HomeMy WebLinkAboutclosed_caption09:01:00 Well, good morning, everyone. I will call this April seventeenth, 2,023 board of County Commissioners meeting to order.
09:01:10 We're glad that you're with us. We have a busy agenda today, lots to talk about, and we will start, as we always do, with public comment.
09:01:17 So everyone can talk and speak to the board for up to 3Â min on the topic of your choosing we'll respond all public comments after we've heard them.
09:01:29 So we have some members of the public. You can hit hit Star 9 or raise hand if you're on the zoom room with us, or if you're in person, we'd love to hear from you now.
09:01:36 So yeah, go ahead. Come up to the podium, and please do speak into the microphone.
09:01:42 And you can't identify yourself. But you don't have to, so maybe bring it a little closer.
09:01:47 It's a little that's cute. Thank you.
09:01:49 So thank you for having us. My husband, Charles and I are here.
09:01:51 We live in the neighborhood of the County courthouse, and we're I'll read a little short statement hopefully.
09:01:58 I won't trip over it too badly. I also have it to hand out for you.
09:02:03 So the pickle ball courts, with no acoustic curtains do not belong in a residential neighborhood.
09:02:07 In in spite of controversy over pickle ball noise in residential neighborhoods evidenced on the Internet blogs and news articles around the country 2 pickleball courts were
installed at Jefferson County Courthouse Park without any community input or Warning why, Port townsend has a
09:02:25 Normalized ordinance of 60 decibels we've measured more than 60 decibels from our front door across the street, from the Pickleball court, with only one couple played with 8
people playing the noise of ball paddle impact and player yelling is often extreme in good weather like last
09:02:45 Friday players are on the court, 8 to 12Â h a day without a break.
09:02:50 Please help our neighborhood. It's no longer pleasant to work in our garden or sit on our deck inside our home we hear the contact with hard pickle, ball, paddle, and ball with
all the doors closed and the windows closed.
09:03:06 We can't escape it. We've been in conversation with Matt Tyler since early September 2,022, without noise, attenuation at the Jefferson County, Courthouse Park.
09:03:18 There's been an empathetic ear, but no progress on noise, attenduation.
09:03:23 That's sensitive, we implore you to a pos, or at least reduce the Pickle ball court hours until effective noise attenuation is in place, and B immediately create signing on
the courts that will alert players that they need to quiet the pickleball culture of whooping and
09:03:43 yelling during the play, our letter of April sixth, 2,020 threethree, also sent to Matt toilet Taylor Tyler.
09:03:51 I'm sorry, and the Jefferson County Park Advisory Committee, which we attended.
09:03:55 We gave a couple of resources for noise attendenuation screen that other communities have successfully used for pickleball courts.
09:04:03 We hope Jefferson County will begin an effective search for noise attenuation immediately.
09:04:09 Thank you for your attenuation, and I do have to say it really is horrendous for people in the neighborhood, and we want something to be done right away.
09:04:19 It's over 60 decibels, and we are.
09:04:25 Living in a house that we can't escape. The noise from.
09:04:29 We've even consulted could we change out the windows, which would be very expensive?
09:04:33 They said, no. 1970 houses aren't insulated such that that would even work.
09:04:38 We have no resolution. We need your help. Thank you. Thank you.
09:04:45 One of these.
09:04:47 And we. And we did get your email.
09:04:54 Yup. Thank you.
09:05:02 The radiator.
09:05:09 A window screen.
09:05:14 There's a kind of yeah. It's been humming since or, okay, I'll ask if anyone else in the room wants to make public comment.
09:05:23 Charles, you have your own 3Â min if you want. Okay, so we we'll turn to the zoom room before we respond to public comments and ask if anyone in the zoom room would like to
make a public comment today.
09:05:34 We'd love to hear from you. Click, raise hand or star.
09:05:38 9, and we'll bring you over.
09:05:45 I don't see anyone, so I guess responses to our neighbors.
09:05:51 Sure I could jump in as the district one Commissioner, so thanks for bringing this concern up.
09:05:58 In answer to your question, the reason why there wasn't public processes, that that is an allowed use in this zoning type.
09:06:06 So you do not need a public process when it is allowed in the use type.
09:06:14 I think you probably been told that, you know. There was an effort to mitigate some of the impact by only building 2 courts instead of 4, which would have been, I think, the
acoustic curtains, some like a great idea, and much of either of you have talked to Eric to see if
09:06:30 there's a we have a cost estimate, and know what might be entailed there, but that seems like a reasonable solution.
09:06:39 And yeah, no, it sounds like there are are real impacts.
09:06:43 And I'm happy to try and help shepherd a solution here.
09:06:47 It doesn't seem like this is something we can't handle.
09:06:51 We deal with a lot of really sticky, messy problems.
09:06:53 And this seems like a relatively easier one. But maybe Staff will have a a different answer than I do.
09:07:00 But I think that it is doable. We tend to not do.
09:07:03 Back and forth, conversation. Sorry, just because it's when we have a room full of people, it can become much more difficult to manage.
09:07:11 So. But we we could talk offline separately.
09:07:16 Yeah, yeah, and as district one at this would kind of fall under my purview.
09:07:20 So thanks for bringing it to our attention.
09:07:23 I thought, that's the thanks for coming with solutions and recommendations, and I think the signs are a good idea, because oftentimes people don't.
09:07:33 I think when they're you know they're on one track, and they don't.
09:07:37 If they had a sign. They're saying remember that you're in a residential neighborhood, you know.
09:07:41 That's a good idea too. I thought that was a good suggestion.
09:07:44 So thanks for coming with some ideas and also, you know, I mean I on the flip side of the coin.
09:07:50 There are very few recreational opportunities having grown up here or I know that most people who play pickle ball are not the kids in our community.
09:07:58 But I would the Vmly opposed to taking away any recreational opportunities in our community, because every single one we've ever had is slowly been taken away by other uses,
and we're all the 3 of us are all pickle ball players at to some extent so
09:08:18 you know I would be sad to see it go away, but I think that there are reasonable accommodations that could be made.
09:08:24 I agree with Kate and Heidi. You know they're definitely. I appreciate that.
09:08:30 You guys brought protections that we will look into. I'm also not interested in shutting them down.
09:08:34 While we were. We work on that. I think there's been a lot of mitigation as well.
09:08:39 From the edition of the Permanent Courts at Mountain View, so I've I've noticed a lot less action there since those courts went up, but you know I was out there Friday, too.
09:08:47 It was a beautiful day, so I understand the impacts are different for those in close proximity.
09:08:54 So the signs attenuation, I think, working with Staff on that sounds great, and it sounds like Commissioner Dean's willing to sort of be or lease on into that discussion, and
hopefully, action as well.
09:09:04 So emailing, Matt right now. All right. So you know the pace of government is not always super fast, but we hear your concerns, and we'll do our best to address them in a way
that still preserves the recreational opportunities for everyone thank you i'll turn again to our
09:09:20 zoom room to see if there's anyone else that has been moved to comments.
09:09:26 Yeah, I think I don't see anyone there.
09:09:34 Well, we'll keep the public comment open until 9 30, in case anyone does joins us or is comes up with something, and we can look to the to the consent agenda.
09:09:47 The comments or questions, oh, well, let's bring Mr.
09:09:50 Cheers, over!
09:09:58 Welcome, Mr. Cheers!
09:10:03 Good morning, Commissioners. I, speaking of the consent agenda, glad to see an item on there regarding a weed control, spending.
09:10:11 A little bit of money to help specifically, it looks like address of the Scotch broom on the utility corners, but you know we got an awful lot of Scotch broom.
09:10:23 Every place else has never been addressed, and it's all a lot of it's on county right of ways.
09:10:28 I have managed to clear all my land of Scotch broom, but you know, all it takes is a little breeze and a little bird or something bringing a seat over and boom!
09:10:37 There it comes again. It's a constant battle, so I would like to see a little more emphasis put on eradicating that particular.
09:10:45 We'd on county property it doesn't sound like it takes a lot of money, but it it looks like there's more an issue of finding the people to do the work.
09:10:58 And so I'm glad to see that our notches weed Coordinator has managed to locate it and outfit that does the work.
09:11:05 So you know, maybe the next time you have a discussion about noxious weeds and that program, in addition to, you know, addressing the weed board itself, you know, just bring
this up as something that really should be done.
09:11:18 I mean it. It's invasive. Yeah, it's not a classic, but it sure is causing an awful lot of of a lot of displacement of other native species.
09:11:27 So thanks for thinking about it.
09:11:31 Responses about noxious weeds on the Scotch broom front.
09:11:38 I started my career after college pulling Scotch broom from the ferries and South Pacific Sound, and every time I see Scotch I just I it's like a automatic memory trigger for
me.
09:11:54 And so, you know, we, my family, has property on Marathon Island, and we mow every year to keep the Scotch room at bay, and there are there are multiple solutions that can be
used, and I've often thought you know what could we do to erradicate more scotch
09:12:08 broom, and it would take more, more people, more funding, more solutions.
09:12:14 But I think it's something worthwhile to look into, and I also commend, are not just the coordinator Sophie, to group for moving these contracts along and getting these crews
in place to at least tackle some of the problem.
09:12:30 And I can talk to her about, you know. Maybe we can find additional funding to do more Scotch from eradication. But Mr.
09:12:37 Teresa is so much Scotch, I mean.
09:12:40 You know. What do we start right away? So would be a good place to start.
09:12:46 Yeah? And the new coordinator is still relatively new and we had to do a fair amount of kind of priority setting with the previous coordinator.
09:12:58 So it probably is a good reminder to check in and just see that we're all kind of thinking along the same lines.
09:13:05 There are different schools of thought when it comes to weed, eradication, and so it'd be good to hear from Stephanie.
09:13:12 Sophie, Sophie sorry, and you know, just you have an understanding of what her philosophy is, and what she needs to feel supported in that.
09:13:24 And I will say I. I found a member districts for not just wait. I sent them the application and copy Sophie this morning, so getting that not just, we board filled as a first.
09:13:36 It's a critical first step. We are only recently able to achieve a quarorum.
09:13:41 Yeah. The addition of another member and you know, noxious weed is usually just like holding it down.
09:13:47 I mean, if we really want to work on the system, we've got to start really taking certified, clean gravel correctly.
09:13:52 I mean the way that it is on county right away is usually is.
09:13:54 It traveled in everything, and so there are. If we want to eradicate it, we first have to work on on the systems, but these are really decisions that the priorities come from
the Enforcement Board that does not.
09:14:09 It's not an Advisory board to the Commission, like many other boards, but actually makes these decisions.
09:14:14 And so down and quilting, still looking for someone, for the noxious weed board.
09:14:19 And you know we can look for additional funds but I think what Sophie is trying to do is maintain capacity right now.
09:14:25 Much less expand capacity. Right? It will be difficult to address all the Scotch room which is not the most noxious of weeds, but is probably the most visible of weeds, right
as it semi elliott yellow flower everywhere.
09:14:39 Okay, I guess we are kind of responding one after the other.
09:14:41 But, Mr. Durgan, we'd love to hear from you as well.
09:14:45 I can't hear you yet, Craig you don't appear to be muted.
09:14:50 We can't hear you, Craig. I can hear you.
09:14:54 You might want to click on the the up arrow by the audio. Thank you, guys.
09:14:59 Nice to see you, and and see what your microphone is.
09:15:05 Oh, now we see that you muted, unmuted!
09:15:11 Nope!
09:15:14 Sorry we will have. I have an idea on which agenda item, you might be talking about, and we will make sure that we have public comment.
09:15:20 There. Yes, we can hear you now. Alright! Great! You have 3Â min.
09:15:19 Can you hear me now? Okay, alright. Thank you. I just like to first off.
09:15:29 Thank the Board for all the hard work they did on getting funding for the sewer, and soon, I guess it'll start construction, and that's a good thing.
09:15:40 However, it's not gonna do you much good spending 35 million dollars in the sewer.
09:15:46 If you can't get a permit per meeting is a big issue right now.
09:15:52 It's a fact. I think it should be your number one priority I'm trying to get a permit right now to build another storage building on my property.
09:16:02 I have a conditional use. Permit the building I'm building is on that conditional use permit permits.
09:16:10 Been active for over 10 years, and and it's still held up.
09:16:15 Why, there's no valid reason for this. How did you want to have?
09:16:23 I'm not trying to create some new lot or do any boundary line adjustments.
09:16:26 I just want to build what you guys approved for me to do over 10 years ago.
09:16:33 It's kinda getting a little ridiculous, and, you know, spending 35 million dollars in the sewer, and if you can't get the permit, what good is it this needs to get addressed,
and it needs to be addressed really quickly and this whole Sdr, process I
09:16:52 don't know what the purpose of it is. I mean, it's like you swater to fly with a sledgehammer.
09:16:59 And you're just causing damage. So it may be your base out there.
09:17:06 And Kate George did. Didn't want that one development, but I understand that didn't really stop that much on that all it did is go through the whole county and slow everything
up.
09:17:17 You haven't really accomplished anything with it, and I think you should just need to get rid of it today.
09:17:23 Thank you very much, and have a good day.
09:17:26 Thank you. Mr. Jrgen I guess we'll just keep with the theme, and anyone have a response from Mr.
09:17:34 Jurgen, I will say, we're gonna talk about this a lot round the morning, so we don't need to get.
09:17:39 Maybe we're not going to answer it right now.
09:17:42 But well, I've been hearing from a lot of constituents about their concerns, about delays and permitting and the Site Development Review and the legal water record. And all
these issues.
09:17:53 But you know I mean, the purpose of the Site Development Review Review process was to make.
09:18:00 Site development happen at the beginning of the process, and to make the permitting process go more quickly, and we just haven't gotten to the implementation of the process
we don't have enough track for that actually to be held yet for things to be moving faster and then pile on that the capacity at
09:18:25 Dcd. The recent changes in staffing at Dcd, and yeah, it's a extremely challenging time.
09:18:31 But we hear your concerns, and it's front of mind, and we will be talking about it.
09:18:37 At length, later this morning, throughout the day.
09:18:42 I couldn't tell if Mr. Durkin was referring to the sewer project itself getting permitted, or the ability of landowners within the service area.
09:18:53 Great. Thank you. Then I think Heidi responded. Well, to that.
09:18:58 Yeah, I think Heidi covered it. We're all concerned about Mr.
09:19:02 Durgan, I agree, I will say I I actually wrote a song with much the same conclusion that you did this weekend, but I've decided not to torture people with a quiet until we have
a couple of conversations with Dcd about the best strategy for getting
09:19:18 ourselves out of this mess which is not just from the Sdr. Process.
09:19:22 Certainly sort of a perfect storm of capacity impacts that have hit Dcd.
09:19:27 And we will discuss it more. We'll make sure we have public comment for those.
09:19:30 Those. I think it's already on there. Right? Yeah, we got people to come for 1015, and our 1115 conversation.
09:19:38 So come back for more. Meet at 1015 for lunchtime.
09:19:43 But we appreciate you being here this morning, and I would ask if anyone else in the public would like to make comments this morning.
09:19:58 Okay, well, we'll keep it open for another 11Â min, and I guess returned to the since its agenda. Any questions or comments on the consent agenda just glad to see the bid award
the big bid award for the bit timinous surface treatment which is
09:20:19 that's the future chip seal for the county, getting those piles of materials in place.
09:20:25 You know it's I'm grateful for our roads team and the good work they do keep in our county roads.
09:20:32 It's smooth, so glad to see that.
09:20:36 And then, yeah, couple of Advisory Board appointments.
09:20:43 But yeah, could I call it something there so great that Nicole Gathier from transit, is joining the ferry Advisory Committee we still do have another vacancy on that board that
has been really stubbornly difficult to fill.
09:20:57 And that is a someone representing commerce, which is a business that relies on the port towns in Coopville Run in particular for their business, or someone who represents businesses
that rely on it.
09:21:12 So listening public. If you or anyone you know meets that criteria, we would really love to get that position filled.
09:21:17 You know the fairies are just increasingly facing a lot of challenges and it's even more important than ever.
09:21:23 For very communities to have a voice in decision-making, and you know, I will say we just saw with the change in construction schedule for the Hood Canal Bridge, that, having
a local organized voice can be really helpful.
09:21:36 So encourage folks to look into that, and I'm happy to answer any questions on that.
09:21:41 It is specific to Port Townsend, but that people have asked me, and that would be any the port town's on Google Run that would be any tourism business that would be any restaurant,
any hotel, any bed and breakfast, any.
09:21:53 You know. So if you think, if you can' yourself out, think again. That's what I've said to a couple of people have asked me.
09:22:02 I'll call out. Too. I was on the interview half of the interview with Karen for the Parks and Rec Advisory committee, and she's and you know, just another.
09:22:10 You know, great community member with with a real good experience that can bring kind of a yeah subject matter.
09:22:18 Expertise as well as energy to the parts, and record.
09:22:22 So really. Thank you, Kevin, for that application.
09:22:25 I'm curious about the sharing a mobile drug unit which is, I'm thrilled to see it. But how is it that that's happening with no dollar amount attached to it?
09:22:37 Yeah, I don't know if there's anyone from Public health.
09:22:42 Ocean is usually here, but there's anyone from public health that can answer that question.
09:22:46 Please raise your hand, and we'll bring you over by that.
09:22:51 No, it's actually sharing use of the mobile unit, which is great.
09:23:00 And I'm just curious if they have a funding source that would be Denise Bank or Carolyn if you could contact her and I'm not at all concerned about it, because it's in our favor.
09:23:10 I think that we gain the use of the drug checking equipment and staff to be operated at locations within Jefferson County.
09:23:21 So service service as well something like the Cowan Dui unit that came out for some big event.
09:23:25 Last year. I think so. I don't even know what this is exactly.
09:23:31 Yeah, it's actually a device, equipment that tests the drug.
09:23:34 And so what the operators will do is they'll come here and they'll train staff, and Jefferson County on how to operate the equipment.
09:23:44 Yeah, okay. Also, I did read through the household house with waste interlocal with, have been paying fairly close attention to the whole household hazardous waste conversation.
09:23:58 And this is just another good collaboration, you know, with people who need to dispose of household has a hazardous waste off the timeline of those mobile events, those annual
mobile events.
09:24:11 They can go to Kidspp County to dispose of their waste.
09:24:16 And it's a another good collaboration.
09:24:20 Yeah, and I'm always glad to see Olympic angels getting funded their great work to support foster families.
09:24:28 And yeah, really create more of a a safety net for those most vulnerable kids.
09:24:34 And the people who support them so glad to see our behavioral.
09:24:39 Yet another great use of our behavioral health dollars, I mean, you know, we could talk about everything on the this consent. Agenda.
09:24:47 Was a real nice bag of really good things, so I know positive about like collaboration and weeds and plantings.
09:24:58 And we talked about the caretaker services that we get for folks who do those jobs out. It.
09:25:06 Hj. Carol and I forget what the park is.
09:25:11 The name of the park which I go to across from Indian Island.
09:25:16 Hmm, okay. Oh, bay, yeah. Yup, okay. Yeah. Yeah.
09:25:22 Okay.
09:25:30 The base there, is that that Indian island, 25.
09:25:35 Oh, yeah. Indian Island can't. But I was talking about the one across the water I was talking about.
09:25:40 Okay, course, we just call it okay. I thought it had some other name. Yeah.
09:25:47 And gives like those are the 3 we have. Hopefully, we'll see too soon. Okay.
09:25:56 Now we've talked about everything, I'm happy to move, to approve and adopt the consent.
09:26:01 Agenda for April seventeenth, 2023, and I'm also happy to second that alright.
09:26:06 It's been moved in the second to approve and adopt the consent.
09:26:10 Agenda, as presented all in favor, indicate by saying, Hi, okay, great.
09:26:17 I'll take this moment to thank Sarah Melonson for filling in for Mark and colleagues.
09:26:22 He's still traveling today as interim county administrator.
09:26:25 He actually may be back in town, but he's getting on a flight today I'm just getting on a flight right now. So yeah, he'll be he'll be in the county sometime today. I bet. Yeah,
it's always smart to build in a day.
09:26:38 I feel like I'm jumping right back in at limited capacity, and that's always risky.
09:26:44 Right. Well, thanks for being here, too. Both okay. Well, we still got 4Â min left for public comment.
09:26:52 I will make another call right now to see if anyone has moved to.
09:26:55 Comments always click, raise hand, or it's star 9.
09:26:59 If you're on the phone, and while we oh, can can I play a quick video?
09:27:05 I mean I think I don't know if you guys knew that there was a 40 under 40 right?
09:27:12 The all that under 40, and that the face, at least in the paper that was our own bonnie Brimsky, and she was kind enough to shoot another one of our 15Â s videos, and I would
love to share my screen and share that video which is now published.
09:27:30 And if you want to see the birthday song that AI wrote with some of the bad words xed out, you'll have to go to our the Jefferson County, Washington Youtube page to read the
description where the song lyrics are oh, yeah, let's bring Bonnie over.
09:27:45 You will. No, she's probably like this. Oh, my mommy, it's my birthday.
09:27:52 You have to yeah, you guys are birthday buddies. Let me get back here and share my screen.
09:27:59 Hey? Hey? There! Thank you. I'm.
09:27:58 Hello! Happy birthday! The face of the 40 under 40 be over 40.
09:28:06 I'm not sure if that's the okay.
09:28:07 I still made it under the wire.
09:28:10 Good. Well, thanks for letting us shine the spotlight on you for just a moment.
09:28:17 I think that will work. Do you guys see that? Yeah, got big screen I didn't get the audio going. Dang it!
09:28:28 I knew it was gonna happen. Hold on! Let me stop sharing 2Â min to do this share.
09:28:37 I was really impressed with your videography, setup and skills.
09:28:44 I didn't get the audio going. Dang it!
09:28:42 It was like a good learning experience, too.
09:28:46 I knew it was gonna happen. Hold on! Let me stop!
09:28:49 Sorry! Hold on!
09:28:52 I've got too many things going. So when I start sharing my screen, go ahead, Bonnie.
09:28:59 Oh, I just was grateful to you could show us the videography setup and some techniques, and it's always good to learn.
09:29:10 Great. Well, let's see, I'm learning right now.
09:29:14 That's good.
09:29:17 I don't. Where'd she go? Where'd she go?
09:29:21 You still see her up there? Yeah, I don't know what's going on here.
09:29:24 Different screen share. No, it's frozen up there. There we go!
09:29:32 Sorry. It's a setup will be much longer.
09:29:36 I'm gonna stop my share. It usually doesn't, and share this.
09:29:44 With sounds. Okay.
09:29:52 Until the old one.
09:29:57 I'm bonnie Oremski.
09:30:01 I worked at public health for 2 years, and on April fifteenth I'm turning the Big 40.
09:30:05 I'm here at the very peak of the courthouse Clock tower.
09:30:08 Very exciting!
09:30:10 That's it.
09:30:11 Yay, I like how you cut away the show where we were standing.
09:30:18 The Big 40, big welcome to adulthood! Bonnie!
09:30:18 That was the big phone room. Yeah, thank you. It's great.
09:30:25 So far. I'm loving the naps, you know.
09:30:26 Oh, yeah, I know small. I'll just assume you're curled up your new desk if I stop by to see you, and you're not there.
09:30:34 I I remember years ago, when there was was there under 30 group in Port Downs Center.
09:30:40 I felt like I was always young professionals network, and there was an age cut off bumping up against it all the time.
09:30:45 I felt like I was always bumping up against being young in this community.
09:30:49 Yeah, so it's a good reminder that you know those decade birthdays are opportunities to reflect.
09:30:59 We do have a number of young professionals in the community turning 40 right now, there's a whole bunch of you.
09:31:05 Yeah, it's really interesting and great to have that kind of bullis of people coming up behind us.
09:31:12 We are a little older. Yeah, I was really sorry to miss the 40 under 40 event.
09:31:15 In fact, there were so many great events this weekend, and I was out with Covid, so I didn't attend any of them, which I assume is, you know, understood.
09:31:28 Oh, good! It hasn't happened! Oh, good!
09:31:25 Actually the events is the 20 seventh. Yes, and my wonderful co-worker, Liz. The other communication specialist, is also an awardy.
09:31:36 Wonderful! Oh, good! Well, thank you for that clarification. Yeah, yeah.
09:31:43 I love that we you know 40 is still young, and that's Jefferson County thing.
09:31:54 Thank you.
09:31:50 All right. Great. Well, thank you very much, and happy birthday, Bonnie. And should we address the our first proclamation, sure?
09:32:00 Oh! This is a good one! This is a good one. So for my entire adulthood, I've always been grateful that I was born in the year of Earth Day, when Earth day was founded, and when
I saw this come across and that we were gonna be reading it on my birthday I was just
09:32:17 brought tears to my eyes. Should we sing you a happy birthday?
09:32:25 Well, why, so we weren't actually born on not on Earth's day, but in a year of nice.
09:32:33 Because and just I mean you just yeah, so is there an actual Earth day?
09:32:39 Was April 20Â s, 1970. Okay. And I was born April seventeenth, 1971.
09:32:45 So just barely in the year first year of Earth Day, but it's always been celebrated, you know, around the time of my birthday, and so I've always had a a connection to this
day.
09:32:56 That's great. Great! Well, why don't we have you kick off, and then we'll go to Kate today with this proclamation, whereas the first Earth day was enacted 53 years ago, in 1,970
in engaged over 20 million Americans to advocate
09:33:09 for a cleaner environment and as an international call to positive action for all citizens to join a global effort to protect the environment.
09:33:18 Whereas all people, regardless of race, gender, income, religion, or geography, have a moral right to a healthy environment.
09:33:25 Birthday is celebrated annually to recommit to the goals of a healthy environment as foundational to peaceful, just, and sustainable societies, whereas Jefferson County, Washington,
is blessed with a wealth of wild and productive forests, fields, mountains and shorelines stuartered by indigenous people
09:33:42 since time immemorial, and to this day provides residents and visitors alike with healthy food irreplaceable habitat, and species, sustainable natural resources, and many scenic
recreational opportunities, whereas in 2,007 jefferson county and the city of port townsend
09:33:58 committed to creating a baseline of greenhouse gas emissions, reducing gas, greenhouse gas emissions by 80% of 1,990 levels, jointly creating a climate action committee to recommend
actions for climate mitigation and adaptation and raise awareness of
09:34:16 how to how a changing climate affects our reach, and whereas the Climate Action Committee, Cac.
09:34:23 Recently updated the county Wide greenhouse Gas Inventory demonstrating a 40% reduction in emissions.
09:34:28 Since 2,005. You skip on. I'm gonna go back and whereas the mission of the Climate Action Committee is in alignment with the focus of International Earth Day 2023.
09:34:39 Observation and celebration around the world, and whereas local governments can be leaders in building a healthy society by addressing issues issues such as energy and resource,
conservation, transportation, sustainable land use, planning waste prevention, and environmental justice, and whereas we acknowledge the importance of Earth
09:34:58 day as a reminder that in Jefferson County truly, Earth Day is every day.
