Thursday, November 30, 2006
Budgeting time
I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. Lots to catch up on - so hopefully we can do so over the next several days.
First up should be something overdue, a report on the Lakewood budget. You can read The News Tribune's account if you have not already.
You will note I voted no, though I actually think the budget is very respectable. I had three major concerns ... or I guess you could call them items on my wish list:
Three additional neighborhood police officers so every 'neighborhood' - or more precisely, every police patrol area including Oakbrook - has its 'own' designated officer. Right now, three officers split the six districts.
An ombudsperson who would field complaints and help confused residents and businesses. I am pretty sure I am the only council member advancing this idea, which I think is important in our new city. My regular readers, both of you, might recall that I wrote about this .in my New Year's column.So without much call from either the public or council, I did not have my heart set on this one.
More muscle for our code enforcement (as in, the people who try to shut down and tear down drug houses) I really don't want Lakewood to be the kind of place where a little girl's body can sit around for months because nobody wants to go near some of our houses. Public protection is more than cops - it includes tackling significant health hazards.
That said, I should quickly tell you that the council did add more raw dollars for community policing and code enforcement. I just think we should have done more. Others disagree, and that's how government works.
Oh, one other thing I am long overdue on. About 90 people spent an average of 20 minutes filling out my survey. I'm very sorry - I am overdue on reporting back. You can download a report on the survey by clicking on this link. You might need to have Microsoft Word to read it - if you have a problem seeing the doc, just let me know and we will figure something out.
Some of the findings were really quite interesting and deserve further comment. But I wanted to get the results up, overdue as they are. Many, many thanks to those of you who gave of your time to fill this out. You really helped me - and anyone else who reads the results carefully - get a snapshot of what people are thinking about city services these days. That said, it is also important to remember that the comments mostly come from the people who are on my mailing list, and people who saw the link at The Suburban Times. So this is in no way, shape or form a scientific survey.
There is more to say about the budget and the budget process, and if you know me, you know I will ...
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First up should be something overdue, a report on the Lakewood budget. You can read The News Tribune's account if you have not already.
You will note I voted no, though I actually think the budget is very respectable. I had three major concerns ... or I guess you could call them items on my wish list:
Three additional neighborhood police officers so every 'neighborhood' - or more precisely, every police patrol area including Oakbrook - has its 'own' designated officer. Right now, three officers split the six districts.
An ombudsperson who would field complaints and help confused residents and businesses. I am pretty sure I am the only council member advancing this idea, which I think is important in our new city. My regular readers, both of you, might recall that I wrote about this .in my New Year's column.So without much call from either the public or council, I did not have my heart set on this one.
More muscle for our code enforcement (as in, the people who try to shut down and tear down drug houses) I really don't want Lakewood to be the kind of place where a little girl's body can sit around for months because nobody wants to go near some of our houses. Public protection is more than cops - it includes tackling significant health hazards.
That said, I should quickly tell you that the council did add more raw dollars for community policing and code enforcement. I just think we should have done more. Others disagree, and that's how government works.
Oh, one other thing I am long overdue on. About 90 people spent an average of 20 minutes filling out my survey. I'm very sorry - I am overdue on reporting back. You can download a report on the survey by clicking on this link. You might need to have Microsoft Word to read it - if you have a problem seeing the doc, just let me know and we will figure something out.
Some of the findings were really quite interesting and deserve further comment. But I wanted to get the results up, overdue as they are. Many, many thanks to those of you who gave of your time to fill this out. You really helped me - and anyone else who reads the results carefully - get a snapshot of what people are thinking about city services these days. That said, it is also important to remember that the comments mostly come from the people who are on my mailing list, and people who saw the link at The Suburban Times. So this is in no way, shape or form a scientific survey.
There is more to say about the budget and the budget process, and if you know me, you know I will ...
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Additional reading about the rails
Many of you may have already seen this, but The News Tribune has an in-depth story that explores the rail issue mentioned below.
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Monday, November 13, 2006
Getting railroaded
Been hearing rumors for awhile but the official word is finally here from a briefing to the council tonight. The Washington Dept of Transportation wants to spend 60 million to run Amtrak passenger trains on existing and new lines in Lakewood. The route would replace the current Steilacoom-Point Defiance line.
