LWVSJ Observer Corps | San Juan County council regular meeting

||| FROM BARBARA SHARP for LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS |||

Council has held several budget consideration meetings this month. Discussions of possible budget adjustments continue, as Council considers ways to reduce expenditures by 4 million dollars. Council has requested budget adjustment and cost-saving proposals from all departments, and continues with discussions of each proposal for both ongoing and one-time reductions. Further meetings will be held July 13, 14, and 28, and August 3 and 4 so the Auditor can bring a balanced budget proposal in August, with further discussions to be scheduled before the finalization of a 2027 budget in November.

Sixteen community members from various islands took part in community comments, all of whom were in favor of maintaining the Department of Environmental Stewardship, rather than restructuring it as proposed as a cost-saving measure. Further discussions of proposals, the responsibilities and needs of the department, will be held before a final proposal is made.

Grants specifically dedicated to emergency /cold weather shelters on Orcas and San Juan Islands were approved.

The Auditor’s office presented proposed federal revisions from the Office of Management and Budget in Uniform Grants Guidance which can directly impact the county. San Juan County holds 50 federal grants, with federal monies amounting to over 5 million dollars in the 2026 budget. There are a number of revisions which substantially change how federal assistance is given and managed, including the integration of executive orders and increased federal control over discretionary terminations.

A meeting with the prosecuting attorney office is scheduled for July 1. Comments on the proposal are to be made by July 13, and implementation is to be in October. Council members were outspoken in their opposition and grave concern to the substantial changes in control. Council members agreed to raise their voices in the ways possible, noting that there were not likely to be able to make changes originating from the Federal Office of Management and Budget.

Discussions of budget constraints and considerations will be ongoing with news reports available on the county website (www.sanjuancountywa.gov). Chairman Paulsen made it clear that this current stage is looking at “direction, not decision,” as they hear from each department.

The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan organization, encourages informed participation in government. The Observer Corps attends and takes notes at government meetings to promote public understanding of public policy and decisions. The notes do not necessarily reflect the views of the League or its members.