Tribal tax stories by La Conner Weekly News

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LA CONNER WEEKLY NEWS VOL. 7 • NO. 16

LA CONNER, WASHINGTON

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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 6, 2014

Hundreds of local homes now tax-exempt By Sandy Stokes Skagit County government officials are scrambling to figure out how to deal with a huge cut in tax revenue resulting from a federal court ruling that eliminates property tax for every building on tribal land. That means most of the approximately 900 homes in Shelter Bay, a gated community built on leased land that the federal government holds in trust for the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community, are now exempt from property taxes. Skagit County Commissioner Ron Wesen said buildings on tribal land will be removed from the 2015 tax rolls. In the La Conner area, homes in the Shelter Bay and Pull & Be Damned Road neighborhoods contribute the lion’s share of property taxes for La Conner School District and Fire District 13. While homeowners in those areas do not pay property tax on the leased tribal land their buildings sit on, they do pay tax on the value of the structures. RC Cavazos, chief deputy with the Skagit County Assessor’s office, said the court ruling means that about $111 million worth of property will be removed from tax rolls in the La Conner area, which will result in about a $1.5 million loss in revenue. “That could create a huge tax hit for people not on the trust land,” he said. In Shelter Bay, a house on tribal land with a building valued $150,000 generates $1,974 this year in property taxes. Of that amount, $849 goes to the school district, $361 goes to the state, and the La Conner Library gets $66. Skagit County takes $263 for its road fund and $244 for county government operations, Fire District 13 gets $119, and

the rest goes to Medic 1, the Port of Anacortes, and a conservation futures fund. Voters in the La Conner School District last year passed a $20 million bond to pay for school renovations and reconstruction now underway. According to Cavazos, the district could lose $600,000 to $800,000 per year in property tax revenue. The federal court ruling “will have huge impacts on the school district,” said La Conner schools Superintendent Tim Bruce. But the Swinomish Tribe, which values education highly, is not likely to leave the schools stranded. “I do not foresee a scenario where a tax-free zone results from this decision,” said Steve Lecuyer, director of the Swinomish Legal Department. “The tribe is aware of the Great Wolf decision and is reviewing its implications, and I anticipate the Tribal Senate will enact a property tax code.” Should the tribe start collecting property tax, how the money is allocated would be up to the tribal lawmakers. The so-called “Great Wolf” decision, which gives privately owned non-tribal buildings on tribal land tax immunity, was issued by the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit last year. Thurston County had been assessing property taxes on the Great Wolf Lodge, which was built in 2007 on land held in trust for the Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation. Great Wolf was owned by a limited liability company, CTGW, LLC. The Chehalis tribe holds 51 percent ownership of the company. Although tribal buildings on tribal land are not taxed, the county argued that CTGW was a corporation, and,

therefore, not entitled to tax immunity. The case rumbled around in the courts for awhile, with a district court ruling that Thurston County could keep collecting taxes. When the Chehalis tribe appealed the decision, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in the tribe’s favor, striking down the lower court’s ruling. According to attorney Jane Futterman of the Thurston County Prosecutor’s office, which argued on behalf of that county, the appeal period has run out, and the ruling is now the law of the land. Last month, officials in Snohomish County removed about $106 million from its tax rolls, and according to a story distributed by the Associated Press, will be refunding about $5 million in taxes collected on buildings in the Tulalip Tribe’s outlet mall and from about 1,200 homeowners in Marysville. Refunds are not likely in Skagit County, however, Wesen said. “Skagit County doesn’t have that kind of money lying around.” Besides, the county is essentially the pass-through agency for the entities supported by property taxes, and the money has already been allocated and spent. “The services have been rendered,” Wesen said. According to Beverly Crichfield, spokeswoman for the Washington State Department of Revenue, individual property owners would have to submit claims in order to have up to three years worth of property taxes refunded. In Skagit County, however, claiming refunds would likely entail a court battle, Wesen said, since the taxpayers have already benefited from the services the taxes funded.

BIRDY WAVE – Paco, a 19-year-old Macaw from Seattle, was visiting La Conner last weekend. According to his human, artist Camille Patha, Paco likes to wave at people, and since he doesn’t have a hand to do it with, uses his talon. Paco has a vocabulary of around 50 words, too. – Photo by Don Coyote

Historic canoe visiting Swinomish

The 28-foot-long Snakelum out of service, car travel was By Nicole Jennings An important piece of local canoe is a family canoe, meaning becoming the norm, and bridges history is on display at the that it was built in a larger style like the Deception Pass Bridge Swinomish Casino & Lodge for than the long, sleek racing canoes, were being constructed to link said Schwinden. The protective islands. the next month. “There’s a huge amount of The Snakelum canoe, a family style of the canoe made it safe canoe built by members of the for families to travel in it out on resonance and symbolism” in the canoe’s story, said Trebon. Lower Skagit Tribe more than open water. When the pioneers began 160 years ago, will be exhibited in the hotel lobby through early arriving in the 1850s, Isaac Stevens, the first governor of September. The Swinomish Tribe has Washington Territory, hired the invited the public to come and able tribal seafarers to taxi the see it. It gives locals a unique pioneers around the Puget Sound chance to “get up close and in canoes, Trebon said. Back then, it took around three personal” with the history,” said Swinomish Casino & Lodge days to journey from Bellingham Marketing Director Jumada to Olympia by canoe. The Snakelum canoe normally Schwinden. sits on display in the Island County The canoe was used in the 1850s by Chief Snetlum of the Historical Society Museum in Lower Skagit Tribe, and it was Coupeville. However, since the passed down through his family. Swinomish Tribe recently helped The Chief’s grandson, Charlie with the financial burden of Snakelum, who lived 1846 to restoring the canoe, the museum 1932, became the canoe’s owner lent it to the tribe out of gratitude, and namesake. After Snakelum’s Schwinden explained. A ceremony full of historic death in the 1930s, the canoe was The 14th Annual La retired and went on display in traditions befitting the occasion Conner Classic Boat & brought the canoe into the hotel Coupeville. Car show is Saturday, last Wednesday. “Canoes were the economic Aug. 9 from 10 a.m. to The Edwards family, deengine for thousands of years,” 4 p.m. at La Conner said Swinomish Indian Tribal scendants of Charlie Snakelum, Marina’s south basin. Community Archivist Theresa sang its family song. A family Vehicle and vessel song is passed down through a Trebon. In the spring, summer, entries include classic tribal family from generation to and fall, tribes used the canoes to cars, show cars, classic travel around the Puget Sound, generation, explained Schwinden. yachts, work boats, gathering food and plants and Several tribal members of all motorcycles and travel ages helped to carry the canoe visiting family. trailers. Admission is $3; “The Salish Sea was the super into the building. In all, “several kids under 12 get in free. highway back then,” joked generations were represented,” There will be food said Schwinden. Schwinden. vendors, raffle prizes, a The Snakelum Canoe’s Trebon explained, “At the time poker walk and music by TOWN ON DISPLAY – La Conner artist Bob Patterson has made a painting of the town’s entire of the Hudson Bay Company, timeline makes the canoe DJ Heidi. waterfront so future generations will know what it looks like today. The painting is being exhibited the tribes went long distances especially historically significant The La Conner at the Museum of Northwest Art. – Photo by Don Coyote in canoes — down to Olympia, for Trebon. The canoe was built Retirement Inn is in the mid-1800s, just as nonto the Olympic Peninsula, and putting on a $7 pancake native pioneers began arriving in even to Vancouver Island.” The breakfast early from 7:30 Hudson Bay Company was the area. to 10 a.m. By the time the canoe went established in 1670. By Alexander Kramer creating art for most of his life. that’s similar to Anchorage,” he Most people see La Conner’s “It all started with my noted. “I fell in love with the channel-side businesses as they grandmother,” he said. “I was town. I took walks and just kept boat past or stroll along the two years old in church with her, penciling and sketching.” boardwalk. But now with artist and she gave me a pencil and From there he started Bob Patterson’s rendition, the paper to keep me busy.” producing art for prints and cards town’s entire waterfront can be Patterson loves animals, and to sell. viewed at once. he often combined them with his Patterson says he is always Patterson recently completed passion for art over the years. coming up with ideas and projects, an 18-inch by 20-foot painting He later studied and became most aimed at spreading history, of the town depicting everything an engineer, where he used his stories, art, and information to from Rainbow Bridge on the creative and drawing talents to communities. south, to La Conner Marina at work through obstacles during This summer’s completion the north end of town. It is on construction. of Patterson’s mural, which display upstairs at the Museum He moved to Anchorage, began last fall, worked out to be of Northwest Art. Alaska, after working for many perfect timing for the Museum of “It took around 700 hours,” years in construction and was Northwest Art. the artist said. “Mayor Ramon quickly accepted into the artist “It was very fortuitous,” Hayes and I had been talking for community. said Christopher Shainin, the about three years about a mural The La Conner mural is not executive director of MoNA. of the town. Something to show his first — that distinction goes “Our exhibits curator, Lisa how it was now and that would to a 20-foot by 8-foot painting Young, was mounting the new last for a long time.” of two polar bears he created in show when we were approached With the recent expansions 1994. in late May, early June.” of the town’s boardwalk, Mayor Several other outdoor murals “The piece really fit in with Hayes nudged Patterson a little came together over the next the theme of the show — nature more. few years, including a 120-foot to manufacture — and the “I have never seen the town by 40-foot mural in downtown painting gives us an artificial depicted at that level, the whole Anchorage depicting that city’s opportunity to view the town, the town from bridge to port, in one history. whole landscape,” said Shainin. piece,” said Hayes. “It’s a real When Patterson moved to La Patterson’s mural and the CARRYING HISTORY – The historic Snakelum Canoe, first carved in 1850 by members of the snapshot of the town as it is, Conner, he was again assimilated three other exhibits can be Lower Skagit Tribe, was gently carried into the Swinomish Casino & Lodge last week. The canoe during this change.” into the arts community. viewed with free admission at is on loan from the Island County Historical Society. – Photo by Theresa Trebon, courtesy of Swinomish Tribal Archive Patterson said he’s been “There’s a camaraderie here MoNA through Sept. 28.

