Island County Commissioner Melanie Bacon (D-Langley) sent the following newsletter on Fri., Aug. 19, 2022.
Thank you for reading my newsletter for the 33rd week of 2022.
- Regular Agenda: You can watch the 15-minute meeting from Tuesday at this link. Two members of the public offered comments on issues of concern to them, which was certainly the most interesting part of the meeting. No actions were taken at this meeting other than the usual consent agenda approval of vouchers, warrants, electronic funds transfers and payroll.
- You can find the agenda for next Tuesday’s regular Board of Island County Commissioners meeting, including how to attend virtually, here.
- Board of Health: You can access the agenda and documents from Tuesday’s BOH meeting here. The audio link is here.
- Captain Steven Kewish from Naval Health Clinic Oak Harbor, spoke about the scope of medical services provided by the Navy to the Naval community, beginning at mark 00:19:25 in the above audio.
- Dr. Shawn Morris, Community and Family Health Manager, spoke about monkeypox and polio, beginning at mark 01:09:44. Dr. Howard Leibrand, our Public Health Officer, added his thoughts on these and other transmissible diseases that can be avoided with vaccination.
- During Commissioner Comments, Dr. Grethe Cammermeyer informed us that WhidbeyHealth has begun the process to hire a permanent CEO; after that, they will begin the process to hire a permanent CFO. Her comments begin at mark 01:37:01 in the above audio.
- Work Session: We held a marathon 257-page-agenda work session on Wednesday. You can find the agenda for that meeting here and access the audio here.
- Planning gave a fascinating presentation on code enforcement, including photos from a few of our more troubling cases from the 243 that are currently open. You can find the presentation beginning on page 13 of the agenda; the audio begins at 00:05:13 in the above audio link.
- Learn why Tiny Homes often face code enforcement action, at mark 00:23:50 in the audio.
- Beginning at mark 00:34:27 we talk about situations in which citizens who are unhappy about something at their neighbor’s house should start the resolution process by having a conversation with that neighbor, instead of calling in county code enforcement officers as a first step. Commissioner Johnson had a t-shirt/bumper sticker moment, which I have included below as this week’s quote.
- But if you have already talked with your neighbor and nothing was done, or you see something of concern out in the community, you can file a Complaint Investigation Request with the County here.
- We discussed encouraging “code compliance” instead of hammering “code enforcement”.
- We discussed proposed updates to the Public Benefit Rating System (PBRS); the presentation begins on agenda page 23, audio mark 00:54:19. We will bring this discussion, along with a discussion on forest practices, back to a work session in September. Contact me if you want me to let you know when that work session will occur.
- In response to concerns expressed by the Board, Michael Jones, our County Administrator, brought the first of what will be a regular review of the time it takes citizens to get permits from Planning, Public Health and Public Works; listen at mark 01:45:47 in the audio.
- Public Works has hired a consultant to look for boat ramp sites. Mark 02:48:14 in the audio.
- Things are looking better in the Solid Waste container world. Mark 02:50:10 in the audio. But I still strongly encourage everyone to sign up for Solid Waste text updates at 833-954-3773, giving the message ICSOLIDWASTE. You’ll get a text back saying you’re now signed up. People who signed up using the old number need to sign up again.
- Island County will now get our own Veteran Services Officer (VSO), located in Human Services! This is actually a big deal: our county has the most veterans per capita of any county in the State—but we did not have a VSO. The Veterans Administration will not speak to anyone but VSOs. So, our veterans with issues had to talk to our Veterans Program Coordinator, who had to talk with a VSO somewhere else who would then talk to the VA to get assistance to the veterans. As a veteran representing 11,000 local veterans, I am really glad about getting our own VSO here. Listen in at mark 03:33:14 to hear Commissioner Johnson’s great idea to maximize the value of the position.
- We now have a Climate Resolution that I believe all three commissioners will approve! You can listen to this conversation which made me very, very happy, beginning at mark 04:49:03. The draft that we revised during the meeting can be found starting at page 255 of the agenda. The resolution as revised will be called “Resolution of the Board of Island County Commissioners Affirming Its Acknowledgment of Climate Change and Steps to Ensure County Resiliency.” Big thanks to Jill and Janet, and to Jennifer Johnson, Jackson Murphy, Michael Jones, Keith Higman, Connie Bowers, Ryan Beach, Mary Engle, and everyone else who worked so hard to get us to this point.
- COG next week: The agenda for next Wednesday’s Council of Governments meeting, including how to attend virtually, can be found here.
- IRTPO next week: The agenda for next Wednesday’s Island Regional Transportation Planning Organization meeting, including how to attend virtually, can be found here.
- ILIO next week: The agenda for next Wednesday’s Island Local Integrating Organization meeting, including how to attend virtually, can be found here.
- This week’s COVID Report. To obtain a rapid home test kit, you can call the Island County COVID Response Call Center at 360-678-2301; or to have free test kits mailed to your home, go online to https://sayyescovidhometest.org/ or https://www.covid.gov/. This week’s HEALTH MATTERS newsletter can be found here.
- Reminder: 988 Suicide and Crisis Hotline: The United States’ first nationwide three-digit mental health crisis hotline went live last month. It’s designed to be as easy to remember and use as 911, but instead of a dispatcher sending police, firefighters or paramedics, 988 will connect callers with trained mental health counselors.
- Monday Tea with Melanie: 3 pm at Crabby Coffee in Freeland in the WiFire Community Space, 1651 E Main St, Freeland. Tea is on me.
- I plan to be there this upcoming Monday the 22nd. I will not be available the following two Mondays: I will be on vacation on the 29th, and the 5this a holiday.
Thanks,
Melanie
“You don’t need government help to have a conversation that brownies will fix.”
— Island County Commissioner Jill Johnson
