HomeMy WebLinkAboutclosed_caption09:00:24 Yeah, yeah.
09:00:33 Good morning. Everyone. And it's 9, 11, I think. Well, I guess we'll wait for one more minute.
09:00:40 Clocks don't quite align. Wait for the bells.
09:00:43 Progress recording in progress.
09:00:51 And there you are!
09:00:57 Alright. There we have the clock tower bells, so I will call this February. I'm sorry.
09:01:05 April third meeting of the Border County Commissioners to order.
09:01:07 We have a couple of proclamations, we'll hit it at 9 30, and as always, we will begin with a public comments, so we have no public in the room with us today, but if there's
anyone online who would like to make a public comment about any topic.
09:01:24 On the agenda, or really any topic at all, that strikes your fancy.
09:01:29 You can click, raise hand button or star 9 if you're on the phone.
09:01:32 I think Mr. Dean just wants to be brought over to the panelists, but anyone else that would like to make public comment.
09:01:39 Please click the raise hand, button.
09:01:48 Okay? I don't see anyone yet, but we'll as is our custom.
09:01:53 Leave public comment open until 9 30, in case anyone is moved to comments.
09:02:03 Yeah, I guess we can take a look at the consent agenda.
09:02:12 Not, as you know, only one page today, but still lots of good work.
09:02:17 Hey? Comments or questions. There was one thing I was. Let me get there that'd be a big budget extensions.
09:02:28 Hearing, oh, I was just gonna call out the letter of support regarding the Northwest Straits Marine Conservation Initiative, reauthorization based funding for the Jefferson
Marine Resources Committee and my Speaker Saturday or most of most of Saturday at a marine resources committee
09:02:48 retreat, and super thankful that for that group of community volunteers and organizations.
09:02:54 So I would just wanted to call this out and sail good.
09:03:02 We're signing the letter. Yeah, glad to see the funding for the pump track from Arpa funds, and of course, what's interesting?
09:03:11 Actually, the pump track is those volunteers are working with the folks who made the jump playground happen.
09:03:16 And you know I keep saying jump is the best example we have of a volunteer organization that made something happen so skate park folk and quilts, and are reaching options and
I, reaching out to the jump people glad to see jump will be continuing to do fundraising for the next phase
09:03:34 which weren't able to fund in phase one, yeah.
09:03:39 Good work here. I was really excited to see the actual end user agreement for the cost share on sceptics coming out so it's real great work to Amanda Christopherson environmental
public health to get that Cdbg money lined up to help folks with something. The thing that we I hear
09:03:57 most about is is the high cost and difficulty of getting that septic system.
09:04:02 So great news all right. Well, if there is no questions, I would welcome any motion move to approve and adopt the consent.
09:04:13 Agenda. I'll second that. All right. It's been moved and seconded to approve and adopt the consent.
09:04:19 Agenda as presented. There's no further questions.
09:04:21 All in favor, indicate by saying, Hi! Hi! Alright! That motion passes.
09:04:28 Well, I guess we could. I'll make another call, and if anyone's moved throughout this our conversations, please click the raise hand button.
09:04:37 If you'd like to make public comment. But we'll just keep kindling them along and hit some briefing.
09:04:42 You wanna look back at the past week hey? You're heidi.
09:04:47 Eager to start. I can look at last week.
09:04:51 Let's see. So.
09:04:56 Started the day off with you guys, of course, and then.
09:05:03 The house. Capital budget came out last Monday, and I was thrilled to see the inclusion of 20 over 23 million dollars for the trust land transfer program, which gets us well
below Devil's Lake and Jefferson County and into other projects.
09:05:21 That are been on the list for a really long time, so hopefully as they come.
09:05:26 The 2 versions of the budget. There was 10.4 million in the Senate version, and now 23, and change in the House version.
09:05:35 So that's good. We had a special L tech meeting on Tuesday morning, and then I attended the Jefferson Community Foundation Board Meeting.
09:05:49 I had lunch with Central Services Director Chris Coy, and then met with a departing staff in the afternoon, sad to see her leaving Dcd.
09:06:03 But what's a change over there? Wednesday morning we had the Budget Committee meeting, and then we had our strategic planning committee meeting.
09:06:15 We are weekly. We have a weekly check in with our consultant team, and just kind of reviewing the progress we've had a lot of respondents to our survey.
09:06:27 It's we have very good response rates. I think in the 40% range.
09:06:32 Which is high for online surveys, and the afternoon I had a meeting with the community Foundation and happenstance with the boat school to talk about Congressional, Congressionalally
directed spending, and they both have upcoming meetings with Congressman Kilmer and trying to coordinate what
09:06:56 they're talking about. And then in the afternoon I had a trust land transfer, legislative check-in.
09:07:06 On Thursday morning I met with the Chemical School district superintendent to talk about school-based mental health funding and the turns out there's a source of funding that
was ourpetite called.
09:07:21 Esr, it's emergency. Oh, I can't now. I can't remember what the acronym is, but it's Federal funding.
09:07:28 It came into the schools for mental health services and other programs during the pandemic.
09:07:35 But it's gonna run out. The problem's gone now, right right?
09:07:41 So actually, what we're seeing, at least from what I'm hearing, is the impact of Covid on kids and schools is just starting to.
09:07:49 So it show itself. And talking about kindergarten and the kindergarten teachers, just kids and the kids who have never been to school right?
09:07:59 And they're showing up and it's it's a strange time to be in the public school system.
09:08:04 So it's not the time to be reducing funding for counselors in schools cause the kids that need the counseling need, the counseling right?
09:08:14 So we're gonna circle up and try and figure out ways to backfill some of the funding that'll be lost.
09:08:22 It was the equivalent of 1.5 ftes for Chimeica.
09:08:30 That's for sure. Yeah. So. And then in the afternoon, continue on that theme.
09:08:36 Had the Mental Health Field Response Team Meeting, which is a large table of you'd normally a large table of mental health providers in the community, and it was a smaller meeting
this time, but a good check in with folks, and then on Friday morning we had a meeting with and some conservation organizations to
09:08:58 talk about the 80 million dollar carbon carbon funding that's it's been proposed.
09:09:06 And has been amended and re-imended, and lots of conversation going on about that.
09:09:13 But I think there's a new plan for how to use that money, and we'll see if everyone can get on the same page about it this week.
09:09:23 Friday after that, on Friday morning I did my first feather listening session on the Snake River Dam issue, and testified briefly, but it was interesting to sit through hours
of 3Â min testimonies on Dam Removal Snake River Dam breaching and.
09:09:52 At least in the 3Â h I listened, who were for the dams, keeping the dams.
09:10:00 Wasn't there some legislative action, too, on that I saw a headline a Seattle Times headline about a bill that was addressing the Thank River Dams.
09:10:08 But I didn't. I don't know.
09:10:13 And then went to the Seventh Haven opening, which was completely inspiring and cold.
09:10:22 Raising cold, and completely inspired. And then, on the afternoon after that I went and met with a gentleman who lives on on the beach south of, or just east of the Port Hadlock,
Marina, and he sees and gets a lot of onshore storms and he sees a lot of
09:10:43 boats washing up on his beach, and so he's very interested in our derelict vessel like wanted to know what the resources were in the community, and you know how he could be
helpful.
09:10:53 So shared with him the you, Derek. That's a removal program at the State, and then also say, sales rescue.
09:11:02 Who does work most locally with the Coast Guard.
09:11:04 So anyway, was a, you know, just a very interested citizen, and thankful for him.
09:11:10 Saturday morning, went to the opening of the Jefferson County farmers.
09:11:13 Market. I got to see the baby goats. It's awesome.
09:11:16 Yeah, yeah, super fun. And then sceddled out to the kibbly center and headlock for the marine resources retreat.
09:11:26 And that was most of Saturday. So let me see what my notes say about I mean kind of I mean, you're specifically talking kind of automatically.
09:11:45 Manage the gateway Visitor center. And whether, yeah, we that's a very interesting proposals going that harkening back to old old speculative designs.
09:11:56 Yeah, I mean, I I think that what we're really talking about was the need to transition the contract to tourism coordinating council, and what that would look like.
09:12:09 And we're talking about a kind of status quo for the next couple of years, and there's not really a a longer term vision at this point.
09:12:18 But just the logistics of transitioning that contract anything you wanna add, Mark, you are in that meeting right?
09:12:27 Yeah, yeah, the Yale Tech recommended some additional funding for the overlap period, and then they also approved 30,000 subject to the Board's approval.
09:12:40 For improving the appearance of the facility, putting new flooring inside.
09:12:46 There's some wood rod on the outside that needs to be repaired.
09:12:50 So in the coming months, you know, we'll if you look at the color scheme. There.
09:12:55 It's not very attractive. A lot of peeling paint along the roofline, and so we'll be looking at color combinations.
09:13:06 And if you want to be involved in selecting those colors, we can certainly have a little workshop on that.
09:13:12 I mean it was just, you know, conversation about deferred maintenance but it's really the concern about the transition and the Duke on tracks. Great. No, that's that's definitely
the actual work we have to get through right.
09:13:26 Now, yeah, I'm glad first quarter supplemental material that alright great. Well, thank you.
09:13:31 Heidi, and I'll open it again at this juncture, for public comments.
09:13:35 No. Anyone. Yeah, Mr. Schumacher, please come to the mic, and you have 3Â min when you're ready.
09:13:48 Yes, thank you very much. I found myself attending a number of meetings such as these.
09:13:53 This last year, and I've actually been impressed by the level of work in detail. You know.
09:13:58 Care for so many matters that you guys had to, you know, been doing, and in that regard I notice on the agenda today there's the monthly public health and emergency management
update from a health officer and the emergency management director and I was kind of curious I went back and looked at
09:14:17 the old agendas from back in 2020, and went through and there weren't any such reports, you know, because the Covid thing hadn't hit.
09:14:27 And then in March sixteenth. Then it' like these things started happening.
09:14:31 So anyway, I guess I'm just putting forward, you know, giving your workload and everything.
09:14:36 I just wonder at what point are these emergency reports?
09:14:40 And you know the public health thing is not going to be needed any longer.
09:14:43 You know you've already got the Board of Health dealing with it, and that's kind of their their main job.
09:14:49 And so I guess I just sort of like put forward. That may be at a certain point this could be moved off the plate.
09:14:55 Here's a few things that in the news this last week or so that you may not have heard about one of the things is that the you know the East Palestine trains are element.
09:15:09 They had 7 of their Cdc. Investigators hired that were going through door to door.
09:15:14 They all got sick at the same time from the you know.
09:15:17 Anyway, with the same symptoms, and Cnn.
09:15:21 Just sort of reported about this, and Cdc. Was not forthcoming about about this until social media was sort of talking about this happening, and said they were just sort of
telling people that you know the burning chemicals were all safe and everything also legal proceedings have found that back in the early days of
09:15:40 the vaccine rollout, that general dynamics was hired for 35 million dollars to to be monitoring this stuff, and they were kind of expecting, like about 100 cases a day.
09:15:53 100 reports a day. They thought 1,000 might be the peak.
09:15:57 Instead, they were lowered by getting about 3 to 5,000 reports each each day.
09:16:02 They continue record setting metrics and multiple categories.
09:16:06 So they were just getting in January of 2021, and February, continuing on a record-setting number of adverse reports.
09:16:13 But again this was being suppressed by the Cdc.
09:16:16 And fauci was telling people the time, the safety Record has been really quite good, and Rasmussen just did a poll.
09:16:25 It just found that the nearly as many Americans believe someone close to them died from the side effects of the covid.
09:16:33 Mrna, you know spike protein injections as died from the disease itself.
09:16:39 So again we've got the public or social media saying, You know, this stuff is happening, whereas we've got the Cdc itself, or the representatives or health officers saying,
No, no, it's very very safe.
09:16:51 And very effective. So anyway, I guess I just don't really.
09:16:56 I sort of feel like the fear that's being drummed up is more dangerous.
09:17:01 In some ways than the virus itself has been and that's manifested by the stuff you were talking about.
09:17:09 Heidi in the school and stuff anyway. Thank you very much.
09:17:12 Thank you, master.
09:17:15 Alright! I'll make the call to anyone with us virtually, if you'd like to make public comments.
09:17:21 Now is a great time. You can click, raise hand, or the star 9.
09:17:24 If you're on the phone to indicate your interest, and we'll bring you over.
09:17:32 Seeing no one, I'll see if any of my peers here would like to respond to Mr.
09:17:35 Shoemak!
09:17:40 I don't think I have a response. But thank you, Stephen, I appreciate you being here, Stephen.
09:17:46 Yeah, I appreciate it, too. And in answer to your first question, how long are we? Gonna I have Dr.
09:17:52 Barry here, you know we've kind of gone back and forth.
09:17:54 Folks definitely like it. I think one thing that we've really discovered during Covid is that the transparency to governmental policies that we can provide people really appreciate
the more information we get out there, the more they understand how the county is operating so yeah, we're starting
09:18:14 our own regular show, talking about county stuff on Kptz, and anytime that we've cut back with Dr.
09:18:20 Barry. People have really missed the opportunity to quiz the good doctor, and Willie Vince, and I think that you know, even as we, I don't think we call it an emergency anymore.
09:18:31 But even as we navigate through this and other health issues, it's really show a lot of value and community positive community response to have that connection.
09:18:42 So, we I can see us not having it anymore. We're back down to once a month.
09:18:47 Recognizing that we don't. The funding is gone for a lot of that as well for Dr.
09:18:54 Barry's time to be here, but we still are getting value out of it, so as long as you know the public and the government gets value out of those updates, we'll probably keep
having them.
09:19:03 Maybe this would be a good time to clarify too.
09:19:06 I think, I don't believe we addressed it last week, but a few weeks ago there was some confusion about various states of emergency I misspoke in stating that I thought Dr.
09:19:19 Barry still had an emergency order in place. That is not true.
09:19:22 We only have the counties, internal employee policy, which we are planning to sunset with the Federal, which is this week right?
09:19:33 And instead putting some of the provisions in that into our employee policy manual, which aren't specific to covid.
09:19:43 But just specific to, you know, kind of encouraging folks to stay home.
09:19:46 If there's sick and kind of a new awareness around transmissibility, and how that can affect the workforce so misspoke last time.
09:19:55 Thank you. To clarify that so, and our civil deputy, prosecuting attorney did send us a note saying we should do a resolution to repeal the resolution, so we should get that
on the agenda.
09:20:10 Okay. Great. Thank you. Guys, any other public comments keep looking. Let me know.
09:20:17 Carolyn, if I miss it, and I don't want to look back at the last week.
09:20:24 So with you just half the day on Monday. So National Association, Workforce Boards Conference with a number of our are workforce Council members.
09:20:39 We'll say at least one of them came back very sick, and I was pleased to have been one of the only one of 1,700 people masking, and did not catch the nasty cold that the colleague
I spent the most time with did so.
09:20:58 Tuesday, let's see. Still I still at the conference actually, today, was it was really depressing.
09:21:05 So a group of us. There's quite a delegation from Washington that goes to this event every year, and we went to see both of our senators on the hill.
09:21:15 And had a really robust conversation with Senator Cantwell, and she was very fired up, saying, We don't have to get workers to where all these jobs are.
09:21:26 She has worked a lot of a Chips act in particular, you know, she has kind of a high tech profile, and it was really discouraging.
09:21:35 One of the Washington delegation was a woman who's the president of a large community college in Central Washington and in her service area.
09:21:45 There's a new battery plants being built where the Governor just visited last week.
09:21:51 Lots of wind and solar. Large-scale, just a lot of investment in high tech in that part of Central Washington.
09:22:01 And this community college president was saying, it's great that you're investing in these communities.
09:22:07 There, you all of the companies are relying on the community.
09:22:09 College, to train workforce for the jobs, and our enrollment is still down 20 to 30% we can't fill programs.
09:22:18 There's nobody in the pipeline to fill these jobs.
09:22:20 All this investment is going to happen, and either people are, gonna you know, relocate there where there's no housing for them or they're gonna look for a local workforce,
and it does not exist.
09:22:33 And it was I mean it like we could not determine anywhere to like, interject in the workforce development stream.
09:22:40 That's actually gonna create workers for the investments. And it was I left a very discouraged in part, just that these record investments that the Feds are trying to make and
infrastructure are going to be.
09:22:54 The opportunities are going to be lost. Yeah. And you know, of course, we know that's true.
09:22:57 At the local government level, where we can't be applying for much funding or get workers to do more projects.
09:23:05 So, yeah, it was a little unfortunate. That was the the last few meetings we had were like, how on earth?
09:23:15 And it was interesting 2 to hear about was the, you know, we were trying to really dive deeper with the Senator on.
09:23:21 Why why are people not enrolling in Community college? It was free.
09:23:25 Basically during Covid, you know, there was so much support.
09:23:28 And and it sounds like it really is about the cost of living is so high that people can't afford to go to school, hey?
09:23:36 For childcare, you know, presumably maybe have another job.
09:23:42 So instead, they're just working in service wage jobs where the wages have gone up a lot but long term that's not a great solution.
09:23:54 And it means that you know these companies that are trying to get alished in these communities won't be able to.
09:23:59 It was. It was a little depressing, and you know the Senator was so frustrated she's like, but you guys exist to like create this pipeline of workers.
09:24:08 And they're like, Yeah, it's broken.
09:24:16 Rona Sanchez can bus them up to Central Washington.
09:24:17 Maybe. Yeah, I think there are a lot of communities that would take them, although housing, you know.
09:24:23 Yeah, we don't have housing such a challenge. So that was kind of a sour note to end on.
09:24:28 Unfortunately, but also drove home just the importance of that work.
09:24:34 And we function a little bit outside of those kind of big pipeline projects, you know, have to keep refining how we develop a workforce.
09:24:46 So, blew home that day, did a lotta work on the airplane, which is good, went right to Olympia.
09:24:59 I had the legislative Steering committee Wednesday evening and Thursday morning did a couple of other other meetings on on Wednesday, at another orientation for State Board
of Health had a childcare meeting so we're starting to get nervous about the
09:25:20 budget coming in for the next round budget coming in for the childcare project.
09:25:25 Just, you know, seeing inflation. And you know fingers crossed that our funding is going to stretch far enough.
09:25:33 But starting to think about what we'll do if we need additional funding.
09:25:35 So, yes, yeah, yeah, specifically, the new site. I at the high school about that.
09:25:46 That's still I mean, we haven't started to work.
09:25:49 We had to separate the 2. But yeah.
09:25:52 Yeah, and are they seeking more funds for that?
09:25:58 They need a few more. Yeah. The first grant that we got, or the grant were alone, but it had a lot of conditions that were, I mean, maybe it would cost too much to even be worth
getting the grant so there's I think, a 200 that $1,000 gap with.
09:26:13 They started for 4.
