MAP YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD

This program is designed to build and strengthen disaster readiness among neighbors.  Neighborhoods that are prepared for emergencies and disaster situations help to save lives, reduce the severity of injuries and trauma, and reduce property damage.  In addition, working together as a team and contributing as an individual develops stronger communities and improves the quality of life in the community.  You will learn the 9 steps to take immediately following a disaster, how to develop a neighborhood skills and equipment inventory, how to map your neighborhood and identify areas of concern such as gas meters, propane tanks and water shutoffs, and how to verify which neighbors may need extra help. 

To find out more and/or to get involved call 360-679-7370 or email dem@co.island.wa.us to have us come out and give a presentation to your group and/or to conduct a training of the facilitator for your neighborhood.  The only charge for this training is your desire and enthusiasm to become better prepared.

 

THIRD THURSDAY TRAINING

These are courses in the areas of incident/event emergency management and operations for those persons involved with or interested in emergency planning, response, and recovery efforts.  There is no charge for the courses. 

July 15 - IS-700.a – Introduction to National Incident Management System (NIMS)

August 19 - ICS-200.a – ICS for Single Resources and Initial Action Incidents

Classes start at 9:00 a.m. and finish around 4:00 p.m. with a half hour for lunch.  Location is Room B130, Island County Emergency Operations Center (EOC), in the County Annex Bldg at 1 NE 6 th St , Coupeville.  Please RSVP by email to dem@co.island.wa.us or call 360-679-7370.

 

Island County remains in a sustained budget crisis and is about to hit a financial wall.

 

This critical, ongoing challenge is traced to the national economic recession and Island County’s past budgetary reliance on revenues from new housing construction. State Initiative 695 and Initiative 747 added to the financial “perfect storm”, creating a budget gap which now compromises the future financial solvency of the County.

 

Initiative 695 reduced funding for law and justice and public health. Initiative 747 limited the County’s property tax levy from increasing by more than 1%, while costs increased an average of 3% between 2002 and 2009. County government can no longer largely base its budgets on growth in sales tax revenue and other revenues from new construction to fund essential services. Its financial solvency is threatened and will be in peril without prudent and responsible revenue adjustments.

 

This economic situation exists despite already reducing expenses by $4.2 million, which is about 20% of the Current Expense Fund. County funding methods previously allowed by the state – sales taxes, real estate excise taxes, investment income, and property taxes – are no longer sufficient to sustain even the most basic of county services closely connected to quality of life.

 

Basic county services in jeopardy include law enforcement, courts, public health, roads, environmental protection, community planning, elections, public records, courthouse hours, staffing and computer technology, animal control, parks, senior services, WSU Extension. Cutting just the last two doesn’t solve the problem of keeping up with inflation, it would have negative social and economic impacts to our community, and cost taxpayers more in the long run. We would need to cut $5 million more than that over the next five years to avoid using up all our cash reserves. But there is no place left to cut.

 

As mentioned, expenses were cut by $4.2 million or approximately 20% of the Current Expense Fund between 2008-2010. The County workforce was reduced by over 50 positions. Work hours were reduced for many positions. Offices shortened their hours open to the public as a result of fewer employees. Health insurance benefits were reduced for all elected officials and non-union employees. Cost of living increases were eliminated, up to three years for some. Commissioners reduced their compensation by 10%. Elected officials made donations to the County and eliminated travel reimbursements. Fees for service were adjusted where prudent to recoup the cost of doing business. Energy consumption was reduced by 30% with estimated savings of $50,000 annually. Facilities were consolidated. The County partnered with South Whidbey Parks & Recreation, avoiding possible state closure of Deer Lake, Lone Lake and Goss Lake park facilities, and volunteers in a new Adopt-a-Park program stepped in to help maintain county parks.

 

The financial shortfall for 2010 will exceed $1.2 million and five-year financial forecasts show that despite rigorous budget reductions, Current Expense Fund expenses will continue to exceed revenues by over $1.8 million per year, completely exhausting Island County’s cash reserves by 2014 and leaving the County’s elected officials unable to provide fundamental support and services required by law.

 

To protect the financial viability of the County Current Expense Fund, the Board of County Commissioners will ask August 17 Primary Election voters if they wish to set the county’s regular property tax higher than the current limit otherwise allowed by state law. While the 2011 tax rate would be 59-cents per $1,000 of assessed value – the lowest rate in the state, with only five of 39 counties under $1 – the Board seeks voter approval of a 16-cent increase, bringing the levy rate to 75-cents per $1,000 of assessed value.

