Island Guardian

Tuesday, November 4th

SJI Library Board And Budget

The final budget hearing of the San Juan Island Library District and regular monthly Board of Trustees Meeting will be held at the library on Tuesday, November 4, 2008 at 6:00 PM. The trustees also will approve resolutions setting the 2009 property tax levy and adopting the 2009 budget.

The meeting will be at the San Juan Island Library, 1010 Guard Street. The public is invited to attend.

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A Storm Water Funding Plan

ig_SW_Fees-1 (59k image) Public meetings on the intent, and some options, for funding of the storm water ordinance drew few people , but in any case the County Council expressed their opinion this week that the best choice for funding would be a 50-50 split on funding; as shown in the chart.

The “50-"50” funding plan was proposed by subcommittee member Howard Rosenfeld, and Subcommittee member Gene Knapp immediately endorsed the funding plan, while subcommittee chair Rich Peterson said, “I can live with it, though I might end up voting the other way.”

The funding fees will assess half the cost of capital projects to parcels of land county-wide and half to the island on which each capital project is built.

The capital fee would be assessed in addition to an estimated $23.84 per parcel annual base fee which would fund the Storm water Utility’s basin studies, water quality monitoring, facilities maintenance, technical assistance program and administration.
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Sex Offenders, Tasers, & Overtime

A “Supplemental” to the Sheriff’s budget has been approved by the County Council for $30,000 for a Sex-Offender Residency Verification grant. The state grant will be used to fund overtime pay to verify sex offender residences, and will also fund the purchase of Tasers for the department.

Last year the Sheriff proposed a budget item to purchase Tasers, but due to budget concerns the money was not provided. It was suggested at the time that he apply for a grant to purchase them.

The Sheriff took the advice, applied for, and received a grant for a Sex-Offender Residency Verification grant; Auditor Milene Henley said “of which we don’t have a lot, but we have some.”

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Council Splits Vote On Cell Phone Coverage

Councilman Rich Peterson made a request to the county council to allow a committee working on improving cell phone coverage to proceed in drafting a new ordinance.

Receiving the votes needed to proceed almost did not happen, with Lichter stating he had read a study that “there is danger” from cell towers; and Myhr expressing concerns the process was moving too fast.

After much discussion, Councilman Gene Knapp said “most of the time things are dragging on too long, and here Rich and his committee have done an outstanding job, brought to us (a report) in the time that we asked for, and we are complaining because they did such a good job.”

Knapp then made a motion to allow the cell phone committee to move forward in drafting an ordinance to improve cell phone coverage in the county. The motion passed after much discussion, with Myhr and Lichter at first not voting for or against, and then after being pushed, decided to abstain from voting.

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Water For A Few Not A Public Benefit

ig_Orcas_Franchise-RHBR-02 (49k image)

The County Council met Tuesday on Orcas to hold a special meeting to hear additional testimony (see story below) on a request to grant a franchise allowing the installation of a water line in the public right of way (along the side of a county road). The pipe would transport water from a well owned by the applicant, to land also owned by the applicant.

At the first hearing on the application, a large number of citizens spoke against the proposal. . The main concern was the water would be removed from an area defined as an agricultural area, and used for domestic consumption for a proposed residential development.

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Little Support For Orcas Franchise

Approximately 100 people showed up for a public hearing on Orcas on Monday to give testimony for, and against -mostly against- the County Council approving a request to allow the installation of a water line in the public right of way.

As previously reported, the proposal is to pipe water from one location to another, but to do so by installing the water pipe in the county right-of-way.

The County had made it clear in memos from the Prosecutor’s office and from Public Works that the proposal would be a legal use of the right-of-way.

For those who came to the meeting, the issue went well beyond that right.
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At Last: Public Input Asked On Stormwater Funding

The Council has yet to release the draft stormwater funding ordinance, but they want to know what the public thinks about it; the draft that is, or less specifically, what they have said is in the draft.

Public meetings have been now been scheduled on Orcas, Lopez and San Juan Islands on the proposed Stormwater Utility Ordinance, including fees which would be charged to all property owners countywide.

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Public Meetings on Stormwater Utility

The County Council is ready to take the draft Stormwater Ordinance proposal on a "road show" to receive public input. Sort of. Not the draft really, but an outline.

“The subcommittee has spent nearly nine months studying and debating the Utility’s mission and different means of funding it,” said Subcommittee chair Rich Peterson, “And I think we have come up with something that addresses the County’s needs as well as the citizens’ concerns that were expressed in the referendum.”

Now it will be up to public to see if they agree with the work product of the committee. Or at least an outline of it. The full draft is not quite ready for prime time, since it has yet to be reviewed by County Prosecutor Randy Gaylord, but the Council may release all, or parts of the draft, if Councilman Gene Knapp's advice to the Council is followed. Knapp said Gaylord is unlikely to recommend any substantive changes, so why not just release it as it is: a draft document.

Based on reports given to the Council by the subcommittee, it is expected the outline will contain the following:
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