09:35:03 Now, therefore, be it resolved, that in recognition of our communities, deeply held care for and collective responsibility to preserve and protect our environment, the Jefferson
County Board of County Commissioners hereby proclaim April 20Â s 2,023 as International Earth day and Encourage all
09:35:18 residents to commit to lowering their carbon footprint and engaging in efforts to protect and heal the planet we call, approve.
09:35:25 The seventeenth day of April 2023, I'll move to approve the proclamation as read.
09:35:30 I'll second that okay. I don't think we had anyone scheduled to come.
09:35:35 Speak to this, you know, kind of impacts all of us, but no one dressed up as Earth.
09:35:40 Unfortunately, but I guess I will call the question all in favor of it, but approving and adopting this proclamation, indicate by saying, Hi, hi!
09:35:50 And I'm proud to point out that, you know, due to no effort of my own.
09:35:54 But we've reached those 2,007 goals, you know.
09:35:59 Do the Pd. Coming in the end, and and and I think we really have as a community focused on these ideals pretty effectively.
09:36:07 Yeah, yeah, by far. And having been the Climate Action Committee.
09:36:10 Rep for a long time, I'll say by far the switching from energy to our own Pd.
09:36:18 And going to all electric generation, a mostly hydro generation of our electricity, made a massive difference in our carbon footprint, and also the mill doing, adding a lot
of kind of scrubbing and updating.
09:36:35 Its technology has had us reach that goal. But as the global global community has done, it's time to revise those roles.
09:36:44 So we we know that the goal set forth in 2,007 are not sufficient anymore.
09:36:53 Yeah. So we will be coming back with new goals. The committee will be recommending new goals for us to consider in the next couple of months.
09:37:02 Okay, well, we have another proclamation in front of us for proclaiming April 20Â s to 20, third, 2023 as National Park Week.
09:37:16 Do we know who wrote this proclamation? Is this the same one we've done couple of times?
09:37:20 I actually don't remember doing this in the past.
09:37:29 Right. I found this slightly anodyne. I have to admit, but I did use my little bing chat BoT, and wrote a counter proclamation of what like you guys to consider. Do you guys
have?
09:37:45 Can we just look at an option? Sarah's prerogative?
09:37:53 Share my home, bring it up sorry, and share my screen so we can look at the alternative.
09:37:59 I think now that now they're 4 of ours is probably pretty good, but.
09:38:14 Can you? You wanna compare and see which one you think is better.
09:38:17 This one I created on my being chat potted 2Â s by asking him for a proclamation honoring National Park Week, focusing on the Olympic National Park, which is, of course, is
the National Park within our boundary the primary one.
09:38:33 You can. You can. Oh, sorry. Your screen. Okay, I'm not looking at the right screen.
09:38:38 Okay.
09:38:43 And I would use. Are there narrow there for me?
09:39:08 For notes in it.
09:39:18 See, it's interesting. Like if they're going to do a localized one.
09:39:21 There are things not in here that I would want in here.
09:39:23 Yeah, that's the yeah. I mean in primarily, it's just that, you know, National Park serves to protect some of the best carbon sequestration ecosystems in the country.
09:39:34 I was. Gonna say, I I spent some time in Olympic National Park this weekend, and went on some of the old growth trails and was struck to the core by the beauty and the feeling
of being in those what dark for us, and just feeling grateful for
09:39:56 the foresight our leaders in a 100 years ago had for protecting, protecting our parks.
09:40:04 But you know, it's yeah. I would want something included about that as well.
09:40:10 Well, we don't have to do this in the morning.
09:40:13 I mean, I found the other one just super generic. But yeah, no, I agree.
09:40:19 Can I add something about the department sequestration and bring it back after lunch?
09:40:22 Sure. Yeah, okay. Love it alright. So we'll pause.
09:40:27 This, I guess. Chat, BoT! Didn't make us faster, but maybe it made us better.
09:40:32 And there are. There are other tribes that could be in that list that you know.
09:40:37 They I mean the it identified the trials the still recognized tribes that are still there.
09:40:44 So, yeah, there are people who are unrecognized.
09:40:49 Well, yeah. Yeah. That was the one thing I noticed, too.
09:40:55 Okay, well, we we can bring it back think about what you'd like, added, I'll make a stab at a draft, and we can finish drafting and then proclaim after lunch it sounds good
after our one-thirty, which is already, scheduled okay great well, thank
09:41:07 you guys, for your flexibility, and considering that. And it's we have, you know, 4Â min for briefing 9, 45, when we were to jump into our scheduled hearing about first quarter
budget appropriations there's a big million-dollar appropriation.
09:46:47 Yeah, okay, okay, there's so many emails.
09:46:57 Great. I will call this meeting of the Board of County Commissioners back into session, and maybe we'll invite Judy Shepard over digitally to join us for our 9 45, hearing Baron
with us here.
09:47:14 Judy! Welcome, Judy!
09:47:17 Good morning!
09:47:18 Good to see you. Are you? Gonna see this up and lead us through this?
09:47:25 Yeah.
09:47:22 I am going to thank you I'm gonna go ahead and share my screen.
09:47:28 Alright!
09:47:28 And let's see, share screen.
09:47:35 Alrighty! So what you see before you right now is the summary, and let me kinda move.
09:47:43 There we go, and so what we usually see in the first quarter of procureations are sometimes corrections to the budget, that because the budget was adopted and put together,
starting in October of last year, so what we normally see is grants that have been awarded and then
09:48:03 so therefore those grants have to be added to the revenue, and the expenditures of budgets.
09:48:12 I got it.
09:48:08 Sometimes there's budget correction things we didn't know, you know, by the end of the last year that we're actually correcting in the first quarter.
09:48:17 And so just to briefly go through the summary, the general fund total for revenue and expand.
09:48:26 So the revenue impact for general fund is 229,597, as you see right here, and then the expenditure total is 329999 so these are one time expenditures. And revenues.
09:48:43 That we're changing to the budget and then, if you look at the other funds, total of the very bottom you're looking at 1.1 million to revenue and 2.6 million to the expenditures
and we'll go through these individually, but you can see what the total
09:49:02 budget impact is 1.3 million to the expenditures, and we'll go through these individually. But you can see what the total budget impact is.
09:49:07 1.3 million to the expenditures, and we'll go through these individually.
09:49:13 One question, Judy, before you go on. Can I ask one question real quick?
09:49:12 Sorry. Yes.
09:49:17 I just I wasn't under the under the the general fund.
09:49:21 I guess the District Court in Superior Courts moving to another budget is that's a revenue neutral right?
09:49:26 It's just going to a different bucket. I was curious.
09:49:29 Why, it wasn't just on the expense side as well in this spreadsheet.
09:49:31 Right, and so the reason for that is, there was already expenditure.
09:49:35 In revenue in those funds, and so we, and then the numbers weren't correct, and so, because they didn't match the contract, so we had to bring.
09:49:45 So I moved because it was already approved. I could move Budget, but then I had to bring the numbers up to where they needed to be to match the contract.
09:49:54 So. But it is budget neutral in the end.
09:49:58 Result. I hope that answers your question. Yeah.
09:49:58 Okay, great. It does. Thank you. You can go ahead.
09:50:03 Okay.
09:50:04 I guess I should. Probably we. This is a hearing, so maybe I should.
09:50:11 The public hearing. Well, I guess we can have stuff presentation first, right?
09:50:16 Yeah, sorry I don't have a script. Go ahead, Judy, and I'll open the hearing alright.
09:50:22 I'll the public hearing is now open. First we will hear a presentation from staff, and then we will take testimony from the public. Thank you.
09:50:30 Now, now you may proceed to.
09:50:31 Okay, great sounds good. Thank you.
09:50:38 Sorry.
09:50:38 Okay, so similar to what I just talked about for the sheriff.
09:50:44 They received a navigator Gap, grant and an R. Set grant.
09:50:50 So this wasn't known during the budget season, and so, therefore, that is now been added to the revenue and their expenditure budget.
09:50:58 And if you look at the bottom, it shows you the days.
09:51:02 January through June 2023, for the navigator Grant and the R.
09:51:05 Set. Grant is January through September 2023.
09:51:14 So this is central services. It. This has to do with er and r and transfer a transfer from the sheriff to Ern.
09:51:24 Are they recently they had a few years ago, got the vehicle from Ernr.
09:51:29 Now they're giving that vehicle back. And so there has to be this exchange of revenue and expenditure back to Ernr to give the vehicle back.
09:51:40 And that's it. Fair market value.
09:51:48 Okay, so this is the one you were talking about before.
09:51:53 And this is so. This is bringing the budget into the new department.
09:51:58 We've recently created earlier this year for the therapeutics Courts so previously this year for the Therapeutics Courts, so previously as you as you probably remember, Superior
Court and District Court were had expenditures, and then Revenue coming in from 131 which is mental
09:52:16 health, and that was coming in to augment these expenditures, or take care of these expenditures, and that's an agreement between those those funds.
09:52:24 However, with the hiring of a case manager that was going to be handling the activity of these courts, it made sense to pull those monies together into one place and create
that new department 2 45 within the general fund.
09:52:45 So what this is doing is putting 200,000 into the revenue budget that they're going to receive from one fund 131 mental health.
09:52:52 And then to and then the associated expenditure.
09:52:56 So salaries and benefits before we're all sitting under District Court.
09:53:02 And so now that's moving into that's own department.
09:53:06 And it's it. Because that department is servicing all the Ports, District Court and Superior Court the net effect to the to the budget is is a net.
09:53:18 It's a 0 200,000 in revenue 200,000 and expenditures.
09:53:23 This just shows it all up.
09:53:27 Okay. Next one.
09:53:32 This is Wsu county extension, Jefferson County Extension.
09:53:37 This is Congressional, Mrc. Federal grant that was awarded and then associated additional expenditures because of the grant.
09:53:53 Wsu. This is an additional $1,000 for herbicide that was required.
09:54:00 Actually, this isn't Wsu extension. This is noxious weed, so I can tell that by Fund number 109 here it should have said that not just.
09:54:09 Sweet on that, but it's part of extension.
09:54:15 Yeah. Lost my mouse here.
09:54:16 Can imagine who else would be ordering lead supplies, dash herbicides.
09:54:21 Right.
09:54:21 So, yeah, it makes sense. No jokes there, no videos either.
09:54:27 Right? Now, okay.
09:54:29 Okay, so this is, this is for hotel motel, and there's gonna be a visitor our center renovations and maintenance.
09:54:41 That has to do with the transition from Jefferson County Historical Select Society to the Tourism Coordinating council that will then be managing the visitors Center.
09:54:55 So they have some upgrades planned, and all of that.
09:54:57 I don't know any of those details, so you probably may know more about it at this point than I do.
09:55:05 So that's what this appropriation is for to handle that and for what I understand, it doesn't start until June first, when Jeffrey Jefferson releases that control to tourism
coordinating Council.
09:55:24 This is again a hotel motel tourism. The Ltac line of basically approving to the lodging tax funding grants.
09:55:37 So this is trueuing up the budget to match the contract.
09:55:46 This one is, this is public health and in cooperation with Ronica at public health.
09:55:54 There's a decrease in the budget line, for whatever reason, not sure how it landed there.
09:56:00 But there's was 60,000 that was put in as a transfer between her between 2 of their funds, and it shouldn't have been there.
09:56:10 So we're just remving that to correct the budget.
09:56:17 Oh, sorry about that!
09:56:22 Okay.
09:56:27 Sorry I got a little carried away there.
09:56:32 Okay, I think we're back to where we need to be sorry if I'm making make anybody see sick out there.
09:56:41 Okay. Homeless housing. This is just a correction to what was awarded by the housing board.
09:56:50 To it was supposed to have been 144,000, but that what they wanted was a 140 fourfour 1,500.
09:56:57 So, therefore it's a correction to the budget.
09:57:05 This is for public works written flood zones, and this is a transfer from the quilting flood to the bread and flood zone, and then also the capital outlay for property acquisition
that had to do.
09:57:23 I do believe, with easement having to do with that flood zone.
09:57:33 Public infrastructure. This is all been assigned by the Board, and so the budget has been, is being adjusted to match what the pay for board has approved, and Edc.
09:57:50 Is economic Development Council awarding an additional 74,250, bringing their total budget to 100,000.
09:57:58 The same way. Gateway, it's getting a 1 million dollars from, and then we'll see in complete streets is a 100,000, and they're getting that full amount.
09:58:13 So the impact to 306, which is our Pif fund, is 1.2 million.
09:58:20 Is there anything left in there, Judy?
09:58:23 I'd have to look that up for you. I don't know.
09:58:27 Off the top of my head.
09:58:24 Yeah, I think I I think they're. I'm just yeah.
09:58:34 Yeah.
09:58:29 Okay. Yeah, it seems like a lot, right? But yes, I can check into that and get back to you.
09:58:37 Okay.
09:58:36 That'd be great. And Mark might already have that number.
09:58:40 We were talking about not long ago.
09:58:42 Oh, okay.
09:58:45 So this is for triary sewer, as you know, we have a tremendous project with the Triaria sewer, and we have a 1 million dollars that was sitting in fun.
09:58:58 302, that we are going to be trailer, sewer, and we have a 1 million dollars. The triad area sewer from that capital improvement fund, and the expectation is this is to help
with cash flow lots of times they as you well, know, they they're awarded contracts. And proposals.
09:59:17 You know. Bids have been accepted, and then sometimes the challenge is having that liquidity of being able to pay everything when they need to pay it.
09:59:26 So this is to help with that, with the expectation at some point that that would be paid back to the fund.
09:59:41 This is the health insurance. So so we we had a vacation, as you all know, from our health insurance and due to the generosity of the Board, they've decided to continue with
that vacation through the end of 2023.
09:59:59 We found out about the vacation very quickly, but the vacation was over.
10:00:04 All of a sudden we had to cut a check, so we originally cut that check out a non-departmental.
10:00:10 So instead of trying to spread the cost across every fund and figure that out in honestly wasn't.
10:00:16 Personally, I wasn't quite sure how we were gonna figure that out, because healthcare is a it seems clear.
10:00:23 But there's quite a calculation that gets it done I'll just put it that way.
10:00:27 And so it deemed. At this point it was easier to be expended out of 505 with which is our employee bidder Fund, and so, therefore, we are putting employer benefit fund.
10:00:42 Excuse me, and so, therefore we are expensing that out of that particular fund, instead of a non-departmental or spreading across everybody's funds.
10:00:53 So that was to the tune of a $150,813.
10:01:06 Central services. This is a part of the process for information technology of moving from on-premises.
10:01:16 Microsoft Exchange to Microsoft Exchange online.
10:01:21 And so there was an additional cost that was required in this to be able to go with the vendor that is best suited to the Rfq. That was required in this to be able to go with
the vendor that is best Suited through the Rfq.
10:01:32 That was submitted through Mrsc. And so the additional funds were needed to match that amount of 200 to a total mended budget of 2 45 $72.
10:01:46 And that's it. So that is all. About quite a few for the first quarter.
10:01:53 So I'm hoping second quarter will be a little lighter.
10:01:56 We always hope that we don't have a lot in the first quarter, but lots of times like I mentioned it has to do with grants and and changes to the budget in that respect.
10:02:07 Great! Thank you very much for the great presentation, Judy a lot of work that we know goes into this and working with many departments, we open it up for testimony.
10:02:15 Any questions or comments from the Board.
10:02:18 No, I read through this last night, and all the transfer.
10:02:22 I guess I had one question, so the sorry I was saying.
10:02:27 No, I didn't have any questions but the up in the first section, the therapeutic Courts.
10:02:34 So my understanding is the District Court and Superior Court, subtracting those amounts from the revenue.
10:02:43 It gets added in the Therapeutic Courts line are, those are related right?
10:02:48 The 140 from the district and superior courts is reflected in that therapy to court line.
10:02:55 Yes.
10:02:56 Is that true? Okay, I just wanted to confirm that I was trying to reread the tea leaves. There.
10:03:01 Right.
10:03:03 Nope, everything looks pretty standard to me. Yeah, what we were expecting. I had one question on page 12, with the contract with Bayside, just making sure it looks to me like
the reason for budget appropriation is phrased backwards.
10:03:18 Okay. So you said.
10:03:17 But I'm not sure if I miss understanding something. Thought it was page 12.
10:03:22 The bayside, 1 44, adding $500.
10:03:24 I'm fortunate I don't see page numbers so.
10:03:26 It's a small thing. Oh, sorry.
10:03:28 Is it this? One? Yeah.
10:03:30 Yup homeless housing. So the contract for bayside, tiny homes should have been a $144,500.
10:03:38 Well. It was originally a 144,000, but when the contract was written it was written for and approved at a 144.5, and instead of trying to change the contract, we increased.
I mean, it's $500.
10:03:57 So we increased the budget 500, and that's how I interpreted it.
10:04:00 Okay.
10:04:00 So!
10:04:02 That's fine. I just that does recreate with it. I just misinterpreted. I'm fine with that, either way. I just wanted I understand.
10:04:08 Okay, yeah, I probably could have word that a little better on that, or one of us could have.
10:04:13 It's only a $500 change, though. Yes.
10:04:15 Right.
10:04:17 Yup. Okay. Great. Well, let me just come back to my script here.
10:04:23 And at today's hearing we will be taking public testimony about our first quarter budget appropriations.
10:04:29 Each person will be allowed to speak for up to 3Â min, and this is testimony.
10:04:33 So please begin by saying your name and spelling your last name for the record.
10:04:37 Speak slowly and clearly. If you're here, the green light will tell you when to speak, and the yellow light will show you that you have 30Â min remaining.
10:04:45 Otherwise we'll just. We'll give you a prompt and I will.
10:04:49 Now open this hearing for public testimony. So we don't have any public in the room with us.
10:04:54 But if there's anyone online that would like to make testimony in this public hearing specifically about these first quarter budget appropriations, we've just been presented
on, we would love to hear from you click raise hand or or star 9 Mr.
10:05:09 Tesh. Let's bring him on over. And, Judy, maybe you can stop sharing unless we need to get back into that.
10:05:19 Recorded.
10:05:18 Welcome, Mr. Tesh.
10:05:22 Thank you. Once again, Commissioners for the record. Tom Tierce, resident of Jefferson County.
10:05:28 My name is Spella, as shown on the screen, 8 characters, one, several.
10:05:32 How hard could it be? My my testimony for this hearing is pretty simple.
10:05:38 I just wanted to think the folks that put the presentation together for presenting page one.
10:05:44 It was a great improvement over previous years, where we can actually see all this stuff, instead of having to leaf through.
10:05:51 Rather hard to read individual pages for the various appropriations.
10:05:56 And so I just wanted to express my appreciation for that effort.
10:05:59 Thank you.
10:06:00 Thank you.
10:06:01 Thank you. And props to Judy. Right? Yeah, nice work, Judy.
10:06:04 Thank you.
10:06:07 Great. Thank you for that. Anyone else, with testimony we would love to hear from you.
10:06:11 You can click, raise hand or star 9 if you're on the phone.
10:06:16 I'll make one last call for anyone that would like to make public testimony on our hearing about the first quarter budget.
10:06:23 Appropriations. Alright, zin! No one else. I will close public testimony, and we will.
10:06:32 Good to the business of it.
10:06:36 I wanna rotate my screen back? Yeah? Like I said, I feel like this is good status quo. This is the business we do to true up the budget quarterly, so that we are not stuck at
the end of the year with a number of changes that need to be made generally it looks like departments are not
10:06:53 coming to us, saying, Oops! We forgot to ask for, which is always great.
10:06:59 People are, you know, generally staying within budget, seeking grant funding, which is a really good thing.
10:07:05 We're using capacity to be able to increase capacity.
10:07:09 So great work to those departments, getting that additional funding.
10:07:13 So yeah, I'm satisfied and ready to move forward absolutely.
10:07:20 And there's a resolution that we're about some specific verbiage on. If there's no other comments or questions that would be a great motion to approve that resolution I've got
it here that'd be helpful.
10:07:30 I will move to approve a resolution, an order, the first quarter, 2,023 budget appropriations, and extensions for various county departments.
10:07:39 Happy to second, that. Okay, it's been moved and seconded to approve the resolution, or in first quarter 2,023 budget appropriations.
10:07:49 Any further questions or comments, all in favor of approving the motion indicate by saying, Aye, hi!
10:07:56 Alright, as Mr. Cheers testified. Judy. Great work thanks so much for making it clear and partial.
10:08:03 Okay, good. Thank you. I appreciate it.
10:08:03 It's really, you know, these are, these are, yeah, yeah, this is the foundation of the county work.
10:08:08 So thanks for making it understandable.
10:08:11 You're welcome.
10:08:12 Okay, have a great day. And we have a scheduled item at 1015 for discussion and potential action.
10:08:21 By some capacity and current permit review times. It looks like we're going to have Mr. Peters.
10:08:27 Here is Brent joining us as well at that time.
10:08:28 Okay, great. But we do have 7Â min. We could maybe take a few moments to look back at the previous week a topic that might be a good 7Â min.
10:08:40 Okay. Walking on a conversation assume that you both received the an email from the Washington State Board on geographic names.
10:08:52 Is, that regarding a hearing? Oh, that's may first about a renaming of places across the State, and naming for the first time places in Washington State.
10:09:05 One of which is in Jefferson County. So the what we have been calling kilis at Harbor is inaccurately named.
10:09:16 The the work that Mosk did to open up the historic channel between Scou Bay and kill us at harbor did not have a geographic place name for government purposes.
10:09:32 That, of course, had a name for church purposes. Historically, and so the port gamble, scalum tribe has petitioned for their historic name to be translated and become the geographic
name, and we were asked if we were interested in providing any input on that name the tribe has recommended the
10:09:53 name passage through which is interesting, challenges my you know Colonialist heritage of wanting it to be something like, what about Inlet?
10:10:07 If that's the direct translation from their historic name, for that.
10:10:11 So I would propose that we support that name, choice, and I would be happy to put together a lot of support over the lunch hour to bring back to you.
10:10:20 If that's of interest I did check in with Chairman Ron Allen of the Jamesown Scolum tribe, and they are also in support of that name.
10:10:28 Naming, so!
10:10:31 Happy to answer any questions, or proceed with a letter and bring it to sounds good.
10:10:37 Sounds great to me. I think it's a great name.
10:10:38 So, yeah, yeah, good. Call back, so absolutely okay. Great. Let's action Yup, yup, okay, I think it's a great name. So yeah, yeah, good. Call back.
10:10:51 So absolutely okay. Great. Let's action. Yup, yeah, okay, I will bring that after I'm not trying. I heard there's a there's a movement to rename good canal as well.
10:10:58 Right? Yeah, okay, I will bring that after lunch, and I'll try. And I heard there's a there's a movement to rename good canal as well.
10:11:06 Right. I'm here. Yeah. Well, I've always said that would be like the last thing I want to do before I leave office.
10:11:10 Oh, yeah, no, that's drives me crazy. That's could never laid eyes on on it, and it is not a canal. It is.
10:11:17 And we should really take great pride in that but I will say we have discussed it with the Hood Canal Coordinating Council.
10:11:24 Perhaps you know, it sounds like there is some agreement around Salish Fjord.
10:11:29 There's also been discussion that the tribes would have a hard time agreeing to a name, because they all had historically very different names, for it.
10:11:42 And the I was sent the name for it, and it was literally like 40 letters long oh, yeah. And so, or maybe it's not that one was unlikely to, I think, be chosen, but I'm glad
to hear it.
10:12:00 I I think that it's I think we should take a lot of pride in having such a unique geographic feature.
10:12:07 Largest fjord in the lower 48, and also will be the home of the first d-listed salmon species likely so glad to hear that alright, great.
10:12:18 But on this passage through lovely name. And yeah, great.
10:12:23 So let us know. Okay, let me know if you need my big chat.
10:12:26 BoT to write the letter first draft of the letter over the lunch break I think I'm happy to use my brain for that, Greg.
10:12:32 All right, looking at the other name.
10:12:38 Yeah. Sorry that didn't take 7Â min. That's okay.
10:12:44 So agreeable, no? Well, I mean, it's a you know, when it's a good idea.
10:12:47 It's a good idea, yeah. I would love to hear the pronunciation of the the tribal name for it, which is in the letter supporting materials.
10:12:59 But it's of course, not in English phonetic alphabet. Then.
10:13:06 So yeah, it's short. Yes, yeah, yeah. I was curious.
10:13:12 If they considered a Anglicized version of that word versus passage through which I just think might be a little bit confusing.
10:13:21 When you refer to passage through as a place.
10:13:28 Right. It's literal at least you can go through it now.
10:13:35 I mean, if before the work, it would have been a that's appropriate name, not a sailboat.
10:13:40 Yeah, that's true. Yeah, fair enough. Right? Reading a book by Robin Walk Kimmer called Braiding Sweet Grass, and she was learning about her indigenous.
10:13:50 Her family limited language. I believe it was hot. An awesome and learning the language was that there are so many more verbs.
10:13:59 So it's interesting Heidi said. It's a active being in reciprocity with the with the world.
10:14:05 Things are in action, and it's not just a thing.
10:14:09 It's something that we're working with and being together with.
10:14:13 And and relationship with. So it's very interesting. Yeah.
10:14:21 And I wanted to be a noun.
10:14:24 Thank you. Part of the system. Alright, great! Well, we have a minute left.
10:14:29 Let's invite Josh to come on up, and I'll bring the microphone over.
10:15:01 Let me see, are we expecting anyone else online? Josh?
10:15:07 I saw Brent this morning, and he he said he was gonna come, and he had some slides to show.
10:15:12 But we can get started, and I don't see if you're going in line. I know that if he comes, then we'll.
10:15:20 Okay, thanks. And I prepped Barbara Ehrlichman. Just so.
10:15:24 She's available. If we need to bring her over for any questions.
10:15:30 Oh, shit that! She took her hand down. Okay, but we'll let you tell us what's going on.
10:15:40 Alright. Thank you, Mr. Chair. So we asked for time this morning.
10:15:44 Because we wanted to talk to the Board about some immediate measures that we're proposing to address.
10:15:55 Are we staffing in the short term in the medium term?
10:15:58 So we had a conversation with county administrator before he went on leave, and proposed a couple of ideas to have limited office closures.
10:16:09 One coming up pretty shortly for a specific reason, and then one coming up.
10:16:14 Are one proposed for the summer time. For another reason or related reason, so to rewind a little bit as you're aware, we've had some significant staff turnover in the past
few months, if you go back to last fall, then we're talking.
10:16:27 It's all started with Emily, and then it was Amanda, and then, if you go into this year, then we had Debra Amber, Morgan.
10:16:36 Jody never returned from family leave, or, except for one day.
10:16:39 Then Shannon, Helena, and Bryan.
10:16:43 So all those folks. It's a pretty significant chunk of our staff and a lot of experience.
10:16:48 I went along with them, and so we. Fortunately we have new folks.
10:16:52 We have a new planning technician who then switched over to permit intake.
10:16:56 And that's key. And then we've got 4 new assistant planners, all doing terrific.