09:26:17 Okay, okay. $100 a month.
09:26:22 Else. I'm not sure I can just bring it back.
09:26:24 Well, I meet with Wendy all the time.
09:26:26 I can ask her to and you know she's also building new child.
09:26:30 Care facility in I don't know how she manages to keep all those calls in the air.
09:26:39 Let's see. Wednesday evening at Ls.
09:26:43 See live Steering committee met with some legislators, including Representative Reeves, who's been real involved in the carbon discussions.
09:26:51 But it sounds like things are changing already. Since Wednesday evening, which there rooms to do.
09:26:59 Thursday, Legislative Steering Committee.
09:27:01 We had a great presentation by Dave Anderson from grass Management Services Department of Commerce, and in talking with John Morrow later last week we talked about inviting.
09:27:16 They have a presentation on comprehensive plans, and the changes that are required with legislation.
09:27:23 Last session, and then already preparing for once for this session, and John and I were thinking that maybe having them come, do this presentation to an Icg meeting would be
helpful, if not, they're willing to just do the county or you know do city county or something but it's quite a
09:27:37 bit of oh, I'm blanking on the word.
09:27:42 That's what's they have to be in agreement.
09:27:45 Yeah, yeah, there's a they have to be what's the word? I can't.
09:27:50 City and county count plans have to be in.
09:27:55 Planning, term, he'll come to me. No concurrence, and one of the requirements this time around will be so.
09:28:11 Commerce has a I guess they've already created the widget.
09:28:14 I haven't gone to look at it, but you put in your jurisdiction, and it will tell you how many homes in each.
09:28:21 Income band. You need to be planning for in your Comp plan you need to be planning for in your comp plan.
09:28:36 Cool. Yeah. And I mean, we're lucky. Well, yes. So couple of things.
09:28:36 One is, you where? Who's taking? What of those units to plan for?
09:28:41 And you know alright, I don't I can't imagine how larger counties do that you know King County has 13 cities, you know, like having to decide who's taking what we only have
one city to do that with but with the headlar coming.
09:28:57 Okay, yeah, yeah. And they and our plans have to say the same thing in terms of who's taking what?
09:29:03 Icd sounds great. Yeah, yeah, I think so, too. May not be long after my longer.
09:29:10 I see G meeting update subways. I was thinking one day right and the other interesting thing that came out of that was, I asked the question.
09:29:26 I said, You know we're in our community, and there's some other counties like ours.
09:29:30 Where am I? Does not equate at all with affordability or accessibility of housing and and oh, we've never thought of that!
09:29:40 We probably need to think about that. So it's like, okay.
09:29:44 But they I mean they took it very seriously, like, all right, that doesn't this system is gonna fall apart.
09:29:51 If it doesn't equate to reality. So it was, yeah, good. Really?
09:29:57 Good presentation. Dave Anderson, who's run that division for a long time came from local government.
09:30:03 Spokane City Council, so he gets it. He's really great spend a lot of time working on the fairgrounds.
09:30:11 Grand compromise and proposal. Yeah, which?
09:30:17 So there is a special meeting of the programs on April fifth Wednesday. Thank you.
09:30:26 And we will hopefully be presenting a proposal that has some buy-in from all the parties.
09:30:34 So more to come on that Friday met at Jefferson healthcare with kind Congressman Kilmer and some community representatives and cameras, doing the doing the rounds, visiting
a number of places, but talking about the importance of the hospital, being able to provide a range of
09:30:54 rural services, especially with oldest population in the State, and talking about how much they're kind of bottom line stays more sustainable if they can keep a lot of those
services locally.
09:31:07 So it doesn't really make sense. Oncology.
09:31:12 They do doesn't make sense unless a patient is able to get all of their services here.
09:31:16 Some of them lose money, some of them make a little bit of money, and you hope to kind of break even at the end of the day.
09:31:22 Yup. So that was valuable. Had a meeting with Daniel Pthorpe.
09:31:29 Senator Murray Iss. New regional contact.
09:31:33 She's I'm gonna go see her, and she's in town on.
09:31:39 Someday this week it's not popping up Wednesday also, so we're kind of preparing for that.
09:31:48 Talking about various talking points on that.
09:31:54 I'm still on Friday. Right? Had a good meeting with John Morrow, talked about a number of number of things like the fairgrounds.
09:32:01 I went to the seventh even opening, really great. Got a tour just wonderful to see.
09:32:09 The facility, and it was I was glad that that Dale mentioned Philip Morley and those kind of early days, you know.
09:32:19 I remember having to, you know, even say to our county folks like, Are you kidding?
09:32:23 I'm parking. It's been more important than building housing, like, yeah, yeah. It took a while to convince our folks that that was the highest and best use.
09:32:34 But so really gratifying to see that come together. And yeah, and spent the weekend in there.
09:32:44 Good garden. Good we can for it. Yeah, a little chilly, but not as close this morning.
09:32:54 Yes, yeah. I think that was my week. Great. Okay? Well, I see it's 9, 30.
09:33:00 Now I'll make one more call to see if anyone is moved to give public comment.
09:33:06 And we'll we'll grace that case.
09:33:07 Anyone does. You can click, raise hand now, or star 9. Alright, seeing no one with public comment, we'll close public comment and move on to a proclamations.
09:33:19 We're joined by Sheriff Noel, who's here to speak to the volunteer month, and Willie van.
09:33:24 So. Yes, let's bring Willie over, and we'll start with the National Volunteer Month Proclamation, and I guess we can go ahead and read it through, and then we'll invite Sheriff
Noel and Willie and anyone else that has something to talk about how.
09:33:40 They knit the county together, and you know we punch above our weight as a county in many areas and a lot of that has to do with our big core of volunteers.
09:33:49 So, why don't we go reverse order this time?
09:33:52 We'll start with Kate Heidi and then okay, a proclamation, whereas the month of April has been designated as the time to recognize the hard work dedication, and passion of volunteers.
09:34:05 The month of April has been designated as the time to recognize the hard work, dedication, and passion of volunteers and national whereas government alone cannot meet all of
our nation's needs.
09:34:10 So we partner with businesses. Faith-based organizations, nonprofit organizations, foundations and individuals who serve in county government and in our community to make a
difference.
09:34:21 And whereas most organizations in small towns, rural counties, and the largest cities would not function without volunteers, whereas Jefferson County is committed to encouraging
volunteerism and national service among its employees citizens, partners, businesses, and organizations whereas by volunteering and
09:34:39 recognizing those who serve, we promote partnership, understanding and collaborative problem-solving in our community, whereas thousands of Americans have volunteered to help
their fellow citizens.
09:34:51 Following natural disasters around the country, after devastating hurricanes flooding tornadoes, and wildfires, countless Americans answered the call to help others revuild
and recover, and whereas April sixteenth, to 20Â s 2023 is national volunteer week and now therefore.
09:35:10 be it resolved that the Jefferson County Commissioners to hear about hereby proclaim April 2023, as National Volunteer Month in Jefferson County.
09:35:21 We call on citizens to volunteer to help our community were to respond in times of need and continue to volunteer for other community needs throughout the rest of the year,
and urge all citizens to recognize thank and honor the many volunteers in this community who are working on behalf of others without being motivated
09:35:38 by financial or material gain, approved this third day of April, 2,020.
09:35:44 Fabulous. I will move to approve the proclamation.
09:35:47 Is read, and I'll second that. Okay. It's been moved and seconded, all in favor of approving the proclamation to I'll see to read it proclaiming the month of April 2023 is national
Volunteer month indicate by saying aye
09:36:01 aye! Hi! We didn't mention all the healthcare volunteers.
09:36:09 Few words to say about the importance of volunteers and this proclamation.
09:36:13 Well, thanks, and I I thought I was gonna have to convince you to approve the proximity.
09:36:21 But I'm just kidding. But anyway, you know, I just thought it was important to speak in.
09:36:28 You know the sheriff's office has a number of alleers, and without them we wouldn't be able to provide all the services we do to the community, at least not as quickly.
09:36:39 If you want to say, you know they help out a lot in when we have traffic control for fares and parades, and they help us when we have to get word out to communities they work
with the project lifesaver, which is a a program where people that are tend to wander from their homes have
09:36:57 a receiver, a transmitter on them, and then they help find them when they get lost.
09:37:02 So anyway, I could go on and on. Volunteers are really helpful, like the proclamation says, and I think it's important to recognize them.
09:37:10 I know at our office recognition probably doesn't happen enough, and I wanted to speak on their behalf.
09:37:17 Covid really wreaked havoc with volunteers, because there wasn't a lot of stuff for them to volunteer for there wasn't a lot of public things going on the core of our volunteers
hung in there and serve the public like you say, without pay and and
09:37:33 a lot of times without recognition. So thank you for the proclamation.
09:37:40 Yeah. Thanks. Great thanks a lot for being here. Sheriff.
09:37:44 You're welcome. Thank you, Willie. Do you have anything you want to say about the volunteer appreciation?
09:37:51 Yeah, well, first of all, I appreciate the recognition of our volunteers on behalf of the Commissioners, and more than anything I have appreciate all my wonderful volunteers.
09:38:00 I've been talking about how much we use volunteers.
09:38:03 You know the past 3 years at our Kptz briefings, but I still don't think that most of the general public realizes just how reliant my department is on volunteers, and all the
good work that they truly have done.
09:38:15 They manage programs. They write really complex plans. They work day in and day out.
09:38:21 I have volunteers who put in, you know, nearly 40Â h weeks every week.
09:38:25 I'm helping serve the community free of charge. When we go around the room at some of our volunteer lead meetings.
09:38:32 It's pretty obscene, just the wealth of experience they have, you know, at our volunteer emergency communicators, our amateur radio operators.
09:38:40 You go around the room, and it's 30 years at Boeing 40 years at Motorola.
09:38:45 25 years at Intel, on the experience and knowledge the other piece they bring that they donate the community free of charge to help make it safer help make better it's just
really fantastic.
09:38:57 The last thing I'll say other than that we're always looking for more volunteers and more help, so don't hesitate to get in contact with us.
09:39:04 If you want to help get back. During Covid.
09:39:07 Obviously, you know, Sheriff No mentioned how, and a lot of organizations volunteers didn't have much to do and so many public events cancelled.
09:39:14 Now, here' DM, our need for volunteers absolutely exploded, and we had hundreds of members of the community step forward and despite having never volunteered for deem before,
step forward, helped out in either our vaccine clinics or at jeopardin healthcs or at jefferson
09:39:31 healthc's, or at our emergency call center. Between the months of January 2020 and January 2022, when we actually stop calculating this, we had a little over 14,000Â h worked
by volunteers, and that was just shift work so that was at one
09:39:47 of those clinics. We're at the call center.
09:39:50 That wasn't involved in any of the management. Any of the planning, any of the outreach any of that just shift work we calculated for, and fema values of our of volunteer work
at $31 and 72 cents.
09:40:03 So that 14,000Â h translated to about half a 1 million dollars worth of value on that was contributed to the community, and the real number, honestly, conservatively, is probably
2 to 4 times larger than that just given.
09:40:15 All the hours that we're we've been tracked.
09:40:19 So again, I appreciate all the work really helps make this community better help make it safer, really can't say that enough.
09:40:26 And I also have to make one more pitch. We're always looking for more to help out some of the additional work that always needs to be done.
09:40:32 So. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you to the Commissioners. That's all I've got for now.
09:40:37 Thank you so much, Willie. It feels like we need add awareness to recognize all those Covid volunteers.
09:40:45 I mean, you know we're there. That's not in here.
09:40:48 Yeah, Amy, Adauarez, we can. We can.
09:40:53 Also, I mean, we're recognizing them we have recognized those volunteers a lot with, you know.
09:40:59 But okay, we've already approved the proclamation.
09:41:03 Yeah, and just think about so many organizations. And this is going to community. Yeah, yeah. But just in general want to call out that it's not just county government, but
pretty much every nonprofit that exists depends on volunteers.
09:41:19 And I think we're very lucky to have an ethic of service in this community.
09:41:25 And just so appreciate it, and it adds to the richness of people's individual lives.
09:41:32 You know whether they're the volunteer or the recipient of service, and so I'm really proud that we do that well, here, and hope we can continue that. Yeah, I was reminded.
09:41:43 Yes, it's as Commissioners. We are never off the community right?
09:41:48 And I was I'm Amazon yesterday afternoon, and approached by a citizen in the community who is one of the main volunteers for Jefferson County search and rescue, and reminded
me that we didn't fund them with our funds, and you know and it it I said
09:42:06 there were 48 applications, and we were able to get to 18 of those organizations and those proposals.
09:42:13 But we, you know, wish we could have gotten to everybody, and we would value the work that you do in the community.
09:42:19 And so it's. There are so many volunteers in our community.
09:42:24 And they pointed out that they're a completely volunteer organization which is always challenging.
09:42:31 I'm gonna spend some time with search and rescue. Actually cool. Yeah, it's been a day training with them.
09:42:38 Yeah, I'll just also call out, you know our faith based partners, or you know, sometimes there's a tension between public government and the faith-based organizations.
09:42:47 But you know, looking at coast that started our winter shelter, and continues to be critical partners in that, and echo I serve on the Olympic Area Agency on aging as a part
of a 5 county organization.
09:43:03 It's one of the most stunning numbers I see every year is that amount of actual rides given to older Americans who need a ride to a medical appointment, and with echo another
faith-based organization.
09:43:16 Locally. We give 10 times the ride that any of the other 4 counties on the Olympic peninsula do, and so we have a huge culture of service in this area that really does, as I
say, help us punch above our weight.
09:43:31 And it's also kind of a crisis in that. In that field.
09:43:34 In that sector. I think as a lot of folks are aging out, and Covid took a lot of people off the roll.
09:43:41 So I want to echo what Willie said that it's really it's really satisfying to do.
09:43:45 And we need more volunteers and all sorts of different areas. So if you have a little bit of extra capacity, I encourage you like our department of Emergency Management director
said, out there and help.
09:43:58 There's lots to do is there's Service fair coming up at Blue Heron soon.
09:44:04 I'm guessing it might be in conjunction with National Volunteer Month.
09:44:08 Sounds. Familiar. Yeah, I hope it didn't pass already. And there are a number of opportunities on the county website on our boards and commissions right now for citizen volunteers,
especially in District 3 I noticed I got someone for notra weeds awesome we're taking the signature so I got someone for district 4 of not just we awesome
09:44:28 and I also got recruited to help build these kiosks that we helped to with the letter of support down at Quilson.
09:44:38 So I'm volunteering every week and doing that, Willy. You have something else to add.
09:44:41 Yeah. The April sixteenth, from one to 5 Pm.
09:44:46 At Blue Heron is the connectivity fair in prep.
09:44:49 Our partnership with local 2020, as well as us here at DM.
09:44:51 Will both be there if you want to come. Talk to us about volunteer opportunities.
09:44:55 I'm sure a bunch of other great organizations as well.
09:44:58 So April sixteenth, one to 5. Blue Heron.
09:45:00 Joe had his hand up, too. Was it about that? Come up to the microphone?
09:45:05 Of course, we'll give you the last word, and then we've got to join Kptz. All right, just real quick, you guys, reminded me of some things. First of all, I don't know how I
forgot to mention Jefferson search and rescue.
09:45:19 I think it's probably because I just think of them that they work for us.
09:45:20 But they're both volunteer, and they really provide a service.
09:45:24 That is the responsibility of the sheriff's office that we wouldn't be able to do without their help.
09:45:30 And I also wanted what Kate said about living in a community where people wanna volunteer is.
09:45:35 I think, as we all know, we have a good group of people here, so one to recognize that as well. So thank you.
09:45:42 Thank you. Joe.
09:45:45 Oh, right! One more proclamation. Go ahead and bring Dr.
09:45:50 Barry over, and let's hit the proclamation real quick, and we'll invite the listeners of Kptz to join us for one more quick proclamation.
09:46:01 Get there!
09:46:05 So it is apropos that we do this on the radio.
09:46:08 So we have a proclamation today proclaiming April third through ninth, 2,023 as National Public Health Week.
09:46:15 We have, okay, very. And Veronica has been brought over.
09:46:22 Welcome, Bronagh! Glad you with us, so we will go ahead and read through the proclamation, and then we'll take some comments from hopefully. Dr.
09:46:29 Barry and Veronica. Alright! Why don't we?
09:46:31 We'll reverse it, and I'll go first and then Heidi, then Kate, I'm good.
09:46:36 Yup! Alright proclamation, whereas during the month of April, Jefferson County honors, national Public Health Week, April third, through ninth, 2,023, and whereas each year
for national public Health week, Jefferson County public Health and the Jefferson County Board, of Health honor
09:46:56 people and organizations who make a significant contribution to maintaining and improving health in Jefferson County, and whereas public health professionals help communities
prevent, prepare for mitigate, and recover from the impact of a full range of health threats including disease outbreaks such as the
09:47:13 COVID-19. Pandemic natural disasters, such as wildfires, flooding and severe storms, and other disasters, including disasters caused by human activity and public health.
09:47:21 Emergencies, whereas public health professionals collaborate with partners outside of the health sector, including city planners, transportation officials, education officials
and private sector businesses.
09:47:34 Recognizing that other sectors can influence health outcomes and whereas Jefferson County public health began recognizing public health heroes as a way to celebrate national
public Health Week lowally by honoring people who live or work in Jefferson county and who promote public health in their daily lives whereas a public health hero
09:47:53 is a person or an organization that promotes public health in daily life.
09:47:58 Each day of public health week has a different public health focus, and nominations can relate to any of the public health focus areas, but are open to others as well and.
09:48:09 Whereas the following are the public health focus areas for public health week 2023 community violent prevention.
09:48:17 Reproductive and sexual health, mental health, rural health, accessibility, and food and nutrition.
09:48:25 Now, therefore, be it resolved, that the Jefferson County Commissioners do hereby proclaim April third to the ninth, 2023, as National Public Health Week in Jefferson County,
and encourage people in this county to join us in the Special observance proclaim this third
09:48:40 day of April 2023, I'd welcome a motion before we. I would move that we approved this proclamation.
09:48:50 I will second okay, it's been moved and seconded that we approved the proclamation proclaiming the week of April third, through ninth 2023 is national Public Health Week.
09:48:58 All in favor indicate by saying, Aye, hi! Hi!
09:49:02 Rates. Now this is, of course, as big as the last one we just honored our volunteers, and another proclamation, but public health is a big umbrella. Dr.
09:49:13 Barry, do you have any words you want to say about this?
09:49:14 Sure. Thank you so much for for declaring public health week.
09:49:19 We really appreciate it public. I think one of the the critical things about public health is it is, it affects the health of all of us.
09:49:28 It is the driver of all of our health, and I think, particularly in the last few years, what we've seen is that all of our hands is interconnected.
