WHIDBEY NEWS-TIMES: Oak Harbor council member ‘disappointed’ by ARPA committee’s recommendations

Karina Andrew reports from the Oak Harbor City Council workshop on Mar. 23, 2022.

Members of the Oak Harbor City Council had mixed reactions to proposed uses for federal relief funds in a workshop March 23, with one council member saying the majority of recommendations were disappointing and failed to meet the funds’ intended purpose.

They Said It

Councilmember Bryan Stucky said he was disheartened after hearing the list of recommended uses for American Rescue Plan Act, or ARPA, funds… “Personally, I’m kind of disappointed in the majority of this list,” Stucky said… “My litmus test — I don’t think that those items fit into saving the average citizen money or improving the quality of life of the average citizen,” he said.

Mayor Pro Tem Beth Munns seemed to find some of the list items not in keeping with the purpose of the ARPA funds, calling them “wishlist stuff being picked off and paid for.” However, one recommendation she ardently championed was a city-wide air duct cleaning and installation of filtration systems…. “I think this is putting money for the safety of our citizens,” she said. “I think this item is really important.”

Councilmember Dan Evans agreed, adding that the cleaning, which is supposed to take place every five years, should not be a one-time thing. “If the health of our employees and our citizens are important, then if we’re going to fund this, we should also have a schedule to maintain it, otherwise we’re just pretending that we care,” he said.

Another recommendation… was the addition of a… staff member to focus on economic development in the city…. Councilmember Eric Marshall questioned what that person’s goals would be and whether two years would be enough time for him or her to make an impact.

[Councilmember Jim] Woessner said an economic development staff member would serve as a liaison between developers and the city. The economic development coordinator would also need to be proactive in reaching out to businesses and incentivizing them to come to Oak Harbor. Waiting and hoping for businesses to just show up, Woessner said, will not yield results.