Latest Curated Headlines from Oak Harbor and North Whidbey

CITY OF OAK HARBOR: Finance Director David Goldman released a new video in his Let’s Talk Finance series. This video covers how the City receives and can spend sales taxes.

WHIDBEY NEWS-TIMES: Oak Harbor may annex 80 acres into city limits while accepting a reduced 20‑year growth target, a compromise that curtails UGA expansion amid disagreements over infrastructure responsibilities and workforce housing.

CITY OF OAK HARBOR: The Dec. 9, 2025 Planning Commission meeting was cancelled for lack of a quorum. Vice Chair Eddie Fry made some comments on the occasion of the end of his tenure on the Commission.

CITY OF OAK HARBOR: This meeting of the Oak Harbor Marina Advisory Commission focused on bylaw authority, marina policy documents, pumpout service, moorage rules, and planning for a tenant meeting.​

CITY OF OAK HARBOR: Oak Harbor’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission tackled a mix of policy questions and user conflicts at its December 8 meeting, weighing how to manage everything from pickleball‑tennis tensions to metal detecting in city parks.​

WHIDBEY NEWS-TIMES: Oak Harbor rejected annexing Valley High Mobile Home Park, keeping responsibility for its failing sewage system with the owners and county despite concerns for long‑time residents living with serious infrastructure problems.

WHIDBEY NEWS-TIMES: Oak Harbor adopted a court‑driven stay‑out‑of‑designated‑area ordinance letting judges bar certain drug offenders from a south‑side business zone to reduce concentrated drug activity and related crime.

CITY OF OAK HARBOR: The City Council’s Dec. 2, 2025 meeting centered on approving a mid‑biennial budget amendment, adopting a stay‑out‑of‑designated‑area (SODA) ordinance targeting drug‑related activity, and considering the Mangat annexation request.

CITY OF OAK HARBOR: “The goals of the SODA (Stay Out of Designated Area Ordinance) are to reduce repeat criminal behavior, increase public and business safety, provide an enforceable tool for courts and police, and encourage rehabilitation outside the target zone,” Police Chief Tony Slowik.

WHIDBEY NEWS-TIMES: WhidbeyHealth’s board replaced president James Golder with Marion Jouas after a disputed closed session over “personnel and legal” issues, while publicly affirming confidence in Jouas and the hospital’s direction.