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Newspaper Archive of
Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
November 3, 2016     Shelton Mason County Journal
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November 3, 2016
 
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Page A-2 - Shelton-Mason County Journal - Thursday, Nov. 3, 2016 Commission will host public hearing on Monday By GORDON WEEKS gordon@masoncoun com The Shelton City Commis- sion will host a public hearing on revenue sources for its pre- liminary $48.6 million budget for 2017 at 6 p.m. Monday in the Shelton Civic Center. The final public hearing is scheduled for Dec. 5. The city is slated to adopt the 2017 budget on Dec. 27. The commission on Monday heard a presentation on the preliminary budget by City Administrator Ryan Wheaton at its work session. The city is projecting a 6 percent increase in tax rev- enue, for almost $7.1 million, in 2017, Wheaten said. The city expects its general fund to increase by 3 percent to $13.2 million, he said. Debt is a concern, Wheaten said. In 2017, the city is pro- jected to spend $270,000 each month in debt payment, he said. Wheaton said he believes the city won't have a problem making that payment. In his first preliminary budget as city administrator, Wheaton wrote in the introduc- tion that the city is still feeling "effects of the prolonged local recession." He pointed out the loss of 200 jobs when Olympic Panel Products shut down op- erations in June, and the loss of 270 Simpson Lumber Co. Journal photo by Gordon Weeks The City of'Shelton received a federal grant of $698,200 for the right-of-way and design of a park-and-ride facility near the northern entrance to town next to State Route 3. The city has spent $411,370 of that money with neither the design nor right-of-way completed, and might have to pay the money back if the state doesn't allow the project to move forward. jobs in April 2015. The commission will face walks capping Shelton Creek "Throughout 2016, eco- decisions on the fate of three in downtown Shelton. nomic indicators showed that major public works projectsIf the city abandons both Mason County continues to lag that have been sitting on the the downtown creek and park- behind peers throughout the shelf, one of them for 17 years, and-ride projects, it will be state," Wheaten wrote. "While "These projects will steer forced to pay back $474,523 neighboring counties continue where we go next year" on the in grant money it has already to rebound, and state indica- budget, Wheaton said. spent on those projects. tors are improving, unemploy- The three projects under "This is an unfortunate sit- ment in Shelton and Mason consideration are the stateuation that Shelton has found County remains problematic. Route 3 park-and-ride lot next itself in," Mayor Gary Cronce Specifically, as Mason County to the downtown's northern said about the uncompleted hit 8.1 percent unemployment entrance, "safe route" improve- projects. He said there is no in July, compared to a state- ments around Evergreen El- one person to blame for it. wide 5.8 percent." ementary and replacing side- "This next phase in Shel- ton history will not be pleas- ant::or easy," Cronce said. He added, "We need to be truthful and honest and realistic about what we do in the future." The city has to examine its priorities while choosing proj- ects to fund, Cronce said. "We've got to stop borrow- ing money for infrastructure projects that are not needed," the mayor said. He thanked Wheaton for being "truth- ful and having a realistic ap- proach." Cronce said he supports the completion of the park-and- ride lot on state Route 3. The city has been talking about getting that done for 25 years, he said. "I think we've got to pull that one off," he said. Wheaton said he has ap- proached Mason Transit Au- thority about providing finan- cial help to build the park-and- ride lot. Regarding city public works projects, "When we say we're going to get things done, we get it done," Wheaton said. "We don't shelve them for a year, or a decade." In the introduction to the preliminary budget, wheaton wrote that the city has no of- ficial economic plan. "In 2017, we will lay the groundwork from which new economic prosperity will be built in our community," he wrote. "This means that eco- nomic development will be an area of focus, and resources must be utilized to plan for the future of Shelton." Your Nice List Extra. Lon, This Year? We Offe . I Loans as small as I Fhced rate & payment BB Easy appllcaflon process I A terrB¢, low rate A personal loan for whatever your needs •Holldoy Expen "es might be. .vacations • Home Improvements • New Furniture • Large Appliances • Car Repair • Pay Off Debts • ANYTHING! 800.426.1601 Apply Now! www.pcfcu.org CR|D 800.426.1601 N J o N WWW.