January 30, 2014 Shelton Mason County Journal | ![]() |
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LETTERS
Continued from page A-4
vulnerable citizens. In particular,
I'm concerned about proposed cuts to
food stamps when more than one in
every four children in Mason County
depends on food stamps for all or part
of their vital nutrition. I urge our citi-
zens to find opportunities to speak out
against putting any more of the bur-
den of our weakened economy onto our
most vulnerable citizens and especial-
ly their children. The current House
Republican budget proposal includes
a proposed $135 billion reduction --
almost 18 percent -- to the program
over 10 years. The best way I know to
speak out on these issues is to write
a letter or make a phone call to your
U.S. representative (Derek Kilmer for
most of Mason County) or Denny Heck
(for Shelton and south of Hammers!ey
Inlet and east of U.S. Highway 101) or
to either or both of our U.S. senators,
Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell.
Woodson Moore
Shelton
Support school's levy
Editor, the Journal
I am writing this letter to express
my support for the upcoming Educa-
tional Programs and Operations Re-
placement Levy for the Shelton School
District. Although I am a Shelton
School District employee, I am writ-
ing this letter as a parent of children
attending our schools. As a parent, I
believe that my children, along with
all of the other children who attend
schools in the Shelton School District,
deserve to have every opportunity
that students receive in any other dis-
trict across our state. Unfortunately,
schools in the United States are not
fully funded and there are great ineq-
uities in facilities, curriculum, tech-
nology and the quality of programs.
However, local levies can help districts
make strides to level the playing field.
While levy funds makeup approxi-
mately 16 percent of the school dis-
trict's budget and are used for a vari-
ety of purposes, I want to focus on the
importance of ensuring our students
have access to current technology. It
is well-documented that the number
of jobs not requiring an in-depth un-
derstanding of computers and other
technology are dwindling. In fact, cur-
rent trends of employment indicate
that homegrown job applicants lack
the needed mathematics, computer,
and problem-solving skills to succeed
in the 21st century job market. Fur-
thermore, job applicants from other
countries are filling an increasing per-
centage of the top science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics (STEM)
job positions in the United States (Na- "
tional Research Council, 2011). It is
imperative that we give our students
the opportunity to be exposed to and
become intimately familiar with the
latest advances in technology so they
can be prepared for their careers, as
well as post-secondary educational
opportunities. Without levy dollars, it
is impossible to maintain our current
technology, let alone acquire new and
exciting educational tools that give our
students a competitive edge in today's
job market.
When considering whether or not
to vote "yes" on the upcoming levy, it
is important to note that if the levy
passes, the state will provide an ad-
ditional $1.9 million (approximately)
annually in levy equalization funds.
If the levy does not pass, the district
will not receive any additional fund-
ing from the state. In essence, we will
leave $1.9 million on the table if the
levy does not pass. Let's continue to
pull together and do what is right for
our community and for our children
by voting "yes" on the upcoming Edu-
cational Programs and Operations Re-
placement Levy for the Shelton School
District.
Additional information is available
on the Shelton School District website
at sheltonschools.org
Bracken Budge
Union
A 'yes' vote benefits
youth in community
Editor, the Journal
Last week, registered voters in
Mason County received ballots for
the upcoming Feb. 11 election. This
election includes a replacement levy
for the Shelton School District. The
current levy, which voters approved
in 2011, expires at the end of 2014.
Voting "yes" for the replacement levy
will provide continuation of needed
funds through 2017, and will ensure
that the district will receive approxi-
mately $1.9 million per year in levy
equalization funds that are only avail-
able to the district if the levy passes.
Levy funds help pay for maintenance
of our schools and help fund critical
programs, such as state and federally
mandated section education programs
for students.
Your "yes" vote demonstrates sup-
port for educational programs and ser-
vices for the youth of our community.
Our youth deserve safe and healthy
learning environments and we need to
make an investment in providing the
educational resources they need for fu-
ture success. Strong communities can-
not exist without the public's support
of a strong educational system. Your
vote is important in this election and I
urge you to join me in voting "yes" for
the future of our kids and schools.
Mike Olsen
City of Shelton commissioner
Shelton
Transparency missing
in budget process
Editor, the Journal
On Christmas Eve 2013, the Mason
County Board of Commissioners met
to adopt the 2014 county budget. The
agenda announced the action under
"Other Business." Unfortunately, the
dozens of changes made to the prelimi-
nary budget were not made available
to the public or even to the depart-
ment heads. At the chief financial
officer's request, the vote to adopt the
budget was delayed until New Year's
Eve, the last possible date allowed
by law, giving the officer a chance to
review the numerous changes made
by the commission and see if the pro-
posed budget would balance.
Additionally, Resolution 82-13 was
adopted establishing a new Depart-
ment of Support Services. The re-
structuring includes two new, top-pay
range positions and salary reclassifi-
cations of other existing positions. So
far, the estimated costs are $178,000
in additional expenditures. To the
best of our knowledge, no input from
department heads or other elected of-
ficials was sought in the planning or
implementation of the restructuring
decision.
