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Greetings!
The autumn weather has arrived and the harvest is upon us. Yes, this is the time to reap the glorious bounty of your efforts. The winter squash is plump for picking, the apples nearly ready for sauce and the pumpkins waiting to become jack-o-lanterns.
This is also a time for departing. Just as the tree leaves turn vibrant colors and fall to the ground, so to do some ideas, aspirations and endeavors. Never the less it is a cycle, one that makes way for a renaissance.
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Might as well Reap what You Can!
It might not be much and there is no set schedule, but we have some more evening public hearings coming up. The next two Mondays at 6 pm are hearings on Ebey's unified code and on the 2012 Budget.
Ebey's hearing, being scheduled on the last Monday of September, is a joint hearing with the Town Council of Coupeville. The second hearing, which is on the 2012 budget, will be the first Monday in October. The preliminary budget should be posted on the website soon.
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The Fall of the Budget.
Our Budget director calls it "precariously balanced." Of course, I wanted to challenge the other two commissioners further by throwing some tax cuts into the mix. Tax cuts were a "No," tax increases you will see.
You will also continue to see the Conservation Futures collection; there will be the new Clean Water Utility tax; and the standard 1% increase for Current Expense, Roads and Conservation Futures continues.
With the exception of $100,000 for the new Administrative Services Director, things are pretty much status quo. Most all departments remain devastated and struggle to provide adequate services. Most all.
One major accomplishment was that, for the first time ever, we authorized the fullest possible Roads diversion amount to the Sheriff. This should enable him to purchase 3 new cars.
Yes, there are still non-mandated, non-essential programs being funded, and there are still unfunded mandates to fight. But I can somewhat understand my counterparts desire for status quo after considering the last two budgets they've dealt with. |
