Island County Commissioners have approved a grant of $70k to the Low Income Housing Institute that will go towards “predevelopment costs” associated with the Institute’s proposal to purchase the Harbor Inn in Freeland and turn it into 10 low-income units. Also, the commissioners approved asking the Washington state Housing Trust...
Island County is taking action to stop people from camping on the beach alongside the road at Ebey’s Landing. The County Commissioners were informed there has been an explosion of unregulated campers who are leaving garbage, gray water and animal feces behind on the pristine beach. A local resident told...
Island County Commissioners are considering many different ideas on how to spend the $16.5 million of taxpayer dollars given to the County thru the federal governments American Rescue Plan Act. Commissioner Jill Johnson suggested giving $9 to $10 million to Habitat for Humanity for purchasing property and putting in infrastructure...
Based on advice from Island County Prosecutor Greg Banks, the Island County Commissioners have rescinded a resolution that would have provided Island County essential employees bonuses for their “incredible work” during the Covid pandemic. The problem is that Washington state law and the state constitution does not allow for retroactive...
Island County has received $16.8 million of taxpayer money from the Federal Government through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 which provided counties and municipalities across the nation with large amounts of cash and relatively permissive rules governing the use of the funds. The Island County Commissioners have decided...
Island County Commissioners voted to approve the Port of Coupeville’s application for funding through the State’s Rural County Economic Development Fund. This year, the commissioners decided to focus on funding projects related to broadband. Commissioner Melanie Bacon said this is a “huge priority” for the board. See the story by...
Douglas “Bernie” Upchurch has been appointed by the Island County Commissioners to serve out the term of Mary Engle, who resigned as assessor earlier this year to become the planning director for Island County. Following state law, the Island County Republican Central Committee presented the commissioners with the names of...
Jessie Stensland reports in the Whidbey News-Times that the state Department of Health has temporarily taken over contact tracing from Island County.
