ISLAND COUNTY: A Message from Commissioner Bacon (MELANIE BACON/Oct. 6, 2023)

Island County Commissioner Melanie Bacon (D-Langley) sent the following newsletter on Fri., Oct. 6, 2023.

Thank you for reading my newsletter for the 40^th week of 2023. I kept busy this week—but since I attended very few open public meetings this is a short newsletter (and I know some of you are saying “Yay!” because sometimes these things do go on and on.)

• Regular Session.  The agenda and recording for the October 3^rd regular session can be found here.
  • Public comment was heard about anonymous reporting to law enforcement.
  • Resolutions passed on the consent agenda: C-60-23, Approving the Hearing Examiner’s Recommendation on Site Specific Rezone ZAA 307/07, Rezoning Parcels R32219-328-3520 and R32219-330-3170 from Rural Agriculture to Rural; C-61-23, Scheduling a public hearing to approve the 2024 Long Range Planning Work Plan and Docket—November 7^th at 10 am; C-62-23, Scheduling a public hearing to approve the expansion boundaries of the O-ZI-YA Community Club Water System, October 24 at 10 am.
  • Resolution passed during the regular agenda: C-63-23, Proclaiming October 2023 National Disability Employment Awareness Month.
  • The agenda for the October 10^th meeting is here.                                       

• Work Session. Agenda here; recording here. We held a half-hour work session this week before going into all-day executive sessions to conduct interviews. There were two Public Works topics of the kind I usually don’t mention in these newsletters (discussion of minor capital improvement amendment items and funding a new compactor), and two Commissioner items (an appointment to the Sno-Isle Library Board Committee and discussion of the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee’s (LTAC’s) recommendations for 2024). All of these items either went to an upcoming consent agenda or later conversation. The agenda for the October 11^th work session can be found here.
• Island Transit held its monthly Executive Board meeting today. We discussed the first draft of the 2024 Budget.
• Upcoming Public Hearings:
  • October 17 regular session (10 am): Animal Welfare code revision
  • October 24 regular session (10 am): Diking District 4 assessments
  • October 24 regular session (10 am): Expanding the boundaries of the O-ZI-YA Community Club Water System
  • November 7 regular session (10 am): The 2024 Long Range Planning Work Plan and Docket
• Island County’s Department of Emergency Management will conduct two free 3-day 20-hour CERT basic trainings:
  • Camano Island: October 20-22, Vista Madrona Station
  • Whidbey Island: Coupeville Nov 3-5, BOCC Hearing Room (Fri & Sat) and Oak Harbor Fire Station (Sun). Fri 5-8; Sat and Sun 9-5.
  • Register by emailing dem@islandcountywa.gov for a registration packet.
• This year’s Ebey’s Forever Conference will take place November 3^rd & 4^th in Coupeville. This is also the 45th anniversary celebration of the Reserve’s enabling legislation being signed by President Jimmy Carter in 1978. In addition, the community potluck will be held at the Crockett Barn on November 3^rd, a (free) ticketed event this year. Tickets for the conference, the conference sessions, and the community potluck can be found both at ebeysreserve.com and at the ticket page here. 
• You can find all of my newsletters for 2023 here.
• Most Mondays I hold Monday Tea with Melanie at 3:00 pm at the WiFire Community Space, 1651 E. Main Street, Freeland. The people who attend seem to really enjoy the opportunity to speak with each other (and with me) about county issues. I invite you to join us.

Melanie

“Why is summer mist romantic and autumn mist just sad?”

~Dodie Smith