HomeMy WebLinkAboutLetter in reponse of Point no Point Treaty Council letter COMs Board of CountyCommissioners
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ez, 1820 Jefferson Street
0 PO Box 1220
Port Townsend, WA 98368
O Kate Dean,District 1 Heidi Eisenhour,District 2 Greg Brotherton,District 3
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September 16, 2024
Dear Chairman Allen and Vice Chairman Tom:
Thank you for your letter dated August 15,2024. As the issues raised in your letter go back many years,we have
been reviewing all the prior communications between the County,your tribes,and the Point No Point Treaty Council.
This includes government-to-government meeting minutes,letters,and public comments,going back to the early
1990s. The County's efforts have taken a significant amount of time. We believe we will have completed that
process by the middle of October.
We expect to provide you with a detailed written report of our findings around October 15th. One of the
complicating factors in completing our report is that our Chief Civil Deputy Prosecuting Attorney,Philip Hunsucker,
is on vacation out of the country until October 3rd. Philip is now the person at the County with the most institutional
knowledge of this project. He also is the person who worked directly with Laura Rasmussen on the trust land
transfer issues referenced in your letter.
We suggest an in-person government-to-government consultation with legal counsel present to discuss your concerns
as the application process continues.We would like to have the consultation take place in the latter half of October,
after we complete the report.
We would be willing to host the meeting in the Board of County Commissioners'Chambers in Port Townsend or at a
location chosen by the tribes. Please let us know as soon as possible whether our idea is of interest and, if so,where
you would like to have to meeting. Having a timeline will allow staff for all parties to devote the necessary resources
to preparation. I
Sincerely,
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Kate Dean,Chair Heidi Eisenhour Greg Brotherton
District 1 Commissioner District 2 Commissioner District 3 Commissioner
cc: Amber Caldera,Chairwoman, Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe
Guy Miller,Chairman, Skokomish Tribe
Joseph Pavel,NR Director, Skokomish Tribe
Frances Charles,Chairwoman, Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe
Russ Hepfer,Vice Chair,Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe
Hansi Hals,NR Director,Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe
Roma Call,NR Director Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe
Randy Harder, PNPTC Director
Cristina Haworth, Otak
Phone(360) 385-9100 jeffbocc@co.jefferson.wa.us