The town in a broader perspective

Car & Boat Show Saturday

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LA CONNER WEEKLY NEWS VOL. 7 • NO. 17

LA CONNER, WASHINGTON

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 13, 2014

County and Feds wrestle with tax issue By Sandy Stokes The federal court ruling that made at least 1,000 La Conner area homes exempt from property taxes is in the hands of lawyers. County officials have said the affected properties will be removed from the 2015 tax rolls. Meanwhile, the county is advising residents whose homes are on leased tribal land to pay their taxes this year, “until we get this sorted out,” said RC Cavazos, chief deputy with the Skagit County Assessor’s office. The second half of the 2014 property tax is due Oct. 31. The move stems from a United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruling that all buildings on tribal land are immune from taxes, regardless of ownership. In the La Conner area, more than 1,000 homes have been built on land held in trust by the federal government for the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community. The

court ruling affects about 800 of the approximately 900 homes in Shelter Bay as well as most of the homes in the Pull & Be Damned Road neighborhood and in other areas on the Swinomish Indian Reservation. Cavazos said that the 2014 taxes are actually paying for services rendered in 2013; therefore, the county’s position is there will be no refunds issued for past year’s taxes. “Since they’ve already gotten the services, they should pay the taxes in October,”he said. Presently the county’s lawyers are working with U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs lawyers to figure out the exact count of properties that must be removed from the tax rolls, Cavazos said. Once it has the exact figures, the county will be able to tell each of the taxing entities how they’ll be affected. While people whose homes are on Indian land make lease

payments to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, they have never paid state and county property tax on the actual ground their homes sit on. However, they have been taxed on the value of the structures. In Skagit County, this means $111 million worth of property is coming off the tax rolls — almost all of it in the La Conner area — for a revenue hit of $1.5 million per year. But it’s too early for homeowners on leased tribal land to figure on a cash windfall — Swinomish officials have said it is likely the Tribal Senate would enact a tax code in order to maintain public services. The court ruling, which affects the entire United States, gives tribes taxing authority for the first time. For non tribal properties in the La Conner area, in the unlikely event that the tribe and other officials don’t work out a way

By Nicole Jennings The La Conner boardwalk project keeps moving right along, and should, if all goes well, be complete by the end of the year, according to Town Administrator John Doyle. Construction on the final section of the boardwalk, which will extend from the old Palmer’s restaurant to the south side of Calico Cupboard, is scheduled to begin at the end of August or beginning of September. The previous section, which was done in two phases and finished last year, stretches from Gilkey Square to the Lighthouse building. The completion of the new section will mean the completion of the boardwalk in the “downtown commercial corridor,” said Doyle. In total, the boardwalk will run from the Lime Dock down to Calico Cupboard, giving tourists a chance to walk along the water for the entire length of the commercial district. The stretch of boardwalk from the Lime Dock to Gilkey Square was privately built but is open to the public. Before the boardwalk construction could resume, the contractor had to “relocate boats and docks” and do test pile driving to determine the size and the amount of piles to be ordered so as to have a safe amount of stability and resistance. The contractor is currently ready to order the materials. “We’re hoping to be done by the end of the year, but at the latest, we’ll be done by March,” said Doyle. “The other section took two phases and took about a year. This one will go faster.”

“We’re on schedule,” said La Conner Mayor Ramon Hayes. He explained that the boardwalk work has to be done in the “fish window” — meaning in between the salmon migration seasons — so that no salmon will be harmed by the construction. Doyle said that the construction of the boardwalk is “going well,” apart from a few minor issues. The project hit a slight snag because some of the decking material on a section of the boardwalk finished in December must be replaced. Mayor Ramon Hayes said the material used for a portion of the decking turned out not to be up to the town’s standard and is believed to have the potential to develop cracks over time. Rather

than let problems develop, “we want to nip it in the bud,” Hayes said. The manufacturer has agreed to replace the substandard decking with what Hayes called a “stronger material that should last 15 to 20 years.” Adding future additional phases to the boardwalk — stretching it to Pioneer Park on the south side and to the Port of Skagit on the north — are being discussed. If the boardwalk is extended, the proposed sections would be more over the ground and less over the water, unlike the current boardwalk, which runs along the Swinomish Channel. Funding for the boardwalk came from the Washington State Legislature.

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La Conner boardwalk progress continues

COLOR & SKILL – Hunter Burridge, affiliated with the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana, was one of many dancers to amaze spectators on Saturday and Sunday at the Swinomish Days powwow. – Photo by Amylynn Richards

Local group finds reward lending aid to Haitians By Bill Reynolds Only a couple hours by plane separate Miami’s South Beach from the mountains of Haiti. But, in truth, they’re worlds apart. Trendy, affluent South Beach is a magnet for the world’s rich and famous. Haiti, by contrast, continues its struggle to build a modern society in the wake of repeated natural disasters and unstable governments. La Conner teens and adult sponsors were among a dozen area residents who saw both last month. South Beach, they say, was okay. But it was Haiti that touched their hearts. The local group spent more than a week on mission in the Caribbean, tending to the needs of Haiti’s most vulnerable, its impoverished children and scores of the island nation’s physically and developmentally challenged. During their stay the volunteers fed more than two dozen babies in a hectic hospital nursery, played ball and bonded with Haitian youth, and learned to cope without air conditioning in a tropical summer climate. Plus they survived all sorts of zany traffic — often akin to an out-of-control amusement park ride — with cars, bicycles, and even pack mules sharing streets and roadways in no particular order. They wouldn’t have had it any other way, says Holly Christmas, of La Conner, whose son, Zach Harris, made the trip. “We all came back with what’s called the Haitian Glow,” she said. “We were working with people who had very little in a material sense but have everything because they have such joy and hope.” The Skagit and Island counties entourage helped provide still more hope. They worked primarily with the famed St. Joseph’s Home, an

