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Home My WebLink AboutCONSENT Regular Meeting Minutes of May 27, 2025 CRAFT0,. i,. ''� '� MINUTES Jefferson County Board of County Commissioners Regular Meeting — May 27, 2025, 9:00 a.m. Jefferson County Courthouse—Commissioners' Chambers 1820 Jefferson Street, Port Townsend, WA (Hybrid) CALL TO ORDER: Chair Heidi Eisenhour, Commissioner Greg Brotherton and Commissioner Heather Dudley-Nollette participated in the meeting. Chair Eisenhour called the meeting to order at the appointed time. PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD: Chair Eisenhour called for public comments, and four comments were received. The Commissioners addressed the comments. Fire Marshal Phil Cecere made an announcement that Jefferson County is moving from a low burn risk level, to a moderate burn risk level, which will have restrictions as of June 1, 2025. APPROVAL AND ADOPTION OF THE CONSENT AGENDA: Commissioner Brotherton moved to approve the Consent Agenda as presented. Commissioner Dudley-Nollette seconded the motion which carried by a unanimous vote. 1. APPROVAL of MOTION re: Motion granting authority to the Central Services Director to move forward with the procurement of necessary licenses for the Munis/EPL system and to committing to approving an upcoming appropriation request funding this initiative 2. APPROVAL of HEARING NOTICE re: 2025-2 Budget Appropriations for various County departments, Hearing to be held on June 9, 2025 at 10:30 a.m. in the Commissioners' Chambers, 1820 Jefferson Street, Port Townsend, WA 98368 (HYBRID) 3. AGREEMENT re: Employment Agreement for Jefferson County Administrator; Josh Peters 4. AGREEMENT, Amendment No. 1 re: SR 19/Rhody Drive Ped-Bike improvements—North Segment Project No. 1802076, WSDOT Project No. TAP-0019(007); Additional amount of $5,000 for a total of$466,135; Public Works; Washington State Department of Transportation (DOT) 5. AGREEMENT, Change Order No. 8 re: Phase 2—Water Reclamation Plant for the Port Hadlock UGA, Project No. 405-2114-0, Commerce Project No. 22-96515-026; Additional amount of$27,465.54 for a total of$10,504,476.56; Public Works; Interwest Construction 6. ADVISORY BOARD REAPPOINTMENT re: Board of Health; Community Stakeholder: Amanda Grace 7. ADVISORY BOARD RESIGNATION re: Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Advisory Board(IDDAB); Kim Rafferty 8. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Regular Meeting Minutes of May 19, 2025 9. APPROVAL OF DISTRICT COURT JURY FEES: Dated May 15, 2025 and totaling $1,243.10 1 Commissioners Meeting Minutes of May 27, 2025 DRAFT 10. APPROVAL OF PAYROLL WARRANTS: Dated May 5, 2025 and totaling $184,304.83, and May 20, 2025 and totaling $97,779.62 11. APPROVAL OF ACCOUNTS PAYABLE WARRANTS: Dated May 19, 2025 and totaling $407,663.87 EXECUTIVE SESSION: An Executive Session was scheduled from 9:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Chair Eisenhour announced that the Executive Session will be held from 9:34 a.m. to 10:04 a.m. regarding Attorney-Client Privilege, Potential Litigation under exemption RCW 42.30.110(1)(i) as outlined in the Open Public Meetings Act. Staff present: Acting County Administrator, Chief Civil Deputy Prosecuting Attorney (DPA), Civil DPA, Assistant Public Works Director,Natural Program Services Manager, and Department of Community Development Director. The Board concluded the Executive Session and resumed the regular meeting at 10:04 a.m. Commissioner Dudley-Nollette moved to make public, a letter received from the Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement Group (HCSEG) and that it satisfies the condition in Chair Eisenhour's email dated May 19,2025. Chair Eisenhour made a request for HCSEG to add a date to their letter. The friendly amendment was agreeable to Commissioner Dudley-Nollette. Commissioner Brotherton seconded the motion. Chair Eisenhour shared the letter on her screen for the public to view. She called for public comments on the motion, and no comments were received. She called for a vote on the motion. The motion carried by a unanimous vote. Commissioner Brotherton moved to adopt a statement of values of the Jefferson County Board of County Commissioners regarding the Pleasant Harbor Master Planned Resort, and publicize this on our socials, and ask that staff send this once approved by the County Commissioners and signed, directly to George Terry at Department of Community Development, who is one of the leads with the Statesman Group, so that we can get this information to the Statesman Group post haste, and to share it with the press. Commissioner Dudley-Nollette seconded the motion. Chair Eisenhour called for public comments on the motion, and one comment was received. At the request of the public, staff shared the letter via the zoom chat box, and the Commissioners also read the letter aloud. As the public had more time to review the letter, Chair Eisenhour called for additional public comments on the motion, and three comments were received. After response to comments, Chair Eisenhour called for a vote on the motion. The motion carried by a unanimous vote. COMMISSIONERS' BRIEFING SESSION: The Commissioners discussed recent meetings they attended, miscellaneous topics, and discussed the tourism committees. Commissioner Brotherton expressed frustration over being excluded from the planning process for a roundabout signage and art project, despite early involvement and multiple requests to reschedule conflicting meetings. Although the project has made progress, no government entity has formally agreed to own and maintain the installation, which is required by the grant. Concerns were raised about long-term costs, liability, safety, and the lack of inclusive Tribal consultation in the signage design. Commissioner Brotherton stated a desire to step back from tourism-related efforts. The meeting was recessed at 11:44 a.m. and reconvened at 12:00 p.m. with all three Commissioners present. 