10:17:03 Jenny Auburn, George and Lila, and but they're all within their 6 month trial period.
10:17:09 So they're very new and so is Gates. That's 5 new employees, and plus the Ethan who I'll introduce you to if I can.
10:17:14 In a few minutes, because he's over with Kristin doing his onboarding session.
10:17:18 He just started today.
10:17:22 So, yeah, so that's you know, it's with that kind of turn over. It's a challenge. But there's also opportunity.
10:17:29 We got a lot of new new faces, fresh perspectives.
10:17:33 And so that's all fantastic. But what it does mean, though, is that our capacity to do everyday things like handle questions when people come into the office and they have questions
we can have a new person greet that person.
10:17:47 But then undoubtedly the new person will have to look up the answer, which is a good exercise to learn about what we do.
10:17:51 But oftentimes it just means, of course, trying to find someone else to get the answer.
10:17:56 So there's a challenge and sort of the volume of questions from people dropping by.
10:17:59 And the emails and the phone calls. And we realize that we try to respond within a day, if we can to any phone call, even to say that we got your phone call or your email and
we'll get back to you but it's been a challenge just in the last few months especially with with
10:18:12 it. Volume of Turnover, especially folks that do a lot of the office administration.
10:18:18 So right now you've got the director and the deputy director essentially subbing in for all the office functions.
10:18:25 So I've been trying to do the Hr stuff.
10:18:26 Sarah knows that very well. I have a question almost every day.
10:18:30 A lot of Hr stuff going on right now, too. Exactly.
10:18:33 And then Grant, with Judy Shepherd's health and others, it's been trying to catch up on all of the you know, the fiscal things like the vouchers and the cashiering, and every
single thing you could think of public records, because you know, we expected to get we are certainly
10:18:47 hoping for Jody to come back from extended family leave, and so we were surprised when to find out that she wasn't going to do that, and of course then Morgan left.
10:18:55 That's really like the front office staff right there, plus with Amber having gone to the city.
10:18:59 There's a 3 key people. So we have Andrea up front.
10:19:04 She's just past her 6 month trial period, but she's doing great as well, and is sort of our first person to greet people when they come in this but Andrea had requested vacation
leave and deservedly so, and is going to go on vacation from Wednesday April
10:19:18 20 sixth, through Monday, May eighth. So that's an entire first week of May, plus few days on the front end and a day on the back end.
10:19:27 So that would be 8 total working days to cover if you count that we're already close to the public on Fridays.
10:19:32 So. So what we thought of as Jesus. So that would put Gabe in a position of being just the front person, and he's also, of course, training Ethan because Ethan is taking over
for what Gabrie was just doing.
10:19:47 So we've got basically a brand new person. You'll see in a second, I think, and then gave like handling all the front and left, right.
10:19:54 I could be out there which we would try to be, of course, but then you've got we're trying to do all that, you know.
10:20:00 Run the office essentially, not only our own jobs, but then these other jobs that we're trying to fill.
10:20:03 So it's a challenging period in that range. And so we were thinking that well, if possible, we could do unlimited cloud ideally.
10:20:12 It'd be a couple of weeks the last week in April and the first week in May, but of course we'll take what we can get in that regard.
10:20:17 And that way we at least wouldn't have the extra pressure of having everybody come in the door and having questions, and then sort of those interruptions that occur from there,
and we've got, of course, a significant case load as well, so these 4 new planners.
10:20:32 Have approximately 400 cases between them. Right? Because when Emily left, and especially Amanda, Emily was doing a lot of grant work, but Amanda had over 50 cases, so we had
to redistribute Amanda's land use cases, before she left and then Brian had cases as
10:20:49 well, Bryan had cases as well, and then Helena had, like 65 cases so, and I still need to think about how to redistribute those case.
10:21:00 That case, work that's challenging because.
10:21:03 All the new folks already have. As I mentioned, a bunch of cases, and they're mostly doing the simpler things.
10:21:11 The type, one cases and some type two's, which requires noticing type Irees are, when you have a public hearing, and it gets more complicated.
10:21:18 And you know we still have David Wayne Johnson doing Development Review and don it and Joel to an extent, although Joel is principally focused on the Complaint Amendment cycle,
big volume of work, right there needs to be the one doing it and then Donna is doing all the grant
10:21:32 work. And we have to spend all this money by June thirtieth.
10:21:35 So it's not an easy solution to say, Okay, we have these 65 cases of home as a need to be redistributed. No problem.
10:21:41 We'll just do a formula we get a chat BoT to do it, you know, we'll just do a formula.
10:21:47 We get a chat bought to do it, you know, because at that point you're already overloading folks who are already feeling a little overwhelmed.
10:21:50 So that's essentially, really in a nutshell and introduction of what we're talking about.
10:21:54 And then the one possible closure in the summertime would be because we're about to go out to add for at least 6 positions.
10:22:00 Once Mark gets back and just sort of gets the final. Okay, when working with Sarah and her team on new drug descriptions and all of the work.
10:22:08 And they've been great in helping us, but we're looking to go out for an administrative services manager.
10:22:12 A new position a lot like the office manager position that was in there before.
10:22:16 But a little bit of a hybrid between what Jodi was doing and what Morgan was doing.
10:22:20 Than a building official. We've had a building official before in DC.
10:22:24 D like a dedicated building official, rather than having that office reside with the director's office.
10:22:28 And so we're looking at that building. Officials slash fire.
10:22:32 Marshall, to concentrate on that aspect, and that building facial would actually supervise more people.
10:22:36 So Jodie supervised everybody in the front, and now we'd have that divided up between a new administrative services manager and a new building official fire marshal who was
supervised the building side of the shop so that includes the permit intake gave specifically and then we also the
10:22:52 development code administrator. That's also a new position.
10:22:56 Very similar to the planning manager position, which has been hard to find someone, for, is my understanding over the past.
10:23:03 Say decade, and because it's been a gonna turn over thing sometimes it's been vacant and landing manager is challenging in particular, because you're doing both the code administration
and all the long range planning.
10:23:12 So we're thinking, well, maybe we should try to get someone who's focused on the Development Code Administration itself being such a priority.
10:23:20 And then the long range planning can stay with the deputies under the deputy supervision or the director supervision, and then a planning supervisor that'd be to replace Shannon.
10:23:29 So right now I'm besides the other things I mentioned directly supervising these 4 new folks, because they had Shaman as their supervisor, and then Helena, as a good coach.
10:23:38 Things like intergov, and how to do certain tasks and so forth.
10:23:44 And those folks are now gone. So so I'm supervising these 4 new folks and trying my best to, you know.
10:23:48 Pay attention to everything there, so that they can be successful, while also doing the other stuff.
10:23:52 So we're also going to go out for a planning supervisor as an exempt position to supervise the assistant Planner, team, associate planner, if possible.
10:24:00 If we get lucky, and that would be someone with a little bit more experience so could come in and actually take on some of those harder cases we've asked some of the new folks
to take on some of the harder cases.
10:24:09 But that's asking a lot when it's such a volume of the of the typical Brendan butter cases before them as well.
10:24:14 And then finally a code compliance, coordinator, because Deborah Murdoch also left the that would maintain under the director's office.
10:24:24 That's the plan. And so we were thinking, if we get lucky again, strike it rich in a way.
10:24:29 Then sometime in the mid summer we're bringing all these folks on at once.
10:24:32 If we can get the timing right, and that would be a good chance also to be able to actually train them adequately to get them off to a good start, to have the ability to do
so without the daily interactions.
10:24:44 If you will, that we have in the front office, and that that's again.
10:24:47 Just so we can provide them. The appropriate training. We have gotten feedback from people who have departed saying that one thing they wished would have been more intensive
or thorough would be training.
10:25:01 And it's something that's been hard for us to do with those sort of middle management positions, or without the veteran capacity, leadership, and capacity to be able to train
them.
10:25:09 We've asked the folks who have been around longer to help us with that regard, and they all have David Wayne, for example, is as taking the new folks under his wing, in a sense
to for some of the harder actions like Subdivisions.
10:25:22 And is also taken on some of the cams, because that's also a time commitment for planners and they're unable to get to their casework if they're if they're just doing camps.
10:25:30 Course, there's good reason to have cams to get better applications coming in the door but that's a bit another challenge.
10:25:37 So I'm also basically, that's our main message is to talk about that today.
10:25:39 And what we could do in the short term. I know that the agenda request included a lot of other information.
10:25:44 There's a lot of other discussion happening about other things, and happy to answer any questions about that.
10:25:50 In summary in terms of site, development, review, or legal lot of record, happy to answer any questions not fully prepared to completely dive into that issue in terms of coming
up with different ways of approaching it.
10:26:01 Happy to talk about it, but would recommend that we come back in a week or 2 when Mark is back, and just have be more thoroughly prepared to go into some options about how to
streamline that situation.
10:26:12 I do have the numbers, and so forth. If you want to get into that, that's my interest.
10:26:16 I see that Brand has joined us now. Great! Thank you so much, Josh, that's a that's a great breakdown, Brent. I don't know.
10:26:21 How were you there for most of it that anything to add to Josh's presentation about this?
10:26:27 Hope you're muted, Brett. Sorry you're making some clattering noise, so we meet.
10:26:30 Yeah, I would just point out that if you look at the areas of concern, I think you should really point out that.
10:26:42 And I think it's really important to be aware that the resignations have affected planning more than any other department or division within Dcd.
10:26:53 Inspections. We still have our one day turnaround on inspection.
10:26:59 The Plan Review. We're still doing our plan. Review in 2 to 3 weeks.
10:27:04 We've also not canceled any of the comp plan.
10:27:07 Cycles. So we've still been doing the Comp plan.
10:27:11 We've also done extraordinarily well with the Grants.
10:27:15 We've got 4 Grants right now. The shoreline master program, the Flood control assistance account Grant, the shoreline users, guide and the sea level rise.
10:27:24 As Josh mentioned, those are all moving ahead without problem.
10:27:29 We also have some implementation issues that are moving ahead properly.
10:27:33 The cpacer program and the stock plans. So if you look at the resignations, we've had 8.
10:27:41 There were clustered in planning, and so that's where we really need to spend our focus on on trying to address what will a alleviate that that issue in planning?
10:27:54 So, if Josh really elucidated some of the issues, if there's anything, we should be acknowledge is that some of the planning issues been compounded by the new database system,
instead of of making things go faster, they've actually slowed
10:28:14 us down. They slowed us down. We've got increased steps in the fiscal realm.
10:28:20 We have increased steps in issuance of letters through our new system we have increased steps now through our camps because of the new system, and we're also have increased
steps in just for filling our responsibility of adding conditions.
10:28:35 So what we're finding is that the the new database has actually slowed us down at this point.
10:28:42 So I would also point out, I think Josh really touched upon that.
10:28:47 But the resignation. So we had such a significant number, and planning.
10:28:52 That means that what is it more than 380 cases had to be reassigned?
10:28:56 That's a pretty significant impact. And I think that that, coupled with the the impact that we're seeing from the database system is is why we need to really focus on on those
systems.
10:29:10 Finally, we also had a problem with redundancy or backup.
10:29:16 So, for and I, when I say backup, I'm reallyring to the fact that in our inspector role we have got 2 levels of backups there we have a consultant backup which is code pros.
10:29:31 And then we also have on-call inspectors, persons who have retired that are available and willing to provide assistance.
10:29:39 We also have a backup with our plan. Review code pros.
10:29:43 And so one of the objectives that we identified in the report.
10:29:48 And it's actually been published today at the daily Journal of Commerce is a call for consultants.
10:29:56 So we don't have a backup there, and this the increase in resignations was so significant that we weren't fast enough to respond to that.
10:30:08 And so I think at that juncture I'll just allow the Board to ask any questions that they have.
10:30:14 Great thank you. And I'll just do a little table setting and open it up for questions and comments.
10:30:20 And that's it's and correct me if I'm wrong. But I just want to kind of reiterate what we're really asking today. And there's a lot of you know.
10:30:26 Dcd. Has some capacity issues and all sorts of issues, and I appreciate your offer to come back next week and talk about some of the other solutions.
10:30:33 And you know I've had conversations with you and members of the building community and planning Commissioners about the Sdr. Process.
10:30:40 And I think that's you know, talking about all of these issues is really important.
10:30:43 But right now, in the attachments on the agenda, we have a proposal for a one-week closure to really for front-staff vacations, well-deserved vacations, and for 2 weeks as 2
options in late April beginning of May and then there's also another proposed
10:31:01 clure in May, as you say, for training. When you have that big group of training that you can do efficiently.
10:31:09 Speaking to some of the exit interviews and the desire for more training from the staff.
10:31:14 Is that right? That is correct, Mr. Chair. We approach the county administrator, and with these ideas of two-week closure now, and one week later, and he suggested that we set
up this time during his absence, so we could discuss it with the board and just go over the plan and try to address any
10:31:28 concerns great. And then yes!
10:31:31 And through the chair. I will just add that we might want to also consider one of the other areas that I've been thinking of is, you know, with lean implementation.
10:31:41 If we were to do a closure once a month for the next 3 or 4 months, just for one week, and then we can see how that closer is impacting workflow, so that I mean, I know that
that was just a a fourth idea that I wanted just to put in the mix so that
10:32:01 it wouldn't have such an immediate impact. But we could have a one closer each month, and then we can report out, say, in June, after 2 of those week closures have occurred
to see how that's going.
10:32:15 Okay, thank you, Bran. And then have you already changed the frequency of cams?
10:32:22 Or is that a proposal there are less cams now.
10:32:26 They're just scheduled on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, which is in Thursdays.
10:32:28 Yes, we did implement that change because the board's direction was that we were to offer cams for free.
10:32:37 But there was no specific number of camps at the board directed. So it appeared to be within my authority to decrease the number of camps which we've done by 50%, and we've
also put one of the more senior persons to handle the camps that are coming.
10:32:55 Okay, thank you. I just wanted to get that make sure we understand what we're talking about, and I don't know.
10:33:00 Id Kate questions, comments, thoughts, this public comment earlier said this was the most important issue in front of us, and I I have to say it's I think most of cute issue
that we need to deal with.
10:33:12 It's definitely nothing. I'm hearing the most about in the community, and totally supportive of a plan to give you guys the breathing space to get the backlog some of the backlog
dealt with, and I think it makes sense with the're the newness of your team to give them time
10:33:29 to get their feet under them a little bit, you know.
10:33:32 It's kind of hard to run while you're trying to swim, too, right?
10:33:37 So I think that oftentimes we ask Dcd.
10:33:42 To move mountains, and with more experience you all have been able to do that, for, as I understand it decades, and in this instance, when there's just so many new members of
the team, you know, you gotta figure out what materials you need to build the mountain before you move it right so the other thing
10:34:03 that I've find myself principally concerned about is more of the long range planning and how we're gonna address the docket.
10:34:12 I know we've been kind of slow playing docket items in the past, and there's kind of a backlog of docket items, and how are we going to deal with the comp plan update cycle?
10:34:25 Because it seems like we should be getting that train on the track now, and so I don't know if that's principally in your house or in David Wade Johnson.
10:34:33 I don't know who's holding that ball.
10:34:36 But yeah, you I've seen you not pointing me, Josh.
10:34:42 I'm sorry. I'm just saying the Falls, I hope, and whether I can. I'm sorry.
10:34:47 Obviously I'm juggling. I'm sorry.
10:34:49 Obviously I'm juggling the falls, and whether I can, the question or not.
10:34:50 But seriously, commission. We are in the middle of the 2023 comprehensive Plan Amendment Cycle.
10:34:54 Joel Peterson is the lead planner to the Planning commission.
10:34:57 This week, on Wednesday we're having a public hearing about the preliminary docket, so we'll get some feedback from the public about that.
10:35:03 And then the Planning Commission will make a recommendation about what to put on the docket.
10:35:07 Moving forward, we have some site-specific complaint amendments which are res zones, and those are paid customers. So there's those will be on there, no matter what, really,
unless we did something radical and just said, we're not doing it this year.
10:35:18 And then there's 2 proposals. One is a set of recommendations that the planning Commission is working on for housing some code amendments, and then Dcd.
10:35:27 Has a set of Udc. Amendments that we've identified and kind of kept a log over for the past few years that we're actually moving forward.
10:35:35 So those are the 2 things and we have. You know we've done.
10:35:36 We feel like we've done a lot of the work on that.
10:35:39 We're going to write our recommendation as well, and we'll address those issues, and we'll be before the Board for the Board to make it decision about the final docket.
10:35:44 Now, when you mention the 2,026 Periodic review that is due by the mid-year in 2026 by June thirtieth.
10:35:50 So that's a challenge in terms of our annual amendment cycle.
10:35:53 I think we probably gonna come back in front of the board and have a conversation about whether we want to accept any other proposals next year, or that we want to make the
year 2,024 the year that we really focus on getting ready to and hopefully finishing really are periodic review
10:36:08 responsibilities or just be in really good shape for that rather than being late to that party.
10:36:11 So but frankly, I'm it's one of those things I'm worried about.
10:36:14 But I'm we're have other things right in front of me.
10:36:17 That little bit more. So I yeah, so long range planning is, is is an issue right now with the permit volumes sort of all hands are on deck are on around that, except for Joel.
10:36:28 Really, of course he has his own permits to. Yeah. And then auburn another relatively new employee is serving as a the planning commission clerk essentially along with Joel
and Lynn. The ropes about long range planning has expressed an interest in that I believe that auburn will
10:36:42 be helping out as we get further on the year. But right now she's on the team that's working on site development Review and other type of and I do want to just say for anyone
that's with us, we'll have a public comment before we take any action.
10:36:56 So everyone, will have an opportunity to weigh in on this conversation.
10:36:58 Okay.
10:36:59 And I would just add that Auburn is spending roughly about 10% of her time supporting the planning commission and their long range planning activities.
10:37:09 And and Joel is about 70% of his time on the long mix planning activities.
10:37:15 And so we do have we have been, you know, assiduously moving ahead on quite a few of the long range planning projects and and some of the implementation measures.
10:37:25 I'd almost consider the cpacer and the the stock plans.
10:37:32 Implementation items that came out of long range planning as best practices.
10:37:37 And so I would say that we are moving ahead as well on those 4 grants.
10:37:44 And so those are all long range planning the flood control assistance account.
10:37:48 Grant, that's helping us characterize and reduce Flood risk on the big and little quilting river of a sea level rise.
10:37:56 Understanding risks are rising from increased sea heights.
10:38:01 And so that's a definitely long range planning. And then the shoreline users died to enable members of our community to better understand what they can do with their showline
properties.
10:38:12 And what is a violation of the showline management regulations and planning project really implements the Board's direction for regulatory reform.
10:38:26 We have been identified as accounting with the largest number of conditional use permits on the showline.
10:38:36 And so Josh adeply secured additional funding, so that that long range planning project can alleviate that impediment and provide better service to our community members.
10:38:52 So I would say that those all fall within the that warehouse. So there are things that are moving in a long range that I think the community has really been supportive of.
10:39:03 Great. Thank you. Hey? Yeah. Maybe. Question first, thanks for the really clear kind of taste of measures in our packet today.
10:39:19 That talks about, you know, fixes potential, fixes. It's interesting in in the narrative it's they start off as proposals, and then they become priorities near the end.
10:39:30 Curious if the 5 or proposal 6 being a combination, is that a prioritized list where you see number one being the most important and effective and then demolished.
10:39:46 I wanted to point out that I could speak on behalf of that when we were preparing, that we did not look at it specifically as a prioritization.
10:39:59 So the first one we had is perfect. Catch up and closure, and that one is we did identify that.
10:40:09 I would say that one is those the one that we feel would deliver the biggest bang for the buck.
10:40:16 So to speak. And I wanna clarify that that so that one would be the highest priority.
10:40:24 We did see that the customer assistance meeting number proposal number 2.
10:40:30 As something that because of the interruptions that it does create, that it would have an impact.
10:40:39 We didn't see it as great, because the Board did give us some latitude to in terms of the number of camps that we have, and we've had quite a few.
10:40:53 And so that was something that we've used our latitude to amend.
10:40:59 And then the third item was on call. Consultants. I think that if we had consultants or in place we wouldn't be in such a significant position.
10:41:12 But, as you know, there's been discussions regarding collective bodgaining to enable that so our little slow and getting that up and out.
10:41:20 But I I feel that's an important one. And then the interim controls was probably the most aggressive of all of the approaches.
10:41:28 And when I say interrupt controls, that really is a moratorium, other communities have done it, such as Lake Samanas, the city of Lake Samamas.
10:41:38 If you Google that, and so that interim measure we thought is the most aggressive of those approaches.
10:41:45 And then 5. The and I did see. I did call it priority, and should have probably been proposal.
10:41:54 5, was really looking at embedding training in either in any.
10:42:01 In all of the above. So we need to have training because of the of the loss of staff in in so many different areas.
10:42:09 Okay, thank you. That's helpful. I mean, I'm inclined to, you know.
10:42:19 Do whatever we can right now. Quickly did the question about collective bargaining.
10:42:27 Did that get resolved in terms of hiring consultants is, do we have a clear pat for that the unions been notified, and there is a section in the contract that allows for on
consultants, and my understanding is that this would be temporary until we get over this issue
10:42:48 we have right now regarding capacity and the backlog of Permits.
10:42:53 So we don't anticipate the unions opposing that in a way that would prevent it from being an option.
10:43:03 Through the chair.
10:43:01 Correct. Okay, I could quick comment on that. Hold on great.
10:43:07 And then Josh!
10:43:10 I was just gonna say that the border, and I almost think that it might be a good decision to determine what a level of service that is meet the needs of the community to identify
that level of service, and then to determine if we exceed that then on call planning services should
10:43:31 be used. That would be a recommendation, so that there is some determination.
10:43:36 If we go above a certain level of service standard, be it 8 weeks or one, the Board would decide.
10:43:44 Then we would necessarily reach out to the on call, planning.
10:43:48 Okay. Thanks. Josh, I'm going to say that one of the things we try to do is follow the legislative session. I know.
10:43:56 Commissioner Dean, you do that as well from a broad perspective.
10:44:00 We try to focus on the planning related things. It's also been a challenge, of course, to be fully engaged in this particular session, but I am aware that 3 bills passed, and
3 3 bills that have to do with regulatory processes permit timelines and those kinds of things and
10:44:14 so the dust hasn't really cleared on that.
10:44:16 That just happened last week I need to take a closer look at those and see how they overlap, if they do, what things are they trying to deal with, and I guess what occurs to
me.
10:44:26 Just from listening to the conversation around those bills is that we're not the only jurisdiction and only local government.
10:44:31 Washington State dealing with permit timelines. Otherwise there wouldn't be 3 bills that passed.
10:44:36 They're not certainly not looking at just us. However, as Brent pointed out in the agenda request, and as we talked about, we've had sort of a perfect storm of other things
that have made it potentially acute here, but I guess I'm saying that there is talk around the state of how to deal
10:44:50 with permit timelines under the regulatory framework that we have in Washington State, and one of those solutions and one of the bills is that provide assistance to local governments
to have on-call planning services.
10:45:02 So again, that discussion isn't just about us trying this thing, although we do have our own union contracts collective bargaining agreements to address.
10:45:08 But it's something being proposed and even promoted in some ways by having some.
10:45:12 If you sort of opt into a program's my understanding of at least one of the bills, and you commit to certain timelines and even shortening others, then you're eligible for funds
to help offset costs for on-call planning services to supplement your planning
10:45:25 staff hmm! I can. I keep going, Greg? We do. Okay.
10:45:31 So like, I said. I mean, I'm inclined to do what we can.
10:45:36 I am aware of the what the projection is now.
10:45:40 58% chance out of a 100 that we will be moving into a recession by the end of this year.
10:45:47 And you know, I just think if the more we can keep things on tracks right now and moving towards, especially knowing that housing inventory is a massive issue for us, I'm inclined
to, you know, just throw whatever we can at this to support the department.
10:46:08 I do. I'm a little. I have some concerns about the like total closures, and Josh and I have talked about this.
10:46:16 I think the while the rationale makes sense. I think the optics are really really tough.
10:46:24 And so I have wondered if there's a way to provide the block of time needed for focused work and catch up while having a bit of a relief valve that the public still knows that
they can can get some service, and Josh assures me that email can still be monitored and that
10:46:43 there are ways that that can happen. I still would love to see if we could brainstorm some sort of partial.
10:46:51 Opening, it's like the Hood Canal Bridge, you know, and they're talking about the backup.
10:46:57 Yeah, it could be. Maybe it's impossible. Maybe it's you know, if you're only open for a day or 2 a week that it just more and more people then want to come through that very
limited time frame.
10:47:06 But that I guess I would be interested in kind of brainstorming if there's some way that would provide both.
10:47:15 And then the training closure. Similar kind of concern around that I think that's right.
10:47:22 That's gonna be even harder with different with staggered start times, and you know, is it seems unrealistic that there would be a whole new group of people all starting at
once that would benefit from a week off impact to the public impact and optics to the public of closing and you know
10:47:39 I think it's just very hard to make the case that closing to the public actually expedites permitting, and yet, because it just doesn't seem like that on the user end.
10:47:51 And yet I totally get why, that is likely. The reality, and for the department itself.
10:47:57 So we'llin to be flexible and work with you on what you need.
10:48:02 But just curious if there's some ways we can help the public feel like they're not getting talked to the hand.
10:48:08 Talk to the door, because, you know, we're we need to get our stuff together.
10:48:13 No, that's where I land. That's great. Well, I mean, it's the perfect, there's a great resignation, right? I mean, it's there's a lot of compounding factors in this perfect
storm, as it's been described.
10:48:28 And Dcd. Is not the only entity in our community experiencing some of the impacts of things like the great resignation.
10:48:36 And what was they said on Npr. This morning 100,000 people resigning from jobs in the last couple of years because of Covid and all of the impacts of Covid.
10:48:46 And you know, keeping their kids in school, and all the things they're all the things right.
10:48:51 And so I've been like what you know.
10:48:53 How can we? How can we supplant the capacity or support the capacity of DC.
10:48:58 D in this time, as we build the team, because it's like building the airplane while you're flying.
10:49:05 It kind of thing. And so my solution cause I'm very much like, pull up my bootstraps and I'm like I'll come over there one day a week, Josh, if you think it would be helpful
and not distracting.
10:49:15 I could take phone calls, you know, and do my other work. Commissioner. Yeah, I mean, I'm happy to.
10:49:21 I am literally. I'm saying that I'm happy to add capacity.
10:49:23 I mean, like, public of Jefferson County, pays for my salary, and I want my salary to be put to pass use, and then this time I feel like it might be some of the best use of
those funds, and so I'm wondering if there's anywhere else.
10:49:36 That there's capacity within the county to, you know, cycle people through to help or pick 5 people.
10:49:44 So deputize to train up as you know, phone answers and I was on the planning commission a while back, and I do know some of the lingo, so I could have conversations with, you
know, frontline conversations with customers.
10:49:58 So I was just trying to figure out. You know how to be helpful, and that's probably not very helpful to say the best way I can think about is for me to come over there one day
a week, but it is a you know.
