Submitted By: rkinor@gmail.com – Click to email about this post
Several weeks ago, I had requested and the Mayor agreed to publicly answer questions on the Classic Street project at Wednesday’s Council meeting.
Significant numbers of visitors both now and in the future will use Classic Street. The current FY General Fund Contingency and Unappropriated Ending Fund Balance is $3.7 million dollars. A substantial portion of that $3.7 million consists of TLT revenue collections from visitors. Not a single dollar of TLT revenue representing visitor contributions was included in the budget to construct this project. Both the opportunities and funding was available to adjust the FY 25-26 Budget to supplement Classic Street construction with available General Fund TLT revenue. The opportunity to build the project that could have been completed by November 2025 with all of the vehicle and pedestrian/biking safety features as recommended by the City’s consultants and as presented to the community in March 2025 quietly disappeared from public view.
My Question: Why did the Council not provide citizens the opportunity to hear and ask questions as to why the project presented in March 2025 would not be constructed, if citizens would support visitor TLT revenue being used to supplement the construction budget and why the Council claims it had no role to play in how these decisions were made?
The Mayor’s response if nothing else was succinct when she stated “We didn’t”. No attempt was made to further answer the question; instead the Mayor went on a confusing explanation that suggested that visitors and tourism dollars are indeed helping fund the project.
Had the Mayor reviewed the City Budget, she would know that the City’s contributions to supplement the State grant funding for the project comes from System Development Charges (SDC’s). Page 71.”The capital outlay funds included in the Water and Stormwater SDC funds are for the Classic Street Connection”. The Mayor must have forgotten that SDC revenue is collected predominantly from the building of new homes in Manzanita. The folks writing the checks for the City’s water and stormwater SDC’s used in this project are the new full and part time residents of our community, not visitors as the Mayor mistakenly attempted to describe.
As the Mayor delivered her explanation, it’s worth noting that neither the City Manager nor a single Councilor attempted to correct the misinformation being presented.
The Mayor concluded by stating ” I don’t know that’s particularly going to answer the question, but that’s my response”. You’re right Mayor Stock, giving nonsensical answers to citizen’s questions that are at odds with facts is never a satisfactory response.
With the resignation and imminent departure of our City Manager, it becomes concerning that a project already beset with administrative problems will now be left in the hands of a Mayor and Council that seem to lack even a basic understanding of what City funds are being used to construct Classic Street.
Significant numbers of visitors both now and in the future will use Classic Street. The current FY General Fund Contingency and Unappropriated Ending Fund Balance is $3.7 million dollars. A substantial portion of that $3.7 million consists of TLT revenue collections from visitors. Not a single dollar of TLT revenue representing visitor contributions was included in the budget to construct this project. Both the opportunities and funding was available to adjust the FY 25-26 Budget to supplement Classic Street construction with available General Fund TLT revenue. The opportunity to build the project that could have been completed by November 2025 with all of the vehicle and pedestrian/biking safety features as recommended by the City’s consultants and as presented to the community in March 2025 quietly disappeared from public view.
My Question: Why did the Council not provide citizens the opportunity to hear and ask questions as to why the project presented in March 2025 would not be constructed, if citizens would support visitor TLT revenue being used to supplement the construction budget and why the Council claims it had no role to play in how these decisions were made?
The Mayor’s response if nothing else was succinct when she stated “We didn’t”. No attempt was made to further answer the question; instead the Mayor went on a confusing explanation that suggested that visitors and tourism dollars are indeed helping fund the project.
Had the Mayor reviewed the City Budget, she would know that the City’s contributions to supplement the State grant funding for the project comes from System Development Charges (SDC’s). Page 71.”The capital outlay funds included in the Water and Stormwater SDC funds are for the Classic Street Connection”. The Mayor must have forgotten that SDC revenue is collected predominantly from the building of new homes in Manzanita. The folks writing the checks for the City’s water and stormwater SDC’s used in this project are the new full and part time residents of our community, not visitors as the Mayor mistakenly attempted to describe.
As the Mayor delivered her explanation, it’s worth noting that neither the City Manager nor a single Councilor attempted to correct the misinformation being presented.
The Mayor concluded by stating ” I don’t know that’s particularly going to answer the question, but that’s my response”. You’re right Mayor Stock, giving nonsensical answers to citizen’s questions that are at odds with facts is never a satisfactory response.
With the resignation and imminent departure of our City Manager, it becomes concerning that a project already beset with administrative problems will now be left in the hands of a Mayor and Council that seem to lack even a basic understanding of what City funds are being used to construct Classic Street.