LWVSJ Observer Corps*: County Council October 3, 2023
After reviewing the proposal several times this year, the Council passed an ordinance imposing a 1/10th of 1% sales tax for housing and related services. During public comment Heather Stansbury of the Orcas CoHo project, Jennifer Armstrong on behalf of the County Resource Centers and San Juan Island resident Steve Olvie spoke in support of the tax. Council members had heard little or no opposition to the tax,
expected to cost less $20 per year per resident.
The Council had a second review of the County 6-year Transportation infrastructure Plan and priorities for 2024. During public comment a Judy of Orcas Island requested the county chip seal two miles of Dolphin Bay Road under the gravel road paving line item.
Washington State Ferry (WSF) staff presented preliminary results of the legislatively-mandated study on increasing walk-on ferry travelers on the Anacortes-San Juan routes. In an on-line survey, half the participants were from the county and half from the mainland. The challenges facing walk-ons were a lack of multimodal connections, the need to carry luggage/goods, parking, and ferry unreliability. A high-level challenge is coordinating transportation connections across SJI and Skagit county. The final report is due out in December.
The Council discussed their proposal to respond to a Town of Friday Harbor request for more frequent communication. They are currently working with the Town on a joint letter to WSF.
Budget hearings continued from October 2, with presentations from the County and Superior Court Clerk who reported staffing was improved, passport processing is up and protection orders processed have doubled. Health and Community Services is requesting three new positions, a Senior Services Specialist, a Social Worker and an Emergency Preparedness Coordinator. There is funding available for all three partly due to increased state funding for public health. The IT section is requesting a new position to handle increasing security needs. Hardware and software are up-to-date. They are requesting funds for a new emergency dispatch system. The Emergency Management Department offered a status quo budget and noted the new Emergency Operations Center at the Fairgrounds will be ready soon, and that they will focus on outreach and oil spill preparations in 2024. The Council budget includes a line item adding software licenses for Sharepoint for some boards and commissions. The Council wants to look at whether to allocate funds for a lobbyist.
The Council added an item to the agenda to discuss a response for a request for a written commitment to provide an easement on Lopez Island. After a briefing from the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office and Public Works, the Council concluded that it could not provide a written commitment, given the governmental processes required.
The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan organization encourages informed participation in government. The Observer Corps attends and takes notes at government meetings to expand public understanding of public policy and decisions. The notes do not necessarily reflect the views of the League or its members.