The Deschutes Estuary Project is good for the State but bad for the local taxpayers of Unincorporated Thurston County, Cities of Tumwater, Olympia, LOTT and the Port of Olympia.
The Washington State Department of Enterprise Services (DES) is asking these local governments to sign an Interlocal Agreement (ILA) that financially binds the taxpayers for millions of dollars annually over 24 years. Little public outreach has occurred regarding the costs to the taxpayer.
The problem with the ILA is twofold:
1) The long-term funding mechanism for dredging after construction of the estuary will be paid by Washington State, Thurston County, City of Tumwater, City of Olympia, Port of Olympia, and LOTT in the binding ILA at a cost of $66,374,000 (includes a 4.5% per year escalation rate). Under the ILA each was assigned a percentage to pay based on their benefit. Olympia 23.1% or $11,508,000 and the others 15.4% or $7,673,000 through 2050.
The average citizen knows little about how much of their tax dollars are going to be diverted to this effort. Each jurisdiction will extract funds from different sources within their organizations. Some taxpayers would be double or triple taxed (e.g., everyone pays Port of Olympia taxes, we all live in Thurston County or one of the cities and some are LOTT fee payers).
2) Subsidizing marinas. Particularly disturbing about this ILA and the costs being assigned to local government entities is that the areas to be dredged in Budd Inlet provide access to private marinas, Yacht Clubs and the one public marina owned by the City of Olympia. The taxpayers should not be paying these additional taxes to essentially reduce costs to private marinas/Yacht Clubs to access their docking sites.
TELL YOUR LOCAL JURISDICTIONS TO NOT SIGN THIS ILA!
~ Barry Halverson, Thurston County
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bonaro
Barry Halvorson has some good points, this project will be very expensive. However. the local marinas will see substantial loss if the sediment from the lake is not dredged.
The problem is: the lake was designed to be a sediment trap, which it does very well. Part of the plan when the lake was created was to perform periodic dredging to clean out the trapped sediment. This has not been done, partly because of cost but mostly because of protest. The lake filled up and got shallow, water got warmer and weeds and algae moved in creating an eyesore.
The vocal crowd who has been chirping about an estuary are the same ones protesting the dredging and now they use the swampy lake as reason for conversion to an estuary...a problem they themselves created.
They already acknowledge the lake needs to be dredged as part of the estuary plan but simply doing the maintenance dredging as was intended would restore it to a beautiful lake and sediment trap, no dredging of the marinas required.
5 days ago Report this
Coug66
The original plan for Capitol lake provided for the needed, periodic dredging that would preserve the planned, mirroring pond with its many esthetic, recreational benefits. However, the legislature did not fund the dredging, bringing us to the lakes current condition. The "estuary" project wipes out the community and state investment in a reflecting pond. The State retains the option to opt out of its share of funding for dredging, leaving the bill on the backs of the communities. All to restore the previous, stinking tide flats.
5 days ago Report this
FirstOtter
The Lake was created in 1951. That's four years before I was born. Don't go blaming those of us who want an estuary re-established for the sins of the city fathers. We aren't in charge of budgeting. Money that was supposed to go to dredging may have gone to things like the blasted parking meters, the current ones are the fourth or fifth iteration of meters that Oly has had installed in oh, what, ten years? That Lake was designed solely for reflecting the Capitol building itself. You'll have to prove that recent protests are to blame for over 70 years of no dredging.
5 days ago Report this
MamaBear
The estuary seems really important to the Squaxin tribe. Maybe they should pay for all of this with the money made at casinos in the area.
4 days ago Report this
Boatyarddog
Bonaro and Coug66,
A Long ago Dream that fufulled the Rich Folks Desire, that is what Capitol Lake WAS.
It is Over now, a BAD idea to begin with... Same as the Fake Capitol Fair!
As for who dunnit, Legislators and Rich Business People in A WAYWARD performance of Power on the Taxpayers Monies. They knew NO boundries Cared Little fot public Comment of Ideas... they Took advantage for Prestige and Votes! Now, after they have NO Accountability, some condem the Repariations. Believe me when I say The Estuary isn't going to fix the Damage that is done, but is a good start. If the Port wasn't in the way we could restore the Bay to A Great Condition, as tjey have been the Bays BIGGEST problem. Let get rid of the POO Port Terminal A HUGE MONEY PIT and NON PRODUCER OF County Funds then there would be plenty to cover the dredging of Private Business. The "Lake" is a Cesspool and will be visiable during HIGH Tides and Not have Near the issues that BADMANAGEMENT brought us... Long Ago
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