ISLAND COUNTY: A Message from Commissioner Bacon [July 26, 2024]

Island County Commissioner Melanie Bacon (D-Langley) sent the following newsletter on Fri., July 26, 2024.

Thank you for reading my newsletter for the 31st week of 2024. Because next week is a 5^th week, the Board will not be meeting so I will not publish a newsletter next Friday.

I’m writing this early Friday morning from Shelton, where I’m attending a three-day Board meeting of the Washington Counties Risk Pool. On the one hand, this is probably the most boring of the many Boards I sit on. On the other hand, after the craziness of the last few months I’m kind of enjoying discussing abstruse topics like loss control, indemnification, and actuarial adjustments.

50^th anniversary commemoration of the Vietnam War. If you are a US veteran of any branch of the military who was on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces at any time during the period of November 1, 1955, to May 15, 1975, regardless of location, your country and your county want to recognize your service and provide you with the Vietnam Veteran lapel pin. There are three opportunities for this over the next 2 weeks.

• Saturday, July 28, Whidbey Island Fair: The Whidbey Veterans Resource Center (and I) will be available on Saturday at the Fair to present lapel pins to these veterans.
• Friday, August 2, Camano Library, 11 am – 2 pm: Rep. Clyde Shavers and I will be in attendance to hand out lapel pins to veterans.
• Thursday, August 8, 2 – 3 pm, Coupeville High School auditorium: Various dignitaries will hand out lapel pins at a commemoration event. Unfortunately Congressman Larsen will not be able to attend in person.

Regular Session.  The agenda and video recording for the Tuesday July 23^rd  Regular Session of the Board of Island County Commissioners is here.

There was no public comment offered during the regular public comment period.

We held a public hearing to expand the boundaries of the Crescent Acres water franchise, mark 00:01:41 in the recording. During the discussion, Planner John Lanier explained the issue of “inadvertent discovery” (see Enclosure D, page 15 of the document link embedded in the agenda); this is to inform citizens of what they should do if they accidentally find tribal cultural material or human remains while engaging in ground-disturbing activities.

The next Board meeting will be held on Tuesday, August 6. The agenda for that meeting will be posted by Friday, August 2 here.

Upcoming BOCC Public Hearings (held during Tuesday board meetings, beginning at 10 am):

• August 20: Taft Franchise
• August 20: Prim & Dirske Franchise
• August 27 (pending BOCC approval of date): 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

NOTE: not public hearings (the public hearings were already held) but people can comment during our regular public comment time: the SMP is tentatively planned for a vote on August 13, and the request to open Rowe Road on Camano is tentatively planned for a vote on September 3.

On Tuesday, the representatives of the Partners of Ebey’s Reserve spent the afternoon with the Friends of Ebey’s and the Ebey’s Trust Board, We are very happy with and supportive of the great work done by both of those organizations. The Board of Island County Commissioners is actively seeking two new members for the Trust Board. If you are interested in serving on this important and historic committee, please contact Layla Tromble, la.tromble@islandcountywa.gov, for more information.

Work Session. The next work session for the Board of Island County Commissioners will be held on August 7. The agenda for that meeting will be posted by Friday, August 2^nd here.

The Council of Governments (COG) and Island Regional Transportation Planning Organization (IRTPO) meetings for July were cancelled.

The Clinton Community Council will meet on Monday, July 29^th at 6 pm, at the Clinton Community Hall. All interested citizens are invited to attend.

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.

You should have received your ballot for the August 6 Primary Election. If you haven’t, contact Michelle in Island County Elections at 360-240-5535. Note: do not expect to receive a separate Voter’s Guide in the mail for this primary race—instead, you’ll find a pamphlet with information on the local races and initiatives inside your ballot envelope, which also lists links to other election information.

I am available every Monday to meet with citizens in Coupeville and Freeland, and also once a month in Clinton. Monday, July 29^th: Cedar & Salt in Coupeville, 1:30 – 2:30; Wi Fire Community Space in Freeland, 3 – 4; Clinton Community Hall 5 – 6

Melanie

“Elections belong to the people. It’s their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they will just have to sit on their blisters.”   ~ Abraham Lincoln

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