The State of the City

A compelling assessment of the state of our city by the Bainbridge Resource Group, originally published as a Guest Editorial in the Review (9/22/07) republished here with permission of the authors.

Our City Government is not just dysfunctional, it is broken. Communications between the Executive and the City Council are irreparably fractured. Decision-critical information and analyses are withheld, acrimony has replaced collaboration, and power grabbing is the default form of governance style as competitive parties seek dominance in the decision making process. Forget the statutory distinction in the roles for the Mayor and Council!

The longstanding power struggle between the Mayor and Council over policy setting dominance is exposed. Recent actions by the Mayor appear to be an escalation, evidenced by the withdrawal of staff support to council committees.

For its part, the Council has abrogated responsibility in its acquiescence. The escalation in city spending has resulted in pushing revenue and expense so close to one another that any perturbation in the economy could result in serious financial peril. Over $5M a year has been spent on outside consultants without an accountability check and the Council has allowed the hiring of consultants with obvious financial stakes in the outcome of their reports.

Earlier this year Administration severely curtailed staff support to Council. This led to the unhealthy elimination of checks and balances, tolerated by the Council, which has no independent staff and therefore limited ability to perform relevant analyses outside the context established by the Administration. This circumstance essentially removes the Council and the community from the democratic process. In this milieu our broken government seeks to pass a 2008 budget and adopt a more than $100M Capital Plan-a daunting task in any year.

Complicating things, Winslow Tomorrow, is the most capital intensive undertaking in city history. With its many complex components, WT is now being forced into this impaired, overburdened and ill-informed decision chain by the Executive. The bewildering challenges of determining who pays for what and with what form of borrowed money needs careful deliberation.

Parking illustrates the complexity of just one element of WT. At Administration’s behest, which seems to have bypassed the many less costly alternatives suggested by the WT Parking Group, the Council authorized a feasibility study for a parking garage. Though it is early in the process, there are concerns that need to be addressed. Estimated costs now far exceed the original $20,000 per space, and don’t include the cost to purchase additional land for road access or account for the cost of losing 129 spaces at City Hall.

Ease of access will be important if the garage is to have the intended benefits. Tucked away in the Capital Plan is $2M for acquisition of the Classic Cycle Shop to make way for improved street access to the garage from Winslow Way-the same street that is envisioned to be less car intensive and pedestrian friendly. Further, the consultants advise early discussions with the owners of Madrone Lane (a privately owned street with considerable parking) to add another access into the garage. If it could be bought, the cost is unknown, but the impact is obvious.
Ten years ago Team Winslow merchants banded together to block a variance that would have permitted a curb cut opposite Madrone Lane for parking access. If one was a bad idea then are two now an improvement? When Council meets next Wednesday they are expected to approve the Streetscape Project and its funding sources. Does this imply approval of these new intersections which have yet to be discussed at the Council? Will they have the engineering studies to back the assertions made by the Administration?

The garage is only one example of the dozens of controversial elements to emerge from Winslow Tomorrow following the disbanding of the community volunteers. Its potential impacts and complexity require a very thorough vetting. Can that happen in this environment? Will we trade WT off against Affordable Housing, or other capital projects? If so, how will we make those decisions?

As if there were not enough projects under consideration, the Gateway Project at the Ferry Terminal was announced this week. It too is redevelopment with implications for Downtown with additional residential and commercial space being proposed. Driven by the Ferry System it has now entered the imperiled decision chain!

A broken government cannot effectively prepare balanced information, conduct open deliberations with the input of citizens or arrive at satisfactory decisions that resonate with stated community values and vision. Projects in the decision chain are gargantuan in their appetite for capital, have long term implications that are poorly analyzed and are based on assumptions yet to be thoroughly vetted. None should be authorized.

A broken government should not be permitted to do anything more daunting than pass an operating budget to assure continuity of basic city functions until balance is restored. Decisions in the current environment have the potential to be counter to the long term interests of the community.

The time has come for the community of Bainbridge Island to insist that its government be representative and respectful of its values. This means that the Mayor and Council adhere to statutatory responsibilities and collaborate, communicate, compromise and commit. Not-with-standing the many good qualities and intentions of these individuals, this is unlikely to occur after the recent consultant led effort to improve relations failed. Nor is the election of new members to the council the long-term solution, since the flawed governmental structure will still be in place.

In the short term, the Council has the legal authority to insist on processes that are open and subject to appropriate deliberation. At a minimum the Council should have the courage to vote itself analytical staff to assist in processing the paper storm.

In the long term, if our City Hall cannot regain balance, integrity and fiscal sanity, the community may need to seriously consider changing to a more accountable and responsive Council-Manager form of government.