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often cited Christian-based refuge for Haitian boys that embraces a caring, family atmosphere, and Wings of Hope, a group home for children facing serious health issues. “At St. Joseph’s,” said Christmas, “the aim is to make the next generation stronger.” It was there that the group met Bill Nathan, the home’s 29-year-old director and former child slave, whose story made international headlines two years ago when he was seriously injured in the devastating earthquake that reduced much of the country to rubble. The infrastructure in Haiti has yet to be completely repaired. Nor is that likely to happen anytime soon. The local volunteers adjusted to power outages and were introduced to what they called “bucket showers.” Even the Haitian capitol remains in disrepair due to lack of ready financial capital, Christmas said. “There aren’t a lot of loans being made to rebuild things in Haiti,” she said, “so they work on something when they have money and then stop when it runs out.” One thing that is never lacking in Haiti, said Christmas, is a sense of family. “The Haitian people make quick bonds,” she said. “They’re very appreciative.” As an example, she pointed out how tour coordinator, La Conner teacher Sara Harlan, was able to gain entry for the group to volunteer at a Haitian hospital. “Sara used to teach in Haiti,” Christmas said, “so she knew what to do. She walked right up to the hospital and knocked on the door and said, ‘we want to help.’ It was that easy. They invited us into the nursery, where two women were trying to feed 28 babies. They were glad to see us.” Harlan had retained enough

command of French Creole from her previous Haitian teaching stint to overcome initial language barriers. After that, a shared sense of purpose assured all parties were on the same page. One of the first students Harlan enlisted for the Haitian mission was her niece, Morgan Harlan, of La Conner, a student at Burlington-Edison High. Morgan said the experience was uplifting and powerful, unlike anything else she had done before. “I would definitely do it (Continued on Page 5)

BOARDWALK WORK – Sal Peña and Kevin Palaniuk of the La Conner Public Works Department check the decking on the new boardwalk. Some of the composite panels have been deemed substandard and will be replaced. – Photo by Nicole Jennings

PINUP – Cecilia Rosell, in her lipstick red 1950s bathing suit, and Maurizo Hublitz in his straw fedora gave a glimpse of the past as they sat in their wooden boat on display at the La Conner Classic Boat and Car Show on Saturday. The couple, from Sweden and presently living in Vancouver BC, took the prize for “Most International.” Their boat is a 16-foot 1957 Shepherd made of mahogany and built in Niagara, Ontario, Canada. – Photo by Don Coyote

AUGUST 13, 2014 • LA CONNER WEEKLY NEWS • PAGE 7

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Witnesses sought The Washington State Patrol Criminal Investigation Division is seeking information from any witness to an accident involving a motorcycle and a car just south of Oak Harbor last Tuesday. The accident occurred on Tuesday, August 5, at 4:47 p.m. at the intersection of SR 525 and Houston Road. A motorcycle was northbound on 525 when a teal green minivan turned onto Houston Road in front of it. The rider dropped the motorcycle to avoid a collision and was seriously injured. The minivan pulled onto the shoulder of Houston Road and stopped for a moment before continuing on. Since the vehicles did not collide and there were trees obstructing the view of where the rider came to rest, it is not known if the driver of the minivan had knowledge of the collision. It is unknown if the driver of the minivan was male or female. There was a male, wearing a red shirt, in the front passenger seat at the time of the collision. State Patrol detectives are seeking any witnesses to the collision and any events leading up to it. If you were the one driving or were the passenger in the minivan, or if you saw or heard anything or know someone who did, please call Detective Craig Cardinal at 360-654-1204.

Hospice volunteers Hospice of the Northwest seeks compassionate, communityminded people to provide support and companionship to the dying and those who love them. Volunteers care, share, listen, understand, laugh, cry, and share memories and experiences. Hospice volunteers and patients are matched by location, interests and skills. Visits take place an

Navy crews stationed in Hawaii were evacuated to Naval Air Station Whidbey Island ahead of Hurricane Iselle and Tropical Storm Julio. Nine PC-3 Orion turboprop planes — eight from the U.S. Navy and one from the Royal Australian Air Force — arrived on Whidbey Island late last Thursday. Whidbey is the usual destination for evacuated crews from Hawaii. Once the storms pass, the crews will fly back to Hawaii. “When a hurricane comes, you have to quickly fly away or hangar your aircraft,” said Capt. Vince Segars, Commander Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing 10. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to Hawaii and the family members of our sister squadrons that have to remain behind,” said Segars.

the teen division of the La Conner Regional Library’s Summer Reading Program.

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BIKE WINNER – Hannah Cook, the daughter of Ann and Robert Cook, was the winner of the new bicycle in the La Conner Library’s Summer Reading Program.

Tribal land tax . . . to support the schools and other entities, the court ruling could prove expensive. Last year voters in La Conner School District passed a $20 million bond to pay for the school renovation and reconstruction underway right now. In the precincts on tribal land, Shelter Bay, Swinomish and Snee Oosh, voters overwhelmingly approved the bond by more than 2-1. The ruling means that just under 20 percent of the school district’s tax base will disappear. With those properties now immune from taxes, if a solution is not found, the whole tax bill will fall to properties off the reservation as well as land within the reservation that is owned “fee simple” and not held in trust. Cavazos said that most taxing entities have limits on how much they can assess to an individual owner without an election. But the school bond was passed by voters, so a limit does not apply. When properties come off the tax

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rolls, the amount owing would be spread among the remaining taxpayers. La Conner School District Superintendent Tim Bruce said he believes the county, tribe and

all affected entities will solve the problem. “I truly believe what everybody wants in the end is something that will be fair and equitable for all,” he said.

Genesis of the tribal land tax ruling In what is called the “Great Wolf Decision,” the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled last year that all buildings on tribal land held in trust by the federal government are immune from property taxes. This started in 2007, when Thurston County began assessing property taxes on the then new Great Wolf Lodge, which was built on land held in trust for the Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation. Great Wolf was owned by a limited liability company, CTGW, LLC. The Chehalis

Tribe holds 51 percent ownership of the company. Although tribal buildings on tribal land are not taxed, when the tribe brought suit, the county argued that CTGW was a corporation, and, therefore, not entitled to tax immunity. A district court ruled that Thurston County could keep collecting taxes. But on appeal, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in the Chehalis Tribe’s favor, striking down the lower court’s ruling. Attorney Jane Futterman of the Thurston County Prosecutor’s Office, which argued on behalf of that county, the appeal period ran out in July and the ruling is permanent. In Shelter Bay, a house on tribal land with a building valued $150,000 generates $1,974 this year in property taxes. The La Conner School District gets the biggest share of that tax money, with $849. The rest goes to the state government, La Conner Library, the county, Fire District 13, Medic 1, the Port of Anacortes and a conservation futures fund. –Sandy Stokes

August 11, 2014

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Up in smoke Tommy Chong, of the 70s comic team Cheech and Chong, was in Seattle last week to help marijuana retailers promote their buds as well as his own brand of cannabis products. The superstar of grass is still a high draw in Washington and Colorado, the two states where marijuana is legal.

Storm diverts jets

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Skagit County Commissioner Ken Dahlstedt has been named to a new post on the leadership team of the National Association of Counties. Association President Riki Hokama of Hawaii announced Dahlstedt’s appointment as Vice Chair of the Health Steering Committee. The Washington, D.C.-based asso-ciation assists America’s 3,069 counties in pursuit of excellence in delivery of public services. Among groups is the Healthy Counties Initiative, which works to improve delivery of health care. Dahlstedt, who has served on several of the association’s committees since 2001, said he is eager to represent Skagit County in the rapidly changing area of health care.

average of 1-2 hours a week at a mutually convenient time. All volunteers complete three days of training, to be held October 24, October 31 and November 7 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Hospice of the Northwest in downtown Mount Vernon. The office is located at 227 Freeway Drive, Suite A. Volunteers are encouraged to sign up early, because it can take several weeks to complete the required background and health checks prior to training. Contact Julie Pryor Barr, volunteer supervisor, 360-814-5588 or jbarr@hospicenw.org as soon as TEEN WINNER – Kaleb Slatthaug, the son of Mickey Bambrick and Kory Slaatthaug of Pleasant Ridge, won the gift basket in possible.

August 11, 2014

Donations of decorative and kitchen items, jewelry, small appliances, furniture and tools much needed.

Mosaic on display

Community Action of Skagit County is the host site for the art mosaic, Bridge the Gap, designed by students from BurlingtonEdison and Mount Vernon high schools and Skagit Valley College in a project coordinated by Fir Island artist Patty Detzer. The mosaic is on display on the agency’s building facing Riverside Drive in Mount Vernon.