 

The proposed increase would generate approximately $2,059,776 additional revenue for 2011. For the four years following 2011, the proposition would also allow a 1% increase each year or a percentage increase tied to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the Seattle-Tacoma-Bremerton area, whichever is higher.

 

Revenues from the property tax increases, if approved by voters, would be used for the limited purposes of retaining public safety and other essential services, and, secondarily, gradually replenishing the County's contingency cash reserves.

 

While this request is neither comfortable nor popular, and it comes at the most inopportune time, it would be negligent to not inform islanders of the facts so that they can make informed decisions about the future of their government services.

Island County catching up on technology as planned and budgeted

Island County reached an important technological milestone Monday. The Board of Island County Commissioners approved a contract with True Automation, Inc. for computer software installation, training, maintenance and support to replace outdated property assessment and taxation systems used by the Assessor’s and Treasurer’s offices.

 

Island County Assessor Dave Mattens was joined by former county assessor Tom Baenen, Whidbey government watchdog Bill Strowbridge, and representatives of the real estate industry, Jason Easton, Christina Parker and Todd Bitts, to applaud Board adoption of the fully integrated property tax and assessment package, originally budgeted at $799,165 but now expected to cost $700,000 with $100,000 of that covered by a state grant. Everyone agreed it is long overdue.

 

Mattens, who vowed to improve technology in the Assessor’s office when he ran for office in 2006 and has been working for three years to make it happen, shared credit for the accomplishment with Island County Treasurer Linda Riffe, her chief deputy Ana Maria d. Nunez, who is a candidate for Treasurer this year, project manager Cathy Caryl , and former Island County Assessor Tom Baenen, “who fought hard for about a decade to make today’s event a reality.” Baenen pointed out that current staff levels in the Assessor's office are the same as they were 15 years ago, underscoring the need for technology tools to meet today’s mandates and expanded population.

 

“We have worked hard to find the most reliable, efficient, cost-effective product available on the market that would be a good fit for Island County,” Mattens added, referring to a thorough cost-benefit analysis of property tax and assessment systems on the market.

 

In addition to the current Board of Commissioners – Helen Price-Johnson, Angie Homola and John Dean -- Mattens thanked two previous Island County Commissioners, Mac McDowell and Phil Bakke , who joined Commissioner Dean in approving the budget for this program before the two left office.

 

The outdated existing computer system used a series of computer programs, one originally written in the 1970s for a Burroughs® mainframe computer, to calculate values, administer exemption programs and calculate levy rates and taxes. Most of it was translated into a Windows platform in 1998 with few enhancements, but some of the functionality was lost due to changes in computing platforms and equipment. The old program included multiple databases, one of them composed of 32 complex interactive spreadsheets containing millions of individual codes and symbols.

 

Prior audits by Department of Revenue and State Auditor’s Office criticized the software programs and spreadsheets, warning they are highly susceptible to errors, easy to make but difficult to detect.

 

Island County will be the 10th of Washington ’s 39 counties to use True Automation products. The new software makes all data publicly available on-line and produces complete reports for hearings, state agencies, and levy calculations almost immediately, rather than requiring weeks or months, Mattens said.

 

The new Assessor and Treasurer’s Office computer system follows on the heels of a new Sungard countywide accounting system, approved and budgeted for several years ago and finally in the implementation stage this year, through the leadership and coordination of Budget Director Elaine Marlow, Auditor Sheilah Crider, Deputy Auditor Anne LaCour, Central Services Assistant Director Diana Vaughn, and Human Resources Director Larry Larson.

 

New Courthouse and Camano Office Hours Include Friday Closures

In response to additional budget shortfalls and budget cuts, The Board of Island County Commissioners say County offices in Coupeville will be open to the public Monday through Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and closed to the public on Fridays in order to provide staff uninterrupted time to complete work. The Friday closures also accommodate some reduction of staff hours, as agreed upon Dec. 22 by one of the courthouse employee unions.

On the Coupeville campus Planning, Public Works, and Health permit centers, as well as the Sheriff’s Department, will be open to the public 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and closed to the public on Fridays.

Other offices that will maintain their usual hours of operation are: Law and Justice (with the exception of the Sheriff), Human Services, Nursing, South Whidbey Health, the Oak Harbor Family Resource Center, the Camano Clinic, District Court, the Road Shops, and Solid Waste. The Camano Annex will maintain its usual hours Monday through Thursday but will close Friday .