09:49:38 We are all healthier when we are focusing on on the health of ourselves and of our neighbors, I think that's the critical difference between public health and health care is
that it's not just individualized.
09:49:50 But it's realizing that we are a community, and we all succeed better together.
09:49:55 And I think the COVID-19 pennemic really showed us that.
09:49:58 But public health is so much more that infectious diseases.
09:50:02 It's our built environment. It's whether or not we have access to the critical needs to live a healthy life.
09:50:09 And I really like the In Public Health week. We're looking at primarily looking at our public health heroes outside of our department and the many people in our community who
work together to make this a healthier place for all of us.
09:50:22 Thank you, Dr. Barry and Veronica. And can you say a few words about this proclamation?
09:50:28 Sure I think I just wanna mention that this year we will be awarding 12 local businesses and also nonprofits and individuals.
09:50:39 So that says a lot. We have many people in our community engaged, and I think dependent did a lot, you know, as far as engaging locals in public health.
09:50:58 And we they've made our relationship with them stronger.
09:51:00 And so I look forward to this year, you know, moving forward again in a positive direction, building those relationships even more.
09:51:10 And this is just another step in that direction.
09:51:14 Since we've alluded to the heroes, should we share who they are?
09:51:18 I am happy to pull up the yeah. Let's list them. I think that'd be a great way to add.
09:51:23 To to honor them for their work in the community. See here they are jumping must children center, of course, does counting for youth.
09:51:34 Benji Project Mental Health, Nonprofit working primarily with Teens.
09:51:40 Cameron Botkin as youth, coach also works in the chimicum schools Tanya Briquette does diversity, equity, and inclusion training with a number of organizations locally, Greg
graves wonderful volunteer with the perks and rec advisory
09:51:54 board for many years. Charlie Johnson. Is anyone able to speak to Charlie? I think he's the only one I don't know.
09:52:00 Personally, Jc. Mash Free Clinic, who is providing free medical care for number of people, but especially our most vulnerable and homeless populations.
09:52:12 The Jump board? Who made the playground happen? Judith Lundgren, who has hosted a number of fundraising events for various nonprofit organizations at the Hilltop Tavern all
these years that are still Bingo Shannon Minahan incredible food service farm to
09:52:27 school work in the cafeterias, in port towns and school district.
09:52:31 Boldgrin, a wonderful advocate for youth, and particularly trans youth, and Mark Sorana, counselor, also working primarily with on mental health.
09:52:39 In this community. Veronica, do you happen to know Charlie Johnson?
09:52:44 Yes, a local firefighter, paramedic with East.
09:52:48 Jefferson fire and rescue just definitely goes above and beyond his normal duties and responsibilities.
09:52:44 Wonderful. We thank them all and honor them. I feel like we need ticker taper. Thank you. Everyone. Yeah.
09:53:13 Well, we'll have another celebration of all these folks as we present them with awards.
09:53:15 And are we actually doing it in person this year?
09:53:18 On that day here 13, now on April twentieth, at 2 30, great.
09:53:27 Alright. Well, thank you, Veronica. Thank you. Dr.
09:53:29 Barry for for speaking to that, and I'll just say, you know, this job changes the way you look a lot at a lot of things.
09:53:37 And I definitely I've widen I've widened my focus in looking at health issues and looking at the landscape of public health.
09:53:44 Whether it's these environmental or build conditions or infectious diseases.
09:53:49 Looking at, widening the focus really illuminates a lot of the trees.
09:53:56 So you can actually see the trees better sometimes if you look at the whole forest.
09:53:58 Yeah. And that idea that here Zip code determines your health as much as your genetic code does these days, because the way that we build our community is very much affects
the health of us and our neighbors love the public health lens. Absolutely. Okay? Thank you.
09:54:16 Thank you very much.
09:54:18 Veronica, and we'll just continue in this vein and thank you to the listeners of Kptz for walking through this with us, and we'll pass it over to Dr.
09:54:29 Barry for our our monthly update. Now.
09:54:32 Well, thank you. It's nice to be here, and as Commissioner Brotherton noted, this is, this is a transition presentation where we are transitioning to how we'll handle these
these presentations.
09:54:48 As we move into this next phase of the pandemic, we are moving into a different time in the pandemic.
09:54:54 When I think back to where we were when this all started when we were tracking every individual case that was coming in.
09:55:01 And we were really trying to shut down transmission before we had vaccines before we had effective treatments.
09:55:08 We really have come a long way. And so, in acknowledgement of that and acknowledgment of this, this new phase, that we are in, where we are facing a different threat when it
comes to this virus, we are going to be decreasing the pregnancy of these
09:55:23 updates a little bit. We're going to be doing these once a month.
09:55:25 I do still plan to be here once a month to answer questions related to COVID-19.
09:55:29 But we can also look at other public health related issues that we might want to talk about on the Bocc. And Kptz.
09:55:39 And so the first Monday of every month I'll be here, and so you can still send in questions to keep Ptz. We had a lot of great questions this month that we'll tackle a little
bit.
09:55:49 The other major transition we are making at the department is we are changing, how we are reporting numbers, and that's primarily because we're reaching a point in the pandemic
where pure case counting is just not as possible as it was before.
09:56:03 With the transition to home tests, with less people testing and less people reporting their cases.
09:56:11 It's really incredibly difficult to actually get an accurate count of how many cases are out there.
09:56:16 We are moving towards what we generally refer to in epidemiology is what's called sentinel surveillance.
09:56:23 That sentinel surveillance system isn't entirely built at the State level yet to to track COVID-19.
09:56:31 But we are moving in that direction, and in the meantime, at Jefferson County, public Health what we're going to be doing is reporting the State numbers directly onto our website.
09:56:40 And I did check this morning before I joined you all, and they are there so if you go to the case, information section of the Covid nineteennineteen site, you'll see them there
primarily, because we're having an increasing challenge tracking individual cases the biggest numbers that we look at are the ones, that we know
09:56:57 are accurate. So, looking at cases of severe disease, looking at people who are hospitalized for COVID-19, and also looking at the number of people who have died due to COVID-19
in our region, those are numbers we know are accurate.
09:57:10 Case information is much more difficult to assess at this time, and looking at those numbers by and large, the story looks good.
09:57:20 It looks like it's improving nationally. Actually, the New York Times which has been tracking cases with us this whole time.
09:57:27 Also changed the way that they report data this week as well.
09:57:32 So we're in good company. Looking at the National Picture.
09:57:37 About 5,000 people are currently hospitalized for COVID-19, and the number of people dying due to COVID-19 is also decreasing.
09:57:44 Currently we're seeing 228 deaths due to COVID-19 per day in the United States.
09:57:51 It's still about 4 times what you would see during a bad flu season, but it is much better than we have seen at earlier phases in the pandemic, and it's a hopeful sign.
09:58:00 That's a significant reduction from where we were just 2 weeks ago in the United States.
09:58:05 And so I'm hopeful that we are moving into better days at the State level.
09:58:10 We are seeing a similar trend in hospitalization and death in Jefferson County.
09:58:14 We also are not seeing a spike in severe disease.
09:58:17 We have no one currently hospitalized for COVID-19, and we have no new desks to report.
09:58:23 We've seen a total of 36 deaths in Jefferson County. So far.
09:58:27 In this response in neighboring Column county, we do have 2 individuals, currently, hospitalized for COVID-19, and we have no new depths to report for a total of 166.
09:58:39 That's in column counties. When we look at our case rates, at least what we can see at the State level.
09:58:44 The case rate is 134 per 100,000 in Jefferson County, but the State has a case as regertainment rate of about one in 20, and so what we're seeing there is that persistently
high rate of transmission, there's still a lot of COVID-19 out
09:58:59 there in the community. But we're just not seeing a significant surge in severe disease, and we do think that is primarily driven by the amount of population immunity.
09:59:08 We are seeing particularly the number of people who are up to date on their backc in Column County.
09:59:15 Our case rate is listed as 8 per 100,000, with the same case as the other big change that is happening right now is today is the lifting of the State mask mandate for healthcare
facilities.
09:59:28 But I would probably better to describe that as a transition to more normal modes of operation.
09:59:34 So we're moving out of the phase of emergency government mandates and moving towards what medicine we call standard of care in medicine.
09:59:43 We have had standard of care since the beginning, and it's how we discuss the normal way that we deliver care to protect our patients.
09:59:52 That includes having high quality, medical training, delivering an efficacious treatments.
09:59:59 It also includes what's called infection prevention.
10:00:00 So all the steps that we take as your medical care, providers to not give you infections when you come to see us so that's why you see your medical writer wash their hands numerous
times throughout the day, and that's also why in most settings you're still gonna see your medical provider.
10:00:15 Wearing a mask when they see you. That's because we know that mass work incredibly well at reducing the risk of giving and getting COVID-19.
10:00:23 And we have a special obligation as medical providers, to not infect our patients when they come to see us.
10:00:30 Our patients are by definition more vulnerable than the general population, because that's why they're there, and they are more likely to be sick so in most healthcare settings,
you're still going to see your medical providers wearing a mask.
10:00:42 I do wanna acknowledge that some individuals in our community struggle to hear when their provider has a mess, and in those kind of settings it's okay to ask your provider to
briefly take down the mess to explain something to you and to put it back on and we'll get other environmental
10:00:58 modifications as needed to make sure that you can understand what your provider is saying to you.
10:01:05 We've always been able to adjust masking, to take care of our patients, and I think now is the time to make sure that we're being nuanced and thoughtful, and how we interact
with our patients.
10:01:14 But most of us will still be masking, going forward, as we assess whether or not COVID-19 is going to move into a seasonal pattern like influenza and Rsb, or if it's going to
be with us in a more long term, way currently with the decrease in
10:01:30 severe disease that we're seeing in the numbers that we can track in the decreased number of people, even just showing up with at the hospital, who are incidentally found to
be positive for COVID-19.
10:01:40 That does suggest that we may be moving into more of a seasonal pattern.
10:01:43 With this virus but it remains to be seen whether or not that will be sustained.
10:01:47 So that's the major update when it comes to COVID-19. I know we have a lot of excellent questions from Kptz, but I wanted to take any questions from our commissioners first.
10:01:56 Questions for Dr. Mary.
10:01:59 Nope, I guess I appreciate the changing ways that we're measuring this moving, to sentinel surveillance I guess I've asked you this question before.
10:02:09 Is it still a pandemic? Is it just that we don't have?
10:02:12 We have an awkward nound for endemic. But are we, in the endemic phase now?
10:02:16 When is when we turn the page?
10:02:17 Sure. So we are. I do think we have in the endemic phase, endemic and pandemic are not necessarily antithetical to each other.
10:02:27 Endemic is just means that something is with us.
10:02:32 Now it is more of a norm. So, for instance, in some parts of of the world there are infectious diseases that are endemic, and that's the term that we use mean something that
is a part of their so malaria is endemic to certain parts of the world.
10:02:48 But not to other parts. I I think we are.
10:02:52 It's accurate to say we're moving into a new phase.
10:02:55 But the big question, when it comes to COVID-19 is is it going to be persistently endemic?
10:03:00 Is it going to continue to circulate at these high levels that we're seeing right now?
10:03:12 Great.
10:03:04 Or is it going to fall off and become seasonal like the blue, and that we don't know for sure yet. We'll know a lot more in the next few months, but it is with us now, and it's
a part of I think one of the challenges.
10:03:16 We see is that there's a desire to move back to the days before Covid.
10:03:23 But there is, there is no moving to a time where Covid isn't here now it's a change from our prior lives.
10:03:29 We we used to live in a world where there wasn't Covid.
10:03:31 Now we live in a world where there is so our behavior has to change, to match that and that doesn't mean we consistently live at emergency pandemic levels.
10:03:40 We can't sustain that, but it does mean that some of our behavior is different now than it was 3 years ago, because there's a new virus around.
10:03:48 That is very dangerous, for particularly some members of our community. There are people who are immunosuppressed in our community.
10:03:56 People, who are very elderly and very sick, or very, very young.
10:04:01 Newborn babies are also high risk from covid.
10:04:02 19 and there's a lot we need to do to protect them.
10:04:06 Because this virus is here, and it's still circulating and it's not gone.
10:04:10 But we don't have to live at the emergency levels now.
10:04:13 So one of the things that we used to do was decide masking based on how much COVID-19 was around.
10:04:19 Well, now we know it's around. It's not gone. It's not going away anytime soon.
10:04:24 So how do we live with it? How do we live meaningful lives that protect the most vulnerable in our community?
10:04:29 Without living in a consistent state of emergency. So one of the things that we changed is how we recommend masking.
10:04:36 We use to recommend masking based on that dial. So when we are at high levels of transmission, you could ask when we got to low levels of transmission, which we sometimes did
back when we had intensive mitigation, we you could unmask but now it's a little bit more
10:04:49 nuanced you wear a mask if you're feeling sick, or if you're around people who are sick, you wear a mask.
10:04:53 If you are high, risk yourself or if you're caring for someone who is very high risk, particularly someone who's immunosuppressed people who are receiving cancer therapy are
some of the highest risk for COVID-19 are people who are persistently immunosuppressed because of
10:05:07 a medical condition. If you have those folks in your household, you want to exercise more caution, and then particularly, you also want to look at where you are so are you indoors?
10:05:17 Is it very crowded? Is there for ventilation?
10:05:22 That's a time where it makes sense to put a mask on, particularly if you or someone in your household is hybrid.
10:05:26 So for myself and my family, my rough assessment is either 20 people in this room, and is is it a poorly ventilated space?
10:05:36 Then I'm generally going to put a mask on when I see patients, because those folks are sick, I put a mask.
10:05:42 So when you see me in clinical care, you're gonna see me with a mask on because of the folks who are coming to see me.
10:05:47 That's how I make those decisions. And that's how we recommend all of us make decisions.
10:05:53 There are places where you can a mass driving a nice, you know, 5 neighbors over for a dinner or a card game.
10:05:59 I think it's reasonable to unmasked, but it depends on your risk, and the people in your house.
10:06:03 How comfortable you are taking those risks!
10:06:06 Thank you. I think we should dig into that. Listen to questions.
10:06:09 Alright. So speaking of masks, that's probably a good transition to to one of the questions we got.
10:06:18 So this this listener asks, is it considered safe?
10:06:21 Now to attend church, go to bars, theaterers, or book clubs, etc.
10:06:26 Without a mask, and I wish I could tell you a pure, safe, not safe.
10:06:30 But it's a lot more complex than that and it's not so.
10:06:34 It depends on your health condition. What is your health status?
10:06:37 What is the health status of the other people in your house?
10:06:39 Particularly if you are up to date on your vaccines.
10:06:43 The most critical one is, what is your health status? Because we know the people who are up to date on their vaccines are less likely to pre-symatically shed Covid.
10:06:53 So you haven't a better shot at not giving it to your household.
10:06:56 If you get COVID-19 now, as long as you pay attention to your body and test as soon as you develop any kind of symptoms, so if you look at your own health status, say you're
you know, in your forties doing pretty well, don't have a lot of medical conditions, it's reasonable to take
10:07:12 some more risks, but if you are 75 have heartbits, failure of lung disease.
10:07:19 It's reasonable to be a little bit more cautious.
10:07:20 You want to look at your own health status, and you want to look at the space that you're entering.
10:07:25 So are you going into a copy shop? That's a few people who are well spaced out.
10:07:30 They've got the windows open. That's pretty safe.
10:07:33 If you're going to a bookstore downtown there's just a few other people there at any given time.
10:07:39 That's pretty safe. But if you're going to a crowded indoor church where there's 200 people right now, to each other, and they don't have windows open, they don't have a lot
of filters that's a higher space. You're generally in a church for an hour or more.
10:07:53 Depending on the way that you worship. So that's a space for myself.
10:07:56 That I would wear a mess. So it depends on the environment that you're going into your house Status.
10:08:05 And definitely, if you're feeling a little ill, that's a really good time to make sure that you have a mask.
10:08:07 So we have to make decisions a little bit more nuanced way.
10:08:12 But are you sick? Are you taking care of people who are sick? Are you high?
10:08:16 Risk yourself? And is it very crowded? Are there lots of people and poor ventilation in those spaces?
10:08:22 I would I would definitely recommend wearing a mask still another good set of questions we had a couple of different questions about getting an additional buy-in that booster.
10:08:33 So one listener noticed that in Canada they have now recommended an additional bivalent booster for those who are particularly high risk from Covid-nineteen.
10:08:43 Those who are very elderly, who have unlined chronic conditions, and those who are immunosuppressed.
10:08:48 That is not the recommendation yet in the United States. But I do say yet, because just in the last couple of weeks at least, in neighbouring column county, we have started
to see severe disease prop up crop up again in some of our most high risk, individuals particularly in those who are living in long-term care facilities.
10:09:07 we know individuals who live in long-term care are particularly high risk for COVID-19.
10:09:13 They tend to be quite elderly and quite sick. That's why they are there, and they are living in a congregate space.
10:09:18 So it's it's much more common for Covid.
10:09:19 19 to transmit in those kind of congregate spaces, and for the first time since the bio balance came out, we are starting to see individual cases of severe disease even in those
high risk elders who have gotten their bivalent.
10:09:33 There's still much less common than in people who have not gotten their bivalent.
10:09:37 But it used to be we just never saw it. If you've gotten nearby I knew you weren't gonna get severely ill, and we've just started to see that crop up in the last couple of weeks
which makes me concerned technically the additional bivalent is not approved yet and for
10:09:50 you in the United States. And so it's not something you can go ask your doctor for right now, because they can't give you an additional bivalent until the FDA.
10:10:00 And the Cdc. Move forward with that recommendation. But I do hope that they move forward with that recommendation and make it available for those who are at highest risk.
10:10:09 We don't recommend an additional bivalent for the general population.
10:10:12 Most of us don't need another bivalent, but I do think it would make sense to make another vaccine.
10:10:17 At least available for those who are highest risk, who want it.
10:10:22 We don't know yet if and when the Federal Government is gonna move forward with that.
10:10:27 But I hope they do, and we are encouraging the States and our Federal colleagues to move forward with making that option available to our highest risk.
10:10:34 Elders, because we're starting to see that rise in severe disease.
10:10:38 Now the reason why they haven't made that recommendation yet is because this is small numbers.
10:10:44 We haven't seen, you know, large scale data, but which show that.
10:10:48 But what I don't wanna see is a lot of people get really ill before we make that recommendation.
10:10:55 So we have to make these decisions on on the earlier end so what does that mean for you?
10:11:00 If you are in a higher risk group, or someone in your family's in a high risk group, and you don't have an additional vaccine available to you that can be a really scary spot
I do want to acknowledge that the vast majority of folks who have gotten their bivalent very well.
10:11:14 protected. We've only seen this in the long-term care. Setting at this point.
