budget

We had a valuable work session tonight-- generally brainstorming wish lists for the budget. We didn't get into the realities of costs, so it was nice to dream about what we might be able to do. At our next work session in September (two weeks from now), we'll start talking dollars and cents (and some actual sense?).
Our staff is doing great stuff already, which is a good thing. I brought up a couple items-- adding youth representatives to our boards and commissions, doing an energy audit in the city, re-examining our relationship with the Lighthouse Festival and perhaps funding more of a staff person for that rather than granting them the large amount we have in the past. There were other great items other councilmembers mentioned: improving parking enforcement, keeping up with cleaning our parks (especially the newly gorgeous Mukilteo Lighthouse Park), funding the purchase of land in Japanese Gulch.

Most years I've supported improvements related to our fire department, but big changes have been happening there recently and seem to be going well (adding six firefighters, moving towards a reserve program rather than a volunteer program-- semantics, I guess, funding the fire marshal position).

The real test is when we talk about revenue sources-- September 22nd!

festival

Great festival this weekend! I enjoyed the art booths, fireworks and juried art show. I didn't have time to volunteer for the festival too much this year-- which made it fun to see signs that I had designed in the past making their way onto placards and to see how things were different. I didn't make it into the Chamber's MukFest-- it may have been psychological, but paying the $10 to get in and another $5 for the first drink seemed too high to me. I'm sure I'll spend some time there next year.

Not volunteering all day long meant that I drove down at 5:45pm to set up the check in at the VIP tent (my main duty of the weekend). What a traffic mess! I was amazed. I'm sure it's been like that before-- backed up to Goat Trail, then to 84th, then to 92nd... I just had never seen it. My sister and I lucked out and found quite a few open spots at the Sound Transit rail station. Nice to have that extra parking available.

Gorgeous fireworks this year, as always. It was a great community-building event. I did see a lot of tired volunteers. I have a feeling they may be coming to the city for more support in the future. That would bring us back to how the festival was run before the budget cuts made by the council in 2003. I wasn't on council yet, and always felt like the budgeted $35,000 didn't make a lot of sense as the item to cut. Volunteers did step up and have made the festival happen for several years. However, we'll have to see if they can sustain their contributions and keep this totally vital, showcase event alive for Mukilteo. It may be time for the city to contribute more than just dollars.