Submitted by the League of Women Voters Observer Corp, a nonpartisan organization that 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 Jan. 9
For 2026, Gib Black was elected president and Barbara Marett as vice president. Rich Goodheart remains District 3 Commissioner. The Commission adopted the amended policy allowing employees to gift leave hours to other employees with certain restrictions. The new policy will be included in the employee handbook.
The Commission approved a site plat alteration that allows four lots to be combined into three so that Saltwater Farm and Salty Paddle will stay separate entities with their own leases for the appropriate parcels. This will allow the Salty Paddle project to proceed. They have conditional use permits and are waiting for building permits.
The Commission approved fixing improperly executed assignments dating back to 2008 to clear the title and allow the sale and transfer of a lease from Grand Aero LLC to Skytrails Condominium Association.
The Council approved a resolution addressing the incorporation of several Port properties on County parcels into the Friday Harbor Urban Growth Area, including more of the airport and the Jensen’s Shipyard Cove properties. This would provide those Port properties with access to town water and sewer and shift permitting processes to the Town.
The Alchemy Arts Center presented a proposed Eelgrass Mural project to the Commission that they asked to exhibit on Port property. The commissioners approved the artwork idea and will entertain two options going forward: to issue a Request for Proposals for public art in a proposed location or to refer the proposal to the Friday Harbor Art Commission for their review and recommendation.
They plan to tour two to three proposed sites and will include a draft RFP on the agenda at the next meeting. The Port will schedule a special meeting with the Town Council, preferably in February or March. The Port will publish the annual newsletter in late May with the content finalized by the end of April.
The Port has updated Marina Rules and Regulations regarding reservations to accommodate new reservation software the Port is using. The new regulations will be clearly noted on the Port website.
Executive Director Todd Nicholson reviewed the Port’s various projects in the permitting phase, awaiting approval.
County Council special Jan. 12 retreat
At a previous meeting on Dec. 29, the Council ratified and executed the collective bargaining agreement with AFSCME Local 1849 union for 2026-2028. The Council adopted the County staffing levels and pay and benefit plans for 2026, including for the Sheriff’s Guild and non-represented staff.
At the Jan. 12 retreat, the Council elected Justin Paulsen as chair and Kari McVeigh as vice chair. They reallocated liaison roles among boards, committees and commissions, and for regional, state and national bodies and committees. After a brief review of things completed last year or wrapping up in 2026, the Council turned to specific areas to give directions to staff for this year.
For priorities on revising and updating county code and docket items, they identified with the director of community development and the prosecuting attorney to continue work to update the code in line with changes in the comprehensive plan, to correct inconsistencies, to update Land Use Tables and code and to do a needs assessment of code changes to improve housing affordability.
They approved a schedule to examine specific areas affecting the budget and will look at insurance in February, and fleet management in March, with organizational restructuring, internal service funds, and costs and fees for services in the following months. With the budget tightly constrained, positions cut for 2026 and a $3 million gap for 2027, the Council decided to put a levy lid lift on the ballot in 2026. Normally, a lid lift has been done on a five-year schedule, but the last one was in 2019. The Council decided to put the issue on the April 2026 special election ballot with a vote of 2-1, with Fuller advocating for later in the year. They decided to make it a single-year permanent lift, but will do more analysis and discussion before deciding on the rate of the request. They will discuss a draft resolution at the Feb. 3 meeting.
County Council regular meeting of Jan. 13
The Council recognized Jan. 19 as Martin Luther King Day and a Day of National Service. The WSU Extension Service reviewed programs in the county, including Master Gardeners, 4-H, Native Plant Sales, Agricultural and Forest management programs, and the Agricultural Summit. They will be holding a farmer listening session in February. 4-H operates on four islands and grew 71% last year.
The County manager’s office will manage the Capital Improvement Plan and will add a narrative format with priority criteria to go with the spreadsheets. They will continue a consolidated plan for facilities, transport and environmental stewardship projects. They reviewed priority facilities projects. They will budget an annual percentage for maintenance. The auditor updated the Council on the new Munis financial software; the vendor has agreed to provide support until the process is complete.
Matthew Bullock, human resources director, reviewed training, risk management improvements, faster recruitment and lower turnover. In 2026, they will negotiate a new contract with the Sheriff’s Guild. The Deputy County Manager, Tillary Williams, reviewed new standards for public defense and their impact on the county. The standards limit the cases a single public defender can handle. Felony cases are well below the limit, but misdemeanors are running 10-20 cases above the 120-case limit. A new behavioral health pilot project may reduce misdemeanor charges. Contracting services to handle the overage is costly.
The Land Bank reviewed activity in the 2025 and 2026 plans. The sale of Land Bank parcels to the National Park Service has been delayed, but is still funded. The Land Bank plans to sell 10 acres on Bailer Hill Road and may acquire a conservation easement near Cascade Creek on Orcas, and one next to Cady Mountain on San Juan. They are writing management plans for Cady Mountain and Dolphin Bay. The Beaverton Valley Marsh Trail Project must go to bid by late August.
Sev Jones, Department of Community Development director, updated the Council on the reduced backlog in permit processing; the average time to complete fell from 250 to less than 100 days. Permit requests have been stable. A first draft of an updated Critical Areas Ordinance is under review and will be out for public comment shortly. Code Enforcement is working through complaints. The department will review permit fees and adopt new ones in September. They plan to streamline the temporary use permit process and redesign their website. There is one new docket request and one to two more expected.
