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Newspaper Archive of
Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
August 18, 2011     Shelton Mason County Journal
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August 18, 2011
 
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Journal photo by Aria Shephard MACECOM 911 dispatcher Matt Heinrich answers and directs a 911 call at the dispatch center in Shelton. Law enforcement and fire district agencies will pay more to use the 911 service next year when MACECOM increases its rates to make up about $100,000 in costs that it has been short the last year. Hood CanalAuto Sales features Guaranteed Credit Approval/ I For more information or to select your own exchange smdem please call: Katie at (253) 9"/0-9067 or at 1-8oo-888-904o fro, Free) or e-mail us at info@wodd-heritlge.org By ARLA SHEPHARD "We knew we had to raise our Fire districts and law enforcement agencies will pay more to use Mason user fee_. One of the issues we are County's 911 dispatch center, MACE- ggli COM, next year, when the dispatch stru ng with is that financial aspects service implements changes to drive not Ithy down its own costs are as hea as,hv...e. were." Starting in January of next year, Mason County's 18 fire districts will pay $15.90 per 911 call and law en- ployees and would receive different what we're paying for, especially at forcement agencies, including the contracts, medical insurance and L & $15 a call." county Sheriffs Office, the Shelton I coverage. Back in 2009, MACECOM began Police~Dfe~rtmexk~b~.~~he Skokom- "It will eventually save lhoney in ~ec~iving a one-tenth Of 1 perosrtt ish and Squaxin police'-~epartments, that we're finding cheaper aiterna- sales tax funds to offset user fees, will pay $12.75 per 911 call. tives," Evander said. "It also gives us which drove down rates from law en- All agencies now pay $10.59 per more control over personnel issues." forcement agencies and fire districts call; MACECOM increased the rates MACECOM is governed by nine dramatically. so that it would stop dipping into a elected and appointed officials and For instance, the Mason County reserve fund, designated for equip- also has a legislative board, made up Sheriffs Office paid $371,373.64 in ment replacement and repair, to pay of five elected officials, which reviews 2008 to MACECOM, compared to the bills, said Jill Evander, director of the budget and deals with other finan- $204,427 in 2009. Fire District 5 paid MACECOM. cial issues. $83,534 in 2008 and $22,316.47 in "We knew we had to raise user Evander estimates that about 70 2009, though that figure then jumped fees," Evander said. "One of the issues percent of the 911 calls MACECOMto $44,744.31 after the district con- we are struggling with is that finan- receives are for law enforcement and solidated with the Shelten fire depart- cial aspects are not as healthy as they 30 percent for fire districts, ment. were." Board members from local fire dis- All fire districts and law enforce- The 911 dispatch center, which ill- tricts have expressed frustration that ment agencies will see their rates go tered more than 45,000 calls in 2010, the new user fees are not equal be- up in 2012, but none will surpass the has been short $100,000 each year in tween fire protection and law enforce- fees they paid in 2008, before the one- balancing its budget and has been us- ment agencies, and have advocated tenth of I percent sales taxs. ing funds from its Equipment Repair for continued communication with"We passed our one-tenth of 1 per- and Replacement Fund (ER&R). MACECOM to improve customer ser-cent sales tax to decrease our user MACECOM functions somewhat vice with dispatch, fees, but those projections were made autonomously but is affiliated with "We don't necessarily feel that 2012 before the economy went down," the City of Shelton, but plans to split [discussions are] closed yet," said Ma- Evander said. "The new rates, this with the city next year as well, in or- son County Fire District 5 commis- was something we struggled with. Af- der to save money, sioner Pat McGanney at a joint fire ter the end of last year's budget, we Under the change, MACECOM em- district 2 and 5 meeting in Belfair last knew we were dipping into reserves ployees would no longer be city era- week. "We're definitely not getting too much." Photos by Natalie Johnson City commissioner Dawn Pannell voted against drafting a res- olution to put a one- tenth of one percent public safety sales tax on the November ballot last week, but voted to approve the resolution at Mon- day's regular city com- mission meeting. Sales tax Continued from page A-1 suggested that the county should rebate that 15 per- cent back to the city. "In the future if the one- tenth of i percent tax passes ... rather than do- ing the 85 percent]15 per- cent split, [I suggest] that the county commission look at a yearly basis at rebating that 15 percent back to the City of Shel- ton," she said. PUD Continued from page A-1 will see rate increases in 2012 and be- yond, but that the PUD would work to keep those increases small and gradual. "It's easier to do small rate increas- es over time ... next year we will have a rate increase," she said. A rate increase in 2012 will likely be below 15 percent, Wood said. Because a customer rate increase would not cover the BPA wholesale rate increase in the first year, Wood said the PUD would likely use reserve money. "We do have a Power Supply Re- serve Fund to get us through those switch from wholesale rates to rates based on the market value of the pow- er they sell. "We continue to be concerned and are watching it very closely," Wood said. "To balance the national budget Bonneville would have to go to market rates ... to go to a market rate would / --- August 12, A baby girl was born to Rosemary & Harry. As with all girls, she was to grow up and marry. She was blessed with 2 girls and 1 boy.: ~ Now her babies are having babies, which are her pride & joy. She is loved by many & adored by all. Cindy do.. Happy 50 Btrthday From Your Loving Family \ 1961 --- for information and the return of stolen older gas powered CASE yellow backhoe 360-490-1191 - r~ A heartfelt, and belated, thank you goes out to all [[ l the people of Sbelton that found it in their heart to [I l donate to the Zayden Shanks Memorial Fund. The I[ 1 money that was donated and the outpouring of love ]] that the Shanks family felt from this community I[ made an incredibly hard tune a little more bearable. II The love and caring that was shownto our family made us proud to be part of this great community. COME SEE THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUR CHILD NOW ENROLLING FOR 2011-20t2 Full Day Kindergarten & Grade 1 (combinedcloss) (LIMIT 12) MT. OLIVE LUTHERAN SCHOOL 206 E. WYANDOTTE *Washington State Approved School 427.3165 s choolmolc~comcast.net Four S~~~ ~ ~ \ t l Call for Parties, Meetings, Receptions FRESH specia SHELLFISH Occasion Lunches DALLY wllh Chd Xinh 1'. i)wd~s Asian ~60) 427-8709. Open for Supper Tuesclay.suturdc~/ Downtown Shelton, Comer of 3rd and West Railroad i bumps," she said. A larger problem, Wood said, is national pressure for BPA and other federal power marketing agencies to be a huge increase in cost be a killer for our region." ... It would __~ Shelton-Mason 1 BACK-TO-SCHOOl. IS RIGHT | AROUND THE ¢ORNERI! ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' Pa County Journal -Thursday, August 18, 2011 -