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Thursday, December 22, 2011
-- Week 51 -- The Voice of Mason County since 1886 --- Published in Shelton, Washington -- $1
By NATALIE JOHNSON
In a move that has come as a
surprise to many people, the Ma-
son County Lodging Tax Advisory
Committee (LTAC) recommended
on Monday, Dec. 12 that the Board
of County Commissioners not ap-
prove a $95,000 request by the
Shelton Mason County Chamber
of Commerce for General Tourism
Management.
The committee, consisting of
members Ned Kjeldgaard, Brian
Cook, Bev Voss-Petredis, Jean
Farmer, Heidi McCutcheon, Mark
Woytowich and
county commis-
sioner Steve
Bloomfield rec-
ommended in-
stead that the
commission ap-
prove a $36,000
General Tourism
Management
Steve grant to Olym-
Bloomfield pic Broadcasting
Inc, which owns
KMAS and Ma-
son County Daily News.
"I think it is a horrible idea
for you to take this out of the
chamber's hands and put it into
an advertising/broadcast com-
pany," said McCutcheon, execu-
tive director of the Mason County
Chamber of Commerce, during
the meeting.
McCutcheon abstained from
voting on the conflicting proposals.
Whoever gets the grant money
will work with the Joint Cham-
bers Tourism Advisory Board to
get direction for its plan.
Olympic Broadcasting also sug-
gested changing the name of the
Joint Chambers Tourism Advi-
sory Council to the Mason County
Tourism Advisory Council in its
proposal.
Earlier this week, McCutch-
con called LTAC group's decision
"odd."
"Of course we're disappointed,"
she said.
The chamber of commerce re-
quested $95,000 of lodging tax
funds for 2012, the exact amount
that was granted by the county to
the organization in 2011.
The chamber submitted a pro-
posal showing that, as in past
years, the $95,000 would be used
to cover printing costs for maps
and visitor guides, the distribu-
tion of the visitor guide, tourism
videos, website maintenance and
design work, website and media
marketing and a blogger, contract-
ed at $250 per month.
According to McCutcheon, the
salaries of chamber employees
working on tourism efforts and
building maintenance costs are
not included in the proposal.
However, $10,000 of the cham-
ber's requested $95,000 is desig-
See LTAC on page A-8
Four ducks sit on a log on Thursday, Dec. 15, on Oakland Bay.
Journal photo by Kelly Riordan
County looks for options after utilities director departure
By NATALIE JOHNSON
Mason County is down
a department head after
Utilities and Waste Direc-
tor Emmett Dobey stepped
down on Friday, Dec. 9.
County Human Resourc-
es Director Karen Jackson
asked the Mason County
Board of Commissioners for
direction on how to proceed
filling the vacancy during a
briefing session on Monday,
but could get no concrete
answer from the commis-
sion.
"It was a pretty sudden
departure," commissioner
Tim Sheldon said. "I don't
have enough information to:
make a recommendation."
Commissioners Sheldon
and Steve Bloomfield at-
tended the briefing, while
commissioner Lynda Ring
Erickson was absent.
Dobey left to accept a job
at the Association of Wash-
ington Counties, said Utili-
ties and Waste Deputy Di-
rector Tom Moore.
One of Dobey's responsi-
in light of the vacancy,
the county should look at
changing the organiza-
tion of personnel at the
county.
Right now, department
heads and elected officials
report directly to the com-
mission during briefings
and commission meet-
ings. Sheldon proposed
adding a County Admin-
istrator position. '
Sheldon first suggest-
ed finding someone who
could work half time as a
Utilities Director and half
time as a county adminis-
trator:
Jackson said this would~
be a complicated process.
"To find someone with
that mix of skills would
be a challenge," she said.
Sheldon further said
that he would like to
privatize the solid waste
department, rather than
pay a contractor, John
Cunningham, to act as
Solid Waste Manager for
the county.
Jackson encouraged
bilities was to manage the the commission to make a
Belfair sewer project, now: decision on filling the va-
in its first stage, cant Utilities and Waste
Sheldon suggested that Director position.
"We have an immedi-
ate need," she said. "Right
[[[l!lJ !]!![[!!!][![!][[] Johnn°W you've got TOmand
(Moore) and you've got
8 21 (Cunningham)
no one else. I haven't had
any direction."
Sheldon said it would
be impossible to make a
decision on how to begin
looking for a Utilities and
Waste Manager without
further discussion. He
said a County Adminis-
trator would greatly help
in situations like this.
"Steve (Bloomfield) and
I can't talk to each other,"
he said. "Any $88 million
company would have a
CEO who would report to
the board of directors."
Mason County's total
2012 budget amounts to
about $88 million.
"To manage $88 mil-
lion and you can't talk to
each other - we end up do-
ing business in this little
bubble where people talk
to us and we don't have
enough information ... to
make a decision," Sheldon
said.
Sheldon told Jackson it
would be "worthwhile" to
hire a consultant to give
the commission a recom-
mendation on how best
to go about adding an ad-
ministrator to the coun-
ty's personnel.
However, as the Belfair
sewer project continues
into Phase 1, the county
is still without a Utilities
and Waste Director.
Journal photo by Natalie Johnson
Mason County Human Resources Director
Karen Jackson asked the county commis-
sion on Monday for direction on how to
proceed with hiring a new utilities director.
Shelton's
sewer rates
will go up
By NATALIE JOHNSON
The City of Shelton Com-
mission plans to vote on a
proposed "cost of services"
sewer rate increase of 4.9
percent during its 2 p.m.
study session on Dec. 27.
Community and Econom-
ic Development Director
,Steve Goins presented the
commission with the pro-
posed rates on Monday eve-
ning. He said Shelton sewer
rates have not increased
since 2009.
The city had planned
to raise sewer rates even
more in 2012, but because
sewer projects came in un-
der budget, Goins said the
city could afford to delay a
larger increase.
The proposed increase is
supposed to be an interim
increase and only be enough
to maintain services, main-
tenance, debt service pay-
ments and capital projects.
The interim rate increase
is designed to give the city
time to update its Sewer
Comprehensive Plan includ-
ing a sewer rate study and
six-year rate plan, Goins
See Sewer on page A-6
Chrismas fund
surpasses $ 24K
By KEVAN MOORE
The 65th annual Christ-
mas basket fund, sponsored
by the 40 et 8 and the Shel-
ton-Mason County Journal,
has now raised $24,169.
Donations to support
the Christmas food baskets
are still being accepted and
may be mailed to the Jour-
nal at P.O. Box 430, Shelton
98584 or dropped off at the
newspaper office located at
227 West Cota Street dur-
ing business hours. Make
checks payable to: Journal
-- 40 et 8 fund.
The most recent dona-
tions include: N.C. Zimmer-
schied, $20; Wayne & Dar-
lene Casteel, $300; Jean-
nette and Michael Sargent,
$200; in memory of David
Robecker, $250; anonymous,
$150; Edward L. Vogt, $100;
Thomas Nelson, $50; Roger
and Robbi Alberts, $200;
anonymous, $500; in
Memory of Tom Ogden,
$100; Robert and Virginia
Stone, $50; anonymous,
See Fund on page A.6