ISLAND COUNTY: A Message from Commissioner Bacon [Jan. 17, 2025]

Island County Commissioner Melanie Bacon (D-Langley) sent the following newsletter on Fri., Jan. 17, 2025.

Next Monday, January 20^th, most offices at the County will be closed in recognition of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

Thank you for reading my first newsletter for 2025.

• Regular Session.  The agenda and recording for the Tuesday January 14^th Regular Session of the Board of Island County Commissioners is here.
  • There was no public comment.
  • We welcomed six new employees to the County, and celebrated the 10-year anniversary of Chris Potts, in Facilities.
  • There were no regular agenda items or public hearings.
  • The next regular session will occur on Tuesday, January 21,^, The agenda for that meeting is here. There are no regular agenda items or public hearings scheduled for next week.
• Upcoming Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) Public Hearings (held during Tuesday board meetings, beginning at 10 am):
  • January 28:         Shangri-la Shores Water System Franchise
  • February 4:         Saekow – Wood Water System Franchise
  • February 25:       Race Lagoon Water Franchise
  • February 25:       Ziply Fiber Telecommunications Franchise
  • February 25:       Comcast Cable Franchise
  • March 4:             Sandberg Water Franchise
• Work Session. This is the agenda for the January 15^th work session; here is the audio recording.
  • Information Technologies brought us a conversation with Assessor Kelly Mauck, Treasurer Tony Lam, and Planning Director Jonathan Lange, to update us on why we may need to replace our Property Appraisal and Tax Collection software sometime in the next year or two. This will be an expensive purchase and the County is also facing the potential need to replace our Accounting/HR software in the same timeframe, so we asked IT to bring us a plan so that we can prepare to fund these large purchases in the future. Mark 0:13:12 in the recording.
  • Human Services brought a conversation on Homeless Housing Crisis Response in 2025. The presentation can be found beginning on page 27 of the agenda. Big take-away: this year we are facing big cuts in our funding to help the homeless and people needing rental assistance. The conversation can be heard beginning at mark 0:56:21 in the recording.
  • The next work session will occur on Wednesday, February 12, 2025. The agenda for that meeting will be posted by Friday, February 7, here.
• Next week we will hold meetings of the Board of Health (BoH), the Council of Governments (COG), Island Regional Transportation Planning Organization (IRTPO), and the Island Local Integrating Organization (ILIO).
  • Board of Health, Tuesday, January 21 at 1 pm. Agenda and zoom link. On the agenda: a presentation on the roles of a Local Board of Health, as presented at the WASALPHO Training session in October 2024; a review of the 2025 Board of Health Docket items; and a Joint Opioid Outreach Presentation presented by the Sheriff’s Office and Human Services.
  • Council of Governments, Wednesday, January 22 at 9 am. Agenda and zoom link.
  • Island Regional Transportation Planning Organization, Wednesday, January 22 at 10 am. Agenda and zoom link.
  • Island Local Integrating Organization, Wednesday, January 22 at 11 am. No agenda available; the zoom link will be the same as that used for the COG and IRTPO meetings.
• 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 February 5, 2025.
  • The Planning Commission met on Wednesday, January 15 to go over consultant recommendations on the Transportation Element of the Comprehensive Plan. The agenda for that meeting is here; the recording is here.
• As you may know, South Whidbey High School/Middle School gym experienced extensive flood damage and underwent largely insurance-funded repairs. The public reopening of the beautiful new gymnasium will take place on Friday, January 24th, with doors opening at 4:30 and the first game tipping off at 5 pm. Both Varsity girls and Varsity boys will have basketball games that evening. Go by if you get a chance!
• Island County Emergency Communications Center, better known as I-COM 9-1-1, has instituted a county-wide launch of PulsePoint, a free life-saving mobile app that notifies users when someone nearby is in cardiac arrest and needs immediate help. PulsePoint is like an AMBER alert for sudden cardiac arrest victims. It uses location-based technology to alert community members to a sudden cardiac arrest in their immediate vicinity so they can get to the victim first and start hands-only CPR in those critical, life-saving minutes before first responders are able to arrive. The app only alerts individuals to a cardiac arrest in public locations, not a private residence, and will now be available for the first time county-wide. You can find more information on I-COM’s website, icom911.org.  This is an impactful app for our community to be informed and to be heart safe. I encourage everyone to sign up.
• Because January 20 will be a holiday, I will NOT be available on Monday, January 20^th to meet with citizens. I will be available the following Monday, January 27^th, at Cedar and Salt in Coupeville at 1:30; at Crabby Coffee WiFire in Freeland at 3 pm; and at the Clinton Community Hall at 5 pm.

Melanie      

“Faith is taking the first step even when you can’t see the whole staircase.”

~Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.