Moses Lake port approves 2008 budget

Incoming commissioner asks questions during hearing

MOSES LAKE - The Port of Moses Lake's newest commissioner already had some questions about the budget.

Mike Conley won the race to fill the position currently held by Kent Jones. Jones moved out of Commissioner District No. 1 and is no longer eligible to serve.

Conley had several questions during a budget hearing at the port district's board of commissioners meeting Monday afternoon.

He first suggested the port district join two local organizations - the Big Bend Economic Development Council, of which Conley is a board member, and the Columbia Basin Development League.

Conley said he originally thought the port should pay $500 to each organization, but after looking over the budget, he suggested $250 apiece would be adequate.

"It's important, I think, we get our name behind the development league; a lot of our ag community here is dependent upon the Odessa Aquifer ground - we need that ground to stay in production," Conley told the commissioners.

Conley called their attention to the arrival of new council Executive Director Michael Buchanan, and told the port district the council is a council of governments, without dues-paying members other than governments.

"It is really the conduit to the Economic Development Administration grant money," he said. "I think right now it would be encouraging with the new manager to show the port is interested in seeing what they can do, primarily as a planning agency, to help this area."

The administration funds the bulk of the council's operating expenses, and local dues collected by the council go toward matching requirements.

Jones asked port Executive Manager Craig Baldwin if there was $500 in the budget to show support for the two organizations without amending the budget in case commissioners elect to do so later, since there would not be a decision made at Monday's meeting. Baldwin said he thought the port could make it work, rather than amend the budget.

"My only comment on those kinds of things is I think they're both good organizations, they both provide a function, but to just give them money I think is not in our best interest," Jones said. "I think if we're going to give them money, we need to be involved, we need to be a part of it rather than just writing a check. That means somebody is going to need to spend the time and energy to do it."

Conley also called attention to $750,000 earmarked for new buildings at the port district.

"I don't know what the demand is out there, but $750,000 doesn't give us much of a building," he said.

Conley suggested leveraging the money for a Community Economic Revitalization Board loan, perhaps to cut the costs of building an incubator building.

Jones agreed with Conley.

"In my mind, that $750,000 is a place marker and it's cash," Jones said.

Conley also called attention to $42,100 for U.S. Customs in the port's budget.

"I see that we as a port are subsidizing that pretty big-time, I don't know what we can do to increase the revenue there, if anything," he said.

Jones said during the public meeting he hoped new blood on the commission would help address the issue of "bleeding" going on with the customs office, and again agreed with Conley.

Commissioner Delone Kruger said it was important to look at the background of the customs office, how it was obtained at Grant County International Airport and the dilemma of losing it.

"It's tough," Kruger said. "We've got to find users, is what we've got to do. We're fairly established as a Foreign Trade Zone, now."

A company is going through the process of becoming a user for the trade zone, Baldwin said, which potentially increases the revenues.

The budget has a total estimated income of $5.8 million and a matching total of estimated expenditures.

Following no further public comment, commissioners Delone Kruger and Jones voted to adopt the final budget for the calendar year 2008. Commissioner Larry Peterson was absent.