2 DRAFT Commissioners Meeting Minutes of May 27, 2025 QUARTERLY ELECTEDS AND DIRECTORS' COORDINATION MEETING: The Commissioners met with Elected Officials, Department Directors and staff to discuss the following items: • Roundtable o Sheriff's Office • JCSO achieved accreditation • Recent conference • Staffing update; promotions and openings o District Court • Blake refunds • Courts of limited jurisdiction • Funding issues re: Blake refunds and rollout plan • Staffing update; fully staffed o Finance Director • Finalizing annual report this week • Working on homeless emergency center and HFB requests • Working on budget • Moving from a biennial budget to an annual budget o Public Health • Looking forward to annual budget • Climate-related events • Providing cleaning supplies, filters and air conditioners • Assisting with cooling costs for emergency shelters • Attending the All County Preparedness Day: June 28, 2025 • Working on budget in June • Staffing report: leadership and training for health employees o Communications Specialist • All County Preparedness event: family friendly to teach preparation for disasters • Working with departments, and how best to help • Branding kits o Assessor's Office • Reinspecting Port Townsend; appraisers are out in the field • Port of Port Townsend; tax exemption • Property tax bills; didn't pass legislative session • Mark McCauley; appreciation of service o Treasurer's Office • First half of taxes were due April 30, 2025 and processed • Staffing update: Thomas Goodworth has been promoted to Financial Planning and Analysis Manager, and Chris Kramer has been hired as Chief Deputy Treasurer • Upcoming surplus auction During the coordination updates, the power went out to the courthouse and a majority of Jefferson County as well, with no timeframe on when it would be restored. The meeting was recessed at approximately 12:33 p.m. and reconvened at 3:00 p.m. with all three Commissioners present. 3 DRAFT Commissioners Meeting Minutes of May 27, 2025 DISCUSSION re: Emergency Shelter Management: Commissioner Brotherton provided a brief overview of the Emergency Shelter issue, and Finance Manager Judy Shepherd provided a presentation. The discussion focused on the ongoing and future funding needs for emergency shelter services in Jefferson County, particularly the Jefferson County Emergency Shelter located at the American Legion, with current costs exceeding available housing funds. The Board received emergency requests from OlyCAP, Dove House and Bayside. If the emergency shelter closes on June 30, 2025, over 30 guests would be displaced, and while alternatives like tiny shelters are proposed, they only partially address the need, and longer-term solutions remain uncertain due to funding gaps and project delays. The shelter currently averages 34 people per night, though over a 90-day period, they've served around 60 unique individuals, highlighting a fluctuating but consistent demand. The demographic has significantly changed from decades ago, with more seniors and individuals experiencing mental health challenges,prompting concern over the inadequacy of tiny house options and underscoring the need for congregate housing. Amid funding cuts and rising operational costs, community leaders stress the societal and financial necessity of maintaining shelters, despite the lack of a federal mandate, as failing to do so will shift greater burdens onto public services and infrastructure. While many individuals were able to provide comments during the discussion, Chair Eisenhour opened the floor to allow additional comments from the public, and two comments were received. The Commissioners discussed funding strategies, including reallocating general funds, and pursuing grant opportunities. After discussion, Commissioner Brotherton moved to approve an emergency warrant for OlyCAP's request for$23,500 to initiate plan review for Caswell-Brown Phase 3. Commissioner Dudley-Nollette seconded the motion. Chair Eisenhour opened the floor to allow for public comments, and one comment was received. After a brief discussion, Chair Eisenhour called for a vote on the motion. The motion carried by a unanimous vote. Clerk Gallaway noted that the two housing meetings tomorrow will have limited public comment timeframes, and suggested sending public comments to carolyn@co.jefferson.wa.us. ADDITIONAL DISCUSSION ITEMS: The Commissioners and County Administrator reviewed the following: • Commissioners' Briefing Session- continued • Calendar Coordination NOTICE OF ADJOURNMENT: Chair Eisenhour adjourned the meeting at 4:31 p.m. until the next regular meeting or special meeting as properly noticed. JEFFERSON COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS SEAL: Heidi Eisenhour, Chair ATTEST: Greg Brotherton, Member Carolyn Gallaway, CMC Heather Dudley-Nollette, Member Clerk of the Board 4