Island Guardian

Thursday, June 30th

Miller's Views On Draft Charter: Not Positive

ig_MILLER-2 (15k image) Two Freeholders recently sat down with Commissioner Rhea Miller to conduct an interview, with the hope that her comments could help them fine tune the draft Charter the Freeholders will be presenting to county voters in the next election. As it stands, the charter would make some very fundamental changes in county government, and it was felt that Miller could provide some insights, and advise on the current content of the Charter.

The Freeholders, Ed Carlberg & David Bayley, were surprised to learn that while the County has for years talked about hiring a County Manager, but has taken little meaningful action toward that end, the BOCC has now "hired an outside independent consultant to study whether a manager is a good idea". (see PREVIOUS STORY on this) It also was revealed that the hiring of the consultant occurred while the Freeholders were in the process of drafting a Charter that was obviously moving toward including a County Manager position.

It is widely believed by observers of county government that much of the support for the passage of a Charter, that will include a new government structure with a County Manager as a "Chief Executive Officer", can be attributed to the public's desire to have a professional running county government. According to the report on the interview, Commissioner Miller "acknowledged that there seemed to be a groundswell of support among voters to hire a County Manager to handle some of the administrative duties now burdening the Commissioners, but she still views this public opinion warily, and without enthusiasm".

On the question of county wide support for the Charter, the Freeholders now have some input back from a questionnaire the public was asked to respond to, and one of the results shows a lack of broad support on Miller's home island of Lopez for what is expected to be included in the Charter. Miller stated " Lopez people are not unhappy with their government and their Commissioner. Darcie Nielson and John Evans were the cause of the public's unhappiness with County Government, and that they authorized the Freeholder activity without her support."

Miller's opinion on the wisdom of going from full time commissioners (i.e. not providing them with "full time pay") was, in her words: "unworkable", because " part-time people who are simultaneously running another business wouldn't have the time to attend such meetings, and would not be able to accomplish the things she (Miller) has been to do".

One of the inclusions in the draft Charter is a provision for the voters to write and place on the ballot grass-roots "legislation" through Initiatives and Referendums. Miller is also against this aspect of the Charter, due to her belief they create a "risk of mischief and unintended consequences".

It is expected that at the next meeting of the Freeholders the report will be discussed in some detail.

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Sunday, June 26th

Gaylord's Actions On I-912 Concern Initiative Organizers

ig_Randy_Gaylord-1 (9k image) (Randy Gaylord)

SJC Prosecutor Randy Gaylord's office has issued a press release informing the public that his office has joined follow prosecutors from Auburn, Kent and Seattle, in the filing of a lawsuit against the organizers of initiative 912. The suit charges the organizers of the initiative have raised and spent money from unidentified sources. In simple terms, the suit has asked for an injunction, and penalties, against the use of any unreported money in their campaign, to have an initiative against the tax, placed on the November ballot for a state wide vote.

The new gas tax was imposed by the State, and I-912 will remove the legislation that imposed a new tax on the sale of gasoline. Those behind I-912 believe that if they can get a full state wide vote on the tax, the public will vote against the tax. The tax has been stated to be necessary to improve existing transportation facilities and roads in some parts of the state -most notable in King county, however none of the money is earmarked for San Juan County. The suit has sparked a strong response from the organizers of I-912.

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Friday, June 24th

Another Senior Planner Comes On Board

ig_Elizabeth_Anderson-2 (60k image) Elizabeth Anderson

Elizabeth Anderson is a new Senior Planner for SJ County. Her experience as a professional planner started on an island just southwest of the San Juan islands: she was the Senior Planner for the County of Maui. Some of her work on Maui was similar to what SJ County has been going through to meet the GMA (Growth Management Act) requirements: For example Anderson managed a project team for a comprehensive zoning program for Maui County, and developed, drafted and presented ordinances for each of the four islands in the county (sound familiar yet?), and also drafted and applied administrative rules and forms for processing regulations. On the permit side of planning, she conducted environmental reviews for major and minor development projects.

Hawaii, like San Juan County, has a rich history, and a recognized need to protect the historical record. Anderson was involved in coordinating county cultural resources management action, which included reviews of impacts on archaeological sites and construction design review in the county and national historic districts,

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Thursday, June 23rd

Murray: $25 Million Fed Funds For WA Salmon Recovery & $1.4 Million For N. Straits

ig_Pat_Murray-1 (28k image) In press releases from the office of U.S. Senator Patty Murray, it was announced that an appropriation bill will include funding for the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund. Senator Murray said: " "Communities across the state have committed to protecting and restoring salmon runs and I'm proud that the Senate has provided funding to make this possible."

In addition to the salmon recovery money , the bill also includes$8 million to Pacific coast tribes and $2.5 million to Columbia River tribes. In another matter, Murray's office also announced that the Senator "has secured $1.4 million for the Northwest Straits Commission in the Senate Appropriations bill. Murray helped launch the innovative grassroots approach to marine protection seven years ago and has secured over $4 million for the restoration efforts in the past six years.

