In My Opinion, December 29th, 2007 Part Deux

[Chief]

Apparently my email stating “My Opinion” on how the Tax and Spend guys will bring Light Rail the Gravy Train to Clark County without a vote of the people has struck a nerve with quite a few people. Why some have even resorted to name calling just because I stated “MY Opinion”. They think "by law" the only way the City/County can raise the sales tax is by a vote of the people and only for "needed Sales tax increases" ---

That is not entirely correct -That is what they would like us to "think' -- but both the City & County have increased the Sales Tax without a vote of the people.

When Vern Stoner was the City Manager the County raised the existing sales tax and gave the City 15 % of the "take".

Just this past summer, the Vancouver City council raised the City sales tax – a quarter of a percent (I think) for "transportation" -- And the State Legislature recently gave the City the "right" to raise the Auto license fee without a vote of the "people"

May I suggest all read the "law " RCW -- You will note that the City - County can and do impose (raise the Sales Tax Quotient ) without a vote—of the people and if the citizens want to Challenge the Increase they have 7 days to file a referendum --

This is similar to the law that allowed the Port to attempt increase our property taxes 132% -- All The Port had to do was pass a "resolution" to increase the property tax -- It then if the citizens objected became their problem. They had the "right" to file a referendum within seven days - or forever be taxed without a vote --

Also to be noted the referendum requires signatures of 15 % of the registered voters to be collected in 30 days. ----

Take a look at RCW 82.14.036Imposition or alteration of additional taxes — Referendum petition to repeal — Procedure — Exclusive method.

Any referendum petition to repeal a county or city ordinance imposing a tax or altering the rate of the tax authorized under RCW 82.14.030(2) shall be filed with a filing officer, as identified in the ordinance, within seven days of passage of the ordinance. Within ten days, the filing officer shall confer with the petitioner concerning form and style of the petition, issue an identification number for the petition, and write a ballot title for the measure. The ballot title shall be posed as a question so that an affirmative answer to the question and an affirmative vote on the measure results in the tax or tax rate increase being imposed and a negative answer to the question and a negative vote on the measure results in the tax or tax rate increase not being imposed. The petitioner shall be notified of the identification number and ballot title within this ten-day period.

After this notification, the petitioner shall have thirty days in which to secure on petition forms the signatures of not less than fifteen percent of the registered voters of the county for county measures, or not less than fifteen percent of the registered voters of the city for city measures, and to file the signed petitions with the filing officer. Each petition form shall contain the ballot title and the full text of the measure to be referred. The filing officer shall verify the sufficiency of the signatures on the petitions. If sufficient valid signatures are properly submitted, the filing officer shall submit the referendum measure to the county or city voters at a general or special election held on one of the dates provided in *RCW 29.13.010 as determined by the county legislative authority or city council, which election shall not take place later than one hundred twenty days after the signed petition has been filed with the filing officer.

After April 22, 1983, the referendum procedure provided in this section shall be the exclusive method for subjecting any county or city ordinance imposing a tax or altering the rate under RCW 82.14.030(2) to a referendum vote.

Any county or city tax authorized under RCW 82.14.030(2) that has been imposed prior to April 22, 1983, is not subject to the referendum procedure provided for in this section.
And besides, if all else fails they will just get the legislature to pass another law that will allow them to create a Special Taxing District (similar to the one for the Killian Pacific Riverwest/Library Project, or the Public Facility District (this one was/is being used to siphon off .033 percent of the state sales tax collected in Clark County to build and subsidize the Peoples Hotel (Hilton) of Vancouver or they might even try create a Special Light Rail Taxing District.

We will just have to wait and see if “My Opinion” becomes fact.

L. M. Patella
CDR USN (ret)
2714 NE 42nd Circle
Vancouver, WA 98663
Tel: 360 750 1186

lmpatella@comcast.net

[Chief]

First, Vern Stoner hasn't been City Manager in a long, long time. What he did when he was downtown has no bearing on matters before Council today.