10:11:18 We haven't seen it in the general population, and so we do think most of us are still very, very well protected with our bivalent, and we have other things available to us.
10:11:27 So if you are high, risk, someone in your household Osiris, we have masking available to us.
10:11:33 We have pecks a little bit available to us when we look at the cases and cloud that got severe disease in spite of their vaccine status, all of them didn't get and so you want
to make sure that if your high risk or someone in your family is viral if
10:11:46 you get. If you get sick, you wanna test right away. The free tests are still available, and you wanna access texts a little bit. If you test positive because it's really critical
for our highest risk.
10:11:59 Individuals to maintain that protection against severity, the State telehealth line is still available through early June, and so that's a good option.
10:12:06 If you can't get in quickly with your primary care, Provider, we have to layer our protections for the most vulnerable in our society.
10:12:14 But when we do that we see that it folks generally do fine.
10:12:18 So if you've gotten your bivalent, you're very well protected but if you're in that high risk group or someone in your household, this you wanna make sure and use the other
methods we have available until or unless the States and the feds go ahead and recommend an additional dayivalent for
10:12:35 you another? Another question, asked a lot about about treatments for COVID-19, and particularly asked about this concept of safe and effective.
10:12:47 You hear it thrown around a lot and how do we compare the different treatments that are available for Covid?
10:12:53 19. So we are in a much better place than we were at the beginning of the pandemic with we had no treatments at all for COVID-19 and many, many different treatments have been
studied since that time to look for their safety and efficacy when we look at medical treatments it needs to meet
10:13:11 both bars, so it needs to be safe. It can't be something that's dangerous for you to take, and it needs to be effective.
10:13:17 It needs to make you less likely to get severe disease or dive into that infection, or maybe even less likely to get it at all.
10:13:23 So when we look at treatments, those are for folks who we know already have a disease.
10:13:29 Vaccination is for preventing the disease and preventing severe outcomes from the disease.
10:13:33 Looking at the various treatments we have for COVID-19, we have 2 treatments currently that are recommended for those who are at risk of severe disease when they develop infection.
10:13:44 But they're not severe yet. They're not in the hospital, and that's Cox.
10:13:52 Covid is very safe, very low risk of of severe outcomes related to the medication itself.
10:13:58 We have a lot of experience using it now, and we've seen very, very few side effects related to Pacs.
10:14:05 Logan, the most common, is actually a change in your sense of taste.
10:14:08 People describe a metallic piece in their mouth, but it's very effective.
10:14:12 So it's a 76% reduction in the risk of death from COVID-19 in high risk.
10:14:17 Individuals who get Pax a little bit. So it's very good drug, and it's very good, less effective.
10:14:24 Still improve better than nothing. So Mona, pair, variious.
10:14:28 What we recommend if people can't get tax a little bit that shows a 25% reduction in death from COVID-19.
10:14:35 So it's still something for people who can't get Pax a little bit, who have a contraindication.
10:14:40 The next set of ones that are recommended, and that have been approved in the United States.
10:14:45 Are for those who are actually already very severely ill.
10:14:48 So, people who are already in the hospital. What do we do once you get to the hospital?
10:14:52 And really a game changer when it comes to COVID-19 has been Dexter.
10:14:56 Dex amount reduces your risk of death from COVID-19.
10:15:02 For people who are already in the hospital about 40%. It's also very safe.
10:15:07 It's it does raise blood, sugar, so for people who are diabetic.
10:15:11 That's something we need to monitor in the hospital.
10:15:15 We're very good at doing that in the hospital it's very safe medication.
10:15:19 Rem disappear is an antiviral medication that we use for people who are hospitalized.
10:15:25 It's been shown to reduce the risk of death from COVID-19 on the order of about 20%.
10:15:32 Not as good as sex. Amethyzone, but we've used it because it does reduce your risk of death, and it isn't very safe medication.
10:15:41 There's a common among folks who are kind of who are hesitant about vaccines and medical interventions for Covid.
10:15:47 You might see on the Internet a lot of concerns about risk of kidney or liver damage related to rem de severe or risk of of cardiac issues related to pars that out when we look
at patients the primary driver of all of those bad outcomes, was actually the
10:16:08 covid-nineteen infection itself. So we know that Covid-nineteen leads to full body inflammation, cardiac inflammation, inflammation of your other organs can lead to kidney failure,
liver, failure.
10:16:19 All these other things, and there was the problem with causation and correlation.
10:16:25 People saw the people were hospitalized for COVID-19, and then went into multi-organ failure, and they blamed the treatments.
10:16:31 But it was actually the COVID-19 itself. When you look at patients who were hospitalized, they did a large study looking at Va.
10:16:38 Patients who went in, who actually got rem de severe? Or didn't those who got Remdesivir were no more likely to experience these multi organ failures?
10:16:46 In fact, they were much less likely because we were controlling the COVID-19, which is what was driving that organ failure.
10:16:52 But that was where some of that confusion came. This listener particularly asked about how hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin.
10:17:00 You? Why are we talking about those hydroxy Floroquine and ivermectin have been around for a long time?
10:17:07 They haven't actually a pretty good safety profile. So they meet the safety measure when it, as long as they're delivered in a medical setting by a provider who's dosing them
appropriately.
10:17:17 But what they don't meet, unfortunately, is the efficacy bar.
10:17:20 So there have been multiple, large randomized control trials because many, many of those in the medical community actually were really excited about these drugs.
10:17:31 They were really hopeful, they would be effective at treating COVID-19.
10:17:35 So they've done multiple large randomized control trials looking at these, and unfortunately, they hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin just didn't need that bar they were no more
effective than a placebo at reducing disease from COVID-19 so while they
10:17:50 are in, generally see in a medical context. They just aren't effective.
10:17:56 And so we don't recommend people taking something that has a small risk of side effects.
10:18:00 And which is no better than a placebo at reducing your risk of severe disease.
10:18:05 If you do have another medical indication for these, there are other medical indications for these in a medical setting they can be done.
10:18:12 What we saw in, especially in Clown County earlier in the pandemic was individuals were nervous about accessing standard medical care who were accessing these medications on
their own, and that does carry significant risk.
10:18:26 Ibermectin inappropriately dos can we deliver failure?
10:18:30 And we did see at least one case of that in Clone County.
10:18:35 So you want to make sure if you're taking medications you're doing that under medical supervision, incorrectly, dose medications can be dangerous.
10:18:41 And we did see that start to happen with iver men.
10:18:43 The other thing that can happen is, it can delay your access.
10:18:47 To appropriate medical care. So we saw individuals who weren't accessing Pax and decimalizing, and the things that we know work for Copenhagen.
10:18:56 They were just staying home, taking hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin, not other medical care, and so that delay in access to medical care did lead to worse outcomes for them
more on the story.
10:19:07 We have many more treatments available, and we definitely recommend engaging in medical treatment in the context of medical care.
10:19:16 It can. It can seem tempting. There's a lot of unstable reasons where people are hesitant to access the medical system.
10:19:22 But I can tell you I've worked with the folks at Jackson Healthcare very closely, very dedicated to providing excellent care to the individuals in our community safe place to
go, and it's much more safe than trying to dos your meds on your home couple other good
10:19:39 questions came in. Let's see one other one was asking about the context of a number needed to treat when it comes to COVID-19 vaccines, there's a lot of different ways that
we look at the effectiveness of interventions.
10:19:54 One that we use usually when it comes to actually medicines that we're prescribing.
10:20:00 When we think of things like stackins or blood pressure medications is the number needed to treat.
10:20:05 That is how many people we need to give a certain intervention to prevent a designated outcome.
10:20:12 So like, that's from a heart attack. When we're talking about hard medications generally number needed to treat is something that we look at for something that's given over
a long period of time.
10:20:20 And that has a long period of follow-up. So when we look at number needed to treat when it comes to cardiac interventions that's usually done over a 5 or 10 year follow-up period,
when we look at cancer therapies, same thing, folks or 10 year survival rates for those
10:20:37 number needed to treat is not very commonly applied to things with a short follow-up period, and so for those, especially for some folks who are hesitant about vaccines, there's
been some circulating on the Internet.
10:20:50 Why aren't we talking about number needed to treat when it comes to vaccine?
10:20:53 The primary reason for that is actually follow-up time.
10:20:57 So we just don't have enough follow-up time to get that metric.
10:21:00 But we do actually have number needed to treat for the initial COVID-19 vaccines.
10:21:06 So getting vaccinated at all the number needed to treat to prevent a death from COVID-19.
10:21:13 In the general population is 81, which is pretty good getting 80 people vaccinated to keep one of us from dying that's a pretty good metric when it comes to a medical intervention,
particularly when you're talking about something that's as safe as vaccines we don't have that number. Yet.
10:21:30 For the bivalent vaccines, which is what this listener was asking about, because it's just too short we don't have enough follow-up time to have seen some of those outcomes
that we wanna see.
10:21:39 But what we do get good data on is relative risk reduction.
10:21:45 And we also have real-world data. Now on the efficacy of the bivalentx.
10:21:49 So one of the and as well as the vaccines as a whole, one very compelling study was out of the clinic, and they looked at hospitalizations for for COVID-19 over the course of
2021, and when they looked at all of the people hospitalized
10:22:07 due to COVID-1999% of them were not up to date on their vaccines. So we do have real-world data on that and since the bivalent came out in our region until just about 2 weeks
ago, whenever we saw someone hospitalized for COVID-19 they weren't they had never gotten their
10:22:22 Bi Valent, and particularly even when we're talking about our highest risk.
10:22:26 Individuals. So that's a lot of the data that we look at.
10:22:32 We also see that it's a study that just came out in 2023 that showed a 60% overall risk production of severe disease.
10:22:40 If you've gotten nearby, Valent, and that's actually for everybody, not just for those who are 65 and older.
10:22:45 That's for 18. And now as well, it's it's a worthwhile intervention.
10:22:49 It's worth getting. So a lot of detailed and somewhat technical questions this this week, and so hopefully, it was still of interest for those who didn't ask the questions.
10:22:59 But I but I think the moral, the overall story.
10:23:03 There is that we now have a lot more data than we did at the beginning of the pandemic.
10:23:10 And consistently what we're seeing is the vaccines continue to be safe.
10:23:13 These are some of the most carefulfully monitored and studied vaccines that we've ever had, and they've also been given to a larger number of people over a longer period of
time than the other vaccines that we have.
10:23:26 So we we know that they're safe, adverse outcomes are incredibly rare.
10:23:30 Most common, adverse outcome that you'll get as a fever which is usually short lived the severe, adverse outcomes are incredibly uncommon, and the efficacy is incredibly clear.
10:23:41 Being occupied on your vaccines is critical. To reduce your risk of severe disease from covid, and reduce your risk of getting and giving COVID-19 to others.
10:23:51 We also thankfully have far more treatments available than we have before we are starting to see a little bit of a concerning sign about reduction in protection for those that
highest risk in our community from their bivalent.
10:24:03 Which is why it's so important to use the other methods we have available to reduce your risk of getting covid-nineteen and treating it quickly under medical supervision.
10:24:12 If you develop COVID-19.
10:24:18 I saw there was a very interesting question for Willie, which I'm happy to help out with.
10:24:22 If if he'd like.
10:24:24 Yeah, I was maybe had an answer for that, too.
10:24:28 But we'll so we'll just any last follow ups for Dr.
10:24:31 Barry before we pass it over to Willie. Maybe real quick. Dr.
10:24:35 Okay.
10:24:35 Barry, and I'm sorry if you mentioned this.
10:24:39 But are you able to speak to how Jefferson healthcare plans to respond to the end of the mask?
10:24:46 Mandate other than you said, providers will likely continue to wear them, but terms of patience.
10:24:49 Do you know there!
10:24:50 Good question. So I have spoken with Jefferson.
10:24:53 Health care, as well as all the hospital systems in our region, and Jefferson helped get, will continue to require masking for medical care. Providers.
10:25:03 So your nurses, your doctors, when they're going to be seeing you, providing patient care, they will.
10:25:10 Masks will no longer be required for patients. In most areas they are still recommended when you think of, for instance, sitting in a waiting room with other folks who won't
be there because they have COVID-19.
10:25:21 I would certainly recommend wearing a mass there, but it won't be required for patients in those spaces.
10:25:28 There will likely be some higher risk areas, and I know some of that conversation is still ongoing at Jefferson healthcare, where masks will be required, particularly around
some of our sickest patients.
10:25:39 So I know at Olympic Medical Center, for instance, in Calam County, when you go into the ice Cu, you still have to wear a mask as a visitor, because by definition everyone around
you is very high risk in the Icu and we want to take extra special care with
10:25:54 them, and many health systems are also still requiring masking of visitors in oncology centers, because we know that those who are accessing cancer care are particularly high
risk.
10:26:05 I don't know the final decision about that on Jefferson healthcare, but I anticipate there'll be putting out some messaging quite soon.
10:26:11 And well, and I mentioned before you got on the call, that I traveled to a conference last week, and masked extensively, and the colleague that I was there with got very sick
just a bad cold but I was very pleased that I did not so i'm feeling very grateful for
10:26:28 masks today.
10:26:29 Yeah, that's the nice thing. It's nice to not get cold so nice to not get the flu.
10:26:34 And Omega things, master master, with a powerful intervention for reducing your risk of getting sick. They're worthwhile to use in spaces where it's.
10:26:45 Alright, great! Well, we will thank you very much, Dr. Barry.
10:26:49 We'll turn it over to Willie, since he has a question.
10:26:52 And yeah, laid on as Willie.
10:26:53 No very exciting, I don't know how many weeks or months it had been since I had a question.
10:26:58 I was excited to see it, and also I appreciate your assistance in helping answer it. Dr.
10:27:04 Barry, I'll do my best, and then I'll let you correct me with whatever needs to be corrected.
10:27:07 But this week's Kptz question for me concerned Co.
10:27:11 2 carbon dioxide concentration levels.
10:27:14 And what's safe on an ongoing basis. And we've talked a lot at this meeting about Co.
10:27:19 2 concentration levels being a good proxy for air flow, and how well ventilated the room is as a mitigation against the spread of COVID-19, since we often see less covid.
10:27:30 19 transmission outdoors on end in these well-ventilated spaces.
10:27:37 So this individual bought a Co. 2 Monitor wanted to know what's an acceptable exposure level over prolonged periods in their home, and so outdoors.
10:27:45 We usually see a concentration of about 400 parts per 1 million, and then that goes up.
10:27:49 Once we move indoors, and we're not obviously not as well ventilated as we are outside.
10:27:54 I'm typically anywhere between 400 to a 1,000 is considered safe indoors.
10:28:00 And once you get to that 1,000 level, things don't become unsafe.
10:28:03 But that's when we start considering rooms, maybe more stuffy, more less well ventilated, and we may start seeing some ill effects over long periods of time.
10:28:13 At about a 1,000 parts per 1 million. And above that's when we see folks, maybe becoming a little bit sleepy, due to up or ventilation and air flow.
10:28:21 There 2,000 parts per 1 million. That's when we start seeing potential folks being a little more.
10:28:29 Look, charge it, folks potentially getting headaches or feeling nauseous again over long periods of exposure, and then 5 parts per 1 million.
10:28:37 That's the occupational safety limit, and that may be indicative of something else going wrong on other talk to gases or fumes within the room.
10:28:45 So within your home, anywhere between 400 and a 1,000 parts per 1 million, totally within the realm of acceptability.
10:28:53 Slight shorter term expensures to more. I'm completely and totally fine. For example, in the New York City Subway, when they measured Co.
10:29:03 2. There they were at 2,400 parts per 1 million, so we can long-term exposure.
10:29:07 We may see some ill effects the most part almost everyone is gonna be okay at that level of concentration some public health departments I had seen across the country recommended.
10:29:19 Once you reach that 800 parts per 1 million on threshold, you should consider a Hepa air filter to clean the air within the space.
10:29:26 First prevent Covid transmission, but at that level I'm just within the confines of your own home.
10:29:31 That's cool.
10:29:32 You're going to be totally okay through that Co 2, concentration.
10:29:36 We do have a Co 2 device here in the Eoc.
10:29:40 We were 470 parts per 1 million, as of just about 5Â min ago.
10:29:46 I'm so not totally, quite outdoor levels of fresh air, but just a little bit of an uptick.
10:29:52 But credit to our facilities team for keeping good air circulation on in the bunker.
10:29:58 Here, at on this individual did note that when they bought their Co.
10:30:01 2. Monitor. It first read at about 10,000 parts per 1 million.
10:30:06 There definitely is something wrong. It needs to be reset recalibrated, or returned.
10:30:12 That is at prettyctic levels of Co. 2 concentrations.
10:30:17 Definitely considered getting your device checked out, but otherwise within your own home.
10:30:20 Anything under a 1,000, you're definitely gonna be okay.
10:30:24 Short term exposure to anything more than that below.
10:30:29 You know 5,000 you're gonna be okay in there as well.
10:30:34 Anything the doctor wants to add to that, more than happy to.
10:30:36 Over to her.
10:30:37 Can can I add a little something real quick that I mean would?
10:30:40 Go for it.
10:30:40 Please.
10:30:42 I've been very interested in the subject myself. We have a little Co.
10:30:44 Hmm!
10:30:46 2 monitor here, and we are right now, with the windows were closed.
10:30:50 But you saw Commissioner Dean get up because we were at nearly 1,200 in this, you know 6 people in our chamber.
10:30:59 So we opened the window in response, and I also.
10:31:04 But if you look at the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce's a Youtube page.
10:31:11 I had brought a few people on their last year to do a an hour long.
10:31:16 Presentation on Indoor Air quality and Ventilation.
10:31:18 So you can get a lot of it kind of dig into the German studies. And there's been a lot of great studies about this. Historically.
10:31:25 So that was, it would be a great option aside.
10:31:28 It is posted on the Chamber's Youtube page.
10:31:29 And now pat it over to you, Dr. Barry.
10:31:33 You have been a proponent of good indoor air quality for quite some time, so glad we're talking about it, and I'm glad this is gonna raise this question.
10:31:41 So shive about a 1,000. We do. We do think of that's really quite excellent in our air quality.
10:31:47 The ideal is to get at the same as outdoor so, and it is going to be affected by your outdoor air quality.
10:31:54 And so if you see higher, if you take your monitor outside, that's as good as you're gonna get of your indoor air quality.
10:32:02 But in that 400 to a 1,000 range you're seeing pretty good air quality, and that's where you're going to reduce your risk of Covid.
10:32:10 19 transmission as well as your risk of multiple other infectious diseases that you can potentially spread.
10:32:16 That's good air quality. There above a 1,000 it's not. You're not really gonna see risks related to the Co.
10:32:23 2 itself. It's not the Co. 2 that's costing the problem, but that stuffiness means that the air is staying there.
