Ridgefield mulls police services
Mayor, council member say they won’t run again
Bill Myers
staff reporter
What do you expect from police services? Should the City of Ridgefield look elsewhere for such services?
About 40 Ridgefield citizens weighed in on these and other questions at an Oct. 18 meeting facilitated by interim police chief Erin Nolan.
Most citizens at the meeting raised hands in support of keeping a Ridgefield Police Department.
More opinions are on the way. About 2,000 survey forms about police services were recently mailed to city residents with a due date for completion of Oct. 20.
Nolan said survey results will be tallied and given to city council members. She said they will use the public input to decide whether to keep police services in Ridgefield or look to alternatives possibly involving the City of La Center or Clark County Sheriff’s Office.
Interim city manager Justin Clary said he made a management decision to take the public temperature about police services after some citizens suggested that a study should be made of alternatives to having a city department.
“Liability” is a main consideration for exploring alternatives, said Clary. He announced plans to survey citizens about police services at an Oct. 11 city council meeting.
In recent years, lawsuits involving the Ridgefield Police Department have included allegations that improper actions by a Ridgefield police officer contributed to a homicide, allegations by former officer Carl Mealing that he was fired because of race, and allegations by a former police sergeant that he was fired because he was a whistle blower.
Two Kirkland police officers, after investigating police department operations in the wake of Mealing’s termination, concluded that the department was “dysfunctional” and poorly managed.
Former Ridgefield mayor Tim Thompson said he prefers services from a city police department because it provides local accountability. Thompson questioned how a decision to study the police services issue could be made without a city council vote.
It was a management decision discussed in public, said Clary.
Ridgefield business owner Ellis Dunn said it is wise for city leaders to explore all avenues in deciding on effective police services.
City council member Scott Hansen said he fears a “knee-jerk” reaction by community members to recent police department problems that have some wanting to throw everyone out and start over.
Retired Washington State Patrol commander and Ridgefield citizen Carrie Green said citizens should make a decision based on what they want for police services--not on potential liability.
Nolan drew praise from the audience as she explained how properly managed community police services earn the respect and admiration of citizens.
“No one thing led us to the dilemma we face today,” said Nolan. “The focus needs to be on how we move forward and prevent such problems in the future.”
A majority of citizens at the meeting agreed that their City department should continue to handle traffic and code enforcement, police patrols and emergency responses, outreach activities and public events, school resource responsibilities, vacation, home and business checks, and vandalism or noise issues.
Most agreed that homicide investigations, SWAT responses, fatal traffic investigations, K-9 services, dog/animal control, child abuse and undercover narcotics investigations should be out-sourced.
Mayor and council member won’t run again
Ridgefield mayor Gladys Doriot and council member Gary Adkins said orders from the City’s insurance carrier have prevented city council members from discussing police operations in open meetings.
The mayor and Adkins said they will not seek reelection after their terms expire in 2007. Adkins will have completed one term as a city council member, and previously served on the Planning Commission.
Doriot served several years as a city council member, and will complete her second term as mayor in 2007.
Interim chief of police Erin Nolan asked Ridgefield citizens what they expect of police services at Oct. 18 meeting. Bill’s 10-25 file. Photos of Doriot and Adkins are there also.

Late ballot delivery riles auditor
Residents of La Center and Ridgefield received ballots for the Nov. 7 general election several days after delivery was expected, according to Clark County auditor Greg Kimsey.
Kimsey said the ballots were mailed in Portland and “ended up sitting around on the floor.” It’s astounding and dismaying,” he said.
Kimsey said ballots destined for voters in Battle Ground, Brush Prairie, Ridgefield, La Center, Heisson, Amboy, Yacolt and Washougal were mailed in Portland, whereas ballots for residents of Vancouver and Camas were mailed in Vancouver.
Kimsey said he knew something was wrong when the county elections office began receiving numerous phone calls about missing ballots.
Ballots were mailed in Portland on Oct. 12, said Kimsey. The ballots were placed in trays with about 200 ballots per tray, and then put on pallets of 12-60 trays per pallet. More than 48,400 ballots were mailed in Portland, he said.
But the ballots were not processed timely, said Kimsey, and reached area post offices sporadically.
Clark County elections supervisor Tim Likness, in an email to Robert Edstedt of the U.S. Postal Service in Portland, complained about the delayed ballot delivery process.
“Our office received a large number of calls today (Oct. 24) from voters in the Ridgefield zip code who had not received their ballot,” wrote Likness, adding that he understood that there were still Clark County ballots waiting to be processed in Portland.
