Island County Commissioner Melanie Bacon (D-Langley) sent the following newsletter on Fri., Feb. 27, 2025.
Thank you for reading my newsletter for the 9th week of 2026.
My update this week is different than usual because the Board didn’t meet and I spent the last week in Washington DC at the National Association of Counties (NACo) annual legislative gathering.
- A few notes from my meetings:
- I had breakfast with a Commissioner from Maui, who was the Transportation Director for the City of Maui during the Lahaina fire in 2023 and also had to take charge of Public Health and Human Services because in Hawaii those responsibilities are under the State and there was no one else to be in charge of such things as environmental impact of debris. He spoke about the importance of communication system—their cell towers went down and they had to communicate via a relayed walkie-talkie system.
- I attended a Transportation Policy meeting. There was a presentation by two Deputy Secretaries of Transportation. One of them said that communities that “follow the law” will get federal funds but not those that push lack against immigration laws. Also, one commissioner said he wanted to know how to get $25 Million for a road in his district that he wants to name after the President; they told him what grant to go after and offered him their cards so they can work with him. All of this annoyed me since Washington residents also pay taxes to the federal government and I don’t think transportation funds should be politicized.
- I learned that we need to read our federal contracts very carefully, even those we’ve signed for years, because apparently the federal government is now adding “agrees to cooperate with immigration” clauses in the middle of contracts that have nothing to do with immigration.
- During a meeting on the housing crisis I learned that other counties in the country are not planning for zoning for homeless, supportive housing, etc. because they do not have the equivalent of a Growth Management Act. So Washington is ahead of the curve in planning for those needs.
- The number of homeless veterans is decreasing but suicide among veterans is very high. The #1 cause of death among veterans is cardiovascular; #2 is suicide. Almost eighteen US Veterans commit suicide every day. I urge all veterans who are not signed up for VA benefits to contact one of Island County’s two Veterans Services Officers (VSOs). They truly can help.
- I watched a film and presentation featuring North Carolina county commissioners about Hurricane Helene. Their preparation suggestions: (1) Install early warning systems; (2) Look at communications systems such as Starlink; (3) Plan to get your application process with FEMA done right. Work on pre-disaster mitigation to encourage resilience.
- I attended two meetings that gave kudos to the work Congressman Rick Larsen is doing with the FEMA Reform Act, which would separate FEMA from Homeland Security and make it its own Cabinet level office.
- US Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. had a discussion with the President of NACo during the general assembly meeting. Since I believe that Secretary Kennedy is the greatest threat to science-based public health policy in the US, I walked out of this conversation just as the NACo president was asking him “What can counties do to make America healthy again?”
- I met with a staff member for Senator Maria Cantwell; went with a group of Washington county officials to meet with Senator Patty Murray; and spent some time with a staff member for Congressman Larsen before spending a minute with him myself. In each meeting I focused on the County’s request to get $1.2 Million in federal funds to assist us in replacing the generators in the jail and annex building (see previous newsletters for details on why this is critical).
- Over the last week I’ve ridden in ferries, shuttles, airplanes, personal cars, Ubers, taxis, a bicycle-powered rickshaw, a tow truck, and been in the middle of a taxi-rickshaw contretemps involving National Mall police riding very large horses. So I’m feeling all about the transportation now, and this afternoon I’ll be testifying (via Zoom) to the State Senate Transportation Committee about the Mosquito Fleet Act, which would allow port districts as well as city, county, municipal, regional and unincorporated transit systems to create passenger ferry districts and routes throughout Puget Sound and along the Washington coast. Besides offering another way for Whidbey residents to get to their medical appointments etcetera, I think a passenger-only ferry could someday be an option for Camano, which relies on one bridge as their sole means to get on and off the island. In 1998 our predecessors on the Board of Island County Commissioners wanted a passenger ferry between the islands and I think that’s a good conversation to revisit if the State would be open to it.
- The next Regular Session of the Board of Island County Commissioners will be held on Tuesday, March 3, 2026. The agenda for that meeting is available here. On that agenda: a Resolution In the Matter of Convening the Water Utility Coordinating Committee (WUCC); and a supplemental agreement with Bridgeview Consulting, LLC for Continuity of Operations Plan, Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan, and Annex Update.
- Tentative Upcoming Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) Public Hearings (held during board meetings, beginning at 10 am, unless otherwise noted):
- Tuesday March 10: Mabana Shores Franchise
- Tuesday March 10: Mutiny Sands Franchise
- Tuesday March 10: Jordan Acres Franchise
- Tuesday March 10: Passage Way Franchise
- Tuesday March 17: Driftwood Shores Franchise
- Tuesday March 17: Ledgewood Beach Franchise
- Tuesday March 17: Camano Vista Franchise
- Thursday March 19 at 1 pm: Joint public hearing with the Oak Harbor City Council regarding annexation into the UGA
- Tuesday May 12: Curbside Recycling
- The Work Session for March 4 has been canceled; the next Work Session of the Board of Island County Commissioners will be held on Wednesday, March 11. The agenda will be published by Friday, March 6.
- 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 usually meets at 6 pm on the first and third Wednesday of each month in the Commissioners Hearing Room in Coupeville. The March 4 Planning Commission meeting has been canceled.
- This week the Whidbey News Times and South Whidbey Report published an opinion piece I wrote about the difference between Federal and County response options regarding climate change.
- I will meet with interested citizens on Monday March 2nd at 3 pm at the WiFire Community space in Freeland, to talk about whatever issues you’re interested in discussing.
Melanie
Today is World NGO Day. NGO is an acronym for non-governmental organization, and this is a day set aside to recognize, celebrate and honor the fundamental contributions and profound impact that these independent organizations have had on the world. We have hundreds of non-profits on Whidbey Island alone; the Whidbey Foundation has the best free directory of them I’ve found.
“Non-profits are messy. Not enough money. Too many cooks. An abundance of passion.”
~Joan Garry
