ISLAND COUNTY: A Message from Commissioner Bacon [Mar. 8, 2024] (MELANIE BACON)

Island County Commissioner Melanie Bacon (D-Langley) sent the following newsletter on Fri., Mar. 8, 2024.

Thank you for reading my newsletter for the 10^th week of 2024.

Note: the Marshall Drainage District Assessment public hearing will NOT be held this week. This public hearing is now tentatively rescheduled for May 21 (pending Board approval of date).

You may recall that the Board has asked the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee (LTAC) to hold a special meeting to make funds available for organizations wanting to sponsor community fireworks displays this July. Unfortunately, we have had two resignations on the LTAC and can’t make quorum! So I need a couple of new LTAC members in order to make this money available now! To apply to serve on the LTAC, you need to be someone associated with activities authorized to be funded by revenue received under the lodging tax. This could include (examples only) employees of Island Shakespeare, Langley Main Street, Penn Cove Water Festival, Coupeville Chamber, Sound Water Stewards, Earth Sanctuary, Meerkerk Gardens, Price Sculpture Forest, and similar non-profits that engage with tourists in Island County. The LTAC committee only meets a few times a year, and does really important work. If you work or volunteer for one of these types of organizations and could represent them on the committee, please consider applying for the LTAC by emailing Jennifer at j.roll@islandcountywa.gov. Right away, please!

• Regular Session.  The agenda and recording for the Tuesday March 5 Regular Session is here.
  • Public comment was received on: the responsibility to manage rainfall on our properties for aquifer recharge; also, 4 South Whidbey restaurant owners spoke about frustrations with recent health inspection actions.
  • The Board approved a contract with Parametrix for Climate Resilience Planning for the 2025 Comprehensive Plan Update. The presentation on this begins at mark 00:32:22 in the above video recording. The contract includes opportunities for public engagement.
  • Resolution C-12-24, consent agenda: Certification of the Island County Personal Property Inventory for 2023.
  • We held a public hearing for the Puget Sound Energy franchise renewal, which allows PSE to use County right-of-way for their power distribution system. I used this opportunity to once again express my wish that PSE would move their lines underground. The public hearing begins at mark 00:41:18 in the recording.
  • The agenda for our Tuesday,  March 12 regular session is here. We will hold the two franchise renewal public hearings shown below.

• Upcoming BOCC Public Hearings (held during Tuesday board meetings, beginning at 10 am):
  • March 12: Franchise Renewal Saratoga Shores (Camano)
  • March 12: Franchise Renewal Juniper Beach (Camano)
  • March 19 (pending BOCC approval of date): Compost Procurement Ordinance
  • March 19: New Franchise 58 W Camano
  • March 19: SMP, Public Hearing deliberation continued from 2/6.
  • March 26: Countywide Planning Policy
  • March 26: Franchise Renewal Whidbey Country Club
  • April 2: Opening an unopened County Right-of-Way known as Rowe Road (Camano)
  • April 2 (pending BOCC approval of date): 2023 Budget Amendment
  • April 16 (pending BOCC approval of date): Crescent Acres Water System
  • May 14 (pending BOCC approval of date): Franchise Renewal Saratoga Beach (Whidbey)
  • May 21 (pending BOCC approval of date): Marshall Drainage District Assessment
• Upcoming IRTPO Public Hearing
  • March 27, 10 am: Regional Transportation Plan

