Charter Review Commission recommends climate czar, tourism plan

||| BY MATTHEW GILBERT, theORCASONIAN OP-ED REPORTER |||

On June 1, the County’s Charter Review Commission (CRC) released the results of months of deliberations on desired changes to the current county charter.

CRC chair Kevin Ranker described the charter as essentially a county’s “Constitution. It creates a structure from which policies flow.” Only seven of Washington State’s 39 counties have such a guiding document. As explained on the CRC’s county webpage:

Adopted by voters in 2005 and put in place in 2006, the San Juan County Home Rule Charter calls for a review by an elected Charter Review Commission after 5 full years of operation under the new form of government, and at least every 10 years thereafter. 2021 is that 10th year, although five voter-approved amendments have been added since 2005.

The CRC is composed of 18 commissioners elected from all three islands. Their charge is to review the county’s current charter and recommend changes, bringing their own ideas to the table as well as those from the public. At a June 1 Town Hall meeting attended by more than 70 people, 11 proposed amendments were introduced (watch the Power Point presentation).

The first five on the list will appear on the 2021 ballot (the others in 2022):

1. Climate & Environment Office, Elected Commissioner and Advisory Commission (2021)
2. Declaration of Community Values (2021)
3. Creation of Justice, Equity, and Inclusion Commission (2021)
4. Coast Salish Acknowledgement (2021)
5. Term Limits for County Council Members (2021)
6. Initiatives & Referendums
   a. Signature requirements
   b. Financial limitation clause
   c. Regulation of paid signature gathering
7. Office of Public Advocate
8. Updated Preamble
9. Charter Review Commission Budget and Provisions
10. Section on ‘Non-Discrimination’
11. Ranked Choice Voting

The full list goes to the County Council, but as explained in the meeting, council members cannot alter or reject them. They can, however, come up with competing/alternative amendments, which Ranker said would be “extremely unusual.” Some of the amendments can be enacted by the Council prior to a county vote.

The primary thinking behind the 2021 amendments is as follows:

Climate Czar: “San Juan County has had a difficult time prioritizing Climate Action and Environmental Protection due to numerous competing priorities on the County Council’s agenda.”

Declaration of Community Values: Unlike the Comp Plan, the current charter has no language that captures “the County’s commitment to a diverse community, resilient economy, flourishing ecosystem, and sustainable environment.”

Justice Commission: “SJC Resolution 31/2020 verbalized the County’s commitment to a ‘Safe and Inclusive Community.’ Now is the time for the Charter to create the structure that will make this a reality.”

Coast Salish Acknowledgement: A formal recognition: “Let us acknowledge we reside on the ancestral lands and waters of the Coast Salish people who have called this place home since time immemorial and let us honor inherent, aboriginal and treaty rights that have been passed down from generation to generation.”

Term Limits for Council Members: Three consecutive four-year terms; can run again after sitting out one term.

There were also a number of “Recommendations” (advisory only), most notable of which was for a Tourism Master Plan and the reallocation of lodging tax monies. The issues:

• “Community is concerned about the impact of tourism on the environment, scarce resources, and housing market.”
• “County could use lodging tax funds to support infrastructure and employee housing.”

The recommendations:

• “County needs to establish a tourism management plan based upon accurate metrics regarding the economy and the environment.”
• “Internalize marketing and promotion as a County government function.”
• “The County Council should prioritize the use of Lodging Tax Funds for seasonal worker housing and the protection and maintenance of existing tourism infrastructure (such as County Parks).”

As Rankin noted in a recent Facebook post:

“…there is public $ for employee housing right now and we’re using it elsewhere. The current lodging tax, which is being used to advertise around the globe for tourists to come to Orcas, can legally be used for business employee housing for businesses related to tourism! This could include everything from marinas to grocery stores (co-op!) to restaurants to bakeries. All of these businesses could have access to funds to help them provide employee housing!”

Extensive public comment took up the bulk of the meeting. You can watch it here. The CRC also has its own YouTube page. Email your comments to sjccharterreview@sanjuanco.com.