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Newspaper Archive of
Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
November 22, 2007     Shelton Mason County Journal
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November 22, 2007
 
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State office lowers its forecast of REET revenue through 2009 (Continued from page 29.) a lot of economic problems. The sales tax reflects consumer opti- mism," Gowrylow said. BY THIS MEASURE Mason County was somewhat more opti- mistic than the state as a whole, with sales of about $338.6 million in 2001 growing by 8.3 percent to about $366.7 million in 2002. Things started booming in 2003 with sales of about $394.5 million and by last year they were about $528.3 million, an increase of 56 percent since 2001. Statewide sales and the government revenue they produce have been rising rap- idly too, hitting $110.5 billion last year. "We've had strong growth," Gowrylow said. "That's why the state has been piling up a surplus, because we've had strong growth in all taxes." One of the taxes pales in com- parison to sales but may just give the Washington Economic and Revenue Forecast Council a glimpse of things to come. The real-estate excise tax, REET for short, is levied on the sale price of a home and split between the state and the county, a circumstance which finds it depending on gen- eral trends in the housing market. Information provided by a Realtors group shows that the number of homes selling here has been down in recent months and the prices of homes likely to sell next month were slightly lower, according to one measuring stick. Information provided by government officials shows that last" year the local share of the REET was slightly down from 2005 to $2,083,091 and may be lower still when all is said and done about 2007. As it happens, the REET has followed the general trend of rap- id growth after people recovered from the shock of 9/11. Income to the county from the REET went from $469,415 in 2001 to more than $2.2 million in 2005. REET revenue to the state as a whole was projected at $1 billion for this year but was revised downward on Thursday by Dr. ChangMook Sohn of the forecast council. That agency reduced its estimate of fu- ture REET revenue to the state's general by $124.4 million through 2009. "THE NEW NATIONAL and state economic forecasts are simi- lar to the fbrecasts adopted in Sep- tember and the forecasts for most of the state's major revenue sourc- es are little changed," ChangMook said. "However, the value of trans- actions subject to the real-estate excise tax has dropped more pre- cipitously than expected in Sep- tember." Unknown is whether a decline in real estate values will erode the "consumer optimism" that drives the sales tax, but there is cause for concern that a statewide surge in construction might be running out of steam. Permits for new homes in Mason County were down quite a bit in October, and with housing prices going soft that could also happen in the state as a whole. "The one wild card is there is something called elasticity," Gow- rylow said. Elasticity is a word economists apply to an historical trend show- ing that a 1 percent increase in our collective income goes hand- in-hand with an increase of about one-half of 1 percent in our col- lective spending. What has Gow- yrlow and others scratching their heads is evidence that in recent years spending has grown faster than income, a phenomenon many attribute to a general feeling that people have been feeling richer be- cause the estimated value of their homes has been rising rapidly. Some had taken out loans on the added value and some have spent some of that money, a ploy that doesn't work if housing values are stagnant or start to fall. "SPENDING HAS been in- creasing faster than income," Gow- rylow said. "Those kind of things can't go on forever." He said "we're still in the in- crease phase" and the numbers bear this