It would mean ... Get this ... At least 16 times a day traffic on seven Lakewood streets like Steilacoom Boulevard, Bridgeport and Thorne would be stopped for trains.
All to save Seattle to Portland travelers 6 minutes.
Yes, that comes out to 10 million per minute saved.
This is what makes me sick about government in Olympia. Stay tuned for ways to fight this travesty. I don't know if state government will want to become responsible, but we can try. There will be more public discussion and supposedly study and consideration of noise and traffic effects next spring or summer, with construction in a year or two.
I hope our locally elected state lawmakers will try to intercept this 60 million boondoggle in the upcoming governor's budget. It may be our only hope. You should ask your state lawmakers about this if you happen to see or meet any.
A Favorite Veteran
All the weekend festivities got me thinking about a special veteran and some 'new' photos in the Neary household. I apologize for making this post so much about me, but I wanted to share a couple of images received from some wonderful relatives in California. The photo above is a rare image of the original Walter Neary.
My loyal readers, both of you, will remember that I am a Walter III. So there had to be a Walter I. Walter Sr. served in WW I - where he was attacked with mustard gas - and WW II. By most accounts, Walter Sr. was a very serious individual. So said my favorite veteran, Walter Jr., who served in WW II. Walter Sr. and Walter Jr. were not close. I did not previously have a photo of Walter Sr. smiling. This is apparently as close as he got.
One assumes this photo was taken in association with his retirement. A newspaper story says that Walter Sr. was extremely proud of a particular certificate. The certificate, making him a sergeant, is signed by then-Brig. Gen. Douglas MacArthur. Walter Sr. drove for MacArthur in 1919 when MacArthur was serving at West Point. I have told a couple of veterans about this new knowledge in my life; apparently everyone but me knew that MacArthur commanded at West Point for awhile. So I still have much more to learn about history and new areas to research ...
I have to admit, I was surprised to find myself with something signed by this famous general. I also had to chuckle that Walter Sr. treated this document just as you would have expected back then - by folding it up a lot so it could fit into his pocket. I bet he would unfold it to show people. Oh well. The paper still holds together. And the paper and his smile in the photo are still proud.
What matters is that I am able to hold something Walter I was holding - you can see him pointing with the pencil to MacArthur's signature.
As veterans of WWII pass away - as my father did in 2000 - more and more what we have left in this world are documents and memorabilia.
What extraordinary memories they signify.
Friday, November 10, 2006
Go eat
Let's keep things simple today.
Go to Vive Bene Wine and Coffee Bar Restaurant.
It's where Mimi's used to be, in the Clover Park Shops. 11126 Gravelly Lake Drive.
Go there. Eat.
I suppose it is possible you are reading this at 7 a.m. or 2 a.m. Doesn't matter. They have a parking lot. You probably have a car. You can wait for them to open.
Go there. Eat.
I'm glad we kept things simple today. You will thank me.
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Go to Vive Bene Wine and Coffee Bar Restaurant.
It's where Mimi's used to be, in the Clover Park Shops. 11126 Gravelly Lake Drive.
Go there. Eat.
I suppose it is possible you are reading this at 7 a.m. or 2 a.m. Doesn't matter. They have a parking lot. You probably have a car. You can wait for them to open.
Go there. Eat.
I'm glad we kept things simple today. You will thank me.
Monday, November 06, 2006
Tacoma gives 'em a bus ticket out of town ...
Interesting council meeting tonight, though long. Here's the most interesting thing we all learned, thanks to quick research by our city staff: that Tacoma has sent 42 percent of its homeless people involved in the program mentioned below to live in Lakewood. (My math is not so good at this hour, but I think it equals about three dozen people).
Tacoma, of course, is the current home of Progress House, the open-door prison proposed for the grounds of Western State Hospital. And now Tacoma is sending a big chunk of its homeless population to Lakewood.
