Oak Harbor Mayor Ronnie Wright wants to know what residents think is the best way to save the city’s marina — if it should be saved at all.

To that end, Wright is hosting a unique forum and barbecue at 4-7 p.m., on June 20 at Catalina Park (next to the marina). Wright has previously held The Wright Blend conversation with the public at places that serve coffee, but this time the event will involve free food.

“It made sense to host June’s The Wright Blend event right on the waterfront, so the community could tour the Oak Harbor Marina and ask questions,” according to a statement from the city. “This month, The Wright Blend event isn’t just about hamburgers, but a chance to weigh in on the big decisions coming up in the next few weeks.”

City officials have been tossing around ideas for months about how to fund millions of dollars of investments that are necessary at the marina. Repair or reconstruction of a breakwater is needed, as well as extensive dredging.

At a recent meeting, the Oak Harbor City Council decided not to move forward with setting a B&O tax on the 26 top-earning businesses in the city but tabled the matter until the Aug. 6 meeting. In addition, the council is scheduled to discuss the issue at a July 22 workshop meeting.

City leaders have also talked about asking voters to approve the creation of a metropolitan park district or a port district as a way to fund marina improvements.

The barbecue got a lot of attention on social media, with some people questioning the legality of providing free food to people who show up. Under state law, a gifting of public funds is not allowed, but the city administration doesn’t think that free burgers runs afoul of the rules.

“This event is similar to the public forums we’ve hosted regarding the redevelopment of downtown and waterfront district these last few months,” Communication Director Magi Aguilar said in a press release. “It’s about encouraging people to show up, so offering food during dinnertime helps make that possible. I hope everyone who has concerns, questions or opinions about the Marina or any other City matter attends, because it doesn’t get more personal and real than this. The mayor and council members will be onsite to answer questions face to face. ”

Oak Harbor Councilmember Jim Woessner, however, said Wednesday that he wasn’t invited to the event and didn’t even know about it.

While he’s not against feeding the community or finding unique ways to garner public engagement, he pointed out he had been told by the former city administration that the city wasn’t legally allowed to invite family members of city staff to attend a city picnic; the administration said it would amount to an illegal gifting of public funds to feed them. He offered to fund the picnic himself but was told that also would be against the law.

The News-Times reached out to the state Auditor’s Office about the issue. A spokesperson said auditors may be able to point to relevant policies regarding the issues next week.