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WEDNESDAY, December 24, 2014 VOL. 47, NO. 52 75¢ islandssounder.com
Good news, bad news FIVE-YEAR DATA SHEDS LIGHT ON INDIAN ISLAND
Quarterly review of county finances by F. MILENE HENLEY County Auditor
Russel Barsh photo/2009
False ochre stars (Evasterias troeschelii) began declining years before the outbreak of wasting syndrome. Submitted by KWIAHT
The following five-year monitoring report at the Celebrate Indian Island event on Nov. 20. Below are the key findings, conclusions and recommendations. Pacific Northwest sea surface temperatures were unusually high in summer 2014, and were still five degrees above the historical average as late as October. Warmer water brought more visitors to the islands, put more stress on inter-tidal animals and increased the spread of diseases of marine animals. That’s a key message of the fifth annual report of the Indian Island Marine Health Observatory, released on Nov. 20 by the director of Kwiaht, Russel Barsh. At the local level, several key indicators are down including eelgrass density, Bay Pipefish abundance in the eelgrass meadows, and the abundance of hard-shell clams such as “butter clams” in the beach. According to Barsh, silt loads in stormwater runoff from Eastsound streets may be a common factor driving these changes. The county’s detention pond has reduced annual silt discharges, Barsh says, and appears to have put a dent in the pesticide accumulations in clams, but the impacts of decades of untreated street runoff are probably cumulative and to some extent, irreversible. Another impact factor is suggested by the fact that eelgrass declined faster in the shallower parts of Fishing Bay, which are exposed more often by low
tides, and are used more by visitors. Recreational use may also be responsible for failure of the Indian Island oystercatcher pair (documented for the first time on special solar-powered cameras) to hatch any of their eggs last summer. The report notes that some sea star species, such as “false ochre” stars, appear to have been declining at Indian Island since 2010 when monitoring began, although Sea Star Wasting Syndrome was not observed there until last winter. Nearly all SWS cases have been in ochre stars, which until last summer had remained conspicuously abundant at Indian Island while other seas stars decreased. SWS affected barely 2 percent of Indian Island ochre stars from January to June but symptoms spiked in July. Ochre star numbers fell as the summer continued, not only because of disease, Barsh says, but also the heat, which in previous years drove sea stars into deeper water. By summer’s end, the incidence of SWS decreased, and many healthy small sea stars were observed around the island. One positive trend has been an apparent increase in plainfin midshipmen, one of the most remarkable and fascinating fish that uses Indian Island to mate and brood eggs. Unlike Pipefish, which hunt and brood their young in the eelgrass meadows, midshipmen nest in rocky reefs and may be not be affected as much by losses of eelgrass. Other good news is that terrestrial wildflower
SEE ISLAND, PAGE 2
This is a very late third quarter financial report. It’s been a tough one to write, in part because I’ve been busy with the 2015 budget. But more than that, this report has been tough because it conveys a mixed message. The good news is that the local economy has continued to perform well this year, and as a result, county revenues have outperformed projections. Sales tax revenue will come in around 5 percent above budget. The San Juan County Land Bank’s real estate excise tax has topped $2.1 million, and will likely finish the year 50 percent above budget – though still barely more than half its historic high of $3.9 million. Lodging taxes have hit a record $1 million, running about 15 percent above budget. Planning and permitting activities did not experience the drop-off expected earlier this year, and will also finish 12-15 percent above budget. The bad news is that revenues to the county’s general fund are still not keeping up with needs. In such a good year, one has to ask, “Why?” Part of the answer has to do with the nature of county funding. Many sources of funding are restricted in use; that is, they can be used only for specific purposes. Land Bank funds, most obviously, can be used only to purchase and maintain Land Bank properties. Capital Improvement real estate excise taxes (.5 percent of real estate sales) can be used only for capital expenditures, such as buildings, roads, park facilities and storm water projects. Lodging taxes can be used only for tourism promotion, activities or facilities. Planning and building permit revenue, by design, pays only for the people who issue the planning and building permits. Most of the county’s sales tax revenue can be used for any purpose, but part of it is restricted to expenditure on criminal justice activities. Since criminal justice expenditures all come out of the general fund, those activities con-
Auditor Milene Henley.
Contributed photo
sume a lot of the general fund revenue. That leaves the bulk of general fund expenditures – for administration, finance, legal, courts, policing, cooperative extension, health, senior services, planning, etc. – largely dependent on property taxes, unrestricted sales taxes and grants. Yet grants are shrinking and property taxes are growing slowly, more slowly even than the consumer price index. And all of our expenses, including pay-
SEE AUDITOR, PAGE 2
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