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Home My WebLink AboutM101705 District No. 1 Commissioner: Phil Johnson District No.2 Commissioner: David W. Sullivan District No.3 Commissioner: Patrick M. Rodgers County Administrator: John F. Fischbach Clerk of the Board: Lorna Delaney MINUTES Week of October 17, 2005 Chairman Phil Johnson called the meeting to order in the presence of Commissioner David W. Sullivan and Commissioner Patrick M. Rodgers. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Commissioner Rodgers moved to approve the minutes of October 3 and 10, 2005 as presented. Commissioner Sullivan seconded the motion which carried by a unanimous vote. PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD: The following comments were made: several people spoke about their concerns regarding the State DOE's position on water rights and WRIA issues, the DOE's proposed regulations, and the threat to small specialty farms who need the water for their livelihood; Indian Island continues to expand their munitions transfers without any kind of public process and a suggestion that the Board hold a public hearing on the issues and invite the Port, the City, Jefferson County First Responders, the Navy, and Representative Norm Dicks to participate; and the Qui1cene Teen Center closed down due to lack of support, lack of participation, and lack of funding and it is important to have alternatives for kids after school. APPROVAL AND ADOPTION OF THE CONSENT AGENDA: Commissioner Rodgers moved to approve the Consent Agenda as presented. Commissioner Sullivan seconded the motion which carried by a unanimous vote. 1. AGREEMENT re: Dosewallips River Floodplain Acquisition Project; Parcels 602343014,602343 012,602343001,602344014,602343010,602343013 & 602 342 001; Jefferson County Public Health; Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission 2. AGREEMENT re: Road Use Permit for Dosewallips River Enhancement Project; Jefferson County Public Health; Pope Resources 3. AGREEMENT re: Road Access for Dosewallips River Enhancement Project; Jefferson County Public Health; Dosewallips State Park Page 1 Commissioners Meeting Minutes: Week of October 17, 2005 " - ~ . .' '. 4. AGREEMENT, Amendment No.1 re: Family Resource Specialist To Implement the Take Time Program for a Drug Free Co~unity as Part of the Raising a Healthy Community Program; Amendment to Reduce Fundmg Amount; Jefferson County Public Health; Olympic Educational Service District #114 AG~EMENT re: Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPW A); Jefferson County PublIc Health; Bremerton Housing Authority AGREEMENT re: Construction Materials Testing and On-Site Quality Control for Barlow Bridge, Oil City Road, Project No. CR1680; Jefferson County Public Works; General Testing Laboratories, Inc. AGREEMENT re: Business Associate Compliance with Regulations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIP AA); Law Enforcement Officers and Firefighters (LEOFF I) Retirement/Disability Board Funding Approval for Contract No. 2004-232 G (1-1); Castle Hill Center Remodel; Jefferson County Central Services; Washington State Department of General Administration 5. 6. 7. 8. HEARING re: Proposed Budget Appropriation/Extension for Various County Funds: Central Services Director Allen Sartin explained that the Board reviewed these budget extension requests for Public Health, Natural Resources, the Federal Forest Title III fund, the Transportation Emergency fund, and the Flood/Stormwater fund in their work session. The Chair opened the public testimony portion ofthe hearing. Hearing no comment for or against the proposed budget appropriations/extensions, he closed the public hearing. Commissioner Sullivan moved to approve RESOLUTION NO. 66-05, ordering the budget appropriations/extensions for the above listed funds. Commissioner Rodgers seconded the motion which carried by a unanimous vote. Jay Watson and Scott Brewer, Hood Canal Coordinating Council, met in a workshop with the Board and gave a presentation regarding the Summer Chum Plan draft. Discussion re: Proposed Resolution Establishing a County Policy on Implementation of the WRIA 17 Watershed Plan: Commissioner Sullivan explained that he is the representative for the County Commissioners on the WRIA 17 Planning Unit. He stated that there is some confusion in the community about WRIA 17 as a geographic area and the WRIA 17 Planning Unit that has been working on this project since 1999, and there is a need to separate these from the WRIA 17 Watershed Plan passed by the County Commissioners earlier this year and the instream flow rule that the State Department of Ecology is developing. He feels that there is a need to articulate the County Commissioners' policy to help the public Page 2 Commissioners Meeting Minutes: Week of October 17, 2005 und~rstand