PORT ANGELES — The three Clallam County commissioners may step back from their promised plunge into the Save Our Pool campaign.
Specifically, they may not keep their pledge to pay half the cost of an election to create a metropolitan park district, they said Monday.
The new district could tax real estate to operate the city of Port Angeles’ aging William R. Shore Memorial Swimming Pool at Fifth and Lincoln streets.
Instead of splitting the election cost down the middle with the city, the county may decide to pay only its portion as pro-rated by the city-county population of the district.
If it uses the same boundaries as Port Angeles schools, the city would pay 60 percent of election costs, and the county would pay 40 percent.
An election to create such a district with an appointed board of directors would cost an estimated $60,500, according to County Administrator Jim Jones.
That means the county would save about $6,000 in the 10 percent shift from 50-50 to 60-40.
But the amount isn’t the problem, commissioners said Monday.
It’s the precedent of the thing.
Commissioner Mike Chapman said during a Nov. 24 discussion with the Save Our Pool citizens committee that he’d approve the half-and-half split of election costs.
He’d thought better of it over the intervening two weeks, however.
“The precedent could be huge for us,” he said Monday about the possibility that anyone wanting a special election could charge half the cost to the county.
“This is a big issue.”
Meanwhile, the Port Angeles City Council has approved its 50 percent share of the election, possibly leaving the citizens committee with the $6,000 difference.
Commissioner Steve Tharinger quoted Clallam County Auditor Patty Rosand as saying that sharing costs proportionately — the 60/40 split — had been the rule.
Commissioners need to request a written memo from her, he said.
Seeks city-county meeting
The pool committee, in the meantime, has requested a joint meeting with Port Angeles City Council members and county commissioners to discuss the issue.
Tharinger said if the county and city are to meet, they should have a larger agenda than just the pool.
Among the added issues, he said, should be a survey of industrial-zoned land inside and outside the city limits.
County planners suggested the survey during last Tuesday’s public hearing on a request to rezone 59 acres of vacant residential land straddling Fey Road north of U.S. Highway 101.
In other action Monday, commissioners approved Sheriff Bill Benedict’s request to negotiate a lease on a new property and evidence storage building.
The one-year lease of an East Front Street building would replace the facility in Sequim and offer 35 percent more space.
Savings from not making trips to Sequim to retrieve evidence are expected to more than pay for the larger space.
Benedict also said the county may share the building with the Port Angeles Police Department.
The decision to lease new space follows a yearlong inventory of more than 14,000 pieces of property and evidence.
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Reporter Jim Casey can be reached at 360-417-3538 or at jim.casey@peninsuladailynews.com.
