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

Friday Harbor Port Commission regular meeting of May 23

The Commission approved the Port’s Public Art Policy, which Commissioner Marrett will share with the Town of Friday Harbor.

Executive director Todd Nicholson reported about a grant application for funds to support the Port Electrification project. The Commission approved port electrification contracting work giving the executive director authority to disburse funds to multiple contractors within the Port budget framework and the contract scope of work. The Commission will approve any work outside of the scope of the contract.

The County’s pilot interisland foot passenger project is successful. The Port will be following discussions on how to maintain service when the pilot ends.

The Commission approved a sub-lease transfer of Hangar K6 to Loren DeShon. The Commission reviewed different types of wind shelter options for the picnic space at Jackson Beach.

The state budget kept funding intact for various Port projects, including hangar upgrades, technical training and specialized tooling. The Port’s goal is to create a new marine trade sector and retain high-value technical work on the island. Blake Marine has performed well and will be supported by the new travelift, which will be possible with grant funding.

The Port is moving forward to lower the carbon footprint for all transportation, keep the local ecology in balance and avoid overdeveloped tourism. Current Port efforts for sustainability include solar canopies, converting the fleet to electric and providing electric charging stations in the marina.

County Council regular meeting of June 9

Communication Coordinator Erin Andrews updated the Council on conversations about the request to join the state committee organizing celebrations of the 250th anniversary of America’s independence in 2026. The state committee is including tribal nation sovereignty in the theme. After talking to county libraries and historical museums, who wanted a local history focus, there was both interest and questions about what resources the County would commit to and tribal partner engagement. The Council had mixed feelings and wanted to consult with tribes, veterans and other parties.

The Council heard a report on the progress of a language access program, building on the courts’ longstanding program to ensure that residents can access county services, especially in Spanish, but in other languages as needed through translated materials and interpretation. They are developing a list of resources and guidance and training for staff. They are getting feedback on the draft from staff and the public.

The human resources director reported on the diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging program with training modules on foundations, inclusivity and unconscious bias. Supervisors will get people management training. Then all employees will provide feedback. They are working on requests to improve interdepartmental communication.

Mark Tomkins, Health and Human Services Director, reported on the opioid settlement program. So far, the County has received about $320K, and money will continue to trickle in over the next decade. They have spent $17K on naxalone and next-step kits, which were distributed in the community. They will put out a request for proposals soon for programs to support people getting treatment which often must take place off-island. They plan to make $100K available each of the next two years.

Prosecuting Attorney Amy Vira updated the Council on the project to simplify County code, making it clearer and easier to use and eliminating redundancies and conflicting code. The project is halfway through and incorporating feedback from the public, staff and various parties where they find the code unclear or conflicting.

The food system team coordinator presented the food system plan which has five goals including increasing local food production, land stewardship, access to healthy food, reducing and processing waste, and growing community connections. County implementation will be a network approach guided by the comprehensive plan.

County Council regular meeting of June 10

State legislators Barbara Lekanoff, Alex Ramel and Liz Lovelett reported on what was accomplished in the legislative session, including work on increasing housing supply, securing health insurance in the face of Medicaid cuts, progress on salmon recovery, more support for schools, maintaining improvements for San Juan ferry service and funding projects in the County like the Pea Pod projects and Lopez Food Center. They kept climate commitment funding and passed recycling reform.

The Council held public hearings and approved ordinances on vacation rental permits in Eastsound and Lopez Village and amending land tables. An Orcas resident asked the Council to address a regulatory gap in the Eastsound vacation rental permits. They approved an ordinance vacating an unused County road on the fairgrounds and an ordinance clarifying that parking infractions incur fines only and not civil infraction assessments. The Council approved two applications to the state Recreation and Conservation Office for funding for the Land Bank Coho Preserve project and an Environmental Stewardship Department salmon recovery project. Council member Jane Fuller will talk to the Washington State Association of Counties about getting RCO to address some potentially problematic language in the contracts. The Council adopted a resolution calling for a public hearing on a petition to form a Lopez Island Parks and Recreation District and set a public hearing on July 15.

Sheriff Eric Peter and County Manager Jessica Hudson reported they identified a possible location on Lopez Island to relocate the sheriff’s substation from the fire district building before their lease ends on Dec. 31. If they secure the property, they have the offer of a free modular building that Island County is seeking to rehome. They will need to pay only for transportation and basic remodeling and repair. The County will do further due diligence and consultation with the Lopez community. The County made an interim change to raise the allowed lodging expense for people staying in San Juan County on County business and will review other proposed adjustments to the County travel and meal policy with the auditor’s and PA’s offices.

SJI Fire District regular meeting of June 10

The Regular Board Meeting started after an executive session.

The Commissioners adopted a resolution approving signing bonuses, relocation money and other incentives to prospective employees. The Commissioners amended the 2025 budget reflecting the increased revenue from the levy passage. SJI School District is close to signing an agreement for the Fire District’s use of the Stuart Island West property.

Chief Monin updated the Board on the success of the Wildfire Ready Neighbors Program managed by Kathleen Salinas. This program will end in its present form at the end of June. Community members interested in assessment visits after that will need to contact the Fire District’s Fire Prevention coordinator directly.

Chief Monin introduced Jordan Pollack who is implementing the Outer Island Fire Brigade Program. Pollack described the six brigades that have been set up and their training.

The Council has been invited to a Lummi tribal event on June 16. The governor’s visit on July 14 will include a public meeting at Brickworks focused on ferry and transportation issues. (Editor’s note: This has since been changed to Orcas Island.) The County hired a new public defender to begin Aug. 8. A new State Supreme Court decision on public defense could increase county funding needs. They will interview six candidates to head the Department of Community Development.