• Work Session. The agenda for the Wednesday, March 6^th work session is here. The recording is here. The presentation from Planning is here.
  • We moved things around a fair bit, so the times shown in the agenda aren’t very dependable today. Also, because we spent so much time with Planning, the Public Health agenda items were moved to a future date.
  • We started with the Commissioners’ office. Cama Beach State Park on Camano Island is now closed, for an undetermined period of time, due to water and septic issues; mark 0:03:03 in the audio recording. Commissioner St. Clair will host a town hall on March 21 with representatives from State Parks to discuss this. Contact our office for information on how to access that town hall.
  • District Court Judge Bill Hawkins has announced his retirement, effective the end of May. The Board of County Commissioners will be appointing his replacement. We had thought we would be appointing a temporary replacement pending the general election this November, but have now learned that since Judge Hawkins will remain on the bench through May, past the filing date for the general election, the person the Board appoints will remain on the bench until the general election in November 2026. Mark 0:13:43 in the recording.
  • We held an interesting conversation with Coroner Shantel Porter about our autopsy and storage procedures for Coroner-mandated autopsies. When the Coroner deems an autopsy to be necessary, the County pays for it; we will now also be paying for the facility where the autopsies are performed and the storage of the remains. Island County performs 5 – 8 autopsies per month, an increase in recent years due to methamphetamine and fentanyl use. Mark 0:17:03 in the recording.
  • We received a presentation on the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) project. Mark 0:37:34 in the recording; the agenda begins on page 8 of the agenda and the draft CEDS begins on page 34. Page 12 shows the difference between the CEDS and the Comprehensive Plan; mark 0:41:00 in the recording. For one thing, the CEDS is a voluntary Federal document under the Economic Development Administration; the Comp Plan is a mandated State document under the Growth Management Act.
  • Public Works gave a Solid Waste update, mark 2:13:21 in the recording. Starting next month, citizens should expect drop-off delays at the Coupeville transfer station for about 12 weeks while we prepare the new pad for our new compactor. We expect the new compactor to be installed before the heavy-use summer months. You can see a picture of what our new compactor will look like on page 117 of the agenda. The presentation from Republic Services (who haul our Whidbey solid waste off-island) begins on page 121 of the agenda. Per the Republic Account Manager: “There have been more changes in the last 2 years in waste management than there’s been in the last 20”—due to waste industry actions in response to climate change and new technologies in the recycling of organics and inorganics. In other words: it’s worth your effort to recycle again.
  • We discussed a Public Benefit Rating System (PBRS) application on Camano Island, mark 2:50:39 in the recording, page 155 in the agenda. The applicants want to put 16 acres into PBRS and set aside 1 acre to build a home; it was unclear to the Board where in the parcel that home would be built. If the applicant intends to put their house in the location the Board believes to have the least ecological consequence (i.e. near the road, not near the bluff), the Board agreed to move the PBRS application to a public hearing. Otherwise, we will want further work session discussion.
  • We spent most of the afternoon talking through changes to goals and policies of the 2016 Land Use Element, beginning at mark 3:03:11. The slide presentation is available above; the 2016 Land Use Element begins on page 202 of the agenda.
  • The agenda for the Wednesday, March 13 work session is here. On that agenda: Human Service’s recommendation for an affordable housing developer for the County’s property on Swantown Road; Surface Water Quality Program update (great presentation begins on page 8 of the agenda); grant opportunities to fund Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in support of the Island County Sheriff’s anti-terrorism response and protection; request for approval to solicit proposals from qualified firms or individuals for solid waste transportation and disposal services (the agenda includes 178 pages associated with this item, believe it or not); a new parcel added to a water system; continuation of the Board’s conversation on the Comp Plan Land Use Element.
• 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.
  • The Island County Long Range team currently has two surveys available on their online engagement website: Land Use & Housing. They invite you to participate in these surveys and give input on what goals & policies need updating in the comprehensive plan update. There is also a comments section on the engagement site that is always open for public comment. 
  • Planning is bringing the Land Use and Housing Elements forward to the Planning Commission and Board of County Commissioners in March.
  • During the March 5^th regular session the BOCC voted to move forward on a contract with Parametrix for Climate Resilience Planning for the 2025 Comprehensive Plan Update.
  • During the March 6^th work session the BOCC began a review the 2016 Comprehensive Plan Land Use Element’s goals and policies, which will continue on March 13.
  • The Comprehensive Plan Update public engagement website is now live: https://www.islandcounty2045.com/. I encourage you to join and participate.
  • The next meeting of the Planning Commission will be held Wednesday, March 20.
• Tomorrow (Saturday) at noon I will be speaking at the dedication ceremony and grand opening of Central Whidbey Island Fire & Rescue Station 53. This semi-formal multi-event ceremony will include ribbon cutting, first flag raising, invocation, and key speaker comments. An open house will follow the ceremony.  The address is 1164 Race Road, Coupeville, WA  98239. 
• Goosefoot Needs a Pickup Truck—Goosefoot is in search of a truck to aid with waste removal, recycling, landscaping, and equipment transport. It doesn’t need to be fancy  or a four-wheel drive. They’re just on the hunt for a good, basic pickup in decent mechanical shape. As a 501(c)3 nonprofit, any donations to Goosefoot qualify for a tax write-off. They have some budget set aside for the right vehicle if you’re not in the position to donate. Please call (360) 321-4145 or email Facilities & Maintenance Director Larry Shorey at larry@goosefoot.org if you have a truck that will fit their needs.
• Nice news of the week: Last Saturday night at Lumen field, the South Whidbey Youth Soccer Club  (SWYSC) U14 select soccer team, coached by Nicholas Del Faro and Jeffrey Fisher, took an inspirational field trip to watch the Seattle Sounders play. SWYSC U14 Select Soccer Player Ganyon Davis Wolfgang Stich (of Langley) scored a goal before the game, which got him a slot to try to do it again at halftime on the Jumbotron, with the opportunity to donate to the RAVE Foundation charity. It was a very exciting experience for the whole team. Way to go, Ganyon! 
• Rotten news of the week: Although the budgets for both the Washington State House and the Senate included our requested water study, it is not included in the final budget! At all! We’re trying to find out what happened, and will identify alternative funding for this important initiative.
• How progress happens in County Government: Third in a series. I’m using a simplistic, non-existent, non-controversial issue as the example through all of this: “I and my neighbors want the County to declare Orange as our official County color, and we want the County to pass a resolution about this and enshrine this in code. I am aware that there is another community in the County pressing for a different color to be declared “official”. But I know they’re wrong, and I and my neighbors are right. Also, I’m convinced that the Permitting Department is opposed to having an official color, because they think they won’t be able to enforce the code.”
  • Week 1: Where do I start?
  • Week 2: What will the Commissioners do with the information I’ve given them?
  • Today: What’s the value of public hearings—haven’t the Commissioners already made up their minds?

