ISLAND COUNTY: A Message from Commissioner Bacon [Dec. 20, 2024]

Island County Commissioner Melanie Bacon (D-Langley) sent the following newsletter on Fri., Dec. 20, 2024.

Thank you for reading my newsletter for the 51^st week of 2024. This week was the last week of 2024 for Board of Island County Commissioners meetings, so this will be my last newsletter of the year. Expect my next regular newsletter on January 10, 2025.

We had a little bit of excitement at the swearing-in ceremony for Commissioner Johnson and me on Tuesday: our meeting was zoombombed by someone who hacked us with an extremely inappropriate video for a kid-friendly public event. Consequently, the County is putting into place a variety of steps to limit or prevent this type of interruption again. Unfortunately, this means that in future you will be put into a zoom waiting room first when you attend our virtual meetings, and will be required to provide your full name instead of a non-identifying image or tag.

Also, there’s been some controversy on the national stage regarding the efficacy of vaccinations. The Island County Board of Health, the Island County Public Health Officer, and the Island County Commissioners all encourage our citizens to listen to responsible health scientists and get your vaccinations.

• Regular Session.  The agenda for the Tuesday December 17^th Regular Session of the Board of Island County Commissioners is here. The recording will be posted next week.
  • The interim Reserve Manager for Ebey’s Reserve made public comment, letting us know about this new role for him and thanking the County for our support of Ebey’s Reserve.
  • We held two public hearings on contracts for waste services: Camano Island’s recycling services (contract with Waste Management), and Whidbey Island’s contract for solid waste long haul transportation and disposal (contract with Republic Services). The Board was unhappy about the new rates for both of these services, but adopted the contracts because there were no other viable options. Because of the significant increases to the County’s costs, citizens should expect that early next year the County will pass down the costs to users by increasing the fees we charge for these services. We received valuable public comment from a citizen from Whidbey Climate Action who spoke about other options the County should consider in the future as part of the community conversation.
  • Commissioner Jill Johnson and I swore each other in for another term as commissioners for District 1 and District 2. We both spoke about the importance of bipartisanship in local government.
  • The next regular session will occur on Tuesday, January 7,^, The agenda for that meeting will be posted by Friday, January 3^rd, here.
• Upcoming Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) Public Hearings (held during Tuesday board meetings, beginning at 10 am):
  • January 25:   Shangri-la Shores Water System Franchise
  • February 15:  Race Lagoon Association Franchise
  • Date TBD:      Vafaeezdah Sewer Franchise
  • Date TBD:      Pleasant View Water Franchise
  • Date TBD:      Camano Colony Water Franchise
  • Date TBD:      Delcoure Sewer Franchise
• Work Session. This is the agenda for the December 18^th work session; here is the audio recording.
  • Public Health brought a discussion about the County’s sponsoring the annual Chum Run at a new location: Fort Casey. The Chum Run raises funds to support the Healthy Island Youth Initiative program, which provides scholarships to youths from families who cannot afford the registration cost of organized physical activities. The Board agreed to move forward with this application. The Chum Run will be scheduled for April or May. Mark 0:17:48 in the recording.
  • Facilities again brought the Board a discussion on transitioning from owning our cars to leasing them from Enterprise Fleet Management. This time the Board was more open to the idea. We will discuss it again next year. The presentation begins on page 53 of the agenda; the discussion begins at mark 0:47:48 in the recording.
  • We discussed options for increasing housing density in our mixed-use RAIDS (Rural Areas of Intensive Development), as part of our Comprehensive Plan conversation with Long Range Planning. The presentation can be found beginning on page 102 of the agenda; the detail and spreadsheets start on page 68. The recording of this discussion begins at mark 1:57:28.
  • The next work session will occur on Wednesday, January 8, 2025. The agenda for that meeting will be posted by Friday, January 3^rd, here.
• The Board of Health (BoH) met on Tuesday. Here is the agenda; here is the recording.  We heard three presentations: WhidbeyHealth presented on their Behavioral Health & Medicated Assisted Treatment programs; NASWI presented on the Naval Health Clinic; and Island County Public Health and Human Services spoke on their work plans and the WSALPHO Legislative Priorities (WSALPHO=Washington State Association of Local Public Health Officials).
• 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 agendas are published at least a week in advance. The Planning Commission meets at 6 pm on the first and third Wednesday of each month in the Commissioners Hearing Room in Coupeville. The next meeting of the Planning Commission will occur on January 15, 2025.
• Several County offices have instituted lunchtime closures due to staffing shortages during the holidays (two examples: Treasurer and Prosecuting Attorney). I strongly recommend that if you intend to visit an elected office during the mid-day over the next couple of weeks, you should call them first to make sure they plan to be open.
• I will be available on Monday, January 6^th at 3 pm at Crabby Coffee/WiFire in Freeland to visit with citizens who want to discuss County issues.

Melanie 

“Except for the porn, that went pretty well.”          

~Commissioner Jill Johnson, commenting on Tuesday’s joint swearing-in ceremony.