Likness said the ballots “seemed to have been processed in a very erratic and slow manner. It appears their delivery was dribbled across four days.”
“By the way they were actually processed, it appears they were given little importance,” added Likness.
Kimsey said ballots were mailed at a non-profit rate. “They’re supposed to be treated as first class,” said Kimsey of the ballots. The non-profit rate results in a mailing fee of 8.8 cents per ballot.
Kimsey said that a Postal Service floor manager in Portland said he thought he had until Oct. 25 to handle the ballot materials--nearly a week after mailing.
Kimsey said Clark County elections officials met with officials of the U.S. Postal Service in Portland on Sept. 20 to discuss ballot mailing and delivery procedures. The meeting was held, said Kimsey, because “we worry about this stuff.”
Kimsey said pallets containing ballots were labeled with Postal Service-provided logos indicating they contained elections materials.
Kimsey said records show the Battle Ground post office received 75% of their ballots on Saturday, 20% on Monday and the rest on Tuesday, 2-5 days after they were mailed.
The La Center Post Office received some ballots on Tuesday and some on Wednesday.
Ridgefield postmaster Bob Welch said ballots were received Wednesday--six days after they were mailed.
Post offices in Amboy and Heisson reported receiving ballots on Saturday. The Yacolt post office received ballots on Monday. Brush Prairie Post Office received ballots on Saturday and delivered ballots the same day.
Kimsey said the Postal Service has provided more timely service in the past.
Kerry Jeffreys, customer relations coordinator with the U.S. Postal Service in Portland, said Clark County elections officials did not specify an in-home delivery date, either in advance with postal managers or printed on the ballot envelope. Such an in-home date specification would have altered the delivery schedule, he said.
However, Likness said he discussed delivery problems with Edstedt on Oct. 26, and Edstedt never mentioned that the county could have specified an in-home delivery date. “He never told us we should specify a date,” said Likness, adding that he was not aware the county could do so while mailing at a non-profit rate.
Jeffreys said ballots were delivered to some post offices on a staggered schedule to avoid overloading delivery personnel. A decision was made, said Jeffreys, not to delivery ballots all at once to Battle Ground and La Center on the basis of mail volumes. “This is our prime mailing season,” said Jeffreys. “We handle a huge amount of mail.” He again cited the lack of a specified in-home delivery date.
“We spread it out so as not to overload our delivery system,” said Jeffreys.
Jeffreys said ballots, even though mailed with a non-profit rate, are “treated like first class mail as much as possible,” although postal officials understand they have some flexibility “on how we get it out” because it is not actually first class mail. “To be behind in first class mail is a huge black eye” in the Postal Service, he said.
Jeffreys also said crews worked on sorting the ballots, along with other mail, and apparently got to Ridgefield and La Center mail last.
Jeffreys was not in attendance when Clark County elections officials met with Postal Service managers on Sept. 20.
Jeffreys said it might have made a difference had the ballots been mailed on a Monday to avoid having a Sunday in the delivery timeline.
Kimsey invited anyone to come to the elections office to obtain a ballot. Those who wish could drop off ballots at one of 35 drop-off locations instead of using the mail, said Kimsey. In the September primary election, said Kimsey, 13 percent of those casting ballots dropped them off rather than mailing them.
Envelope problems
Kimsey recognized complaints about the mail-return envelopes used in this year’s general election.
The envelope has been criticized as being too complex for some people to figure out. Use of the envelope required double folding of the flap, and the moistening of two glue strips.
“It was a bad idea,” said Kimsey.
Kimsey said the envelope was designed to conform with state law that requires the official ballot signature to be covered during the mailing process.
Another possibility, said Kimsey, is a single flap envelope that would have a perforated flap that, when lifted, would reveal the voter’s signature. Part of the objective, said Kimsey, is that election workers who verify signatures are not to have access to the ballot itself.

Salem transit man to head C-TRAN
Jeff Hamm, who is currently the general manager at the Salem Area Mass Transit District in Salem, OR, will take over as executive director/CEO of C-TRAN in Clark County starting Jan. 1, 2007.
Hamm, 56, will replace Lynne Griffith who resigned last spring to take over Pierce County transit in Tacoma. John Ostrowski serves as interim executive director of C-TRAN until Hamm takes over.
Hamm has been with the Salem transit system since 1999, serving a population of about 220,000 people.
The Salem system has an annual operating budget of about $30 million and a workforce of about 190 full time equivalent staff. In comparison, C-TRAN provides public transit service to the incorporated cities in Clark County plus the Vancouver urban growth area with a staff of about 350 people and an annual budget of about $36.5 million.