The Northwest Straits Commission was founded in 1997, and Murray was a part of it. The Commission created an advisory commission to work toward protecting marine resources in the Northwest Straits area of northwest Washington and Northern Puget Sound to the Canadian border. There is a local connection to this commission in that San Juan resident Bill Ruckelshaus chaired an evaluation panel and worked to have the bill supported by Congress.

None of this, of course, is a done deal yet, the senate bills that Murray worked on will now move on to the Senate Appropriations Committee for consideration, and then to the Senate floor for a vote. We will keep you posted on the progress.
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Monday, June 20th

DOE Tells Gaylord "It's Your Job To Do"

ig_GP_BeachDOE_inforcement-1 (185k image)
LaFarge Beach next to Jackson Beach

In the face of on-going charges that the Lafarge gravel pit has for years been conducting illegal shoreline modifications and dumping of material within the shoreline, the County has refused to take action, maintaining a hands-off policy when it comes to shoreline and upland enforcement actions on the property. Because the former BOCC had entered into a contract to purchase the former gravel pit, it has seen a conflict in effecting enforcement on a party that it is involved with in a land purchase contract. But until recently the County has failed to request action from state agencies to investigate when complaints have been made to the County about illegal actions at the site. As a result, no actions to date have been taken by the County or by the State.

According to one of those who has complained, when the DOE and DNR have been contacted about the alleged violations, they were told "they will not enforce without County request and backup". But when Randy Gaylord recently sent a letter to DOE telling them that DOE and the BOCC had an "agreement" that the State would enforce the County regulations with respect to the LaFarge property, DOE responded by saying that there is not, and never has been, any such agreement. Subsequent to the DOE response, the Prosecutors office sent out a notice that they too, had now determined there was no such agreement.

The following is the full content of the letter from the Department of Ecology to Prosecuting Attorney Randy Gaylord:
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Friday, June 17th

Interim Director: $20,000 For Study Of Department

ig_MATT_ZYBAS-1 (18k image) Interim Director Matt Zybas

The interim CD&P (Community Development & Planning) Director presented an up-date report to the BOCC last Tuesday on his department. Director Zybas told the Board that it was his intent to hire a consultant to come into the department and determine if there were ways to improve it. He estimated the cost to be in the range of $15,000.00, and believed the Department budget would support the expenditure, partly because he had decided not to replace the now vacant position of Deputy Director.

Commissioner Miller suggested to the Board that this would be a good time for the Commissioners to come up with a set of "goals and objectives" for the Department. After a brief discussion it was decided to have a work session on the matter. Mr. Zybas encouraged the Board to act quickly, so that the consultant could incorporate the Boards work into the review of the department, and include in the study any recommendations for implementation of the goals and objectives. Because of the proposed input by the Board, Mr. Zybas estimated the cost of the consulting work would now be closer to $20,000.00

Commissioner Miller also reminded the Board that there are ongoing financial issues for the County, and they needed to be cognizant of this as they make decisions. She then noted in passing that any changes made to the Department as a result of the report will cause the consultant to "take the heat", and not the Director.

Commissioner Ranker congratulated Mr. Zybas for his ability to have quickly turned around the department from what it was, to what it is today.

Commissioner Lichter inquired if an application for a new deck on a house is placed in the same pile as all other building permits, or was there some way to issue the easy ones before the time consuming ones were processed. Mr. Zybas told the Board the Department was working on coming up with a method to speed up the processing of permits.

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Monday, June 6th

Memorial Park Redux

Mike_Bertrand-1 (15k image) Michael Bertrand
Town of F.H. Land Use Administrator

At the regularly scheduled Thursday meeting, The Friday Harbor Town Council received a staff report from the Town for a Shoreline Substantial Development Permit to renovate Memorial Park; a process that was fairly well underway by the time Land Use Administrator presented the Staff analysis and recommendation of approval for the project. After testimony and discussion, the Town voted unanimously to approve the latest plan for Memorial Park -and a few new proposals for the waterfront area as well- proposed by the Town, for the Town.

Any proposed changes to the park has generated strong interest and input from the community, and a letter from the Women's Study Club helps to illustrate just how watchful the community can be. President Van Camp reminded the Council that their group was "instrumental at the outset (1914) in establishing our historic and beloved Memorial Park", and then goes on voicing strong support for the new plan approved for the park. Everyone from military veterans, which is after all, the whole point of the park, to the various protectors of historical sites in Friday Harbor, has had an opinion on what, if anything, should be done to the park. In general the consensus has been to simply leave it alone, or at the most, adjust the boundaries just a bit to allow better traffic flow.

After a number of false starts, backfired votes and new proposals, it appears the community and the Council have got it right. The draft proposal has been approved with support from all involved, and is now being fine tuned for formal approval by the Town. The park boundary will be moved four feet to the southwest, and modest improvements made, to include new benches, and an arbor.

As part of the renovation, the Port is expected to become involved in the project by providing funding for a ramp that will allow easy access from the existing shoreline sidewalk, down to the lower level that leads to the piers next to the Downriggers restaurant and to the public building at the end of the pier. This addition -if it happens- will also have an arbor and trees, and is seen as a "magnet" to bring people to the shoreline.

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