Dahlstedt takes national role

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LA CONNER WEEKLY NEWS VOL. 7 • NO. 21

LA CONNER, WASHINGTON

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2014

Tax immunity hands funding dilemma to tribe By Sandy Stokes With 931 parcels coming off the county’s property tax rolls next year, the financial state of the La Conner School District and Fire District 13 and hundreds of taxpayers rest in the hands of the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community Senate. On Tuesday, the Skagit County Board of Commissioners essentially directed County Assessor Don Munks “not to break the law,” in the words of Commissioner Ken Dahlstedt. To that end, Munks said his office has removed from the county’s 2015 tax rolls all homes and other structures that were built on leased land that is held in trust by the government for the Swinomish Tribe. That action, prompted by a federal court ruling making all buildings on tribal land tax exempt, immediately punches a hole totaling $1.8 million in the budgets of the nine public agencies funded by property taxes paid by homeowners in Shelter Bay and in the Pull & Be Damned Road neighborhoods. Most of those homes in those densely populated communities are on leased tribal land. While the ground they sit on has never been taxed, the county has been collecting property taxes based PRETTY SQUASHY – The Goodman girls, big sister Emmalin and little sister Elsie, displayed their prize produce at Rexville Grocery on the value of the privately on Saturday. Top honors for the largest zucchini in the store’s annual contest went to 17-month-old Benjamin Tjersland, who owned structures. People whose property lies showed up with a 8.73-pound whopper. Emmalin’s 8.33 pounder came in second and Elsie’s respectable 8.29 squash took third. – Photo by Stuart Welch

DOCK DOG DEMO – The Puget Sound Dock Dogs traveling water hounds put on a show during the Skagit River Salmon Festival at the Swinomish Casino and Lodge park. Spectators, including a few landlubber canines, saw Big Air long distance jumping, Extreme Vertical high jumping and Speed Retrieve demonstrations in a pool set up for the show. – Photo by Don Coyote

Boardwalk ambles along By Alexander Kramer The town is poised to begin work on the third section of the boardwalk, which will run from the old Palmer’s restaurant to just south of Calico Cupboard. “It’s still on schedule,” said Town Administrator John Doyle. “Despite a pause in work, this phase should be done by about the end of the year.” The unexpected pause came in August, when some of the composite decking material was found to be defective. With the potential of cracks forming in the installed material, the town’s public works crew replaced those sections with leftover decking, and temporarily closed off portions as an added precaution. The temporarily closed sections behind Nell Thorn’s and

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the old Palmer’s restaurant will be reopened as soon as the new material is installed. “The replacement material will be here this week,” said Doyle. “It will take about a weekand-a-half to install, but in the meantime, the boardwalk will continue south in earnest.” Since mid-August, preparations for the boardwalk’s expansion were made: boat docks along the path were repositioned and a series of long, metal pilings were driven into the ground for the boardwalk’s foundation. Once completed, the last section will extend the public boardwalk all the way through town from the Lime Dock Building on the north end, south to Calico Cupboard at Douglas Street.

SCHOOL DEMOLITION – The old La Conner Elementary School, built in 1936, had a date with the wreckers on Tuesday. The school is being demolished brick by brick to make room for the new La Conner Middle School, which will be built in its place. The elementary students were moved across the street to the old middle school campus last year, and the middle school students are being housed in the district administration building until their new school is ready. – Photo by Amylynn Richards

within the boundaries of the Swinomish Reservation but own the land their home sits on will still pay property tax. And, every other property owner in the La Conner School District and Fire District 13 not on tribal trust land will be paying more taxes to cover the amounts the county can no longer collect from the trust land. That is, unless the Swinomish Tribal Senate establishes a tax code or figures out another way to keep the public services funded without placing the entire burden on the non-trust land neighbors. And the tribe has been diligently working on it. A year ago, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a lower court’s decision allowing Thurston County to collect property tax from the Great Wolf Lodge, owned by a corporation and built on land held in trust for the Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation. The 9th Circuit judges ruled that all structures on tribal land are tax exempt, whether or not they are owned by tribal members. Lawyers advising Skagit County maintain that the Swinomish tribe is the only entity with authority to levy taxes on tribal land. “Tribal leaders and staff are working very actively to address the issues raised by the Great Wolf Lodge decision,” said tribal attorney Steve LeCuyer with the Swinomish legal department. “Over the past several weeks leaders and staff have had meetings on the issues with representatives and attorneys for the county and the La Conner School District and have heard from affected residents.” The Tribal Senate met again yesterday to wrestle with the problem. “The issues raised by the decisions are very complex, and tribal leaders and staff are devoting a great deal of time and energy to developing an appropriate tribal response,” LeCuyer said. For the La Conner area, not only does it mean that properties valuing $138 million will come off the tax rolls, but something that is a nightmare to the agencies that were depending on those taxes and the remaining taxpayers, owners of those properties could claim tax refunds going back three years. “If some choose to get a refund, it would be taking money out of their neighbor’s pocket,” said Commissioner Ken Wesen. Refunds that could total more than $5 million would come out of the agency coffers first and then be passed on to the remaining taxpayers. That specter sparked a heated exchange among residents at the meeting, prompting the commissioners to call for order. On Tuesday Pleasant Ridge resident Stacie Sutliff told the commissioners that with “a lot of discussion about refunds to Shelter Bay residents,” she’s worried about her home’s tax bill soaring. Shortly after she spoke, Shelter Bay resident George Frye stood up and said, “I’m one of the people who wants to file for a refund.” “Thank you!” Sutliff told him. “I’m more than happy to pay for your next ambulance service!” Before the commissioners got them quiet, Frye said he’s paid plenty in taxes over the years. Sutliff countered that she will pay around $4,000 this year and expects she’ll have to pony up some $6,000 next year if she has to help pay for those now tax exempt. The commissioners all indicated that they are opposed to issuing refunds, so it’s likely there won’t be any without lawsuits. Commissioners Wesen and Sharon Dillon both pointed out that the 2014 taxes are actually paying for services that were provided in 2013. And Dahlstedt said as far as he’s concerned, giving the money back would amount to “a gift of public funds,” which is illegal. Many Shelter Bay residents have said they want to pay their (Continued on Page 7)

SEPTEMBER 10, 2014 • LA CONNER WEEKLY NEWS • PAGE 7

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To run an ad, please stop by the office (313 Morris St., Suite 4B), call 466-3315, fax 466-1195 or email production@laconnernews.com BEFORE NOON ON FRIDAYS. FOR SALE - Beautiful Lane bedroom set. Includes king-size bed and California king mattress. 2 end tables with drawers and slide out shelves and glass top covers. Armoire with 3 sets of drawers. Large dresser with many drawers and shelves and glass top. Large framed mirror. Excellent condition. You move. $4,000 o.b.o. Call (360) 466-2210. 1tp9/10

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La Conner Weekly News participates in a statewide classified ad program sponsored by the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association, a statewide association of weekly newspapers. The program allows classified advertisers to submit ads for publication in participating weeklies throughout the state in compliance with the following rules. You may submit an ad for the statewide program through this newspaper or in person to the WNPA office. The rate is $275 for up to 25 words, plus $10 per word over 25 words. WNPA reserves the right to edit all copy submitted and to refuse to accept any ad submitted for the statewide program. WNPA, therefore, does not guarantee that every ad will be run in every newspaper. WNPA will, on request, for a fee of $40, provide information on which newspapers run a particular ad within a 30 days period. Substantive typographical error (wrong address, telephone number, name or price) will result in a “make good”, in which a corrected ad will be run the following week. WNPA incurs no other liability for errors in publication. PROMOTE YOUR REGIONAL FESTIVAL for only pennies. Reach 2.7 million readers in newspapers statewide for $275 classified or $1,350 display ad. Call La Conner Weekly News at (360) 466-3315 for details. LOCAL PRIVATE INVESTOR loans money on real estate equity. I loan on houses, raw land, commercial property and property development. Call Eric at (425) 803-9061. www. fossmortgage.com HELP WANTED - Drivers. Start with our training or continue your solid career. You have options! Company drivers, lease purchase or owner operators needed. (877) 3697105. www.centraltruckdrivingsjobs.com DIVORCE - $155. $175 with children. No court appearances. Complete preparation. Includes custody, support, property division and bills. BBB member. (503) 772-5295. www. paralegalalternatives.com legalalt@msn.com

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1. ASTRONOMY: Which planet in our solar system is closest in size to Earth? 2. TELEVISION: Who is the voice of Moe the bartender on “The Simpsons”? 3. MOVIES: In which movie did Bill Murray deliver the line, “Well, there’s something you don’t see every day”? 4. MYTHOLOGY: In Greek mythology, who rules the underworld? 5. U.S. PRESIDENTS: Which U.S. president served the shortest tenure in history? 6. LITERATURE: When was the novel “Goodbye, Columbus” by Phillip Roth published? 7. FOOD & DRINK: What kind of food is a peanut? 8. GEOGRAPHY: How much of the Earth’s surface is covered by the oceans? 9. LANGUAGE: What is another name for a lexicon? 10. MATH: How many different letters are used in Roman numerals? Answers 1. Venus’ equatorial diameter is about 95 percent the size of Earth’s. 2. Hank Azaria 3. “Ghostbusters” in reference to the giant Stay-Puft marshmallow man 4. Hades 5. William Henry Harrison died of pneumonia only 32 days after taking office. 6. 1959 7. A legume 8. 71 percent 9. Dictionary 10. Seven © 2014 King Features Synd., Inc.

