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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-04-05Board’s Official Business Highlights from Monday’s Commissioner Meeting October 4, 2005 BUDGET HEARINGS: The statute requires that the public hearings for next year’s budget be held the first week in October. The County Administrator and the Central Services Director will schedule meetings with the Department Heads and Elected Officials later in October. They will also have several budget workshops with the Board over the next month. When the final draft budget is available, another public hearing will be scheduled before it is adopted by the Board. PUBLIC HEARING: Approximately 35 people were present for a public hearing on a proposed ordinance to impose a 1/10 of 1% sales and use tax to provide new or expanded chemical dependency or mental health treatment services and for the operation of new or expanded therapeutic Court programs. Fifteen people spoke in favor of the tax and there were no comments in opposition. Recently adopted by the State, this legislation gives the Board the choice of imposing the tax or putting the issue before the voters on the ballot. Budget cuts in services for mental health treatment and substance abuse treatment at the State and Federal levels contributed to the Board’s decision to pass the ordinance imposing the tax without putting it on the ballot. In addition, several county-wide surveys over the past few years indicate that law and justice issues are very high on most citizen’s priority lists. The new programs are expected to offset some of the expenses incurred for emergency room visits for people who are “self-medicating,” and reduce the number of people incarcerated and the associated criminal justice costs. The ordinance will be forwarded to the State Department of Revenue for implementation of this new tax. PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD: The following comments were made: the tax burden in the County has to be directly related to the ability of working families to pay, and when the Board begins to work on the 2006 budget, they need to take into account the highest priorities and not say “yes” to everything; the Quilcene Teen Center closed on September 30, the resurfacing of the sport court at the Quilcene Community Center has been put off for 4 years, but they finally have PUD water service; a request was made that the current Board send a letter to the previous County Commissioners thanking them for taking on the water service project almost 4 years ago and not giving up on it; and several people thanked the Board for passing the ordinance to provide substance abuse and mental health treatment services. CONSENT AGENDA: All of the items on the Consent Agenda were approved as follows: RESOLUTION: Cost Allocation Plan for Fiscal Years 2005 and 2006 5 AGREEMENTS: 1) Consulting services for review of permitting and plat issues of Ludlow Bay Village in Port Ludlow with Mike Bergstrom; 2) Funding for Court-Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) Program to serve Juvenile Dependency Cases, Title 13 Guardian Ad Litem (GAL) Volunteers with Washington State Administrative Office of the Courts; 3) Dosewallips River enhancement demolition with Reeves Excavating; 4) Temporary easement in conjunction with Dosewallips River Enhancement Project with Arlene Crowell (Parcel No. 602341005); and, 5) Employee Assistance Services with First Choice Health Employee Assistance Program CALL FOR BIDS: Courthouse Site and Landscape Improvement; Bid Opening Scheduled for Monday, October 24, 2005 at 10:05 a.m. in the Commissioners Chamber LETTER: Regarding Irondale/Port Hadlock Urban Growth Area (UGA) to Michael Regan, Irondale Community Action Neighbors and Nancy Dorgan LETTER: Encouraging funding support for the Jefferson County Historical Society’s Port Townsend City Hall Project to John Van Zytveld, Ph.D., Senior Program Director, M. J. Murdock Charitable Trust PROCLAMATION: The Board approved a proclamation designating October as “Domestic Violence Awareness Month.”