Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutDRAFT CFCOC Special Meeting Minutes 20260421 P a g e 1 | 5 http://www.co.jefferson.wa.us Conservation Futures Fund Citizen Oversight Committee (CFFCOC) Special Meeting: Hybrid between Jefferson County Public Health, Pacific Room and Online via Zoom April 21, 2026 from 2:00 to 5:00 PM DRAFT Meeting Summary * Decisions and action items are indicated in bold font. Members Present: Tom Backman – District 3; Carol Bernthal, Vice Chair – District 1; Rob Harbour – Interest, Working Lands; Cheryl Lowe – Interest, Habitat Values (ineligible to vote today); Ron Rempel, Chair – Interest, Wildlife Conservation Biology; Robert Simmons – Interest, Watersheds; Esther Trueblood – Interest, Small Farms and Forests; Dave Wilkinson – District 1 Members Absent: Laurie de Koch – District 3; E. Ryan McMackin – Interest, Wetlands; Joanne Pontrello – District 2 County Staff Present: Michael Dawson, Environmental Health and Water Quality Manager; Tressa Linquist, Clerk Public Present: Peter Bahls, Northwest Watershed Institute I. Call to Order, Roll Call, and Determination of Quorum Chair Ron Rempel called the meeting to order at 2:05 PM. Everyone in attendance introduced themselves. A quorum was present. II. Agenda The agenda was approved, receiving no objection. III. Public Comments An email comment from member of the public Kirie Pedersen, of Brinnon, was read aloud. Pedersen wrote in support of the East Dabob Bay Acquisition project. IV. Minutes of Previous Meetings P a g e 2 | 5 The draft minutes of the March 31, 2026 meeting were approved, receiving no objection. V. Old Business VI. Sub-committee Reports • Storymap Sub-Committee The Storymap Sub-Committee (Rob Harbour, Cheryl Lowe and Tom Backman, with staff assistance) had not met since the last CFFCOC meeting in March. They have paused their work until after the project review cycle is complete. They had no further update. • Materials Sub-Committee The Materials Sub-Committee (Carol Bernthal, Dave Wilkinson, Ron Rempel, with staff assistance) had not met since the last CFFCOC meeting in March and did not have any updates. They will likely meet once before the retreat but do not have a date set. As CFFCOC Chair, Ron Rempel tasked the sub-committee with reviewing eligibility requirements for voting on CFF project recommendations, as this issue has been raised by multiple CFFCOC members. Due to existing restrictions on meeting attendance, three CFFCOC members were not eligible to vote on project recommendations despite having attended the site visit. Should these restrictions be amended to be more flexible? There is a lot of redundancy between the site visit, application content, and presentation meeting. Perhaps an allowance should be made to view the presentation meeting recording after the meeting. • Retreat Planning Subcommittee The Retreat Planning Sub-Committee (Carol, Esther, Rob, with staff assistance) has chosen a retreat facilitator, and moved the date to September. They will be sending out a survey for preferred September dates. A budget proposal for the retreat is being drafted for approval by the County Administrator. VII. New Business • Conflict of Interest Policy Review and Individual Verbal Affirmation CFFCOC Bylaws section 13 regarding conflicts of interest was displayed and reviewed. An Appearance of Fairness statement was read aloud, and everyone present was invited to object to another’s participation. There were no objections. For each project application, three questions related to conflicts of interest (provided by PAO in 2002) were asked aloud to the group, and all members were allowed and encouraged to recuse themselves if a conflict existed. No conflicts were noted. Robert’s Rules of Order procedures for passing motions were briefly reviewed. P a g e 3 | 5 • Project Application Score Review o The highest score possible was 214 points (100%) o East Dabob Bay Acquisition averaged 193 points (76%) o Olympic Discovery Trail Eaglemount Link averaged 152 points (60%) o The ODT Eaglemount Link project did not meet the 70% automatic eligibility threshold o The total funding amount requested this cycle exceeds the amount available. ▪ East Dabob Bay Acquisition: Request reduced to $395,000 ▪ Olympic Discovery Trail Eaglemount Link: Requesting $43,312.50 ▪ Total amount available $420,000 ▪ Total amount requested $438,312.50 Composite scores were reviewed for each project, and members were given opportunity to change their submitted score, if desired. Some CFFCOC members chose to update their submitted score for one or more questions. These changes did not affect the initial composite score for the East Dabob Bay project, at 76%. The score changes did reduce the ODT Eaglemount Link composite score from 62% to 60% of points possible. However, there was much discussion on the way in which the CFF score sheet questions focus mostly on agriculture and habitat and do not have any questions related to passive recreation projects. Thus, you might expect this type of project to receive a low score despite the majority sense that it is a valuable potential project. A member expressed their strong view that although the RCW 