1. Where was Janis Joplin “busted flat” in “Me and Bobby McGee”? 2. Name the rock group that released “Cold As Ice” on its debut album. 3. Where did the band The Amen Corner get its name? 4. Which artist wrote and released “Two Faces Have I”? 5. Name the song that contains this lyric: “Cover me with kisses, baby, Cover me with love, Roll me in designer sheets, I’ll never get enough, Emotions come, I don’t know why, Cover up love’s alibi.” Answers 1. In Baton Rouge, while waiting for a train. In the original version, as co-penned by Kris Kristofferson and Fred Foster, “Bobby” was a female. 2. Foreigner, in 1977. As a single, it was the b-side to “Feels Like the First Time.” 3. From the Victoria Ballroom in Cardiff, Wales, where every Sunday night a DJ would play soul music. The group’s biggest hit was “(If Paradise Is) Half as Nice” in 1969. 4. Lou Christie in 1963. 5. “Call Me” by Blondie in 1980. The song stayed at No. 1 on the charts for six weeks. “Call Me” was the theme song for the crime drama film “American Gigolo,” starring Richard Gere in the role of a male escort in Los Angeles. © 2014 King Features Synd., Inc.

1. When was the last time four players were elected in the same year by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America to the Hall of Fame? 2. In their first 10 seasons in the major leagues, how many times did the Arizona Diamondbacks win at least 90 games? 3. Who was the last wide receiver to win a Heisman Trophy? 4. How many consecutive seasons did Dwight Howard lead the NBA in defensive rebounds before the Clippers’ DeAndre Jordan took the top spot in 2013-14? 5. The Boston Bruins won the Presidents’ Trophy in the 2013-14 season for the best NHL regular-season record. How many other times have the Bruins won it? 6. Who was the last U.S. men’s hockey player before Phil Kessel in 2014 to have a hat trick in an Olympic hockey game? 7. In 2014, Noh Seungyul became the fourth male South Korean to win a PGA Tour event. Name two of the first three. Answers 1. It was 1955. 2. Four times (1999, 2001, ‘02, ‘07). 3. Michigan’s Desmond Howard, in 1991. 4. Six seasons. 5. Once, in the 1989-90 season. 6. John LeClair, in 2002. 7. K.J. Choi, Yang Yongeun and Bae Sang-moon. © 2014 King Features Synd., Inc.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS: (360) 336-3650. www.skagitaa. org. Mondays, 7:30 p.m., Methodist Church, 501 S. Second St.

(Continued from Page 1)

taxes – they just want to know whether to write the check to the tribe or to the county. Still, the commissioners worry that the issue has the potential to cause divisiveness in the La Conner community, which is the only area of Skagit County faced with this situation. One of the considerations is whether people who aren’t paying for services, such as the Medic 1 ambulance service, should continue to receive them. But the agencies can’t just cut off services on the reservation because sprinkled among the homes on trust lands are properties held in “fee simple” whose owners will still be paying taxes. Hardest hit will be La Conner School District which passed a $20 million construction bond last year. Now, according to the Skagit County Assessor’s Office, more than 43 percent of the 4,492 parcels in the district will be taxexempt, knocking a $780,000 hole in the district’s budget. Fire District 13, which increased its budget this year from $480,000 last year to $741,000 this year, will have $104,000 sliced off its property tax revenue. At its board meeting last month, the district’s chief said that 68.5 percent of the households within the fire service’s boundaries are on trust land. But the tax exempt households account for just under 39 percent of the 3,345 parcels taxed. The fire district’s territory on the east side of the Swinomish Channel consists of sparsely populated farmland and the Pleasant Ridge and Channel Drive neighborhoods. The Assessor’s office doesn’t readily break down its figures by 1. Isactual the book of Ezekiel in the number of taxpaying the Old or New–Testament or households some farming neither? families, for example, own 2. Whattax“woman several parcels. of ...” is the Over only woman the Bible the pastinseveral weeks, (KJV) as aindicated wench? that tribal described officials have En-rogel, Gilead, they intend to keepDamasthe schools cus, andZiba public services funded, most 3. Whothrough met a man andtax then likely a tribal code. Will him Honea, anbreakattorney wrestled until the for ofthethecounty, she he and ing day? Solomon, Commissioner Wesen and Goliath, Aaron, Jacob School 4. What Superintendent group of conse- Tim Brucemen havedidbeen crated not meeting cut their with tribal Canaanites, attorneys and officials. hair? Midiancounty has had ites,Although Nazarites,the Hagarites some contentious legal battles 5. In Genesis 32, who/what with the tribe over environmental was Mahanaim? Messenger, issues in the past,Place Honea said it is Mountain, Ford, wrong to assume the county 6. Who was the that mother of and tribe don’t get along. He said Moses? Abigail, Jochebed, they’re working together to “help Elisheba, Athaliah the La Conner community find a New subsc ANSWERS: Old; consensus in how1) to proceed.” entered 2) Wesen En-rogel; Jacob; 4) take said3)it be will likely Nazarites; 5) until Place; 6) more meetings the agencies and the tribe put a plan in place. Jochebed And it could be years before Comments? More Trivia? the www.TriviaGuy.com effects of the federal court’s Visit ruling level outSynd., theInc. taxing © 2014 King Features problems in La Conner.

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coordinator, (360) 416-7814 or Lewis Hall will serve as the hub anji.viola@skagit.edu. for all student services including admissions, registration, financial Lewis Hall dedication Family members of Skagit aid, counseling, veterans’, and Valley College’s first dean, adult basic education, among Charles H. Lewis, college others. Classrooms and faculty trustees, faculty, staff, students, spaces for programs including and local community leaders will math, English and literature, attend a grand opening ceremony social and behavioral science, of the new Charles Lewis Hall at and testing are located there, 11 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 18. too. Architect for the building is The program will begin at the Schreiber Starling & Lane of building’s east entry and will be followed by self-guided building Seattle. The $32.4 million project tours and opportunities to meet will welcome students for classes faculty members. The public is when Fall Quarter begins. invited to attend. Falling electric bills The three-story, 70,000-squareThe Washington State Utilities foot building has been in the and Transportation Commission works since 2008 and replaces a was asked to sign off on building that was one of the first another rate decrease for Puget to be constructed on the campus Sound Energy (PSE) electricity in 1959. customers last week. Named for Charles H. Lewis, This decrease for about $14.9 revered pioneer faculty member million, which would go into and first dean of the college, effect on Dec. 1, follows one in who served the college for 28 May of $9.5 million. years, the original Lewis Hall no If the commission agrees longer provided adequate space to lower the rates, an average to meet student needs and lacked residential customer using 1,000 capacity to integrate the latest kilowatt-hours would see an technology. electric bill decrease of 0.23 percent, or $0.21 a month, for an average bill of $92.74, according to commission staff. Bellevue-based PSE provides electricity service to more than 1.1 million electric customers in the state, including everyone in the La Conner area.

