INSIDE

County takes another kick at the cat

By Meg Olson

Whatcom County Executive Pete Kremen feels conditions are right to give a community advisory council for Point Roberts another try.

“If at first you don’t succeed, try again,” Kremen said. “I want to improve the connection. It’s always been lacking because of where Point Roberts is located. Point Roberts is more removed from the county than any other community.”

In September 2004 Kremen pulled the plug on a proposal to have rural advisories established in several locations throughout the county as a way to improve communication between these communities and county government. “It created ill feelings and was not successful,” he said at the time. As an alternative, regular community workshops involving the entire community were planned but not implemented.

Kremen said he was motivated to revisit the issue when representatives from the taxpayers’ association approached him and public works director Frank Abart about getting more community input on how gas tax dollars are spent in the community.

“The discussion sprang out into parks and other issues,” Abart said. “We needed to try and find a way to work through these issues with these folks. Basically a link.”

At their February 9 meeting Whatcom County Council voted unanimously to create the Point Roberts Community Advisory Committee.

The five-person committee will have one representative from the chamber of commerce, one from the taxpayer’s association, one from the voters association and two at-large members appointed by the executive. Chamber president Heather McPhee stated she will represent the chamber. Voters’ association president Craig Grossman said he will represent his organization. Taxpayers’ association president Mark Robbins said they have chosen Arthur Reber, who also serves on the county solid waste committee, to represent them. Kremen has yet to appoint the remaining two members of the committee.

Abart said he anticipated the first meeting of the committee to be in April or May, and that public works staff will be there to begin the discussion of how gas tax collected in Point Roberts will be used to improve local roads. After that meeting “there won’t be a specific department assigned,” he said. “It depends what that committee wants to address.”

The committee members will need to elect officers, set up a meeting schedule, conform to state and federal information and access laws, and establish a reporting mechanism to share their work with the county council and executive.