It's one thing to treat Lakewood as a dumping ground once, but another thing to make a habit of it. I, for one, would much prefer to have the unfortunate homeless here with social worker supervision rather than have convicts terrorizing the vulnerable mentally ill and their families ... if I had to choose. But why does Lakewood have to take both, or either? Shouldn't Snohomish County have at least one work release prison? And can't we send at least some of Tacoma's homeless to Steilacoom or University Place?
OK, I'm kidding on that last one, but maybe it will be Tacoma's Plan B. Or maybe they will just do a better job of finding housing in their own community. My impression from Police Chief Larry Saunders' comments is that Tacoma understands it needs to be a bit fairer about this. The impression left last night is that the system has been patched together, and somehow an inconsistent mess has produced an imbalance of homeless housing in Lakewood.
After I raised the question - and maybe it's just me, because the other council members looked at me like I was nuts for bringing this up - our City Manager Andrew Neiditz said he would work with Tacoma to develop some sort of agreement. Fair enough. I appreciate his concern. We just want want's fair, right?
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Tacoma, of course, is the current home of Progress House, the open-door prison proposed for the grounds of Western State Hospital. And now Tacoma is sending a big chunk of its homeless population to Lakewood.
It's one thing to treat Lakewood as a dumping ground once, but another thing to make a habit of it. I, for one, would much prefer to have the unfortunate homeless here with social worker supervision rather than have convicts terrorizing the vulnerable mentally ill and their families ... if I had to choose. But why does Lakewood have to take both, or either? Shouldn't Snohomish County have at least one work release prison? And can't we send at least some of Tacoma's homeless to Steilacoom or University Place?
OK, I'm kidding on that last one, but maybe it will be Tacoma's Plan B. Or maybe they will just do a better job of finding housing in their own community. My impression from Police Chief Larry Saunders' comments is that Tacoma understands it needs to be a bit fairer about this. The impression left last night is that the system has been patched together, and somehow an inconsistent mess has produced an imbalance of homeless housing in Lakewood.
After I raised the question - and maybe it's just me, because the other council members looked at me like I was nuts for bringing this up - our City Manager Andrew Neiditz said he would work with Tacoma to develop some sort of agreement. Fair enough. I appreciate his concern. We just want want's fair, right?
When you spend, you splurge ...
You also have to chuckle. Many members of the political group Lakewood Cares are convinced that The News Tribune is out to get them. But the paper sometimes does them favors just in the act of doing business. Whoever wrote today's headline in The News Tribune ought to get a Cares membership card. The headline seeks to provoke members of the public who are unhappy with the rising cost of everything. The idea that government, in the act of providing services, is 'splurging,' taps into public anger and resentment - which of course is Lakewood Cares' trademarked maneuver.
Is the act of spending 'splurging,' or is that a loaded word? It will be interesting to hear the reaction at tonight's hearing.
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Is the act of spending 'splurging,' or is that a loaded word? It will be interesting to hear the reaction at tonight's hearing.
Sunday, November 05, 2006
Housing Tacoma's homeless?
First, thanks to everyone who filled out the survey, below. We have about 65 responses so far, which means people have put in about 22 hours or so of reflection on budget issues. Very cool, and thanks. I plan to leave the survey open about a week and then report on the results.
OK, so I want to ask you about housing the homeless. First piece of info, from the Friday city manager's report:
Housing First Program: The City of Tacoma and the Metropolitan Development Council (MDC) are attempting to house the homeless and reduce encampments in a program called Housing First. Six housing providers in Lakewood have recently agreed to accept these tenants in their units. The residents submit to a background check and agree to abstain from criminal activity in exchange for housing assistance. Since this program began there has been a six fold decrease in needed services (i.e. visits to hospital emergency rooms and mental health triage centers, etc). The cost of providing housing is minor compared to the cost of jail or hospital space. We are also connecting with MDC and each of the complexes that will be housing homeless to create police/community housing partnerships.
And then this morning, I see a news story about how Tacoma's homeless are being housed in Lakewood. What do you think of this?
My first reaction is that Lakewood already gives a lot - by its proximity to McNeil prison, by the presence of Western State and a high percentage of group homes and other related services, and by the presence of many social services agencies. And then we're not yet sure if the state will force an open-door prison ono the mental hospital grounds. Should we be housing Tacoma's homeless? Or is this just natural when you're an adjacent community? Obviously it could be of benefit to apartment owners. Judging only from the story, many of the tenants certainly seem to be doing quite well.
