Then & Now
Reilley & Maloney: Still folksy after all these years page 10
Island Scene
Battle continues at 8th annual Relay For Life page 11
Editorial Public safety programs should not be compromised when a solution is available — Yes, on Prop. 1 page 7
Journal
The 75¢ Wednesday, July 25, 2012 Vol. 105 Issue 30
of the San Juan Islands
Budget blues add-on
www.sanjuanjournal.com
Cimarron slips by Exchange
Pachyderms by Palmer
Lopez voters to weigh 9.5 cents property tax hike for locally-run transfer station
Job study backs pay raise for some workers By Scott Rasmussen Journal editor
More than a few feathers have been ruffled by it. But San Juan County officials contend that the latest workforce job study and the resulting recalibration of salaries and wages— some up, some down—will have little impact on county payroll expenses overall. County Council Chairwoman Patty Miller said an uptick or downtick in wages here or there won’t weigh that heavily in the budget process partly because payroll expenses already consume roughly 75 percent of the county’s general fund from year to year. The preliminary 2013 general fund, which totals $14.4 million, minus another $3 million or so in outside grants, pays for wages, health and retirement benefits of more than half of the county workforce, 133 employees. “In the grand scheme of things the reclassification study is not the issue,” Miller said. “In the grand scheme the problem really is that the county’s expenses are misaligned with our revenue sources and in some degrees with our local economy too.” Miller said wages and benefits paid by the county tend to stand out in comparison with the private sector largely because of the lack of stable industries, such as manufacturing or high-tech, which generally produce higher-paying jobs. That comparison has also been accentuated by the prolonged See Salaries, Page 4
By Steve Wehrly Journal reporter
Journal photo /Scott Rasmussen
Two life-size African elephants stand outside of San Juan Island artist Matthew Palmer’s Friday Harbor studio. Made of acrylic cement and weighing nearly 10,000 pounds each, they are bound for a Colorado zoo later in the year.
VanHyning steps down at Mullis Ctr
Holding back a grin, Curt VanHyning shows off a gift, “Big Shoes to Fill”, presented at his retirement party, Wednesday, July 18, at the Mullis Senior Community Center. His last day on the job is July 31.
By Scott Rasmussen Journal editor
On the day after Curt VanHyning steps down as San Juan Island's senior services coordinator, just try to guess where he will be. That's right. VanHyning will be right back at the Mullis Senior Community Center on Aug. 1, this time to help orchestrate the Lions Clubsponsored Blood Drive. "I'll be right back in my usual place," he said. "I guess old habits
Journal photo / Scott Rasmussen
are hard to break." A fixture at the senior center the past six years, VanHyning, who joined the county-run program after a 10-year stint as market-
ing, admissions and public outreach manager for the former Islands Convalescent See VanHyning, Page 3
2011 Special Award; Second Place: General Excellence from the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association
The vendor selection committee reviewing bids for private operation of the Orcas Island transfer station will recommend that the County Council approve Cimarron Trucking as the winning bidder to operate the transfer station. The council is expected to ratify the committee recommendation at its July 24 meeting. Organizers of the Lopez Solid See solid waste, Page 4
Last Chance…
st! 1 . G AU E N DLI DEA Want your message read by 21,000+ people? Call to reserve your space, 378-5696.