In 2009-10, the League of Women
Voters of Mason County conducted a
study of the budget and theprocess
used to adopt it. The league recom-
mended a process that would increase
transparency and allow for citizen
review and input. Specific recommen-
dations included: 1) Use the single set
of budget documents generated by the
auditor in accordance with state law to
avoid duplication of effort and confu-
sion resulting from different budget
numbers; 2) Maintain an audit trail of
changes from the preliminary budget
to the final budget to ensure the integ-
rity of the budget process; 3) Hold the
first budget workshop in October as
allowed by state law, and subsequent
workshops through November to al-
low public review and input on the
preliminary budget. This process was
subsequently used for the 2011, 2012
and 2013 budgets. For 2014, these rec-
ommendations were largely ignored.
Why is transparency and public in-
put important?
Citizens - taxpayers whose money
funds the budget - have the right to
know how their tax dollars are spent,
and to have access to clear informa-
tion. They also have the responsibility
to review the work of the officials they
elect -- the commissioners, the audi-
tor, the treasurer, the assessor -- and
to ensure, as much as possible, that
county services address the needs of
its citizens.
With a single set of budget figures
and an audit trail, everyone - BOCC,
county departments and the public --
have the same information and budget
changes and decisions can be tracked.
Decisions that are not transparent,
either to the public or to department
heads and other elected officials, give
the appearance of deception.
what questions remain?
1) What are the real costs of the
new Department of Support Services,
and how will they be offset in 2014
and beyond?
2) what improvements in services
can the public expect from this depart-
ment? How will this department be
accountable to the public?
3) How will transparency and op-
portunity for public review and input
be restored to the budget process for
2015 and beyond?
In addition to these questions, three
others with major budgetary implica-
tions were raised by the state audlto£s
report:
4) what is the county's plan for fi-
nancing the $500,000 to $1 million per
year shortfall for the Belfair sewer?
5) What is the plan for correcting
the past inequities in the current ex-
pense departments' contributions to
the Equipment Rental & Revolving
(ER&R) fund?
6) How will the county ensure per-
sonal and business property taxes will
be collected equitably?
The league urges the commission-
ers to return to a practice of open
government and transparency in the
budget process and to take responsibil-
ity for developing a clear and equitable
budget.
Michelle Bell
President, League of Women
Voters of Mason County
Shelton
Pollution poses issues
for Mason County
Editor, the Journal
It was with great expectations that
I read the Jan. 9 article in the Mason
County Journal titled "Geoduck test
relieves Shelton harvesters." The ar-
ticle says the state test shows safe lev-
els of arsenic in the geoducks in Puget
Sound's Poverty Bay.
The great concerns are the loss of
revenue and layoffs due to China's
putting a ban on imports from West-
ern Washington.
This is very serious. Nobody wants
to eat seafood and get arsenic poison-
ing. An earlier report also mentioned
paralytic seafood poisoning (PSP), but
I could not find any further informa-
tion relating to that statement. Still,
another article quoted Dave McBride,
a toxicologist with Washington state
Department of Health, that the Chi-
nese were reporting levels at 1.7 parts
per million (ppm), and their maximum
level is 0.5 ppm.
I can't understand why someone
isn't talking to the Chinese and
finding out if they both are testing
the same way. The Department of
Health's testing showed 1.75 ppm in
the skin, 0.102 ppm in the gut and
0.063 ppm in the meat. However,
there is no information as to what
the "safe" arsenic level is. It makes
me think it is an oxymoron to call
arsenic safe. The Department of
Health also advises not to eat the
skin.
All of this disorder raises many
questions. What if you cook the whole
thing, roasting, boiling or on the grill,
and then take the skin off before it is
cooked? Is there cross-contamination
from handling? The Chinese eat dif-
ferently than we do. It may be cus-
tomary to eat the whole thing. They
consider crispy fried chicken feet a
delicacy.
The other question bothering me
is how many and much of all the
other "safe" levels of poisons, heavy
metals and / or contaminants can
we be taking into our bodies and
not have a deleterious effect on our
health?
We are beginning to see that the
cost of preventing pollution, and
contamination, to prevent or less
potential health problems is much
less than the price of job and revenue
losses. If we continue to keep add-
ing more pollution to the enormous
amount we already have, what will
be safe to eat, water to drink or air to
breathe?
Patricia Vandehey
Shelton
Vandalism of Broncos
items uncalled for
Editor, the Journal
It seems to me that around here
if you want to cheer on and support
your team you might want to hide
your flags or any other outside items
with a Bronco logo on it. I had a Den-
ver Broncos street sign and a Bron-
cos scarecrow stolen from our front
yard. The lowlife dirtbags pulled
the sign and post out of the ground,
stole the sign and then moved the
scarecrow that my 11-year-old had
decorated in a Broncos jersey and
helmet and stole it too. Class act by
Shelton's finest. Just so the criminals
know, I am a disabled veteran and
my wife is blind. Way to go Hawks
fans.
Lee Rust
Shelton
Mason County Journal - Thursday, Jan. 30, 2014 - Page A-5