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HomeMy WebLinkAboutM060407 District No.1 Commissioner: Phil JohDSOD District No.2 Commissioner: David W. SuDivu District No.3 Commissioner: John Ausdn County Administrator: John F. Fischbach Clerk of the Board: Lorna Delaney MINUTES Week of June 4, 2007 Chairman Phil Johnson called the meeting to order in the presence of Commissioner David w. Sullivan and Commissioner John Austin. <~ <" PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD: The following comments were made by citizens. Several people spoke out for and against the proclamation designating June as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month; accountability of public funds is important; the EIS consultant for the Pit to Pier project needs to be unbiased and do a careful, professional evaluation; several people asked that Jim Fritz be compensated for his video documentation of the Critical Areas Ordinance (CAO) proceedings; the Board needs to know three motions of the CAO Committee that haven't been formalized: 1) that the County Commissioners hold their own public hearing on the final draft ofthe CAO; 2) that the Planning Commission review the complete record of the CAO Committee meetings; and, 3) that Jim Fritz be reimbursed by the County for his videos of the CAO Committee meetings; the State Department of Ecology (DOE) doesn't have Best Available Science (BAS) that is relevant to Jefferson County because DOE's BAS is based on scenarios; a request was made that Commissioner Sullivan and Chairman Johnson speak into the microphones; the Board was presented with a Gay Pride Month flag banner; and a quorum of the Commissioners should not have attended the Planning CommissionIDOE workshop last week. Commissioner Austin was called away to Jury Duty at 9: 11 a.m. He rejoined the meeting at approximately 10:45 a.m. APPROVAL AND ADOPTION OF THE CONSENT AGENDA: Commissioner Sullivan moved to approve the Consent Agenda as presented. Chairman Johnson seconded the motion which carried. 1. HEARING NOTICE re: Petition to Change the Spelling of a County Road Name from Van Trojan Road to Van Trojen Road; Hearing Scheduled for Monday, June 18,2007 at 10:00 a.m. in the Commissioners' Chambers 2. HEARING NOTICE re: Establishing the Final Docket for the 2007 Comprehensive Plan Amendment Cycle; Hearing Scheduled for Monday, June 18, 2007 at 10: 15 a.m. in the Commissioners' Chambers Page 1 Commissioners Meeting Minutes: Week of June 4,2007 3. HEARING NOTICE re: Proposed Ordinance Amending Ordinance #09-1002-00 Entitled "In the Matter of Establishing the Office of County Administrator; Hearing Scheduled for Monday, June 18, 2007 at 11 :00 a.m. in the Commissioners' Chambers 4. AGREEMENT re: Provision of Labor and Equipment for Emergency Road Repairs for 2007 and 2008; Jefferson County Public Works; Seton Construction, Inc. 5. Concurrence and Authorization to Proceed with Real Property Negotiation and Acquisition for the Larry Scott Memorial Trail- Segment 4, County Project No. CRI069, STPE-2016(015); Jefferson County Public Works 6. Payment of Jefferson County Vouchers/Warrants Dated May 29,2007 Totaling $167,744.57 7. Advisory Board Reappointment; Housing Authority of Jefferson County; Five (5) Year Term Expiring July 7,2012; Kathy McKenna PROCLAMATION re: Proclaiming June as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month: Approximately 6 citizens were present for the reading ofthe proclamation designating the month of June, 2007 as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month. Commissioner Sullivan moved to approve the proclamation as presented. In the temporary absence of Commissioner Austin, Chairman Johnson seconded the motion. Chairman Johnson and Commissioner Sullivan voted for the motion which carried. COMMISSIONERS BRIEFING SESSION: The following issues were discussed. · Peter Buck will be the mediator for Port Ludlow issues. · The RFP for the Appellate Hearing Examiner is currently being advertised. The position should be filled by the end of June. · The celebration ofthe completion of the Courthouse Clocktower and site projects will be on Flag Day, June 14 at 4 p.m. · The County is reviewing the process for increasing the sales tax revenue for the Public Infrastructure Fund (PIF). The earliest effective date is August 1. · The State will be wiring the County $845,005 in back PIF revenue because they did not implement a tax increase that the Board authorized and the Treasurer had forwarded to them. · Native American bones found at the excavation ofthe PUD project at Beckett Point may cause a delay in the time line for the proj ect. · The Secure Rural Schools Act was approved for another year at the same amount. The funding will be available from October 1, 2007 to September 30,2008. · Anderson Lake, Lake Leland, and Gibbs Lake are being monitored for blue-green algae. The algae is increasing, but it is not bad enough to close the lakes. · New maximum occupancy signs for the Commissioners Chambers will be made stating that the Fire Code Official's determination is 49 people. Page 2 Commissioners Meeting Minutes: Week of June 4, 2007 APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Commissioner Sullivan noted that the Fire Code Official has clarified that the maximum occupancy of the Commissioners' Chambers is 49 people and this was changed on page 3 ofthe minutes. He moved to approve the minutes of May 29,2007 as corrected. Chairman Johnson seconded the motion which carried. Presentation re: 2007 Conservation Futures Applications: Tami Pokorny, Environmental Health, introduced Lige