out. The latest report from the Department of Revenue indicates that in the months of May through June taxable retail sales grew 9.9 percent in Mason County and 7.9 percent in the state as a whole when compared to the same three months of last year. "We have more people mov- ing into the state," Gowrylow said. "The economy is growing. We have more people, and so if you have fiat revenue you have a problem." What's the wheel deal? Why it's the lo- comotive on Railroad Avenue known as "the Tollie" if you have a Passport to His- torical Sites from the Mason County His- torical Society Museum, 427 West Rail- road Avenue. Passports are given free Civil service The Mason County Commission seeks an individual to fill a position on the Mason County Civil Service Commission that will expire Decem- ber 31. This is for a six-year term, ending December 31, 2013. To qualify, the individual must be a U.S. citizen, registered to vote and a resident of Mason County for at least the past two years. This person cannot be an employee of the county government and shall serve without compensation. The Civil Service Commission es- tablishes a merit system of employ- ment for deputies and other employ- A train of thought Swh00 of charge to persons who stop there want to take a tour of downtown ton. Prizes will be awarded to those correctly answer questions like: was Tollie? For more c information 426-1020. board has vacancy / ees of the Mason County Sheriffs til December 14. Interested p Office. Commissioners meet at 3 may obtain an application forl p.m. on the second Thursday of each stopping by 411 North Fifth St month in Mason County Building Shelton, by visiting thecounty's IX in downtown Shelton. site at www.co.mason.wa.--"'--" Applications will be accepted un- by calling 427-9670, Extensional Moms host Belfair baza00i The Belfair chapter of MOPS, also known as Mothers of Pre- schoolers, will have a Christmas bazaar on Saturday, November 24, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Belfair Assembly of God, 23001 NE State Route 3. On sale will be ed and homemade items, goods and stocking stuffers. cheon with homemade served starting at 11 o'clock. New Community Mt. Olive T. [AVId ClulZOJ!!L1D Church of Union Lutheran Church F,,+omPr++heaPra,ce Sunday Gatherings "v ". "p days {with child :h. Missour, 'Whorl (/orshl Sun careJ .(;, (All are wdco,m'/) 206 I:dt Wydndotte Avenue Services 7:30 & 10:30 a.ff I, iN WORSHIP SERVICES ContemporaryService .......... 8:30 am. Worship at 3.24 West Cedar street l& Office pnone: 426-8472 8:30 and 10:30 Christian Educatk)n ................. 9:45 a.m.  stdavidofwales org l at the Traditional Worship ............... ll:00 din. 11:: Pt..:eAL CtJuatl IIX Union Fire Hall You are invited to attend 50 E. Seattle St., Union 98592 Office 4266353 Heavenl- "1"-'- ! 1 ]Ill I)aytare 427 3165 . y 1 II the services of your choice 3.60-898-7855 / Thurs.-Sat. I t a.m.-4 p.m. ] web rote www thenccu org www.mt oliveshelt on.org Phone: 462-4438" 'E; at these local area churches, wed site', www.mtccu.org LU i astor Steve O,son • Associate Pastor Ma:k Griffith SI--  "W6/?YtT:# i}tl ' .  426-8611 1212 ConnccuonSt. ' ;i' I i i • A , Traditional Worship ...... 8:45 a.m. trt-cteraa Chumb Contemporary Worship ... 11 a.m. " ' b • Bible Study. Daycare M-F 462-5437* Youth Activities [Grace Bantmt Church00 l .... / ... I "°g)':|, t I Times of Services. mllllml f.,', .w.  lc. H / Sunday School .......................... 9 a.m. 1..2U..2''11. e "Sharing a Message of Hope" I Worship Service ...................... 10 am. /r re, 1 Sunday Evening ....................... 6 p.m. Mm,: u, 9 Sabbath School (all ages) 9:30 a.m. Saturday | Wednesday Bible Study 7 p m lPO Box 1025, Shelton, WA! Worship Service I 0:S0 a.m. Saturday / ..... ' ............. 