10:50:10 It's a it's extra capacity. So, put your heads around that if you think that would be useful, we'd have to look at my schedule.
10:50:20 But I do have gaps in my schedule and be happy to do it.
10:50:23 It would actually probably be good for me as a relatively new Commissioner, to be on the frontlines doing that work with you all on the other kind of expanding on that thought.
10:50:33 Is there anywhere else in the county family where we have?
10:50:38 This baby is. I'm glad Sarah is our deputy.
10:50:41 Our acting county administrator today, because maybe it's a question of, is there a capacity anywhere in the county for people to help?
10:50:49 I don't know if we've thought about that, but it's you know, oftentimes, I guess.
10:50:54 Go back to my times working for nonprofits in the community, and when the wooden Boat Festival came along it was like all hands on deck, you know.
10:51:01 We got hundreds of boats coming in the Marina. We got.
10:51:05 We got to. We got to get through this hotspot that we're in of a major event.
10:51:09 And so I feel like this is a major event. And how does the county respond to it?
10:51:14 Great. I don't know Josh or Sarah.
10:51:16 You want to respond to Heidi's oh, well, just in the short term, and as long as necessary human resources, and our payroll finance team are helping Josh and Brent and community
development with the needs on the administrative end. And so that really, that's really a critical kind of foundation for
10:51:37 the department within which to act. The permitting planning side is critical as well, but the team meets support, and Josh and Brent are actually working really hard on that
as well.
10:51:47 I'm wondering if there's some kind of solution between 2 or 3 weeks off and doing nothing.
10:51:58 So right now, Dcd's closed on Fridays.
10:52:02 So with an additional one or 2 days a week, be sufficient, I mean at one time or half of a day, during a week, to make sure that the public had access, but also that Dcd.
10:52:15 Had a the opportunity to catch up and to train. I think there's alternatives and the training side that perhaps on a Friday there could be different teams of people that might
be trained, and Hr.
10:52:30 Help to setup training that would be more on the Administrator side while that wouldn't help on that.
10:52:36 The Dcd specifics side. If there's some other solution that can be worked in that.
10:52:43 Thank you. Sarah. Alright. I guess I'll weigh in a little bit here.
10:52:50 I I share your concerns and both of your willingness is digital jump in and roll at the sleeves, and I do a meeting schedule with Josh and Scott, Carpenter and Brent to use.
10:53:00 You know my favorite new tool, which is a chat box to see if we can't take some of the pick.
10:53:05 Some of that capacity issue, and I think, looking for this kind of solution is incumbent upon us.
10:53:10 I hope next week we can really dig into some, and you know I had heard from the the trades really about maybe waving Sdrs as a way to alleviate some of this issue, and talking
to Josh.
10:53:21 I recognize how much we lose if we do that, if we kind of bulk on that, I think it's still worth considering, I'd love to discuss it, but probably not today.
10:53:30 But you know just another idea, I think. Raising the threshold of what you actually have to apply for, you know we use the bewop, the built without perm permit permits process
for a lot of different things.
10:53:41 And maybe you know, if we're building a fence or a shed or something, we just say, Hey, for a year, do your best.
10:53:47 These are the rules don't talk to us, and if there's not a complaint we won't talk to you until this certain period.
10:53:52 So I think this I really struggle with lowering the level of service.
10:53:56 Of course we're a small rural community. People always want levels of service to increase, not go down.
10:54:02 And it's really challenging for me to shut that door and allow our level of service to go down.
10:54:09 Which is what we're actively doing. But I think we have to.
10:54:14 So I like Sarah's suggestion, too, about, you know, a week, or you know, a day or 2.
10:54:20 I understand the specific vacation that we're trying to deal with, so I'd be probably inclined today to lean towards a week closure.
10:54:28 Keep looking for other solutions, for the training and everything, but give them at least one of the weeks in April just to deal with the really acute situation.
10:54:38 But come back next week and look at real strategic options for improving the flow and I guess that would be.
10:54:48 That's my off the C. As well off the cuff.
10:54:51 I thought about this all weekend long, you know. I mean, it's like we really do care about the department, and it's as we talked about often.
10:54:58 It's one of the the departments that has the most interaction with folks.
10:55:03 So you are, you know, you're carrying the the standard for the county every day, and we wanna we wanna let you support Dcd.
10:55:11 To carry it as probably as I can, so I guess that's where I yes, go ahead, Brent.
10:55:17 Through the chair. Would you consider? And I guess my question is that we can have one week closure.
10:55:27 See how that works, and my recommendation would be to repeat it.
10:55:32 Maybe the first week of each month for a couple of months, and then we can report out if it's working, and so that you'll have an opportunity to, amended.
10:55:46 But I think that if if we can demonstrate success and it's improving the community, it would make sense for it to continue for a short period.
10:55:58 I'm very skeptical of that plan. I will be honest.
10:56:01 I mean, I think a week. Okay, reducing how the time that we're open to the public by 25% maybe that's bridge too far for me right now.
10:56:14 But I don't know hey, this is not something that's my decision.
10:56:23 Well, I like the idea of definitely doing it for a week, and assessing how it went what do we learn from that week?
10:56:27 And then, and then developing a plan, going forward, knowing that it may be your choice, or it may be investing money that we have to rattle out of the couch cushions, maybe
the Commissioners are there at the front desk every Monday.
10:56:44 I don't know well, I think it's important to maintain a focus on what the exact.
10:56:50 So if the goal is to maintain the health of the current staff, who are really dedicated and devoted, and working hard to keep it afloat, and also to ensure that the public has
access, then what does that mean?
10:57:07 So if it's one week and our goal is that we're we're satisfying some of each of these.
10:57:12 Then let's keep that goal. If the goal is, you know, long term assessing, lean, and doing these other things well, then, that's a different decision.
10:57:23 And so it's just defining what the goals of the board are.
10:57:27 I think right now for the situation great, and I think I mean I support the idea of a week closure and assessing, and see how it goes I worry a little bit about that being a
regular thing, because this does feel like something of an emergency and it's harder to make that case
10:57:47 when it's scheduled one week, a month so I think that kind of you know, responding to the severity as it is in, could interpreted to be in any given time, would be my preferred
strategy.
10:58:05 So, if you know if there is a true need for the closure.
10:58:07 Now go ahead and do that Josh. I think you've talked about the idea of you know the this conversation as an opportunity to start, you know, informing the public that we really
are at a precarious time and we need some grace and patience on their part so that there might be indicating that there
10:58:27 might be other closures in the future for training in particular, but I'd be a little loathe to commit to a regular closure at this point.
10:58:39 Okay, I do. Wanna make sure we leave some time for public comments.
10:58:46 So I'll ask anyone I know. We've asked Barbara to be available, and we haven't asked you anything but, Barbara, if you have anything that you want to contribute to the conversation.
10:58:52 We'd love to hear from the prosecutors perspective, as you guys work a lot with Dcd.
10:58:57 Otherwise. See. No! Oh, hi! Barbara!
10:59:03 Good.
10:59:02 Hey? How's it going? I would just point out, you know, having listened to this entire conversation that Grant has said that the building side of the house is in pretty good
shape.
10:59:17 I might I don't wanna miss characterize what I said, but basically that you know, we do have backup building inspectors and all of that stuff.
10:59:28 I mean, is it possible for that side of the house to continue operations in a open forum while just the planning part of the house closes for one of these?
10:59:49 Hmm!
10:59:43 Whatever whatever distance you know, whatever time needed to do training or other things.
10:59:57 Good good question. You want to take that, Josh.
11:00:00 Yeah, thank, you, and I'll try to hit on some of the other points, too.
11:00:03 So just on what Barbara was saying. We're only talking about just closing the front door, so we don't get the drop-in customers and the all the functions will be occurring as
normal, including the daily inspections.
11:00:20 We have 2 inspectors that go out every day and do building permit inspections.
11:00:26 We have one plans. Examiner as well, so those functions will continue, and it would be a case of simply having an email and phone communication rather than having.
11:00:34 But if you know, there were appointment, specific things we could, I know, on the planning side we already have an appointment for the week that we're targeting for enclosure,
and we were going to maybe hold it over on the eph side the environmental public health side where they have a small conference room so again.
11:00:47 like the functions wouldn't be stopping. It's just it's just that the daily interactions at a time, a very specific week.
11:00:54 And then a some edges on that week where we're going to be very short. Staff.
11:00:58 This is Ethan. By the way, we're going to be very short staff. This is Ethan.
11:01:04 By the way, we're going to be very short. Staff.
11:01:06 This is Ethan. If you have in your schedule, for example, on April, Wednesday, April 20 sixth, and Thursday, April 20 seventh, or either one of those days or Monday, Monday,
tough hey?
11:01:24 Those are the days that even if we weren't able to get that first week in May to be essentially closed, maybe with a 4Â h window, whatever it're comfortable with.
11:01:32 Then, yeah, if you wanted to work the front desk and really see what it's like to answer people's questions that'd be fantastic.
11:01:38 The idea that, you know the all hands on deck. Idea!
11:01:40 We've already asked. I think a lot of our colleagues around the county organization for additional assistance, including some fiscal training for one of our planners who happens
to have a physical background.
11:01:51 She's stepping in Jenny to try to help us with the cash hearing, and those kinds of things, the voucher stuff, until we get an Admin services manager back on board to be able
to do that ourselves.
11:02:01 Timesheets all of these things that are just keeping the department running.
11:02:04 We're already asking a lot of our colleagues, and so coming over, I just don't I don't really see that as being a short term solution, I think Christian Eisenhower, having been
on the planning Commission.
11:02:14 Yes, that makes sense. And you know, frontline conversations. But to really to even get up to speed for someone to be able to answer question about land use planning.
11:02:24 I do think it's unless you're coming with a whole background.
11:02:27 It's a it's a matter of months, not weeks, to be able to really answer those questions. Maybe artificial intelligence.
11:02:35 Can you know, be a liability too, I don't want to answer those questions.
11:02:42 Maybe the artificial intelligence can, you know, be a liability too?
11:02:42 I mean, we don't. So I mean, people can find lots of information online. But people like to be a lot of people like to be LED to that information.
11:02:46 So there's the challenge there, believe me, we don't want to disappoint anybody, and it's hard, professionally.
11:02:51 It's very hard actually to disappoint people, and we feel like I feel like we're doing it.
11:02:56 And I I think I should say I'm doing it, and it's just a matter of where like are we going to disappoint the folks who want answers to questions about what can I do on my property,
or how do I apply for a permit, or what are the rules?
11:03:09 Or is it people that have already applied? And they're waiting for their permit?
11:03:12 And we're trying to get all those permits out the door or the people that just want to know where my permit is.
11:03:17 And we have to drop what we're doing to then find where that permit is.
11:03:19 And then we come to find out it's in the queue, but it's pretty far down in the queue, and we'll sometimes people will ask the same question the next week, and they'll still
far down in the queue.
11:03:27 So it's it's a matter of how we're justointing, because people, because almost undoubtedly we're going to be disappointing some people right now, just because of, we're not
able to do the level of service that.
11:03:40 We would like to do. And we're building the team back up in order to get there.
11:03:44 And so, yeah, all solutions on the table. We, I mean, my main objective was to really find out about this first week in May, what are we gonna do then?
11:03:51 And then in terms of Commissioner Dean, what you're saying.
11:03:54 Is it possible that we're going to get all the people onboarding at the same time? Probably not.
11:03:58 That's why I said in an ideal world, you know, we'd be doing all the interviews at the same time.
11:04:01 We are going to advertise at the same time. So maybe, by the way, we have to do all those interviews and all that hiring, and then we bring them all.
11:04:07 And if somehow, magically, they're all kind of at the same time, or at least a planning part of the shop, then we could talk then about what that week might be that's why we
didn't need even predict when that would be I said something like mid midsummer for that all solutions on
11:04:20 the table Commissioner Brotherton, in terms of the idea of actually making a change in terms of the the regulations that we're trying to implement.
11:04:28 There's no question that the one year more moratorium, followed by a brand new program on top of Enter Gov, coming online.
11:04:37 And the staff turnover all at once is been challenging.
11:04:40 There's absolutely no question about that. That, said we finallyre finding a lot of successes.
11:04:45 And again. We're happy to come back next week to talk more about this. I know you want.
11:04:47 You have other items on your agenda but we've had basically in a nutshell 300 applications, 120.
11:04:54 So far this year we have worked through. We've worked through all the ones from last year and identified you know, a good 30 or so that are tricky.
11:05:02 Another 30. We just need to complete. We've already started completing the ones that were applied this year.
11:05:06 Just started, though we've completed at this point.
11:05:11 111. So so the new team is really figuring things out, moving quickly.
11:05:17 I would say that if you're still interested in exploring the possibility of making a change to what we've tried to implement, then my team tells me that it's the legal lot of
record aspect.
11:05:28 It's not the site development Review aspect we're going to have to do land use review anyway.
11:05:33 And that's kind of what we were saying. The Site Development view essentially just moves the land use review to the front of the line to ask the right questions when you're
supposed to.
11:05:42 It's working well in that regard. Now, the volume, the pent-up demand from the moratorium.
11:05:46 These are all challenges that we're just trying to work through and get to a place that we're just sort of at the normal level of permit intake.
11:05:53 But it's the legal lot of record that's provided some serious, tricky business in terms of figuring out how to implement that.
11:06:00 Just as an example like here, that of a 100 total Sdrs.
11:06:04 This year 3 we finished for in the ugs that's the 42 are not platted.
11:06:09 Because right away, we're like, okay, they're not planning.
11:06:11 What does that mean? How are they created? What were the subdivision ordinances?
11:06:14 In effect at the time that this land was divided without subdividing actually so, 23 were plattered prior to 1,937, when we talked about that being a big key like there were
no land use controls prior to them.
11:06:27 So what does that mean? What's there any land use?
11:06:30 Considerations for these lots. 22 or between 37 and 68.
11:06:33 Okay, so maybe some land use controls. But what happened there?
11:06:36 And we might have the information. We might not 26.
11:06:40 We're post 69. That's that. Probably fine.
11:06:44 As long as nothing else happened. 43 of those need Environmental Health Review, because they're under 2 acres.
11:06:48 So that's when you start asking, do we have the minimum land area to actually accommodate on onsite septic system? And how well on that property most likely.
11:06:57 So that's a big S, we are the critical area. So those are the kinds of things that we want to ask first, before people start paying for house designs and all kinds of other
stuff.
11:07:04 And we're just down to the house designs and all kinds of other stuff.
11:07:07 And we're just down to some of those hardest to build properties right?
11:07:08 So we can talk about how much detail we get into in the Sdr.
11:07:12 That's a conversation that we're having with health.
11:07:14 I mean, how much is it a point where we can say, here are your challenges we're giving you some recommendations about how to address that. But you're gonna have to go to health
next?
11:07:22 Or do we have them involved in doing soils? Analysis, early on.
11:07:26 That's a question. The legal lot stuff. We could break it out.
11:07:30 We could try to simplify now that we've learned a lot more about the challenges that we come up with when we try to dig into property history in Jefferson County.
11:07:36 And what happened way back when we could come back to you with some other ideas about that.
11:07:41 But again, these are these are the types of things you can't just teach someone to do in a day.
11:07:45 And then also, they're going to start processing Sdrs. I just wanted to spell.
11:07:48 I think the's a that's not really a viable path, at least in the short term.
11:07:52 So anyway, just more more detail. If I got that one week that'd be great.
11:07:57 We can come back next week. We can come back and continue the conversation.
11:08:00 If we had another week to prepare, then we could even prepare better for that conversation.
11:08:07 Yeah.
11:08:04 If you really want to explore about some alternatives to the current program that we have going great, and I'm happy to, you know, Filter, that down.
11:08:11 If it's the legal lot of record, that's the kind of the low hanging fruit of things that are really challenging capacity and have, you know, just like adaptive management, you
know, looking at this, maybe that's the part that you know, a part of Sdr happy that I mean I want
11:08:24 the suggestions coming from you you guys.
11:08:26 And I just wanted to add that sort of piggyback.
11:08:30 What are prosecuting attorney indicated, and I think it's really important to note that we're still conducting building intake.
11:08:43 So persons who have permits, if they wish, the community members that wish to submit, that is, gonna continue even during other closure.
11:08:55 We're still doing inspections. We're still doing plan. Review. Okay?
11:09:00 So I just really wanted to highlight that there's still quite a bit that is continuing even during any proposed closure of the office.
11:09:12 Great. Thank you, and I think we should probably open it up for public comment, because we have an 1115.
11:09:20 Another talking about cpacer, a particular plan there, so I will call for public comments on this agenda.
11:09:27 Item, if you're with us online and you'd like to make a comment. We would love to hear from you. If you can click, raise hand or Star 9, we will bring you over, and you can
have up to 3Â min to talk about this.
11:09:40 Well, you're looking for public comment, I mean, I think what Staff is looking for today, though, is direction or guidance.
11:09:50 On which version of these press releases to send out I mean how to move this plan forward.
11:09:55 So we wanna be sure we leave this session in the next 6Â min.
11:10:00 With that and sufficient guidance for them. Absolutely. Okay, I'm seeing no one with their hands up for public comment.
11:10:11 I'll make one more call. If anyone would like to make public comment on this topic, we would love to hear from you, and we got one.
11:10:17 Let's bring out.
11:10:34 Ld. You'll have to accept promotion to panelists for us to be able to hear you.
11:10:51 Oh, is that over now?
11:10:55 Great. We can hear you now. Ld, thank you.
11:10:53 So, how about now? Okay, thank you. Sorry about that.
11:11:00 Shouldn't be driving and doing this same time.
11:11:02 Hey, I just wanted to thank the Bocc for going down this road to take a look at what some options may be you know, as a planning commissioner and also as a President of the
Jefferson County Humboldt Association.
11:11:17 I get a lot of questions regarding this and a lot of people are are very concerned, and I've had a number of meetings with a number of you and and also the county administrator
in kind of both of those roles, and I think looking at this process really in depth. Is a good thing.
11:11:36 For bocc to take on and see.
11:11:41 You know what's working and what isn't, and I know we've had a lot of people leave Dcd.
11:11:47 For I think a number of different reasons. I think one of them is probably also dissatisfaction of how the process is going, and how they feel in their jobs.
11:11:58 But I I really hope that that you guys can come together and come up with some kind of solution to get us out of this position that we're in, because I think it's really an
emergency that that we're seeing.
11:12:12 Thank you so much.
11:12:14 Thank you. Mister Record.
11:12:17 But anyone else like to make part comments.
11:12:22 I wanna make a last call for public comment. If you'd like to comment on this agenda item.
11:12:27 Now is your time? Okay? So you know, when I will close public comment.
11:12:33 And as Heidi, you know, pointed out, we've got some short-term action that you guys are looking for today, and I guess one of those is we have in the agenda item, there's press
release for both the closure of one week.
11:12:45 At the end. Of April and May, or 2 weeks.
11:12:49 And do we want to consider one of those options today?
11:12:52 Sure, Yup, and I think to the on call consultants assistance.
11:12:59 That's another. Yeah, we should discuss I don't know if we can come to a decision on it today or not, but and I would love to.
11:13:08 I don't know. I would love to kick that cand to next week. In our conversation.
11:13:11 I guess I just I know. I remember we've we've had on call consultants for more management before, and I felt like it takes a lot of capacity to manage those consultants, and,
as you say, it takes I mean is the consultant going to be able to come in faster than a than
11:13:27 a new employee to be able to be doing permit work in Jefferson County.
11:13:35 Well!
11:13:34 I would say that it does. It does take management for consultants.
11:13:38 One of the challenges is that we have some more complicated permit processes that we could train new staff on, except that they're also doing the majority of all this spread
and butter, permitting.
11:13:51 So we were targeting. Really, those firms that are that are experienced in things like public hearings.
11:13:58 Staff report preparation for those Sepa Review State, Vermont Policy Act.
11:14:01 Those types of discrete things defer to Brant on the extent of the call for proposals.
11:14:07 But we had all suite of services that we are proposing to see whether we could get services for including, by the way, master plan, resort services that has to do with the wasn't
part of the work in pleasant armor.
11:14:19 Yeah, Brent, go ahead, Bryn.
11:14:20 Yeah, we have a call out. It went out to the daily journal of Commerce today and we're looking for assistance in 3 core areas.
11:14:30 One of them is a master plan. Resource. We do not have the capacity to provide the service necessary to implement that vision, include some 890 homes and associated services
at the pleasant harbor area.
11:14:53 So we have as a primary responsibility, trying to fulfill that that need.
11:15:00 So that's one of the calls. The second one is on call planning services, and my experience has been that most governments that I've worked in have had that available.
11:15:13 We're finding that we wouldn't be able to process our shoreline master program without it.
11:15:20 Burt consultants has been there. They're knowledgeable about our codes.
11:15:24 They provided that service in the past, and with the $50,000 additional, some that the Department of Ecology is granted us.
11:15:34 They're going to continue to support us. My experience has also been that the government that I left in California when I attended the the American Planning Association Conference
in San Diego, I met on the sidelines of the Conference the firm that I hired to do
11:15:58 our comp planning Development code, I've been out of that government now for 6 years, and they told me, oh, there's been such turnover in that department, Grant, that we're
the only consistent Ellen element that the department has.
11:16:14 And they're relying on Us. We're still updating their plans and and doing work because of that turnover.
11:16:19 So I see that on call planning services could provide that continuity when there is isn't that current staffing?
11:16:30 That was a classic example of that, and a third area that we've provided or submitted for.
11:16:38 Call was the office of the fire marshal and building services to ensure that we're implementing those expectations that are identified in the code and it's a best practice for
the community.
11:16:52 And so we have really those 3 core areas that are just announced today.
11:16:57 But Brad, you don't need our action. You don't need any action for us.
11:17:00 It sounds like you've already posted that Rfp.
11:17:01 Yes, we did not need any action. We we just identified.
11:17:07 This is an area that unfortunately, we didn't have backup.
11:17:10 And so therein is part of the problem we could have if we had backup as soon as we saw this issue presenting itself with, could have relied upon those on call planning services,
and we would not be in the situation that we are in now.
11:17:27 So we'll be back in front of the board with potential contracts for services depending on the on the responses that we get from the on-call Rfp.
11:17:36 That we just put out, okay, sounds good. So really, we're just considering our permit.
11:17:43 Catch up closure, and whether on starting April 20, fourth for 2 weeks, or starting May first for one week.
11:17:50 That's exactly I mean for so today, I think we're going to continue this conversation and to your point earlier Josh, whether it's a week or 2 weeks.
11:17:56 If you guys need 2 weeks to really consider alternatives you know, whatever works for you guys and I did speak with Mark Mcauley, and he's happy to work with you guys, too,
to bring something back in the next in the next week or 2 so so today.
11:18:09 Just so we can get on. Is that okay? To just restrict our deliberation to the late April early May closures.
11:18:17 Yes, I was a little unclear about what you just said, Greg, about the one week versus 2.
11:18:27 The yes. The 2 press releases. The first one is one week. Permit.
11:18:32 Catch up time, composure, now followed by one week training in the summer, and the second version is a 2 week.
11:18:38 Permit Hetchup, now followed by one week of training in the summer.
11:18:42 So? Which are we supportive of?
11:18:43 And a point, a point of clarification.
11:18:46 I just wanted to identify that we will still be doing permanent intake.
11:18:51 We're still doing inspections. We are still doing plan, review.
11:18:55 Good clarification, yeah, that might maybe should go into the press, release.
11:19:03 Yeah. Good, point.
11:19:07 Okay. So we have. If you go down to Page, you know.
11:19:13 15016, and 17, that we can consider now, okay.
11:19:22 So I guess I would probably be more inclined to the one week closure.
11:19:26 Starting on May first, but I'm I'm not available on the 20 sixth and 20 seventh Josh.
11:19:33 Unfortunately, I feel like I don't just enough about land use to be dangerous.
11:19:43 I'll use my chat. BoT, you would get 3 very different approaches. That these 3 commissioners you would get 3 very different approaches, that these 3 commissioners.
11:20:00 Put it in there. My desk? Yeah, no, I'm happy to help, too, but I think we wanna be sure to be on scripts absolutely some coaching, because it is a potentially dangerous situation
indeed.
11:20:18 Okay, well, we are a little bit late for our 1115.
11:20:22 So I would welcome a motion if someone is so inclined.
11:20:25 I'm happy to move that we approve. A one week I'm just reading from the press.
11:20:32 Release a one week, permit. Catch up closure.
11:20:37 Effect of May, first followed by one training week in the summer.
11:20:42 Could we maybe hold off on the summer part and just make the decision we need now.
11:20:46 And I like the idea of planting the seed that this might there might be more needed in the future.
11:20:51 But instead of making that decision, now, do a little more, let's make that that second decision quickly, because it does take time to plan for training.
11:20:59 So that's why I think it was asked this way.
11:21:02 But if we can commit to making that decision short order, yeah, no.
11:21:06 I think they definitely want to support the training, and I'm very open to the to the idea.
11:21:12 But I think it'd be good to see how the first week closure goes before committing to a week closure for training.
11:21:17 If you know that isn't the best kind of format for it, right?
11:21:23 Maybe it's 3 days a week or something. Yeah, reform your motion.
11:21:32 Oh, so we're not responding to. Okay, I'm withdrawing my motion.
11:21:37 Someone else make the motion I move that we approve a one-week permit.
11:21:41 Ketchup closure. Effective. May first for department of community development.
11:21:46 Oh, happy to second that okay, we've had plenty of conversation already, so I will call the question all in favor of supporting Dcd's request for a permit.
11:21:57 Catch up closure week. Beginning of one week, beginning may first indicate by saying, Hi, bye, bye, alright, thank you. Guys very much.
11:22:05 I know it's hard, and you know the some of the stress that are exiting staff members.
11:22:11 I know that just that doesn't go away. That just ends up redoubled on the shoulders of the rest of the staff.
11:22:15 So I think you have dedication from this board that we want to help you through this. Thank you.
11:22:21 I'm sure they will appreciate hearing that as well, and so maybe edits necessary for the press release as talked about here today, too.
11:22:30 Yes, great, thank you. Emphasizing what is what will still be happening.
11:22:34 In the department while it is closed, and removing the language. One week.
11:22:40 Closure due for training, but planting a seed that there might be more of this as we onboard new employees, great.
11:22:47 Yeah. Great. Okay. Well, we will move on slightly, belatedly, to our 1115 agenda items.
11:22:55 Please stay with us. Director Butler, as we discussed the the cpacer program.
11:23:00 I don't know if Stacy Preda and Jeff Chapman are in the audience.
11:23:04 But please bring them over.
11:23:03 Yes, oh, are going to chime in. They're gonna join us remotely, and I do have a Powerpoint.
11:23:11 And I was hoping Sarah might be able to bring that up.
11:23:14 And if there's a potential for just a a few minute bio break, I'll be right back.
11:23:25 Sure. Yeah, we'll recess for 4Â min to 1127.
11:23:30 Thank you so much.