September 8, 2014

The Library THRIFT SHOP

Host a foreign student Skagit Valley College International Programs needs host families for international students who will attend the college’s Mount Vernon Campus beginning fall quarter. This year the college expects students from more than 20 countries from around the world. The students will begin arriving on Friday, Sept. 12 in preparation for fall quarter classes. In addition to their coursework, students will be eager to enrich their experience by learning about American culture, recreation, and cuisine. Monthly compensation for host families is provided. As one of its strategic priorities, Skagit Valley College is focused on creating global citizenship through curricular, cocurricular, and extra-curricular efforts; an engaged and diverse international student population; and community enrichment activities. For more information about the Homestay Program, contact Anji Viola, Homestay Program

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LA CONNER WEEKLY NEWS VOL. 7 • NO. 34

LA CONNER, WASHINGTON

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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2014

Bah humbug! Big tax hike on the way By Sandy Stokes Here’s a lump of coal for the old Christmas stocking: The owners of at least 2,500 parcels in the La Conner area will see their property taxes take a leap in the new year. With 931 parcels worth around $138 million coming off the 2015 property tax rolls and state laws that allow the bills to automatically shift to the remaining taxpayers when property is made tax exempt, the average La Conner area homeowner will pay around $500 more for civilization next year. On Monday, the La Conner School District board agonized over what to do about $779,000 in voter-approved tax dollars vanishing as taxpayers in Shelter Bay and in the Pull & Be Damned Road neighborhoods switch from paying county taxes to tribal taxes next year. During this transition, the Swinomish Indian Senate has announced that it would contribute $400,000 toward the school’s shortfall. But as of Monday, there had been no agreement signed with the school district saying when that money would be coming. “We’re halfway through our fiscal year,” said board president Brad Smith. The district has already committed to contracts for its teachers, bus drivers, instructional aids, and other employees. Personnel accounts for most of the school’s $9 million budget, which runs through June.

While the board members have no doubt that the tribe will provide the funding, “We don’t have any idea when that payment will arrive,” Smith said. Therefore, he said, “The only option left is to increase taxes on non-tribal lands to make up the shortfall.” After about an hour of discussion with about a dozen residents in attendance, the school board voted unanimously to put $529,000 of the $779,000 shortfall onto the remaining taxpayers in the school district. They figure that will increase the school taxes on a $240,000 home by around $283 next year. In July the appeal window ran out on a federal court decision in Thurston County that made all structures built on land held in trust for an Indian tribe tax exempt, regardless of who owns the buildings. Residents of Shelter Bay and Pull & Be Damned live in homes built on leased Swinomish tribal land. While those homeowners have never been taxed on the ground their houses sit on, personal property taxes have been assessed on the structures. Around 200 parcels within the boundaries of the Swinomish Reservation are owned privately in “fee simple.” Taxes will be increasing on those properties, as well as on properties outside the reservation boundaries. While the school tax takes the biggest bite of the local taxes, the school district is not the only

THE CLAUSES – Santa and Mrs. Claus joined a very happy and festive crowd at the town Christmas tree lighting party on Saturday. – Photo by Don Coyote

La Conner’s first lighted boat parade

Here is a delightful glimpse into town history from one of our local authors who gather at the La Conner Senior Center to compare notes, techniques and share ideas in a writers’ group led by Claire Swedberg. bers, including us, so we knew it beautiful Christmas look. So by see, and people gathering on the By Barbara Sanford I think it was 40 years ago was going to be a big undertak- this time, everyone wanted to shore started singing carols. A this year that La Conner’s first ing, but the club decided to give a join the voyage, and it looked party had begun. With the Dunlap Towing tug at Christmas boat parade launched boat parade a try. We published a like the pilot house would be the front, with Don at the stern, very crowded. message in the paper for a meetour annual local tradition. I have no idea how the few and a handful of people onboard, At that time, the Swinomish ing of anyone who was interYacht Club had only 27 mem- ested in participating. It seemed participants who actually rode including myself, the parade (Continued on Pag 5) like an exciting adventure at the with the boat were selected. Don, headed down the channel. The time, and we were amazed when our son and I, and some Dunlap parade route stretched to Anacortes near the port and back. a group turned out for the meet- employees made up the group. It was quite a party. From Other boats joining in including to get organized. Now, La Conner had plenty ed some gill netters, a few out- where we were, we could see of work boats but not so many boards, a seine boat, two yachts all the Christmas lights on the Two houses, and that was breathtakyachts, so we’d have to make do and several tag-alongs. girls were taking the control of ing. The weather was perfect with what we had. that night. No wind stirred, stars I asked husband Don, who one of the gill netters. When parade day arrived, ev- shined in the sky and the Christworked 39 years for Dunlap Towing, if he would get a small tug eryone gathered by the yacht mas light reflections in the water and lead the parade. He could club, their boats wearing their gently moved with the waves from the boats. navigate the Swinomish Channel Christmas finest. One special boat in our midst What a sight the Christmas with his eyes closed, so he had lights from the boats cast in the was the seine boat with Santa no problem with that. News about the parade reached water! It was a beautiful sight to and Mrs. Claus waving and singing carols. Mrs. Claus was the the Dunlap Towing office, and bartender at the Lighthouse, and the girls working there decided Santa was a pretty frequent visithat they would decorate the tor to the bar. tug. There wasn’t much a person When we turned around at could do to make a dumpy lookthe Anacortes port, we made ing tug boat look festive, but they sure everyone else was turning were up for the challenge. and heading back. That’s when They couldn’t do anything things started going wrong. about the space onboard, though One of the yachts hit a channel — there isn’t much of it in the marker and punched a hole in the pilot house, with no place to sit side of their boat, causing a little Saturday, Dec. 13 — so we’d have to use our enthuexcitement. We went to help; it siasm to keep us going. 6:00 p.m. Once the colorful lights were OH-OH, NO HO-HO – High winds toppled La Conner’s town Christmas tree in Gilkey Square on La Conner waterfront was taking on water, the pumps strung over the boat, it had a Tuesday. – Photo by Bill Stokes (Continued on Page 2)

LIGHTED BOAT PARADE

College seniors who really are ‘seniors’ By Mary Evitt You are never too old to learn or to teach. Just ask the students and instructors who enrich their golden years at the Anacortes Senior College. Some are a mere 50-plus, while others are in their 90s. Brian Scheuch of Shelter Bay has led classes on nature, from butterflies to birds to marine biology. A retired chemist with a degree in forestry, his popular classes typically fill the library at Anacortes Middle School. He enjoys the lively interaction with people enthusiastic about creatures big and small. “People are there because they are interested,” Scheuch said. “There are lots of questions and discussions.” It’s college without stress. No homework or tests. Scheuch’s assistant, B.J. Carol, provides hand-outs, so students don’t even have to take notes. Classes run two hours with a midway break for cookies and water. Scheuch said people mingling in class and at breaks often leads to making new friends. Marianna Metke of La Conner

wanted physical exercise, which led to finding Contra dancing at the college. About 20 people were in the class that danced fall evenings in the school cafeteria. Metke said, “It was a very delightful experience. I met some lovely people, and Anacortes is so easy to get to from here.” In fact, she plans on taking classes in the future. Classes are offered Tuesdays and Thursdays in fall, winter and spring terms. Classes run in six- or three-week sessions, with no evening classes in winter. Michael Newbrough, of Anacortes, serves on the college board. A retired university professor, he frequently teaches political science. He numbers among the college’s founders. The college is 8 years old, the brainchild of Dr. George Kovach. Newbrough said Kovach sought to emulate an East Coast senior college and ran an ad to find likeminded local people to establish one in Anacortes. Since inception, 3,800 seniors have participated in 190 classes on diverse topics. Classes keep brain juices (Continued on Page 2)

TAKING FLIGHT – Snow geese en route from one favorite field near La Conner to another a short distance away. – Photo by Don Coyote

