PORT ANGELES — Local governments will have a better shot of scoring scarce state dollars for infrastructure projects if they work together to create a list of a few top priorities, the newest member of the 24th Legislative District delegation told Port Angeles city officials Tuesday.
“Work out politics at a local level to develop that written list,” said state Rep.-elect Steve Tharinger, a Clallam County commissioner from the Sequim area.
“That makes it easier for me to go to bat, for us to go to bat and maybe try to get funding for those projects.”
Tharinger was joined by state Rep. Kevin Van De Wege, D-Sequim, and state Sen. Jim Hargrove, D-Hoquiam, for a noon round table with Port Angeles City Council members and staff at the Port Angeles CrabHouse Restaurant.
The informal discussion centered on the state budget crisis, economic development in Port Angeles, waterfront redevelopment and city transportation projects, the former Rayonier mill property, public records requests and combined sewer overflows.
Lawmakers listen
The state lawmakers, who will convene in Olympia next month for what promises to be a challenging session into April or May, mainly listened as city staffers gave their reports.
The 24th District encompasses Clallam and Jefferson counties and the northern portion of Grays Harbor County, not including Aberdeen.
The purpose of the 90-minute round table was for the sides to share information about key issues and challenges they face.
City Manager Kent Myers said Port Angeles will need the delegation’s support as it applies for federal grants.
“We understand that you don’t have a big pot of money,” Myers told them.
“We’re not going to be using this as an opportunity to ask you for grants or loans today, but we thought it would be worthwhile to update you on some of these projects because we’ll need your support at some point as we proceed.”
Hargrove said the state Legislature faces a $5 billion to $5.7 billion shortfall for the rest of this biennium and the next biennium.
“We’re looking at some really pretty drastic things,” Hargrove said.
“None of the choices are going to be good. They’re very, very hard choices.”
Social services cuts
Every dollar cut from social services, for example, is really a $2 cut because of the match from the federal government, Hargrove said.
Incumbent Van De Wege, who defeated Republican challenger Dan Gase of Port Angeles in the Nov. 2 election, said all state funds that feed local governments will be on the chopping block as the state cuts back.
“[Department of] Ecology, I know, does a lot of work for local governments, and as we continue to make cuts for agencies, that’s an example of something where we’re just not going to be able to help you,” Van De Wege said.
“And that’s unfortunate.”
Van De Wege will be the next majority whip among Democrats in the state House of Representatives.
Tharinger, a Democrat who defeated Port of Port Angeles Commissioner Jim McEntire, a Republican, for the seat occupied by retiring House Majority Leader Lynn Kessler, tried to remain optimistic.
“Because there’s such a challenging economy, there’s an opportunity to maybe do things differently,” Tharinger said.
“As far as local government goes — I have some experience with that — there might be a better way for us to deliver services between state and local government and less of the bureaucracy to apply for the grants and fulfil those obligations.
“There’s actually a lot of time spent not delivering services but processing the funding.”
Tharinger said he would welcome suggestions from city officials on how to streamline the process.
“There’s going to be the continual cuts in services, but it’s really shortsighted not to make these investments in infrastructure, which would help improve, I think, both the private sector bottom line and the public sector bottom line,” Tharinger said.
“That’s going to be a tough discussion, but there may be some opportunity there.”
Myers said economic development remains a top priority for the city.
“It’s all about jobs,” Myers said.
Myers said the city and the Port of Port Angeles are still exploring a cleanup and redevelopment plan for the 75-acre Rayonier property at the foot of Ennis Street.
The Harbor-Works Public Development Authority, tasked with that cleanup and redevelopment work, recently dissolved.
“We still think that that property is one of the keys to our economic future,” Myers told the delegation.
“It’s offered a lot of jobs in the past, and we feel like it can offer a lot of employment opportunities in the future.
“We not giving up as far as the Rayonier property. We still see a lot of potential there.”
City Clerk Janessa Hurd told the delegation that public records requests are costing taxpayers money and the city time. She said some people are abusing the system and flooding local governments with large, frivolous requests.
“Unfortunately, one person’s frivolous is another person’s reasonable request,” Hargrove said.
Hurd said one idea that cities are floating is to change the law to make a person who files a public records request to pay for the staff time that goes beyond five hours.
Myers said the Association of Washington Cities has made reducing frivolous public records requests a priority.
From January through October, Port Angeles reported 1,182 requests at a taxpayer cost of $67,380.34.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.