“We have a really great group right now that are asking questions and try to drive the bus,” Finn said about the current council.
Given Woodland’s form of government, the mayor doesn’t vote on any of the policy decisions that end up changing how city government works.
“Ultimately, at the end of the day, they are the ones that are providing the vision and the drive of where we’re trying to get to,” Finn said about the council.
Streamlining city government
First elected in 2015, Finn has overseen significant restructuring of Woodland’s government. He recalled a time before he was mayor when he witnessed the council being handed a budget with a $500,000 shortfall and no immediate solutions.
“I said ‘I will never do that’ because I watched the infighting and the pitting of departments back and forth with each other,” Finn said.
Though Finn doesn’t have legislative power, he acknowledged he still has a role in directing policy as the head of a group of city departments and their respective directors. Making the city function better has been a priority during his tenure, he said.
“We shouldn’t be discussing getting rid of employees,” Finn said. “What we should be discussing is how to streamline processes where we can save money and make sure that we put the right people in the right places.”
Finn said the city has eliminated numerous old processes that ended up costing the city thousands of dollars a year.
“We’ve streamlined everything down to what I like to think is the bare necessities,” Finn said.
He added transparency in government has been one of his
main focuses during his tenure.
“I believe that we are probably one of the most transparent governments that I’ve ever worked for,” Finn said.
He mentioned information is accessible on the city’s website. In some cases, he said department heads meet one-on-one with residents to discuss a concern.
For all the efforts, the mayor acknowledged more could be done.
“There’s been a need that hasn’t been fulfilled when it comes to communication from the city,” Finn said.
Approaches to outreach can be hit or miss. Finn recalled a past “state of the city” address, which was hosted at Woodland High School. The city put extensive time in the messaging and setup, but the attendance was lackluster.
“We try everything, and sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t,” Finn said. “But we could be better. We could always do better.”
Planning, grants and a dog
The town hall covered a range of topics, from infrastructure to the hot-button issue of utility fees. Regarding development, Finn mentioned the city’s work with Cowlitz County to develop a master plan for the Woodland Bottoms to the south of city limits.
“Before anybody goes crazy, we’re not annexing anything,” Finn said. “We’re just having a discussion on what growth looks like and how we’re going to get there.”
He said that plan won’t dictate development on current properties, but it will provide a framework if those properties end up being developed.
Grant funding is also integral to the city’s current mode of operation. In many cases, grants are reimbursements, which require the city to have the cash up front to fund a project before they can receive the grant money, Finn said.
“We have to have a pot of money that is able to go back and forth, but at the end of the day, it’s all funded as an external source,” Finn said.
As one of those grant opportunities, Finn brought up Bolo, the police department’s “wellness dog.” Unlike police K9s, Bolo’s main job is vibes. He is often seen hanging around at events and getting pets from members of the community.
“Law enforcement officers don’t have the best rap right now across the country, and bringing this animal in, I think, is a tremendous help … to help bridge that gap between the community and our law enforcement agents,” Finn said.
The mayor also touched on the lengthy work to fix the traffic issues at Interstate 5’s Exit 21 on the south side of the city. The project has received millions in outside funding, with the possibility of $19 million of federal funds planned to be revealed at the end of the month, he said.
He said current designs will maintain signalized intersections, which initially were considered alongside adding roundabouts more similar to the city’s interstate exit to the north.
“No roundabouts, no roundabouts,” Finn said.
The decision for signalized intersections came from the city council, Finn said. Of the two approaches, he said both came in at similar costs.
Those designs still need to be approved by the Washington State Department of Transportation, Finn said. The department has jurisdiction over the interstate.
“We’re hoping that they will agree with us,” Finn said.
Utility billing
It was more than an hour into the town hall meeting when the topic of utilities was broached. A regular talking point during public comment of regular council meetings focuses around complaints about the increase in water and sewer rates.
Finn explained it was a while back when the council decided to go to a monthly billing system. They had the option to hire on a specific position to handle billing, or to outsource the process. They chose the latter.
Although outsourcing has come under scrutiny by the public, Finn said it was “one of the best things we’ve ever done, because it’s made us honest.”
“We had customers that weren’t paying for garbage. … We had customers that for whatever reason were receiving discounts. We don’t know why,” Finn said.
Finn admitted working with the billing company, Minol, got off to a rocky start. Finn said he even got double-billed toward the outset of the transition.
“We are finding some inconsistencies, but they’re not like they were,” Finn said.
He acknowledged the city pays more than neighboring jurisdictions for its utilities, “but we have to base our rates and our systems on what we have, not what everybody else has.”
“We live in a 100-year-old city. Our system is old. We still find wood pipes occasionally when we start digging things up,” Finn said.
