HomeMy WebLinkAboutHEARING NOTICE re Drainage District JEFFERSON COUNTY
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
AGENDA REQUEST
TO: Board of County Commissioners
FROM: Mark McCauley, County Administrator
DATE: August 11, 2023
SUBJECT: Hearing Notice: Hearing to Consider Dissolving Drainage District No. 1,
aka Chimacum Drainage District
STATEMENT OF ISSUE: The Board of County Commissioners received a notice earlier this year from
the Jefferson County Auditor indicating that the Chimacum Drainage District appears to have met a number
of the criteria in RCW 36.96.010 required to be declared inactive:
(3) "Inactive" means that a special purpose district is characterized by any of the following criteria:
(a) Has not carried out any of the special purposes or functions for which it was formed within
the preceding consecutive five-year period;
(b)No election has been held for the purpose of electing a member of the governing body
within the preceding consecutive seven-year period or, in those instances where members of
the governing body are appointed and not elected, where no member of the governing body has
been appointed within the preceding seven-year period; or
(c) The special purpose district has been determined to be unauditable by the state auditor;
The Auditor's notice also indicated that a public hearing needed to be held on or about September 1, 2023 to
determine if the district has in fact met the criteria for being declared inactive and further to decide whether
to dissolve the district.
The attached hearing notice setting such a hearing will meet the statutory requirement for being published in
our legal paper of record for three consecutive weeks: 16, 23 and 30 September 2023.
ANALYSIS: Commissioner Eisenhour and Administrator McCauley have been engaging with key
stakeholders regarding the district to determine what course of action to recommend to the Board during the
public hearing. There are several options to consider. Among those are:
• Take no action—declare the district inactive and do not dissolve it
• Declare it inactive and dissolve it
• Reactivate the district in its current form
• Change the purpose of the district perhaps adding irrigation and/or watershed improvement to its
mission
Reactivation and changing the purpose would require substantial interest by residents of the district and
would require a public vote to elect officers and impose a property tax assessment on residents.
Dissolving the district presents a host of issues such as the disposition of easements between the district and
landowners in the district.
FISCAL IMPACT: This request has no fiscal impact other than the cost of publishing the hearing notice
three times which is minor.
RECOMMENDATION: That the Board approve the attached hearing notice.
REVI W D BY:
S' v Z 3
Mar cCau , County Administrator Dat
Please publish 3 times: August 16, 23, and 30, 2023
Contact Person: Mark McCauley, County Administrator
Bill to: Jefferson County Commissioners
P.O. Box 1220
Port Townsend, WA 98368
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
To consider whether to dissolve Drainage District No. 1, aka Chimacum Drainage District.
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a public hearing is scheduled by the Jefferson County Board of
Commissioners for MONDAY, September 1 at 2:00 p.m. in the Commissioners’ Chambers, County
Courthouse, 1820 Jefferson Street, Port Townsend, WA 98368 (HYBRID). Notice of said hearing is
to be published in the official newspaper of Jefferson County.
This hearing is for the Board of County Commissioners to discuss the inactivity of the Chimacum
Drainage District and what action to take due to this inactivity. The hearing will discuss efforts
being made relative to revitalizing the district in its current form, changing its purpose to include
adding irrigation or watershed management and arguments for dissolving it.
The information is available for viewing on the County website by clicking on:
www.co.jefferson.wa.us – Services – Laserfiche Web Portal – Board of Commissioners – BOCC Agenda
Packet – 2023 Weekly Agenda Items – 09 September 2023 – 090123 – Drainage District No. 1, aka
Chimacum Drainage District.
You are welcome to participate in this hearing. You will need to join the meeting by 2:00 p.m. using
the following methods: VIRTUALLY: Via the following Zoom, link:
https://zoom.us/j/93777841705, PHONE: Dial 1-253-215-8782 and enter access code: 937-7784-
1705# and press *9 to “raise your hand” to be called upon. Access for the hearing impaired can be
accommodated using Washington Relay Service at 1-800-833-6384, or IN-PERSON
To view documents or watch this meeting live with no participation, go to www.co.jefferson.wa.us
Follow the links under “Quick Links: Videos of Meetings: Today.” If you experience difficulties
joining the meeting or viewing documents please call 360-385-9100 to report any issues.
In addition, written testimony is also invited beginning on August 16, 2023 and ending on September 1,
2023 at the end of the Public Hearing, unless extended by the Board of County Commissioners. Written
public testimony may be submitted by Email to: jeffbocc@co.jefferson.wa.us You may view testimony
received by clicking here: www.co.jefferson.wa.us – Services – Laserfiche Web Portal – Board of
County Commissioners - BOCC Agenda Packets - 2023 Weekly Agenda Items - 09 September 2023 -
090123
You can also Mail your testimony to: Jefferson County Commissioners’ Office; P.O. Box 1220, Port
Townsend, WA 98368. Written testimony must be received by the Board of County Commissioners by
the end of the hearing testimony period.
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Signed this 11 day of August, 2023.
JEFFERSON COUNTY
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
/S/Greg Brotherton, Chair