1Phone: (360) 462-161f _a l I 210 W. Shelton Valley Road  (360) 426-2776 [ ....... r m us a... l Fmil: past0r@gbcshelt0n., 1 Olympic tlwy. N., suite 130 • Shelton, WA  Web address, wwwgbcshel !1 SHELTON VALLEY CHRISTIAN SCHOOL  Grades K-8 N  Webaddre:www.gbcsh¢l , 1 Washington State Accredited  Certified Teaching Staff 201 W. Shelton Valley Road  (360) 426-4198 CALVARY FELLOWSHIP OF SHELTOH Nondenominational. Family Centered Corner of Highway 101 and Railroad Ave..426-7021 Sunday Wor,hip erice 10:00 a.m. A casual and uplifting worship exper/ence F|¢tt 8al)t|tt ChUrCh www. sheltonfbc.org ] 428 W. Cola Street, Shelton, WA 98584 360.426.8461 emall fbc@hctc.com I ,s,. +++ o .o-.. i+fem+i00i00 I SUn¢I Wolhip eS: 9:00 & 10:.10 am Adult Bible Classes: 8, 9 & ! 0:30 am LaUrlo Worship Service Children's Ministry: 9 & 10:30 am [Nursery--2nd grcl.] I Tweeners Discovery Classes: 9 am 13rd-7m grd.l Sundays, 6 pm I yOU m Truth Project: 9am [8--12th grd.] Pastor Esau Del Area ] Latlno Youth program:. I Wednesdalys Nights: YOU m Church 555pm 121 a,I rlarsdays 30 pm AWANA CLUB--Wednesday 6:I S- 8,'00 pm IX-Sin. Sep--fMl I Small Groups availe throughout the week. I llk,a/sm,i'wa " shariw llfegivlng hope, Jbr eveo'day l, Pton United Mhodist Church www.sheltonumc.com Yeuth Group Chlldrea% ActtvR $tmual Grw Chsm Adult Ch Smlt Oup, Bdl Choir Inteqlenatlonal Minlstrt Inlmi¢ Worllp Empilm:¢ l' [,pk of Sldtt:m I/nitat ,let]dit C/m'h Pago 38 - Sholton-Mason County Journal - Thursday, Novombor 22, 2007 CrossPoint Service Traditional Sorvloo ,,,' ",|:  / ,+ N A more contemporary servk'e A more traditional service ? . II  +,la (RO$ OINT b ' S t " .....  .......... I rat,'e Band • 1 raise Team 10.45 AM + [ 10l • ContempordryMessdge Choir ' / r Children and Adult Sunday School 9 AM • Childcare both servlttil il I "1 GATEWAY CHRISTIAN FELLOWSH  405 S. Seventh St. @ Shelton, WA 98584 @ 360.426.2758 • www.gatewaycf.c°#ll  S.nd+ +oo+ I t 10:30 a.m. Celebration Service, Attended Nursery, Children's II ll: Ministry I It c0 1:30 p.m. Hispanic (Bilingual) Worship Service II II  4:00 p.m. Freedom in Recovery 12-Step (Childcare provided) I! I t4117 Tuesday 6:30 p.m. Bible Study and Prayer Service II ll r: Wednesday 7:00 p.m. Mid-week Service, SoulFire Youth and Children's 11 I{ ' Ministry  " " " '" Helpmg people become whole m Jesus Christ State office lowers its forecast of REET revenue through 2009 (Continued from page 29.) a lot of economic problems. The sales tax reflects consumer opti- mism," Gowrylow said. BY THIS MEASURE Mason County was somewhat more opti- mistic than the state as a whole, with sales of about $338.6 million in 2001 growing by 8.3 percent to about $366.7 million in 2002. Things started booming in 2003 with sales of about $394.5 million and by last year they were about $528.3 million, an increase of 56 percent since 2001. Statewide sales and the government revenue they produce have been rising rap- idly too, hitting $110.5 billion last year. "We've had strong growth," Gowrylow said. "That's why the state has been piling up a surplus, because we've had strong growth in all taxes." One of the taxes pales in com- parison to sales but may just give the Washington Economic and Revenue Forecast Council a glimpse of things to come. The real-estate excise tax, REET for short, is levied on the sale price of a home and split between the state and the county, a circumstance which finds it depending on gen- eral trends in the housing market. Information provided by a Realtors group shows that the number of homes selling here has been down in recent months and the prices of homes likely to sell next month were slightly lower, according to one measuring stick. Information provided by government officials shows that last" year the local share of the REET was slightly down from 2005 to $2,083,091 and may be lower still when all is said and done about 2007. As it happens, the REET has followed the general trend of rap- id growth after people recovered from the shock of 9/11. Income to the county from the REET went from $469,415 in 2001 to more than $2.2 million in 2005. REET revenue to the state as a whole was projected at $1 billion for this