11:27:40 I will call us back into session, and we are going to dive into our.
11:27:52 All right. So we're going to welcome back Brent Butler as well as our assessor, chatman, and treasurer.
11:28:02 Preda to talk about the cpaper program very good attachment to the agenda.
11:28:07 Really kind of glued us into what this is about.
11:28:10 But, Brent, are you gonna tee this off?
11:28:13 You're being, added, Brent.
11:28:17 Yes, I'll tee it up, Sarah, do you wanna run the Powerpoint, or shall I?
11:28:25 The Powerpoint. That was just in the agenda request.
11:28:29 Where is it?
11:28:32 We sent it to the to the. It wasn't in the agenda request, but it really essentially just covers all of the topics that are in the agenda request.
11:28:44 Did you send it to Mark? Cause he's not here?
11:28:46 Oh! To Sarah and Carolyn!
11:28:53 But I I can work without it. I use it.
11:28:55 Bryn, can I ask? Let me check. While they're looking for that?
11:29:00 Yes.
11:29:00 Can I ask a question about this program? So recently, you hired a planner to support the cpacer program, correct?
11:29:08 That's correct.
11:29:10 And did I see that that was also one of the staff that left Dcd.
11:29:15 Okay.
11:29:20 Okay.
11:29:28 Okay.
11:29:14 Right. He was well, it was anticipated that he would be with us for 3 to 5 months, and so those that tenure had we were pushing him to stay a little longer, but he got all the
materials done and he returned all of it to Us. And we also have it all available on the website.
11:29:34 Okay. Great thanks. Okay. I found the.
11:29:40 He said, Yes, oh, yeah, go ahead and.
11:29:46 You wanna share, share, share. Yes, please. Oh, there it is.
11:29:52 The green button on the zoom screen, and it'll prop if you have it up, it'll show you what screens you have, and you're just choosing one with that Powerpoint.
11:30:15 Bottom right? The little screen. Yeah, cool. Alright. Take it away, Ben Brad.
11:30:20 Well, thank you, as you know, I just wanted to introduce the my co-presenters.
11:30:30 I'm Brent Butler, the director for Dcd.
11:30:37 Company by Stacy, Prada, the Jefferson County treasurer, and by Jeff.
11:30:42 Chapman, of the Jefferson County assessor. And why we are joined on this is because it does have interaction with the other departments or offices of the county, and they didn't
provide any good counsel and support, and really good questions to help improve the program and ensure the
11:31:07 outcomes that are generated meet the community's needs.
11:31:11 So I wanted to point out that on our agenda we're going to talk about.
11:31:16 Well, what is Cpacer for those of you that aren't familiar?
11:31:20 What actions have been taken to date, and then I have a list of 5 questions to consider, and then in summation. Then next steps.
11:31:34 We go to the next slide. I'm gonna share the background.
11:31:39 So commercial, property assessed clean energy and resiliency.
11:31:44 It's really important to note that this was an act.
11:31:46 Adopted by the State Legislature, Rcw.
11:31:52 36.1 6 5, and it's a voluntary statewide program.
11:31:57 And, as I indicated in the agenda packet, our assessor received several comments from the community. And, Jeff, can you share the nature of those comments?
11:32:12 Well, I think we received 2 requests to implement a cpaper program.
11:32:19 One with bayside housing and one with Hastings.
11:32:24 You know I say, and the idea was that that they see value in implementing a cpaper program in each county, and and kids, that bank is one of the main supporters for cpacer event.
11:32:41 Originally. Excuse me. The idea was a department of commerce would manage cpacer, statewide, and it was an option for them, and they evaluated it and said, no, they would prefer
not to do it.
11:32:54 That'd be done at the county level. This, of course, puts a lot of work on counties if they wanna have a cpace or program.
11:33:06 So far, 3 or 4 counties. Well, 5 counties I believe, at this point, and they're all large counties have implemented a program both.
11:33:15 So you have y come, and pierce and thirsty, and king that have implemented this, and they've started to take that have implemented this. And they've started to take applications
their applications are on like 20 million dollar.
11:33:29 Projects, so are they on very large commercial and multi housing projects.
11:33:36 Most small counties hadn't done it, but we but there's a value in doing this.
11:33:41 So we're one of the first of the smaller counties to look into doing it.
11:33:45 In response to the request we've had.
11:33:47 And I wanted just to highlight those 2 organizations that reached out to the assessor.
11:33:56 Jeff. One of them is prefilling a pretty significant community.
11:34:01 Need they want to use the program for the port padlock motel, and that's gonna be an affordable housing project, and they see that with the increase of interest rates that'll
facilitate that their development.
11:34:17 Now the other person or organizations that contacted the assessor.
11:34:24 They have a building listed on the Department of Archaeology, and the Start Preservation is a building that's threatened when I say that I mean, there are historic assets throughout
our county and in our State.
11:34:40 What a historic asset is threatened with potential loss, or there, there isn't sufficient ability for the property owners to to preserve that it end up.
11:34:56 It ends up on a list of those heritage structures that are threatened in the second party is the owner of one of those buildings.
11:35:06 My, if I understand correctly, that's been a desecrated as a treasure in the State of Washington, and it is threatened and and in highlighting that I would point out that we
have quite a few heritage bars that have also been lost over the years, and so this might be a way, to
11:35:25 preserve of some of those significant heritage bars, as well.
11:35:29 So, and just Stacy, anything you'd like to add.
11:35:38 I guess just I appreciate being included. I don't see the treasurer having a large duty, and that's significantly because the treasurer's association was very active during
the adoption of the legislation.
11:35:58 It originally was intended that the Treasury would be foreclosing on these properties for non payments.
11:36:05 So we did get it legislated in there that it would not occur.
11:36:08 I do have a question to our prosecuting attorney's office just to consider the potential impacts.
11:36:14 If this program is adopted by ordinance, which would be this next step, whether the second priority Lane could become an issue if a property sold, it.
11:36:29 For closure and became tax title. You know you could have somewhat of a a valuable asset that costs a lot to maintain.
11:36:38 And so I just wanna make sure that's covered as we go through the ordinance.
11:36:43 It's.
11:36:46 Frankly, it's just a very odd program, because this could be done already individually, with private lenders.
11:36:57 Really the only benefit I see to them right now is they?
11:36:59 Our second priority lean only second to like property, taxes.
11:37:05 So it's above everyone else, and so they do have that benefit for the lenders to ensure that they'll get paid back.
11:37:14 But this is probably a lot beyond what Brent was expecting me to break up.
11:37:22 But that's just a question I have. So I do understand that you know it's very unique.
11:37:28 Teach property, and whether it's financial, financially doable.
11:37:32 I mean, these aren't going to, you know, deal with operations and business practices.
11:37:37 It's basically energy efficiency infrastructure for these buildings and getting a loan that they have to pay back. So.
11:37:48 And I, I would add, from our end, is, the question is, why is the county involved in this?
11:37:56 And what is the county's responsibility and what it is?
11:38:01 Basically, an engineer submits the proposal, and then the county approves the whether it it complies with the cpacer rules, and whether the energy efficiency is there.
11:38:23 Bye!
11:38:14 So you do need someone professional on staff to evaluate the submittal and and give it approval. And that's why it's often found in community development or building, because
they have the expertise on that.
11:38:28 And I would also add that one of the shortcomings of the commercial, lending market is that most commercial properties, if not all of them.
11:38:39 Are have to be. Typically, you'll have a a 20 year.
11:38:45 Or so amortization, but that you have a 10 year requirement to refinance, and if my understanding is correctly that affects all properties that are commercial, and so the cpacer
program allows you to amortize those improvements over 40 years and so there's a significant
11:39:10 reduction in cost for the developer in the life of that asset.
11:39:17 So that is one of the really one of the biggest changes.
11:39:23 I see that is beneficial to commercial property developers and and, as you see, we've listed some of the types of projects energy, water efficiency, electrification, improvement.
11:39:38 So if you're putting in on an existing building, retrofitting it to accommodate the new advent of our electric cars, this would be covered if, in fact, you're gonna be putting
photovoltaic array.
11:39:56 It'll also be covered if you are doing improvements which are among the most costly improvements for our historic downtown would be seismic upgrades I'm not sure if there's
been a presentation on that in the past.
11:40:15 But there's pretty critical work done. I think that the structural hardening often can cost upwards of 50% of some of the structures cost.
11:40:31 Hmm!
11:40:28 So that is a really big win. Especially given the fact that this program is enacted not only in the county but also within the city.
11:40:42 And then it does address some of the fire, detection, and suppression, flood readiness.
11:40:47 And so there are different areas that a property owner, commercial property owner, and many of our commercial property owners do struggle that they would have the ability to
refinance at less of a cost.
11:41:02 So I'm gonna move on to the next slide.
11:41:08 So? Where are we? What have we done? So we hired.
11:41:14 What was a climate core fellow was also working with bank as the cpacer specialist.
11:41:23 He reviewed range of forms across the region, developed all of that forms.
11:41:32 Would you have them now available on the website? And we also have participated in discussions with implementing counties.
11:41:46 For example, Jeff joined the cpac specialist and myself, in discussions about the program.
11:41:55 In what county, and also in Pairs County. So we got a better understanding of what are, what does it take to administer a program like this?
11:42:06 And what are some of the issues? We also looked at the funding.
11:42:12 And so after this discussion, we came up with the group of and I'll move on to the next slide.
11:42:19 Questions to consider, and so I thought we would go through the questions so that we'd like to just share with the board.
11:42:27 We move on to the first question.
11:42:31 And that has to do with.
11:42:31 If we might wanna talk about timeframe, too, just since we do a hard stop.
11:42:36 Sure, we we've got folks that have to go to a bunch of meetings, so we do have a hard stop at 12.
11:42:42 So wondering is that are we? Are we gonna have to push this to after our 1 30 meeting as well?
11:42:48 I think we should be able to go. We'll we'll see how we go. I'll move ahead.
11:42:53 So question one, how to deal with program administration. And so what we did find in the city of or Whatcom County is that the executive signs the document meaning that, excuse
me, that I'm referring to program administration and lost my Temple here for a second so when I say, program
11:43:13 administration, the different approaches are. And I really want to thank the office of the Assessor recently for proposing an idea we had thought that we might be able to do
an Rfp.
11:43:28 And reach out specifically to the type title companies and some of the nonprofits to administer it.
11:43:35 To the title companies, and some of the nonprofits to administer it, such as team Edc.
11:43:39 But then there's another approach that Jeff shared. Why don't you go ahead, Jeff, and share what you were recommending?
11:43:48 Well, my point was that when we talked to the various counties that are doing this, and it's a virtual counties, they're getting like one or 2 applications a year.
11:44:01 And so you're going, okay. So we'll implement this.
11:44:05 This, you know this process to see paceer program, and then we'll try to get a Us.
11:44:11 Staff, or up to speed on managing it, and they're gonna do it for maybe one applicant a year, and so they have to say, up to speed.
11:44:20 Now my thought is, if you've got 6 or 7 large counties doing this, and they're all communicating among them.
11:44:27 They! Have their own team that's working on Cross County team.
11:44:31 Maybe one of them will take on Jefferson County, so that the couple of app applications that we're we can expect to get within 3 or 4 years that they could handle it for us,
and we could do a an interactive agreement with another county to handle our applications because really we're out of other
11:44:53 than approving the process and then recording it in our county.
11:44:57 We really don't have much to do with it after that point.
11:45:03 So in Tip, and and I did write what the Board author, us typically, we come to the board with a response to an Rfp.
11:45:14 And so the approach that we're thinking of this one is the Rfp approach, and then 2 is the Ila Intergovernmental agreement approach so that we would have another government.
11:45:25 That's already involved in the Cpace and program.
11:45:29 Administer it. I think that would be the best line of the best approach is that we get another government to participate and to do it. And then, second to that, we would go
out if we were unsuccessful, and see if there were local nonprofits or title companies that would be interested.
11:45:51 That sounds reasonable to me. Yeah, I agree. I think we've got similar contracts for everything from epidemiologists to, you know, administrative costs of other grants and nurse
family practitioners.
11:46:04 So that's that's a reasonable suggestion. Thanks, Jeff.
11:46:10 And if there are no other questions we'll move on to the next one.
11:46:14 Heidi! Go ahead!
11:46:15 I'm just wondering, based on the presentation we just had.
11:46:20 Are there any capacity considerations with this program like any?
11:46:27 We manage it ourselves. There certainly is right.
11:46:30 Right, and I thank you for that question. And so what I've been trying to do is to implement it with the least impact on capacity.
11:46:41 So we would have a fee, so that most of the capacity is to get it out the door and running, or most of the time, is in that component.
11:46:51 And so where we are is we've got most of the work done. And now we're at the final phase of recruiting someone to admitister it. And we figured this would be the least impactful
on the department.
11:47:07 I'm curious about cost, Grant. What is the cost? Or do we know what the cost of is administering the program?
11:47:15 Yeah, so the program is typically done. And and this is based on conversations with subsystem.
11:47:25 They have a program fee which is typically 1% not to exceed $50,000.
11:47:33 Some governments require that there be a minimum of $15,000.
11:47:39 Some governments require that there'd be a minimum of 1,500 or or 2,500 based upon the discussions that I've had.
11:47:44 This should be an application fee to cover the costs of submittal and review of that submittal, and then this should be additionally to reviews, cover by that, and then in additional
cost.
11:47:59 If there's a third review of of the submittal, and then the next big cost comes in with the closing documents.
11:48:10 And and so at that point the recoverable cost would be essentially what it takes to review those documents up to a maximum of 15,000.
11:48:22 And so my review or discussion with other governments said that some of the reviews have been as short as an hour, and the most extensive was 10Â h, and that government suggested
that they should have put potentially a fee associated with additional reviews. And so that's why we added that third review fee.
11:48:48 How would it add a number of counties? Have a $500 application fee?
11:48:54 No homeless counties, just implementing theirs with a $3,200 application fee, supposed to cover the cost of the application process, and then, if it moves forward, the project
moves forward.
11:49:08 That's when it gets to 1% charge. And some counties have a minimum of 2,500, which is a $250,000 project.
11:49:17 You're probably not going to get too many. See?
11:49:18 Paste or commercial. See pacers for less than that a lot of them at the high end, you know, 1.5 million dollar project.
11:49:25 Then you got a $15,000 charge, and that's usually the limits.
11:49:30 So if it's a 1 million and a half project or above, they've been charging 15,000.
11:49:40 Well, hmm! Alright! Let's go on to question number 2, and I'll just in the interest of time, I think I don't know no minimum building size. Everyone.
11:49:52 Okay, with that the analysis was pretty clear that that would just create obstacles, you know, create barriers for what we're going to get.
11:49:59 Minimum, yeah, yeah, the we're already down with that.
11:50:03 No minimum building size. But go ahead, Brent.
11:50:12 Hmm!
11:49:44 Yeah, thank you. Any other area was ground leases. I think that's great to include ground leases, so that any of the land trusts, if they have a property they can refinance
it through this vehicle.
11:50:17 Also the tribes. A lot of the land on in the reservation that we have isn't owned by the party that is, owner of the of the building.
11:50:27 So this would enable that vehicle, as well.
11:50:30 I don't have a problem with ground leases. No.
11:50:34 Great move on to the next question.
11:50:39 How many more questions do we have? Sorry we we have public?
11:50:41 Oh, we have 5 questions. Total.
11:50:44 Okay, we have public comment also for this item.
11:50:47 Okay. And so the this question here is to do with timelines.
11:50:52 I would need to verify that we are able to adjust them by the act.
11:50:55 I didn't have time to review that, but it's 15 days is which business days.
11:51:03 And I wanted to point that out 15 business days. So 3 weeks is the amount of time from submittal to approval.
11:51:10 Whoever the program administrator would be, I would like to have a discussion to determine its sufficiency.
11:51:18 I think we're happy to consider that as we move through it, right? It's premature.
11:51:23 But yeah, I think we want to be reasonable about the approval times to make sure that you know, meet our level of service, that we're setting.
11:51:30 You know other thoughts.
11:51:32 No, I'm fine, considering a longer approval.
11:51:41 And then.
11:51:36 Timeline if it seems necessary. Alright! We're flying through the questions.
11:51:45 Well, next question was the OS authorized fee. We covered that a little bit.
11:51:50 I, am hesitant. I think the $2,500 fee may be a disincentive, and so what we've tried to do is to put it in a way that based upon what we've heard that the the fee covers 2
11:52:08 reviews, and that if there's an additional review, of third review, then we'll charge for it.
11:52:14 And so I think that's more responsive. So that's what we're looking at is, I think it's a best approach for the fees.
11:52:21 Brent. That was a $500 application fee, and then a $500.
11:52:26 First review fee and $500. Second review, Fee.
11:52:28 Is that? How? What you're?
11:52:32 Okay.
11:52:29 $500 review fee covers the first and second review, and then looking at $250 for the third review.
11:52:37 So considerably less than the 2,500 is what you're anticipating.
11:52:40 Right.
11:52:41 That's correct. But we might. Wanna if we find that the practice says that we need more time for review, we might want to increase that.
11:52:50 But based upon what I've heard so far, the greatest level of time was 10Â h, and so that might that might but they didn't have any supplemental fee, and so we might want to
increase the supplemental fee.
11:53:06 So I'm going to look at that, and I might want to revise that supplemental fee.
11:53:11 Okay, sounds like that's not a fully fleshed out recommendation. Yet.
11:53:15 So you know. Proceed!
11:53:19 Hi Julian, I generally like the 3 fee structure that's most fair.
11:53:23 Go no go points that they can always back out if they want, without being fully committed.
11:53:27 I like it.
11:53:28 Good, good, good.
11:53:33 And then the final question is, who should sign the form? And so if you could move on, yeah.
11:53:39 And so what we've seen the executive, essentially the county administer of Whatcom County signs the form after it's been reviewed and approved by the responsible department.
11:53:52 Luckily Mark's not here right now, so we can volunteer, and without any objections.
11:53:57 I think. No, I think we should have a conversation with Mark before, but that's again as the process goes through right.
11:54:04 We're still, I mean, if we would this still be the same question, if we were able to join into an Ila with another county for them to administer for it on our behalf.
11:54:18 I, you know that's a good question. I think that if another county approved it, in which or did all the due diligence, I think it still should, would be should be approved by
the local government go ahead, Stacey check.
11:54:37 Hmm! I don't know if this is correct, but as I look through it, we still need to adopt the ordinance locally, today's the question is whether to hire or to put out an Rfp to
administer the program so like on the web page it says that it
11:54:55 estimated that be adopted in, you know, August 2023.
11:55:01 So I think there's still time to actually deal with how the program's going to exist in our county.
11:55:09 Am I mistaken? Brent. Okay.
11:55:10 No, you're absolutely correct, and we put in a little twist with the ila, so we would look first to see if we can do the Ila.
11:55:19 And in a local agreement with another government, and then, if we're unsuccessful, would go out with the Rfp.
11:55:26 Also, if you're gonna do it with another government, they're not gonna do it for $500.
11:55:43 That's a good one.
11:55:31 I mean, they're gonna want their fee schedule to apply to the the project here, and they would get them the cost of managing that right and cause you're looking at all the other
counties that have implemented our way over that for their projects.
11:55:50 So that's something to be considered.
11:55:53 And it sounds like even the recommendation that was on the agenda item is kind of outdated.
11:55:59 Since we you know whether it's an Rfp.
11:56:01 We really want to just authorize the county administrator to investigate options. Really right?
11:56:08 I'm not sure if we need action for that, do we not at this point?
11:56:13 Hmm!
11:56:16 Yeah, I think to identify, or at least flesh out, the any more administrative or budgetary impacts. Yeah, I mean, that's what my question was kind of getting added.
11:56:31 What's this gonna cost us? Well, and it is. There is a capacity issue.
11:56:37 It will take time, and somebody so even if it's an administration.
11:56:44 Otherwise, yeah. Okay, well, it sounds like we don't need to take a lot of action there's still a little bit of development on whether it's an Ila or an Rfp.
11:56:53 We know that we need some outside help to to support this program that we want to move forward with the programs.
11:56:58 I think why don't we open it for public comment, real quick?
11:57:01 See if we get any other insights, and we'll basically, I think, after that generally encourage the county administrator to take us a little further down this path, right along
with this team.
11:57:12 Let's yeah, okay. So I will open for public comment.
11:57:17 If you're with us, and you'd like to comment on the cpacer program, we'd love to hear from you.
11:57:22 You can have up to 3Â min. You can click the raise hand button or star 9.
11:57:32 Right, I don't. I'm gonna make one more call.
11:57:35 Oh, we have someone, why don't we bring Mr.
11:57:37 Kennedy over.
11:57:44 You can just stop the share. Yeah?
11:57:50 Hello! Can you hear me?
11:57:52 Yes, we can go ahead, John.
11:57:55 I am the cpacer specialist who was helping Brent and Jeff think through this process, and Jeff, you made a good point, you know, if you're gonna shop out the administrative
duties, then you're not really in a position to dictate the fee structure, and you know you were talking
11:58:16 about the amount of projects that might be interested in pursuing seatpace, financing.
11:58:22 You know, I think our conversations aren't really indicative of what the future is.
11:58:26 Gonna be. There's only been a smattering of projects so far.
11:58:30 But as new regulations become binding under the clean building performance standard, and as a general awareness of cpace financing percolates within the market, you know, hopefully,
there's a big uptick across the State.
11:58:46 I recognize that Jefferson County is a smaller county with relatively smaller properties, but you know ideally hundreds and hundreds and thousands of properties are pursuing
cpace financing in a few years.
11:59:00 Great. Thank you for that broader lens. John.
11:59:05 Any other comments on that. No, but those are good good additional information, comments.
11:59:13 Thanks. John. Okay, well, I think we will. No action is needed unless sprint indicate otherwise.
11:59:19 If if you feel that we need to take some action today, but it sounds like we'll just keep on this path and appreciate the insight and the analysis and development of the program.
11:59:30 So far we got some time before August still, so we'll talk in the next week or 2 with County Administrator Macaulay back as well.
11:59:40 About which path we wanna pursue first, but appreciate Stacy and Jeff.
11:59:46 Your insight into this really helpful, and it's good to have knowledgeable questions.
11:59:52 Yeah, yeah. I'm glad that it's moving forward.
11:59:55 And I know that it does require some time and staff time and effort, but I think it's a good tool.
12:00:01 You know we already have a couple of important projects interested in utilizing it, so it'd be great to get it across the finish line.
12:00:10 Thank you.
12:00:09 Great. Okay. And we got, oh, sorry. Jeff. We've got some hard outs at 12, so I'm going to recess us until 1 30, when we have a scheduled presentation from our solid waste manager
so we'll see everyone back here at 1 30 we'll recess.
12:00:27 Thank you.
12:00:25 Until then. Thanks everyone for being here good to see everyone.
13:31:24 Thanks. Thomas.
13:31:29 Good afternoon. I will call this meeting of the Board of County Commissioners back to order.
13:31:34 We're still waiting for Commissioner Dean, and we're having some issue with AV Capture.
13:31:40 So please do let us know if you're having struggles, you might have to join us on our Zoom Meeting instead of avcapture.
13:31:47 If that's where you're saying us, in which case you're probably not seeing this, but we refer to the zoom information on our on our agenda for information.
13:31:59 Welcome. Okay. So in a great white paper and talking solid waste fee schedules.
13:32:07 So we're joined by our solid waste manager.
13:32:08 Now, Cairns, and if we'll give Commissioner a moment to settle and then then we'll pass it off to you.
13:32:16 Got your. I'm good ready ready for this.
13:32:22 And I should let people know. Yeah, you can adjust it.
13:32:25 He's very shy. Right? Yeah, alright. Great.
13:32:32 We'll turn it over to you. Al. Thanks for being here. Thank you. Well, I hope everyone's had a chance to read the issue paper, which I bring some complete analysis about where
we're at with the solid waste fee schedule.
13:32:45 I thought maybe the best place to start would actually be at the beginning.
13:32:49 1993, and give an overview of what the tipping fee has been since the operations began.
13:32:57 At the transfer station, both for yard debris and for municipal solid waste.
13:33:04 So as you can see from 1993, when the first fee ordinance was adopted and put place all the way through 2013, there was no charge for yard debris, and that changed in 2,014,
when the the cost of that operation of processing the
13:33:26 yard debris became too unbearable for the city to not charge a fee for it.
13:33:32 Then it was the $5 minimum fee was a dollar minimum fee was adopted for loads of 200 pounds or less and $48 on a per ton basis.
13:33:43 Over 200 pounds, and then for municipal solid waste.
13:33:49 For a very long time all the way to 2013 the fee was, there was a $5 minimum for weights of under 120 pounds, and then the per ton fee was a 110, and I should note that that
was actually that's not including tax that it was
13:34:07 a $115 at inception tax included the taxing rate for municipal solid waste has changed a couple of times, and so, just for simplification, I just show it.
13:34:19 There's 110, and then in 2014, that was the first time that we made a major adjustment.
13:34:26 We set a new basis of a 144, and then the fee ordinance adopted, and in 2013 became effective.
13:34:38 The fee became effective in 2014, with a new basis, and that fee ordinance, the one that's that's still in existence.
13:34:46 Now, then added a 2 and a half percent per annum escalator for 5 years and so the last time the fee's been adjusted was in 2019.
13:34:58 And then we've carried that forward all the way to date.
13:35:03 So almost 4 and a half years now the fee has not been adjusted.
13:35:09 Our fee ordinances is fairly unique in that.
13:35:13 It's kind of a a hybridized performance based the ordinance where we've set 2 different key sort of financial health indicators or benchmarks.
13:35:28 And then is it described as a percentage of the fund balance for capital and for operations and maintenance.
13:35:36 2 different percentages of that fund balance, and, as described in the issue paper, we're doing well.
13:35:45 I mean there's no bad news to report here. We simply need to, you know, good financial management, prudence says that we really should look at adjusting that fee upward in particular.
13:36:01 We're a little concerned that the those benchmarks are set to low.
13:36:06 In capital. Ideally, we would start to accrue a larger fund balance as a percentage of facility replacement costs which are currently estimated at.
13:36:21 I think it's 8.1 million, and knowing that we are either going to make a a large remodel of the current facility, or replace in whole ideally, we would start to put away a fund
balance closer to 25% of that total cost that would yield a
13:36:44 big return on investment for our customers, in that it would buy down, so to speak, the debt service on a bond for that replacement.
13:36:55 We could do that incrementally without a whole lot of pain caused to our customers, and for a lot of benefit, ultimately.
13:37:02 So that's part of our proposal is to adjust that benchmark upwards from I think it's 12%.
13:37:09 Now to 25% of current facility replacement costs, and then to do the same for operations and maintenance for that benchmark.
13:37:18 15% is a pretty slim room for error. There, you know, we've got equipment rolling stuff equipment that we're cover a half a 1 million dollars to replace if it that needed to.
Tomorrow.
13:37:33 That would seriously draw down that fund balance for solid waste.
