PRESS RELEASE - City of Port Townsend Launches Short Video Series

Videos seek to inform and inspire engagement for a financially sustainable future.

PORT TOWNSEND, Washington – The City of Port Townsend has launched the first of five short videos showcasing their Financial Sustainability Project. The videos are meant to inform and inspire public awareness and engagement on a host of interrelated decisions facing the community over the coming years about our collective future.  The videos will be shared on the City’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/cityofpt) and on the City website at: www.cityofpt.us/videos. 

The first video out this week is an introduction to the project.  A video on streets will launch next week, followed by a parks video the following week, a housing video after that, and finishing with a video on core services and what’s next.

While the City is in a solid financial position and has done consistently well in contributing to a high quality of life and providing quality services to its residents and visitors, our ability to continue to do so is hindered by increasing costs in excess of revenues and a steady erosion of services and level of service.  This problem is compounded by the present need to address numerous deferred maintenance projects in areas such as streets, parks, facilities, and fleet in which limited or no direct revenue is currently available, as well as the continuous and debilitating pressures associated with housing supply and affordability.

City Manager John Mauro says, “We all know Port Townsend is a special place.  Unless we take decisive action to plan for the future we want, there’s a lot to lose by simply reacting to or accepting what we get.  These videos aim to spread the word so that our community can be fully engaged in how we move forward together on things that affect our lives and our future.”

The City established a Financial Sustainability Task Force to assist with a review of the City’s current financial position and identify options for the future. The Task Force began its work at their first meeting on November 18, 2022, and has met five times, including one joint workshop with City Council.  They will make a recommendation of long-term financial sustainability options to City Council this summer.

Communications & Marketing Manager Shelly Leavens is spearheading the video project. Ms. Leavens says, “We recognize that many of our residents cannot be engaged in the details of how our city works, for any number of reasons.  These videos take a creative approach to allowing everyone to come up to speed quickly with the Financial Sustainability Initiative and why it matters to all of us.  Our future depends on getting everyone engaged, so please watch the videos and share them on social media.”  

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More about the Financial Sustainability Initiative can be found here:

https://cityofpt.us/engagept/page/financial-sustainability-initiative