Christian, Chair of the Conservation Futures Advisory Committee. He reported that the committee received five applications for projects this year. They met on April 1 0 to consider the applications and prioritize the projects for recommendation for funding. The applications, which require a 50% match, are: · Glendale Farm, south of Chima cum - application submitted and sponsored by the Jefferson Land Trust for $300,000 on development rights on 180 acres of agricultural land. · Quimper Wildlife Corridor - two applications submitted and sponsored by the Jefferson Land Trust: 1) 50th Street Wetland, and 2) Winona, Phase II. These are platted lots within the corridor. The applications are for fee simple purchase. · Tomanowas Rock Sanctuary, Phase II - application submitted by the Jamestown S , Klallam Tribe and sponsored by the Jefferson Land Trust toward purchase of a conservation easement on 66 acres near the rock. · Upper Tarboo Creek Conservation Project - application submitted and sponsored by the NW Watershed Institute for $163, 819 toward purchase of a conservation easement on 50 acres to complete the conservation efforts in the Tarboo Valley around Tarboo Creek. The total amount of funding requested from the Conservation Futures Fund was $761,367. There is only $380,000 available in the fund for 2007. Through the Committee's process, each project was reviewed and given points on a spreadsheet. Although the Winona Phase II project received more points than the Upper Tarboo Creek Project, the Committee is recommending that Glendale Farm receive $230,000 and Upper Tarboo Creek receive $150,000 in acquisition funding. Lige Christian explained that the projects require a 50% match and the proponents have three years to find the funding for the match. If they are unable to find matching funds, the application is closed and the money reverts back into the fund. All the projects that have received funding have been able to find the matching funds. Brent Butler, Associate Planner, reported on recent legislative changes at the State level regarding Conservation Futures applications. A determination must be made if approving the applications will result in a lower capacity to accommodate the State Office of Financial Management housing and employment projections. The municipality is required to decide on a course of action to mitigate the capacity loss. He reported that the projects recommended for approval represent the loss of 7 units which isn't substantial and could be replaced by affordable housing in Port Hadlock. Page 3 Commissioners Meeting Minutes:'Week of June 4,2007 HEARING re: 2007 Conservation Futures Applications: The Chair opened the public testimony portion of the hearing. Owen Fairbank, Port Townsend, stated that he is a volunteer Boardmember ofthe Jefferson Land Trust. He encouraged the Board to increase the tax rate to provide more funding for the Conservation Futures Fund. Jim Hagan, Cape George, stated that there has been a lot of talk recently about landowners bearing the cost for protections that benefit the public as a whole. Could there be a mechanism in the future to provide Conservation Futures funding to the Conservation District for expanded monitoring that would enable the County to use smaller critical area protective buffers? This is a matter of fairness to the landowners. Mike Belenski suggested that information on the project applications should have been made available sooner so that the public would have more time to review the recommendation. He asked ifthe public will have access to the property since it is being purchased with public funds? How are the requests for funding for operation and maintenance (O&M) monitored? If some of the timber is being removed from the property as part ofthe project, who gets the money from the logging? Lige Christian replied that Conservation Futures funds buys a specific right and not necessarily ownership. An easement is a specific right. The purpose of the funding is to protect land by keeping it in agriculture, conservation, or the current use, or by converting it to a use that is good for the County as a whole. Public access depends on the right that is being purchased. If it is a fee simple purchase, the public has access to land. Regarding operation and maintenance funding, the projects chosen this year do not require O&M funding. The Conservation Futures Advisory Committee requires an annual report from the proponent on what has been done and how the money was spent. This report can be challenged. The proponent has to show they have done the work they said they would do and they must present the County with an invoice to receive funds from the account. Tami Pokorny stated that in the case of fee simple, the County or the City hold the deed. In the case of conservation easements, the County has always been a party to the easement but the Land Trust is the primary grantee on the documents because they monitor the easements. Sara Spaeth, Jefferson Land Trust, explained the use of O&M funds when they take on stewardship of a property. When the land is purchased fee simple, the deed is held by the County or City and the Land Trust conducts the stewardship and monitoring that is required. When an easement is acquired, the Land Trust has a perpetual obligation by IRS standards to see that the property stays the same as when it was acquired. If restrictions are placed on the property, it is their responsibility to see that they stay in place. They collect baseline data on the property. They currently have 30 protected properties and they have a stewardship staff to oversee them. There