and to give staff clear direction in order for them to answer questions and give the public the best se~~ce they ~an. He recently convened a group of staff to discuss the major points regarding this issue, and thIS mformatIOn was used to develop a draft policy statement. At this point, it is a work in progress. Commissioner Rodgers explained that after Commissioner Sullivan attends a WRIA 17 meeting, he reports to the other Commissioners and they give him their input. The Commissioners have a shared position on this issue: at this point the County has insufficient data to make decisions. It is difficult to come up with a solution before you know if there is a problem, the extent of the problem, or where the problem is. Chairman Johnson stated that acquiring data is crucial in order to move forward. The Board reviewed the draft policy statement and concurred on suggested changes to the Introduction, the Background section, and #14, and #16. Commissioner Rodgers stated that Commissioner Sullivan and staff did a good job in developing the policy statement, but he would like to have more time to review it before it is approved by the Commissioners. Commissioner Sullivan added that he has also received comments on the draft from the public through e-mails. The Board asked for comments from the citizens who were present. These comments are summarized below: · The DOE's proposed rules will limit development on private property and usurp local authority to control land use and growth. The Board needs to take a leadership role and schedule a public meeting to openly discuss water issues. There is sufficient support in the County to go to the DOE and let them know they have gone out of bounds. The silent majority are the people who will be hurt by these regulations. · A small specialty farmer in Port Townsend who has a well stated that his business may be threatened by the DOE's rules. Ifhe doesn't have the well, he can't farm. There is no clear science about whether aquifers, aquifer recharge areas, wells, and streams are interconnected. He encouraged the Board to stand up for local agriculture. · It is important that direction come from elected officials on this issue and it will help if other counties take a similar position. There is a question of conflict of laws and if the DOE is exceeding it's statutory authority in putting forward these rules. · No one has mentioned the amount of salmon that 4,500 California Sea Lions can eat in one day. The DOE would rather harass some small farmer than deal with the chemical companies that pollute the rivers and streams in Puget Sound. At a WRIA 17 Steering Committee meeting, the DOE representative noted that they have funding for ''water police" to enforce their regulations. Wells used for commercial purposes will need a commercial water right, but the DOE hasn't issued any water rights for 12 years. · Concern about meters being put on existing wells which could be a precursor to monitoring water rights. Commissioner Sullivan stated that monitoring wells can help to provide data and trust is important in order to collect the information. Page 3 Commissioners Meeting Minutes: Week of October 17,2005 ~"'''''' ..... .....":<&.,,;":i " ..F'",,~, '\'//;..~:{,...~" . DOE has actually approached farmers and told them they have to put meters on their wells. If DOE can't monitor their water usage over the next 5 years, they will take their water right away. Concern about DOE's position that water is a privilege and not a right. Concern about having DOE set rules that are up to their discretion to use. It is good that there is a broader public interest in the process at this point. The Commissioners need to ask for more public input on the resolution and policy statement. . . . . There was a discussion about the lack of funding to provide facilitation and minutes for the WRIA 17 Steering Committee meeting where certain assertions were made by the DOE representative. The Board agreed that the meetings need to be taped. The PUD plans to consider funding the minute taking for the next WRIA 17 Planning Unit meeting and for updating the WRIA 17 website. They are also looking into a modest size reverse osmosis seawater plant, an aquifer recharge program project, and storage for winter high flows that could be used in the summer. Cooperation of all parties is important. The Board concurred that they will continue to review the policy statement and collect public input before they pass the resolution. Commissioner Sullivan added that DOE has extended the time period for developing the proposed draft rule for 6 months. When they finish, they are required to have public hearings and ask for public comment on the rule. JEFFERSON COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ,C-:/Y!k- Phil J oh1lson, Chair jL.;Jp~ David W. Sullivan, Member CmL Page 4