13:37:37 Some of those fund balances look very large until you consider the cost of emergency replacement for some of that equipment the knuckle boom Crane, that is giving us bits weekly
almost.
13:37:49 Daley, that's it. 600,000 $650,000 replacement overnight, if it should failed catastrophically.
13:37:59 So when equipment does need to be replaced immediately, it's not inexpensive.
13:38:05 You can draw down that fund balance really quickly. So those are the 2 main numbersosals is to is to increase the fund balance benchmarks, and then to start at 2 and a half
percent annual escalator until we reach that benchmark at which time then we would
13:38:26 replace, back to the board that we've achieved that balance, and that we no longer need to implement that 2.5% per annum increase and just to set the table real quick we have
those proposals complete.
13:38:39 We'll have a public hearing to go through. It is that that's a good question.
13:38:45 So presently Parks and Rec is working with the Prescuting attorneys.
13:38:48 Author, on adopting an ordinance that would allow divisions to bring a fee resolution instead of in ordinance.
13:38:59 Okay. So we're gonna let them go first and then depending on feedback that we get from the board. So we're gonna let them go first and then depending on feedback that we get
from the board today, we would bring a draft the resolution right?
13:39:13 Great. Thank you.
13:39:15 That's a background question. Still, being the newest commissioner.
13:39:20 I've never really good. What happens with the yard debris?
13:39:25 I've heard it gets chipped up and mixed with other stuff and sold as mulch.
13:39:31 But I'm just curious what happens with all the yard debris.
13:39:33 The yard debris is ground up in a giant tub grinder.
13:39:37 Herman brothers from Fort Angeles, brings in that equipment.
13:39:40 They grind it a couple of times a year, and then it's used as feedstock, for it gets mixed with the bio solids from the city's sewer operation, and then rendered into compost,
and then there's some sales of that compost
13:39:57 it has been for many years it has been. It would be cheaper for the city to purchase preground.
13:40:03 Material rather than mobilize their equipment, and then grind it out.
13:40:09 There! But it's it's a good public service.
13:40:12 It's large volume of materials that otherwise might not have a you know, a home for it, although they're some private sector options for yard debris disposal.
13:40:22 But that's the one that most of our you know, most of the county residents choose to use.
13:40:27 So, and I should note on that point originally I should say in 2014, when we adopted the First Ever Yard deployment.
13:40:36 It's embedded in the counties. Fee ordinance and in discussions with city staff.
13:40:41 The preference would be now to move that into onto the cities.
13:40:46 Ordinance, and for them to dictate what that fee is.
13:40:51 That's a change that we welcome. It's a city run operation.
13:40:55 And ideally, or it probably better for them to, you know, I mean, probably with a formal agreement.
13:41:03 We've got a a memorandum of understanding with the city on cost, sharing right now it's kind of attached to the inter local agreement that allows them to operate their compost
facility on county property.
13:41:16 We probably want a second mou that would define. You know that that that fee should be set by written agreement of both parties.
13:41:27 But it would be more optimal for the city to have it, you know, in their fee ordinance.
13:41:39 Just to be real clear that the county does not provide yard waste disposal.
13:41:45 It's an entirely city run operation on property that we own, which is what I'll said.
13:41:52 It's not, it's not something that the county provides.
13:41:56 If it weren't for the city taking yard debris to mix with their posting program.
13:42:03 There your options would be to dump yard debris as municipal, solid waste at, you know.
13:42:08 Suppose aw or take it to someone else who processes that kind of stuff like they do in Kit's County.
13:42:17 Their yard debris program. Looks like a handout they give you of the 20 contractors you can go visit to take yard debris from you, I think they do take some like one day a week
or something as one of their facilities.
13:42:31 But it's kind of a unique program. That collaboration with the city that we've had for years so does that fee go to the city.
13:42:41 Then, yeah, except for a small retainer the scales and the you know, funding the scale position.
13:42:53 The employee there. So we keep currently $3 per transaction, and the rest goes to the city right now.
13:42:59 It costs us $2 and 97 cents per transaction.
13:43:04 So!
13:43:09 Still your done. I just thought that was real important part to make because sometimes people don't differentiate between who's doing what part of you know, services and things
like that.
13:43:20 It's county property. We lease it to the city essentially for no cost, and then they run their composting and their septage program on, on, on property. And we, of course, you
know, want to operate the scales and provide the employee to.
13:43:39 You know payment at the scales and stuff, but it's not our program. I can't remember.
13:43:46 Where are we going to take septage from the headbox?
13:43:46 Who are there? It's not well, yes, but it's not.
13:43:51 It'd be technically, I mean, it's bio solid, so it won't be going into the it'd be technically solid.
13:44:01 I mean, it's bio solid, so it won't be going into the septed highly processed at the port headlock.
13:44:04 Wastewater treatment plant. Unlike septic system, waste.
13:44:11 So here. Yes, we have the contract.
13:44:19 The capacity of that already add capacity, septage, facility in in theory, will be reducing some of the load on it, because some of the big customers will be switching over
to sewer, so they won't be having septic tanks, pumped and delivered to
13:44:36 the city septic program anymore. So anyway, okay, continue thanks for calling in the lines that we're not colored in for Heidi.
13:44:49 And then, hey, can I ask a clarifying question, Alan? So the 1 67 proposed for this year is that with the annual increase, the 2 and a half percent that's right. That would
be the first year that we would adopt that so I'm just showing what the net effect would
13:45:05 be in dollar values where we do agree to a 2 and a half percent increase.
13:45:10 So is that annual increase not been happening all those years we have not since 2019 so we're at a static one.
13:45:22 Okay, so we have been taking that right? So the last year of that, 5 or 2 and a half percent escalator was 2019.
13:45:31 And then we by ordinance. So it kind of the ordinance.
13:45:34 Sunset the per annum increase at 2019 and then we've held that since then, at 1 62, 93, yeah.
13:45:47 And so the proposal of 1 67 I mean, that would like just kind of barely catch us up with it would.
13:45:56 But you know, based on based on the current. Tonne is that we're seeing.
13:46:00 If we held the tonnages, and we had a 2 and a half percent increase, we should hit that capital fund balance in 3 to 5 years, which would be 25% if we were to increase the benchmark.
13:46:20 That's correct. Right? Starting at a base of 1 67 and 23 right?
13:46:24 And dependent on how much we spend out of the capital side.
13:46:27 You know, if the knuckle boom Crane fails us before that 5 year period, then we're probably looking at 6 to 7 years to build that fund balance.
13:46:37 The reason we want to talk about that now is because we're 5 to 7 years away from a new facility so the timing would be ideal to build that balance up do we have an estimate
of how much we would build up over 7 years.
13:46:54 Have you done? Have you looked forward in terms of how much we could accumulate?
13:46:59 We've got. What is it? I think 1.2 million dollar gap, so to speak, between the current fund balance and what we would like to set as a target so we can make that up in 3 to
5 years, we spend more out of capital than we'd have to push that off a
13:47:16 little bit again. The timing would be pretty ideal, right?
13:47:26 Yeah. That's the big caveat you know. The tonne is fall off.
13:47:31 Then, you know, we may be back in front of the board.
13:47:34 Suggesting more, you know. Vigorous approach to this or that.
13:47:39 We scale back from our ambitions to, you know, pay off some of that debt service in advance.
13:47:48 But and how would how would this? The increase? How does that work with the we have with the city and with the City Haller? Great question.
13:48:01 So we work closely with the with the city's contract.
13:48:03 Holler on all of this work. Waste connections has previewed our issue. Paper.
13:48:11 We've discussed it. They require a 45 day notice to the utilities and Transportation Commission before an adjustment to the base fees, and so that's why we built language into
the or in the issue paper.
13:48:26 Rather that we would not adopt this fee any less than 45 days.
13:48:31 Public notice, give them advanced time more like 60 days, and you know we're in constant communication with the city staff as well.
13:48:41 About what we're thinking here. And we're in particularly that adjustment to the minimum fee for yard debris that was done in concert with city staff and reviewing.
13:48:53 You know their financials and and ours, and and I should mention to I had earlier, you know, one of the things we're desperate to do is to adjust the minimum fee that hasn't
changed since 2,014 transfer stations use that that minimum
13:49:12 fee. That's their their primary demand management tool to try to encourage customers, to bring fewer.
13:49:19 But heavier loads, and so we can see in the in the customer counts and the percentage of minimum loads to to the overall transactions.
13:49:31 There, you know, hitting 44%, 45%, you know.
13:49:37 I'm talking to my counterpart over at Kitsap County.
13:49:41 They just adjusted their minimum fee from. I think it was 36, and changed to 41 hoping to drive down their 10% of minimum fee customers, lower their anxious to see us make an
adjustment here because they're losing revenue is we're getting kids up county
13:49:59 customers. And so that's that's problematic for both counties.
13:50:04 You know it appears to be a significant jump, you know, doubling the fee there, but it should be noted that the on a per pound basis the fee is the same we're simply asking
them to consider making you know one trip every month instead of 2 or 3 trips
13:50:23 one a little tiny bit, right? 2.5%. No.
13:50:34 And the minimum fee. We're asking to go from the $10 minimum fee. We're asking to go from the 10 trying to be right when I'm bringing a pound basis with that.
13:50:37 Yeah, so I mean, minimally. But I know the impact of the traffic.
13:50:41 It's gonna likely improve the level of service and reduce the wait time right?
13:50:45 I mean, is that correct? Yup, and anything we can do to encourage curbside subscription service really helps.
13:50:54 Obviously, that's not an option for county residents, for yard debris, but certainly for municipal solid waste.
13:51:00 I think it. It was early last year I started playing with some numbers, and assuming gas at $5 a gallon, looking at the difference if assuming that a customer from Port Ludlow
was making 2 trips a month to the transfer station under the minimum weight Versus
13:51:19 curbside service with a 60 gallon roll car, conclusive of recycling.
13:51:25 It was a $90 a year savings for the convenience of, you know, of the roll curb side service.
13:51:33 Yeah, we switched to curbside based on your analysis that are in my personal residence.
13:51:38 So, yeah, yeah, and it, that's a, it's sometimes hard when we've got a large percentage of your customer base or retirees, and time no longer has a monetary value it's a nice
field trip to go to the transfer station we're trying to encourage
13:51:57 other hobbies rather than those trips, so can we talk a little bit about the non-disposal weight charges.
13:52:05 So that's if people need a wait. Read on something that's correct.
13:52:13 Charges. So that's if people need a weight, read on something that's correct. Yeah. Now, those customer accounts aren't too significant.
13:52:19 But we'd like to reduce it further, particularly in that. We don't want to find our fee schedule in competition with private sector options, and that one is glaringly in competition
with with 2 or 3 scales in the county.
13:52:33 We would like to redirect customers to what's an example of the weights yeah, alternative scales.
13:52:41 What? What would they be measuring weights, of trailers or vehicles?
13:52:49 Yeah, just the vehicle itself. I mean, isn't that pretty discoverable?
13:52:55 One would think, Yeah, sometimes it's for titles, particularly trailers, home built trailers need that certified scale weight.
13:53:05 So it's the fact that we've got certified scales that draws those customers to us.
13:53:11 But shine the shine, corry shoals. They have scales as well, so they can always.
13:53:21 Yeah. And then there are some other small adjustments that we're proposing for the quilt scene facility as well you know, we've got an overwhelming number of those customers
are single 32 gallon canned customers.
13:53:39 We'd like to also encourage fewer to can trips, and so, by adjusting the fee there to a minimum.
13:53:48 15, which we see a lot of other county dropboxes do sort of setting a minimum wage like we haven't had there previously.
13:54:00 We'd like to do. That's not a big imposition to our customers.
13:54:03 We feel in that, you know, 2 cans, I think, is 2 cans a month, and in one trip, instead of you know, a can every other week.
13:54:13 Isn't that a major inconvenience cut down on track?
13:54:16 There, and it would. It would push us in the direction of that operation being cost neutral.
13:54:24 We have been in the red for the last 3 years in quilts not substantially, but we shouldn't want to subsidize that operation with customer fees at the transfer station.
13:54:38 Ideally it would be cost neutral or slightly revenue.
13:54:42 Positive on that note. By the way, I love the chart that I guess came out in 21, showing the loose, loose garbage in the truck, because that was a every time I've ever been
there, someone shows up.
13:54:51 Oh, I was just supposed to bring cans. I brought this just pick up full of garbage.
13:54:56 So, love that very, very good solution. That's a that's a real challenge for us to accurately assign a fee.
13:55:03 And so that's why we proposed a table without the visual.
13:55:07 That simply references. The rail of the pickup truck.
13:55:11 And if it's below it, or edit or above it, and simplify that because we we certainly have been, have been making less than accurate charges to that.
13:55:25 For it. I should note, too, refrigerators. And looking at the oldest of the ordinances here for the fees we haven't changed our refrigerator fee since 1990.
13:55:39 3. It's been $20 forever. That's one of the few items or material types that we'd like to hold that fee as low as possible for as long as possible.
13:55:51 Given the problematic nature of it. Refrigerator seemed to very conveniently drop out of the back of pickup trucks and the logging roads, and so we prefer to, you know, even
if we need to subsidize that program a little bit with the other tipping fee would prefer to
13:56:08 continue to do that. And, as mentioned in the issue paper, we are making some changes to the way that we manage that material type that should make it cost neutral for that
other element of the program.
13:56:23 Going back to your big point. I think the lead, as far as I see it, is that number of Table 6 in your issue paper.
13:56:29 You know, the percentage of people bringing in that minimum that minimum low that seems like the real critical issue you're trying to deal with now as well as you know, address
a sustainable path path to these that will support the the huge capital expense that we're looking at.
13:56:44 Yeah, exactly. And you know, we affected a pretty significant demand management strategy in not accepting self-all loads on Mondays.
13:56:55 That's proven to continue to produce a really high yield for us and back to the customer.
13:57:01 Maybe not so obviously seen to the customer in terms of Staff recruitment, or retention, being able to train on Mondays, install new software on Mondays, make other major repairs
that would otherwise inconvenience the public with much slower you know, turnaround times out there and
13:57:22 so definitely the next part of that demand management strategy is, is upping the minimum fee and trying to convince people to come in less frequently and particularly to produce
less garbage right?
13:57:39 I mean, I know that we talk about this all the time we're at the downstream the very end of the downstream flow, and you know, arguably putting us putting that more of that
responsibility on consumers is not the best policy, because it really should be the people producing you know, a lot.
13:57:56 Of excess, disposable goods, and yet I think, terms of how we, how we look at human behavior like we shouldn't be incentivizing. We shouldn't be making it as cheap as possible
to be throwing away a bunch of crap all the time policy actually supports that I mean it's probably
13:58:16 I mean, cause we need the weight at at the transfer station right that is an enterprise fund depending on that.
13:58:21 We're talking about efficiency of getting rid of the garbage.
13:58:24 I'm not sure if this policy is really going to make people.
13:58:27 Oh, but maybe it'd be, you know, like, be thinking about like it should be a consideration I think, right now it is cheap enough to produce garbage that it is not a barrier
for most people, as someone who doesn't have a can at the end of her driveway and who does go
13:58:45 and tries to get to the minimum with my garbage because I don't produce a lot of garbage.
13:58:50 So it takes us a while to get to the minimum, and I know about how many cans it is.
13:58:56 Now I'm gonna be even more hell.
13:58:58 Then I'm making sure I meet that minimum. If it's $20 versus $10 so I feel like it's gonna incentivize the right thinking.
13:59:08 Yeah, yeah, well, in my house, it will so think so. Think of all the gas we're saving, too.
13:59:17 Well on that point we did just kind of finalize some analysis in partnership with the Climate Action Committee.
13:59:26 Comparing the difference in the ecological footprint as measured in gas gas consumption between curbside commercial service versus cell phone the numbers were really staggering.
13:59:41 You know, I think it was like 71,000 gallons of fuel for all curbside operations, all routes in the county last year to produce 2071,000 gallons right?
13:59:55 And then 73,000 gallons for self-hall customers that produced 9,000 tons versus 21,000.
14:00:06 So pretty, significant, less than less than the cell phone costs in terms of burning fuel for more than double the weight of materials.
14:00:18 Delivered, so pretty, significant, spread there, so in terms of just trying to reduce our carbon footprint, the more we can do to convince people to subscribe for curbside service,
the better every every way around.
14:00:36 And we've got, you know, 5 to 7 years before we've got either a reconfigured facility or a new one elsewhere.
14:00:44 We need to do everything we can for managing demand on that over Canada facility.
14:00:49 Now!
14:00:53 I know.
14:00:56 Any other questions?
14:00:59 I mean are, are you done with your presentation?
14:01:02 I am okay. Great. Well, the paper was great.
14:01:05 I highly recommend the public spends a few minutes with that, too, because it really did educate me about some of these issues that I I feel pretty well educated already.
14:01:13 Can we talk about next steps?
14:01:19 Oh, well, you know, let's just try about next steps.
14:01:22 And I think we have enough time that we can, you know, entertain public comment today.
14:01:27 So yeah, what are we? What's in front of us here?
14:01:30 What do you need from us, and resolutions versus ordinances?
14:01:32 All that. Well, we, for your consideration, and perhaps a follow-up workshop on that just to make sure we got it.
14:01:46 Everything right in that. And then based on your feedback from that workshop.
14:01:52 Then we would put it in front of the board, as a resolution is that before after it goes to Utc, that would be.
14:02:04 How we should be before. Yeah, make sure that make sure that the information that the Utc Haller is is producing is accurate.
14:02:15 Yeah, I think we want to finalize that first. Yeah, it'll delay it a little bit.
14:02:21 It'll push us into the busy season, but I think good, deliberative processes better than rushing this through.
14:02:29 And typically, it sounds like you've been talking with the prosecuting attorney's office about this typically fees do go through a hearing process.
14:02:38 So just curious, the thinking behind not doing that I was.
14:02:46 Hmm! I would say that typically they don't in most counties and jurisdictions they're adopting fees by resolution.
14:02:54 Not solid waste in jurisdictions. They're adopting fees by resolution in general, you know, not by ordinance, necessarily necessarily solid waste these, but I know that many
counties and cities adopt.
14:03:08 He's by resolution, I mean, it's still done in a public meeting with opportunity for public comment.
14:03:16 But adjusting fees in an ordinance is not very.
14:03:22 It's not quite as.
14:03:25 Nimble, nimble, you know, so you know.
14:03:33 I think the counties in general is been talking about going this direction with it's fee structure, including solid waste fees.
14:03:44 But but you're right. I mean I I don't know how most people adopt solid waste fees, but it but you know, Stewart, utility fees, sewer fees, water fees, things like that that
cities run typically by resolution utc like there
14:04:03 is a another level of oversight, too. But I'm just an environmental health.
14:04:06 Dcd like we do a lot by ordinance right and through the hearing process.
14:04:14 Well, that's why we haven't adjusted our fees in public works for outside of solid waste in should really change.
14:04:21 But we don't wanna you know, do a hearing just a just one hourly fee and some cable somewhere, and to keep waiting well enough issues.
14:04:31 Finally build up and to, you know, tackle it all at once, you know.
14:04:36 It's just because it's it's a because of the process, you know.
14:04:43 So again. I mean, it seems like the only difference is between the hearing and the resolution method is just whether there's a an advertisement on the specific topic, you know,
in published versus it's published in the boards agenda as an item that's going to
14:05:04 be discussed, but certainly.
14:05:08 Opportunity to discuss which which way we go there, too. If there's concern about going this route, you know.
14:05:15 But kind of thought. That's the way to counting. Was moving with.
14:05:19 It's with. It's with all of its fees was to pull them out of ordinance and put them into just resolution formats.
14:05:28 We've been having the discussion.
14:05:37 Others, you know. Yeah, I wouldn't say we've agreed upon that as a strategy.
14:05:43 So maybe it's a conversation we're having with legal and others in the department you know. Answer. The question sounds like it's being answered once and for all about whether
we do transparency or any anything from having it posted publicly.
14:06:01 Well, and, as Al mentioned earlier, I think Parks and Rec was planning on being the guinea pig for this, because that they were gonna Update their fees by resolution.
14:06:12 But first there was gonna be a hearing to change the ordinance, so that the.
14:06:25 Subject, matter is going to be coming before the board. You know.
14:06:30 So resident again. You know whether whether the county's gonna move to that new system for setting its fees or not.
14:06:40 It sounds like you have cooler support of the analysis that you guys have made so far.
14:06:44 I mean, yeah, those minimums. They're probably low anytime, anyone goes to the transfer station.
14:06:50 So, I guess the last question I have, is probably low. Anytime anyone goes to the transfer station, so I guess the last question I have.
14:07:04 No, it's on my app. I mean, yeah, it's just the gap.
14:07:08 Yeah, not an open window. Can you? Just one last question just about the this, the yard waste fees.
14:07:17 I struggling to remember. But so it's you didn't have a proposed raise on that same triple point 2.5% escalator in there. Do you?
14:07:26 Are you talking about putting that in the cities, letting the city set those fees as we go forward?
14:07:35 That's correct and that's correct and I believe it's I can't remember the exact date.
14:07:40 I think it's en April one city council meeting that Steve King, the city's public Works director, will be proposing that new fee ordinance and the new fee rate.
14:07:52 I'll be there to provide support, support, support, support.
14:08:02 Al has. We we've worked with them to try to target the same minimum at 20, right?
14:08:08 So, depending on what they set the per ton rate at currently, it's 48.
14:08:13 If it changes that all that does is change, the amount that you can bring in for $20 at the minimum fee.
14:08:21 Probably the equivalent of $48 a tonne, but if they change their on edge fee, then it would change that would change the minimum fee, and how much weight you can bring in for
the minimum.
14:08:33 But we're trying to set $20 as the the scale. And for any kind of transaction that occurs there, basically.
14:08:45 Which seems to be in line with, you know other jurisdictions, or even less less.
14:08:54 You know, other than county.
14:08:58 Okay. Okay. Well, yeah, continue the good work. Please. We'll be back with a resolution soon.
14:09:07 Okay, hey, guys, so much, I'll be contemplating the can at the end of my driveway 355 a year is the problem.
14:09:20 I don't spend that much out. You need to make more garbage.
14:09:25 You remember? That's not what we're trying to do.
14:09:28 Day when it was backed up out to the Jacob Miller Road.
14:09:31 When we first went we had feed people that day who made 3 trips those are my best days, those solid waist lines, you know. Transfer station.
14:09:44 We get enough, and I spend a quarter of that on some fees every year.
14:09:44 So you're gonna have a hard time convincing me.
14:09:45 Greg, yeah, it's not for everyone, little brother, you know.
14:09:51 We get always tell my kids you're lucky to have a mom that has good trailer backing up skills.
14:10:01 So they're not impressed yet. Yeah, that was, they have to, you know.
14:10:10 Do it a lot of the trailer, and that'll they'll appreciate you more. Yeah, alright, thanks, alright. Thank you so much.
14:10:14 Thank you so much thank you. Guys so much. Thank you so much. Thank you so much.
14:10:18 Awesome. I'm sorry, I said, that we'll hold on 1Â s. I'm sorry, I said, that we are going to do public comments, and just wait and see if there's any questions from the public
that come up. Sorry no action. Taken but we will entertain comments from the public while we still have our
14:10:27 public. Let's bring over Mr. Pierce.
14:10:35 I'm sorry I couldn't hear.
14:10:40 What you just said was that to me?
14:10:40 Yes, Mr. Tish, we are. We are adding public comment to this to this item.
14:10:47 So if you, you have 3Â min to comment on this agenda item, if you so choose.
14:10:49 Okay, thank you for accommodating the request.
14:10:55 I I have a real big concern about doubling of the minimum fee, and it's simply a matter of practicality.
14:11:01 You the 120 pounds of garbage just barely fits inside my car.
14:11:07 Don't have a trailer. You don't have any other way of getting the stuff to the transfer station, and we accumulate as much garbage as possible and keeping it clean between trips.
14:11:19 But trying to get over a 120 pounds into my car, and it's a big sedan.
14:11:29 Okay.
14:11:24 Can't be done, it's I mean, not unless you're throwing away some incredibly dense stuff which generally doesn't happen.
14:11:31 In fact, the density of our typical load has gone down.
14:11:35 Now that we have to throw away more plastic instead of recycling it.
14:11:38 So I think this, you know, doubling of the minimum fee is just a ripoff to be blunt.
14:11:46 Yeah, it's gonna increase revenue. But it's also really not fair.
14:11:51 I would be much more in favor of raising the tonnage fee.
14:11:55 That's fine. But the minimum fee for those folks that have small cars need to go to the dump every so often, you know.
14:12:04 I mean, if I go every 4 months that's too frequent.
14:12:07 So, you know. I think that that whole approach is just misguided, and I would just strongly object to it if you need to cover costs for the additional labor at at the Scale
House.
14:12:21 Okay, add $2 something like that to cover the additional overhead costs.
14:12:25 But you're unfairly punishing people with this kind of doubling.
14:12:30 The other point that I'd like to make is increasing.
14:12:33 The reserve expenditures, paying for operations out of fees is one thing, but paying for capital that should be done through bond.
14:12:41 That's how pretty much every State agency does does its business.
14:12:44 When you have big capital projects, you put out a bond you don't save up in advance.
14:12:49 Yes, I know we did that for the sewer, and we did it for 30 years.
14:12:53 But that's just not an appropriate way to fund capital expenditures.
14:12:58 In my opinion, but you know, like, please don't raise that minimum fee. Thank you.
14:13:02 Thank you, Mr. I. Allen you wanna I'll ask for if there's anyone else that would like to make public comment.
14:13:09 I'd love to hear from you the proposed fee schedule that solid waste has presented to us.
14:13:19 Alright seen. I'll make one last call for anyone that would like to make a couple of comments.
14:13:26 Okay, I will close public comment. And now turn to you, Al, first for a response.
14:13:30 Mr. Sure, Mr. Tusha's last comment on capital.
14:13:37 I know Grace Harbor, Whitman County, I can't recall the other counties off the top of my head.
14:13:45 They did, in fact, fund a 100% of capital expenditures for new facilities out of a fund balance that they created over multiple years.
14:13:54 So some counties do manage their finances differently.
14:14:00 We're asking that that we be just that smart in doing that, not at a 100%.
14:14:06 Obviously, that's a bridge too far for our customers.
14:14:09 It's certainly a 25%. We think it's manageable.
14:14:13 And that would generate quite a return on investment in terms of limiting the debt service for our customers.
14:14:21 For the next generation of customers as well on the minimum fee. Mr.
14:14:26 Tears is absolutely correct. We're we're proposing to double that.
14:14:30 We're also another way of thinking about it. Getting to close to the regional average charge for that.
14:14:39 Still less than half of our neighboring county county.
14:14:45 So our motto hope we hope to adopt is better than average service for less than average minimum fee.
14:14:54 But we think it's it's perfectly reasonable after such a long period, and in in particularly in trying to affect some demand management on a overcapacity facility, I would ask
Mr.
14:15:08 Tiers to consider curbside subscription service.
14:15:13 There, and to look at how the Financials pencil out there compared to them may not be the same.
