HomeMy WebLinkAboutM020909
~1 ~MMh._
~{?fSO~~l
c:s!~ ... ~\
= '... "....\
I...... ,- -<I
""1 I
'\ / ;'
\~ ~/
~l:.' (/;.0/
~IN~
District No.1 Commissioner: Phil Johnson
District No.2 Commissioner: David W. Sullivan
District No.3 Commissioner: John Austin
County Administrator: Philip Morley
Clerk of the Board: Lorna Delaney
MINUTES
Week of February 9, 2009
The meeting was called to order at the appointed time by Chairman David Sullivan in the
presence of Commissioner Phil Johnson and Commissioner John Austin.
PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD: The following comments were made by citizens in
attendance at the meeting: Approximately 30 citizens were present to express their concerns about the draft
Shoreline Master Program (SMP) and the current process. Concerns mentioned included: the current
document operates without authority, without nexus and proportionality, and without any consideration of
administrative and enforcement costs; many shoreline property owners are not aware of the impacts the SMP
will have on the development oftheir property; there is nothing wrong with the current SMP, the County is
only required to review it and make minimal changes if necessary; the setbacks are too big; if the taxes for
shoreline properties are decreased because the property can't be developed, property owners throughout the
County will have to pay more taxes to make up the difference; where has the grant funding from the State
Department of Ecology been spent?; how are the proposed regulations going to affect insurance costs for
shoreline property homeowners if they currently live closer than 150 feet from the water?; "aesthetics" and
"scenic" are mentioned 60 times in the document, who decides what is "aesthetic"? Comments relating to
other subjects were: a person stated that the State did a study on the "Future of Farming" that was recently
made available to the public that shows what agriculture needs to be viable into the future and in his opinion
this information would have helped to develop more realistic GMA, critical area, and septic regulations; a
citizen gave the Board a DVD on the Border Patrol; the Assessor offered to have a workshop with the Board
to discuss the impact the draft SMP will have on property taxes; and, a person voiced his concerns about
how the tourism industry is having to deal with the closure of the Hood Canal Bridge in May and June this
year.
APPROVAL AND ADOPTION OF THE CONSENT A GENDA: Commissioner Johnson
moved to approve the Consent Agenda as presented. Commissioner Austin seconded the motion which
carried by a unanimous vote.
I. RESOLUTION NO. 12-09 re: Updating the Official County Road Log; Mt. Constantine Way, Mt.
Wilder Way, Crystal Court and Pelton Court in the Olympic Terrace Long Plat, Division II, Phase I
2. AGREEMENT NO. G0800149, Amendment No.1 re: Water Resource Inventory Area (WRIA) 17
Planning Unit Support; Jefferson County Public Health; Washington State Department of Ecology
3. AGREEMENT, Interlocal re: HIV Intervention and Prevention; Jefferson County Public Health;
Clark County Public Health
4. AGREEMENT re: Coordinated Food and Yard Debris Diversion Program Management; Jefferson
County Public Work; Discovery Gardens
Page I
Commissioners Meeting Minutes: Week of February 9, 2009
5. Letters (3) Requesting the Re-Introduction and Support of (S 1556) The Tax Equity for Domestic
Partner and Health Plan Beneficiaries Act; Representative Norm Dicks, Senator Patty Murray and
Senator Maria Cantwell
COMMISSIONERS BRIEFING SESSION: Each Commissioner reported on the following
subjects.
Commissioner Johnson:
. He met with Allison Brooks in Olympia at the State Department of Archeology and Historic
Preservation. The Governor has proposed that this department be administered by the State Parks
Department.
. A feasibility study is being done on a Natural Maritime District. It could include all the shorelines
along Puget Sound, the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean. It is federally organized by an
act of Congress but it is not run by the federal government. They say it would have to be locally
initiated, managed, and controlled by grassroots organizations and would make it easier to get grant
funding for projects.
Commissioner Sullivan:
. The Planning Commission Chair has approached him about extending the time period on their
portion of the SMP process for an additional three months.
. He is going to Washington, DC this week to lobby the Legislators for a State and Tribal Assistance
Grant (STAG) for the Irondale/Port Hadlock Sewer System.
. Hood Canal Coordinating Council wants the Commissioners feedback on what they would consider
helpful regarding the low dissolved oxygen in Hood Canal.
Commissioner Austin:
. There was an extensive, positive article about Port Townsend in The Olympian last week.
. The Port Townsend local radio station, KPTZ, should begin operations some time this year.
Currently they are looking for a tower location. The County doesn't have a local radio station in the
emergency communications network and KPTZ will fill that void.
County Administrator Philip Morley:
. He noted that the Planning Commission met last week and has determined that they will revise the
draft SMP and hold another public hearing that will include an additional public comment period.
He expects more public discussion on the impact of the SMP on property values and taxes.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Commissioner Austin moved to approve the minutes of
December 15,2008 and January 5, and 12,2009 as presented. Commissioner Johnson seconded the motion
which carried by a unanimous vote.
Commissioner Johnson moved to approve the emergency special meeting minutes for January 7, 2009 as
presented. Chairman SulliVan seconded the motion. Chairman Sullivan and Commissioner Johnson voted
for the motion. Commissioner Austin abstained from voting because he had an excused absence at the
meeting. The motion carried.
