Patriot Bremerton
Here kitty, kitty Volunteer Jeff Berger lends a hand at the Humane Society Page 8
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2013 | Vol. 16, No. 3 www.bremertonpatriot.com | 50¢
Council’s parking committee disbanded By KEVAN MOORE
kmoore@soundpublishing.com
The Bremerton City Council’s Ad Hoc Parking Committee will hold its last meeting Feb. 27. While the group’s name may portend such a thing, the reality is that, in practice, the “ad hoc” group has essentially become a standing committee in recent years. But City Council President Greg Wheeler said that disbanding the committee is more of a procedural change than anything else. “The only change intended was for it no longer to be a ‘council’ committee because the subject matters proposed for discussion by this group are more ‘administrative’ in nature,” Wheeler wrote to constituents concerned about the change. “The Mayor must decide to address this. If any policy issues are eventually determined, presentations can always be brought to the council by the mayor or her staff.” Mayor Patty Lent, though, seems to have some concerns. “First of all, parking has always been under the council,” Lent said. “The reason is
that parking is a policy issue. Law, or policy, goes through the council. I sign it and see that it’s carried out.” Lent said that figuring out a way to address parking issues will be a “perfect topic” at an upcoming council retreat in which department directors, staffers and council members can determine the best way to get public input. “I’d rather have a discussion before disbanding it and saying it’s in (my) pocket because it is a change from how it’s been done historically,” she said. “He (Wheeler) is the president, but I think all of the council and the administration need to have a joint discussion.” Parking woes in Bremerton are nothing new. “From the very beginning, when the city was incorporated in 1901, we’ve had parking problems,” Lent said. Councilwoman Leslie Daugs, who is a member of the parking committee, also seems less than pleased to see it going away. She says she was out of town for a legislative conference when the decision was made, but lobbied against the move via email.
“I really am not sure what and why the purpose of disbanding (is),” she said. Bremerton resident Bob Dollar has served on the parking committee since 2009 and says the decision to disband the group “came out of the blue” and is a bad decision. “I think (Wheeler’s) trying to stifle public input,” he said. Dollar said it took the better part of four years to get Bremerton residents the right to park in front of their own homes without getting a ticket and more work remains. I think the Ad Hoc Parking Committee has done a good job of trying to resolve issues,” Dollar said, noting that many former and existing parking rules are absurd. For his part, Wheeler said that city council members and the public can continue to work on parking solutions. “The council members who feel strongly about this can stay on the committee and can keep going, but it won’t be a council meeting,” he said. “They will represent themselves and See PARKING, A13
Kevan Moore /staff photo
Parking issues in downtown Bremerton may soon be addressed internally rather than by an ad hoc committee.
Bremerton police still burning up lots of fuel By KEVAN MOORE kmoore@soundpublishing.com
Kevan Moore/ Staff Photo
A Bremerton police officer checks out the website eBay Tuesday night while his vehicle sits with the engine running in front of the ferry terminal.
In the midst of contract negotiations, newly installed Bremerton Police Chief Steve Strachan said he would, with the assistance of a small stipend, drive his own vehicle toand-from work. Bremerton Mayor Patty Lent said that offer signaled Strachan’s willingness to change the culture of the police department. Then, early this week, while still waiting for background checks to clear before being able to don a uniform, Lent said that Strachan came to her with a proposal to use more motorcycle patrols in an effort to reduce fuel costs. The police department,
though, still has a long way to go in cutting down on its gas guzzling. But Strachan said this week that fuel use is “certainly on our radar screen.” “Of course it is,” he said. “Just as it is for law enforcement in several cities that are looking at reduced resources.” Strachan, still settling in at BPD, said that it will take him some time to evaluate fuel use in terms of finding a balance between vehicles’ mileage and special needs of running electronics, lights, etc. “I have not been here long enough to come to conclusions as to whether fuel use is unusual or low right now,” he said. The Bremerton Police Depar t ment spent
$192,014.46 on fuel last year, a considerably higher amount than most police agencies allocate on a per vehicle basis. It’s not exactly clear, though, how many vehicles that money went towards or what the per vehicle cost allocation is. Public Works Director Chal Martin provided documents this week that indicate the police department’s fuel allocation went toward 73 vehicles, despite the fact that there are only 57 sworn officers. In a late 2011 analysis, per vehicle fuel consumption was calculated using 38 vehicles. A s su m i ng t hat Bremerton’s fuel expense was spread out among 38 vehicles in 2012, the See FUEL, A13