Hamm was offered the C-TRAN position following interviews Oct. 13-14 with four finalists. Four panels interviewed each finalist and reported to the C-TRAN board which made the decision to offer the job to Hamm.
Hamm will be paid an annual salary of $114,000, plus medical benefits, and deferred compensation of $10,000, for 2007. C-TRAN spokesman Scott Patterson said Hamm will serve under a renewable, annual agreement.
Patterson said Hamm declined a car allowance because he plans to ride the bus to work as much as possible. Hamm rode the bus to work in his position in Salem, OR.
“Riding the bus has always been a part of my life in the way I go about living in a community,” said Hamm. The decision on finding a place to live will include bus line consideration, said Hamm. Hamm said riding the bus provides a different social experience each day, and an opportunity to experience a different “slice of life.”
Hamm and his wife, Diane, have three grown children. Hamm enjoys playing volleyball and walking.
C-TRAN employees, along with their immediate family members, may ride the bus free of charge.
Hamm said he helped direct the Salem transit system to a 32% increase in ridership in five years. He led a drive to coordinate social service and public transit services in three counties by establishing a Medicaid transportation brokerage that reduces costs and improves service quality.
Prior to serving as general manager in Salem, Hamm managed the Jefferson Transit system in Port Townsend for nine years, and worked as a supervisor at Metro in Seattle.
Hamm holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Beloit College and a master’s degree in urban planning from the University of Washington. He has been active in the Washington State Transit Association and the Oregon Transit Association.
In Salem, Hamm reports to a 7-member, directly-elected board of directors. In Clark County, the C-TRAN board is made up of officials elected to other positions but not directly elected to manage C-TRAN. The board includes all three Clark County commissioners, plus six others who are city council members or mayors. Three members are from the Vancouver city council. County commissioner Betty Sue Morris is currently head of the C-TRAN board.
“Jeff is quite a find for us,” said Morris. “The C-TRAN board had a very rigorous 2 1/2 day interview process with our finalists and Jeff rose to the top in a hurry. We’re quite pleased to have him join us.”
In his letter of resignation to the Board of Directors in Salem, Hamm said he had mixed emotions about the change.
“I have been blessed with seven marvelous years at Cherriots,” wrote Hamm, who praised the supportive board of directors, talented and dedicated staff, and a welcoming community.
“No one person is indispensable in an organization such as ours,” wrote Hamm. “There are skilled, committed employees ready to pick up where I leave off.”
“We have accomplished much and provide an increasingly valuable service to the public and to our riders every day,” added Hamm in his letter, which was directed to all employees.
With the assistance of a consulting firm, C-TRAN board members evaluated 30 applications for the executive director position. Other finalists were Greg Cook who is executive director of the Ann Arbor Transportation Authority in Michigan, Hugh Mose who is general manager of the Centre Area Transportation Authority in State College, PA, and Allan Pollock who is director of transportation at the Montebello Transit Department in California.

Voters will decide District 11 levy rate
Bill Myers
staff reporter
Voters in Clark County Fire District 11 will decide Nov. 7. whether to raise the District’s levy rate to 2004 levels which would cost the owner of a $200,000 home about $36 per year.
District voters approved a measure in 2003 that restored a levy rate to $1.50 per $1,000 of assessed property valuation, but the levy rate since then has dropped below $1.32.
The erosion, say District officials, was caused primarily by Initiative 747, approved by state voters in 2001, which limits a district’s budget growth to 1% per year.
If approved, a levy increase of 18 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation would return the levy rate to $1.50 per $1,000. The increase would generate about $180,000 annually for the Fire District based on current property valuations.
The funds would be used to hire three full-time firefighters and to purchase a new fire engine to replace a 22-year old vehicle.
An immediate District goal is to have career firefighters on duty at all stations, said District fire chief Dennis Mason. It takes three firefighters, each with 8-hour shifts, to provide round-the-clock service. The new firefighters would be assigned to the Charter Oak fire station which is currently being remodeled to include sleeping quarters.
Mason said the District currently employs 10 full-time, paid firefighters and a training captain. There are 12 paid part-time firefighters, 35 volunteers and five resident firefighters who are college students who work station shifts in return for living quarters. The District is managed by Mason, two division chiefs and an assistant chief.
In addition to funding the three firefighters, passage of the measure would provide funds for a new engine, at a cost of about $310,000 plus $23,000 in state sales taxes, said Mason.
The new engine is needed to replace a 1985 Western States fire engine, said Mason. Maintenance costs on this engine now range between $6,000 and $8,000 per year. He said a new engine for the 1985 unit would cost about $50,000.