are also 60 landowners they must keep in contact with who are partners in the stewardship. They have a stewardship endowment but it is not enough money and they are always looking for funding. Each property costs the Land Trust approximately $60,000 over the lifetime ofthe property. Page 4 Commissioners Meeting Minutes: Week of June 4, 2007 Tom Thiersch, stated that he thinks the public has a right to examine how public funds are being spent. He asked if all the records are available? Tami Pokorny replied that after the legislation to include O&M funding was approved by the State in 2005, the Conservation Futures Advisory Board developed procedures to ensure that the funding was used and managed as the legislation intended. There has only been one request and it was withdrawn. Detailed records will be kept on any O&M expenses and they will be available for public review. Owen Fairbanks, stated that he believes that neither of the properties under consideration today involve compensation for buffers. Another cost that the Land Trust could potentially incur is to defend a legal challenge in court. Jim Hagan, stated that he doesn't advocate compensating landowners for buffers, but he feels that monitoring for the effectiveness of buffers is important. Mike Belenski, reiterated that his concern is about warrantee deeds, ownership and the right to exclude all others. Anyone can submit an invoice to the County or Land Trust, but there should be supporting information that the money was spent appropriately. The Chair closed the public hearing. Commissioner Sullivan moved to accept the recommendation of the Conservation Futures Advisory Committee as presented. Commissioner Austin seconded the motion which carried by a unanimous vote. Providing a Loan to Jefferson County Fire Protection District No. 5 from the County General Fund: The County Administrator presented the Board with a resolution to give Fire District No.5 a line of credit to maintain operations pending the outcome of a criminal investigation regarding the embezzlement of funds. The line of credit for up to $150,000 will be repaid by July 2009 and includes an interest rate of 6.19% per annum. This loan will also be outlined in an interlocal agreement. Commissioner Sullivan moved to approve RESOLUTION NO. 45-07, providing a loan to Fire District #5. Commissioner Austin seconded the motion which carried by a unanimous vote. Page 5 Commissioners Meeting Minutes: Week of June 4,2007 Bill Tennent, Jefferson County Historical Society re: Historical Society Quarterly Report: Bill Tennent reported on the projects and programs ofthe Historical Society for the first quarter of2007. · The Jefferson County Museum is back in a newly remodeled location at Port Townsend City Hall. · Their first major changing exhibit entitled "Fraternally Yours" is about benevolent societies that existed in the County during pioneer days. · Their Education Committee has traveling exhibit trunks that are checked out by the schools. The latest addition is about the Chinese population. · The 11 th Annual Victorian Festival in March was very successful. It is a fundraiser for the Historical Society. · The Rothchild House is now open for the summer and is featuring a wedding gown exhibit. · They are starting plans to expand the Research Center which will include the addition of a conservation lab and archives. Currently they have 20,000 artifacts at Fort Worden in storage. The center is operated by Genealogical Society volunteers. · They took over management ofthe Gateway Visitor's Center this year. A committee is working on ideas to make the Center more interesting by incorporating the County's history. Their vision is a combined Visitor's Center and Museum. · Volunteers are continuing work on the barn survey and historic properties survey. · Cruise ships are scheduled to dock in Port Townsend for walking tours on seven days this year. Many members of the Historical Society who conduct the tours dress in period costumes. County Administrator Briefing Session: The following items were discussed during the County Administrator Briefing: · Department of Community Development priorities and work responsibilities · Housing Authority appointments · Interviewing interested citizens for boards and committees · No Shooting Zone Ordinance Review Committee interviews · UGA Sewer update · Concerns by CAO Committee that an employee withheld wetlands information · Noxious Weed Board re-organization · Tri Area Teen Center funding request · Meeting regarding Strategic Economic Development Project · Portable public address system · Mental Health Sales Tax Oversight Committee $20 increase in auto license fees for a Transportation Benefit District · Public Health received a petition registering a complaint about air quality from the paper mill and it has been forwarded to the State Department of Ecology · Solar power for County buildings · Pulali Point building permit issue · Counties can assess impact fees Page 6 Commissioners Meeting Minutes: Week of June 4, 2007 NOTICE OF ADJOURNMENT: Commissioner Sullivan moved to adjourn the meeting at 3:15 p.m. Commissioner Austin seconded the motion which carried by a unanimous vote. The next meeting is the Board's regularly scheduled meeting on Monday, June 11,2007 at 9 a.m. MEETING ADJOURNED ..... '.. _#'" "f t 5 . JEFFERSON COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS SEAL: . \.~il., - ./' # ~.. ~ . \f~ ",~~ . : .--, A TT~,..,~.:. \... " I, f . ", ; ...~"" ~ f/ \. 1ft . ;). .~; .~- ..' _. ~ ~\ .. I ~ \..'-;$-" ;;;;;;;::~ ,4 '..,< ';-I\:~-- . Phil Johnson, Chair Da~U~~~ ' Ct:t Page 7