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 expand public understanding of public policy and decisions. The notes do not necessarily reflect the views of the League or its members.
County Council meeting of Sept. 18
An Orcas Islander thanked the Council for listening to community concerns about Killebrew Lake Road Culvert project and spoke in favor of the new plan.
The Environmental Stewardship Department presented the Greenhouse Gas Inventory, which uses 2019 as the baseline year to avoid atypical data during the Covid years. County emissions were 177,830 tons. The largest sectors are transportation with 64% of emissions, land use 16%, and building energy use 9%. The biggest individual sources are wood-burning 19%, ferries, 18%, road traffic 15% recreational boating 15% and tree loss 10%. However, tree loss is mainly forest thinning which sequesters carbon greatly exceeding emissions. More data is wanted on off-road traffic and visitor impacts. Council recommended redirecting staff efforts to getting state/federal grants as the main barrier to reduction measures is a lack of staff and resources. The Council approved releasing the Inventory to the public and applying for and accepting a $300k state grant.
The Department then briefed the county on resilience to sea level rise. They are mapping the County for frequency, severity, and erosion hazards. Areas vulnerable to sea level rise include 930 structures, 13 miles of road, and key shoreline formations that impact sewer and water systems. Once mapping is done, they will engage the community about high-risk areas and do a backroads feasibility study for key road segments threatened on each island. They will start a policy planning process on culvert replacement and begin conversations about how to balance safety/access with environmental requirements, including possible regulatory relief.
Orcas has had multiple culvert failures and road flooding, with culverts deeply buried on steep slopes. The Bayhead Creek/Killigrew road project was canceled in June 2023 due to community protest to allow for a revised plan with more community input. A new plan limits road closures but has doubled the cost. The County is seeking a place near the project to accept fill hauled out of the site. Hauling off-island would further increase costs.
The public review of the SJI Destination Management Plan has been extended to Oct. 31. Clarifications are being provided to the public on issues with apparent confusion, especially the parking pass option. All possible actions in the draft plan are options for discussion, not a checklist of approved measures. The proposal to increase accommodation is for seasonal workers and not for visitors. Other community comments so far include questions about optimal capacity, housing and ferry issues, and public requests for improvements in bike lanes, roads, and ports.
The Council approved appointments to the Solid Waste Advisory Committee and the Civil Service Commission.
The Council discussed Gov. Inslee’s visit to the County on Sept. 26. Council Member Fuller will accompany the delegation. Council Chair Wolf will have a brief one-on-one meeting and plans to raise ferries, education, and climate resilience. The Treasurer’s Office has some numbers on the economic impact of ferry disruptions in the County which will be provided to the Governor.
Joint County and Town of Friday Harbor Councils meeting Sept. 19
During introductions, Friday Harbor Town Council Member Noel Monin said he would concede the race for his seat to Richard Geffen.
The two councils discussed a joint approach to state government about the Washington State Ferry issues impacting the islands. County Council member Fuller reviewed the County’s extensive communication with WSF, state legislators, and officials including via the Ferry Advisory Committee. The Town presented a draft letter to the Department of Transportation seeking a joint message with the County and others, including ports, the school districts, and chambers of commerce. The councils agreed to pass a joint draft to other potential signers to send to the governor’s office and other state agencies in early October, after next week’s visit to the county by the governor. They agreed to explore steps local government might take to increase services.
With affordable housing a priority for both, the Town reviewed changes to the code to allow detached accessory dwelling units. They discussed ideas to increase affordable workforce housing and noted private and public sector efforts. The County reported on the use of Affordable Housing funds, plans for a 1/10 th of 1% sales tax for affordable housing, and where things stand on the Argyle project. They are negotiating the lease with the developer, who then will begin design and town permitting.
Town Administrator Denice Kulseth reviewed the town water situation covering, supply, water rights, and treatment capacity. The Town smart program has greatly improved water management, reducing leakage losses. As water demand grows due to climate change and housing development, the town needs a fourth water filter soon and must replace the treatment plant in the coming decade. The Town is concerned about use of its water outside town limits. Residences in three areas beyond town limits that can use town water, but not if they are permitted as vacation rentals. The County agreed to notify the Town when such addresses get a vacation rental permit. The Town is concerned that the County issues building permits for properties intending to use hauled water as its supply. Most hauled water is purchased from the Town, but with sea level rise and more frequent droughts, increased demand for hauled water stresses treatment capacity and potentially supply. Water haulage for Hannah Heights significantly increased the demand for hauled water. The two sides agreed to work together to better understand how best to manage projected future demand. The Town asked for more communication about water use at the County Fairgrounds which are outside town limits. The Town faces difficulties in financing a new wastewater treatment plant. State Rep. Lekanoff is coming Oct. 13-14 to talk about grants for water, wastewater, and sewage.
The County updated the Town on the Zylstra Lake Trail project, which is still in early planning stages.
Board of Health meeting of Sept. 20
The Board discussed possible steps to get more consistent participation from the Town of Friday Harbor on the Board of Health.
The Accountable Communities for Health plans to get grantees, mainly the resource centers, to update the Board on their projects at future meetings. The Community Collaborative Committee recently had updates on their collaboration with SAFE San Juans and the Food Bank. Council Member Fuller reported on an opioid abatement sub-committee set up to distribute federal payouts in opioid settlements. So far $423k has been allocated for the five North Sound counties, a working group recommends whether funds go directly to county governments or through the North Sound Behavioral Health ASO, which has its own body to handle state payouts.
The County Health Communications Program Coordinator reviewed communications policies and programs to inform the public about health issues and programs. A process is in place for all documents and communications. Their social media accounts have good engagement levels. They will review and re-organize their portion of the County website and they are working with the county communications director to push out information on the Engage San Juans web platform, including the Community Health Survey: https://engage.sanjuancountywa.gov/community-health-assessment.
The Environmental Health Manager gave an update on the PFAS situation at Hannah Heights, which remains the only place where reportable levels of PFAS have been found. Residents still depend on hauled and bottled water, but the county received two state grants to reimburse the group for testing, hauled water and other costs, and the Association is applying for a USDA loan to help with the search for a new water supply. The County is applying for some funds for more support and to be prepared to support any water systems which might face similar issues.
The Board of Health approved a partnership where the county will handle blood tests for syphilis and HIV for Planned Parenthood patients that the organization cannot provide in-house in San Juan County, but for which the County has state-provided facilities and supplies. Initially, this will be on San Juan Island but in the new year, they plan to expand this to other islands.
Distribution of the new Covid vaccine approved this month by the FDA is being privatized and the grant received by the county for vaccines can not be used to buy the Covid vaccine, so the county canceled plans to provide it via mass vaccination events. They will get small quantities to vaccinate children and uninsured adults. Adults with insurance will need to get the vaccine at health providers or pharmacies.
The cost and insurance reimbursement policies are still unknown, slowing the rollout. The pharmacies on Orcas and Lopez hope to have some vaccine available in October. The large pharmacy chains on the mainland will probably provide the earliest availability of the vaccine.