84.34.020 definition of “Open Space” includes “enhance recreation opportunities,” they believe that CFF funds should not be used for recreation projects, even walking trails. They stated concern that funding recreation-oriented projects might invite additional similar projects and take funding away from typical conservation efforts. They requested that the County attorney (PAO) be asked to weigh-in on the appropriateness of the use of CFF funds for the project. The CFF program manual prohibits use of the fund for “active recreation” uses but allows “passive recreation” – what is the difference? Tressa had spoken to PAO about the issue already but had not received a definitive answer. *Tressa will discuss with PAO further and report back to the member. In support of the use, it was noted that the original CFF ordinance, Jefferson County Ordinance 06-0708-02, does state in the “Whereas” section that the fund shall be used for, among other uses, “reserving trail rights-of-way.” The CFF funds are requested to reimburse for easement acquisition only – no funds are requested for trail construction or maintenance. There was a brief break. • Project Priority Ranking Carol Bernthal moved to consider both proposals eligible for funding and open discussion. Rob Harbour seconded. Discussion on ODT Eaglemount followed. Several members argued the project fits the program’s purpose because it would provide significant public benefit P a g e 4 | 5 connecting Port Townsend to the rest of the ODT. Without it, the alternative route would be many miles longer and much less safe. Members noted that previous projects with recreational (Quimper corridor), scenic (Gateway to PT), and cultural (Tamonowas) values had received Conservation Futures funding, even if they were not strictly habitat conservation projects. The conversation continued around whether the project fully met the formal conservation criteria in JCC 3.08.040, and whether funding recreation-oriented projects could shift priorities away from resource protection. It was noted that the committee’s role is advisory and independent from the county commissioners, and that members should vote based on their own judgment. The motion to consider both proposals eligible for funding was put to a vote. Six members voted in favor and one voted in opposition. The motion passed. • Funding Recommendations The meeting shifted to funding allocation details. The CF fund has $420,000 available. The combined request exceeds that amount at $438,312.50. Staff were asked whether additional reserve funds could be made available to make up the ~$18,000 shortfall? How is the reserve determined, and who approves it? *Staff will discuss alternative possibilities with JCPH Finance ahead of the BoCC briefing. NWI has reduced their funding request for the East Dabob Bay project from $420,000 to $395,000 because of increased matching funds from Navy REPI. Considering this, members explored several options: Fully funding East Dabob Bay at the original amount requested ($420,000), funding East Dabob Bay at the reduced amount requested ($395,000) and partially funding ODT Eaglemount Link (to $25,000), splitting the shortfall evenly between the projects (subtracting $9,000 from each), fully funding both projects contingent on access to reserve funds, or recommending alternative funding scenarios if reserve funds are unavailable. Members strongly opposed reducing funds to East Dabob Bay, as it was agreed that this project type is central to the program mission. Dave Wilkinson moved to recommend fully funding the East Dabob Bay Acquisition project at $395,000, and to recommend that any available remaining or reserve funds be granted to the Olympic Discovery Trail Eaglemount Link project, up to $43,312.50. Carol Bernthal seconded. Discussion followed on the immediacy of need for each applicant, and on the budget, and to clarify the committee’s message to the BoCC. The motion was put to a vote – all voted in favor. VIII. Discussion of Next Meeting Date and Agenda The next scheduled CFFCOC meeting is Tuesday, October 13 from 3:00-5:00 PM. Officers will be elected and the program materials review process will begin. There will be a vision retreat in September, with date TBD. IX. Announcements P a g e 5 | 5 Members reflected positively on the depth and quality of the discussion, noting it was more substantive than prior years. X. Public Comments Peter Bahls of NWI thanked the committee for its thoughtful deliberation and support of the project. XI. Adjournment Chair Ron Rempel adjourned the meeting at 4:16 PM. Action Items: *Tressa to follow-up with PAO and CFFCOC member regarding appropriateness of use of funds for trail recreation projects. *Staff will discuss alternative funding possibilities with JCPH Finance ahead of the BoCC briefing. • UPDATE 04/29/2026: JCPH Finance has approved a reduction in the fund reserve to 10%. The amount available to fund projects in 2026 is $459,640.24. Sufficient funds are available to fully fund both projects as recommended: $395,000 to East Dabob Bay Acquisition and $43,312.50 to Olympic Discovery Trail Eaglemount Link ($438,312.50 total). Meeting summary prepared by Tressa Linquist