Page 2
Commissioners Meeting Minutes: Week of February 9,2009
BID OPENING re: 2009 Supply of Aggregate Products: Jack Reid, Public Works
Operations Manager, opened the one bid that was received from Fred Hill Materials, Inc. for rock for the
chip seal program. They bid $15 per ton on the 5/8 and 3/8 rock. Other charges such as shipping or
delivering to different sites around the County will be evaluated. He noted that last year Fred Hill Materials
was awarded the bid at $14 per ton.
Commissioner Johnson moved to have Public Works staffreview the information and bring a
recommendation for bid award back to the Board. Commissioner Austin seconded the motion which carried
by a unanimous vote.
Al Vaughan and John Viada, Washington State Department of Natural Resources re:
County Income Report and Presentation on Forest Funds: John Viada, Olympic Region Manager for the
State Department of Natural Resources reviewed the income report showing the revenue that the County
received from State Forest board lands in 2008. Jefferson County received a total of $1.4 million which is
divided up among all the taxing districts.
He explained that looking ahead in 2009, the value of stumpage is down more than half and the lack of
housing starts has affected the timber market. Timber sales on the west side of the Olympic Peninsula have
not been selling because the market has dropped drastically and the mills don't know if they can sell the
lumber. He anticipates that the income for the County will be around $500,000 in 2009. There was a
discussion about future. sales with the downturn in the market. Proposed land transfers were also discussed.
Al Vaughan mentioned that the implementation of the Harvest Conservation Plan (HCP) could be affected
by the economy and the decrease in DNR revenue.
County Administrator Briefing Session: County Administrator Philip Morley reviewed the
following items with the Board.
. Potential Sheriff Services during the Hood Canal Bridge Closure. Sheriff Brasfield reported
that he met with Jefferson Transit about potential Sheriff services to Transit and the possibility of
receiving State mitigation payments for the Sheriff s efforts.
. Border Patrol Letter. The Board had requested that staff draft a letter to the federal delegation in
support ofthe League of Women Voters' request for a forum on Border Patrol issues. They
reviewed the draft letter and suggested potential edits. The letter will be on the Board's February 17
Consent Agenda.
. Washington State Association of Counties (WSAC) Legislative Rally and Lobbying Efforts.
The Board members shared information about State funding and potential alternatives for continuing
operations at Bogachiel and Old Fort Townsend State Parks, explored what Jefferson County may be
able to do to coordinate with non-profit organizations, and asked the County Administrator to do
more research on the subject. They also discussed the mineral extraction severance fee proposal,
water banking legislation and the need for rainbarrel authorization.
. DNR Lands. The County Administrator reported that on February 7 he went on a Jefferson Land
Trust tour of eighty acres ofDNR land off North Jacob Miller Road. The Land Trust is interested in
Page 3
Commissioners Meeting Minutes: Week of February 9, 2009
seeing a fifty year lease executed to remove the land from DNR's harvest rotation. The County
Administrator will contact Jefferson Land Trust to seek clarification of actions that the Land Trust
may request the County to consider. There was also a discussion about a potential land exchange
between DNR and Pope Resources in east Jefferson County.
. Tourism Coordination. The County Administrator reported on a Tourism Message meeting he
attended on February 6 convened by Team Jefferson and Port Townsend consultant Christina
Pivamik. More than a dozen tourism organizations were represented. The goal was to find a
unifying theme to be incorporated into the different marketing efforts. The group agreed on three
potential slogans or action words and they will make a final decision at a February 20 follow-up
meeting. The Board discussed the choices and offered support for one that might appeal to a
younger audience. The County Administrator encouraged them to offer additional suggestions before
the follow-up meeting. Commissioner Austin plans to attend the February 20 meeting.
. Shoreline Master Program. There was a discussion about proactive ways the County can facilitate
a good process to inform citizens about the draft SMP currently being revised by the Planning
Commission. The Planning Commission will hold a second public hearing to address public
concerns.
. SB 5836 and HB 1970. Chairman Sullivan reviewed the Senate bill sponsored by Senator Haugen
and a companion bill in the House that would give DNRjurisdiction over siting marine transport
facilities for gravel and other construction materials in Puget Sound counties with a population of
less than 30,000. The Board discussed their concerns about removing County jurisdiction. Staff will
prepare a letter to Senate and House sponsors describing land use and environmental concerns tied to
losing local control. The letters will be on February 17 agenda for the Board to sign.
. Electronic Public Records. Commissioner Austin recently attended a State workshop and he noted
the need to provide clear direction to staff on how to comply with State requirements.
NOTICE OF ADJOURNMENT: Commissioner Austin moved to adjourn the meeting at
approximately 4:00 p.m. to the next regularly scheduled Commissioners meeting on Tuesday, February 17,
2009 at 9 a.m. Commissioner Johnson seconded the motion which carried by a unanimous vote.
JEFFERSON COUNTY
BOARD~ CO~~~NERS
~~~L
D""c' S""!~
\J111
pJiJo~
CfIZ tJkU
Jo/J Austin, Member
. ~-
~~i~,C~C
Deputy Clerk of the Board
Page 4