Next, the City Manager works for City Council. City Council works for the voters. The City Manager cannot do anything that is not lawful, or without the permission of the Council, and to assert anything to the contrary without proof of wrongdoing is yet another boldfaced lie about a public official.

That is what they would like us to "think'

Vintage Patella, peddling another of his baseless conspiracy theories. Of course, only Larry Patella can see the truth, and all of the rest of us are just stupid victims of Gubment mind control...

And again, here we go with his mantra against his hated Port of Vancouver. I knew he had to throw that in there somehow. Some of the biggest sets of boldfaced lies that Patella has ever spun revolve around the IDD Levy and the statements he made on behalf of Jerry Oliver's campaign. I know that Patella has been told differently about the lies he continues to repeat about the IDDL, so now he is a deliberate boldfaced liar, instead of being merely mistaken about his facts.

Kommander Kneekap can quote the Revised Code of Washington all he wants, the subject of the day is the lies he tells people that are based upon his very mistaken interpretations of the RCW, and the boldfaced way he lies to Senior Citizens (and others) about what Vancouver City Council or the Port of Vancouver will or won't do about anything. He has never stood for election himself, and he never goes to the officials he chooses to lie about.

Patella has proven time and again that he doesn't understand anything about Port law in Washington (RCW Cheaper 53) any better than he understands how Cities and Counties operate in the State. What little he gleans from the law, he twists around to try and justify his narrow views and his long-winded dissertations about his past political and expensive legal failures.

Larry Patella clearly has a personal agenda against the City of Vancouver and the Port of Vancouver, and will never approve of a single thing that they will ever do. What's more, he resorts to boldfaced lies to try and drive home his twisted views, and doesn't hesitate to e-mail his vicious bile all over town via his "Local Mailing List".

He and his minions stand for nothing.

[Waterbuffalo]

Honestly in January, some people are going to get a new knowledge in their positions.

Have alll ready heard from the City of Vancouver's Mayor that they are going to have refresher workshops for the new that will assume Tonkovich's seat.

And for Jerry Oliver, he'll have to get past the two thirds majority and throttling from the other two port commissioners that are going to teach him a lesson if he gets out of turn.

Honestly Chief, people need to learn a reality lesson and some of our citizen's haven't learned it yet.

[Chief]

"Honestly Chief, people need to learn a reality lesson and some of our citizen's haven't learned it yet."

And that is the crux of the biscuit...

The problem as I see it, is that there is a large group of people here in town who can't pee without directions from Larry Patella. I know a number of them personally, and have talked to them repeatedly, trying to figure out why otherwise intelligent people put so much stock into what this old liar says. The key to understnading this is an undercurrent of deliberate ignorance, from people who are too lazy to do their own critical thinking on issues, or challenge Patella on the things he says.

I had one of his minions tell me that she didn't want to pay any taxes at all, and she liked Larry because he was against taxes too. That is far from a realistic fiscal outlook, and of course she could not tell me how she would pay for any civil services...

I'm sick of the serial lying and hyperbole out of Patella and his followers, the unreasonable and unreasoned arguments that they make, and the endless repetition of his laundry list of complaints about the City, the Port, the County, and everything else that he rails about.

[Waterbuffalo]

"The problem as I see it, is that there is a large group of people here in town who can't pee without directions from Larry Patella. I know a number of them personally, and have talked to them repeatedly, trying to figure out why otherwise intelligent people put so much stock into what this old liar says. The key to understanding this is an undercurrent of deliberate ignorance, from people who are too lazy to do their own critical thinking on issues, or challenge Patella on the things he says.

I had one of his minions tell me that she didn't want to pay any taxes at all, and she liked Larry because he was against taxes too. That is far from a realistic fiscal outlook, and of course she could not tell me how she would pay for any civil services..."

Well I can't say now that I blame you from reading your other posts, I had not read this one. Now I see why your Carping about Larry.

He represents a class of voting folks that are disenchanted with the Current way of doing things but can't examine with a damn the basic structure of our city and how it exists.

Now you caught me Chief! Now your making me think after this statement..