10:32:29 So that means that your risk of viral transmission goes up, and your risk of any other toxic substances that might be in the air.
10:32:35 So, if you have, you know, mold in that space other things that could potentially cause problems you're just kind of recirculating that air above a 1,000.
10:32:46 So it's not so much the Co. 2 that's going to hurt you at that point.
10:32:49 But it's the other things that might be in the air.
10:32:51 Which is why you want good air quality. This person did mention that they had a a measurement of 10,000.
10:32:58 That is a industrial level. Dangerous, I think it's good to check the sensor first.
10:33:06 If, however, you get a replacement sensor and you're still that high that is, that's considered dangerous for more than 8Â h at kind of the industrial level, we measure by work
working shifts when it comes to that and it's certainly not place you'd want to spend 20
10:33:20 4, 7. Common sources of Co. 2 that could get you that high in this person's in a accessory dwelling unit, as if it there's an attached garage.
10:33:31 And if there's a ventilation issue between the garage and your living space car engines can get you that high.
10:33:37 So I would, if that turns out to be true, I would make sure if you're attached to a garage, that you look at ventilation transfer between car spaces and living spaces and address
that any kind of combustion can get you high so the
10:33:55 if you have a wood burning stove, if you have a or a gas furnace, and there's 4 ventilation that's getting you getting some of that combusted air into your living space that'd
be another space that could get you into high level.
10:34:10 So look at various sources of combustion, whether it be cars or furnaces or stoves, and then, of course, look at improving airflow.
10:34:18 If you have access to windows, just opening. Those or looking at any kind of a hyper filtration system can go a long way.
10:34:31 Great, and that we're omitted that long.
10:34:25 So good luck, and thank you for the excellent public health question beyond the virus.
10:34:34 But I don't know, Willie. Did you have anything else that you wanted to report on before we say goodbye to everyone and let the listeners get back to their scheduled program?
10:34:40 Nothing else to report on. I did wanna mention very, very quickly that today at noon we will be testing I'm doing our monthly test of the Aab that all hazard, alert and broadcast
sirens mostly used for tsunami alerts that they can be used for other
10:34:54 things. Those are down at the Bo Yard, at Point Wilson and at Point Hudson, as well.
10:34:57 So you can expect your monthly the chimes as well as the test message I wanted to mention to folks that those are intended to be heard only by the folks outside in those areas
directly in the inundation zones.
10:35:11 We get a lot of calls, a lot of emails on a regular basis. Kind of questioning, hey?
10:35:13 I was, you know, inside, you know, doing doing whatever, and I couldn't hear the message clearly.
10:35:20 Just know that, especially if you were out of the tsunami inundation zone not right there down by the shore, on those sirens aren't intended to be messaged to you, so they're
not intended to be heard indoors.
10:35:29 It's no surprise that you couldn't hear it clearly.
10:35:32 Just know, that that's when we are testing them. So if you're outdoors, you should be able to expect it.
10:35:37 Hear that message clearly, and hear that regular test. I go into more detail about our tsunami kind of alert and warning procedures.
10:35:43 But since we're over I just wanted to mention that.
10:35:45 And if you have more questions, do feel free to reach out us here at DM.
10:35:49 Alright. Well, let's just say you're priming the pump for next month.
10:35:52 There we go!
10:35:55 Perfect.
10:35:52 We'd love to hear more about that system when when you return, we'll give you.
10:35:58 We'll give you some time again. We just, you know, we're used to, you know, just the Hello. Goodbye.
10:36:01 So we'll give you 10Â min next week. Next month.
10:36:03 So thank you.
10:36:04 Okay. Great. If there's no last questions we will turn the airways back over to Kbt's regular programming.
10:36:12 Thank you, Dr. Barry. Thank you. Will it good to see you guys?
10:36:12 Thank you. We'll see you next month.
10:36:16 We do cook, bio, break, Yup! Why don't we recess for 5Â min?
10:42:41 Alright, welcome back everyone! I will call this meeting of the Board of County Commissioners back into session.
10:42:49 No other timed items on our agenda this week.
10:42:52 A fairly light agenda. Actually, one thing I was wondering, we have got the noon, Wasac meeting.
10:42:58 Are people planning to go and kind of directly we've got a decision to make, regardless, I think we should watch a microphone.
10:43:08 The public lands. Wait! What is it? $34,000 Bill? Exactly.
10:43:16 That's what they're talking about after the Wasacc meeting. So let's just chat about that real quick.
10:43:16 And see what we're thinking. I don't know, and I suppose I might be a little remiss.
10:43:23 This isn't actually legislative. So like, really been discussing this, even though I'm aware of it, just having spent time down there.
10:43:36 So I probably should have brought this to you guys and I and I could have to didn't really know that time, for I guess or didn't keep that note about the timeframe.
10:43:51 So. So, yeah, thank you. Great mark, yeah. You know.
10:43:59 So presumably, you guys read this and I've heard the rationale that you know the Western States largely.
10:44:08 See a real value in creating the center which would require a big investment.
10:44:14 So the timing was that they were trying to hit folks while there was still some arpa money around.
10:44:22 Yeah, and specifically that last tranche of Arpa which was very closely tied to the timber counties.
10:44:30 So you know that all makes sense.
10:44:35 My concern about this, and probably partly why I didn't get excited and bring it to you is because I just so often don't feel like our interests are well represented and it's
not entirely true.
10:44:51 But I feel like the you know. I mean, obviously, we have taken some strong positions around forestry and timber, and so I'm I've been a little bit concerned about the that.
10:45:04 This entity will will become very politicized and become a function of kind of lobbying for interest, that we might not share.
10:45:13 That said, you know we all care about pilt and secure rural schools, and you know there is some overlap.
10:45:22 But just knowing that the very strong majority, overwhelming majority of those counties are going to be advocating for things like increased harvest.
10:45:30 I just wonder if that's going to be in alignment with our interests when we you know, I think we would love to be expanding the toolbox with our Federal partners as we have
with our State partners.
10:45:43 So that has been my lukewarm position on it.
10:45:47 I!
10:45:50 On the Federal side, I see the benefit in advocacy for continued funding of these important programs that do come to our county.
10:46:01 And right now we are finally mobilizing some of the title.
10:46:05 3 funds for our wild community. Wildfire protection, planning process.
10:46:11 And so I mean, we're putting those funds to good work right now in the community.
10:46:14 The other thing I would say on the State front is that because our voice is at the table, we're changing the conversation and I wouldn't want tests to step away from that.
10:46:27 I've seen. I've seen response to trying to kind of.
10:46:36 Find the middle road in a lot of cases. And most recently, around this natural climate solutions, account funding.
10:46:47 You know I saw and in a meeting I had on Friday with Paul Jewel from Wasak, you know, he said, our members are have diverse opinions on these issues, and I think if we're not
at the table advocating for what we believe in and trying to put change
10:47:05 where the Needle lands. Then we'll be even more at threat of what you're your fear is so I think it's important that we're having productively participating in the conversations.
10:47:19 And and in this program.
10:47:22 I see it as a value in that sense. I hope you're right.
10:47:26 I mean, we'd be even more outnumbered.
10:47:30 That's why they're on the radio.
10:47:36 You know. I think the and I've heard our colleagues say you know that.
10:47:41 They gotta fight the Feds from, you know, talking about carbon and like, I just worry.
10:47:50 This could be used for at cross purposes. But you're right.
10:47:54 I mean, we can try and influence that. I've just found it hard to get much traction with Nico.
10:48:02 What are the local assistance and tribal consistency?
10:48:05 Phones. That's that last our bah! The last Yup!
10:48:09 That's the name of that. Hmm! So we got more than Clum County did.
10:48:19 No, that's.
10:48:25 Cause. According to this chart, with that sure looks like it, and we're I mean, the assessment they're putting on us is higher.
10:48:29 Yeah, and we do. We, you know, the column has more state lands.
10:48:36 We have more Federal.
10:48:40 It's very similar. The I think it is, or is it the Srs formula?
10:48:49 Do you remember the Arpa formula that was used?
10:48:53 It was based on one of the existing formulas and then tweaked a little bit.
10:48:57 Most likely mirrored.
10:49:04 I needed to download. For some reason it wasn't.
10:49:07 Yeah. So asking for almost 35, $4,000 from us as a one-time assessment.
10:49:15 Yeah, that. Some uncertainty as to how it would be funded long term.
10:49:22 Yeah, I was going to say that they say this is one time, but I doubt it will be.
10:49:28 Yeah, I like, I just, I feel a little uncertain why this isn't part of Nico.
10:49:32 And there's, yeah, there's a vast number of counties in Nico that are represented, served by this.
10:49:46 And that's I think that's where my kind of political concerns come in that that they want a different lobbying arm.
10:49:55 So I worry that, yeah. And do we want them developing and implementing our our county natural resource management plan I don't see that happening.
10:50:07 Well, that's the. This is the topic of today's meeting right at noon, so I don't.
10:50:14 I mean, maybe we should wait till we hear what they have to say at that new see? Now for that I have a previous engagement. I didn't. I didn't know the topics.
10:50:28 I'm actually scoring City Council member today along. Well, it seems like if the centers governing body is currently envisioned as follows, it might benefit.
10:50:38 I mean all Nico people, basically, yeah, a west region representative white.
10:50:44 It's not a lot of voice that we're gonna yeah, right? One.
10:50:47 That's so. Western United States, but pretty dilute. It's a 15 million fine man.
10:50:57 To create the center bath and consultants.
10:51:04 And initiate. We can just give half right now to. That's one of the.
10:51:13 Who's on the Wi. Are executive committee.
10:51:18 I know that Wes Mccarta is, and I saw I saw that Mckinney from Yakima just got to W.
10:51:26 I I don't know who else from Washington is on it.
10:51:30 Hmm!
10:51:35 I don't know. Yeah. I was at the you know, Vietnamese Conference.
10:51:41 I went to a lot of the working group. You know, policy working groups and was like, How do we get a voice in this unless we show up? Perl?
10:51:50 It looks like for a long time.
10:51:57 We've never really been on any Nico committees.
10:52:01 I? Have you been on any? No, have you, Greg? No, to us.
10:52:12 Yeah, I mean, I think probably I am guessing that I will lean towards wanting to.
10:52:20 You know, do the assessment as a good faith, gesture, and but that committing long term to support our involvement, depending how it shapes up.
10:52:37 Yeah, I know that was trying hard to get a 100% participation.
10:52:41 So I I want to be a team player, but I share your concerns.
10:52:46 I also share highs optimism that a seat at the table, as long as we are active at the table.
10:52:58 It's not promising.
10:53:02 But we could do half of it now, cause it's a 2 year assessment right?
10:53:07 Let me give us 2 choices. I think.
10:53:13 2324, or 2425.
10:53:18 Or paid in 2 installments.
10:53:28 So I think that's a good question, is the you know.
10:53:32 How would we have a say in the governing structure?
10:53:37 And then question of how?
10:53:42 Long-term sustainability. Yeah, yeah, that's one.
10:53:46 But also, then the you know what if the kind of outcomes from this for management structure is different than what our county is proposing are seeking.
10:54:02 I guess we'll talk more this afternoon right now, both when I am going.
10:54:10 I mean, it was tentatively planning and going. Although I got a bunch of calls over the last few days, I was.
10:54:17 The work of the county will have to wait right there's always a bonus half hour.
10:54:29 Hmm, okay, great. So, well, let's see, what time is it?
10:54:37 It's 5 till 11. We still got lots of time. We've got.
10:54:42 I haven't, Mark, and I need to give me briefing, and then we'll do calendaring that shouldn't take too long.
10:54:47 So, what else do you have? Let's just. I remember we talked about doing a letter on the who can bridge closure, and I wanted to loop back on that.
10:54:57 What our plan. I have talked to, Mr. Cheers, and I have a communication from him.
10:55:01 I have a possible idea. So we can. I wanna talk about that, too.
10:55:04 So bridge, closure.
10:55:09 Do I have anything else for this morning, Kate? No, oh, I want to talk about the Kp. TV.
10:55:16 I sent you guys a proposed schedule, but I gotta send that out to them.
10:55:19 So, at least for the first couple of months, wondering if you guys are okay with.
10:55:28 Tourism planning on the 20 eighth. I feel like tourism planning.
10:55:30 Could be had can average. Okay? I mean a lot of what's happening right now on tourism.
10:55:37 Planning is bridge discussions. Yeah, so. But I think that would be good to talk through topics together.
10:55:44 Okay. Well, let's do that a little bit.
10:55:48 I'll open that spreadsheet that I have cause I haven't sent it to Kptz yet.
10:55:52 And we want to start inviting guests as well.
10:55:55 Okay, so Kptz and bridge closure anything else.
10:55:59 This morning.
10:56:02 Alright! Let me bring out Mr.
10:56:18 Okay, do you guys have ideas about how we should if we should escalate.
10:56:26 We are talking about potentially reaching out to Secretary malar, or governor's office, and that's pretty much, I think, any other communication on deaf ears right?
10:56:35 Yeah, I know. I think we're all supportive of sending a letter.
10:56:42 So Mr. Tier sh had an idea, and he of course, it's on the Ferry Advisory Committee.
10:56:49 One of the problems we've had, I think, is connecting 2 different arms of Wash dot right?
10:56:57 You know, it's like, Oh, well, we're not the ferry, so we can't speak for them now. What we do now that you know.
10:57:02 Of course the secretary can speak for both, and connect those 2 arms.
10:57:04 So this would be a possible communication to the Secretary of Transportation, and he had 2 ideas, and he did let them know about this at the.
10:57:15 Their fairy advisory meeting. One would be diverting the last sailing of the day from Edmund Kingston, and having that very down to Port Town, and that was discussed at the
city Council meeting a couple of weeks ago that had been done in 2,009 that's the mitigation and then so that would be a longer.
10:57:40 Sailing, but I require additional staff doesn't require additional.
10:57:45 Varies. It does require, I believe, moving the dolphins to accommodate the larger.
10:57:49 Larger parents, so it would require some expenditure for sure.
10:57:57 They did it last time yeah. And then the other option that he listed was, instead of restoring Vashon from the 2 boat to three-boat service in April, used that third vote for
Edmunds, Pt.
10:58:07 Service for the duration of the major highway deepours.
10:58:10 That's even better. For Townsend's been limping at less than 50% service.
10:58:15 Vashon is already 66%, and has an additional way off the island via port.
10:58:20 The finance. Yeah.
10:58:24 So each of the above would permit. At least one late evening Edmund's poor 1,000 round trip specifically to a design to accommodate large commercial carriers that will have
an impossible time navigating the State route 104 and Us.
10:58:36 101 construction zone. Yup.
10:58:42 I do think pushing for dates certain or at least a schedule, even if they can't.
10:58:47 You know they have to have some flexibility. I think that's another important point.
10:58:57 Very mitigation.
10:59:05 Rumors or information about potential to schedule potentially changing from the original proposal of 4 weekends.
10:59:12 So they said, Disregard that we will put publish new dates in beginning of April.
10:59:17 So we're still waiting on that they're not going to shift it earlier.
10:59:24 Yeah. So we should hear this week. But I think if we're gonna do.
10:59:29 Ready for us to? Yeah. Yeah. Yes. Like, the date cart might be moot.
10:59:41 But well, I mean, if they answer the question, that's all we want.
10:59:44 Right. Umhm.
10:59:46 Although we might not I don't like the States likely will be pushed later.
10:59:54 I think so. That's what I I heard somewhere.
11:00:01 I know I forget what it felt like. It was that 2 weeks ago our meeting here, one of you mentioned you had heard we might be concerned, but then schedule my be shifting. Later.
11:00:14 Yeah, I don't. I don't know. I'm not sure.
11:00:19 Remembering where that Steve Burk said it somewhere.
11:00:28 Yeah, if you have time to prep it, a fair amount of language.
11:00:31 The exactly, exactly. And I mean, I just I don't think it hurts to, especially since we're sending this to a different audience to say that we still would support, you know,
spreading the impacts to non-kend stays open up a whole lot more options for
11:00:50 their I. Personally, I mean, if this is coming from Jefferson County, I think we should mention thing. And as 2 of the biggest events peninsula all year, and we're looking,
you know, staring down the barrel of gun right at those 2 days, yeah.
11:01:12 Okay, yeah, I'll see what I can come up with over the break.
11:01:17 You and chat. Gpt, okay, I have the other one. Yeah.
11:01:24 Well, it'd be fun to see what you come up with.
11:01:24 Okay. We're gonna start calling you bing, not no, it's just my assistant.
11:01:29 I still my own agency. Okay? Great.
11:01:37 So that's planned for that. And Kptz, why don't I just bring up my spreadsheet so we can just walk through it. We need to share it. But.
11:01:46 Yeah, actually couldn't find it easily. I'm searching my email. Did you pull it up again? Okay?
11:02:04 Here. I'm not.
11:02:08 Half a draft, but share.
11:02:20 Alright!
11:02:25 So we were talking to have you, Kate, as the first guest.
11:02:30 Co-host, I should say, with someone, perhaps a guest from the fair board, I mean.
11:02:36 I don't know with the out, but but do you know who that might be, or I'd love to provide Linda Noble?
11:02:44 But I haven't. I haven't. Things are in so much flux right now.
11:02:48 It's a little hard to say so if it's I'll just give them to say by name. We're not gonna make them in charge of any contact with them.
11:02:54 But just to give them fair board. Member, that would that be safe?
11:03:01 No! Alright! A representative from the fairgrounds.
11:03:07 It's just right now, but then the new board will be seated.
11:03:12 Yup, and then I had the following week. So then I had this these notes that we wanted things that were more.
11:03:22 Yeah. And so some at some meeting. If it was last Yup last week, no, 2 weeks ago, we talked about solid waste planning on the 20 first.
11:03:33 Is there a time, sensitivity around that premature?
11:03:40 I think we're getting close. I think another month and we'll be.
11:03:44 We'll have actual locations and topics to really talk about right now.
11:03:48 We could go. I mean, there's lots of stuff to share, but I think, waiting a little bit on that.
11:03:52 But I'll I'll throw in solid waste.
11:03:57 And this you know, these dates are not hard. We're getting them on.
11:04:01 The list is the critical, solid waste strategic planning would probably be me.
11:04:07 You're in the you're in the guest field.
11:04:13 There, hey, Greg, is there gonna be another like someone from Kptz co-hosting?
11:04:23 Asking the questions, or would we be leading the conversation a little bit of both?
11:04:29 I think he's there to ask questions and make sure that they keep coming along.
11:04:36 But I think we are co-hosts with them. So you should come prepared with a few topics to discuss, and but it'll evolve as we stumble to a plan.
11:04:52 Let's see, there's also community things going on that it might be good to align with around these topics seventh haven is timely, just because it's, you know, going to be opening
right about.
