Submitted by the League of Women Voters Observer Corps
The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan organization, encourages informed participation in government. The Observer Corps attends and takes notes at government meetings to promote public understanding of public policy and decisions. The notes do not necessarily reflect the views of the League or its members.
SJC Public Hospital District #1, meeting of Sept. 27
PHD Supervisor and EMS Chief Nathan Butler reported that finances are in good order, with additional tax funds coming in two months. The administration team is working to complete the transition from County financial control to PHD in January. With PHD control, paychecks will be issued twice monthly. There is a vacancy for a finance specialist with the resignation of Oswyn Eshelman. The EMS is facing two vacancies in full-time EMT positions, and paramedic retirements in the next five years. Summer activity was four-five% above 2022. The Fire Department and Sheriff’s Office new boats offer improved services to outer islands.
PHD Deputy Supervisor Evan Perrollaz reported that Ingrid Gabriel was hired as the new Director of Home Care Services. Skills training, including a CNA program are in the works. Peace Health is interested in providing hands-on skills training. Rezoning the Village to commercial looks favorable. The current Village renovation, with new carpet, paint and furniture, is nearing completion. Village Director Tina Smith is doing Medicaid preparation work and she said staff retention has improved. There will be a sale of old furniture at the end of October. Kelsey Lynch RN described her work on Village quality control programs, including pharmacy and operational software.
The Medicaid application committee is meeting this week, with Medicaid beds coming to the Village. The Commissioners approved a letter to WSF regarding the impact of unreliable ferry operations on islanders with mainland medical needs; they received 74 responses from the public on this issue. The letter will be sent to multiple stakeholders.
The 2024 Budget will be presented at the Oct. 25 regular meeting, with a Nov. 15 deadline for submission. The Commissioners approved streamlined operations reporting at meetings for Village operations, EMS operations and Home Care/Expansion. They approved $40,000 for solar installations on the EMS and Village buildings, using a solar grant obtained by Finance Director Wambsganss. The Commissioners approved proposed updates to Policies and Procedures that 1) increase in carryover PTO for EMS personnel to 180 hours 2) set a consistent pay scale for Village employees and 3) benefit awards for longevity for administrative and leadership team employees. Commissioner Loring partially dissented.
During public comment, Dr. Loren Johnson, retired ER physician, thanked the board for their work in the past several years, and advocated for disaster preparedness. Earthquake activity in the region could knock out ferry service indefinitely.
Friday Harbor Port Commission regular meeting of Sept. 27
Michelle Herko, Student Outreach Program Director at UW Friday Harbor Labs presented to the Commission the 5th Grade project. Six times per year the students take measurements at six sites in the Friday Harbor Marina to test water quality. The water temperature, salinity and direction of water movement are measured, recorded, graphed, and shared with the Port of Friday Harbor. They requested $3,500 from the Port to cover the costs of this program. The Commission will vote on this in November.
Marty McConnell, the Co-Ordinator of the Trades Training Programs for the Economic Development Council reported on their training programs and requested funding for the courses that train local workers and increase economic resilience in the county. The Commission asked how the EDC measures the impact and the effectiveness of the training.
The F-7 Hangar Assignment involved a name change from Dean Riley to Brynlee King and was approved by the Commission. The Commission approved Resolution 23-006 to amend the comprehensive Contracting Policy to increase the dollar value requiring formal competition from $300,000 to $350,000. The State allows the increase, and it works better for the Port.
The Commissioners reviewed the 2024 Tariffs. The Executive Director explained that these are set to follow the CPI in line with inflation. The Port has historically kept rates lower than other local facilities and they have the longest waiting list that they have ever had. If the Commission accepts the recommendations for 2024, they can be built into the next budget.
Staff will review the operating budget at the next meeting on Oct. 11 and the results will inform the capital budget proposal. The budget public hearing will be in November. The Executive Director wants to discuss passenger and landing fees, including a proposal for seaplanes treating them similarly to vessels that land as they currently do not pay for each passenger that lands.
Barbara Marrett reported on the Maritime Heritage meeting. All the coastal ports have decided to join the association which falls under the National Park Service. Its mission is to preserve and educate people about maritime history, but it has little funding. On San Juan Island, this program could lessen the impact of tourism by offering the opportunity to redirect people to lesser-known sites. They discussed additional topics from the Commissioners Seminar including strategic planning to provide long-term consistency. Commissions are encouraged to seek a healthy dose of community and stakeholder input. Other subjects included advice on staff evaluations, outreach suggestions and end of year evaluations for the Commissioners.
County Council regular meeting of Oct. 3
After reviewing the proposal several times this year, the Council passed an ordinance imposing a one-tenth of one percent 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’s Six-Year Transportation Infrastructure Plan and priorities for 2024. During public comment a citizen from Orcas Island requested the County chip seal two miles of Dolphin Bay Road under the gravel road paving line item.
Washington State Ferry staff presented preliminary results of the legislatively mandated study on increasing walk-on ferry travelers on the Anacortes-San Juan routes. In an online 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 Oct. 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.
Friday Harbor Town Council regular meeting of Oct. 5
Council Member Steve Hushebeck, presiding in the absence of the mayor, proclaimed October Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Safe San Juans Director Dave Dunaway thanked the Council and Town for their support in raising awareness of a problem that can affect anyone.
The Council approved an application for a grant for repairs and maintenance at Sunken Park. The lighting in the gazebo at the park has been repaired already. The Council approved four small change orders on the Nash Street project to fix infrastructure issues uncovered during construction and to source cheaper topsoil. The paving work is done, and access to the street will open on Monday. Only tree planting, clean-up and streetlight installation remain to complete the project. At the next meeting the Council will schedule a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The Public Works Director proposed a project for a more clearly marked pedestrian crossing on Tucker Street at the north side of Harbor Street with a stripe crossing and pedestrian crossing signs. A member of the public asked why the Town decided not to make such a crossing at Larson, where many people cross unsafely. They listed several reasons why that intersection is not a safe place to encourage people to cross. Public Works will present a project proposal with a budget for Council approval at the next meeting.
Council member Anna Maria De Freitas reported working on the joint letter with the County to Washington State Ferries.
Town Administrator Denice Kulseth reported the town was ordering some new additional Christmas decorations. The Town is close to a settlement with the Grange over an outstanding bill. The Town is negotiating a renewal of their lease of the Sutton Road waste facility. Town planning is following up some town residents regarding permitting for signs and events. Friday Harbor High School Students will be touring some public work facilities, and the Town may look at some high school summer internships. The interlocal agreement with the Fire District on business inspections will be ready for approval by the Council soon.She reported the review of the town’s water rights has shown they are currently drawing only about half their water rights. A full report on their water rights situation is coming soon. They will begin code enforcement regarding water supply on parcels outside town limits that are operating commercial establishments. The Town has the right to regulate water haulers but will probably need to create code around the issue and to discuss what parameters they want to regulate.