Shoot me a note and let me know if I am overreacting ... or ... hey, speaking of the prison ... if Tacoma is sending us its homeless, does that mean Tacoma will hang on to Progress House? Now, there's an idea ...
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OK, so I want to ask you about housing the homeless. First piece of info, from the Friday city manager's report:
Housing First Program: The City of Tacoma and the Metropolitan Development Council (MDC) are attempting to house the homeless and reduce encampments in a program called Housing First. Six housing providers in Lakewood have recently agreed to accept these tenants in their units. The residents submit to a background check and agree to abstain from criminal activity in exchange for housing assistance. Since this program began there has been a six fold decrease in needed services (i.e. visits to hospital emergency rooms and mental health triage centers, etc). The cost of providing housing is minor compared to the cost of jail or hospital space. We are also connecting with MDC and each of the complexes that will be housing homeless to create police/community housing partnerships.
And then this morning, I see a news story about how Tacoma's homeless are being housed in Lakewood. What do you think of this?
My first reaction is that Lakewood already gives a lot - by its proximity to McNeil prison, by the presence of Western State and a high percentage of group homes and other related services, and by the presence of many social services agencies. And then we're not yet sure if the state will force an open-door prison ono the mental hospital grounds. Should we be housing Tacoma's homeless? Or is this just natural when you're an adjacent community? Obviously it could be of benefit to apartment owners. Judging only from the story, many of the tenants certainly seem to be doing quite well.
Shoot me a note and let me know if I am overreacting ... or ... hey, speaking of the prison ... if Tacoma is sending us its homeless, does that mean Tacoma will hang on to Progress House? Now, there's an idea ...
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Please tell me what you think about Lakewood services
It's time for another survey, if you don't mind. This one offers you a
bunch of choices for you to react to in about eight categories, so please allow some time. But I think ... I hope ... you fill find this survey an interesting chance to contemplate a lot of the important issues that go into a city budget.
The budget is important because it determines how Lakewood collects and spends money. The budget determines in large part what you pay in taxes and what services the city provides. The survey has questions about parks, neighborhoods, police, the tourism industry in town, and all other sorts of items.
If nothing else, the survey will give you a taste of what it's like to consider a budget and city services when you sit on a City Council. And then you may be extra-glad you likely spend your Monday nights someplace besides City Hall!
Click here to take the survey
You are very welcome to forward this link to others.
If you want to provide feedback in the traditional way, of course you can write the council a letter or send us an email via the city's Web page. The council will also have a hearing at 7 on Monday, Nov. 6, at City Hall. The meeting will also include a tribute to veterans and the city's regular public comment period, so it is hard to say when the budget hearing will begin. But you would be very welcome to come listen and to speak if you wish.
Of course, I will stay in touch as the budget actually gets put together. That probably won't happen on Monday night ... but as I say, I will keep you posted.
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bunch of choices for you to react to in about eight categories, so please allow some time. But I think ... I hope ... you fill find this survey an interesting chance to contemplate a lot of the important issues that go into a city budget.
The budget is important because it determines how Lakewood collects and spends money. The budget determines in large part what you pay in taxes and what services the city provides. The survey has questions about parks, neighborhoods, police, the tourism industry in town, and all other sorts of items.
If nothing else, the survey will give you a taste of what it's like to consider a budget and city services when you sit on a City Council. And then you may be extra-glad you likely spend your Monday nights someplace besides City Hall!
Click here to take the survey
You are very welcome to forward this link to others.
If you want to provide feedback in the traditional way, of course you can write the council a letter or send us an email via the city's Web page. The council will also have a hearing at 7 on Monday, Nov. 6, at City Hall. The meeting will also include a tribute to veterans and the city's regular public comment period, so it is hard to say when the budget hearing will begin. But you would be very welcome to come listen and to speak if you wish.
Of course, I will stay in touch as the budget actually gets put together. That probably won't happen on Monday night ... but as I say, I will keep you posted.
