November 3, 2009 - 12:45am

Update: Last night I proposed a 50% reduction in city council salaries, and a reduction in benefits(to match city staff), that would have saved taxpayers $109,668.60. These savings, along with an increase in fees of 10%, would have provided enough revenue to maintain youth sports, senior services and the community / senior center in 2010. The motion failed in a split decision.

In Favor		Opposed
Bird		Smith
Klosowski		Grassi
Gehring		Brooks

Council member Stan Flemming did not attend.

Thank you all for your support of youth sports. I know your e-mails made a strong impression on the council about how important youth sports are to UP families. Thanks to your impressive outpouring of support I am certain that they will continue in some form in 2010. I will continue to do all that I can to fight for these valued programs.

Click here for the details of my proposal.(pdf)

November 1, 2009 - 7:45 pm

Update: Council member Grassi will not be in attendance at the council meeting Monday until 8:15 pm. The meeting will begin as scheduled at 7:00 pm but I encourage you to arrive at 8:15 pm at the earliest. We will not begin the discussion of this important issue until he arrives. If necessary we will take a recess and wait for him.

November 1, 2009 - 12:35 pm

Update: Please consider the chart below which shows the salaries received by the Univeristy Place city council compared to other cities of similiar size in Washington State. The bar with the $ on top is the fiscal capacity of the city. This is a measure of how much money the city receives per citizen. The other bars represent the salaries paid to the council, the mayor and mayor pro tem. The mayor and mayor pro tem are also members of the council but they are paid a higher salary in a reflection of their additional duties.

The letter "B" next to the city's name indicates that council receives medical benifits. However, the value of these benifits is not indicated on the chart. Most councils DO NOT receive benifits and none of them are paid as much as we are. The few cities that are nearest to us in terms of salary have MUCH higher fiscal capacity then Univeristy Place.

This chart was presented to the council BEFORE they voted to raise salaries on October 19th. After the increase our salaries are approximatley 10% higher than indicated here. I present this information because some of you are hesitant to demand the council take a 50% paycut. Do not be shy about it! A 50% pay cut from where we are now will put us at $750 per month which is comfortably in the middle of the range.

November 1, 2009 - 12:01 am

Update: Council member Flemming is responding to your emails with false claims and distortions regarding my record. I don't intend to let him distract me from the issue at hand and I urge you not to let him distract you either. Campaign rhetoric does not serve any useful purpose in solving this problem. Because Flemming is retiring at the end of the year, he is completely unaccountable for his statements or votes. But do not lose hope for council members Grassi, Brooks and Smith.

October 31, 2009 - 7:00 am

Dear University Place Parent,

The next 60 hours are critical to the survival of University Place youth sports programs in 2010. Please continue reading to find out why these programs are threatened and what you can do to save them. Pass this website along by word of mouth, email, facebook and all other means at your disposal. If you read this website without passing it on to ten other people then there will not be enough support to save Univeristy Place youth sports.

Warmest regards,

Linda Bird
Mayor, City of University Place

Q: Why are University Place youth sports threatened?

In the past week the finance department finished its review of the 3rd quarter financial details. The City manager will be presenting the "end of year projections" and recommended estimates for the 2010 budget amendment to the council on Monday, Nov 2nd. The revenue estimates are not good. Due to the recession, all of our Washington State shared revenues, planning revenue, and building revenues are down dramatically. We are required by law to pass a balanced budget. To do so will mean staffing cuts and the reorganization of several departments.

The City manager has not yet presented the council with his recommended budget, but the threat of significant cuts in our recreation programing is very real. He has told the council he will be forced to cut back to essential "core" services. He will be proposing cuts in all departments, but because the recreation department received a significant amount of its funding from the general fund, and because it is not considerd an essential "core" service, it will likely be hardest hit by the budget cuts.

Click here to learn more about why the budget is tight. Then stop worrying about WHY and instead focus fixing this together!

Q: Where can the city manager find money in the budget RIGHT NOW to save youth sports in 2010?

The ONLY department that will see an INCREASE in funding for 2010 is the city council salary budget. Given the current economic crisis, this can not stand! It is my strong belief that the city council should lead the way in budget cuts by lowering their salary by one half, and bring their medical benefits down to the same level as offered to other city employees. The pay cut I am proposing, if approved by at least 4 of the 7 council members, will save enough money to fund youth sports at reduced levels in 2010. With more volunteer support, and a modest increase in fees, we can still have a very successful program that meets the needs of our kids.

The council(which includes me) deserves a pay cut! The council's part-time salary is currently DOUBLE the average council salary of cites of comparable size in Washington State. I have been opposing salary increases on the city council for my entire career. And now, in these tough economic times, it is simply intolerable that we could continue to raise council salaries when we are cutting back everywhere else in the City.

Q: Salary cuts sound like a good idea. What's the problem?

