Towns seek Sen. Murray’s help for money problems

GH still thriving, thanks to grants, high sales tax dollars

Paige Richmond

of the Gateway

Leaders from several south Puget Sound communities expressed fears and concerns about their cities’ futures at a meeting with U.S. Sen. Patty Murray last week.

Murray, a Democrat, held a roundtable-type discussion at the Gig Harbor Civic Center on Wednesday to find out the status of Washington’s smaller communities.

“Elected officials at the local level know far better than anyone what’s going on in our communities,” Murray said.

City council members and mayors from several small cities painted a bleak picture of struggling economies, deteriorating roads and out-of-date sewer systems.

Representatives from University Place said the city had postponed its capital projects and cut back on basic maintenance due to a tightening budget.

Murray took notes as officials spoke about the challenges they will face in the new fiscal year.

Katrina Asay, the mayor of Milton, summed up the concerns of several small cities, including Steilacoom and Fircrest: “We don’t have any problems that money can’t fix,” she said.

Like Asay, many officials suggested that increased federal funding could help pull these cities out of a financial downturn. Even Tacoma, the largest city represented at Wednesday’s roundtable, had similar problems to those plaguing smaller communities.

Mayor Bill Baarsma said Tacoma currently has $770 million in unfunded infrastructure needs, including “greater and greater demand” for public transit. The City of Tacoma has seen a $7 million deficit in sales tax this year, which means transit funding will be hit hard.

But officials from Gig Harbor had a much different picture than their municipal neighbors. When Mayor Chuck Hunter spoke during the roundtable discussion, he said that Gig Harbor had been “very fortunate” in the past few years, thanks to the addition of new businesses in Gig Harbor North. That growth has led to a 20 percent increase in sales tax revenue for Gig Harbor.

Higher revenues aren’t the only funding sources helping out the city. Before Wednesday’s roundtable, council members, Hunter and City Administrator Rob Karlinsey met with Murray to discuss three possible grants from the federal government.

The city requested a $1 million earmark to daylight Donkey Creek Park, which would supplement the $950,000 that U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks, D-Bremerton, was able to secure earlier this year for the same project.

Other funds requested include $6 million for two years of improvements to the Burnham-Borgen-state Route 16 interchange and several million dollars in earmarks for sewer improvements.

Karlinsey said it’s too early to tell if Gig Harbor will receive those grants, but he added that the city should know by early next year.

In the meantime, the city is taking measures to secure more federal funding in the future. City staff has spent $100,000 from the general fund to employ a lobbyist from Washington, D.C., full-time.

The lobbyist spends 25 percent of his time advocating for state funds and 75 percent advocating for federal dollars. It’s an investment — along with funding help from Murray — that may help Gig Harbor avoid the same fate as other small cities in the region.

Reach Reporter and Columnist Paige Richmond at 253-853-9243 or by e-mail at paige.richmond@gateline.com.