—People ask me this question all the time. The answer is: not really. The tenor of the conversation and perspective of the Board has occasionally been swayed during a public hearing, after we’ve listened to comments we heard from the public or answers to questions we gave to staff. I remember one time we changed the language in a code revision because of a suggestion made by a citizen at the public hearing (we had to hold a second public hearing, because the change was “substantive”). Your commissioners genuinely want to know what you think about things. The public hearing is your last chance to let us know before we take action to create a road or a code or assess a tax—or make any other change that will affect your life or the quality of your neighborhood. So, for example, maybe the public hearing is to decide whether or not to declare Green our official County color. Your want Orange. You and your like-minded friends should come to the public hearing and tell us why Green is a poor choice and Orange is the right one. We want to hear from you!

—Now, something like the annual budget—by the time that goes to public hearing, we’ve had so many meetings on it that our minds are probably pretty set. But even that is open to change at the public hearing, if someone were to bring up something we hadn’t thought about before.

• Next week: How does a code get changed (part 1)?
• You can find all of my newsletters since January 2023 here.
• Effective this Monday, March 11, I am expanding my Monday meetings with citizens to include an hour each week in Coupeville. These are opportunities for you to meet in an open group to discuss anything County-related with me and anyone else who drops by. Below is my normal Mondays with Melanie schedule:
  • 1:30 – 2:30 pm, Cedar & Salt Coffee House, 200 S. Main Street, Coupeville
  • 3:00 – 4:00 pm, WiFire Community Space, 1651 E. Main Street, Freeland
  • 4^th Monday of the month: 5:00 – 6:00 pm, Clinton Community Hall, 6411 S. Central Avenue, Clinton

Melanie

“Treat stormwater as an asset instead of a nuisance.”

~Bill Poss, commenting at this week’s Board of Island County Commissioners meeting about including groundwater resource enhancement for aquifer recharge in our 2025 Comprehensive Plan update.