Committee reorganization, Library Annexation discussed by City Council

DAYTON–The City Council held a workshop meeting on January 23 with discussion of the need for committees and discussed a potential ballot measure that would withdraw the City of Dayton from the Columbia County Rural Library District.

In the past each city council member would be chair of a committee and other council members would be members. They worked alongside city employees to discuss topics such as transportation, Public Safety, and Parks and Grounds. 

Public Works Director Ryan Paulson presented the idea of dissolving the committees and having division representatives. "You would have a division representative such as Kyle is Safety, you are HR, etc., etc.," said Paulson. "So when there is for example a personnel policy, you delegate someone to work on it, and then you as a group work on it, and when you have something to report on, during a workshop is when you would add it to the agenda to work on or discuss and if you don't have an update or anything to work on, it's just not on the agenda." he explained. The idea is to expedite everything and lessen the need for as many meetings or agenda items. 

Council Member Teeny McMunn liked the idea of getting together at workshops to discuss what each committee is working on. "Kinda sort things out, and then come to the workshop and give a short version of what we talked about and everyone can give their input," McMunn said. 

Council Member Shannon McMillen suggested that instead of Clerk-Treasurer Deb Hays presenting to McMunn and then the information relayed to the council, Hays would come to the council workshop and present to everyone if there was something the Finance committee needed the city to work on.

"I see this helping staff immensely without having all these meetings for them to constantly have to show up to,"  McMille said.

Council Member Jim Su'euga suggested a hybrid option that dissolves the committees, but appoints a representative to each category as the go-to person for questions from staff or the community. "Most of us all being relatively new, learning and trying to get information how can we be involved to help and not hinder," Su'uega said. "How will we get information?"

He continued to explain that city staff are where they get their information, but staff only have so much time available. "We have a hierarchy where maybe there still is a committee and they will then bring them to the workshop to work on, and then we put it on the agenda at a council, have a motion, and we can be more efficient," he said.

Paulson added that by bringing the discussions to the group they could prioritize the needs and issues, and council members could then step up and take charge of projects that they have an interest in or time to work on. This would not limit the work to just three committee members. 

Council member Laura Aukerman suggested representatives that are still the go-to person, but that there are no more members and topics are put on the agenda by the representative when needed. She also suggested that they schedule workshops on an as-needed basis. 

The council agreed that they would like to change the name of the chair to a representative and remove the members. They plan to add this to the next regular meeting agenda for a vote. 

The council also discussed the request for a ballot measure to withdraw the city from annexation in the Rural County Library District. 

Mayor Rodger Trump brought up that a bill was currently being presented in the Senate that would change the process for the dissolution of a library district. "If we spend a bunch of time and energy on this, and this passes, then whatever we do is null and void," Trump said.

Council Member Aukerman stated "I want to start with 'I love Libraries.' I believe that what Katie [Roughton] brought to us was an RCW that people in the city that are not being represented and can't vote are not being taxed without having a vote. Taxation without representation. Is that what this bill is for, because I thought the whole reason it didn't get put on the ballot was because it was taxation without representation."

She also stated that she understands there are people in the city who do not get to vote but are being taxed on the library. "So maybe what is being asked is that people who didn't get to vote are saying they want a chance to revote to decide if they still want their tax dollars going there,"  Aukerman said.

Council Member McMunn stated that she comes at it from another angle. She sighted that the bill in the senate raises the percentage of petition signatures and looks to include annex cities into the vote to dissolve the library. She however was unsure about the difference in putting a dissolution or a withdrawal from annexation on the ballot. She also handed out a small packet to the council that discussed the history of the library written by a community member, and gave her opinion on the budget of the library, discussing that the library needs to keep money in reserves and stated how she understands the taxes will work.

"What I am understanding from un-annexing the property tax that the city pays towards that to be directed somewhere else," McMunn said. She also takes into account that it would cost the city several thousand dollars to put this on the ballot. 

Councilman Su'euga stated that he thought the vote from 2009 was to increase the funding for the library and increase services to the community. "We need a library, the community needs a library, I am in favor of us keeping this annexation," he said. He also stated that he believed the issues with the library are administrative and can be resolved through administration. 

Council Member JoAnn Patras added her history with the library issues. She stated that the issue started with the issue of inappropriate books that were put on display in the children's section of the library and that all requests for resolution were denied.

"How did this all start?" Patras asked. "Because we hit a brick wall. And the director would not give us the time of day. We were concerned about the children. And nobody would do anything to rectify that issue."

She continued that they wouldn't even be talking about annexation or dissolution if there had been any other avenue available. "I never wanted the dissolution," she said. "I am a book-o-holic. So here we are in a position now where the library has no oversight, the taxpayers have no say, so we can come together and be unified if we can listen, be respectful, and speak the truth." 

Mayor Trump said that he wanted to add this back to a regular meeting agenda so that it can be discussed further and with more input from the community. Aukerman added that she also wanted it on the agenda to give the person who brought this to the council, another opportunity to give more information. 

Katie Roughton was present at the workshop and stated to the council "you are making a lot of assumptions about what I requested, but yet I am not able to speak." 

The council agreed to add this to the next regular board meeting for further discussion. 

To conclude the meeting, Mayor Trump reminded the council members to take questions and concerns to the head of the departments and not to the staff below them.