HomeMy WebLinkAboutWORKSHOP Jefferson County Legislative Priorities JEFFERSON COUNTY
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
AGENDA REQUEST
TO: Board of County Commissioners
FROM: Greg Brotherton, District 3 Commissioner
DATE: January 12, 2026
SUBJECT: 2026 Jefferson County Legislative Priorities
STATEMENT OF ISSUE:
The BoCC will continue to discuss and refine what Jefferson County's Legislative Priorities should be for
2026 both for Capital Budget and on the policy side. We will be joined by the Assessor, Treasurer, and
Prosecutor to discuss their relative priorities as well. We will also include our legislative update in the is
workshop.
ANALYSIS:
Review the existing priority list, discuss with our fellow elected officials, and potentially modify our
legislative priorities.
RECOMMENDATION
Discuss and potentially act on modifying Jefferson County's 2026 legislative priorities.
REVIEWED BY:
Josh D. Peters, County Administrator Date
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s ,SO Heather Dudley-Nollette,District 1 Heidi Eisenhour,District 2 Greg Brotherton,District 3
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Jefferson County's Legislative Priorities for 2026— 2027
In addition to the priorities below, we'll actively support Washington Association of Counties priorities such as pursuit of
fiscal sustainability for counties, increased funding for public defense and housing, and finally funding for rural coroners.
CAPITAL BUDGET REQUESTS
• TOP PRIORITY:Completion of Phase 1 of the Port Hadlock Wastewater treatment system: add'I$6,750,000
needed to complete"'200 residential hook-ups including Joyce Mobile Home Park(24 units), B&R Mobile Home
Park(75 units)and Stages 3-4 of Phase 1 which are predominantly residential (^'80 Single Family Residences).
• Jefferson County and the City of Port Townsend are partnering on the Regional SR20 Mill Road Roundabout and
Jacob Miller Safety and Economic Development Project.Jefferson County supports the City of Port Townsend's
$800,000, 2026 legislative request for this project to be used for preliminary design/engineering and as a
prerequisite to future construction funding.
• Design funding for a mid-County Aquatic Center:Jefferson County is seeking support to complete the initial design
work for this important community asset in 2027.
• Support request for$31.35 million for DNR's Trust Land Transfer Program—which would fund Jefferson County's
Cape George,Anderson Lake, Beaver Valley projects.
• Support request for$18 million from the Natural Climate Solutions Account for replacement forests for the
encumbered land counties, money to support more ecological forestry instead of continued clearcutting of older
forests, and a small investment in capacity for DNR to jumpstart carbon projects.
POLICY PRIORITIES
Housing& Families:
• HB 1805 (Rep Tharinger) - Enhance well-being, promote mental health, and provide early interventions by funding
services for children and families through the creation of a local sales and use tax.
• HB 2269 (Rep. Bernbaum) -Support flexibility for Limited Areas of More Intensive Rural Development(LAMIRDS)
especially workforce housing, to the existing residents of areas like Quilcene, Brinnon and Chimacum.
• HB 1867-Allowing counties to develop affordable housing by imposing a real estate excise tax(REET), subject to the
will of the voters. Expanding eligibility to impose a local affordable housing REET to counties and to cities under
certain circumstances and changes the local affordable housing REET rate to be up to 0.5%.
• HB 1763/SB 5576 (Affordable Housing Tax) - Local Option Sales Tax for affordable housing on Short Term Rentals.
• Specific Legislation pending- Preserving mobile home parks as affordable housing.
Additional priorities:
• HB 2199 (Reducing derelict vessel impacts) - Provides clearer guidelines and more effective mechanisms for
managing abandoned and derelict vessels in Washington state's aquatic areas. We also support Kitsap County's
proposal to shorten the custody window from 30 to 15 days.
• HB 2351 (Protecting emergency responders and response operations) Preserves the integrity of emergency response
operations, protects the rights and safety of emergency responders, and ensures due process of law.
• HB 1607/SB 5502 (Bottle Bill) - Establishes a refund system for glass, plastic, and metal bottles.
• HB 2170 (Ecosystem Services Bill) -Authorizes DNR to enter carbon markets to generate revenue via management
for ecosystem service benefits like carbon sequestration.
• HB 1743 (Enhancing opportunities for community-based providers to provide health care services in carceral
settings.)
Phone (360) 385-9100 jeffbocc@co.jefferson.wa.us