to reyportage events at City Hall for themselves.”
Origin. Old French. portage, to carry + re, again. Cf. gossip
The recap for Quitty:
1.They approved doing a survey to find out how much in taxes we’re willing to spend for what kind of programs.
2.They did not really discuss the 2007 financials.
3. They approved sending a recommendation to the Council to issue more councilmanic bonds.
4. They did not finish talking about debt policies.
5. They decided to do an annual budget this year.
Thanks!
The City does not seem to realize that there are people who are excluded from these surveys, by the methodology of the survey itself. This makes the surveys inaccurate.
I have discovered that there is no art or science to filing a Civil Rights Complaint for Equal Access, which puts the City in violation of all its Office of Management and Budget Assurances. If I care about my town, why do I want or need to do this?
Under RCW and WAC I have something called a Necessary Supplemental Accommodation via electronic means & help with written forms. I fell fortunate to have the assistance to vote by mail.
I don’t believe an online survey would cost $20,000. Besides, there is nothing insignificant about illegally disenfranchising anyone of their civil rights.
Althea – John Stewart may have competition. Maybe you can start a regular installment like the Daily Show that provides for the not so insightful quotes from our top elected officials?
Girlfriend that break you took from city politics a couple of weeks back did you a world of good. Way to go.
What? Did Barry want to publish those articles himself on his Sustainable Bainbridge web site? Forever looking to make Winslow greener (as in the color of money).
George Beavis. Are you out there? Once you’ve had your morning coffee, I have a suggestion:
I am never sure if, when I have a thought with a half-brain, it is quite as good as those thoughts I see zinging around from our professional municipal advisory thinkers and publicly elected representative thinkers.
I still have thoughts, anyway (sorry, I can’t help it). This one is: I will help you file a State Human Rights Complaint (The Director, Marc Brenman, will be sooo happy to hear from me, again – and the State Complaint automatically triggers appropriate Federal Civil Rights Complaints for equal access in employment, telecommunications &c.), to try to get the City to change its Veterans’ hiring policies, if you will help me file a Complaint against another survey that, like those in the past, exclude me. I don’t use the telephone or snail mail and there are no telephones in my apartment. Therefore, I am denied equal access to having my opinion counted in these “public” surveys.
For my part, I would rather see the $19,000 go to Helpline House to feed hungry families hundreds of meals (you bet, even here on Bainbridge). Although, I know I don’t get to rewrite the budget, just because I may have a valid complaint. This $19,000 amount is more than 10% of our entire City’s annual health & human services budget.
As you see, I can type, and write sentences that look mostly normal, but I am unable to navigate the endless forms, requests for Response to Rebuttal &c, &c. Maybe together, with least harm & greatest good, we could at least send a flag up that Winslow doesn’t tolerate discrimination… and I don’t need to say why; but for those who only see dollar signs, I’d say that’s reason enough.
WOOT! DailyKos has nuttin’ on you, girl.
Steve,
Deal. It might be between us we could come up with a whole one. I think you supply way more than half, and you use yours. That’s better than I can say for some people.
Surveys are only as good as their construction. The last one the city did reminded me of the famous drill sergeant question, “Do you love my wife soldier? Yes or No? I guarantee either answer would get you punched in the stomach – or worse.
The real answer, “I don’t know your wife, sir!” isn’t on the questionaire.
I remember when blacks were call Zulu’s, spear chuckers and MowMows (phonetic) by my teachers in high school and when my room mate at Whittier College returned from his efforts during the summer doing voter registration in the south (’65 I think) having been beaten very badly.
To me Obama is running and being accepted as a person, not as a black person. Win, loose, or draw this to me marks a huge advance for us as a society.
McCain, who I find a certain affinity with on some levels, lost me when he said “We’ll fight this for 100 years if that’s what it takes”. If I were over in Iraq this would not encourage me and I would want to know if McCAin had a mouse in his pocket or what ’cause I would kind of want to come home right about now.
George. Okay. Now, unlike City Hall, it’s all in the process, here.
Do you think we should blog out the entire Civil Rights Complaint, so everyone knows how to make one of their own; or should we have a way to exchange communications… you know, sort of like leaving thumb drives in the hollow madrone tree down at Waterfront Park?
Seriously, ask Ms. Paulson for my email.