Former Bainbridge city councilman Chris Snow sent in a guest column warning that islanders must consider more than money when deciding whether to move the municipal off-island.

We must avoid the temptation to decide whether or not to relocate our Municipal Court based entirely on dollar savings. Even if the savings indicated in Table 1 of the exhaustive eleven-page study the City Council will consider this Wednesday are accurate and complete, and that is open to question, we must also consider the non-monetary costs (and benefits, if any).

The difference in incremental annual costs between keeping our municipal court at home and sending it off island would be only $1,142 dollars in 2011! By the fifth year it may grow to about $19,000, which happens to be less than the difference in security officer costs (about $25,000). The cost to lease the Bainbridge Island property will still be $3,636 less than the Poulsbo option.
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Bainbridge and Poulsbo city leaders are leaning toward a plan that would move the Bainbridge municipal court into the new Poulsbo City Hall.

“I am totally convinced we have to move our court,” Bainbridge Councilman Bill Knobloch said on Wednesday during a joint meeting between the city’s two councils. “The facility right now is inadequate.”

Poulsbo likes the idea because it will generate revenue in a building with a lot of surplus space.

Check out Brynn Grimley’s coverage of the meeting HERE.

Two couples who wish to build docks on Blakely Harbor have appealed their denials to the Washington State Supreme Court, environmental reporter Christopher Dunagan writes in today’s Sun.

The case involves the construction of docks in south-end harbor. The City Council had approved an amendment to its shorelines management program banning all docks planned for exclusive use of a single property owner. Under the amendment, only two joint-use and one community dock will be allowed in the future.

Read the full story here.