11:05:06 Then we'll have people moved in on the 20 eighth.
11:05:10 But if you think, is there another topic that you are are ready to jump into in a couple of weeks, Heidi, that you think?
11:05:18 I think we should talk about what topics we should cover and talk about.
11:05:23 Who's covering them? I thought, just because of the timing with the property taxes.
11:05:28 Due to having Stacy create a talking about property tax would be good.
11:05:33 Hmm, okay. Other topics they're like vessels.
11:05:51 There's gonna be a vessel turning events. Let me find when.
11:05:58 So there are 2 R. Is that there? There's not 2 eyes there.
11:06:05 Yeah, do you know who might be the guest for that well, I it depending on the timing. Let me find my email.
11:06:16 But there's going to be a best alternative in here.
11:06:17 So someone from Dnr. Terry, Farmer, or Troy Woods.
11:06:24 Okay, and you wanna do that around derelict vessel.
11:06:31 Turn in. That's June fifth.
11:06:38 So that would be, we would do it the Friday before June fifth.
11:06:47 That's alright. So we're talking like 6, 2, or something.
11:06:53 Yeah, I'd be happy to host one of our legislators to do a little recap of the legislative sessions.
11:07:05 To, my.
11:07:08 I could do that in the 5 5. Yeah. Sounds good. I'm just gonna kinda make some notes right now. I'll update.
11:07:18 I want you. 5, 5, 8.
11:07:25 Let's just like, okay.
11:07:35 On your list. More interested in the calendar than topics.
11:07:42 I could come up with a 1 million, I'm sure. I mean, I think childcare should be sooner than later.
11:07:50 Right we've got childcare. Yeah, I mean, there's we just put out a newsletter it would be good to do a sewer update soon, you know, so that would be a good one.
11:08:07 Forestry I mean, there's community there are community forestry program.
11:08:13 There's also the all the legislative activity around forestry.
11:08:16 There's multiple topics potentially there coming Mallory as a guest.
11:08:22 Just what we're doing. Locally. Yeah.
11:08:29 Can I? Maybe I'm a county librarian, Tamara.
11:08:37 Behavioral men. School based mental health would be a good topic.
11:08:47 I mean schools school, I mean. Beyond that there's just, you know, coming out of Covid in schools.
11:08:57 An interesting nexus for conversation. Covid in schools.
11:09:03 Yeah, we're just brainstorming right now. There's nothing.
11:09:09 And Covid.
11:09:12 The cares program at the fire, cares.
11:09:20 Yeah, to find out what the city is doing on their show, too.
11:09:24 Yeah, there's a number of topics within within a Mrc. They're like Crabbot Darrell at Crabbots in the summer. I mean, we do a big effort on that.
11:09:39 You'll grass our the Louise in the bay, and we're talking about expanding that program we could do marine resources how about marine resource committee?
11:09:56 Because then you can. Mrc.
11:10:00 Hmm!
11:10:03 Alright!
11:10:10 And I have Monty on here on 5 12, with state and local road work, so we can.
11:10:17 But and when should strategic planning be on the calendar like our county strategic planning and what do you think, Mark, for that?
11:10:29 Well, I think it would be better informed after the retreat.
11:10:35 Okay, cause. I think things will begin to crystallize the time.
11:10:41 Carolyn's working to reschedule that we had an unknown conference.
11:10:49 So that would be maybe the first week of May. Oh, that's why I have it right now.
11:10:53 5 19 9.
11:10:55 I mean tourism. There's any number of topics other than the bridge, you know.
11:11:04 There's the visitors, centers, and the Historical Society is going through leadership, leadership, transition, and.
11:11:12 We've got lots of county stuff I mean. I don't know.
11:11:15 Yeah, we can talk about anything, of course. Do you like putting Stacy up there soon is good.
11:11:21 Do you want to do property taxes with Stacy? I'm happy to.
11:11:27 I'm happy to.
11:11:33 How invitation is to our guests. Go to? Well, maybe you should.
11:11:34 I don't know. Usually it seems like the Commissioner, it's gonna be there should arrange the guess right, so I'll leave it to you to see if Stacy's available and I'll see if
Cathy or someone can do it for the 20 eighth to talk about 7
11:11:47 payments, and then are, can we just look at the the next couple like childcare with Wendy? Seems like it's timely now, or should that wait during the legislative session? So
it will.
11:12:06 Hmm!
11:12:15 And do folks have to be in person? Or could they join by phone?
11:12:19 They can join by phone 2 guests with you, 3, 4 people is the most that can be in the booth.
11:12:26 It's still at Mountain View, of course, but they can be remote.
11:12:29 Yes, they can do a zoom just like we do it on.
11:12:33 We did it for a normal report.
11:12:37 Okay, so we have fairgrounds and fair Stacy with property taxes Kathy, or someone else with me for Seventh Haven.
11:12:46 Then we'll do the legislative recap, and then I'll see if Monty or Eric or someone can come on, and we'll know more about the bridge closures and the road work for the summer,
and that seems we'll have as much information as we're gonna get by
11:13:02 then and then. Heidi with strategic planning after that, and that takes us, for you know, 2 cycles, 6, 6 visits, and all.
11:13:09 We'll refine it in in a week or so, as we go through this couple of times.
11:13:17 I'm just trying to imagine where we'll be in strategic planning at 5 19 mark, do you have the strategic planning calendar in your head?
11:13:25 Where do you think we'll be? May nineteenth, with strategic planning, the border tree.
11:13:32 And the senior Leader. Retreat. So that doesn't feel like a good time to be talking about it.
11:13:43 The senior week Peters are gonna take the work of the board and refine it.
11:13:47 Hmm, that will result in a draft plan coming to the board.
11:13:52 It feels like once we have a draft plan. That would be the time to have it on the schedule we're going to seek input, from the public on the drop plan. So so we'll I'll just
we don't have to decide where it's gonna go.
11:14:11 I so could we do it? We could do a update.
11:14:14 Then, yeah, you you wanna lead a sewer update, maybe with Bob, yeah.
11:14:26 Okay. Another interesting one could be that good canal. Coordinating counsel is just starting the process of the first ever Sam, dlisting from the Endangered Species Act for
the Hook. Now.
11:14:42 Delisting. How? What's the title?
11:14:46 What would that be? Esa d. Listing?
11:15:00 So we don't have anywhere on here. The bridge.
11:15:04 Okay, now, we do. We have. I'm gonna do state and local road work on 5, 12.
11:15:10 So we'll talk about the bridge. Okay?
11:15:15 Hmm!
11:15:19 Hey? So I'm just. These are the ones that are.
11:15:26 Still, guests to be invited, but are pretty silent.
11:15:31 That ring true! Alright!
11:15:38 That's enough for me right now. But maybe we'll just kinda do this as we do boards and committees and such, and just keep that list current and Updated with that. And that's
shared with us somewhere I'll put it in a public drive and the G drive I I don't have a
11:15:54 place, right now. It's just on my stuff. I emailed it via mark to you.
11:16:00 But I'll put it I'll find a place that everyone get to.
11:16:01 Oh, it's not a county elections year, but that having, you know, talking about elections and like leading up to filing week and I don't know having the auditor and clin or something.
11:16:19 Yeah, yeah, we should look at the calendar and think about this, right?
11:16:24 Yeah, and like assessments, you know, the fall have assessments.
11:16:32 Any, like prosecuting attorney, and so many different therapeutic courts.
11:16:48 Or yeah, there's still no no progress. Well, maybe not a short one.
11:16:56 Remind me of the time exactly 1230 to 1255, 25Â min, and come with with a you know they need transition time a song is the best transition.
11:17:09 So I reserved our right from my original plan that we can spin one disk, so I'll connect everyone to Jim, too.
11:17:16 I'll copy. I guess I can copy all of this online.
11:17:21 This note, sending this note to. So the 20 first is county coordination from 1130 to one.
11:17:29 So I find there I won't be there 20 first.
11:17:33 Yeah, okay.
11:17:47 Save that.
11:17:51 I'll Let Monty and Bob know about this by 19 date.
11:17:56 And if guess can't make it, you know we can always shift dates around or shift guests around.
11:18:02 However, we need to do.
11:18:06 Oh, and I have a conflict. On the nineteenth.
11:18:11 But I think, yeah, and I'm not gonna be here let's just fix that right now, since we know it, we'll just switch the suwer Update in the twelfth is the twelfth.
11:18:22 Better wait. Is the nineteenth. It's because sanctuary meeting the twelfth is fine for me.
11:18:33 All right. We'll just switch those to.
11:18:36 Retreat the nineteenth. I thought I heard you say that great yeah, I don't know.
11:18:48 I mean we should check with our calendars, too, before we schedule these.
11:19:15 Over to 5 12. Yes.
11:19:37 Alright. Yeah. I guess I can return let's turn to my briefing.
11:19:46 Or start my briefing last week.
11:19:52 Looks like all the emails are coming in. Finally.
11:19:57 Okay, so was with you guys on Monday, on Tuesday.
11:20:10 I don't know. Met with a couple of folks in the morning, and then all afternoon joined Anna Mchenry, the school to work transition planning with the intellectual and developmental
Disability Advisory Board.
11:20:24 Great. We had folks from Dv. Folks from all over the State.
11:20:28 Anna spears as well as many of the you know, organizations around here that actually work on this.
11:20:35 And it was basically just a kind of a visioning.
11:20:39 Sharrette, really really productive? Well, well, administer and facilitated.
11:20:44 So it's really good learned a lot. We did not have any impacted people, though, you know, like folks with lived experiences, it usually ends up being the parent.
11:21:00 So one thing I'd love to see a little bit Budget committee meeting.
11:21:03 I actually had to miss cause. I was at my new car that I met with some of the outreach outreach team Wednesday afternoon.
11:21:12 Here kind of comparing, vlogging outfits as we get ready to start, creating more content.
11:21:20 They wanted to create some 15Â s videos. And so we we took a stab at it couple, and I'll share one with you right now.
11:21:30 Actually, and then see what you guys think. And I'd love to just kinda start doing these on the regular.
11:21:35 They're super easy. Oh, Bonnie and Liz, I mean we didn't.
11:21:42 We didn't have just public health outreach team, and then we'll connect with Wendy and get everyone together.
11:21:52 And then we went, and can we make a video really quick?
11:21:55 And we made a couple of them, so I've got another one to share in a couple of weeks.
11:21:58 And this is just let me bring it up here.
11:22:03 Oops! Back!
11:22:07 And if I can share sharing the audio while I'm not connected to audio, I don't know.
11:22:20 Share, sound, video clip.
11:22:27 I mean a couple of them, so I've got another one to share in a couple of weeks.
11:22:30 Oops!
11:22:32 And this is just let me bring it up here.
11:22:33 Oh, sorry!
11:22:36 That mean?
11:22:36 Oops! Back!
11:22:39 And see if I can share sharing the audio while I'm not connected.
11:22:39 Oh, okay, there we go. I think I got it going.
11:22:55 Hi! I'm Greg Bretonton Jeffrey County Commissioner for District 3, and I'm excited to be in the top of the clock Tower in Jefferson County Courthouse for the first time.
11:22:53 Perfect.
11:23:05 It's great. After 5 years, being a commissioner that I finally made it to the top.
11:23:12 Thank you. Thank you. The dad jokes will be in every meeting from now on.
11:23:19 But yeah, and I'd love to open it up to other people.
11:23:23 Then we're gonna make. Actually, I won't.
11:23:25 So what I did is I made a little video on the counties.
11:23:29 Youtube page that's this, and I would love to honor other employees in the same way.
11:23:33 We have one scheduled now for April fifteenth, when we will put another one up, and any department that just wants to honor an employee, love to come out and just spend a little
time with them, and I will also have Bing write them a piece of art, and I would
11:23:48 like to share mine with you, can I? So if you look at the Youtube page which will be published soon, it has this very, very short video, just kind of saying Hi and introducing
you to a person, and then I had my big chat BoT write me a sonnet about the responsibilities of local
11:24:05 government, and I'd like to read that to you is mine. No.
11:24:10 To serve the people as your noble task to listen to their needs and hopes and fears, to make the hard decisions that when they ask to lead them through the challenges and the
cheers you have the power to shape the county's fate, to plan, its growth, and protect its land to balance, its budget and
11:24:27 allocate its resources wisely and fairly, and you have the power to the duty to uphold the law, to work with other officials and agencies, to foster cooperation and rapport
to promote the county's interests and policies.
11:24:41 You are a leader, a servant a friend. May you fulfill your role with grace and skill till the end.
11:24:48 You can adjust. You edited it. No editing. Yeah.
11:24:55 My my brother Tim. Well, it was written too great Brotherton, my son, who's as interested in AI as Greg is.
11:25:06 Apparently he was trying to demonstrate the value of it.
11:25:10 And he he said, Okay, mom, what's something you guys did in public session.
11:25:13 Are you? I was just in DC. With him, and I said, Well, we just did a proclaiming counties month, and so he asked his chat BoT to create a proclamation, and it was as good as
ours.
11:25:31 Yeah. It created it instantly and was as good as the one we had just done.
11:25:35 So I had to. You eat crow a little bit.
11:25:39 Yeah, I had created a proclamation to about the importance of incorporating large language models into local government, too.
11:25:48 It was a really good one. But I, okay, we'll get some look forward to that.
11:25:52 AI generated proclamations. In any event, I should really return to my past week.
11:25:59 It wasn't all fun and games.
11:26:04 So after that met with the national head start folk as an old-cat member, and I was one of the 3 board members participating in the Yearly Review, and there is just so much
oversight that goes into head start you know, and you know, other early childhood services and it's there's actually the
11:26:25 most employees in only capab work for head start.
11:26:30 Really childhood services. It's the biggest biggest department. Let's see, on Thursday I had a meeting with Sarah and A.
11:26:38 A request for the Sessk leave bank great program, and then we had a special meeting of Jeffcom to decide whether or not we basically had enough applications to start the executive
director interviews, and we do some very qualified ones.
11:26:58 Some people that are really excited to be there, that also fill me with because of ancillary losses.
11:27:07 If they are selected for the job, met with a couple community members and then met with in person at the Hudson Pavilion with a behavioral health consortium.
11:27:22 And Andrew, our Grant consultant, who had had a meeting with the previous week, kind of go through.
11:27:28 You know what is the future? What is the future of Bhc.
11:27:32 And good, good conversation. I had to leave early to run down to quilting to meet with some concern citizens down there and then.
11:27:40 Late Thursday, oh, actually we did it Friday morning.
11:27:43 Did the agenda a breakdown with with Mark on Friday morning, and then met with some folks about the Skate Park.
11:27:53 Ourpa award that we made, and still kind of dealing with the organizational past to the contract so I have a meeting I had scheduled again with with public works and parks to
talk about.
11:28:06 It still not ready. So it's gonna be a couple of weeks before that kind of contract deal gets straightened out.
11:28:12 There was no how the HUD meeting our monthly meeting was canceled because HUD was at the grand opening along with all of us.
11:28:22 It was great, really exciting. People should start moving in, and oh, within 2 weeks, probably.
11:28:28 So there's a few few last little bits as these things happen to get done.
11:28:35 But the big hurdles are. I've been passed, and you know people will be housed by the end of the month, one way or the other, so it's really great I bet some of the folks who
are going to be housed in there at the grand opening it was really special and including one of the veteran
11:28:50 providers who's a local business owner, and it just was you know, it's pretty tangible when you meet the people and see how the housing will be a transformative in their own
lives.
11:29:01 So really good events, all the cap did a great job, and then, as I say, I spent Saturday erecting the first kiosk for the Jacob Cohes art.
11:29:11 That's going in, and we'll see in that interpretive trail.
11:29:14 And that was my week. So what's couple of questions?
11:29:18 What's the timeframe for figuring out the path forward with behavioral health consortium?
11:29:25 Well, it is funded through August, so that's really the time for me.
11:29:35 Is there a is there a next step with it? Or what do you guys imagining for it?
11:29:38 I advocated the same thing I advocated here that we could partially pay for it with some of the opioid funds.
11:29:46 We talked about a couple different places where it could be.
11:29:49 Apple was pretty clear that she doesn't think public health is where it should be, where it should live, even as a independent agency.
11:29:59 Other people, thought public health would be a great place for it.
11:30:02 You know, or they would love to administer the Opioid settlement funds through the existing channels, which is the Bhac.
11:30:14 And I think a lot of them should go. I mean, but I'm not settled on anything.
11:30:23 Discovery behavioral health did volunteer to own own the organization, you know, to as they build, build their capacity.
11:30:31 It could live there. I think everyone was really invested in it, continuing as a fairly independent entity wherever it be, wherever it be so, whether it's public health or dbh,
or a new nonprofit, I think the idea is that it's serves the Vhc and that was the fairly consistent
11:30:48 refrain. Lots of good voices.
11:30:52 There's still, I think, a real interest in keeping it, that it does provide value.
11:31:01 So I talked about the accountable communities of health funding.
11:31:05 That's Rfp out for right now. Also.
11:31:11 About those funds? No, I haven't heard that talked about in this context.
11:31:16 That's good. What's the the Rp.
11:31:23 It just came out, I believe, and it's fairly broad.
11:31:27 The uses. I'm the least qualified person to speak to it.
11:31:32 I think so. We're gonna get figured it back to Veronica.
11:31:36 Maybe is probably the most qualified person to talk about it.
11:31:39 Yeah, or if I mean, just be good to be strategic, if we've got the opioid settlement funding coming I'm not sure if Ach plans to do one big grant award is, it's I mean, they
have like a 1 million dollars or something to distribute.
11:31:53 Or if they're planning to do multiple, be good to know that if folks are talking about it, and you know, not competing for similar projects, perfect right?
11:32:04 That'd be a good thing for okay. The coordination.
11:32:12 My question?
11:32:18 Yeah, and the no fault if she got it. I'm not. Don't know what about it.
11:32:25 Any other?
11:32:29 Alright, mark you! Wanna take us through your last week. Tell us the bad news.
11:32:35 What's that? The risk? Pool news? I don't know.
11:32:39 Yeah, this will be relatively quick. 3 and a half of my days were spoken for Monday with the board on Tuesday had a really good meeting with Monty Rinders.
11:32:55 Cathy Taylor Judy Shepard, and our treasurer, Stacy, Prater, to talk about sewer financing the trigger, for that was the fact that we have not received the second Tranche of
Arpaoneone's we wanted to hear from Stacy
11:33:10 regarding the process for securing a line of credit, and so she's gonna put together, and the timing of that meeting, I think, was was perfect the show flowed an Rfp.
11:33:23 To get a financial advisor who will then take over securing the lending institution on our behalf.
11:33:31 And then special Ltac, meeting with Heidi pretty smooth meeting, and we discussed the transition, and they unanimously recommended transitional funding and then money for some
rehab on the facility.
