||| FROM NECIA QUAST for LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS |||
In public access time the Friends of the San Juans regarding the Comp Plan proposed water and sewer rules for farmer worker housing; no vacation rentals on rural resource land; infill be done before expanding the Eastsound Urban Growth Area (UGA). After public hearings the council set the 2026 levies for land conservation futures, county roads and current expense.
In a Comprehensive Plan public hearing, five SJI residents addressed the proposed amendment to the Roche Harbor masterplan with concerns about rural character, wetlands, and amount and type of housing. The Roche Harbor manager said the plan was to build affordable year-round rental housing for staff and county residents. A Lopez resident was concerned about utilities getting automatic essential public facility status. An Orcas resident asked that community transit be included in the transportation element. An Orcas resident asked that the parcel he owns not be annexed into the UGA. The long-range planner reviewed proposed amendments to draft language like expanding the buffer in the RH master plan, language on shoreline armoring, defining multimodal transportation, conforming the rural character definition in the document, and adding tribal consultation in the governance element.
During a final review of the draft budget, all the council members thanked the budget analysts, the auditor and department heads for all their hard work in identifying steps to close the budget gap for 2026-207 biennium budget. Despite a hiring freeze, personnel reductions, revenue increases and cutting virtually all training and most travel and other cutbacks, there is still over a $1 million gap in the current expense fund in 2027. The council asked that a one-year balanced budget draft for 2026 be presented at the December 2 meeting, at which they will discuss other potential proposals for addressing the budget challenges for 2027. They also had a first review of the third set of budget amendments for 2025 which will be reviewed again on December 9.
The council passed resolutions setting the 2026 legislative priorities, updating the attorney fee schedule for non-contract assigned attorney fees and authorizing an interfund loan from Clean Water Utilities to Environmental Stewardship. They set a public hearing for December 16 for a sale of gravel on Waldron Island. The Council briefly noted the medical insurance issues facing county residents and discussed continued membership in a regional counties’ group. The 2026 fair theme will be “Red, White and Ewe.” AI will be banned in the fair poster design.
The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan organization encourages informed participation in government. The Observer Corps attends and takes notes at government meetings to expand public understanding of public policy and decisions. The notes do not necessarily reflect the views of the League or its members.
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