“The intent of voters who approved Initiative 747 was clear,” said Mason. “They were saying ‘come and ask us if you need something. Now we’re asking.”
District 11 operates from fire stations in Dollars Corner, Battle Ground and Charter Oak. The District also shares operations of a station on NE 179th St. near the Clark County Fairgrounds with Clark County fire districts 6 and 12.

Transit service connects Vancouver, Longview; stops dropped
Beginning Mon., Nov. 6, the public transit van service between Longview and Vancouver will increase in frequency.
The new schedule will add an additional trip each day during the week.
At the same time, stops in La Center and Ridgefield park and rides will be eliminated.
“We analyzed our ridership reports and the public comments, and revised our schedules to better fit the needs of the community,” said Kelly Wagoner, who is transportation program manager for Lower Columbia Community Action Council (CAP), the agency that conducts the transit service. CAP is located in Longview.
Wagoner said the additional trip will give people another opportunity to get to work or school.
On the other hand, said Wagoner, ridership has fallen since C-TRAN resumed its service to La Center and Ridgefield, resulting in the elimination of those stops.
The Kelso stop will also be dropped, but the afternoon van service will arrive back in Longview in time for riders to catch the last bus to Kelso.
Some changes will also be made in the Saturday schedule as well, said Wagoner.
CAP vans run six days a week between the Salmon Creek Park and Ride in Vancouver and Olympia, with stops in Woodland, Kalama, Longview, Castle Rock and Centralia. There is no Sunday service.
The service connects C-TRAN in Clark County with CUBS in Kelso-Longview, Twin Transit in Lewis County and InterCity Transit in Thurston County.
One-way fare on a CAP van is $1. Students of all ages ride free by showing their identification. All CAP vans are equipped with bike racks and are wheelchair accessible. Riders must pay an additional fare to ride C-TRAN buses or other bus service.
The van service is funded through a 2-year grant from the state Department of Transportation. The grant ends June 30, 2007.
Wagoner may be reached at (360) 425-3430.

Proposed parks plan modifies pool proposal
Alice Perry Linker
staff reporter
The final draft of Woodland’s park and recreation plan will not recommend any location for a swimming pool.
The city planning commission on Oct. 24 requested Justin Erickson of the Cowlitz-Wahkiakum Council of Governments to remove any language in the newest draft that refers to a pool in Horseshoe Lake Park.
The existing draft plan, in the objectives section, states: “Develop a soccer field and/or community indoor swimming facilities at the east end of Horseshoe Lake Park.” The latest draft that will be submitted to the city council for approval omits Horseshoe Lake Park.
The council will decide whether to have a public hearing on the park and recreation plan.
A proposed pool is only one part of the 40-page plan that the city has been developing during the past year. The Cowlitz-Wahkiakum COG was asked to conduct a survey of residents and write the plan.
The development of at least two additional neighborhood parks and one additional community park by 2012 are major objectives listed in the proposal. Although the city imposes park development fees on builders, the community faces a lack of appropriate open space for a community park. Privately owned acreage in the flood plain of the Lewis River is expected to be donated to the city, but environmental restraints prohibit the construction of permanent buildings in that location.
The park plan states that a city of Woodland’s size should have 30 acres of park land. The city owns less than eight acres of park land, although the school district has about 25 acres of land available during non-school hours. Horseshoe Lake Park sits on 6.5 acres.
The plan lists three different types of parks--mini, neighborhood and community--and says that community parks could include sports fields with spectator seating, natural areas, picnic shelters, tennis courts and a swimming pool. The plan does not identify a specific location for a new community park, although it suggests that land be acquired on the east side of town.
More than 50 acres of total parkland is recommended by 2024, with most of that in community parks.
Mini-parks, identified as parks of less than an acre, may include small play areas, scenic overlooks, landscaped public areas or picnic and sitting areas.
“A mini-park is ideally part of a network of parks located within close proximity to all residents,” the plan states.
Neighborhood parks could range from 1-5 acres in size and according to the plan “are the basic unit of most park systems and serve as the recreational and sometimes social focus of the neighborhood with the focus on informal active and passive activities.”
Woodland’s Hoffman Park is considered a neighborhood park.
The plan recommends a series of walking trails along the Lewis River. An additional boat launch on the river is suggested.
A proposed six-year capital improvement program calls for $150,000 in 2007 for rest room replacement and an improved kitchen at Horseshoe Lake Park. Another $600,000 is recommended to acquire a community park on Woodland’s east side, and $500,000 is suggested to improve Little League fields.
Walter Church speaks to the planning commission Oct. 24. He and others asked that the city not place a swimming pool in Horseshoe Lake Park.