CCHS CEO Shane McGuire

DAYTON – The Columbia Port Commissioners held a special meeting on October 26, 2022, to complete three agenda items postponed from the regular meeting on October 12.

Commissioners Genie Crowe, Seth Bryan, Johnny Watts, and Executive Director Jennie Dickinson were in attendance. Members of the public attended using Zoom and in person.

The meeting opened with a public comment period. Resident Jerry Kaiser objected to the suggestion by Bryan and Watts not to include a Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) increase for the Port employees in this year’s budget.

Kaiser also objected to their proposal to back away from funding the workforce development contract with the Club and contractual obligations for the trail design. He said, “A man’s only as good as his word. If you give your word, you follow through with the contract.”

Maura Trainor read an email she sent the Port Commissioners after the last meeting. Her email expressed concern that Port employees may not receive a COLA increase. She was concerned about worker retention should the Port not meet basic increases.

“In a time when the entire country is struggling to hire skilled workers, do we want to risk losing our Port employees to other institutions?” asked Trainor in her email.

Dave Harvey of Red Band Cellars commented, “There have been a couple of allusions or off-the-cuff remarks about changing things at Blue Mountain Station. I hold a lease there. As all the leaseholders there, we deserve to know what you intend to do there. Uncertainty kills businesses.”

Dickinson began the budget discussion by removing the annual one-percent tax increase. The Board must agree on a preliminary budget and hold a public hearing before the final budget can be adopted.

In the last meeting, Bryan and Watts did not support the Port taking the available annual one-percent levy increase. The small increase is not automatic and must be approved by the Board each year. The unused one-percent increase may be “banked” to be used in combination with a future increase, within certain limitations.

Board Chair Crowe asked Bryan and Watts at the October 12, 2022 meeting if they would forego their salaries to compensate for lost revenue by not taking the one-percent annual increase. The two commissioners said they would if necessary. However, at this meeting, they did not feel there was a sufficient need.

The Commissioners unanimously decided to support the three-percent COLA increase proposed by Crowe for Port staff at the previous meeting.

Crowe made a final argument in support of keeping the one-percent property tax increase. She said the increase would be one-percent on last year’s levy rate and not a one-percent increase to property owners’ tax rates. The increase did not get the support of Bryan and Watts and was not included in the budget.

The required public hearing for the budget was scheduled by the Board for November 9, 2022, at 5:45 p.m.

The Board approved the contract between the Port and the Public Works Board, which will provide a grant to construct the Touchet Valley Broadband (TVB) project. This project will connect to the fiber network being installed for the Dayton Broadband Project funded by CERB. The TVB project will bring broadband internet service to homes and businesses along the Highway 12 corridor, a cell tower, and the state park. It will stop just before Huntsville, which has service from Charter. The Public Works Board grant is for $1,165,000, with no local match required.

The public portion of the meeting ended, and the Commissioners went into an executive session to discuss the performance of a public employee. No action was to be taken after the executive session.