The Opportunity Fund

 

The Opportunity Fund is not an Infinite Resource

In 1997 the State Legislature established RCW 82.14.370 Sales and use tax for public facilities in rural counties, (1) this tax is in addition to all other taxes. This 0.09% sales tax Opportunity Fund is to assist depressed rural counties, providing limited funding of publicly owned infrastructure projects, however, the Opportunity Fund is not an infinite resource and this additional tax is set to EXPIRE in 2023 and quite possibly may not be reauthorized by the State due to budgetary shortfalls and conflicts with other counties.

Currently there is a balance in the Clallam County Opportunity Fund of $3,106,834.00. In the breakdown of Grants and Loans, less repayment, the fund has provided $11,575,881.00 and does not include the $1,285,952.00 in grants to the Port for the Composites Recycling and the City of Port Angeles for waterfront improvements or the $150,000.00 to the Economic Development Council for “staffing”.  Add to this total the $10 million dollar General Obligation Loan from the State Public Works Trust Fund for the Carlsborg Sewer Project the total outlay from the Opportunity Fund is $23,011,833.00.

 

The $10 million dollar loan is to be repaid from the Opportunity Fund at a cost of $513,229.00 annually over 20 years, but, the Opportunity Fund EXPIRES in 2023 only 8 years into the loan repayment schedule leaving 12 years of payments to be paid from the County General Fund or the General Fund Reserves.  So, for the commissioners and Clallam County Public Works to state that “the Carlsborg sewer will be entirely paid for by the Opportunity Fund” is complete and utter nonsense, a fabrication to quell any possible opposition from county taxpayers as to the costs and obligations associated with the Carlsborg sewer project.  The citizen of Carlsborg and Clallam County SIMPLY CANNOT AFFORD THIS.

Two previous studies, (Parametrix, Inc., December, 1994 Clallam County Department of Community Development – Carlsborg Comprehensive Sewer Study and KCM, Inc., September, 1998 Clallam County Department of Community Development – Carlsborg Capital Facilities Plan) had declared the sewer project “Profoundly Cost Prohibitive”. In 2010,Clallam County PUD #1 found the sewer project “Financially Infeasible” even with the approved $10 million dollar State Public Works Trust Fund Loan.

The Carlsborg Sewer Project will be unable to pay for its self from the out-set, the financial plan shows a “capital contingency deficit” of $94,496.00 in construction year 2015 and the entire financial plan is based on “ASSUMPTION, PROJECTION and ESTIMATES” in the number of “FUTURE” connections and ERUs over 40 years.  Their “estimated Base Case” 2.15% annual growth increase in Carlsborg is PHANTOM GROWTH, given the fact that Carlsborg has lost 3% of its population every year since 2010.  http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/community_facts.xhtml#none  (search for Carlsborg CDP.)

Clallam County Commissioners and Clallam County Public Works have Carlsborg and Clallam County on the fast track to an enormous and devastating financial impact. Clallam County is Going For Broke.

Opposition to the Carlsborg Sewer Ordinance

Opposition to the Carlsborg Sewer Ordinance and the Carlsborg Sewer Project.

The Carlsborg Sewer Project and all of the “ASSUMPTIONS, PROJECTIONS AND ESTIMATES” of the financial plan will financially destroy the Carlsborg Community and Clallam County.

It has been said by Bob Martin of Clallam County Public Works that “these figures are not arbitrary.”  In fact they are arbitrary and are based on phantom growth.  In fact their projected 2.15% annual increase in new development is in direct contradiction to the U. S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey for the Carlsborg Census Designated Place (CDP). http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/community_facts.xhtml

POPULATION: http://www.towncharts.com/Washington/Demographics/Carlsborg-CDP-WA-Demographics-data.html

1.       The CDP has lost 3% of the population annually since 2010

2.       The CDP has the largest proportion in Clallam County of those 70 years old or older on fixed incomes at 35.1% and the largest proportion in Clallam County of those 60-69 years old at 32%.

3.       The CDP has a median age of 65.6 years old, on fixed incomes, more than all other areas in Clallam County.

4.       The CDP has the largest proportion of single women in Clallam County age 60-65 years old at 17%.

INCOME: http://www.towncharts.com/Washington/Economy/Carlsborg-CDP-WA-Economy-data.html

1.       The CDP has median earnings of $19,375.00, second smallest in Clallam County.

2.       The CDP has median household income of $22,583.00, second smallest in Clallam County.

3.       The CDP has the largest proportion of Social Security Income in Clallam County ay 42.4% and is ranked #1.

4.       The CDP has the second largest proportion of Retirement incomes at 37% out ranked only by Bell Hill.

HOUSING:  http://www.towncharts.com/Washington/Housing/Carlsborg-CDP-WA-Housing-data.html

1.        The CDP has only 547 housing units of which 56% are mobile homes in mobile home parks and are EXEMPT from the sewer system UNLESS it can be proven or determined by local or state department of health that their on-site septic systems have failed and are unrepairable.

2.       The CDP has the largest proportion of home values less than $50,000.00 at 20% of the total housing units in the CDP and is ranked #2, second only to Port Angeles East.

       The cost of the Carlsborg Sewer at $17,754,371.00 divided by the phantom 2,324 “estimated ERUs in 40 years” is financially infeasible as 2 previous studies and Clallam County PUD have stated and will create an extraordinary financial burden on Carlsborg and Clallam County no matter how the county “incentivizes” it by arbitrarily inflating the connection cost to $8,000.00 per ERU to make the $500 carrot and stick discount look more enticing to property owners.  These commissioners and Public Works have manipulated facts and figures through “assumptions, estimates and projections”, conflated ERUs with actual physical connections and lied about on-site septic systems as the cause of the nitrate contamination of wells in the Carlsborg UGA that were never tested. 

To quote Ann Soule’s

Groundwater Monitoring for Nitrates in the Agnew-Carlsborg Area, Clallam County, Washington 2004

“While the majority of samples indicate “good” groundwater quality, three of the 125 wells tested have nitrate levels in exceedence of the drinking water standard of 10 mg/L nitrate (as N). In these instances a history of nitrates near or above this level has been documented, particularly in a portion of the Agnew community near Barr Road.”

“The presence of “hot spots” where unusually high nitrates are found highlights the importance of protecting the wider region’s relatively uncontaminated groundwater quality. Sources of nitrate contamination likely include sewage, animal waste, and inorganic fertilizers. Nonpoint pollution is by nature difficult to identify and remediate.”

“In Agnew, There is a cluster of wells with nitrate levels elevated above 1 mg/L between Abbott and Barr Roads and Old Olympic Highway (see Figure 4). Within this “cluster,” two wells contain nitrates in exceedence of the drinking water standard (10 mg/L); all others have levels ranging from undetected to 5 mg/L.”

“In Carlsborg, There is no discernable pattern to the nitrate levels in this aquifer elevated above 1 mg/L, however, there is a noticeable gap in geographic coverage for the central area, surrounding the old mill workers’ neighborhood and the industrial park (see Figure 5).”

This PIPE DREAM will fail just like Belfair in Mason County and leave the citizens of Carlsborg and Clallam County holding a filthy bag full of debt.

(Fig. 3) Carlsborg Urban Growth Area outlined in red.  The red dot in the center was the only well tested inside the UGA in the entire study.

(Fig. 5) Carlsborg Urban Growth area closer view in red outline. The red dot in the center is the only well tested inside the UGA in the entire study.  This demonstrates the County's lie about the on-site septic systems contaminating the wells and ground water in the UGA