year but was revised downward on Thursday by Dr. ChangMook Sohn of the forecast council. That agency reduced its estimate of fu- ture REET revenue to the state's general by $124.4 million through 2009. "THE NEW NATIONAL and state economic forecasts are simi- lar to the fbrecasts adopted in Sep- tember and the forecasts for most of the state's major revenue sourc- es are little changed," ChangMook said. "However, the value of trans- actions subject to the real-estate excise tax has dropped more pre- cipitously than expected in Sep- tember." Unknown is whether a decline in real estate values will erode the "consumer optimism" that drives the sales tax, but there is cause for concern that a statewide surge in construction might be running out of steam. Permits for new homes in Mason County were down quite a bit in October, and with housing prices going soft that could also happen in the state as a whole. "The one wild card is there is something called elasticity," Gow- rylow said. Elasticity is a word economists apply to an historical trend show- ing that a 1 percent increase in our collective income goes hand- in-hand with an increase of about one-half of 1 percent in our col- lective spending. What has Gow- yrlow and others scratching their heads is evidence that in recent years spending has grown faster than income, a phenomenon many attribute to a general feeling that people have been feeling richer be- cause the estimated value of their homes has been rising rapidly. Some had taken out loans on the added value and some have spent some of that money, a ploy that doesn't work if housing values are stagnant or start to fall. "SPENDING HAS been in- creasing faster than income," Gow- rylow said. "Those kind of things can't go on forever." He said "we're still in the in- crease phase" and the numbers bear this out. The latest report from the Department of Revenue indicates that in the months of May through June taxable retail sales grew 9.9 percent in Mason County and 7.9 percent in the state as a whole when compared to the same three months of last year. "We have more people mov- ing into the state," Gowrylow said. "The economy is growing. We have more people, and so if you have fiat revenue you have a problem." What's the wheel deal? Why it's the lo- comotive on Railroad Avenue known as "the Tollie" if you have a Passport to His- torical Sites from the Mason County His- torical Society Museum, 427 West Rail- road Avenue. Passports are given free Civil service The Mason County Commission seeks an individual to fill a position on the Mason County Civil Service Commission that will expire Decem- ber 31. This is for a six-year term, ending December 31, 2013. To qualify, the individual must be a U.S. citizen, registered to vote and a resident of Mason County for at least the past two years. This person cannot be an employee of the county government and shall serve without compensation. The Civil Service Commission es- tablishes a merit system of employ- ment for deputies and other employ- A train of thought Swh00 of charge to persons who stop there want to take a tour of downtown ton. Prizes will be awarded to those correctly answer questions like: was Tollie? For more c information 426-1020. board has vacancy / ees of the Mason County Sheriffs til December 14. Interested p Office. Commissioners meet at 3 may obtain an application forl p.m. on the second Thursday of each stopping by 411 North Fifth St month in Mason County Building Shelton, by visiting thecounty's IX in downtown Shelton. site at www.co.mason.wa.--"'--" Applications will be accepted un- by calling 427-9670, Extensional Moms host Belfair baza00i The Belfair chapter of MOPS, also known as Mothers of Pre- schoolers, will have a Christmas bazaar on Saturday, November 24, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Belfair Assembly of God, 23001 NE State Route 3. On sale will be ed and homemade items, goods and stocking stuffers. cheon with homemade served starting at 11 o'clock. New Community Mt. Olive T. [AVId ClulZOJ!!L1D Church of Union Lutheran Church F,,+omPr++heaPra,ce Sunday Gatherings "v ". "p days {with child :h. Missour, 'Whorl (/orshl Sun careJ .