11:33:48 So we'll be bringing a contract forward to the board for the work.
11:33:52 Required to get that facility refreshed. And then, later that day I had my weekly with with Brent from community development, and then on Wednesday Budget Committee meeting
in the morning and strategic planning meeting 1030 and then that afternoon headed to Tacoma for the risk Pool and
11:34:16 then Thursday, Friday in the wrist poll. But at 80'clock on Friday morning Greg and I, a did agenda review via telephone.
11:34:27 The news out of the wrist pool is that the market for insurance continues to tighten, and they need to continue to build their reserves based on their decision to increase their
self-insured retention to 3 million, and there were talking about going even higher while we were there Mason county had a case.
11:34:46 Pending. You know the jury. Then, before the conference was over found for the plaintiff, who was involved in an accident with the sheriff's deputy doing a U-turn, the pursuit
of speeding vehicle going the other way a traumatic brain injury
11:35:04 was alleged. The pool tried to indicate that the person had a somatic injury, which I guess is analogous to being a hyperchondriac, or imagining that she had an injury.
11:35:20 While the jury bought the plaintiff's case and awarded 2.1 million for the women for lost wages.
11:35:28 Going forward, so that sort of prove the point. The juries, when they finally find for the plaintiff, are also finding or recommending very large awards.
11:35:39 And so that's why we're good to see another increase for liability of 23% this year.
11:35:46 I don't know about property, or crime, or terrorism, or cyber.
11:35:54 We'll hear more about that in the summer time. So that includes my week report for the 20 seventh of March.
11:36:03 Great. You want to just keep the coch and and let us know what your week looks like.
11:36:09 And do this kind of another short one. Of course, today with you folks, I'm trying to cram a bunch of things in tomorrow before I'm in Communicado for 12 days or 14 days, starting
on Wednesday.
11:36:24 I've got a meeting with Dcd.
11:36:26 On Caswell Brown, on permitting, then my senior management team meeting, and then we have a special risk meeting at 1030 A. M.
11:36:36 We had a claim that we previously denied that we are now recommending be approved.
11:36:42 And so the risk community needs to gather together, to to approve that.
11:36:47 Then another meeting with Brent, talking about Gcd.
11:36:51 Staffing and organization, with a departure of a number of key staff members.
11:36:58 We're entertaining some changes. In how Dcd's organized, and then got a meeting in the afternoon with Bob Bron and Sarah Melonson to talk about bargaining strategies sort of
done a really good job of listing all of our objectives for each of our for
11:37:18 bargaining units. And so we're gonna meet with Bob to talk about specific strategy for opening those discussions.
11:37:25 If we ever hear from the bargaining units, and and then that'll be it for me for the week.
11:37:32 Okay. And I will appoint an acting. I have to point to Monty for the first portion and then I've gotta figure out who's gonna take over for money because he has some vacation
scheduled.
11:37:44 But I'll put memos out this afternoon or first thing tomorrow morning.
11:37:49 I'm sorry, and then your vacation. What's the time?
11:37:52 Again I'm back to work on the eighteenth.
11:37:55 Okay. Great. Well, have a great time. Pardon. Did you say?
11:38:00 Friday is your last day.
11:38:06 Great hope. You have a great trip. Yeah, it sounds like it's gonna be great.
11:38:12 But halfway through it I don't know. Always spring there, at least. Yeah.
11:38:19 Well, we have a 10Â h drive to Louisville, Kentucky, for volleyball.
11:38:22 Oh, wow! With my daughter and my granddaughter, and I'm sure that'll be a who.
11:38:27 Not a 10Â h drive. Well, there's 4 drivers in the car.
11:38:31 Okay. Great. Okay. You wanna take us through your coming week.
11:38:42 In there!
11:38:45 Let's see. Hmm! Tomorrow is all fairgrounds all the time.
11:38:52 Still trying to get get our grand compromise worked out in preparation for the meeting.
11:39:01 On the evening of the fifth, on Wednesday.
11:39:04 Just number of small meetings, sitting with Jefferson.
11:39:09 Healthcare meeting with Chris Coy or a church team.
11:39:14 We meet weekly now, trying to get the Usda and Commerce Grant so straightened out.
11:39:19 Then headed to Port Angeles for the Roundtable, with Senator Murray and back in time for the fairgrounds.
11:39:25 Meeting Thursday. I have an Edc. Board meeting.
11:39:31 And then some more State Board of Health on boarding Friday I was supposed to take off.
11:39:41 To go away for a long weekend, and but that was cancelled.
11:39:44 So I'll probably just be around here playing catch up alright.
11:39:50 Let's see, what was I gonna ask you on here?
11:39:57 Okay.
11:40:03 Let's see, tomorrow I I'm not sure yet, but I may be attending a follow-up meeting to the the meeting that happens at the 7 Sears last month with the group of folks just to
hear, kind of the debrief of what came out of that session because I didn't get to
11:40:23 purchase, and very much of it, so it'd be interesting to hear the recap of that.
11:40:29 And then starting middle of the day, I'm gonna go into one tenth of 1% reporting meetings with a behavioral advisory committee vendors.
11:40:40 I find those super useful and and they're reflecting on the past year.
11:40:46 And what's changing on their horizon. So that's going to be all of tomorrow afternoon.
11:40:52 In the evening I have the Marine Resources Committee meeting.
11:40:56 We did at the Retreat on Saturday. Talk about the idea of there's a bit often long been, as you guys well know, a number of very active marine resource committee projects, and
the list has just been growing over the years, and there's talk now of adding and
11:41:16 there's extra funding for Marine resource committees that came through the Federal Government so there's a talk of adding another staff person to the Mrc.
11:41:25 Cause. Monica's juggling. Yeah, yeah. And one of one project that came out of the retreat on Saturday was kind of a derelict vessel.
11:41:36 Clearinghouse cause currently citizens who see about drifting across the bay don't really, you know, know where to start so lately I've been getting a lot of phone calls.
11:41:49 So I thought well, it'd be great if we had kind of an overview from Dnr.
11:41:53 Which I saw an email came in this morning that maybe I have that overview.
11:41:55 Now and then we get it up on a website, and that someone at the Mrc.
11:41:59 Can field the initial calls and do it play traffic director for that.
11:42:04 So we talked about adding a project to the list of Mrc.
11:42:08 Projects around derelict vessels. So that may happen. Then.
11:42:15 Wednesday. I have our weekly strategic planning meeting with the team, and then I have a Dnr.
11:42:23 Trust, Land Transfer, Junior taxing districts round table meeting, and then we.
11:42:29 I have another one tenth of 1% meeting with the epidemiologist for Olympic angels to check on how their last year was.
11:42:38 Tomorrow is Jumping Mouse Gateway.
11:42:44 Believe, believe in recovery and holy cap. So, anyway, back to Wednesday, Jefferson Transit Finance Committee meeting, and then I am on the Conference planning committee for
the Northwest States Conference in the fall.
11:43:01 So we're having our planning meeting. Then I'm leaving for a few days, to a non-disclosed location.
11:43:11 Will not be available, out of the county, out of the country, and we'll miss my weekly trust and transfer.
11:43:19 Circle up around legislation so I'll check in with Jim Freber in the next couple of days, and then I will also miss the Jefferson County meeting up the pencil trails.
11:43:31 Coalition, I would say there's a lot going on with Peninsula trails in Jefferson County right now, and we're getting.
11:43:42 There's an intersection right now with Dcd.
11:43:45 And public works and peninsula trails coalition around the hall.
11:43:49 Baits, viewpoints, and also I heard from from Eric Kuzma at the Seventh Haven dedication that we have acquired some more right of way.
11:44:03 Anderson, like Anderson, like stick, part, stretch.
11:44:04 But this hub eight's viewpoint I think it's gonna be more of a a bit sticky wicket how it's gonna be developed and then managed for the long haul, so Jeff Bowman is leaving
for most of the month.
11:44:21 Tomorrow. So we're I don't think we're going to resolve it today, but I'm working with staff in public works, and I need to reach out to Josh Peters, but it's really hard to
reach out to Dcd right now with anything extra yeah, yeah, and so I know, he's aware of
11:44:40 the situation, and I just check in with him briefly on it.
11:44:43 But I think we all need to kind of protect the space they have right now to do.
11:44:47 The work they have with the few people that they have left, cause.
11:44:51 It's a really depressing situation over there, so I'll be back late Sunday for our Monday meeting.
11:45:02 I also have a light week spring break for the kids.
11:45:06 And my daughter actually expressed an interest in snowboarding.
11:45:09 So I am taking her from Wednesday through Friday.
11:45:12 Also out of the country to go. Have fun while there I will still do a couple of meetings.
11:45:16 Povc. As their monthly meeting, and the Parks and Rec Advisory Board has some important stuff in front of it, so I'll probably hit those 2 meetings on Thursday, and probably
won't go to the Olympic area on Agency Council Governments meeting on
11:45:33 Thursday, other than that I'm not missing too much.
11:45:35 I've been keeping it pretty clear. My calendar.
11:45:39 So tomorrow, meeting with the couple residents and just kind of catching up on correspondence, and all the the the various non scheduled meeting things that build up will be
in charge while we're gone.
11:45:57 Last ship in in the harbor.
11:45:57 Here! Alright! And that's my week.
11:46:02 So no, no conflicts. I don't think there's a need for anyone to go attend those.
11:46:08 That one meeting I might miss Great. Well, we have a fairly light agenda this afternoon, as well.
11:46:16 Oh, I'm sorry, Mark, did you? You already did sorry you already would talk about this week.
11:46:21 So yeah, vacation coming soon. Exciting. So we have a long executive session, I think, is the only scheduled agenda item this afternoon.
11:46:30 As I said, I'm going to go down and tour Coswell Brown with the City Council member, so I'd love to get out a minute or 2 early when we come back at 1 30 we will go straight
into exact for about an hour, and then come out with any action taken anything else that we need to attend
11:46:47 to this afternoon, or the Wasac assessment over the break and for wash that.
11:47:02 Yes, oh, I'm sorry. The Wassac special. Yeah, I'm doing the washdot.
11:47:05 And we should figure out, yeah, yeah, sorry. I inflated those yes, we'll talk about yeah. Sorry I inflated those.
11:47:12 Yes, we'll talk about both of those. Okay.
11:47:12 So we might get out a little earlier this afternoon as well.
11:47:15 Okay, there's anything else. Big now. Okay? Well, I will rescess us until 1 30. Thank you all for being here.
11:47:23 See you soon.
13:30:52 Welcome back we are recording, not seeing.
13:30:59 Okay. Great welcome back. I'll call this 4, 3 meeting of the Jefferson County Board of Commissioners back into Session.
13:31:08 We are going to go straight into an executive session.
13:31:18 I'm gonna read the alright. Got it here so we're gonna be going into an executive session.
13:31:27 And as a reminder, we are going in with our county administrator, chief Civil deputy prosecuting attorney, environmental health and water quality manager and environmental health
manager regarding potential litigation, exemption is outlined in the open public meetings act rcw
13:31:42 42.110 parentheses, one parentheses.
13:31:45 I. We're going in for 1Â h, and we will come out at 2, 31 going in a 1, 31.
14:33:24 Okay, and you're recording. I will call us.
14:33:30 Hello! I am. We're coming out of exact with.
14:33:36 Well, I guess we have a little bit more to talk about, so we'll go back into executive session for another 30Â min until 30.
14:33:45 3, and then we'll return and take any action at that point.
15:04:51 They all are normal chambers, all!
15:04:57 Alright! We're coming out of executive session, and we need another.
15:05:03 Let's say 7Â min until well, let's say 12Â min. According to this, we'll come out at 3, 15.
15:05:12 That's 13Â min.
15:05:16 And a reminder of when we're in there.
15:05:19 We are!
15:05:22 And with the cap. Sorry, excuse me with the county administrator, Chief Civil deputy prosecuting attorney another deputy prosecuting attorney, and we are discussing potential
litigation exemption is outlined in the open public meetings act rcw
15:05:39 42, dot, 3,110 parentheses, one parentheses.
15:05:42 We did have a few other people with us. In the first part of the Executive Session.
15:18:35 Hmm!
15:18:38 Hmm!
15:18:41 Recording and progress.
15:18:50 Hey!
15:18:51 Call us back into open session. Sorry we're a minute or too late.
15:18:58 We will not be extending any further. I think we do have some action to consider.
15:19:06 Yup, I mean I'm happy to provide a little background information and then make a most. Please do so.
15:19:15 Jefferson County has settled a long standing code compliance case with Linda Sexton of Glendale farm property and her Pete Plank road property.
15:19:24 The Glendale farm property is located near the intersection of Beaver Valley and Center Road in Shimakum, one of the oldest and largest family farms in Jefferson County.
15:19:32 Jefferson County, and the Jefferson Land Trust are co-holders of a conservation easement on the property.
15:19:38 As a result of primarily solid waste code violations, daily fines under title 19 of the Jefferson County Code have been accruing on both properties since last year, as of March
20 fourth of this year, daily fines for Glendale Farm were at 150 sixsix 1,005
15:19:56 $100 and daily fines for the Pee Plank road property were $108,000 as part of the settlement.
15:20:02 Linda Sexton will transfer ownership of both properties to a trust where her children are trustees.
15:20:08 The Trust will assume responsibility for the remaining cleanup of Glendale farm property.
15:20:14 By December thirty-first of this year, which is already near complete.
15:20:17 The Trust will also provide a plan for cleanup of the Pete Plank Road property by December 30.
15:20:23 First of this year, with the cleanup completed by December 30, first of 2,028, and a status report given every 6 months, demonstrating progress Linda's Sexting will also pay
the county $14,425 in equal quarterly
15:20:38 installments over the next 2 years to cover some of the county's costs in enforcing the code in exchange, the county will release Sexton and the trust from 80% of the accrued
daily fines that have accrued as of the date of the settlement agreement 20% of the accrued
15:20:54 daily fines will be released upon completion of the cleanups.
15:20:58 Finally, for each property there will be volunte compliance, agreements enforceable under title 19 of the Jefferson County Code.
15:21:05 Therefore I move that the Board of County Commissioners approve the settlement agreement between Jefferson County, Linda Sexton, and the irrevocable trust Fbo Linda Sexton in
substantially the same form as the March 30 first 2023 version and delegate the
15:21:22 county admissions authority to finalize and sign the final settlement documents.
15:21:27 I am, Rose, but not that much very exciting. This is been a long time coming, so I think you laid it out a very well, Kate.
15:21:39 I guess we should probably take public comment, since we have not talked about this, or it wasn't on the agenda.
15:21:46 So before we take action on signing this contract, the settlement, we will open it up to the public.
15:21:55 So if anyone has any public comments about the action, we're considering, we'd love to hear from you.
15:22:01 You can click, raise hand or hit Star 9 if you're on the phone. If you would like to make comments.
15:22:08 Alright! We bring this to your shoulder.
15:22:21 Hello, Mister Tersh! Thanks for sticking with us.
15:22:25 Of course. Thank you. So that long list of particulars that was read out by Commissioner Dean without the benefit of being able to see those numbers.
15:22:37 It's extremely difficult to decide or judge whether or not the county is negotiated in in the public interest.
15:22:45 I understand. You want to get this thing settled. But as with most settlements, it seems that the county gets short changed, that you just sort of give in. After a while.
15:22:56 Say, well, we got something that's always disturbing to me, because when when you get a citation from State Patrol, do you play the citations when you get a citation from almost
any other entity, you pay the amount that's due here, we have fines that have that have
15:23:16 accumulated to a substantial amount, and without having that piece of paper in front of me.
15:23:23 I don't know if the county's getting what percentage of that the county is actually going to get.
15:23:27 And that's what's disturbing to me is the fact that here you are going to take action without having disclosed the terms ahead of time to anybody other than yourselves, and
you know that's that's not exactly transparent.
15:23:43 Glad that it's settled, but probably going to be unhappy about the total amount.
15:23:48 Thank you.
15:23:50 Thank you, Mr. Keshe, we'll respond all comments after we've taken public comment.
15:23:54 Anyone else like to make public comment, to?
15:24:00 Oh, it looks like we have Mr. Huntsucker here might be able to speak to in response to Mr.
15:24:05 Tish's question.
15:24:07 Hmm, okay. Well, let's pass it over, Philip.
15:24:11 Do you have a response for the question?
15:24:13 Yes, I'll just say that the whole design of the Compliance code entitled 19 was to ensure bondary compliance, and we're we're using the code to its maximum to make sure that's
the case when you it's not like a traffic.
15:24:34 Ticket, where you issue a notice of violation and order of abatement.
15:24:42 It does trigger the running of daily fines, but you have to collect them.
15:24:47 You have to go to court and collect them. That's a significant effort and costs to the county.
15:24:54 And with this settlement in particular, we're getting something that you could not get through. It.
15:24:59 Other than through a settlement agreement which is transfer of these properties from Linda Sexton to a separate trust, and that's a big deal, because she's been the cause of
significant, hazardous waste violations that these properties and we want additional
15:25:21 hazardous ways to stop going to those properties that, and we couldn't get that without this settlement.
15:25:28 So this settlement is an important settlement. It's it's a big, so big deal, especially for this historic farm in where we have an agricultural conservation easement.
15:25:44 Thank you, Philip. Hey, Heidi, any responses or?
15:25:50 Expansion. I would I mean I would just. I would just add that this is a long standing issue and a historic agreement, and we should all feel proud of all of the work that's
gone into this, and all of the work we've saved in the future.
15:26:07 With these 2 projects. This is really important step for the community at whole at large, and I guess I'll just, you know, dollars and cents are not the only thing that's at
play here.
15:26:21 I think Philip outlined well, the the going forward long-term impacts the settlement can have.
15:26:27 And I just wanna give kudos to the family for the hard work they've done, and traditionally, in this kind of endeavor.
15:26:34 It is the county that is spending massive amounts of money which does not come from any real standard revenue source.
15:26:39 I would have been hundreds of $1,000 to do what to what they've done so far.
15:26:44 So this feels like a real victory. You know, we've gotta kinda get the legal documents across the finish line, really, before going into it too much.
15:26:52 But I, this is an unmitigated win as as far as I can see, for the county.
15:26:58 Yeah. Such a important property, beautiful soil, historic farm. Really, it's, you know.
15:27:06 It's been hard to watch it fall into disrepair and really appreciate that the family is helping to solve a historic. And yeah.
15:27:17 And and really a you know, some yeah, issues of hoarding are a mental health issue and don't want to lose sight of the this.
15:27:28 The importance of getting folks to the right to the right answer and it takes a lot of work.
15:27:34 So, if I appreciate the sensitivity that's gone into that as well.
15:27:37 Yeah. And there have been 3 fires site over what the past 12 years 15 years.
