By James Robinson

Port Townsend City Manager John Mauro kicked off Monday’s State of the City address by identifying successes in 2023, major challenges, and lessons learned, before unveiling plans for 2024.

During the morning session, Mauro and Mayor David Faber spoke to a crowd of about 50 at the Point Hudson Marina Port Pavilion.

Among the successes, Mauro cited passage of the city’s Transportation Benefit District, creation of the Evans Vista Housing Development Master Plan, inking a 24-year lease with the Port Townsend Golf Park, and the launch of the Discovery Road construction project.

“We’re dealing with what everyone is dealing with – limited revenue and increasing needs,” Mauro said.

To that end, Mauro explained that the Transportation Benefit District, through a 0.3% sales tax increase, will bring in about $800,000 annually for city streets. The Evans Vista Housing Development, when built out, should deepen the city’s inventory of middle-income housing, workforce housing and affordable housing, Mauro said.

In embracing challenges, Mauro said, “Housing is pretty much on the top of that list.” He added that through zoning and comprehensive planning, the city will continue to address the area’s housing needs.

Marking a housing milestone in 2023, Mauro said, “We’re the second community in the state to approve a tiny house on wheels.”

Mauro gave kudos to city staff who he said are working together in unprecedented ways.

“Hiring and retaining good staff is how we’re going to win anything in the city,” Mauro added.

Looking back at 2023, and looking forward, Mauro said strengthening the city’s financial position and maintaining financial stability remain critical.

“We’re paving streets now, but how do we get through some of those existential challenges with infrastructure?” Mauro said. “Let’s be honest, not everything was puppies and rainbows in 2023.”

Faber and Mauro pointed to the city pool issue as a lesson learned.

“We learned a lesson about providing clarity during open session,” Mauro said. “Any lack of clarity is a wedge that criticism can be driven through.”

Faber said that misinformation, particularly on cost, clouded the pool discussion, but that did not change the fact that the city pool is failing.

“Saying the pool is on its last legs is being charitable to the pool,” Faber said. “We’re not going to be able to keep this pool going for long. The reported cost was $4.1 million, but the actual number is closer to $21 million to do a total rebuild.”

“We keep putting on duct tape, over duct tape, over duct tape. It’s a money pit,” said Mauro. “It’s decades past its useful life.”

In looking toward the future, Mauro said the city must do a better job of balancing daily operations with strategic projects, planning and improvements.

“If we focus on the strategic,” Mauro explained, “we can’t focus very well on the operational. We’ve got to do a better job of balancing those.”

On the top of the to-do list for 2024, Mauro said, is the city’s Comprehensive Plan review. The review is due June 15, 2025, and when complete, will serve as the city’s guiding document for growth and development for the next 20 years. The plan will address issues such as affordable housing, zoning and density, growth areas, climate resilience, transportation, urban forestry, shoreline development, and more.