[nfbwatlk] Fw: Positive Focus E-Newsletter: March 2009

Wed Mar 11 06:58:47 UTC 2009

Seattle Councilmember Bruce A. Harrell: Positive Focus
----- Original Message ----- 
From: Councilmember Bruce Harrell 
To: jacobstruiksma at gmail.com 
Sent: Tuesday, March 10, 2009 3:29 PM
Subject: Positive Focus E-Newsletter: March 2009


      March 2009

      Dear Neighbor,

      It is hard to believe! March is here and spring is not far behind. Pretty soon leaves will return to the trees, kids will return to the ballparks and people will be pulling fish from our beautiful Northwest bodies of water. Below you will see the tremendous progress in our work plan and I believe it will be clear that I am here working for you.


      Stay connected online at my personal blog: www.BruceHarrell.org

      Talk with me online. I'd love to hear from you. The postings are moderated and the blog is updated daily. 


      Seattle City Council News: 

        a.. Electronic Billing: Save some green and keep us green! 
        a.. Return Your Books, Recycle Your CFLs: A New Idea and Approach 
        a.. Calling All Citizens: Jail is not a pretty word or concept 
        a.. Seattle Trees Can Rest Easy-Open Season is Over 
        a.. Would it Stop Snowing Already! An Update on the City's Winter Storm Response Plan 

      Electronic Billing: Save some green and keep us green!

      For the last two years, I have pushed our City to reduce its expenses by using paperless billing systems as an option for those customers who want it. We can reduce labor, postage cost, paper use and time. This will save some green and keep us green. Last month, the new Electronic Billing and Payment System was rolled out online for all Seattle City Light and Seattle Public Utilities customers. I was involved in the beta testing prior to its launch. To sign up, please visit https://secure4.billerweb.com/csg/index.html

      My review of the data from 2007 showed that Seattle City Light and Seattle Public Utilities sent out 3.6 million bills over postal mail annually, costing approximately $875,000 in postage. Originally, an older E-Billing system allowed customers the option to continue receiving their paper bill. This is no longer an option. Once you enroll into E-Billing, you will no longer receive a paper bill. The reason for the opt-in, paper opt-out alteration was that the trend in E-Billing showed that less than 10 percent would opt out of paper billing after signing up for E-Billing. For both small and big businesses and building managers, managing bills just got easier and maybe less expensive, because multiple accounts can be managed from this E-Billing system. 

      Continue reading about E-Billing at: http://www.bruceharrell.org/2009/03/electronic-billing-save-some-green-and-keep-us-green/

      Return Your Books, Recycle Your CFLs: A New Idea and Approach 

      Consumer use of Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs (CFLs) is on the rise and it is a safe bet to say that the increase is going to continue. As you may already know, each CFL has a small amount of mercury in it, which makes convenient, safe disposal an emerging problem. I am examining the feasibility of utilizing Seattle Public Library sites as places where citizens can dispose of their used CFL bulbs. My goal is to take advantage of the fact that most citizens know the location of their neighborhood public library and we can forego the expense of purchasing new disposal sites. In addition, by acting in a preventative manner, we can avoid spending money in the future to clean up the problem. I will examine the feasibility of this policy and keep you informed. 

      For more details on CFLs and my disposal idea, please visit my blog at: http://www.bruceharrell.org/2009/02/recycle-your-cfl/

      Calling All Citizens: Jail is not a pretty word or concept

      Seattle should be known for building castles for education--not jails for crime. What structures we build reflect on how we see our growth. We have a problem. Yes, Seattle is continually listed as one of the most desirable places to live in our country. We are known for our great people, entrepreneurial spirit, great neighborhoods, commitment to environmental sustainability, and beautiful natural environment. We have a low rate of crime and, as of mid-2008, the frequency of major crime was 11 percent lower than the previous year. In addition, while Seattle's population has increased by 8 percent over the last 10 years, the municipal misdemeanor jail population has decreased nearly 40 percent during that same period. Despite this decline, King County is requiring that Seattle and other cities discontinue their use of King County Jail for misdemeanor offenders by December 31, 2012. The County has based its decision on a King County Jail population study which found that King County will need all of the space in its jail facilities to house their own felony offenders by 2015. Also, there are significant concerns raised about the racial and socio-economic disparity connected to the arrest, prosecution and sentencing during the criminal process. As Seattle faces these challenges, I am at the planning table forcing an open discussion regarding our priorities and our values. Nobody should be proud of building a jail and my job is to make sure that all of our planning visualizes the success of our citizens, not their failure.

      To learn more about my work on this issue, please visit my blog at: http://www.bruceharrell.org/2009/03/jail-not-a-pretty-word-or-c oncept/

      Seattle Trees Can Rest Easy-Open Season is Over

      On February 23, 2009, the Full Council passed Council Bill 116404, better known as the Emergency Tree Ordinance. I voted in favor of this legislation. However, I expressed my reservations about the legislation as I voiced my vote. I fully agree that our declining tree inventory is a critical issue that needs to be addressed. However, local legislation that dictates what individuals can and cannot do with their private property needs to be balanced with the utmost of caution. When a permanent tree ordinance is discussed in 6 months, I plan to initiate discussion of tree planting incentives which I believe will be more effective than a complaint driven, unmonitored, punitive measure. I would like to increase our tree canopy. I remain concerned that legislation regarding tree inventory, when triggered by a complaint process, is not inventory control since no monitoring takes place until a complaint is filed. Inventory control is achieved by first conducting a count, then creating incentives to plant, coupled with a count of what trees have been lost. This legislation does not quite get us there yet. 

      To learn more about my position on the Emergency Tree Ordinance please visit my blog posting from December 22, 2008 at: http://www.bruceharrell.org/2008/12/tree-ordinance/

      Would it Stop Snowing Already! An Update on the City's Winter Storm Response Plan

      On February 20, 2009, Council held another briefing regarding the December 2008 Winter Storm response. The briefing was the last of 4 scheduled briefings as a result of the "illegal procedure penalty" by the City (excuse my football reference). The "After Action Report" and "Corrective Action Plan" was presented and discussed by Council. Each department with a role in the snow storm submitted a "Corrective Action Plan." Implementation of all the new policies in the action plan will be completed by September 2009. The action plan included 68 areas for improvement covering 12 agencies and departments. 

      As mentioned in an earlier blog posting, there was an overarching problem of determining the severity and duration of the storm and the lack of measures in place for different snow advisory conditions (from low to severe). More specifically, I saw two major problems in the City's and County's snow response: (1) snow plowing and (2) lack of communication among agencies. There should be a common sense approach in identifying the different response plan if 12 inches of snow falls over a 14-day period compared to the average 2 inch accumulation. While this winter storm was the most severe snow storm in the last 20 years, the City should not use it as an excuse for not adequately addressing their ability to clear the city streets in the interest of public safety and movement of people and goods. The Executive and Council's main function is to be preemptive and review all possible scenarios.

      Continue reading my update on the City's winter storm response at: http://www.bruceharrell.org/2009/03/2008-winter-storm-response- update/


      Bruce A. Harrell
      Seattle City Councilmember
      206-684-8804

      Chair: Energy and Technology Committee
      Vice Chair: Public Safety, Human Services and Education
      Member: Housing and Economic Development
      Puget Sound Regional Council Executive Board
      Puget Sound Regional Council Transportation Policy Board
      King County Flood Control Zone District Advisory Committee

      Seattle City Council 
      PO Box 34025 
      Seattle, WA 98124-4025

      **This email is best viewed in html.**

      I apologize if you have received this newsletter in error. To unsubscribe, click here.
     

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Email list management powered by http://MailerMailer.com