On October 19th I made a proposal to LOWER council salaries by 10%. It failed in a 3/4 split.

In Favor of Lowering		Opposed to Lowering
Bird		Smith
Klosowski		Flemming
Gehring		Brooks
		Grassi

Immediately thereafter, council member Flemming proposed RAISING council salaries. It passed in a 4/3 split.

In Favor of Raising		Opposed to Raising
Smith		Bird
Flemming		Klosowski
Brooks		Gehring
Grassi

I now believe that it will take a 50% reduction in council salary to save University Place youth sports in 2010. This amounts to $750 per month less for a council member. The only way to bring this issue back for another vote is for a council member who voted on the prevailing(winning) side to "request reconsideration". This must happen at the Monday, November 2nd council meeting to be in effect for the 2010 budget year.

Q: Who do I contact to express my support for Mayor Bird's proposal?

Because council members Smith, Flemming, Brooks and Grassi prevailed in the proposed salary increase, only they can "request reconsideration" of this matter so that my proposal to reduce council salaries by 50% and save youth sports can receive a vote by the entire council.

If you contact a council member by email then please Bcc your email to mail@saveupsports.org so I will have a record of who was contacted. If you contact a council member via phone then please let me know at phone@saveupsports.org. I need to know that the message is reaching them.

Only ONE of the above four council members need be persuaded to change their mind. Council members Bird (myself), Klosowski and Gehring, already support cutting salaries to save youth sports in 2010. Although the salary cuts would only affect those council members who are elected on November 3rd, council member Klosowski, who is not up for re-election, has committed to return half of her salary to the City as a donation if the measure passes in a vote of the council.

Q: What do I say to them?

Let them know that while you appreciate their service to the community, now is NOT THE TIME to raise council salaries. Let them know you have heard that youth sports may be cancelled in 2010 due to lack of funding. Express how important youth sports are to your family. Let them know you value the lessons our kids learn about hard work, practice, friendship, personal responsibility, commitment, teamwork, excellence, physical fitness and sportsmanship. Let them know that a year's worth of these important lessons can not be made up for later. Our kids are growing up too fast to allow even a single year to go by without youth sports programs in University Place. Let them know how much you enjoy watching your children grow in these experiences. Use your own words. Speak from your heart. Describe how it will affect your children.

Most importantly, ask them to "request reconsideration" of the motion to raise salaries on Monday, November 2nd, and urge them to vote in favor of Mayor Bird's proposal to cut council salaries by 50% and save youth sports in University Place. If they are up for re-election on Tuesday, let them know that you are waiting to cast your ballot until you see them act on this important matter.

They may say that no final decision has been made with regard to youth sports. This is true. The budget that will cut youth sports has not yet been presented to the council for a vote. It will be too late to do anything about it if we wait for the budget to be presented.

They may say that it is only a rumor. Let them know that the Parks and Recreation department, the City manager, and the Mayor, have all made it clear that youth sports are at risk without a source of guaranteed funding.

They may say that the salary increase they voted for on October 19th is not the cause of the problem that is threatening youth sports. I do not claim that it is. My proposal is that a 50% salary decrease and a reduction in benefits to match city staff are the solution to the problem. The salary increase proposed by council member Flemming was not very expensive. There have been a great many "not very expensive" salary increases over the years and now our salaries are double what they should be. My point is that a vote to increase salaries at a time such as this reveals misplaced priorities and poor stewardship over scarce funds.

They may say they will try to find another way to fix this. DO NOT ACCEPT THIS! If they delay past Monday then the opportunity to fix the problem through salary reductions will be lost. This is the only way I see forward that will guarantee the continuation of youth sports programs. The city manager agrees that it can work.

Q: Does this really have to get fixed Monday night?

Yes! A sitting city council can not raise or lower its salary during its term of office. If council salaries are to be altered for 2010 it must be done prior to the November 3rd election and will only effect the 4 council seats currently up for election (terms beginning January 2010). You cannot vote this council out and then expect the next council to fix it in 2010. It can't be done. It has to be fixed on November 2nd. There is no other way, no other time or place. Only University Place parents willing to speak up for their kids can make this happen in time.

Q: Would it help to show up at the meeting Monday night @ 8:15pm at City Hall?

Please clear your calendar for Monday night. A show of bodies WILL BE necessary. It may take one hundred bodies or more. Reload this website daily for updates about the progress we are making. To receive updates via email send an email to keepmeupdated@saveupsports.org.

Q: How can I contact you about this issue?

You may send me e-mail at linda@saveupsports.org or call me at home at 253-564-6305.

Q: How do I know you are really the Mayor and that this is not a prank?

This was the best means I could devise to get the word out rapidly over the weekend. If you google my official campaign website and read the blog, then you will a find a link leading you back here. I did not post this on my campaign website because I want you to help save youth sports, and refer your network of friends to this site, regardless of how you feel about my campaign.

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world;
Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."-- Margaret Mead