14:15:20 Certainly there's some cost savings and making trips to the transfer station at the current minimum fee versus Curbside.
14:15:28 But that's exactly what we're we're asking to incentivize through the new fee schedule.
14:15:37 Okay, looks like we have 10, well, Mr. Tish, again, I you know I don't want to start a back and forth right now, Mr. Chair, so we will.
14:15:47 We will make sure that when we consider this any more fee schedules, whether or even the idea of hearing or adopting fee, change schedules through the resolution, we will make
sure that the public has comment.
14:16:02 But we just we don't want to get into a debate right now.
14:16:05 Thank you. Al, thank you, Monty, for the presentation. We'll talk to you again about this, and in the short term.
14:16:12 Alright, thanks, so much!
14:16:15 Okay, shall we do a little table setting for the rest of the afternoon?
14:16:21 I think we are done with our other than the legislative update.
14:16:25 The done with our listed and timed agenda items.
14:16:29 Oh, yes. Yeah. Proclamation. I did update that Margaritas Margaritas are after we're done.
14:16:40 I got very busy over the lunch break with that difficult issue.
14:16:48 That's okay. And I, we have some more time on that letter of comment on the geographic place.
14:16:56 Name so I'll just bring a letter next week I'll just bring a letter.
14:17:01 Okay, trying to save labor. Okay? No. Letter. But we do have a legislative update.
14:17:07 We haven't done briefings or calendaring yet, so it'd be great to have an opportunity for that.
14:17:12 I would love to do a brief 20Â min executive session at 30'clock to discuss review the performance of a public employee, and to invite Barbara from the deputy prosecuting attorney's
office, as well as Sarah both in her capacity as hr
14:17:32 director and interim, county administrator. So that's a 3 for about 20Â min.
14:17:38 You want to look at the proclamation. Anything else?
14:17:42 Sorry any other items to talk about. Okay, no, I do.
14:17:47 Wanna, I do think we should revisit this question of resolution versus ordinance before Staff puts too much more time into it.
14:17:53 So I'll talk to Mark about that when he gets back, you know, just thinking things like, you know, a resolution doesn't.
14:17:59 Often show up until it's on our in our packet on Thursday or Friday, and then there's, you know, one day to make a decision versus published 10 days in advance, like it is a
pretty different well, and I feel like with, you know, waste disposal it affects every single
14:18:15 person in the community, and it would be nice to have every single person have the opportunity to make a comment if they wanted to. Yeah.
14:18:22 Whereas campgrounds, campgrounds, is an optional you know. I can see there's a slightly different threshold.
14:18:30 Yeah, I agree, okay, yeah, well, we'll.
14:18:35 I think that conversation will come in front of us as we go through parts of Rec.
14:18:38 But I think yes, talking, and the larger scale is important, just to make sure, we agree on priorities I have a couple of calendaring things to talk about, but we can do that
in calendaring, but I just don't know what.
14:18:52 So we have calendaring legislative update.
14:18:55 30'clock exact for a little bit. I would love to get out by 40' clock.
14:19:00 The Northwood Canal, Chamber of Commerce meeting that starts at 4 30 that I'm lending our owl camera for so it'd be great if I could make it down to Brandon by 4 30.
14:19:10 Okay, I feel like that is reasonable. And we want to get the birthday girl off to the Margarita's well happy hours still, on I'm not Gonna be my greatest today.
14:19:23 I was just trying to throw off I'll probably swing through the boatyard and see who's hanging around.
14:19:30 Okay, shall I share? So we'll do proclamation then we'll go through briefing and calendaring and try to get all that done by 3, maybe even a ledge update couple of things to
add to the ledge update.
14:19:45 Probably. Unless yeah, no. And it's, you know, even anything like from last week at Lsd. Is old news by now.
14:19:54 Update on. Great. Okay? Well, I will let me find my.
14:20:05 Okay, I will share my screen and think. Was it you, Carolyn, to put it into the already kind of populated the proclamation with it?
14:20:14 Or did the chat BoT do that? Maybe the chat BoT filled and put it on the P.
14:20:22 Drive or the G drive? Or did the chat BoT do that? Maybe the chat BoT filled and put it on the P. Dry or the G. Drive? I don't.
14:20:28 Yes.
14:20:31 Okay. I will thank you.
14:20:36 So I wasn't sure there were 2 notes that I recalled.
14:20:40 One was to talk about carbon sequestration, and the other ecosystem benefits, and the other was to perhaps be more inclusive in the tribal, whereas and I didn't change the driver,
whereas because I wasn't sure I couple of stabs added and you know
14:20:57 recognizing. There is some unrecognized tribes that have been here and still have members here. But I don't. So I would welcome any verbiage adjustments to that. But you can
see the last, whereas is a new whereas Hmm.
14:21:16 Is that all of them? There's one up here.
14:21:19 That's the whole thing.
14:21:23 But the third, whereas is the one I guess is still perhaps.
14:21:33 Land statements, and you know, with different lists of drives.
14:21:38 So I I feel a little sensitive about I mean the one that the skcomish would definitely be there the south end of the park this Komeish are there the perfect, the often we talk
about 9 tribal partners, and I think the Sukamish are the one that aren't listed here
14:21:56 yeah. And those are mostly waters. What matters of hmm, so I think it's fine.
14:22:03 I mean.
14:22:06 So should I take both comment before we read the proclamation, or after we read after the motion before we vote.
14:22:13 Okay, so why don't I? I'll start this one, and then we'll go to Heidi and then to Kate.
14:22:19 So a proclamation, whereas National Park Week is a time to celebrate and appreciate the natural beauty and cultural heritage of our country's national parks, and whereas Olympic
National park in Washington State is a shining example of the diversity and richness of our
14:22:34 nation's protected lands, whereas Olympic National Park has a rich history with 8 contemporary tribes of the Olympic peninsula, the Macaquilliut, Ho Quinnult Skkomish, Cor Gamble
Scclum
14:22:49 Jamestown, squalum and lower elbow clawham having lived in this area since time immemorial, and continuing to maintain strong relationships to the lands and waters now within
Olympic National Park, and Whereas since the 18 Eighties the Olympic
14:23:01 Peninsula's spectacular mountains, rain, forest, and unique wildlife have captured the attention of visitors.
14:23:06 Park advocates and naturalists, whereas in 1938 President Franklin Roosevelt signed an act designating Olympic National Park, which has since received international recognition
as an international biosphere Reserve in 1,976 by unesco and a
14:23:23 world, Heritage site in 1,981, and we as the Olympic National Park, protects a diverse and pristine ecosystem that provides essential environmental benefits such as water filtration,
wildlife habitat and carbon
14:23:38 sequestration, and that should be a period at the end.
14:23:41 Cool, now, therefore, be a proclaim that we celebrate National Park week by recognizing the beauty and history of the Olympic National Park period.
14:23:51 The Jefferson County Board of County Commissioners hereby proclaims April 20, s to thirtieth, 2,023 as National Park Week, and encourage all residents to enjoy their national
parks.
14:24:02 Approved. The seventeenth day of April 2023, and now, since we're modified, this from our original agenda, I will.
14:24:13 Oh, yes. Sir. Sorry first. I'll second that. Okay.
14:24:19 Now I will open it for public comment in case anyone has comments on our new, and I believe, first artificially, intelligence, artificial intelligence, generate proclamation,
or we voted on, got some periods.
14:24:34 Did forget it, I would say. That's probably lost in translation from the computer to the human.
14:24:38 But we'll ask if anyone, if you'd like to make public comment, you can click, raise hand or star 9 if you're on your phone.
14:24:48 No one. Okay, I will close public comment and call the question all in favor of approving this proclamation indicate by saying, Hi, Hi!
14:24:58 Alright, great, I still think we could have written it better ourselves.
14:25:06 Yes.
14:25:09 I will. Thanks. Okay.
14:25:15 Great alright, so shall we go into briefing.
14:25:26 You want to start, sure. Oh, man! Last week was rough, it's a busy, packed week, somehow.
14:25:35 Still managed to I can check it all in from bed with Covid working too hard for someone else. Right?
14:25:45 With the exception of taking Wednesday nights, fairground meeting that right Wednesday morning which I hear you did an excellent job, and thank you so much for covering that
to a successful app where seated a new board and adopted new bylaws, a new newly equally distributed
14:26:10 board with covering many interests. That felt like a a win after months of deliberation and a lot of different community groups working really hard on that.
14:26:20 So small sigh of relief. Big sigh of relief.
14:26:29 Yeah, yeah, yeah. It happened to coincide with a fair amount of consternation kind of blowing up in the workforce development worlds, particularly youth and career connected
learning which has been on similarly contentious topic that I've been putting a lot of energy into and culminates in a
14:26:48 meeting tomorrow, that I'm hoping to ride through that with some success.
14:26:52 But Kelly Watson's departure caused a lot of people to express concerns about how State and Federal dollars are spread here inequitably so I will hopefully be able to report
back next week on some success with that meeting which I am facilitating unless maybe I don't
14:27:13 feel well, and Greg through it for me. That'll be my new backup.
14:27:18 So lots of times spent working on that.
14:27:25 See any high points.
14:27:30 Hi Climate Action Committee heard a report from the ports.
14:27:38 Mr. Klans, their engineer, reporting on various projects that they are doing particularly around sea level, rise I don't think there's any particular action to report back on
there.
14:27:50 That's fine. Everything is fair workforce development, fair workforce building at a meeting State Board of Health Meeting.
14:27:59 See you talking mostly about newborn screenings. There still, that's a big chunk of work, and did get a schedule for the new State onsite septic rule.
14:28:13 It sounds like that hearing will take place in August for the new rule, and with adoption in November.
14:28:19 So we should be keeping an eye out for that draft.
14:28:22 Yeah, which that should come out this summer to go to hearing in August.
14:28:26 We've got a finger on the pulse now, thanks to that's great.
14:28:29 Yeah, yeah, I'll try and try and track that. Well, there's also going to be a lot of shellfish regulation coming out.
14:28:37 So the water, whenever they need it's true it's hard to get them to listen to regulations, but obviously a big impacts to I'm sure Jefferson County economy.
14:28:49 So we'll be checking that one closely.
14:28:55 Had a good meeting with Usda on our childcare funding.
14:29:02 Let's see. Always something we're supposed to have a meeting this week.
14:29:07 But unfortunately, in some communication largely my fault, be it was noticed, incorrectly, and so we had to cancel that meeting and push it out.
14:29:19 That will be may third. So, Sarah, that is confirmed, and feel free to direct me, and how I should go about confirming the availability of the first floor conference room for
childcare that's already underway.
14:29:35 Oh, great, yeah, thank you so much. That's right. It's actually childcare.
14:29:37 Is going to be up there. Yes, yeah, we'd love to be able to offer that.
14:29:42 Unfortunately, I just learned today that the aquatic center open house is the exact same time and night.
14:29:49 Oh, no! So I would love to get someone to cover that which Mark has been involved so he's probably the most obvious one to be able to attend that.
14:29:56 But if not, I might be heading one of you up this evening of May third let's see, legislative Steering Committee on Thursday.
14:30:07 A lot less engaging, attending virtually so I won't get into.
14:30:17 Well, let's hold off to the legislative report.
14:30:19 But that was the last legislative Steering committee meeting in person of the year so I was going to sad to miss it.
14:30:26 Also, as you've heard, Commissioner Rob Gilder is stepping down from Gitsps County.
14:30:33 Oh, really, yeah, yeah, I know, isn't that working very easy? Yeah.
14:30:40 A deputy county administrator in Thurston County.
14:30:41 Yeah. Stepping down, he just was busy just no, he wasn't just reelected.
14:30:47 Yeah, he's on our cycle. Oh, gotcha!
14:30:50 So, yeah, I know it's a huge loss. Institutional knowledge.
14:30:55 In our region. He's been great for me. As a relatively new commissioner.
14:31:01 He's been he's probably the Senior Commissioner in the in our 3 county region that we sit on a lot of boards with, and such I believe he's the longest standing, and you know
President of Wasack, and I mean really it's he leaves a huge hole.
14:31:16 So we should keep an ear out for his going away party.
14:31:21 I think I missed a small one at Legislative Steering Committee because he's been on that for a long time.
14:31:25 Yeah. So it'd be interesting to see who the the yeah, who fills that position.
14:31:33 I was really bummed to miss the local 2020 Transportation Lab Conference on Friday.
14:31:40 I'm hoping one of you can report out on it.
14:31:42 Willing willing myself to feel better and to test negative that morning, and I took a test and, like the second, the little like moisture line moved across.
14:31:53 It was like bright purple, yeah, you're not going anywhere.
14:31:57 So we'd love to hear how that went.
14:32:00 Did a the first Kpdz County connections, Joe, on Friday it went well.
14:32:07 Chris got a little blow back from public, and some aspects of it, but I'm just on messaging, you know.
14:32:12 That's as I say, it's a good sign in county business, when everybody is equally a little bit unhappy, and some felt like one of those.
14:32:25 But yeah, it was. You know, Jim Burke is great, and so we'll you know.
14:32:33 I think it felt very much like just being on his show, and so I think they're, you know, and I haven't been involved in the conversations up till now.
14:32:41 Like? Is it his show, or does you know, should we be taking more leadership?
14:32:43 Or what's the right balance there? So we're figuring it out.
14:32:48 I think you know the vision is that we're kind of Co hosting it with Jim, but he's bringing that perspective. Insightful.
14:32:55 Video questions. And but we should bring prompts as well.
14:33:01 Okay, yeah. And he was he was really good at that. I I was impressed.
14:33:05 Yeah. And then just so much stuff missed this weekend.
14:33:11 That connectivity fairs really bummed to miss that. What was on Saturday to there's.
14:33:19 They're kind of giving us some Sunday, right?
14:33:26 Yeah, there wass something on. Yeah. It was. There was like 3 day longlong things that I was bummed to be miss.
14:33:27 So, oh, maybe this farmer's market. I missed everything this weekend nice, and it's planned, and you have something fun.
14:33:36 I stayed in my bedroom 8 days straight. I'm sorry, Kate. Yeah, that was fine. I'm glad to be here with you all today and not stuck in my bedroom.
14:33:46 Alright, Ivy, how is your week good. Let's see, it was short. Okay.
14:33:52 Was out on Friday, but on Monday after time, with you guys, I had a Jefferson Transit Board agenda setting meeting with Nicole, and then Tuesday morning I had coffee with a
constituent a new constituent to the community who's got a lot of
14:34:15 super valuable professional experience, trying to figure out where to plug him in.
14:34:21 He's been a fire chief, and done a lot of project management.
14:34:24 So networking him into the community a bit. Have a meeting with the community foundation later that morning, and I headed straight out to the Pds.
14:34:38 10 Year celebration. Which was it? Was freezing, cold and raining.
14:34:43 And then the sun came up right when they started their comments, which is great.
14:34:47 So it was well attended, and yeah, it was actually, that was really fun to be at.
14:34:52 I remember when when that decision was made to be our own utility.
14:34:57 I remember feeling really like empowered and proud of our community, and there was a lot of recognition of that moment 10 years ago, at the event.
14:35:08 So I thought it went really well. Then I went over to transit prim meeting with Nicole and Greg about our board expansion, and the process for that, and some of the tasks that
needed to get done, which we did get done, and then headed straight down to port leather for the
14:35:25 Tourism. Coordinating council meeting that afternoon, and I think that was it all.
14:35:31 And then a Monday night after I participated, there was a screening of a movie called Damnation Damn Nation.
14:35:45 Damnation about dams on the lower Snake River, and I participated in a panel with someone from the Nes Pierce tribe, and Amy Gronin, the commercial fisher person, a discussion
and question and answer session about damn Removal and Salmon Wednesday morning
14:36:01 got up early, went to the tax Blues breakfast.
14:36:04 Then I had a copy date with a constituent to meet his mom, which felt important to me.
14:36:12 Nope, she's not a constituent, you know, when someone wants you to meet their mom.
14:36:17 It feels like you answer the call. You're dating too.
14:36:31 Let's see. Then met with Sarah and others about the timicum job fair that we're doing, just planning logistics for that.
14:36:43 Sometimes I can't see the whole appointment, so I don't remember what's oh, and then than our weekly strategic planning meeting our community input and staff response to our
survey is like a historic levels.
14:36:59 Very very robust input on our strategic planning process, which our consultants are feeling really good about.
14:37:07 That. So I think we've done a good job of pushing that out.
14:37:13 Came back from that did my transit tasks, making documents that were needed for the board package.
14:37:20 Then had a meeting, one tenth of 1% vendor review with our epidemiologist with the Fire Cares program.
14:37:32 And since it's the first meeting with the virus care program, it was less about reviewing their statistics, but more about setting kind of setting the template for what they
wanna want to review and want to get reported back on want to report back on each year as part of this tracking
14:37:49 so that will be good. No good conversation, and it's really interesting.
14:37:54 The diversity, anecdotally in that conversation it became clear that the diversity of kind of the kind of cases that that program is responding to is huge and requiring those
folks to be very nimble in there.
14:38:10 You know, abilities, and responding to those calls so grateful for that program.
14:38:18 And I met with another meeting with Community Foundation, and then I had an Olympic.
14:38:23 I? No, I did not attend that. I did not attend the evening meeting on Wednesday.
14:38:28 Okay. Thursday morning. Started right off with Wsu extension initial interviews we interviewed 4 candidates for the Wsu extension director position and 2 of them are really
good.
14:38:45 Third one was good, and the fourth one we were not as excited about so we've got 3 good candidates for that role and very diverse candidates.
14:38:56 So, and then we're gonna do longer interviews where they will make presentations, and the public will be invited.
14:39:09 So if you're interested you'll be able to come to those presentations that's not scheduled yet.
14:39:17 No, but it's looking like April 20, sixth, 2728, because that was when Josh wanted me to come set the front desk at Dcd.
14:39:25 And that's the other thing I have on my calendar.
14:39:28 We've got a much to talk about those days. Actually, yeah, okay.
14:39:31 So then I had a meeting with one of our planning commissioners about Dcd.
14:39:37 And Cynthia Cohen, very concerned. About what's going on at Dcd.
14:39:43 And you know, feels like she's watched decades of the county not investing in community development adequately.
14:39:53 And when we decided to make it a make, the budget for Dcd.
14:39:57 Really based on the permit fees that we get we're kind of short-shifting the part of the operation.
14:40:03 That's more about long range planning and kind of doing the work of Dcd.
14:40:11 So it was a really good conversation. And anyway, yeah, that was my, that was my last week.
14:40:17 I. I was disappointed to not be able to attend the T-lab Conference on Friday, and did not go to the connections fair on Sunday, either, cause I went away for the weekend.
14:40:31 Alright. Well sounds good still. Yeah. Let's see, I was with you guys. Of course, Monday.
14:40:40 And then last Tuesday had to reschedule a meeting with planning Commissioner Cohen for this week we had our review annual review of our old Cap Executive director.
14:40:53 Fairly positive. You know, we just our committee got the review ready before the Wednesday Polycat meeting.
14:41:00 Then I forgot the Jta before onboarding was in person, and so I was like like 2Â min before the meeting, as I wanted to do so.
14:41:10 Sorry I was not there in person, but I think we still got the work done, and I wrote my letter very quickly, because, of course, I used to, and is our.
14:41:20 We're in person this week, aren't we?
14:41:23 For transit. Yeah, alright, I'll be in person, too. It'll be convenient for my schedule this week, so need to get back into board meeting. The Transit Board meeting.
14:41:33 Yes, and then we have the Quilson Brennan empowered teams.
14:41:36 Coalition meeting. Wow! Yep, and it was. It was great.
14:41:40 We're also, we had really low uptake on the getting good choices program down in Quilston. Smaller community. Everything.
14:41:49 So we're we're going through it ourselves to meet the Grant requirements and it's fascinating already, you know.
14:41:55 It's, you know, basically listen and treat people like you wanna be treated it's really the golden rule.
14:42:01 But that was great. Then. On Wednesday I also got up early to attend the tax Blues breakfast.
14:42:07 Always really enjoy that. And I had the Finance Committee meeting for Orca.
14:42:13 The Clean Air Agency, and then, followed by the board meeting that took me through the morning.
14:42:18 Everything's going well there looking, we're doing, you know, a salary survey, comparing work at other agencies and trying to hit that 50%.
14:42:28 Basically of the other of the other parallel organizations, and pretty close to that.
14:42:35 So I think we're gonna bring a couple positions up and then move forward up to one step and then talk about a 4% is what we're starting with 4% kind of across the board. Coola.
14:42:48 But salary adjustments, and then I had lunch with someone from the building trade and planning commissioner, and then I a little break, and briefly, was it the only Cap board
meeting until I went to the the fairgrounds meeting standing in for Kate and I thought it did go really well.
14:43:08 I can't take too much credit. There was really just a good foundation set, and there was really consensus among the most of the stapholders, you know.
14:43:17 Not all of them. Of course you can't please everybody, but generally people are just, I think, excited that that it's moving forward.
14:43:24 It felt really positive. So yeah, good work to Kate and then the rest of the committee there Linda and Toby, and definitely who I met for the first time for a really take a
difficult situation.
14:43:37 And making a pretty productive solution. So it was really good.
14:43:42 We had not noticed our interviews for the the Jeff Com.
14:43:47 Director, in timely. So we had to move them from the morning on the thirteenth to make a special meeting in the afternoon of the thirteenth, and we did that, and had 3 people.
14:43:57 We were going to interview one backed out last week, so we ended up interviewing 2.
14:44:04 One of them was just fantastic. And we're going through the offer offer right now.
14:44:10 So I'll know. Probably next week they'll be able to.
14:44:17 You know, at this point Jeff Khan really would, is desperate for a strong leader, and I think that this person, will they, if they take the job, will be a very strong leader.
So I'm looking forward to it.
14:44:32 Then on Friday did. We had to move stuff around Sarah, graceful enough to move our agenda prep.
14:44:39 To Friday morning. That's why I did that housing Fund Board Community Conversation Committee at 10 in this, in this very room and online, we had Andrea and Ellen and Talia from
the Department of Commerce come out and do a training on coordinated entry to dove House Bayside
14:44:59 and are 3 agencies that use it. And it's a housing authority also uses it, for, like very limited, we did have a Housing authority board member there and then, and Owl pre-sixty
does all of their coordinated entry through all the cap so the 3
14:45:15 agencies that primarily use it were there, and we have members to advise the Housing Fund Board to see the required coordinated Entry Advisory Board.
14:45:24 They're already having agency meetings, and really the I think, the harmonious working through these issues.
14:45:31 Seems to be happening. So that was that felt really positive.
14:45:35 And then I did. I was I missed the some of the speakers in in the beginning, but I stopped by a couple of times and was able to go to the final panel of the T lab, so I got
to see a Nicole from transit was great on the
14:45:49 panel, Eric, whose moves there, as well as Chief Olson from the police, and Steve King from the city, and a woman from 80 from.
14:46:00 Administer advocacy group really advocating for no parking requirements.
14:46:14 You know, everyone made a little presentation and then basically took questions.
14:46:18 And I was. I was proud that Eric did not get any questions at all.
14:46:22 Most of them were for Nicole.
14:46:32 He quite often had some good context about just the the complexity and cost of doing public infrastructure.
14:46:38 But a really good panel. People were really, I mean, it was a packed house so the top floor of the Legion was just absolutely full.
14:46:56 Well, our Jefferson transit authority members, you know.
14:47:00 Miranda made a a great little talk when we were going through the tabletop exercises and presentations, and Nicole was was excellent as well.
14:47:08 Good. He didn't see Mayor Megan's.
14:47:10 I didn't see it now. No, I didn't.
14:47:13 He was still there. He stayed for the whole day, though nice, so good. I guess it's going to be available on video.
14:47:16 Yeah, I think, so. Yeah, Dennis, Dennis was video recording.
14:47:20 So, but that was a great fun, and I also was out of town for most of the weekends was unable to really attend anything else.
14:47:30 Sarah, do you wanna tell us how your last week went?
14:47:34 So you know you can tell you, can we? We got a great public works update from Monty last time.
14:47:38 So don't feel like you have to just do county administrator stuff. But also Hr. Would be level.
14:47:42 To hear. So how was your last week last week? Week was excellent.
14:47:49 We are working on that job and trade fair.
14:47:52 A great team with Heidi, Wendy Davis is the communication specialist, and Kristin Bennett, the Hr.
14:48:00 Analyst, and so we're really excited about that event coming up in May May twelfth, and we had a meeting of the left.
14:48:13 One board left. One is the board that that makes determinations on medical requests for left.
14:48:25 One retirees, I didn't get that meeting invitation, did you not?
14:48:30 I'm not sure you do. I don't know why you didn't I'll make sure you get that.
14:48:36 Yeah, everyone was there. He's my new applicant, but I guess he hasn't followed.
14:48:46 And so actually, we're holding umions for that board for the firefighter representative and law enforcement rep.
14:48:56 So, we'll probably be holding a special meeting then in June to discuss that. I'm sorry.
14:49:03 What did? That was Thursday that happened on. Let me check.
14:49:08 It was Tuesday. Oh, Tuesday morning, 8. Yeah.
14:49:15 We just had a quorum. So it was, okay, we we have this great meeting with the Hr.
14:49:24 Team once a month. On Tuesday, Hr. Contacts.
14:49:26 And so it's a great way to provide information that's happening county wide.
14:49:34 And you know, lot of the department leaders attend that meeting as well, and we actually go over a lot of information that's spoken about.
14:49:45 That's, you know. New things. We're implementing.
14:49:51 And we go over ideas like what to do, you know, taking vacations and making sure people take their time processing, incident, report, form.
14:50:03 So it gets kind of into the details. But it's a great way to provide information.
14:50:05 There!
14:50:08 And we're also working on implementing a newsletter which we've met a couple of times on that.
14:50:17 And the team that's putting that together. And we're looking forward to hopefully having something out in July.
14:50:24 And there's a contest going for the naming of the newsletter.
14:50:26 If you haven't submitted a couple and there's a contest going for the naming of the newsletter. If you haven't submitted a couple of and there's a contest going for the naming
of the name well, what we'll do is we'll come up
14:50:45 with like what we think are the best. 4 or 5, or 2, or 3, and then we'll send those out for voting yeah, I know I didn't think you were in the I don't know what we're sorry
so then it's fun right.
14:51:01 Those are something, and so that's basically it great. Well, thank you very much, Sarah.
14:51:07 Why don't we take a quick look at Calendaring, and we'll be ready for our 30'clock executives.
14:51:14 Thanks for joining us, Barbara.
14:51:18 So, Kate, you wanna keep the order going. Well, let's do you wanna be sure to cover the fourth graders.
14:51:29 Oh, that's this week. Isn't that next next?
14:51:31 Yeah. Friday, the 20, eighth, all right. I got it in my calendar from 10 to 1, 30, and I'm meeting with the at least one of the teachers this week.
14:51:41 But Carolyn, I it sounds like if we're all gonna be here, we should just schedule a special meeting Friday, the 20 eighth from 10 to 1, 30 the calendar, like pretty booked already.