PAGE 5 â&#x20AC;˘ LA CONNER WEEKLY NEWS â&#x20AC;˘ DECEMBER 10, 2014

Life on the Ridge by Mickey Bambrick By Mickey Bambrick I went through a time in which I felt everyone was taking advantage of me, and I wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t the least bit happy about it. It seemed that all the people I had decided to show kindness to were overstepping their boundaries. I wrestled with the idea that if I was doing good just because God said we should, but if my heart wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t cheerful about doing it, was I really doing God a favor? Wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t my bad attitude canceling out the good? I had spent many hours and dollars on some disadvantaged kids in our neighborhood, and it was getting to the point where things were being expected of me by their grandma, with whom they lived. I was feeling resentful of her and the fact that the kids SANTAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S HELPERS â&#x20AC;&#x201C; An elf who reminds everyone of La Connerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Lisa Judy had lots of children dancing and singing on Saturday, didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t seem to be a priority in her as they awaited a visit from the boss, Santa. â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Photo by Don Coyote life. I got a call from her one day as Christmas was approaching, and she started telling me about some girl she knew who wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t going to have much of a Christmas, and could I buy her something. I stewed on that request. I couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get over the nerve of her calling and asking me to do something for someone I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even know. Wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t I doing NEW PARK â&#x20AC;&#x201C; An artist rendering of the new Conner Waterfront Park to be developed just south of enough already for her kids? the Rainbow Bridge. â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Art by Curtis Miller, courtesy of La Conner Arts Commission Now I have to take on someone elseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s? Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not as if we had a lot of money. As I was shopping a few days later, I saw a box with two dolls in it, one dark-haired and one play area and start to build the or all of them. More information By Ollie Iversen light-haired. I thought about that childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s play area. Along with As this year winds down, it is on up-coming events will be little girl. Because it seemed like time to review where we are with this, we can also start clearing advertised throughout the year. a bargain at $15, I bought it, but I the waterway and develop better Conner Waterfront Park. As you all know, we could not wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t happy about it. I tossed it And it is great news! With your parking. It seems we have been have moved ahead this quickly in my cart with some begrudging talking about this for a long time, generous donations along with without your participation. With mutter and took it home and the matching grant donations, and it will be satisfying to see our that in mind, if you have made wrapped it up. we have totaled over $45,000 for parkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s beginnings. plans to donate in 2014, now This is a multi-year project, and would be a good time, as this year Right before Christmas, I gave this year. it to the grandma, and I never These donations, along with La we have to recognize progress for is fast coming to a close. From all heard a word about it after that. Connerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2015 park budget, will what it is, just progress. As the of us on the Parks Commission, get us started next spring. We park takes shape, we can enjoy we thank you for what you have For all I knew, the girl never got have begun applying for proper what we have accomplished so done, making La Conner a great it, or the grandma said it was permits and will have them in far, yet we canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t let up. Your place to live. from her. hand next spring to start work in Parks Commission is planning Also, you can find the Conner When I was growing up, several fun and entertaining Waterfront Park on Facebook. 2015. I wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t allowed to see my With this we will be able to functions, at least one of which The writer is a member of the La paternal grandma, who never start site preparation with layout will be on-site in 2015, and we Conner Parks Commission failed to buy us Christmas gifts of paths and the childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hope you can join us for several and leave them with my maternal grandma. My maternal grandma (Continued from Page 1)

A Walk in the Park

The new waterfront park â&#x20AC;&#x201C;

Aqiimukâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Kitchen

By Patricia Aqiimuk Paul, Esq. Spot prawns from our local waters â&#x20AC;&#x201C; this recipe is prepared from pre-cooked spot prawns. The Roma tomatoes I grew in our backyard raised-bed garden. You may substitute the Roma tomatoes with other fresh varieties or a nice quality canned stewed tomato. The butter brings flavor to the prawns and pasta, but you may substitute for a healthier ingredient.

Spot Prawns in Pasta

Ingredients 1 dozen pre-cooked spot prawns 5 tablespoons butter Â˝ chopped onion â&#x2026;&#x201C; chopped bell pepper 6 to 7 Roma tomatoes, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced Pasta Preparation Cook your pasta according to package directions, drain and set aside. Melt the butter in a large open pan and add the onion, bell pepper, chopped Roma tomatoes and minced garlic. As they cook, add in your spot prawns. Total cooking time 20 minutes; do not overcook. Last, add in your cooked pasta. Mix and serve.

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tax hike . . .

agency that will be collecting more from the remaining taxpayers. There are nine taxing entities that were set to collect some $1.8 million in property taxes from the now exempt properties, and almost all of that amount is being shifted over to the remaining taxpayers. Fire District 13, which serves the entire area except the town of La Conner, will shift over about $104,000 to the remaining taxpayers, and the state, county and other taxing entities will shift over a total close to $800,000. At Mondayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s school board meeting, several residents let it be known that they were not happy with the tribeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s decision to fund less than the $779,000 the school had budgeted for in property tax revenues from Shelter Bay and Pull & Be Damned. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think people will buck up and pay the shortfall,â&#x20AC;? said resident Madeline Roozen. La Conner and Swinomish have been supporting the schools for generations, and every penny of the school levy was approved by voters on and off the reservation. Yet, â&#x20AC;&#x153;if this decision stands to short the La Conner schools, there are some La Conner Braves who should go home and look in the mirror and be ashamed.â&#x20AC;? Board member Rick Thompson said that if the district had known about the federal court ruling, it would not have asked voters to approve the $20 million bond paying for the construction and renovation presently taking place. The school district learned about it in July, long after the levy vote. The tax shift â&#x20AC;&#x153;is a heck of a hit for every family,â&#x20AC;? said La Conner resident Brian Hedlund. Board member Kate Szurek said the district has to meet its contractual obligations with employees and has no choice but to shift the taxes. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I almost feel like Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m being held hostage,â&#x20AC;? La Conner resident Jaci Chamness said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The taxpayers have a contract with the school district, too.â&#x20AC;? School Superintendent Tim

Bruce said the district has about $684,000 in reserves â&#x20AC;&#x2022; which is not enough to make up the tax shortfall. Also, it is less money than the district is supposed to keep on hand, since the reserves have already been tapped this year. Even so, in an effort to soften the blow, the board trimmed $250,000 out of its operations and maintenance property tax levy next year in order to keep from shifting the entire shortfall to the taxpayers. In all, the district was to collect about $3.3 million in voter-approved property tax levies, which include the $1.6 operations levy and $1.7 million in special taxes for the school construction and technology improvements.

Taxing numbers This is what the 2015 tax bills could look like based on last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s assessed values in the affected area. County officials have said the current values likely wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be finalized until at least the end of this week. Here are the old tax rates per $1,000 in assessed value for affected communities, and what the new rates would be using last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s values for the taxing districts.

would change the name tags to say they were from her. As an adult, I found out my favorite childhood doll had really come from my other grandma. Oh, well, I thought, just let it go. And so I did. About a year and a half later, I was out walking my dog, and I saw a little girl about 7 years old playing in a yard. When I passed by her, she yelled out, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve seen that dog before!â&#x20AC;? I told her we live around the corner, and sometimes I walk him by here. She came over and bent down to pet the dog. It struck me that she might know the neighborhood kids I knew. They always told me they had a friend named Joan, who lived on our block. I asked the girl if her name was Joan. â&#x20AC;&#x153;No, thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s my grandmaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s name,â&#x20AC;? she answered. Then the light bulb went on. I asked her if she knew Aaron and Nick and Melanie, and she did. Then I got curious and wondered if she might have been the unknown little girl I bought the dolls for. I asked her, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Not last Christmas, but the one before that, did you get a couple of dolls for Christmas?â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Oh, yes, Lucy is the lighthaired one, and Debbie is the dark-haired one. They are inside sleeping right now,â&#x20AC;? she replied. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Was that all you got that year?â&#x20AC;? I asked. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think I got some other stuff, but I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t remember,â&#x20AC;? she said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Who gave you the dolls?â&#x20AC;? I asked. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Aaronâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s grandma,â&#x20AC;? she answered. Ah ha! That was it . . . the grandma was going to take all the credit. To prove myself right I asked, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Who did she say they were from?â&#x20AC;? And God, in his mysterious ways, had to show me I can never give too much â&#x20AC;&#x201D; even if I do it with a rotten heart. I got a lump in my throat when the response came from her: â&#x20AC;&#x153;She said they were from an angel.â&#x20AC;? This column was first published in the 2001 Chicken Soup for the Soul Christmas Treasury anthology.