15:27:43 Yeah, and that poses a real threat to the entire valley depending on, you know, when those buyers occur and to the people fighting the fires.
15:27:54 That too. Yes!
15:27:57 Okay, I'll make one more call for public comment. If anyone else would like to weigh in on this, I'd love to hear from you.
15:28:08 Okay. That said, I will call the question all in favor of authorizing the county administrator to sign this settlement as functionally as it was presented on the 30 first of
March, indicate by saying Hi Hi Alright that motion passes thank you very much
15:28:29 Philip all the staff that have put in endless hours in not just county work, but the kind of building relationships that that makes this this resolution possible.
15:28:43 And in building the code that made this resolution possible. So thank you.
15:28:46 You're welcome. And we also had significant help from the Jefferson Land Trust, which is the the Co.
15:28:54 Holder of the Agricultural Conservation Agreement.
15:28:57 They've been terrific and working with us to cut.
15:29:01 To achieve this result. It's really a lot of work to get it done.
15:29:06 And this was the number one solid waste problem in the entire county, and has been for a really long time.
15:29:14 Thank you. Phil. That's an important point Philip and I would just mention that I was Ed of the Land Trust when our staff negotiated this conservation easement with Kirk Salvator,
who inherited the farm from the previous owners.
15:29:28 This would Kirk would be very happy today.
15:29:32 With this outcome.
15:29:35 Well, you can draw. You can drive by the property and see the difference.
15:29:40 It is probable.
15:29:39 It's it is!
15:29:44 Right? Okay. Well, we'll keep eyes on it and spread this information out.
15:29:50 And you know. Tell your friends this. This is a public works that edits that.
15:29:56 It's most important. I think, okay. So we have a few small items.
15:30:00 I, of course, did not have time to write the letter and my chat box did a horrible first draft I don't know, of course, did not have time to write the letter, and my chat BoT
did a horrible first draft it's not I mean I I could share it but
15:30:14 it's just completely generic. So how much time did you waste getting that chat by 3Â s?
15:30:19 Okay. Very good. Yeah. I didn't. I didn't waste a lot of time.
15:30:28 Did you waste getting that chat by it? 3Â s!
15:30:28 Okay, very good. Yeah. It didn't waste a lot of time, but it did not save me a lot of time over my very, very busy lunch hour.
15:30:39 But let's we. So what do we have? We have the ledge update the wasack public lands.
15:30:39 Nic, do you think we can wait on a letter?
15:30:42 Can I draft it and get it for next Monday?
15:30:44 That's not quite timely or I think the sooner the better.
15:30:49 If we have any proposals that are about June, or, you know, earlier.
15:30:53 But.
15:30:57 Yeah, I agree that sooner would be better.
15:31:02 Sort of like, how, how we can do that. The share concerns.
15:31:11 Points that you'll make.
15:31:14 To do, especially meeting Wednesday morning. I can write drafted tomorrow and get it to you so we could just have a 5Â min meeting and look it over. Wednesday morning.
15:31:24 If people have time.
15:31:27 I've got time before 1030.
15:31:31 Earlier the better. On Wednesday for me. Get out of town.
15:31:37 Yeah. Wednesday. And we can do, can we just do it?
15:31:43 Oh, yeah, we have to do it. Csu hybrid.
15:31:46 What time?
15:31:49 We could do it at like 8 30, and will be 15Â min right.
15:31:53 Looks like, what time are you free? That's 8 till 9, 30, 30.
15:32:09 We can do all virtual. We're happy to what time are you gonna do?
15:32:17 All virtual. It's 9, 30. Yeah, we can do that.
15:32:23 Yeah, sorry to work on it. Yeah, let's do that.
15:32:27 I'll get the letter to good Mark to you guys tomorrow.
15:32:39 Okay, well, sorry about that. Alright. What about public Lens?
15:32:45 How was the lunchtime? Was that meeting? It was good.
15:32:52 So my question is is how we get our voice into the process with the proposed entity that they're creating right?
15:33:04 And you know what I came out of it with. Is it?
15:33:07 Feels like one of us to join the public Land steering Committee, I think, came out of thinking you should.
15:33:16 That sounds good to me. There are 8 seats available in Washington State, and only 3 are filed.
15:33:27 So, you know one of the questions I brought up were how they're going to consider shoreline issues cause they keep talking about public lands.
15:33:37 And somebody in the chat said, well, the shorelines are in a national park or National Forest, and I said, Well, we have a huge stretch of park in the on the beach on the West
End, so it just feels like that.
15:33:54 Perspective needs to be represented. So I will look into it.
15:33:58 Okay. So Annie, up. But get when I was on he didn't have to be well, I mean, it felt like I felt like it doesn't have to be Jefferson County Commissioners, but it feels like
somebody with the climate change.
15:34:11 The progressive mindset needs to be there, to be part of the conversation.
15:34:18 We're willing to be proactive about it, to worry.
15:34:21 There's a small stable of counties from Washington that would contribute that voice, and I was impressed that mostly, I think, coming from the Montana State director he right
away was talking about the So gateway communities recreation.
15:34:40 I mean, specifically calling out biking and hunting, and all the uses of public lands, and a Federal lands within our counties.
15:34:47 It did not seem nearly as focused just on harvest.
15:34:54 Yes, as I feared, and so I was relieved to hear that balance of interests.
15:34:59 I still, you know my question was, how are they going to prioritize?
15:35:02 Because they keep saying it's really a research organization. And it's like, Ok, so how are you going to prioritize?
15:35:06 Given all those interests what gets actually gets attention. And it sounds like that.
15:35:13 The board, that didn't appear to have much specific Washington representation is where that would happen.
15:35:20 So, you know, I think, and also the another answer to the questions we posed is, they think the 15 million will generate enough interest and revenue.
15:35:34 That is what would continue to fund base fund operations of the center.
15:35:41 So it's like an endowment funds.
15:35:44 The research ongoing, yeah. So I'd say my concerns were satisfied.
15:35:51 I think this gives us a few years to figure out, you know, to see how it, how it goes and our interests being represented.
15:36:01 And you know it's easy, and when you're talking about these kind of large plans to, you know, people kept saying, Oh, it just have faith that this would be a bipartisan effort
that all interests will be represented, and it's like using harder to do
15:36:20 so 15 million at 5%, generally 750,000 a year.
15:36:25 I don't know what kind of staff you're gonna hire for that facilities.
15:36:30 Computers, utilities. If interest rates go back down. 1050 is, I think that's they weren't talking to the.
15:36:42 They weren't talking about a huge staff costs, I mean, I don't. I?
15:36:46 I remember seeing something about it in DC. When I was there.
15:36:51 Some more specifics when they do want to work with graduate students for research as well.
15:36:58 So they're asking for 33 and change.
15:37:02 Over 2 years. That right? Yup!
15:37:09 Here comes Mark. So if the bill doesn't change, I would. If you're going to do this, I'd recommend paying 24 and 25.
15:37:20 As I went I think they wanted 2324.
15:37:24 They want. They gave us a choice. No, I think they wanted 2324 payment, and a 2425. That was my impression.
15:37:33 So so would be half now. They may be paid in full, or it may be paid in full, or paid to installments or so.
15:37:47 We could just pay in 2425, according to the language here.
15:37:50 Oh, right paying for paying 2 installments that, or really indicates that you could.
15:37:57 But I'm sure they'd rather get it now.
15:38:00 That's not written very clearly. No, because you could have 2 installments, one in 23, one and 24.
15:38:08 That's what I recommend. Cause if I can pay the same amount in a year and a half better for us.
15:38:17 I'm sure that I mean we could send our intention.
15:38:23 I don't know.
15:38:26 You want me to ask Eric the question. I mean, I can tell you what he's gonna say.
15:38:36 Well, they did acknowledge that this came out.
15:38:38 You know, when budgets have already been set on the call today.
15:38:45 Supplemental opportunities for budget.
15:38:51 But I mean, so do we need to take some action on this, or do you wanna wait until we have a, you know, get some clarification on the date, and then either there'd be a contract
coming.
15:39:04 Well, they do on some assurance. So, yeah, can we do half this year?
15:39:08 We do anything the Board wants right?
15:39:18 Well, let's just pay it on that. No, I'm smart.
15:39:21 We could do that, I think, paying something this year gives them a assurance that we're actually committed to it.
15:39:30 So I guess, out of concern for it. You know Mark's Mark's point doing half of it now, and half in 2425 is we're gonna do it as in the options presented.
15:39:41 That seems.
15:39:47 I would propose that we move. I would. I would move that we I don't have that document.
15:39:56 I would I would move that we participate in the National Center for public land counties and pay the special assessment of $33,847 over 2 years, with half of it being paid in
2023 and half of it being paid in 20
15:40:20 24. I'll second. Okay, we had this, yeah.
15:40:26 Well, it did error on the side of caution, and offer anyone the opportunity to.
15:40:32 I make public comment on this motion that we contribute 33 and a half $1,000 or so over 2 years to the center for public lands, for Nico or the National Association of Counties,
to set up this public land Center, not to be funny but do you
15:40:53 want to equal installments, cause I could pay 5 bucks now and.
15:41:05 Yeah.
15:41:07 I do. I approve of any attempt. Okay, I don't see anyone raising their hand.
15:41:14 Last call anyone that would like to make public comment on this.
15:41:17 Please indicate, by raising your hand or star 9. If you're on the phone.
15:41:20 With no one in person with us. Okay? Well, I'll call the question all in favor of approving this voluntary assessment indicate by saying, Aye, aye, alright!
15:41:32 That motion creatures all communicate our intent.
15:41:38 Okay. I think ledge update is the last thing on our list.
15:41:44 Of course, said your forgiveness Brents, down the hall waiting to meet me, and I gotta allege update from Eric Johnson at the cost. Okay, great Yup, we will. We'll release you
to other work and yeah, have a great vacation.
15:41:58 If I don't see it I'll be here tomorrow.
15:42:00 Okay.
15:42:03 Let's see, I found out that our point O.
15:42:08 9 Bill, which somebody reminded me. Sounds a lot like blood alcohol that we should probably not refer to it that way.
15:42:20 Although the name is long, you know, concerning rural public facilities, sales and use tax, that it was scheduled for executive session and ways and means.
15:42:30 On the fourth of September eleventh. Yeah, which is great, because I think things have to be out by tomorrow.
15:42:36 Cut off. Okay? So that's good news. It has passed out of that committee many times, and then died on the rail on the Senate floor.
15:42:44 So, not counting our chickens before they're hatched as usual, it seems to have, you know, had a lot of momentum, and then really lost steam in that committee due to a couple
of senators really not liking it so frustrating, but also apparently some amendments are being worked
15:43:00 on which I am not privy to yet Hi!
15:43:06 High grade terms of the drift budgets that were released, couple of things.
15:43:15 The septic capacity supervisor was not in either budget.
15:43:21 So, yeah, indeed. So that's that's frustrating.
15:43:28 The. It was a $250,000.
15:43:33 Ask, yeah. Yes. Yeah. So I mean, we we could do put out a hard push for that.
15:43:41 Apparently Senator Mazole is still a big fan of it, and Representative Wiley, see the jail proviso was in in the Senate full funding for this really a assessment of state of
current jails, and how to modernize them for all of the uses
15:44:04 that that jails are being asked to provide now. So Senate funded that in full the House only did a small portion of it.
15:44:16 Unfortunately. So that's pushing for the the Senate version.
15:44:25 The, Blake bill that was wassack does not like is is still moving forward.
15:44:32 Not sure if it's going to pass or not, it's the one that expands the legal financial obligations to. It goes back to the 1,900 fiftys.
15:44:38 Yeah, and that there's a penalty for counties that do not comply with that in the in the bill so it's a little frustrating.
15:44:51 I signed in in favor of the bill, which would increase the amount of funding for veteran service officers, and probably provide them in like 4 more counties, which could also
be shared we've talked about sharing one with callum again.
15:45:07 That's another bill that we've we've waited on in the past, and it is, has not passed in the past, so we'll see where that goes.
15:45:16 Public Works Board was funded in a healthy manner in both the House and Senate budgets, which is great.
15:45:23 Some important broadband so it's a 50,000,001 75, and another 25 million for curb, 48 million for fish barrier. Remove.
15:45:33 So good chunks of funding there and in transportation the Federal Fund Exchange was funded in both at 25 million dollars, which is also the Governor's.
15:45:45 So that's good news. I don't know what federal, what is that that is taking Federal tropation dollars and swapping them out for State dollars.
15:45:53 And then the State, adopting those Federal dollars for bigger projects that are federalized anyway. Yeah.
15:46:00 And it will just be our. This is a pilot. It would just be our surface transportation block.
15:46:04 Grant. So it's not a big amount of money for us, but still finding somewhere to put half of a 1 million dollars of Federal dollars is a real pain for small jurisdictions.
15:46:15 So this would allow us to swap those out. The house version is a one-to-one ratio, so give half a 1 million dollars and get half a 1 million dollars back from the States.
15:46:25 The Senate version is 90, cents on the dollar.
15:46:26 So obviously, we like the house version better there's a prior juvenile offenses.
15:46:35 Bill, which what's like as opposed to?
15:46:43 And it is about scoring of juvenile offenses when sentencing adults.
15:46:51 Crimes, that and I'm not sure why.
15:46:56 As opposed to that. That's the Fentanyl Testing Equipment Bill was renamed to drug testing equipment removed, sentinel testing equipment from the definition of drug paraphernalia
that's still moving and well supported medical reserve course looking
15:47:18 promising the mental health and housing tax which expands the use of the point 0 1 one to 1% funds, both behavioral health and housing, and allows for some overhead.
15:47:32 That is still yeah in play, which is good.
15:47:36 But many fewer bills than there were, so those.
15:47:43 Yeah. And I hope that was just trying to get an update on that. Oh, good. Yeah.
15:47:49 The it's so hard to keep.
15:47:54 What's this? Is that trustline transfers.
15:47:59 It's like, 1660, yeah, the test line transfer bill.
15:48:01 And the carbon Bill's dead, but it's part of the 80 million.
15:48:10 The natural climate solutions account was separate from the carbon bill, but that's still being worked on.
15:48:19 But the 80 million provides them. Is that coming from the yes.
15:48:28 That's where it's coming from.
15:48:36 Oh, yeah. So I think.
15:48:39 That's that's about all I've got near the end.
15:48:44 Twenty-s left. Are you excited? Yes, only one more legitimate steering committee for this year during session. Oh, good!
15:49:00 Okay, well, here we are. It's 10 to 4. I've got nothing else on my list.
15:49:06 We got planning a special meeting for Wednesday at what was it?
15:49:10 9, 9, 39, 39, 30, we're just gonna talk about the letter that I'll get you guys a draft of tomorrow and we'll get published on the on the agenda for that special meeting.
15:49:21 The community outreach needs. Yes. Oh, well, in here, take my microphone.
15:49:29 I don't have it in front of me, but there's a quick update regarding the community outreach meetings.
15:49:35 They're being planned, and dates are being on your already on your calendar, and we're going to resume reserving the community centers for these meeting.
15:49:46 So just letting you know it's in the works, and you should see it on your calendars.
15:49:51 Great. Thank you so much.
15:49:56 Okay, anything else? How do we? How do we start promoting those meetings? So we're still working on holidays with.
15:50:07 Right.
15:50:10 Sounds good.
15:50:19 Okay.
15:50:24 Did haven't gotten any feedback on the Housing Fund Board Survey.
15:50:28 I have received. No, it just went out Friday, didn't it? It's interesting.
15:50:32 I got a.
15:50:35 That was from Survey month. Thank you. I had to try like 3 different piles.
15:50:40 Oh, no! So!
15:50:48 Yeah, I mean, every system had a flaw.
15:50:53 This one you have to sign in. Basically. So once your any free service, Google wants your email address, I don't know that you had to be signed in as a Google user like with
the Gmail account.
15:51:09 And it's hard once you're the editor, it's harder to see, you know.
15:51:14 Every time I clicked it would open right up. But I was like hmm for others.
15:51:19 So, if there's any Carolyn, if you get any feedback from people that it's problematic, let me know, and I'll see if I can.
15:51:30 I'm not gotten any word.
15:51:34 I'm trying to get feedback on the difficulty of a process to have the survey be not functioning right?
15:51:42 Yeah, but you were able to open it. It opened fine for me and you corrected the radio button issue. I saw.
15:51:47 So, yeah, look good to me.
15:51:54 Always just kinda wanna sit here and Kate Stacy is available for the April 20.
15:52:04 First oh, rates, property tax and session, and she and I are gonna be do a planning oh, oh, oh, yes, don't set the bar high just before I go on.
15:52:15 Aren't you? On the fourteenth? No Nope, that's Kate. She's gonna talk about the fairground.
15:52:22 So Kate's our first guinea pig.
15:52:23 Yeah. And I've got there in Germany. Oh, great!
15:52:31 Okay. Lovely.
15:52:37 Bridge.
15:52:40 Awesome, no really much testing, required daytime. Monday, through Friday, like 9 to 3.
15:52:49 Oh, well, sharing the impact, I guess.
15:52:55 That's roughly.
15:53:00 Okay. Good. Sorry. I said, Okay, let's wrap it up.
15:53:05 Still giving you time to think about anything else. Icg meeting for the Gma Plan discussion, and I'm supposed to be out of town for that meeting end of May 20, fifth, and I'm
good.
15:53:26 I'm going to be in Europe, which means 50'clock. 50'clock here would be like one in the morning, like not an easy thing to join, virtually so.
15:53:41 I don't know, do we? We could do it.
15:53:44 A joint meeting with city council, or or just do it in one of our meetings, and invite folks from the city to join.
15:53:53 Yeah, we'll definitely do a workshop in the afternoon.
15:53:57 Lot of the city council members have day jobs, too, so I'm not sure.
15:54:01 Okay, more inclusive, or if they have staff, they could have staff.
15:54:08 Yeah, planning commission. I mean, I think the really valuable part is the information to be had from commerce.
15:54:18 And so, you know, I think that's maybe more valuable than the conversation that electives would have.
15:54:26 Okay, so, look into a workshop later afternoon and invite the city, and they could certainly get Staff on a Monday afternoon helpful.
15:54:35 Yeah, I think that sounds like a good, and we can invite the you know, the planning commission to listen.
15:54:45 You're gonna make that connection yes, I feel like I should loop Brent in first.
15:54:51 Perhaps dabbling too much in his world.
15:54:59 Okay. Anything. Else.
15:55:09 I don't see anything else at the top of the above the fold in the email box.
15:55:16 Neither are okay. Well, everyone gets an extra half an hour back.
15:55:20 I will adjourn this meeting of the Board of County Commissioners, and we will see you next Monday. Same time.
15:55:26 Same place, great great thanks. Everyone.