Homelessness and transportation were passionate subject matters Monday night.

Paul Valencia
ClarkCountyToday.com

Dozens of city residents joined the mayor, the mayor pro tem, and several Vancouver City Council members at a community forum Monday night, to discuss a number of issues.

The forum was divided into three rooms at Firstenburg Community Center, and the residents were free to come and go into each room, to share their concerns and hear from their city leaders.

More than 30 people joined the room with Mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle and Council Member Ty Stober. They discussed the city’s budget deficit, homelessness, progress of a new Interstate 5 bridge, and the city’s Complete Streets program, which received a lot of backlash toward the end of the forum.

Clark County Today stayed in the room with the mayor for the 90-minute session. 

About a third of the people in that room were there as part of the Save Vancouver Streets group that has an issue with the plans to eliminate lanes of motor vehicle traffic from certain streets throughout the city, specifically McGillivray Boulevard in east Vancouver. While the subject briefly came up early in the meeting, they had to wait for 70 minutes before they were heard.

Before then, the mayor noted that the city has a budget deficit for the first time in 10 years due to a huge loss in sales tax revenue. She asked how many in the room had purchased a home recently, or done a major remodel, or purchased a vehicle. 

“It seems as if with interest, and inflation, and fear, people seem to be hunkering down and not buying,” McEnerny-Ogle said.

City officials are looking into cutting services and also raising fees and instituting taxes not previously done by the city. The mayor said she and the members of the council have asked the city manager to consider taxing cable television, taxing video streaming. The current transportation benefit license tab is $40. The city is asking the city manager to bump it up to $50. The city is also looking at a commercial parking tax.

One resident wondered if lowering taxes would be the better option, with the theory that if people have more of their own money, they will be more likely to spend and the city would see an increase of sales tax revenue.

The city also is looking at going to tiered water utility rates. For those who do not use much water, the rate will be lower. For those who use more water, the rate will be higher.

The mayor also introduced members of HART, the city’s Homeless Assistance and Resources Team. 

They discussed the victories — the Safe Stay shelters — as well as the frustrations — the number of overdose deaths in Vancouver this year as well as the negative impact on the community.

The mayor and HART highlighted a plan for a larger space, called a bridge shelter, a tension structure that can be built quickly. It is called a bridge shelter, with “bridge” describing the transition from a person living in a tent to permanent housing. 

One woman wondered if the city could do more to protect the community from those she believes are not on the road to recovery or who do not want to get treated. In her experience, the city is not responding to the daily 3-1-1 calls as her neighborhood is overrun by addicts. She said fires are being set near her property and drug needles and other garbage are thrown on her property, and nothing seems to be done.

City leaders said they are proud of their early efforts that have led to some of the successes of the city’s reaction to the homeless emergency. And they also said the county should be doing more to help with the problem.

The homeless/addict discussion lasted 40 minutes of this 90-minute forum.

Transitioning to transportation, the mayor predicted that a new interstate bridge will be built and construction will start in 2025. She even told a young girl in attendance that she hopes that girl will be at the ribbon-cutting for the new bridge, when that girl is a high school graduate. Yes, the project could take 7 to 10 years to build, the mayor said.

She hinted that big news should be revealed July 15. She said that could be a “champagne day for us to move forward on this.”

It needs to happen, the mayor said, noting the bridge is 107 years old.

“It will not stand up. Those 900-ton weights at the top will fall in the next big seismic earthquake. When those weights fall, so does the bridge.” 

The last 20 minutes of the forum focused specifically on the plans to turn McGillivray Boulevard into one lane of motor vehicle traffic each way and generally on the plans to do the same at several other major thoroughfares, as well.

One resident spoke in favor of less cars and more space for bicycles. He said the city should be doing more for bicyclists. 

The rest of the speakers who waited for this topic were passionately against the city’s plans.

One woman gave a thumbs down to the mayor. She said she has lived in three different homes over the decades in the neighborhood. 

“We don’t want it. I haven’t talked to anybody in that neighborhood who wants it. So why? Making it one lane going each way … stupid.”

Another resident researched the crash data from McGillivray Boulevard and noted that it was not as dangerous as the city claims it has become.

An older couple noted that a four-way stop sign at one intersection and a blinking red light at another intersection would be plenty to improve the situation. But they were against cutting the boulevard from four lanes of traffic to two.

Rick Ackman, a spokesperson for Save Vancouver Streets, asked if the city council would consider not eliminating traffic lanes. He said bike lanes can still be installed.

“It seems like you’re trying to use congestion as a tool to slow things down instead of other  ways,” Ackman said.

Another resident: “Changing that to one lane both ways is not progress.”

And another resident suggested a solution. Law enforcement with random patrols to issue citations to those who exceed the speed limit.

The mayor said that after the project is complete, the city will evaluate after a year.

“If this doesn’t work out, we’ll go back and change the paint,” she said.

Ackman was not impressed. But he did appreciate the forum.

“I don’t think they were as responsive as they could have been. It seems like we were mostly getting lip service,” he said. “I would have liked to have seen a better response, and a little bit more curiosity on their part as to what we’re looking for,” Ackman said.

Save Vancouver Streets is looking for signatures for an initiative that would stop the city from eliminating lanes of traffic without a vote of the people. For more on that organization, go to: https://www.clarkcountytoday.com/news/initiative-process-save-vancouver-streets-looks-to-change-citys-plans-for-roadways/And the city of Vancouver is always looking for feedback. Stober noted in the meeting that Be Heard Vancouver is available at: https://www.beheardvancouver.org/