HomeMy WebLinkAbout091826M - Conservation Futures (4ON
4SRI Nc;
MINUTES
Jefferson County Board of County Commissioners
and the Conservation Futures Citizens Oversight Committee
Joint Special Meeting — September 18, 2026, 1:30 p.m.
Jefferson County Courthouse—Commissioners' Chambers
1820 Jefferson Street, Port Townsend, WA (Hybrid)
CALL TO ORDER: Chair Greg Brotherton, Commissioner Heidi Eisenhour and Commissioner
Heather Dudley-Nollette participated in the meeting. Chair Brotherton called the meeting to order at the
appointed time and passed Chairing duties to Commissioner Dudley-Nollette, as he was attending
virtually. Conservation Futures Citizens Oversight Committee (CFCOC) Chair Ron Rempel called their
Special Meeting to order, and had each member in attendance introduce themselves. The purpose of the
meeting was for the Board of County Commissioners to meet with the CFCOC members and discuss a
variety of topics, and give direction if needed. Chairing duties for the joint meeting were passed to
CFCOC Chair Rempel for the remainder of the meeting.
PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD: There were no public comments.
WORKSHOP re: the Conservation Futures Citizens Oversight Committee (CFCOC): Discuss
project-rating requirements and priorities under the Conservation Futures Fund criteria
established in the Jefferson County Code, and consider potential guidance for the program:
CFCOC Chair, members, and the County Commissioners participated in discussion regarding the future
direction of the County's Conservation Futures program, including whether its project criteria and
scoring system still reflect current conservation priorities. The Commissioners generally supported
modernizing the criteria while keeping enough flexibility to consider valuable projects that may not fit
neatly within the current scoring system.
The Commissioners encouraged the committee to look beyond traditional silviculture and consider
broader forest conservation benefits such as climate resilience, sustainable management, and watershed
protection. They also supported stronger consideration of adopted County plans, clearer criteria for trail
and recreation projects, and a scoring process that is objective, understandable, and consistent.
Commissioner Brotherton suggested revisiting the current low-score threshold so worthwhile projects
are not unnecessarily excluded.
Also discussed was including more accountability and outreach, and to include clearer expectations for
project deliverables, stewardship, reporting, and alignment between what applicants propose and what is
ultimately implemented. The Commissioners supported broader outreach to potential applicants,
particularly in western Jefferson County, and expressed openness to expanding eligibility. The CFCOC
members were also encouraged to gather information on unmet project demand before considering any
future increase in the Conservation Futures levy rate.
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Commissioners Meeting Minutes of September 18, 2026
NOTICE OF ADJOURNMENT: Acting Chair Dudley-Nollette adjourned the meeting
at 3:06 p.m. until the next regular meeting or special meeting as properly noticed.
JEFFERSON COUNTY
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