Citizens United for Silverdale filed its paperwork with the state Public Disclosure Commission, becoming an official public-action committee. The filing puts the effort to incorporate Silverdale into high gear, as well as allowing the group to raise funds for its campaign.
The first order of business for the committee is to determine the boundaries of the potential city. The boundaries will impact the size of the population, which organizers estimate could be between 12,000 and 20,000.
“We just don’t know where we’re going to draw the line,” said committee Chair Randy Biegenwald, who owns an accounting firm in Old Town Silverdale. “The first thing we’re doing is learning the process.”
In late August, the group was planning to do some low-cost surveys to help figure out boundaries based on the residents’ interest. “We plan on calling some residents to do statistical surveys to determine what the public wants and doesn’t want, and draw the boundaries accordingly,” said Marcus Hoffman, a committee chair who is also a local water district commissioner and real estate agent. They hoped to use volunteers and possibly Olympic College students to keep the survey expenses to a minimum.
The next step after the boundary determination would be to file a notice of proposed incorporation with Kitsap County, which is estimated to happen by the end of the year if everything goes as planned. The Boundary Review Board will need to approve the proposed boundaries, after which the committee can proceed with gathering petition signatures in order to put the initiative on the ballot.
“There’s some expectation that we would see this on the ballot next November. I think that’s very doable… once we’re comfortable with the boundaries and move to the filing. Then, it takes a life of its own,” said Carl Johnson, treasurer of Citizens United for Silverdale who has served on several local boards.
Johnson said at the end of August that the committee has not started aggressively raising funds, and estimates were in the $6,000-$8,000 range for how much money it would take to run the campaign. Opposition efforts could drive that number higher, but Biegenwald said a “significant part” of the opposition from the last campaign to incorporate Silverdale has come on board, so he’s not expecting any major competition against the proposal.
“The biggest obstacle is overcoming misinformation and misunderstandings people in the community may have,” Johnson said.
The political action committee has about 15 members, including some who live outside of the Silverdale Urban Growth Area but have expertise on the matter or represent local interests, such as representatives from the fire and police departments.
The committee was planning to host public meetings in October and November, and may be reached at PO Box 3901, Silverdale WA 98383.
