September 24, 2020 Shelton Mason County Journal | ![]() |
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Commissioners approve
increased CARES Act funds I.
By Kirk—Boxleitner
kbox/eitner@masoncounty. com
The Mason County Commissioners
approved a contract on Sept. 22 with
the Economic Development Council of
Mason County to use CARES (Coro-
navirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Se-
curity) Act funds for two emergency
grants of $10,000 each to iFIBER One,
and the Shelton-Mason County Jour-
nal to respond to the COVID-19 crisis.
Although the three commissioners’
vote was unanimous, it did not pro-
ceed without public comment, since
resident Tom Davis, a self-described
“free market advocate” and “progres-
sive,” expressed concerns not only'
over the government funding private
businesses, but also with the govern-
ment funding media that report on
that same government.
“If $10,000 is all that stands be-
tween you and financial duress, you’re
already underwater,” said Davis, who
commended MasonWebTV.com for its
“principled reasons” for withdraw-
ing itself from consideration for such
funding. '
District 3 Commissioner and Com—
mission Chair Sharon Trask respond-
ed to Davis’ concerns by describing
2020 as “an ,unprecedented year,”
and identified media such as iFIBER
One and the Journal as aiding Mason
County in “getting the word out” and
being transparent about its govern-
ment processes.
“We want to let the public know
what we’re doing,” Trask said.
“I appreciate where you’re com—
ing from,” said District Commis—
sioner Kevin Shutty, who told Davis
he shared his concerns in principle,
enough that he’d “struggled with his
vote,” but like Trask, Shutty consid-
ered 2020 an exceptional year due
to the coronavirus, and differed with
Davis’ suggestion that running a busié
ness should include preparing for
such circumstances.
. “This is a global pandemic,” Shutty
said. “This is hitting Fortune 500 com-
panies. It’s a challenging time across
the board.”
Shutty did express some qualms
with the process, notably with the
two media grants being set aside from
the other CARES Act funds, but he
pointed out that the situation overall
is serious enough that both of the two
major political parties are wrestling
with COVID response funding on a
national level.
District 1 Commissioner Randy
Neatherlin explained the two media
agencies’ grants were separated from
the other CARES Act funds adminis-'
tered by the EDC because both iFI-
BER One and the Journal were con-
sidered to benefit the entire county,
rather than any of its three districts
specifically.
Neatherlin acknowledged that
$10,000 is hardly a cure—all for a
struggling business, but he touted the
value of such an amount to a business’
immediate survival.
“If a man is starving, you give him
a sandwich,” Neatherlin said. “It
doesn’t fix things for him forever, but
it helps him survive for the moment.”
Neatherlin also expressed confi-
dence the two grants wouldn’t com-
promise the objectivity of the media
receiving them, opining that “I’m not
even sure the staff of the Journal like
me,” based on what they’d previously
written about him, “but that’s OK.”
Shutty asserted the importance of
having a paper of record within the
county, and echoed Neatherlin’s as-
surances that iFIBER One and the
Journal would remain impartial.
“At times, they’ve been very criti-
cal of this commission, and God bless
them for it,” Shutty said. “People need
a forum where they can weigh in.”
The commissioners also voted
unanimously to approve an amend—
ment to the state Department of Com-
merce’s Coronavirus Relief Funds for
Local Governments/CARES Act Funds
for Local Governments in Washington
State, which increases the awarded
funds from $3,821,400 to $5,211,000,
and pushes the contract end date from
Oct. 31 to Nov. 30. ' ’
SheltOn—Mason County Journal
General Manager John Lester ex—
pressed his thanks to the Mason
County EDC and the county'commis-
sioners for their efforts, involving the
CARES Act, to “strengthen the back-
bone of local journalism in Mason
County.”
Assessed valuation notices.
Staff regal?"
news@masoncounty. com
Mason County property owners
should see the assessor’s annual No-
tice of Value in the mail. It was sent
out Wednesday.
In accordance with state law, the
county assessor is required to notify
taxpayers of any change in the true
and fair value of their property.
Assessed values are based on sales
in your local neighborhood, and can ,
vary throughout Mason County’s com-
munities.
Mason County sales have increased
8.5% in the last year, so property own-
ers are likely to see this reflected on
their assessment.
Sales information will be available
on the county assessor’s website, along
with additional information regarding
assessment.
If they have not already done so,
property owners can sign up to receive
property valuation notices via email,
instead of through the US. Postal Ser-
Vice.
sent to property owners
The decision to “Go Paperless” is
environmentally friendly, and will
save additional dollars in staff time
and postage.
Visit www.cnoticesonline.com to
learn more.
If you do not agree with the as-
' sessed value of your property, contact
the county assessor’s office.
Property owners who are unable
to resolve their concerns directly with
the assessor’s office can appeal their
values to the Board of Equalization
within 30 days of the date of the valu-
ation notice.
The assessor’s office will be open
to the public for in-person servic-
es from 9 am. to 4 p.m. Mondays
through Fridays. '
The assessor’s office strongly en-
courages continued use of its shared
drop box, mail, online or phone con-
tact options. If you desire in-person
services, you must wear a face cover-
ing to enter the building.
In-person transactions require that
customers sign in at the kiosk in the
first floor vestibule of Building 1.
Thursday, Sept. 24, 2020 Shelton-Mason County Journal Page A-9
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