Community Connection
Issue 72
City of Sumner Newsletter
Autumn 2012
Should the City Continue in the Golf Course Game?
Is it time for the golf carts to ride into the sunset or not?
With the budget showing few “treats,” the “trick” is going to be looking at things differently.
Sumner Takes a Different Look at Budget Four years ago, the analogy was that the City was going from a steak budget to a macaroni and cheese budget. It’s time to permanently become a vegetarian budget. When hard times come, most governments balance the budget by cutting expenses or increasing revenue. For over four years, the City has saved millions in cuts. Efforts range from leaving vacant positions open to building a sandbag machine out of scrap metal. While the City has not wanted to raise property taxes, it has sought to increase sales tax revenue by encouraging visitors to shop here and building Orton Junction to capture spending you are currently doing in King County. Besides, raising the property tax rate or continuing to
Getting Grants to Keep Taxes Low With tight budgets, grants become very important to keep a city running. Sumner has done almost embarrassingly well in earning grants over the past few years. See the graph for a comparison of cities receiving transportation grants. This graph only evaluates 2000-2010. It doesn’t include the State grant from the Recreation and Conservation Office to build another portion of trail. It also doesn’t include the $4,090,937 that Sumner was awarded in June for improving 136th/Valentine Road, or the grant received last year to install flashing lights at key crosswalks for schools. And those are just the transportation grants. The Sumner Police Department heads the list in receiving grants to hire officers, support commu-
nity-oriented policing, and participate in the regional auto theft task force. What is the secret to Sumner’s success? It’s having well-designed projects that make sense to benefit you and the others who live, work and visit here. It is also thanks to Sumner’s partnerships. While many of the other communities have themselves received
less grant money, they actually helped Sumner fight for its latest road grant in June because the project benefits the region. It helps to have good projects and great friends. It also helps to have grant funds to keep the City moving and functioning while keeping taxes low.
Federal Grants 2000-2010
cut are only temporary solutions. Rising costs always catch up to tax rates, and cuts often only defer the issue because at some point, the City still has to spend to do the work you expect it to do. In the past, governments have assumed that the economy will grow out of any budget challenges. While predictions vary regarding the economic forecast, the common theme is that it’s time to make major changes for government to be sustainable in the long-term. What does this mean exactly? Stay tuned through this fall as the City answers that question with the budget process. It may mean running the senior center differently. Maybe it’s time to no longer support a golf course (see related story).
Change is always a challenge, but it can also be an opportunity. This is Sumner’s chance to once again set the standard of excellence for a progressive small city. “Progressive” now means doing things smarter and leaner. Partnerships will play a big role in this process, whether they are public-private or with other jurisdictions. The first partnership, however, is with you. This is your city and your budget. Do you want a golf course? Enough to pay higher taxes or cut services? Take the golf course survey, watch the budget process, and tell us what you think. Council meetings are available on PCTV, on demand, or online at www.ci.sumner. wa.us. Agendas and minutes are also posted online.
Community Connects with 17th Fires Brigade Sumner has recently made a new connection with the 17th Fires Brigade, stationed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM). The purpose of the Community Connections Program is to build closer ties between JBLM units and local cities. Sumner gets to learn more about the troops, and the troops get to be
17th Fires Brigade
As many people know, in 1993 the City purchased land in the north end and developed a golf course now known as Sumner Meadows. While at the time the City saw the potential of preserving green space with the added potential of bringing revenue into the City, the golf industry has been in decline for a number of years; new courses have opened; and competition to attract golfers has stiffened. The decline in revenue from the golf course, coupled with the ongoing debt payments, has been significant enough for the Mayor and Council to discuss whether or not continuing in the golf business is the best use of the City’s limited resources. Over the last two years, citizens of Sumner have had to subsidize the golf course over $1.5 million, half of which came from the same account that funds police, parks and other essential services. Mayor Enslow has pointed out that the City can’t continue down this path without serious consequences to the services on which citizens rely most. With only three percent of those who use the course living in Sumner, the Council is considering its options. They could keep the course, which could involve significant changes and very likely require an increase in property tax rates. Or, they could sell the property with the idea of using the proceeds to buy other green space closer to town and more usable by more citizens. Mayor Enslow and the Council would like to hear from you. Each answer has its own pros and cons. Please fill out the enclosed survey and return it to City Hall by mail or in the utility drop box by September 30.
welcomed “home” to Sumner while stationed here. The 17th Fires came to the Art & Rhubarb Pie Festival (left) and the Salute to the Troops (above) at The Old Cannery. This is just a start, and Sumner is very excited to continue building connections to the men and women of 17th Fires. In transportation grants alone, Sumner (red) has received a lot.
17th Fires Brigade