Thursday, Sept. 18, 2014 - Mason County Journal - Page A-7
By NATALIE JOHNSON
nata/ie@masoncoun corn
Increasing revenue to Mason
County's current-expense fund,
or general fund, was the topic
of an hourlong Mason County
Commission briefing Monday
morning.
The commission met with
Diann Locke, levy and appeals
specialist with the state Depart-
ment of Revenue, to discuss the
procedure and potential pitfalls
of doing either a road levy shift
or a levy lid lift to increase rev-
enue for the current expense
fund.
Commissioner Randy Neat-
herlin said the information pre-
sented at the briefing was not
what he expected.
"The Department of Revenue
meeting was eye opening," he
said.
Neatherlin said the levy
shift would take a lot of work
and collaboration with other
municipalities, such as the city
of Shelton and the city's Metro-
politan Parks District, and the
county might need to look at
another option for generating
revenue.
"It would be nothing more
than a Band-Aid," he said.
The commission has not
made any decisions regarding
levy lid lifts or shifts. Com-
missioner Tim Sheldon told
the Journal he is "adamantly
against a road levy shift or levy
lift."
The county collects property-
tax revenue for both its current
expense and road funds.
It can increase property-tax
revenue in several ways. The
county can increase taxes by
1 percent by a vote of the com-
mission each year or can do a
levy shift in which the county
would shift tax revenue from
the road fund to the current-
expense fund.
"The cost of providing ser-
vices at the county level in the
current expense fund exceeds
the 1 percent," Commissioner
Terri Jeffreys told the Journal
on Monday.
The allowed 1 percent in-
crease, which last year amount-
ed to a total revenue increase of
$180,000 for both the current
expense and road levies, is not
enough to account for increases
in costs for expenses such as fuel,
health care and the county's risk
pool insurance, Jeffreys said.
The county could also in-
crease revenue using a levy lid
lift or by increasing its tax rate
up to the maximum of $1.80 per
$1,000 of assessed value.
The county's current-expense
levy rate is capped by state law
at $1.80 per $1,000 of assessed
value.
The county could exceed that
limit by doing a levy shift, Locke
said. The county would need to
approve this move annually.
The combined county road
and current-expense fund levies
may not exceed $4.05 per $1,000
of assessed value after the levy
shift, according to state law.
The downside of a levy shi~,
Locke cautioned the commis-
sion, is that it could force the de-
crease in levy amounts in select
junior taxing districts, such as
the Shelton Metropolitan Parks
District, to stay below state levy
thresholds.
If the parks district lost
money because of the levy shift,
Locke said the county could en-
ter into an agreement with the
city to reimburse all or some of
the loss.
Shelton Mayor Gary Cronce
attended the meeting and ex-
pressed his concern about po-
tentially negative effects to
Shelton.
"I think it's a dangerous prec-
edent to start down that road,"
he said, about the levy shift.
COUNTY BRIEFS
policy related to amend- ously, surveys have been of the county's 2015 An-
ments to the compre- completed along the U.S. nual Construction Pro-
sought for hensive plan, Shoreline Highway 101 corridor and gram and the 2015-2020
Master Program and along the Case Inlet and six-year Transportation
land-use regulations. Grapeview shorelines. Improvement Plan.
The commission Proposals are due State law requires
meets at 6 p.m. on the by 5 p.m. Oct. 16. For both plans to be updated
Applicants are needed third Monday of each more information on annually.
to fill one position each month in the Mason submitting a proposal, : A draft copy of each
in the Mason County County Commission call Michael MacSems atplan is available at
Housing Authority chambers. 427-9670, ext. 571. www.co.mason.wa.us.
Board and the county Each PAC member
Planning Advisory Com- has a four-year term. -x oun*'"
sets
mission (PAC).The open position will
The Mason County fill the remainder of a
~ NLmLN~
Housing Authority owns term that expires Oct. 2, pUI~||~
and manages the Pine 2016. requests
Garden Apartments, Applications are also
the Goldsborough Cove available online.
Apartments, Fairmont The Mason County ..........
Cove
Apartments
and
Commission scheduled The Trust for Public ~:
r..,.,,.ro=, two public hearings at
the Kneeland Park Land could soon help
Apartments. wants -° R ~ its Tuesday morning Mason County assess
The board meets |n~u¢ meeting, how it funds its parks.
monthly at 9 a.m. on The first, scheduled Mason County Commis-
the fourth Thursday of for survey for 9:30 a.m. on Oct. 7, sioner Werri Jeffreys said
the month at the Mason will take testimony andshe is looking into the pos-
County Commission The Mason County consider abolishing thesibility of forming a metro-
Chambers at 411 N. Historic Preservation Skokomish Flood Con- politan parks district.
Fifth St. in Shelton. Commission is acceptingtrol Zone District. The County Commis-
Commissioners serve proposals from qualified Some property owners sion approved a letter
five-year terms. The new candidates to conduct at Lake Cushman have Tuesday to the Trust for
member would serve un- a historical resources asked to be removed Public Land (TPL) asking
til August 2017. survey and inventory for from the district's bound- for technical advice and
The Planning Advisory Matlock and the area aries. The commission assistance in efforts to
Commission is looking for served by the logging will also consider a re- finance parks, trails, open
an applicant from Com- railroad lines between quest from the Skokom- space and land conserva-
mission District 2, which Shelton and Grays Har- ish Tribe to reduce tion.
includes much of the west bor County. impediments to placing The county will not be
side of the county. The Historic Preser- in trust lands within the charged for that assis-
The PAC is a seven- vation Commission is district's boundary, tance, according to the
member citizen board working to make a series The second, scheduled commission.
that advises the Mason of these surveys to cover for 9:30 a.m. on Oct. 14, TPL will conduct re-
County Commission on the entire county. Previ- concerns the adoption search and a public opin-
ion survey.
looking for
The Mason County
Housing Coalition will
issue a request for pro-
posals to select contrac-
tors to provide home-
lessness and housing
services in 2015.
The coalition has
estimated that it will
have $300,000 to fund
the contracts, which is
collected through county
recording fees.
Applications are due
by 4 p.m. Oct. 31 at Ma-
son County Public Health
and Human Services at
415 N. Sixth St., Shelton.
County OKs
rule changes
Mason County's rules
regarding open public
meetings now more
closely align with state
standards.
The Mason County
Board of Commissioners
adopted two revisions to
Send money instantly and
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C R E D I ~: U Ni O N
its rules.
The amended rules
require the county to
post regular meeting
agendas online at least
24 hours in advance of
the meeting's published
start time.
The board approved
the amendments to com-
ply with changes made
to the Open Public Meet-
ings Act in the 2014 reg-
ular Legislative session.
• Compiled by reporter
Natalie Johnson
360-479-4414
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