After the board action the three commissioners will discuss the preliminary budget in detail with port staff at a half-day workshop on Wednesday, October 26. The budget workshop is open to the public, although no official public comment will be taken during the workshop.
Input from the public regarding the port’s 2012 budget is welcome at both the upcoming commission meetings. The port’s two-page 2012 preliminary budget is currently available on the port’s website at http://www.portvanusa.com/sites/default/files/tinymce/files/2012%20Preliminary%20Budget.pdf.
The commission is expected to vote on the final 2012 budget at their November 8 meeting.
The second action item on the agenda is consideration of an inter-governmental agreement between the port and Clark Public Utilities for the construction of an electrical substation. The new substation is needed to supply additional electrical power to port’s Terminal 5 for future development.
The commissioners also will hear a presentation by economist John Martin on a recently completed Port of Vancouver economic impact study. Approximately every five years, the port commissions a study to measure its economic influence in Clark County and the Pacific Northwest. The information assists port commissioners and executives in making future development decisions. The 2011 study was conducted by John C Martin Associated LLC. The firm is based in Pennsylvania and conducts similar studies for major ports throughout the U.S. and Canada. The last Port of Vancouver study was conducted in 2006.