(;, (All are wdco,m'/) 206 I:dt Wydndotte Avenue Services 7:30 & 10:30 a.ff I, iN WORSHIP SERVICES ContemporaryService .......... 8:30 am. Worship at 3.24 West Cedar street l& Office pnone: 426-8472 8:30 and 10:30 Christian Educatk)n ................. 9:45 a.m.  stdavidofwales org l at the Traditional Worship ............... ll:00 din. 11:: Pt..:eAL CtJuatl IIX Union Fire Hall You are invited to attend 50 E. Seattle St., Union 98592 Office 4266353 Heavenl- "1"-'- ! 1 ]Ill I)aytare 427 3165 . y 1 II the services of your choice 3.60-898-7855 / Thurs.-Sat. I t a.m.-4 p.m. ] web rote www thenccu org www.mt oliveshelt on.org Phone: 462-4438" 'E; at these local area churches, wed site', www.mtccu.org LU i astor Steve O,son • Associate Pastor Ma:k Griffith SI--  "W6/?YtT:# i}tl ' .  426-8611 1212 ConnccuonSt. ' ;i' I i i • A , Traditional Worship ...... 8:45 a.m. trt-cteraa Chumb Contemporary Worship ... 11 a.m. " ' b • Bible Study. Daycare M-F 462-5437* Youth Activities [Grace Bantmt Church00 l .... / ... I "°g)':|, t I Times of Services. mllllml f.,', .w.  lc. H / Sunday School .......................... 9 a.m. 1..2U..2''11. e "Sharing a Message of Hope" I Worship Service ...................... 10 am. /r re, 1 Sunday Evening ....................... 6 p.m. Mm,: u, 9 Sabbath School (all ages) 9:30 a.m. Saturday | Wednesday Bible Study 7 p m lPO Box 1025, Shelton, WA! Worship Service I 0:S0 a.m. Saturday / ..... ' ............. 1Phone: (360) 462-161f _a l I 210 W. Shelton Valley Road  (360) 426-2776 [ ....... r m us a... l Fmil: past0r@gbcshelt0n., 1 Olympic tlwy. N., suite 130 • Shelton, WA  Web address, wwwgbcshel !1 SHELTON VALLEY CHRISTIAN SCHOOL  Grades K-8 N  Webaddre:www.gbcsh¢l , 1 Washington State Accredited  Certified Teaching Staff 201 W. Shelton Valley Road  (360) 426-4198 CALVARY FELLOWSHIP OF SHELTOH Nondenominational. Family Centered Corner of Highway 101 and Railroad Ave..426-7021 Sunday Wor,hip erice 10:00 a.m. A casual and uplifting worship exper/ence F|¢tt 8al)t|tt ChUrCh www. sheltonfbc.org ] 428 W. Cola Street, Shelton, WA 98584 360.426.8461 emall fbc@hctc.com I ,s,. +++ o .o-.. i+fem+i00i00 I SUn¢I Wolhip eS: 9:00 & 10:.10 am Adult Bible Classes: 8, 9 & ! 0:30 am LaUrlo Worship Service Children's Ministry: 9 & 10:30 am [Nursery--2nd grcl.] I Tweeners Discovery Classes: 9 am 13rd-7m grd.l Sundays, 6 pm I yOU m Truth Project: 9am [8--12th grd.] Pastor Esau Del Area ] Latlno Youth program:. I Wednesdalys Nights: YOU m Church 555pm 121 a,I rlarsdays 30 pm AWANA CLUB--Wednesday 6:I S- 8,'00 pm IX-Sin. Sep--fMl I Small Groups availe throughout the week. I llk,a/sm,i'wa " shariw llfegivlng hope, Jbr eveo'day l, Pton United Mhodist Church www.sheltonumc.com Yeuth Group Chlldrea% ActtvR $tmual Grw Chsm Adult Ch Smlt Oup, Bdl Choir Inteqlenatlonal Minlstrt Inlmi¢ Worllp Empilm:¢ l' [,pk of Sldtt:m I/nitat ,let]dit C/m'h Pago 38 - Sholton-Mason County Journal - Thursday, Novombor 22, 2007 CrossPoint Service Traditional Sorvloo ,,,' ",|:  / ,+ N A more contemporary servk'e A more traditional service ? . II  +,la (RO$ OINT b ' S t " .....  .......... I rat,'e Band • 1 raise Team 10.45 AM + [ 10l • ContempordryMessdge Choir ' / r Children and Adult Sunday School 9 AM • Childcare both servlttil il I "1 GATEWAY CHRISTIAN FELLOWSH  405 S. Seventh St. @ Shelton, WA 98584 @ 360.426.2758 • www.gatewaycf.c°#ll  S.nd+ +oo+ I t 10:30 a.m. Celebration Service, Attended Nursery, Children's II ll: Ministry I It c0 1:30 p.m. Hispanic (Bilingual) Worship Service II II  4:00 p.m. Freedom in Recovery 12-Step (Childcare provided) I! I t4117 Tuesday 6:30 p.m. Bible Study and Prayer Service II ll r: Wednesday 7:00 p.m. Mid-week Service, SoulFire Youth and Children's 11 I{ ' Ministry  " " " '" Helpmg people become whole m Jesus Christ