The Wahkiakum County Eagle - Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891

Commissioners of Port District No. 2 on September 20 approved their preliminary budget for 2012.

Port commissioners also discussed fees and cross connections with members of the Westside Water System board of directors, and they passed a resolution adopting financial policies, procedures and an internal control system.

The port's budget for 2012 shows several cuts from the 2011 budget, include no money budgeted for the part-time position of Manager Bob Robinson, a $20,000 reduction.

Overall, the 2012 budget shows revenue of $322,083 and expenditures of $173,400. In the 2011 budget, revenues were estimated at $310,510, and expenditures were set at $310,510.

The 2011 budget showed a beginning cash balance of $52,250 and, in a budget summary, $64,573 for 2012. For 2012, the budget summary included $26,000 for "investment savings."

The 2012 budget also shows different expectations for certain revenue catagories. Revenue from full hook-up fees in Skamokawa Vista Park is reduced from $63,600 for 2011 to $40,000 for 2012; partial hook-up revenue was increased from $7,074 to $30,000; tent revenue is reduced from $15,518 to $10,000, and yurts, reduced from $23,608 to $15,000.

In other business, Port Commissioners Kayrene Gilbertsen and Brian O'Connor (Commissioner Carlton Appelo was absent) told members of the Westside Water System board that the port would discontinue its monthly connection fee to the Westside system.

The port has been connected to the Westside system, but this year, the port refubished its own system and stopped using Westside water.

The systems are connected with an intertie, and both boards have agreed each can access the others's water in case of emergencies.

Westside Directors Jon Peterson and Kirk Coughlin asked that the port keep paying its connection fee for the Westside system.

Being able to use the system intertie was beneficial to the port when the park's system went down this past summer, Peterson said.

"Would it be too much to ask if the port district would pay the base rate," Peterson asked. The base rate is $40 per month.

Gilbertsen and O'Connor said they would consider an access fee for using the intertie, but they didn't want to pay a monthly fee when the park had its own system and wasn't using Westside water.

Commissioners of both groups agreed they needed to put the agreement about the intertie into a written form. Peterson said he would create a draft and pass it on to the Westside attorney who could present it to the port attorney for review and then consideration at a future port meeting.

Commissioners also approved a resolution approving a contract for accounting services George Fox of the Vancouver firm Fox and Company CPA's LLC.

Fox presented a set of financial policies and procedures for the port, and the commissioners passed a resolution adopting them.

Fox also presented statements of assets, revenue and expenditures for the port through August 31.

Revenues totaled $199,458 for eight months, and expenditures totaled $172,560 for net income of $26,898.