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Your award-winning hometown paper

LA CONNER WEEKLY NEWS VOL. 7 • NO. 48

75¢

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18, 2015

LA CONNER, WASHINGTON

BEAUTY AND THE BARN – Yep, those are tulips – really this time – in the middle of March. Spring-like weather during the last half of winter encouraged the early blooms. To make sure nobody misses the show, Tulip Town will open on Friday, a full 10 days earlier than normal. The display garden at Roozengaarde is open year-round. – Photo by Don Coyote

Tribal land tax bills coming By Sandy Stokes The Swinomish Indian Tribal Community expects to send out tax bills to homeowners on the 931 parcels removed from the county’s property tax rolls by the end of this month. As with the county taxes homeowners are accustomed to paying, the Swinomish tribal tax can be paid in two halves on April 30 and October 31. For the 2015 taxes, the tribe intends to use the same assessment values Skagit County has set and will use the same tax rate – $14.28 per $1,000 of assessed value – as parcels on privately owned, or fee simple, land within the reservation boundaries. Therefore, a home on leased land in Shelter Bay or in the Pull and Be Damned Road neighborhood valued at $150,000 by the Skagit County Assessor last year will pay about $2,142 in tax to the tribe. Taxpayers who own their land received their property tax bills from the county in February. The tribe had originally hoped to match the county schedule, but the transition has been an enormous job. “Since last year, the Tribe’s Accounting and Lands Departments have been working intensively to install a new tax software system, and to integrate data from Skagit County into that new system,” said Stephen LeCuyer, director of the Office of Tribal Attorney. “As anyone familiar with software systems will understand, there are always unanticipated challenges when you’re integrating two systems and databases.” The so-called “Great Wolf” decision, which caused this property tax fiasco, was a ruling by the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit that all structures on tribal land held in trust by the federal government are exempt from county and state property taxes. Only tribes have taxing authority on tribal land. The ruling was handed down in July 2013, and overturned a state superior court ruling out of Thurston County, which allowed that county to tax the Great Wolf Lodge structures built on Chehalis Reservation trust land. The one-year window for Thurston County to appeal the

federal ruling to a higher court ran out last summer, and the Great Wolf decision became the law of the land. Since summer, tribal and public officials in Skagit County, which is unique in having a large community built on leased trust land, have been scrambling to come into compliance with the ruling. Swinomish had no part in the Great Wolf court case but has stepped in to its inherited role as property tax collector, and the Swinomish Senate was tasked with adopting a Trust Improvement Use and Occupancy Tax code. The result of all this is that everyone who pays property tax within the boundaries of La Conner School District, Library District and Fire District 13 will pay more this year. Some tax bills in the La Conner area rocketed up close to 25 percent for property the county assigned a higher value to last year. Everyone is paying more because there are 931 fewer properties — about a quarter of the taxpayers — paying into the smaller districts. The increases in the assessments for the schools and fire district are shockingly high because there is a smaller pool of taxpayers feeding those agencies. The state and county portions of the tax bills are spread over a much larger taxpayer base, so the increases for those agencies are barely noticeable. For this year, the Swinomish has agreed to donate a portion of the taxes it collects to the local agencies that lost taxpayers. But the funding gap was not completely filled, so taxes went up on the remaining taxpayers. So far the tribe has not said whether it will provide funding to the local agencies next year. And the tribe has its own public services that its new taxing authority will fund. While the tribe used the county’s numbers for values and tax rates this year, starting in 2016 Swinomish will handle its own assessment and rate-setting functions. “Skagit County Treasurer Katie Jungquist and Assessor Dave Thomas have been cooperative with Tribal staff to help make this transition as smooth as possible for taxpayers,” LeCuyer said.

“The Tribe appreciates this, and thanks Dave and Katie for their time and assistance.” The tribe has already set up its own rules and rate setting for offering tax relief to low-income seniors and disabled persons who own homes on leased land. A letter the tribe sent out earlier this month said that everyone will get a full-priced tax bill initially, but those who qualified for exemptions under the county last year, have until April 30 to apply for reductions in the tribal property tax. People who qualify for exemptions have until June 30 to pay their tribal tax this year without fear of penalties. Exemption forms were mailed out and are also available online at www.swinomish-nsn.gov. Also, the tribe has already contacted mortgage lenders and title companies to let them know that taxes collected on the trust land parcels no longer go to the county. People whose mortgage companies have escrow accounts to pay taxes and insurance should make sure their lenders heed the new rules.

Yard waste pick-up Time to get those trimmings to the curb. The town Public Works crew will be going around starting Monday, March 23, picking up piles of branches and plant clippings that people leave on the edge of their yards. Don’t set out large limbs, grass clippings or anything in plastic bags because the crews won’t pick those up. Piles of yard waste must be no more than 4 feet high, 4 feet long and 4 feet wide, so the truck can handle the loads. To have yard waste hauled, town residents should place it in a pile next to the street at the edge of their property and make sure it is where the truck can pull up next to it. Town workers will not cross fences or enter private property to pick up branches. Only homes within the town limits are eligible for the service. To sign up for the yard waste pickup, call Town Hall at 4663125 no later than this Friday, March 20. The last pick-up will be 3 p.m. on Friday, March 27.

Kiwaffodil Saturday The La Conner Kiwanis Club has come up with a fun way to ring in the official start of spring, with its Kiwaffodil celebration at Maple Hall this Saturday, March 21. With tulips getting all the attention every year, Kiwanis figured it’s high time the daffodils get a little respect, too. The day starts at 10 a.m. with a children’s talent show featuring music and art. There is a big coronation event at 11 a.m., as two La Conner fifth-grade students are crowned the King and Queen of Daffodils. People can come in and bid on silent auction items all day long. Then in the evening from 5 to 8 p.m., classical guitarist Andre Feriante will perform during a benefit concert to help the family of little Bella Hamerly, who is fighting leukemia.

Somewhat Clean takes State silver By Mickey Bambrick Second in State! That’s the status of La Conner High School’s “Somewhat Clean” Knowledge Bowl team after the State tournament last Saturday in Arlington. The competition was an entire day’s worth of brain-draining stress, as the six team members boarded the bus before sunrise and didn’t finish until late afternoon. They competed against 18 other 2B ranked schools from across the state in a brain sport similar to “Jeopardy!” It was all about who knew what and who could buzz in first with the correct answer. All 18 teams answered 50 written questions on every academic subject imaginable, then competed in four oral rounds consisting of 50 questions each. “Somewhat Clean” came in first place in each of their qualifying rounds. At lunchtime, the lowest scoring nine teams were sent home, and the top nine teams battled it out in the semifinal rounds, with three teams competing against one another in three different rooms. The winner of each of those rooms competed against each other in the final round for either first, second or third place. Team “Somewhat Clean” came

in first in the semi-final round, which put them up against the other two top teams in the State, Soap Lake High School and St. George’s Prep School from Spokane. The rules of the game make it an exciting spectator sport, as the facilitator starts reading a question, and any team can buzz in even before the question is finished being read. Once a team buzzes in, the question reading stops and the team must answer without the benefit of knowing fully what the question is. The questions are often worded in such a way that the final few words really matter, so even though teams might know the answer if they waited until the entire question was read, part of the strategy in winning is to buzz in too soon and take an educated guess, in order to get the point. One opposing team accidentally buzzed in just after the first two words of the question “In Libera” were read. Each team gets 15 seconds to confer with other teammates to come up with an answer. At the last second they threw up their hands and just guessed with the answer “Ebola,” and they were right. In a similar move, but with somewhat more confidence

behind them, La Conner’s team “Somewhat Clean buzzed in early on the question “What two Latin words complete the end of this quote by Jonathan Swift, ‘So naturalist observe, a flea...’” The quote was not complete, but “Somewhat Clean” knew the correct answer: “ad inifinitum.” It leaves the audience wondering, “How do they know this stuff?” For math questions, however, no one ever buzzes in early, with questions like “Two pi over five radians equals how many degrees.” With only 15 seconds, coming up with the answer of “72” means some quick thinking. La Conner got that point after only 5 seconds. Many of the questions in the final round were around literature, parts of speech and rules of grammar, which team “Somewhat Clean” admits is an area of weakness. Questions like “What’s the first prepositional phrase in the Preamble to the Constitution?” means you not only must know the Preamble, but you must know grammar definitions. Had there been more questions in math, science, geography, history, Latin, politics, or current events (Continued on Page 2)

BRAIN GANG – La Conner’s Knowledge Bowl team “Somewhat Clean” went to the State competition Saturday and came home with the second place trophy. Here with their new prize, from left are Senior Jordan Holt, Sophomore Robert Cook, Junior Will Malcomson, Senior Emily Parker, homeschooled Junior and Team Captain, Kaleb Slaatthaug, and Senior Marina Kochuten. – Photo by Mickey Bambrick