November 2016
IN THIS
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www.AllPointBulletin.com
Friends of the library make pitch for levy, page 16
Show us the money, er, initiatives, page 6
ECRWSS PRSRT STD U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 14
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No need to mail your ballot this election, page 7
Point Roberts, WA 98281 Postal Patron Local
Commissioners Smiling faces at Point Roberts Primary School looking to max out on taxes By Meg Olson Fire district commissioners are looking at taking the maximum allowable tax increase this year as well as collecting taxes they have not taken in previous years. At their October 12 regular meeting commissioner Stan Riffle said he did not approve of the district “banking” taxing capacity by not taking the yearly 1 percent increase in their levy allowed by the state. “We need to keep up,” he said. Commissioner Bill Meursing agreed. “It’s kind of a make-me-feel-good thing,” he said. “Then you feel kind of embarrassed because you take the chunk back.” That’s what the district did last year, when for the first time since voters agreed to double the district’s levy in 2010, commissioners voted to take the annual increase plus approximately half of their banked capacity. Riffle and Meursing at that time supported taking all the banked capacity but agreed to a more modest amount suggested by commissioner Jeff Wilmot and fire chief Christopher Carleton. Until 1986, taxing districts either had to take the maximum increase allowed, then 6 percent, or lose that levy capacity. The state introduced the idea of “banking capacity” so taxing districts would only take what they needed, when they needed it, without being penalized. “The statute that allows banked levy capacity has a clear purpose: to encourage taxing districts to levy only what they need rather than the most they can get,” said Cindi Holmstrom, state revenue director until 2010. “This is simply good tax policy. They don’t lose it if they don’t use it.” The fire district can now collect the tax dollars they could have collected from 2011 through 2014 but did not. “Every year the banked capacity isn’t used the taxpayer pockets it, but the district doesn’t lose the ability to collect it in (See Maxing taxes, page 13)
s Staff and students of Point Roberts Primary School take a break from classes to get some fresh air. See story on page 15. Photo courtesy of Point Roberts Primary School
Library vote requires 60 percent super-majority By Meg Olson This November, Point Roberts voters will be asked to approve up to $300,000 in bridge funding to build a new library for the community. The proposed library facilities renovation levy on the November 8 ballot is a one-time property tax levy that would collect up to approximately 51 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value, or $102 for a $200,000 home.
The renovation of the Julius fire station adjacent to the community center into a new library is ready to be put out to bid. The Friends of the Point Roberts Library have already raised $540,000 for the project and taxpayers are being asked to pay for the remainder of the estimated $840,000 project cost. The new 2,500-square-foot library would replace the existing 900-square-foot library in the community center. The additional space would allow more room for
County EMS levy holds no benefits for Point Roberts By
P a t G r u bb
Countywide, the most important tax measure on the ballot is Proposition 20161 which would create a six-year property tax levy for emergency medical services. Point Roberts, not so much. If approved, beginning in 2017, property owners would be taxed an additional 29.5 cents per $1,000 assessed valuation for the provision of emergency medical services (EMS). The owner of a $300,000 property
would pay an extra $88.50 in taxes. Currently, the county EMS is funded by a voter-approved sales tax ($2.3 million), user fees ($2.5 million) and money from the city of Bellingham and county general funds ($1.1 million and $1.4 million, respectively) for a total of $7.3 million. Even still, EMS is expected to end up with around a $1 million shortfall, which will be drawn from reserves. In Point Roberts, emergency medical services are provided by the fire district
and funded by a local tax levy. Point Roberts does not receive any EMS funding support from the county. Of the district’s total 2016 budget of $552,756, $138,300 is earmarked for EMS. The only benefit that Point Roberts receives from the county EMS is the occasional transport from a transfer point on Highway 99 when the Point Roberts fire department is unable to transport the (See EMS, page 2)
more books, magazines, CDs, gathering spaces and other library resources. If voters approve the levy, the parks district will put the project out to bid and move towards construction. Only the amount of additional revenue that would be needed to complete the project, up to $300,000, will be collected from Point Roberts taxpayers.
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Inside
Church ............................................. 11 Classifieds ......................................... 17 Coming Up ....................................... 14 Crossings .......................................... 18 Obituaries ......................................... 18 Opinion ............................................... 4 Seniors, library ................................ 16 Tides ................................................. 16