ISLAND COUNTY: A Message from Commissioner Bacon [Aug. 16, 2024]

Island County Commissioner Melanie Bacon (D-Langley) sent the following newsletter on Fri., Aug. 16, 2024.

Thank you for reading my newsletter for the 34^th  week of 2024.

A Type 1 Burn Ban continues in effect, and all of Island County remains closed for the recreational harvest of shellfish, due to biotoxin.

• Regular Session.  The agenda and video recording for the Tuesday August 13 Regular Session of the Board of Island County Commissioners is here.
  • Island County is a good employer and consequently has good retention of employees. This week, we celebrated four employees receiving service awards—and one of them was Jeff Barkhausen, celebrating 35 years of dedicated work making signs for the public in our Public Works department. Congratulations, Jeff!
  • We heard public comment from one citizen grateful for our road striping but concerned about the aftermath of a fire on East Harbor Road; and comments from another citizen speaking about the Shoreline Master Program (SMP).
  • We finally passed the SMP! The Department of Ecology will let us know if they object to anything we approved, a step we have to go through before the new codes go into effect. The adopted SMP reflects many, many suggestions and concerns raised by citizens over the last year: the most recent changes include adoption of the Marine Resources Committee’s recommendation that we replace trend analysis based on prior rates of erosion with future erosion projections; allow for drainfield replacement and relocation under the Limited Review permit; a limited remapping of a few parcels; inclusion of a definition of “erosion”; and clarification of the definition of “upland retaining wall”. Big thanks to John Lanier, Meredith Penny, current and former members of the Long Range Team, the Planning Commission, and our involved citizens for their years of work in getting us to this place. I look forward to the upcoming Comprehensive Plan discussion of the Shoreline Element, where we will refine our shoreline vision and identify code changes needed in the next iteration of the SMP. The SMP was passed as Resolution C-13-24; the discussion begins at mark 00:17:35 in the video recording.
  • The Board also approved Resolution C-36-24, authorizing the joining of a lawsuit against the Departments of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF). This has to do with a threat by DCYF to stop providing services to youths needing long-term incarceration. The discussion on this can be found at mark 01:21:09 in the recording.
  • The next Board meeting will be held on Tuesday, August 20. This is the agenda. On that agenda: Resolution C-39-24: Road Closure for the Chapman Creek Fish Passage Culvert Replacement Project (Camano Island), and the public hearings shown below.
• Upcoming BOCC Public Hearings (held during Tuesday board meetings, beginning at 10 am):
  • August 20: Taft Franchise
  • August 20: Prim & Dirske Franchise
  • August 27: Marshall Drainage District
  • Sept 10 (pending BOCC approval of date): Transportation Improvement Program (TIP)
  • Sept 17 (pending BOCC approval of date):  Budget Amendment
  • Sept 17 (pending BOCC approval of date):  Glenwood Beach water franchise
  • Sept 24 (pending BOCC approval of date):  Ziply
• Budget Workshops. We held two budget meetings this week and will hold three more next week. You can find the most current version of the schedule of upcoming budget meetings here . The Zoom meeting information for the next three budget workshops can be found on the August 21^st work session agenda, below, pages 86 – 88.
• Work Session. The agenda for the August 14^th work session is here; the recording is here.
  • We started off with an hour-long discussion with Sheriff Felici on drug use in Island County and our response. It was a pretty intense conversation.
  • Public Health brought us a Wastewater Proviso Agreement with Biohabitats which we will be happy to sign. The purpose of this contract is to provide the County with a comprehensive understanding of “innovative alternatives to single-family on-site septic systems, with a focus on alternative options that support affordable housing developments and advance environmental health equity for rural communities.” The discussion begins at mark 1:07:32 in the recording. This conversation was referenced in our later discussion with Long Range Planning; see below.
  • Public Works brought us a discussion on an upcoming road closure for the Chapman Creek Fish Passage Culvert Replacement Project on Camano Island, a closure which may last for almost three weeks. Mark 1:12:12 in the recording; documents including maps begin on page 21 of the agenda.
  • We had a really interesting conversation with Long Range Planning about the Buildable Lands Analysis in the 2025 Comprehensive Plan. As I stated above, the Public Health and Planning conversations converged because we need to build over 1000 units of multi-family housing in the county outside of the jurisdictions over the next twenty years, which will require identification and adoption of septic alternatives. The discussion begins at mark 1:18:55 in the recording; the presentation begins on page 26 of the agenda.
  • The agenda for the August 21^st work session is here. As noted above, the agendas for the 3 budget meetings for next week can be found on pages 86 – 88. Also on that agenda: requests for two initiatives in the jail; discussion with Public Works on the Edgecliff Drive Outfall Project; a request to proceed with the Public Works Project Initiation (PWP) for development of Rhododendron Park Road to Patmore Road Trail; and a review with Long Range Planning of the goals and philosophy statements in the newest draft of Ebey’s Design Guidelines.
• Planning Commission and the Comprehensive Plan Update: This is a link to the Planning Commission page. You can find details on their meetings and minutes, including Zoom info, here. The Planning Commission meets at 6 pm on the 1^st and 3^rd Wednesday of each month; the agendas are published at least a week in advance.
  • The Planning Commission will meet next Wednesday at 6 pm; agenda here. On that agenda: the preliminary findings from the Draft Buildable Lands analyses and a follow-up discussion on Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs).
• It looks like tickets are still available for the Wildfire on Whidbey: Thinking About The Unthinkable conference on Saturday, August 24 at WICA. This conference is presented by Whidbey Climate Action and WICA. I plan to be there because this is something I think about all the time and I’ll be glad to talk about it with others.  
• Washington State University will hold a Forestry Planning Series at Bayview Corner beginning in September.  This class is geared toward stewardship of our trees and forested land, including appropriate thinning. Often, when most people hear “forest,” they assume this refers to large acreage.  But a forest can be any number trees you might have, whether it is one, 25, or 200.  They are all important.  So this training is suitable for owners of all sizes of forests. More information here.
• Island Transit is recruiting for their Executive Director position.
• I am available every Monday to meet with citizens in Coupeville and Freeland, and also once a month in Clinton. Monday, August 19: Cedar & Salt in Coupeville, 1:30 – 2:30; Wi Fire Community Space in Freeland, 3 – 4. In September I will begin holding occasional Listening Sessions with Veterans at the Whidbey Veterans Resource Center. The first one is scheduled for Friday, September 20 at 2 pm.

Melanie

Sunday, August 18 is National Senior Citizens Day.

“Aging is an extraordinary process where you become the person you always should have been.”

~ David Bowie

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