14:51:56 I saw them from Brian, but it was 3 3 different groups of kids. So we will see 3 different groups for half hour each.
14:52:02 Okay, I likely won't if the Ws. Scheduled. Okay.
14:52:08 Pardon this afternoon I'll work on the agenda with you.
14:52:18 So the I don't quite have the topic yet, but I think is so.
14:52:27 There's some concern. The kids went to City Hall and did something similar to what I haven't mind, which is kind of like working through an issue with the legislative body.
14:52:35 Okay. And there were some families who were unhappy I felt like the process was pullitized.
14:52:43 And so the school is wanting to shy away from anything that might be like that.
14:52:48 My idea was to take some kind of simple language. Maybe in the form of a resolution.
14:52:55 Maybe something around recycling, and perhaps related to the a simplified version of some components of the State's bill.
14:53:04 On the bottle, Bill Yup, and you know, and we could kind of present 2 sides of the topic, and have kids do a little bit of research and be prepared to give public comment.
14:53:15 And then we could vote whether or not to adopt that resolution or something along those lines.
14:53:21 So I'm gonna present that to the teachers and see if they think that that is too political or not.
14:53:29 But I think we're cycling something kids relate to.
14:53:31 It's fairly tangible for them. Yeah. So we'll see.
14:53:38 But does that seem generally like an agreeable structure, and just like, engage them in the in the process, and see how that works.
14:53:52 Yes, there it can stand in for me. Do we call it Id for the day?
14:54:00 I did want to get back to you on the May third.
14:54:04 Whether or not Mark can do that that's my other conflict.
14:54:08 And then I do, May. We should talk a little bit about okay.
14:54:15 May eighth. I'm going to be in Washington, DC.
14:54:18 With the Puget Sunday on the hill, and then May fifteenth, Am.
14:54:22 Gonna be at a I'll be able to join virtually for some of the meeting.
14:54:24 But I think I mentioned that apparently all of the big consults at Fred Hutch have been on Monday, so I am.
14:54:32 I have a couple of hour. Consult there that day with my husband, so I will be out for much of that day.
14:54:37 So I'll just advance planning and sorry those are going to be 2.
14:54:40 I will, miss a chunk of the meeting, and then the 20 ninth.
14:54:44 We have a fifth Monday in May, so I mean we could always maybe move one of those meetings to the fifth Monday.
14:54:51 If we wanted even just and skip one of the we still have 4 weeks.
14:54:53 Of work, but we can just kind of give you time.
14:54:57 The logical one would probably be the first, the second, I guess, for the first.
14:55:02 Yeah, I plan to be here on the first it's the eighth that I'm in.
14:55:11 Yeah, may, yeah. I mean, we could see how the what the calendar is looking like.
14:55:19 I mean, I know it'd be good to block it out now if we're going to.
14:55:22 But I'm I don't want to impede business either.
14:55:23 If there's stuff that needs to get done on the eighth right we'll talk about that.
14:55:28 I'm work to accommodate you as much as we can, and certainly if you're not there, that's okay, too.
14:55:33 Yeah, I trust the 2 of you. Okay. So we get some stuff done.
14:55:39 Greg, yeah. I thought last week was the week to do that with Mark Chris.
14:55:45 Billup, tricky business.
14:55:53 Great, great. Thank you. If that we could reserve it 10 to 1, 30, and I have a solid waste task force in person and chemical 1 one to 3. So if we can, I don't know front load
it more towards I have one other meeting, but I can great to be done by call forward we have a
14:56:15 schedule from the we're taking on the 28, the schedule is pretty set because they're going to 3.
14:56:24 Circular. It's 3 groups circulating around 3 departments.
14:56:28 So, and we could close the meeting, and I could just be with the last group.
14:56:38 The fourth grade. Yeah. Yup.
14:56:43 Yes, yes, no. We're gonna do. We're gonna do some some legislative action, something largely performative.
14:57:00 But you know, maybe like a recycling resolution or something, I should loop Al into that, too, and he wouldn't probably enjoy that.
14:57:11 I just will have to leave, probably 1245.
14:57:14 Okay, so yeah, the last group is with us from 1250 to 1, 20.
14:57:22 So we could be done with the public. With the Commissioner's meeting by 1245.
14:57:29 Okay. And I'll just I'll look at my.
14:57:33 That with transportation everything have it as close as I can, so miss a minute of it that I don't have to.
14:57:39 Okay. And it sounds like Caroline. It'd be like 1130.
14:57:43 So 1245. Not that long.
14:57:46 Although if you end up being able to make it.
14:57:54 Thank you. I don't know that I have anything else really important to report on this week.
14:58:00 The usual just in the interest of time. Yeah. Transit.
14:58:07 But you know coordinating council fairgrounds meeting brother health.
14:58:12 Obviously the aquatic center planning meeting on Friday.
14:58:17 With you all the coordination meeting. I'll get to see you guys almost every day this week.
14:58:20 You. Can you do it in a minute? I mean, no, okay, okay, well, we we can come back, you know, after I expect only 20Â min for this.
14:58:34 So let's take back Barbara's time.
14:58:36 So why don't we just?
14:58:41 Still time for a minute, not even time enough to take a recess.
14:58:46 I mean, I can start add 3 things. Looking back that I wanted to talk about looking forward because they're kind of both.
14:58:53 But the there's gonna be a resolution coming desk from the port.
14:58:58 That's a psychedelic Psychedelic Society, and that's with Mark.
14:59:03 Now I've been working with Aaron on it, and it's coming to you guys for your comments.
14:59:14 Whereas are there for us? Okay? And did you guys hear about the bomb threat in last week?
14:59:22 Yeah, that was troubling. And then there's been some more complicated.
14:59:28 Dcd issues here, even hearing Examiner issues that I'm getting repeated.
14:59:33 Outreach about, but one of them is. And I'm saying this because you're here at the Hall.
14:59:36 Bates. Viewpoint of and then the Trails Coalition Olympic Discovery Trail.
14:59:41 They're thinking that they're gonna do this work.
14:59:45 And this in this coming season, this summer, and I'm just wondering at what point we tell them.
14:59:51 I mean, I just feel like the timeline is not gonna happen for them is related to the permitting for the Hall Bates viewpoint it went through a hearing examiner hearing last
month already.
15:00:09 Yeah, and they they haven't heard back. And I just got another email today.
15:00:13 It's been 70 days since the hearing and so I'm just wondering.
15:00:17 I mean, just based on everything we heard today how to give that kind of former hearing examiner that the room.
15:00:29 Feedback. Under what? What was the what to expect? So?
15:00:39 Personal.
15:00:42 Do you come to the microphone, Barbara? Sorry we're ready for you, anyways.
15:00:48 I did hear that Mr. Mclean had some personal family issues.
15:00:52 He was dealing with, and that may account for the time.
15:00:56 So, yeah, so we can say, okay, anyway, if you guys hear anything, get me word through Mark, or whatever you need to do, because I don't have any guidance to provide them.
15:01:08 At this point okay, I've not been tracking that.
15:01:10 Okay. Thank, you. Okay. Well, we'll finish it after our executive session, and we are going into an executive session to review the performance of a public employee that we
know discussion of salaries, wages, and other conditions of employment to be generally applied within the county and no final action on the hiring
15:01:26 setting in the salary of an individual employee or class of employee, or discharging or discipline and employee will be joined by a Hr.
15:01:34 Director and interim county administrator, Sarah Melanson and deputy prosecuting Attorney Barrichmann, and I expect to be in here for 20Â min.
15:01:43 So let's say we'll go in at 30'clock.
15:01:44 We'll come out at 321.
15:01:51 Oh, and this is under Rcw. 42 dot.
15:01:54 30, that 110 parentheses, one parentheses. G.
15:22:42 Right afterwards, new pair board in place.
15:22:54 How that worked out are you on it?
15:22:57 And we didn't have okay, nothing to worry about. Okay.
15:23:02 Great! Oh, there is! What else? Surveying?
15:23:08 No, no, alright! We're coming out of executive session back into open session, and there's no action taken, so we will we'll continue with our our calendar for this coming week,
and I think we you were just kind of starting to dip your toes into that
15:23:26 conversation. Heidi. Okay. Calendaring for this week. Okay.
15:23:33 So tomorrow, let's see for everything tonight. No.
15:23:38 Oh, yes, my birthday. I'm having dinner with friends.
15:23:42 Okay, tomorrow. In the morning I'm meeting with treasurer.
15:23:46 Pretend to talk about the Kptz show on Friday, which will be about property taxes.
15:23:52 The she and I are gonna prep for that. And then in the afternoon we have a Jefferson Transit Authority Board meeting Wednesday middle of the day.
15:24:00 I Meanm having lunch with Apple at the Recovery Cafe, and we'll probably be talking about our upcoming.
15:24:09 Retreat for Boards of Health. We're doing that training that you went to Spokane for, but ours is up in Blaine.
15:24:20 Then I have a conflict. Wednesday afternoon for the empowered Timakam Howard teens coalition.
15:24:27 Have you heard the Andrews leaving under fair and box, leaving?
15:24:30 Too bad, so be his last meeting, but it's 3, 30 to 4, 30.
15:24:36 On Wednesday afternoon. If anyone's available to go to that, otherwise I'll just let him know that I'll be missing that one.
15:24:43 I'm going through Chatty, the planner with the DC.
15:24:46 D at that time, and then Wednesday evening, I'm tentatively planning on attending the planning commission meeting just to hear what's going on.
15:25:02 And then Thursday I have a trust land transfer.
15:25:08 So super exciting. Our House Bill, 1460, has cleared the Senate in the House so it's on its way to the Governor's desk.
15:25:15 So we're having our kind of final call on Thursday to talk about kind of to celebrate passage of the trust and transfer Bill, and then talk about our strategy around the capital
budget which seems to be moving forward nicely.
15:25:30 Then we all have the Board of Health meeting in the afternoon on Thursday, and then on Friday.
15:25:37 What's this? Oh, this is chamber. Yeah, I was just gonna do that as an attendee.
15:25:43 I may attend the chamber cafe on Friday morning.
15:25:47 I will not be a Jefferson County coordination, because I'll be on Kpdc.
15:25:53 With, and then oh, I have my meeting with the public Works team on next steps with the sewer, which I think we're all having those meetings.
15:26:04 My minds. On Friday afternoon, and then that's that's it from me for this week sounds good, and I your reminded me that I believe I am on the radio on the 20 eighth, the 1230
with Dale Wilson, the former Ed of Holycap and Cherish
15:26:31 the current.
15:26:39 For your planning. Sorry about that. It's not a my calendar yet.
15:26:41 It will be. It's not a commitment I can avoid now any connections.
15:26:49 And then. But going back to this week tonight, I'm hoping to get out of here by 4, so I can sprint down to Brennan for the Northwood Canal Chamber of Commerce meeting, and then
I will not be able to attend the regular meeting just the Board, meeting as I am running
15:27:06 Back up to the Quilson Community Center to watch and ensure on a panel for the movie love and the time.
15:27:15 And so that is today's busy day. Tomorrow I am doing a right along with the cares team in the morning, and I have lunch with Director.
15:27:26 Butler, and then going to kind of as I'm listen to the South County Harm reduction meeting, as I am going to the Jefferson Transit Authority Board meeting which I will be add
in person and then on Wednesday Financial Commissioner Cohen is coming meeting me
15:27:47 in my office, and then I'm meeting with Barb Jones from the community health Improvement plan, and as she gets her her from under her, and then I am meeting with someone professional
who responded to the Housing Fund Board Survey with you know I've got some ideas so I
15:28:09 am meeting with her Yup, and then meeting after that, going up to Castle Hill to see how Chatbots might be able to help with Dcd.
15:28:23 Work fingers crossed well, I think it could enable you or me to answer the phone cause it would instantly tell you, give you a guidance, so we can see how.
15:28:37 Yeah, I think it can do cans. I think if you we find a way to ingest it, it can do preliminary analysis of completeness, of applications.
15:28:48 I think you can potentially do a lot of the things that are creating some of our significant delays I think it's got we can leverage.
15:28:55 It can be a big lever, but I'm not sure how effective it can be.
15:29:01 Then the Wassak Broadband Advisory Committee is Thursday morning, and then there's a big work session in Kit Test County.
15:29:09 That I'm not able to go to, and then we have Board of Health right Board of Health to go altogether, and agenda planning before that, and then Housing Fun board, agenda planning,
and then the evening on Thursday I'm meeting with the community group that is that we gave 20
15:29:27 $1,000 of planning funds for Arpa they're just kind of getting their organizational structure out.
15:29:33 So I'm gonna have a meeting with them to kind of set up contracting, which is delay for the skate park skate, park proposal.
15:29:42 Dan Quilson on the 20. First I am. I have a bit of a conflict, but I'll kind of hey partial attention to the Jbat Full team meeting at 9.
15:29:54 At the same time I jump into the early cap head, start self assessment, which is a an annual self assessment process.
15:30:00 The Board members participate in. I think I am participating in there development of disability, intellectual disability, readiness.
15:30:08 This year. Then I'll leave in the county coordination meeting.
15:30:12 I was surprised. Did everyone get invited to that meeting this week?
15:30:17 Oh, work that's not our quarterly, is it?
15:30:19 I think it is okay and coordination.
15:30:26 I'm missing that one right? Right? I saw this stuff go, and I forgot that we were gonna combine that.
15:30:34 Yes, okay, that makes sense. And then I am meeting with Bob to hear about the sewer progress.
15:30:40 Friday afternoon as well. So very busy week, and that's.
15:30:48 Sarah, you wanna take us through your schedule.
15:30:51 Sure I am well, on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week.
15:30:57 There's Ess, or employees service training with newness.
15:31:03 And we're moving ahead with the employee.
15:31:08 Self-service, function. So that will mean that most employees in most departments will be entering their time sheet in a few weeks, which is a big deal. Yeah.
15:31:18 And beyond that they'll be able to see all their accruals.
15:31:22 How much vacation time they have, or sick leave, and they can print out their pay stubs, and it will, it will be, will be entering modernity at that time excellent!
15:31:33 And get that going. The twentyieth and 20 first, I'm going to a Labor Relations Conference in Tacoma with the Northwest Chapter of Labor.
15:31:46 Relations, people. I forget the whole app. There's so many that's quite exciting.
15:31:54 Who knew that a Labor Relations Conference would sell out. We need help.
15:32:08 And so next week, actually we need help. And so next week, actually, Wednesday, the 26, I'm heading to Jersey City, New Jersey, to visit my son, my oldest son.
15:32:16 So I'm very excited about that. And I will be gone from Wednesday until through Monday of the first I'll be back in the office for a day and then I'm heading to Yakima for a
Labor Relations Institute.
15:32:31 Conference. That's sponsored by the Association of Washington Cities, which is really one of the annual labor relations get-togethers and it took me 6 tries to find a hotel
for that.
15:32:45 So? Who knew that labor relations was right? So it's yeah, very popular.
15:32:51 So I'll be not in the office a lot.
15:32:54 Okay. But you're gonna get really smart right?
15:32:58 Yeah, building those skills are important I'm hoping. So I'm hoping those skills will come.
15:33:02 Okay. Great. Yeah. Have a great vacation, too. Yeah, thank you.
15:33:07 Okay, I think we were taking care of all the conflicts that we have.
15:33:13 So we've got legislative update.
15:33:19 You wanna take the lead on that, Kate? I know Heidi has more to contribute or is it just the trust line transfer zone?
15:33:23 Yeah, well, I'm curious. Where Heidi's landing on the the 83 million.
15:33:31 And is supporting one proposal that I heard.
15:33:35 There are others, too, I'm supportive of the Wasossacks proposal, and I think it's got the Muslim great.
15:33:39 Can you describe that in any? Yeah, I did read through the language.
15:33:46 So there was an 83 million dollar proposal as part of the natural climate.
15:33:53 Climate, solutions, account, which is not how housed in the State or capital budget.
15:33:58 So it's not clear where it would come through, but it's a source of funding that's new and there's been a number of proposals that have been developed for how to use the funding.
15:34:10 But one that's gotten quite a bit of diverse interest and buy-in is one that was actually been Paul Jul at Wsack has really been taking a leadership role on.
15:34:20 And we're working with leadership. So this proposal carves out 70 million of the 83 million to purchase forest land in counties west of the crest of the Cascade Mountains.
15:34:33 All it's Scamania County and the west portion of Kicate, and of those up to 2,000 acres.
15:34:42 Are structurally complex. Carbon, dense forests currently existing on State trust lands.
15:34:48 So the sense. My sense of this is that the carbon proposal varied at the very beginning of this conversation.
15:34:57 This is kind of how it's worked its way through the session.
15:35:00 And now there's this carve out in this proviso.
15:35:05 That allows for 2,000 acres of structurally of forests to be transferred.
15:35:13 If a letter of support is sent from accounties, and those lands, must be identified in short order, because the final list has to be prepared by December.
15:35:26 The end of the year. There's no funding coming to the counties.
15:35:32 So the county, the legislative authority of the county from which the real property was transferred, may not request request.
15:35:39 The department distributed percentage of the proceeds associated with the valuable materials.
15:35:44 So where the carbon project gave us a very small percentage.
15:35:49 This gives us none. No, there's not because we get the money and then give it to the junior taxing district, so there's nothing in there for place. So we didn't get any money.
15:36:03 Okay. So we didn't get any money. No, we didn't. We?
15:36:07 But traditionally we've gotten the money, and then the treasurer distributed to the junior taxing districts.
15:36:14 In this proposal. The counties can't request any funding.
15:36:17 So what is the wise? It in a provider? I'm just in the as part of the.
15:36:25 The 83 million would go to purchasing replacement lands for Dnr.
15:36:30 For long term revenue, producing. So in the future, if some of the replacement lands are purchased in Jefferson County, there's a long term financial benefit through timber,
harvest, and timber taxes and they're trying to actually improve the health of the trusts by using this
15:36:51 83 million dollars to buy productive timberland, where many of these older forests are encumbered either by community sentiment or other species.
15:37:03 Considerations, not not endangered species, considerations, but other plant community considerations. But where the 2,000 acres is?
15:37:13 Harvest. It isn't necessarily in the same texting district that the replacement line will be right.
15:37:23 So it's it's a choice, right?
15:37:25 If we wanna put lands on the list. So what we've talked about, I mean, if we want to, just first a minute go down the side road.
15:37:34 Is that over the course of the last 9 months, in these conversations with Dnr, we've been talking about parcels north of 10.
15:37:43 4 have less kind of funding constraints on them.
15:37:48 They're less dependent on by the school districts.
15:37:51 Then the one's the 104, and Brennan a quilting, and there are some.
15:37:56 There's like the Cumberlas wilderness that would be to me a logical parcel to request, as part of this transfer.
15:38:02 But I think we need to have a workshop and look at a map and figure out which parcels we may, you know, cause it.
15:38:10 Even the Carbon project. A lot of counties were questioning.
15:38:14 How did these parcels end up on this map? You know they aren't necessarily the ones that are highest priority of community members or our county, or you know.
15:38:23 But they were just generated by the Dnr.
15:38:25 Regions because they in the many cases where the expedient ones to do the carbon project on, because that had such a kind of hurry up so that's 70 million.
15:38:39 So by January fifteenth of 2024 Dnr.
15:38:44 Must have been an initial progress report. So they're they're on the oh, quick!
15:38:50 Hurry up! Hurry up hurry up and get this done, so why would we put any of our acreage into that 2,000 other than just not wanting the ongoing argument whether it should be harvested
or not?
15:39:02 Because we know that we well, we could imagine that some of the replacement lands would be purchased in Jefferson County.
15:39:10 But no guarantee. I think it's I mean, actually, I haven't.
15:39:14 I haven't even read the rain or lands have been talked about a lot, so there are, you know, patience never met all of this yet.
15:39:28 I just got it. But 2,000 is not much. Yeah.
15:39:36 So another 10 million is to is provided for. Dnr.
15:39:44 To enhance silver culture, so their forest practices to increase growth of the trees.
15:39:49 So the is kind of to improve forest practices. 2.5 million is provided to convene a stakeholder group to collaborate on approaches related to the conservation and management
of older carbon dense forests develop an understanding of current timber supply by region explore strategies to the
15:40:09 sequestration and storage of carbon and forests.
15:40:13 I mean to do a lot of the kind of studying of what can be done in the future about carbon sequestration and forests, and also harvest.
15:40:24 So, and then there's $500,000 for Dnr.
15:40:28 To analyze the purchase of large forest parcels, replacement land basically.
15:40:35 So this proposal was developed by the likes of conservation.
15:40:41 Northwest Pasadeen and Heath Heikola from American Forest Resource Council.
15:40:48 They were both at the table, and Paul Jewel. So it was a very diverse table that this the solution, came out of.
15:40:58 And I'm kind of excited about it. Oh, cool!
15:41:03 So that's 83 million. How's Bill?
15:41:06 1460, tt, that's moving right along, and then the other one that gets was talked about at Walsack today is the Senate bill, 56 27.
15:41:14 About salaries for County Commissioners and Council members.
15:41:19 But this is regarding Salary Commission, which we don't have so I don't think this applies to us.
15:41:25 I thought I'd bring it in case there were questions.
15:41:28 So those are my my little legislative bits.
15:41:33 Thank you quickly. Go over a few. So how's Bill?
15:41:40 1267 are point 9 9 public. And what we call our public instructor funds.
15:41:46 Is expected to get pulled for a vote.
15:41:49 On the setup on the floor. Oh, that's great. Yeah. Exciting news!
15:42:00 Yeah, you can beat it out. Okay, I think it's it's my capital now, or something no, like I'm on the rail. So it's good to go on to the floor.
15:42:11 I think it made it out of rules. What number is it?
15:42:12 1267. I can pull it up. I have one more thing.
15:42:18 If you want me to loop back and finish up. Sure one case done with this one so that that what is moving we have a small win on the electrical apprenticeships where the rural
trainees now, as long as they have enough hours are given another 2 years they don't face
15:42:37 the same cliff to lose their trainee status, which gives us 2 years to try to set up some programs and C Itc.
15:42:45 Is one of the kind of providers of that in the conversation with Peninsula College, Friendaway was gonna advocate for provides over a pilot project for that to be set up, and
he ends up not doing that just too, many asks to then prioritize that one so sounds like it might be able to
15:43:02 happen, anyway. So a little bit of success there, see?
15:43:13 I think it was interesting. Josh referenced a few of the Land use bills.
15:43:15 That will be pretty significant. So that kind of change into planning we talked about that one previously one of the 80, only one.
15:43:29 Adu! Bills is still alive. That's right. Which one is that believe it's 1337.
15:43:37 There's another one, similar one that died. But this is about like, you know, the counties can't owner occupancy limits on.
15:43:45 Or fire off street parking, really removing barriers for 80 use, and I think generally we would agree with it that local permitting review is pretty significant requires counties
to meet certain requirements for permitting which statute already does.
15:44:12 But it changes that a little bit. It does provide just kind of changes.
15:44:18 The format for that right now.
15:44:22 As our packet declare an emergency and be given longer this just clarifies that, and also provides the ability to do like consultants and so it's timely you can tell that every
every community development department is facing some of the same challenges we are in order to
15:44:41 like, create the need for this kind of legislation.
15:44:45 Voluntary stewardship program is still alive. The opt in for other counties.
15:44:50 So that'll be a tricky one. We might have to look at that again with money behind it.
15:44:58 I'm not sure. Yeah.
15:45:05 Yeah, but only for setting it up. Yeah, exactly. Not for ongoing.
15:45:14 Makes counties opting in and at anytime eligible for funding.
15:45:19 So maybe there is couple of other things one to call out from our Nola list of priorities.
15:45:37 The this bill, 1783, which would provide funding for grant writers for the Edos for, and that did pass.
15:45:50 I don't think it's that's enough for all process.
15:45:53 So we have to demonstrate some need there which exactly.
15:45:58 Yup! Yup, love that. Okay, okay. 1267. The bill is, and Senate rules awaiting a floor. Poll.
15:46:08 However Senate leadership has indicated, the bill is likely to move with the operating.
15:46:12 It looks like it passed rules today, or it was placed on second reading by rules.
15:46:20 So. April seventeenth. Okay, so still moving, that's a good sign.
15:46:28 There's some condominium legislation which did pass.
15:46:33 It exempts buildings with 12 or fewer units from having a Homeowners association which is or different requirements for homeowners, associations which is good I know I haven't
given for humanity was in favor of this not having quite so much
15:46:56 bureaucracy, the Governor's proposal for the 4 billion dollars in bonds for affordable housing.
15:47:03 It was a big homework. His proposed budget, the House capital budget, as soon as this bill will pass, the Senate capital budget does not not.
15:47:14 So it's a really big, the difference. There, we'll see how that goes.
15:47:20 One of the bills for requiring a 2 year notice for sale or lease of manufactured phone change of ownership that did pass, which is great I'm making a little harder for that
to happen.
15:47:35 As quickly.
15:47:38 Hello!
15:47:43 This 57 70 is stirring up a lot of controversy within.
15:47:47 And actually in general, within legislature.
15:47:51 That's the removal of the 1% cap email.
15:47:59 Blast about it yesterday. Yeah, no, I think I can.
15:48:05 My home address. What's interesting because it's for the first time it allows the State to increase their portion.
15:48:13 They get. And so that's why it's it was dropped last week. Yeah, like, at the end of session.
15:48:19 Yeah. So add, Jeff, Chapman, yeah, has some concerns about how to implement it.
15:48:26 And I'm sure notice and all that, but it has definitely has some interest.
15:48:35 But like I said.
15:48:37 What happened to that?
15:48:44 That's the bulk that I wanted to report on.
15:48:48 No one thing I had was that when you report on the last week that the sepage money didn't make it in the budget, I reached out to Representative Theranger, and I said, What
can you do?
15:48:59 And I sent him the study that we had done. Of the 14 counties in Western Washington, and the notes from those interviews, and then I got few days ago a text from him, saying,
Where does the money need to go?
15:49:12 Ecology, solid waste. So I he's trying.
15:49:18 Yeah, it's $200,000. Not a lot. Yeah.
15:49:21 I asked him, and he was like, I don't know. There's so many, and I've been Steve.
15:49:25 You told me this is what I should be working on. Oh!
15:49:32 Alright well, sounds like overall. A fairly positive legislative session.
15:49:37 Yeah, yeah, that. Terms of the Whatsapp priority is that that adequacy pass the Federal transportation dollars exchange.
15:49:48 It looks pretty solid, I don't know. I still a little bit Iffy.
15:49:54 And then the jail proviso at least part of that will be funded.
15:49:58 So pretty. Yeah, having, I have that are part of those 4 priorities, successful.
15:50:03 That's great. Yes, yeah.
15:50:07 Okay? Well, I think we're at the end of the items we had put on our afternoon address on our afternoon agenda, and you have 40Â min to get to your next thing.
15:50:26 No. Okay. Well, thank you guys, it feels like a really productive day.
15:50:31 We are adjourned for today, and I will see you next Monday.